The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe is the last Sunday of the liturgical year before a new liturgical year begins with the first Sunday of Advent. Pope Pius XI instituted this feast for the universal Church during the Jubilee Year of 1925 in his encyclical Quas Primas in order to combat a global rise in the evils of atheism, secularism, and communism due to the majority of mankind having rejected Christ and his law. He declared that without honoring the authority of Christ as King, the world would have no hope of lasting peace. His goal was that all world leaders, governments, and nations would honor Christ the King in their civil and political affairs, as well as uphold the rights of His Church, and that the faithful would be reminded that Jesus must reign as King in each individual heart, mind, will, and body.
† Quote ""If you suffer with Him, you will reign with Him. If you cry with Him, you will have joy with Him. If you die with Him on the cross of tribulation, you will possess the eternal dwelling place in the splendor of the saints. And your name, written in the book of life, will be glorious among men."" -St. Clare of Assisi Today's Meditation "Throughout the year, Friday is meant to be a day of penance and self-denial. We make sacrifices on Fridays to recall Christ's great sacrifice on Good Friday. In part, our sacrifices discipline and test our attachment to created goods. When we deny ourselves little comforts, our suffering sheds light on the many ways we cling too tightly to the offerings of this world. Mortification leads to self-mastery, a process that purifies our ability to lift our eyes from passing goods and set them instead upon the everlasting good that is God Almighty." —Fr. John Burns, p. 23
An excerpt from Adore: A Guided Advent Journal for Prayer and Meditation Daily Verse Daily Verse
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." -Matthew 11:28-30 | St Catherine Of Alexandria St. Catherine of Alexandria (4th c.) was born to a noble pagan family in Alexandria, Egypt, and her father was governor of the city. She was an intelligent child who devoted herself to study, and converted to the Christian faith after the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to her in a vision. Many of her fellow Christians were put to death under the reign of Roman Emperor Maxentius. Catherine, at the age of 18, rebuked the emperor to his face for this injustice, giving a skillful defense of the Christian faith. In response, Maxentius brought fifty of his best philosophers to debate with her and refute her claims. St. Catherine not only won the argument by confounding her opponents, but she caused many of them to convert to the Christian faith. The emperor offered Catherine a royal marriage if she would renounce her faith, but she refused. She was imprisoned, and while in captivity, through her newfound fame, converted the emperor's wife and two hundred of his soldiers. When this was discovered, Maxentius had them all put to death. Catherine was to be tortured and killed by being torn apart on a spiked wheel, but the wheel fell to pieces when it touched her. She was finally martyred by beheading. St. Catherine is the patroness of philosophers, preachers, lawyers, apologists, scholars, and librarians, to name a few. Her feast day is celebrated on November 25th. | Tuesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Daniel 2:31-45 Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar:
"In your vision, O king, you saw a statue,
very large and exceedingly bright,
terrifying in appearance as it stood before you.
The head of the statue was pure gold,
its chest and arms were silver,
its belly and thighs bronze, the legs iron,
its feet partly iron and partly tile.
While you looked at the statue,
a stone which was hewn from a mountain
without a hand being put to it,
struck its iron and tile feet, breaking them in pieces.
The iron, tile, bronze, silver, and gold all crumbled at once,
fine as the chaff on the threshing floor in summer,
and the wind blew them away without leaving a trace.
But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain
and filled the whole earth. "This was the dream;
the interpretation we shall also give in the king's presence.
You, O king, are the king of kings;
to you the God of heaven
has given dominion and strength, power and glory;
men, wild beasts, and birds of the air, wherever they may dwell,
he has handed over to you, making you ruler over them all;
you are the head of gold.
Another kingdom shall take your place, inferior to yours,
then a third kingdom, of bronze,
which shall rule over the whole earth.
There shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron;
it shall break in pieces and subdue all these others,
just as iron breaks in pieces and crushes everything else.
The feet and toes you saw, partly of potter's tile and partly of iron,
mean that it shall be a divided kingdom,
but yet have some of the hardness of iron.
As you saw the iron mixed with clay tile,
and the toes partly iron and partly tile,
the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.
The iron mixed with clay tile
means that they shall seal their alliances by intermarriage,
but they shall not stay united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
In the lifetime of those kings
the God of heaven will set up a kingdom
that shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people;
rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms
and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever.
That is the meaning of the stone you saw hewn from the mountain
without a hand being put to it,
which broke in pieces the tile, iron, bronze, silver, and gold.
The great God has revealed to the king what shall be in the future;
this is exactly what you dreamed, and its meaning is sure." Responsorial Psalm Daniel 3:57, 58, 59, 60, 61 R. (59b) Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever." R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever." R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"You heavens, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever." R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever." R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him. Alleluia Revelation 2:10c R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain faithful until death,
And I will give you the crown of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Luke 21:5-11 While some people were speaking about
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said, "All that you see here–
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down." Then they asked him,
"Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?"
He answered,
"See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
'I am he,' and 'The time has come.'
Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end."
Then he said to them,
"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Luke 21:5-11 Do not be terrified. (Luke 21:9) Jesus had warned his disciples that not a stone would be left standing upon another. He predicted wars, insurrections, and natural disasters. And all of this would be only the "birth pangs" before his return on the day of judgment! Who could blame the disciples for being afraid? But Jesus wanted to prepare them ahead of time. He knew they would feel anxious and confused. That's why he told them, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away" (Luke 21:33). Even when things seemed out of control, they could still have confidence that God remained with them. Only forty years later, believers witnessed some of these predictions coming to pass. The Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70, and many disciples experienced persecution for their faith in Christ. During all these trials, they probably wondered why Jesus hadn't come back to end their suffering. So they had to rely on Jesus' words and refuse to "be terrified" (Luke 21:9). They had to trust that God was still present and still at work, even in times of unrest and suffering. And he clearly was at work! It was because of the destruction of the Temple and the scattering of God's people that the gospel spread! As they traveled "throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth," the disciples continued to preach the gospel (Acts 1:8). Like those early Christians, you may be struggling to trust God in troubling times or to understand a tragedy. It could be a personal loss or something upsetting on the news. But in every situation, in the face of every worry, Jesus wants to remind you: Don't be afraid. I will never leave you or abandon you. You may experience pain and hardship, you may hear frightening news, but you don't have to let it overwhelm you. I am with you, and I am still working! So cry out to Jesus for whatever comfort and strength you may need today. Fix your eyes on God's faithfulness. Believe that he still has you in the palm of his hand. Trust that he is already at work to bring good out of evil. Put your hope in the Lord, and "Do not be terrified" (Luke 21:9). "Jesus, all my hope is in you!" Daniel 2:31-45
(Psalm) Daniel 3:57–61 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | From today's Holy Gospel: "...When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end."
Then he said to them,
"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky." ...." Word of the Lord. | From Roberto Juarez:
"God does not ask us to anticipate events, but to remain steadfast, vigilant and faithful today: faithful in our relationships, faithful in a job well done, faithful in prayer, faithful in solidarity, faithful in love, faithful in hope. The best preparation for the future is a present life filled with the Gospel.
The message of today's gospel is summarized as follows: Although everything around you may tremble, there is a rock that does not move: Christ. When all is uncertain, Christ is certainty. When the world seems fragile, Christ is steadfast. When life is out of place, Christ recenters us. When the news is unsettling, Christ gives us peace. When strength fails, Christ sustains us. Faith does not ward off storms, but it assures us that we will not be shipwrecked.
Christ did not promise us that we would not have difficulties; He promised us that He would be with us every day until the end of the world. Today's Gospel invites us to look at life with new eyes. Nothing is eternal except God. Crises do not herald the end, but the opportunity to trust. We must not obsess over the future, but live the present in fidelity. And the firm rock of our life is Christ.
The Lord is with us, he walks beside us, he holds our stones when they seem to fall, and he says to us every day, "Do not be afraid."
May Mary, Mother of hope, teach us to trust even in the darkest moments and to place our security in God alone, who never fails." end quote.
We celebrated Christ The King of the Universe this past Sunday.
I did not know that this feast was put on our Liturgical calendar only about 100 years ago....in response to the calamity of the world and world leaders... a true catastrophe that culminated in World Wars.
The book of Heaven is volumes and volumes about a sickly lady that is bedridden mostly...in agonizing pain many times and our Lord speaks with her and appears to her in a variety of ways with a constant message to "suffer with Him" and He warned her of these wars that were coming.
We hear of the weakness and the failure of humanity, and what happens when we trust in humanity alone...and not God.
We hear of insurrections. But...we do not hear of what our Lord was saying to this little dying lady. What hurt Him the most? And why did He allow His justice to step forward? The atrocity of the failing church...led by poor priesthood. OUCH!
But....can we blame them? If society washes them down, and trains them to be weak...then of course we will have weak a weak priesthood. This is tied with the ministry of priests and the rest of us who are bound together in baptism as baptized priests...in a word....we are in this together. My dad, God rest his soul, used to tell me in private conversations....that we help build up the priests and their formation....and after dealing with many parish priests...I believe it. They need our help...and our prayers....God needs our help, for He acts in the priests as our shepherd.
And then...the parish will flourish, as the many of us will wait on the command and calling of the shepherd. Not my will...but His will be done.
The Book of Heaven, shows clearly obedience is key. Everything hinges on obedience, to spiritual directors, and to the priest and confessor. Our Lord does not state things contrary, but states obedience. And if the priest or confessor or advisor is errant....it is on them, the error falls on their soul, not yours.
And in the many years of seeing things at work...I see blessings and curses. Cursed are the ones that curses a priest, and blessings to the ones that blesses the priest. I will not list examples, but know I speak truth... if you want to flourish, you will not do it without the Father.
If you want to live...you will not do it without the Father.
If you want sustenance that the Shepherd knows is best...you will need the Father.
If you want healing that only the Shepherd knows....you will need to come to the Father.
If only we believed! If only we would thrive on the Holy Sacraments!
How God longs for and waits....and the rejection is brutal....to ourselves.
Lord, help us to see the Truth...help us see You Lord JESUS!!
My Lord, My King, My All! How can we love Thee as we ought! So far surpassing all hope and thought!
Sweet Sacrament, we Thee adore, Oh help us love Thee more and more! |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Matthew 5:11–12 "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." . . . . . . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
