† Quote of the Day "Advent's intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope." -Pope Benedict XVI Today's Meditation "When our Lord bade us "to pray always" He did not mean to ask us to be constantly in the act of prayer but only to live in the state of prayer. Let us note the difference: to be constantly in the act of prayer would be to fill our life's course with religious exercises alone!...Even in the most contemplative lives, this is never done. There is always a place for certain activities that are more or less secular: meals, recreations, sleep, and the like. Living in a state of prayer does not aim at an impossible existence. The part of our lives devoted to religious exercises will mean that in all things, although it might be a question of a secular action, we will have no other purpose than to give glory to God...always to have an intention directed as much as possible toward God." —Raoul Lus, S.J., p. 32-33 Daily Verse "Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! Thou hast said, "Seek ye my face." My heart says to thee, "Thy face, Lord, do I seek." Hide not thy face from me. Turn not thy servant away in anger, thou who hast been my help. Cast me not off, forsake me not, O God of my salvation!" -Psalm 27:7-9 | St. Edmund Campion (1540–1581) was born in London, England, the son of a bookseller. He was a promising student and went on to become an esteemed and celebrated Oxford scholar, winning the high regard of Queen Elizabeth who admired his wit and pleasant disposition. Although raised Catholic, he was ordained an Anglican deacon. Unsettled by his move away from the Church, he repented and returned to the Catholic faith. While in disguise to protect his safety following his reversion, he witnessed the martyrdom of a fellow scholar and recognized his vocation. He went to Rome and became a Jesuit priest, and while assigned to minister in Moravia he received a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary who foretold his martyrdom. He later returned to England as an undercover priest during the severe persecution of Catholics upon the Pope's excommunication of Queen Elizabeth. His mission was to strengthen Catholics wavering under government pressure and win converts among the Protestants. St. Edmund was eventually hunted down, imprisoned in the Tower of London, and tortured. After being found guilty of treason, he said, "In condemning us, you condemn all your own ancestors, all our ancient bishops and kings, all that was once the glory of England — the island of saints, and the most devoted child of the See of Peter." After spending his last days in prayer, he was dragged with two fellow priests to be hanged, drawn, and quartered on December 1st, 1581 at 41 years of age. His feast day is December 1st. | Monday of the First Week of Advent Reading 1 Isaiah 4:2-6 On that day,
The branch of the LORD will be luster and glory,
and the fruit of the earth will be honor and splendor
for the survivors of Israel.
He who remains in Zion
and he who is left in Jerusalem
Will be called holy:
every one marked down for life in Jerusalem.
When the LORD washes away
the filth of the daughters of Zion,
And purges Jerusalem's blood from her midst
with a blast of searing judgment,
Then will the LORD create,
over the whole site of Mount Zion
and over her place of assembly,
A smoking cloud by day
and a light of flaming fire by night.
For over all, the LORD's glory will be shelter and protection:
shade from the parching heat of day,
refuge and cover from storm and rain. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4b, 4cd-5, 6-7, 8-9 R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem. R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD. R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David. R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls,
prosperity in your buildings. R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Because of my relatives and friends
I will say, "Peace be within you!"
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good. R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. Alleluia See Psalm 80:4 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come and save us, LORD our God;
Let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Matthew 8:5-11 When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
"Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully."
He said to him, "I will come and cure him."
The centurion said in reply,
"Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes;
and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes;
and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,
"Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,
and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Matthew 8:5-1 In no one in Israel have I found such faith. (Matthew 8:10) For some who thought they knew what Jesus was about, the healing of this centurion's servant must have been puzzling. Surely many of those living in Capernaum thought that Jesus shouldn't have healed the servant of a Roman official, an occupier and an enemy! But even the Roman soldiers who were part of the garrison occupying Capernaum might have marveled at this miracle. Why would a Jewish rabbi perform such a deed for one of their own? The key is found in the word "faith." That's what Jesus was looking for. Of course, he had come to redeem his chosen people. But by healing the centurion's servant, he demonstrated his love for Gentiles as well as Jews. He demonstrated that his mission was much bigger than most people understood. He had come to save everyone who would believe in him, everyone who would receive his message of salvation. Keep this in mind as you begin this Advent season. Jesus was born into this world as one of us so that he could take all of us with him from death into new life. This means that he came for you personally. It also means that he came for that neighbor who has never been friendly toward you and for that relative whose political stances are completely opposite to yours. It means that he came for everyone in prison right now just as he came for every one of their victims. Notice, too, that Jesus didn't remind the centurion of how he might have harassed or abused the people of Capernaum. He didn't expose any of the sins that the centurion's servant might have committed, either. He just healed him, because the centurion was willing to believe in him. That's where it starts—with faith. When we understand that Jesus came to save everyone, we will begin to believe him and to surrender our lives to him. Meditate on that as you prepare for Christmas this month. Let this gospel truth change the way you pray. Let it change the way you go about your life at home, at work, and everywhere else. "Thank you, Lord, for the amazing gift of your birth—for all of us!" Isaiah 4:2-6
Psalm 122:1-9 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | From today's Holy Gospel: "... The centurion said in reply,
"Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes;
and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes;
and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,
"Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. ...." Word of the Lord. | From Roberto Juarez:
"Jesus concludes with a precious promise: "Many will come from the east and the west... to the banquet of the Kingdom." With this Jesus is saying: The Kingdom of God is not only for those who consider themselves "good," "fulfilling," "perfect." It is for all who truly trust Him. For all who, like the centurion, approach with humility and love. This Gospel offers us a beautiful portrait of what the Christian faith is. A faith that cares for others. A humble faith, which recognizes its smallness. A trusting faith in the Word of Jesus. A faith that opens the doors of the Kingdom.
Today we can ask the Lord to have a heart like that of the centurion, a heart that does not boast, that does not demand, that does not believe itself to be perfect... but who knows how to trust totally in Jesus. May we too, every day, say with sincerity: "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but a word from you will suffice to heal me."
Amen." End quote.
Bishop Barron said:
"One of the most fundamental statements of Christian faith is this: Your life is not about you. This is not your project. Rather, you are part of God's great design. To believe this in your bones and to act accordingly is to have faith. When we operate out of this transformed vision, amazing things can happen, for we have surrendered to a power already at work in us "who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine" (Eph 3:20). This is precisely what we see in the lives of the saints: Mother Teresa moving into the worst slum in the world in an attitude of trust; Francis of Assisi just abandoning everything and living for God; Rose Hawthorne deciding to take cancer sufferers into her own home; Anthony leaving everything behind and going into the desert; Maximilian Kolbe saying, "I'm a Catholic priest; take me in his place." This is how faith transforms the Christian life." end quote.
We can amaze the Lord, amen?
But how many of us believe, truly believe in the Word of God?
The centurion said "just say the word and it shall be done!".
The centurion was amazing our Lord, because, in the beginning was the Word, and when the Word spoke, everything came to be, from nothing, into something.
And you? What about your words? Do you think they have power, and authority? The Holy Catholic Church has the ultimate authority on the things loosed and bonded to Heaven. Do you believe?
The Sacraments are availed for grace upon a soul...to be healed. Do you believe?
The belief is to be on earth, as it is in Heaven.
Do we believe?
Your words can curse, or bless, do you believe?
And you do unto others what you would do unto yourself, do you believe?
How can we amaze our Lord then?
There are two ways to amaze our Lord, by our faith...and by our love.
May we pray in ways that amazes our Lord, that we may never cease to amaze and love Him through one another..... |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Philippians 2:9–11 "Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." . . . . . . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
