† Quote of the Day "Let us not imagine that we obscure the glory of the Son by the great praise we lavish on the Mother; for the more she is honored, the greater is the glory of her Son. There can be no doubt that whatever we say in praise of the Mother gives equal praise to the Son." -St. Bernard of Clairvaux Today's Meditation "But as great as was St. Paul's devotion to our Lord, much greater was that of the Blessed Virgin: because she was his mother, and because she had him and all his sufferings actually before her eyes, and because she had the long intimacy of thirty years with him, and because she was from her special sanctity so unspeakably near him in spirit. When, then, he was mocked, bruised, scourged, and nailed to the Cross, she felt as keenly as if every indignity and torture inflicted on him was struck at herself. She could have cried out in agony at every pang of his. This is called her compassion, or her suffering with her Son, and it arose from this that she was the 'Vessel of Devotion' unlike any other." —St. John Henry Newman, p. 155
An excerpt from A Year with Mary Daily Verse "The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord, they flourish in the courts of our God." Psalm 92:12-13 -Psalm 92:12-13 | St Juan Diego St. Juan Diego (1474–1548) was a poor and humble peasant of the lowest class of Aztec Indians living in what is today Mexico. His native name was Cuauhtlatoatzin, meaning, "eagle that talks." He was baptized at the age of fifty by a Franciscan missionary priest and received the Christian name of Juan Diego. It was he to whom Our Lady appeared as a pregnant Aztec princess on December 9, 1531—at that time the feast of the Immaculate Conception—on the hill of Tepeyac, in present-day Mexico City, as he was on his way to Mass. To help Juan Diego prove to the bishop that she had truly appeared, the Virgin Mary miraculously left her image on his tilma. This image is now famously known as Our Lady of Guadalupe. St. Juan Diego's tilma still bears the image of Our Lady (miraculously, as the plant fibers normally disintegrate in 15-20 years) and it hangs in one of the most famous Catholic pilgrimage sites of the world, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Juan Diego was canonized in 2002 by Pope St. John Paul II as the first indigenous saint from the Americas. His feast day is December 9th. | Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent Reading 1 Isaiah 40:1-11 Comfort, give comfort to my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
that her service is at an end,
her guilt is expiated;
Indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD
double for all her sins. A voice cries out:
In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!
Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill shall be made low;
The rugged land shall be made a plain,
the rough country, a broad valley.
Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken. A voice says, "Cry out!"
I answer, "What shall I cry out?"
"All flesh is grass,
and all their glory like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower wilts,
when the breath of the LORD blows upon it.
So then, the people is the grass.
Though the grass withers and the flower wilts,
the word of our God stands forever." Go up onto a high mountain,
Zion, herald of glad tidings;
Cry out at the top of your voice,
Jerusalem, herald of good news!
Fear not to cry out
and say to the cities of Judah:
Here is your God!
Here comes with power
the Lord GOD,
who rules by his strong arm;
Here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
Carrying them in his bosom,
and leading the ewes with care. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 96:1-2, 3 and 10ac, 11-12, 13 R.(see Isaiah 40:10ab) The Lord our God comes with power.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name;
announce his salvation, day after day. R. The Lord our God comes with power.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king;
he governs the peoples with equity. R. The Lord our God comes with power.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then let all the trees of the forest rejoice. R. The Lord our God comes with power.
They shall exult before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy. R. The Lord our God comes with power. Alleluia R. Alleluia, alleluia. The day of the Lord is near;
Behold, he comes to save us. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Matthew 18:12-14 Jesus said to his disciples:
"What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Isaiah 40:1-11 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. (Isaiah 40:2) Did you know that Advent and Lent are both seasons of repentance? During Advent, we are called to purify our hearts to prepare the way of the Lord, and during Lent, we follow Jesus along the way of the cross. That's why Advent has been called a "Nazareth" season, while Lent is known as a "desert" season. Advent, with its focus on the dawning of our salvation, is meant to lead us to the warmth of the manger, the start of a new family, and the gifts of the Magi. It's a joyful, hopeful season that reflects the humble life that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph shared in Nazareth. While Lent leads us to the cross, Advent leads us to the poverty of the stable and the crib of the Christ Child. We see this humility and warmth in our first reading today, as the prophet speaks of comfort and hope amid the weight of the Israelites' sin. God calls his people to repentance, but he speaks "tenderly" to the people, promising to replace our guilt with his consolation (Isaiah 40:2). So Advent is not just about combatting sin, although that is still very important. It is oriented toward opening up space for Jesus. If our hearts are clogged by selfishness and disobedience, there will be no room for him to enter. But if our hearts are softened and emptied out by prayer and repentance, we will be free, expectant, and even joyful as we wait for him to fill us with his presence and consolation at Christmas. That's why the prophet reminds us that "though the grass withers and the flower wilts, the word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8). As we turn away from the sin that "withers" us, and as God removes the burden of our guilt, we can exult in the faithfulness of God. We can rejoice that our God came down low to meet us. The Infant King will be poor like us, vulnerable as we are. How wonderful, how full of love is our Lord Jesus, who emptied himself in this divine poverty! Whatever your Advent has been like so far, make space for him in your heart today. He will fill it with his presence and goodness. Receive his tender words of comfort and the joy he has in store. "Lord Jesus, thank you for becoming poor for me. Come and open my heart so there will be room for you there." Psalm 96:1-3, 10-13
Matthew 18:12-14 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "...If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost." Word of the Lord. | From a piece of daily reflections from Roberto Juarez: "How many times do we have an image of a severe, controlling, demanding God, difficult to please. Jesus breaks it by saying, "My Father does not want to lose anyone. He does not give up on anyone. He doesn't give up on anyone."
We can ask ourselves: 1. Am I the lost sheep? Is there anything in my life that has been taking me away from the Lord? Am I in a moment of weariness, confusion, or sin?
2. Am I one of the ninety-nine who remain? And how do I look at the one who is far away? With judgment or with compassion? With indifference or with a desire to bring him closer?
3. Am I a pastor after God's own heart? Do I go out to look for the one who is far away? Do I get involved in the wounds of others? Or do I settle for my spiritual "safe zone"?
The Church is called to imitate the Shepherd: not to wait, but to seek; not to condemn, but to reach out; not to exclude, but to accompany.
| 1. | Am I the lost sheep? Is there anything in my life that has been taking me away from the Lord? Am I in a moment of weariness, confusion, or sin? | | 2. | Am I one of the ninety-nine who remain? And how do I look at the one who is far away? With judgment or with compassion? With indifference or with a desire to bring him closer? | | 3. | Am I a pastor after God's own heart? Do I go out to look for the one who is far away? Do I get involved in the wounds of others? Or do I settle for my spiritual "safe zone"?
The Church is called to imitate the Shepherd: not to wait, but to seek; not to condemn, but to reach out; not to exclude, but to accompany. | Today's message is profoundly consoling and profoundly demanding. Comforting, because it reminds us that God never tires of seeking us. Demanding, because he invites us to have a heart similar to his. Let us ask for three graces today: 1. To be aware that we are wanted, even when we feel far away.
2. To allow ourselves to be found and carried by Christ, without fear or resistance.
3. To be instruments to seek others, with respect, with tenderness, with patience, with hope.
May this Eucharist help us to feel on the shoulders of the Good Shepherd the strength of his mercy and the joy of his love." end quote.
| 1. | To be aware that we are wanted, even when we feel far away. | | 2. | To allow ourselves to be found and carried by Christ, without fear or resistance. | | 3. | To be instruments to seek others, with respect, with tenderness, with patience, with hope.
May this Eucharist help us to feel on the shoulders of the Good Shepherd the strength of his mercy and the joy of his love." end quote. |
There is in the world, many that feel alone, abandoned, for 1 out of 8, depression is real in our country, some say one out of 5. For many, there is a father wound too. And how many of us feel disconnected from our Father, who is in Heaven?
Our Lord Jesus felt this on earth. He had to! He had to experience for Himself...the so called "Father wound". He was born, not normal, but of the Holy Spirit, not a flesh father like us. He had the deepest father wound of all. And so, Saint Joseph was chosen to be the father for a few years, because tradition says he died when our Lord was just starting His ministry about 30 years old. Sister Anne Emmerich said that Saint Joseph would've wanted it this way, for he would not have been able to stand the persecutions that our Lord was about to face, already having faced about 10 years of scorn and ridicule by the Jews, a real persecution already.
And so, to start the ministry, an even deeper father wound.
What of all this?
Jesus knows. God knows. Our Lord Jesus knows.
He knows and because of this...in the Holy Spirit...you are not alone.
God sees all. Jesus sees all. The Holy Spirit is in all. God sent that shepherd from Heaven, and all the angels and the celestial court...to be with you on a personal level. That suffering, He knows. He holds you when nobody else can. He holds your tears in a vase...to later water the flowers that will illuminate the path to His Sacred Heart.
This message is a personal message for you. Right where you are...He has you. He is the consoler of the afflicted, He hears the cry of the poor, and He loves the one in poor spirit, for He has experienced this, being born poor, and died poor. He knows poverty, and knows God's providence.
But you know what else He knows?
The love of the Father. This is what fueled Him. Saint Joseph died for Jesus. Nobody talks about his or knows this, because Saint Joseph hardly spoke. Sister Anne even speaks about his hard work for Jesus, as a carpenter, he wouldn't even charge people, He would just take from them what they would give him, if anything at all! WHAT? Super gentle. Super humble, and this is how Jesus grew up in training. The most gentle suffering servant in existence.
Now, our Lord has found you. You know this. Now, He wants to work to touch the lives of others with your love.
You know how much of a sinner you are, He knows too.
I've listened to so many purgatory stories, that it seems we have no chance for Heaven...but there is hope.
Jesus is hope, He wants to love. That is our shot. That He may find us bringing fruits of love. And, the bible says that love covers a multitude of sins. Just look at the good thief!
A sign of sacrificial love. God is at work and He is among us. We are His Fatherhood love story. Last night, my son came in before we were going to bed. He said "I saw one of your uncles at the convenience store... everyone witnessed him give the cashier a huge tip, to which she broke down crying "God is good, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!". She even left the register chasing him to hug him goodbye. This man, he is not going to church all the time, he has had a super rough life! I know him, he lives in a little trailer rv, and is in continuous personal battles. But these selfless acts of love, they move the world. Everyone at the store saw something...in the dark...a light, a glimmer of hope...the very love of God and neighbor.
What is funny, is that years ago, I remember a tugging at my heart, out of nowhere, I felt an urge to call this uncle, and I don't do these things normally, and when we spoke I said "I don't know why I'm calling you, are you doing alright?" and he began breaking down, saying thank you for calling, he needed someone to call him. You see, we are shepherds, of God's love, one light affects the other light. Love is the fuel of the light.
The 99 are doing alright, but that one...needs you...needs God's light. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
2 Timothy 2:15 "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,1 a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." . . . . . . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
