† Quote of the Day "We must stand up for the rights of our neighbour who is suffering from injustice; we must defend them all the more vigorously because we see Jesus present in them. Surely this is our duty because of our love for others for his sake. We have no right to be 'sleeping watchmen' or dumb watch-dogs. Whenever we see evil we must sound the alarm." - Saint Charles de Foucauld Today's Meditation "You know, there ought to be a prize today for people who make excuses - because I think we'd all win something. We are in the habit today of making excuses. And because our faith is weak, we excuse ourselves from answering God's call, from doing God's will, from listening to the Church, from listening to the Gospel. We come up with all the fantastic reasons why we don't have to be good; why Christians don't have to be Christians; why we don't have to strive; why we don't have to go that extra mile that God is asking us to go - to show that extra bit of compassion or that extra bit of love, to do that extra bit of work. And so we make excuses that are so comfortable that we can literally walk away and forget what God asks us to do." —Mother Angelica, p. 15 An excerpt from Mother Angelica's Guide to the Spiritual Life Daily Verse "Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."" -Matthew 28:18-20 | St Virginia Centurione Bracelli St. Virginia Centurione Bracelli (1587–1651) was born in Genoa, Italy, to an aristocratic family. She was pious and desired the religious life, however, at the age of fifteen she was forced into an arranged marriage. Her husband, a wealthy and illustrious man, lived dissolutely as a drinker and a gambler despite Virginia's good example. After having two daughters, Virginia was widowed at the age of twenty. Refusing another arranged marriage, Virginia took a vow of celibacy and began charitable works in service of the sick and poor while raising her children. Once her daughters were grown, she used her wealth to found a refuge center for the suffering which grew into a large hospital, and soon into two religious congregations: the Sisters of Our Lady of Refuge in Mount Calvary, and the Daughters of Our Lady on Mount Calvary. Virginia was committed not only to serving the poor and destitute—even to the point of seeking them out in the streets—she was also committed to training the underprivileged with skills so that they could attain a better way of life. She also worked as a peacemaker to help settle the frequent bloody rivalries which rose up between noble families. St. Virginia Centurione Bracelli's feast day is December 15. | Monday of the Third Week of Advent Reading 1 Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17a When Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel encamped, tribe by tribe,
the spirit of God came upon him,
and he gave voice to his oracle: The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor,
the utterance of a man whose eye is true,
The utterance of one who hears what God says,
and knows what the Most High knows,
Of one who sees what the Almighty sees,
enraptured, and with eyes unveiled:
How goodly are your tents, O Jacob;
your encampments, O Israel!
They are like gardens beside a stream,
like the cedars planted by the LORD.
His wells shall yield free-flowing waters,
he shall have the sea within reach;
His king shall rise higher,
and his royalty shall be exalted. Then Balaam gave voice to his oracle: The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor,
the utterance of the man whose eye is true,
The utterance of one who hears what God says,
and knows what the Most High knows,
Of one who sees what the Almighty sees,
enraptured, and with eyes unveiled.
I see him, though not now;
I behold him, though not near:
A star shall advance from Jacob,
and a staff shall rise from Israel. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 25:4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9 R.(4) Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior. R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your kindness are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD. R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way. R. Teach me your ways, O Lord. Alleluia Psalm 85:8 R. Alleluia, alleluia. Show us, LORD, your love,
and grant us your salvation. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Matthew 21:23-27 When Jesus had come into the temple area,
the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him
as he was teaching and said,
"By what authority are you doing these things?
And who gave you this authority?"
Jesus said to them in reply,
"I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me,
then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things.
Where was John's baptism from?
Was it of heavenly or of human origin?"
They discussed this among themselves and said,
"If we say 'Of heavenly origin,' he will say to us,
'Then why did you not believe him?'
But if we say, 'Of human origin,' we fear the crowd,
for they all regard John as a prophet."
So they said to Jesus in reply, "We do not know."
He himself said to them,
"Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things."
| Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17 . . . one who sees what the Almighty sees. (Numbers 24:4) Just what did Balaam, the revered Ammonite prophet, see when he looked at the Israelites' encampment? He would have seen a people worn-out from their long journey through the Sinai Desert. Their tents certainly did not gleam in the sunshine—they were likely tattered, stained, and faded from overuse. And the people were diminished in number and exhausted from having entered into so many battles against pagan armies—and against each other. In other words, it would not have been a very impressive sight! But when he opened his mouth to curse the Israelites as the king of Moab had hired him to do, Balaam couldn't do it. That's because God had given him a vision of the people that defied their outward appearance. Balaam had his eyes opened to see Israel as God saw them: an encampment that was "goodly" and whose tents were arranged like "gardens beside a stream" (Numbers 24:5, 6). Balaam saw God's chosen people, not just a bunch of aimless nomads! What do you think God, the Almighty, sees when he looks at you? Does he see the ways you fall into envy or resentment? Does he see the aspects of your life that make you feel raggedy and worn-out, like the Israelites in the desert? Sure, but that's not all he sees. He also sees the ways you are trying to love people. He sees your desires for peace in your relationships and how you long to please him. He sees it all and loves you completely. What's more, God doesn't focus only on your thoughts and actions, however good they may or may not be. He sees the unique, "very good" way you reflect his own goodness (Genesis 1:31). He sees the image of his beloved Son, Jesus. He sees you, the "wonderfully made" person he created out of love, redeemed from sin, and filled with his Spirit (Psalm 139:14). Keep this vision close to your heart today. You are more than the good or bad things you say or do. You are a chosen and beloved child of God. "Lord, thank you for seeing into my heart—and for loving what you see! Help me to live out your vision for my life today." Psalm 25:4-9
Matthew 21:23-27 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "... When Jesus had come into the temple area,
the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him
as he was teaching and said,
"By what authority are you doing these things?
And who gave you this authority?"
Jesus said to them in reply,
"I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me,
then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things.
Where was John's baptism from?
Was it of heavenly or of human origin?" ..." Word of the Lord. | From Roberto Juarez: "Today's Gospel invites us to move from a defensive faith to a trusting faith; from a religiosity of appearance to a living relationship with Christ.
Let us ask the Lord for a sincere heart, free from fear, capable of accepting the truth. May it not happen to us as to those who had the Son of God before them and were not able to recognize Him.
May Mary, the humble servant of the Lord, teach us to accept God's authority with trust and obedience of faith." end quote.
The question our Lord proposes, is one of authority.
We are arguing then, not only "about" authority but "who" is the authority.
The authority then, we know is God, the final and ultimate authority. That which we grapple with, and the very name of "Israel" means a grappling with God Himself!
Why are we such rebellious teens in the yes of the Lord?
Teens don't know better, although they think they do, right? They grapple with freedom. They grapple with knowledge. They try to make the two the same. But true freedom can be found only in true obedience to God. We are more free in His bosom, than in the hand clutched in darkness.
Doesn't sin weigh something? It costs something, right?
All of scripture is to make us open our eyes to this truth...our Lord Jesus.
Whence we see Him, the truth is revealed right before our eyes. All of the lies we have been led to believe, all the sins we chose to live, and all the missed opportunities to have obeyed, in order to see Him alive, right before our eyes.
And wouldn't you like to see Him now? It would be better now, than later my friend.
And after seeing Him, to get to know Him. And the word "know" in the old languages meant intimacy.
An intimacy with the almighty lover of souls. Not only lover, but zealous of souls.
Once again, what soul gift can we gift to God this Christmas, so pristine, so beautiful, so full of love for love, joy for joy? He desires you my friend.
That is why these words have reached you so that you might ready yourself for His coming...
He can come at any moment you know...into your mind, and heart. If only we desire this intimate gift.... |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Colossians 1:15–16 The Preeminence of Christ "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by1 him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him." . . . . . . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
