My Dear Children – November 2013 – Christ the King!
Millard Sheets – The Word of Life
November 1 My Dear Children, Today we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints! Litany of the Saints For all the saints, who from their labor rest, who thee by faith before the world confessed, thy name, O Jesus, be forever blessed. Holy ones present at our beginnings: Stand Here Beside Us! Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Rachel and Leah, makers of the covenant, forbear of our race: Stand Here Beside Us! Elizabeth and Simeon, Joseph, Monica and Helen, exemplars in the love and care of children: Stand Here Beside Us! John the baptizer, mapmaker of the Lord's coming: Stand Here Beside Us! Holy ones who showed the good news to be the way of life: Stand Here Beside Us! Thomas the doubter; Augustine of Canterbury; Francis Xavier; all travelers who carried the Gospel to distant places: Stand Here Beside Us!
Bernard and Dominic; Catherine of Siena, the scourge of popes; John and Charles Wesley, preachers in the streets; all whose power of speaking gave life to the written word: Stand Here Beside Us! Benedict of Nursia, Teresa of Avila; Nicholas Ferrar; Elizabeth Ann Seton; Charles de Foucauld; founders of communities: Stand Here Beside Us! Holy ones who gave their lives to the care of others: Stand Here Beside Us! Louis, king of France; Margaret, queen of Scotland; all who made governance an act of faith: Stand Here Beside Us! Peter of the keys, denier of the Lord; Ambrose of Milan, who answered the Church's summons; Hilda, abbess at Whitby; Jean-Baptiste Vianney, cure d' Ars, Patient hearer of catalogues of sins; All faithful shepherds of the Master's flock: Stand Here Beside Us! Mary Magdalen, anointer of the Lord's feet; Luke the physician; Francis who kissed the leper; all who brought to the sick and suffering the hands of healing: Stand Here Beside Us! David and the Psalmists; all poets of the celestial vision: Stand Here Beside Us! Zaccheus the tree-climber; Brother Lawrence; Therese of Lisieux, the little flower; all cultivators of holy simplicity: Stand Here Beside Us!
Paul the apostle, transfixed by noonday light; Augustine of Hippo, God's city planner; Thomas Aquinas, architect of the divine; all who saw God at work and wrote down what they saw: Stand Here Beside Us! John, the seer of Patmos; Anthony of the desert; Julian, the anchoress of Norwich; Hildegarde, the sybil of the Rhine; Meister Eckardt; Bernadette of Lourdes; all who were called to see the Master's face: Stand Here Beside Us! Holy ones who died in witness to the Christ: Stand Here Beside Us! Stephen the deacon, the first martyr, stoned in Jerusalem: Stand Here Beside Us! Justin, Ignatius and Polycarp, who refused the incense to Caesar: Stand Here Beside Us! Perpetua and Felicity, torn by beasts in the arena at Carthage: Stand Here Beside Us! Maximilian Kolbe and Edith Stein, put to death at Auschwitz: Stand Here Beside Us! Martyrs of Rome, of Lyons, of Japan, of Eastern Equatorial Africa, of Uganda, of Melanesia, martyrs of everywhere: Stand Here Beside Us! Holy ones of every time and place: Stand Here Beside Us! Glorious company of heaven: Stand Here Beside Us! All climbers of the ladder of Paradise: Stand Here Beside Us! All runners of the celestial race: Stand Here Beside Us! Great cloud of witnesses: Stand Here Beside Us! Mary most holy, chief of the saints: Stand Here Beside Us! Mary most holy, gate of heaven and Ark of
the Covenant: Jesus our liberator, creator of all: Stand Here Beside Us! Jesus our liberator, redeemer of all: Stand Here Beside Us! Jesus our liberator, sanctifier of all: Stand Here Beside Us! Jesus our liberator, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end: Stand Here Beside Us! Amen.
November 1 My Dear Children, The Sermon on the Mount – the Beatitudes When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” -
Matthew 5:1-12
Image by Carl Bloch
November 1 My Dear Children, Today on the feast of All Saints, Pope Francis revealed the secrets to holiness, saying it’s not some rare “privilege for the few,” but an inheritance everyone receives at baptism. “Saints aren’t superheroes nor were they born perfect. They are like us, each one of us,” just that when they experienced the life-changing encounter with God,” they never left his side, the pope said during today’s Angelus address. Pope Francis essentially gave a roadmap today for how to follow this path to holiness. The path “has a name and a face,” he said. “It’s the face of Jesus Christ. He teaches us to become saints.”
So You Want to Be a Saint — Secrets of Success: • • • •
• • • • • • • • • • •
Experience God’s love. Follow God with your whole heart, without compromise, without hypocrisy. Spend your life serving others. Bear suffering and adversity without hating. “Saints never hated,” the pope said, because love comes from God and hate comes from the devil. “Saints kept far away from the devil.” Respond to evil with goodness. Have a joyous heart and spread joy and peace to others. Pray. Follow the path of the Beatitudes (Mt. 5: 1-12). Don’t derive your sense of security from things, but from God’s love. Have a simple, humble heart. Don’t assume you are righteous. Don’t judge others. Know how to suffer with those who suffer and rejoice with those who rejoice. Don’t be violent. Be merciful. Seek to be builders of reconciliation and peace. “Always help reconcile people and always help to bring peace.”
The pope said the path God shows us to holiness “is beautiful, it’s a beautiful journey!” Along this journey, the pope said, the saints are on the sidelines encouraging everyone to not be afraid. “Don’t be afraid to go against the current or to be misunderstood and derided when we speak about Jesus and the Gospels.” The saints’ message to people today is “trust in the Lord because he never disappoints. He is a good friend, always by our side.”
November 2 My Dear Children, Today we celebrate the Feast of All Souls. Father, we pray for all our brothers and sisters who have gone before us. Eternal rest grant unto them and let your perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.
November 2 My Dear Children, Jesus said to the crowds: “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.� - John 11:17-27
November 2 My Dear Children, "Dear Children; anew in a motherly way, I am calling you to love, to continually pray for the gift of love, to love the Heavenly Father above everything. When you love Him you will love yourself and your neighbor. This cannot be separated. The Heavenly Father is in each person. He loves each person and calls each person by name. Therefore, my children, through prayer hearken to the will of the Heavenly Father. Converse with Him. Have a personal relationship with the Father, which will deepen even more your relationship as a community of my children, my apostles. As a mother I desire that through the love for the Heavenly Father, you may be raised above earthly vanities and may help others to gradually come to know, and come closer to the Heavenly Father. My children, pray, pray, pray for the gift of love because 'love' is my Son. Pray for your shepherds that they may always have love for you as my Son had and showed by giving His life for your salvation. Thank you." Our Lady of Medjugorje - Queen of Peace
November 2 My Dear Children, The Prayer of Saint Gertrude the Great A prayer to release many souls from Purgatory each time it is said and which was extended to include living sinners as well. Eternal Father, I offer You the most precious blood of thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, for those in my own home and in my family. Amen.
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Our Lord promised Saint Gertrude if anyone should praise God for her and give Him thanks for the love He had chosen her from eternity, He would assuredly grant him whatever he asked, provided that it tended to his salvation. O most compassionate Jesus, giver of all good and all grace, may all that are in the round world, and the depth of the sea and the compass of Heaven, give thanks to you, and praise you with that infinite, everlasting and unchanging praise, which flows forth from you, and flows back unceasingly upon you! Again, for the exceeding love you shed into the heart and soul of your beloved Gertrude, so great a flood of graces, and of loving kindnesses and did reveal to the world the mysteries of your tender compassion through her, your own chosen and peculiar instrument. From my inmost heart, I render you utmost thanks; and I beseech you, on behalf of all in Heaven, on earth or in Purgatory, through that ineffable Divine love, where you from all eternity, elect to special grace your loving and most faithful servant and did in your own appointed time, draw her so sweetly to you and unite her so intimately to yourself and dwell with such delight in her heart, and crown her life with an end so blessed, you would condescend graciously to hear and answer my petition.
I recall to your mind now, O most compassionate Jesus, the promise you did make to your beloved spouse, in your great and super abounding goodness, you would most assuredly grant the prayers; of all who come to you, through her merits and intercession, in all matters concerning their salvation, binding yourself if you did not at once grant their petition, to bestow on them threefold in your own good time, from the omnipotence, the wisdom and the tender kindness, of the Adorable Trinity. Calling to your mind, this, thy faithful promise, I beseech you, leave me not desolate, but bestow on me the salutary effect of my petition. Amen.
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November 3 My Dear Children, Holy Mass 1. When the Eucharist is being celebrated, the sanctuary is filled with countless angels who adore the divine victim immolated on the altar. ~ Saint John Chrysostom 2. The angels surround and help the priest when he is celebrating Mass. ~ Saint Augustine 3. The celebration of Holy Mass is as valuable as the death of Jesus on the cross. ~ Saint Thomas Aquinas 4. Once, Saint Teresa was overwhelmed with God’s Goodness and asked Our Lord “How can I thank you?” Our Lord replied, “Attend One Mass.” 5. “My Son so loves those who assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that, if it were necessary He would die for them as many times as they’ve heard Masses.” Our Lady to Blessed Alan. 6. When we receive Holy Communion, we experience something extraordinary – a joy, a fragrance, a well being that thrills the whole body and causes it to exalt. ~ Saint Jean Vianney
7. There is nothing so great as the Eucharist. If God had something more precious, He would have given it to us. ~ Saint Jean Vianney 8. When we have been to Holy Communion, the balm of love envelops the soul as the flower envelops the bee. ~ Saint Jean Vianney 9. It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do without Holy Mass. ~ Saint Padre Pio 10. If we really understood the Mass, we would die of joy. ~ Saint Jean Vianney
November 4 My Dear Children, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. -
Philippians 4:13
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November 5 My Dear Children, Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Charles Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan in the 16th century. The following is an excerpt from a sermon given by Saint Charles during the last synod he attended: Practice what you preach. I admit that we are all weak, but if we want help, the Lord God has given us the means to find it easily. To lead a good, holy life resolve to use suitable means, such as penance, prayer, the avoidance of evil discussions and harmful and dangerous friendships. Would you like me to teach you how to grow from virtue to virtue and how, if you are already recollected at prayer, you can be even more attentive next time, and so give God more pleasing worship? Listen, and I will tell you. If a tiny spark of God’s love already burns within you, do not expose it to the wind, for it may get blown out. Keep the stove tightly shut so that it will not lose its heat and grow cold. In other words, avoid distractions as well as you can. Stay quiet with God. Do not spend your time in useless chatter. Be sure that you first preach by the way you live. If you do not, people will notice that you say one thing, but live otherwise and your words will bring
only cynical laughter and a derisive shake of the head. In meditation we find the strength to bring Christ to birth in ourselves and in other men. - Saint Charles
November 5 My Dear Children, A letter from Saint Paul to the Romans. We, though many, are one Body in Christ and individually parts of one another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them: if prophecy, in proportion to the faith; if ministry, in ministering; if one is a teacher, in teaching; if one exhorts, in exhortation; if one contributes, in generosity; if one is over others, with diligence; if one does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly.
November 5 My Dear Children, "To anyone who feels far away from God and the Church... the Lord calls you too to become part of his people." -
Pope Francis
Christianity is like an invitation to a party Speaking on the Gospel of the day, Pope Francis explained that being a Christian is like an invitation to a feast. It is an invitation open to everyone, not just “good people.� But he added that everyone must
interact at this feast. “Christian existence cannot be understood without this participation. 'I go to the feast, but I don’t go beyond the antechamber, because I want to be only with the three or four people that I am familiar with. 'You cannot do this in the Church! You either participate fully or you remain outside. You can’t pick and choose: the Church is for everyone, beginning with those I have already mentioned, the most marginalized. It is everyone’s Church!” The invitation to this feast, the Pope went on to say, is free. But he warned against the attitude of nominal Christians who feel happy just about being “on the list,” not participating. “A Christian is one who is invited. Invited to what? To a shop? To take a walk? The Lord wants to tell us something more: You are invited to join in the feast, to the joy of being saved, to the joy of being redeemed, to the joy of sharing life with Christ. “This is a joy! You are called to a party! A feast is a gathering of people who talk, laugh, celebrate and are happy together. I have never seen anyone party on their own. That would be boring, no? “Opening the bottle of wine. That is not a feast, it is something else. You have to party with others, with family, with friends, with those who’ve been invited, as I was invited. Being Christian means belonging, belonging to this body, to the people that have been
invited to the feast: this is Christian belonging. “The Church is not the Church only for good people. Do we want to describe who belongs to the Church, to this feast? The sinners. All of us sinners are invited. At this point there is a community that has diverse gifts: one has the gift of prophecy, another of ministry, who teaching. We all have qualities and strengths. “But each of us brings to the feast a common gift. Each of us is called to participate fully in the feast. Christian existence cannot be understood without this participation. ‘I go to the feast, but I don’t go beyond the antechamber, because I want to be only with the three or four people that I am familiar with.' You can’t do this in the Church! You either participate fully or you remain outside. You cannot pick and choose: the Church is for everyone, beginning with those I’ve already mentioned, the most marginalized. It is everyone’s Church! “The Lord is very generous. The Lord opens all doors. The Lord also understands those who say to Him, ‘No, Lord, I don’t want to go to you.’ He understands and is waiting for them, because He is merciful. But the Lord does not like those who say ‘yes’ and do the opposite; who pretend to thank Him for all the good things; who have good manners, but go their own way and do not follow the way of the Lord: those who always excuse themselves, those who do not know joy, who don’t experience the joy of belonging.
“Let us ask the Lord for this grace of understanding: how beautiful it is to be invited to the feast, how beautiful it is to take part in it and to share one’s qualities, how beautiful it is to be with Him and how wrong it is to dither between ‘yes’ and ‘no,’ to say ‘yes,’ but to be satisfied merely with being a nominal Christian.” Source: Vatican Radio, Romereports.com
November 5 My Dear Children, Today we celebrate the feast day of Saints Zechariah and Elizabeth, parents of Saint John the Baptist.
Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
Little is known about either saint, with the exception that they were of advanced age upon conceiving and bearing the cousin of Jesus, the Forerunner of the Son of Justice, Saint John the Baptist. Though all we know of them is recorded in the Gospel of Luke chapter 1, detailing Our Blessed Mother’s visitation to her kinswoman, Elizabeth, given the honor bestowed upon them by the Lord we can be certain of their piety, strength of character, and love. In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call
him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you
and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.�
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.” Luke 1: 5-25 Following Our Blessed Mother’s visit from the Archangel Gabriel, and her acceptance of the will of the Lord, she left her home and traveled alone, at great peril, to visit Elizabeth.
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home. Luke 1: 39-45, 56 Following Mary’s departure, Elizabeth gave birth to Saint John the Baptist, and Zachary was so filled with the Holy Spirit, he sang of song of prophesy and praise!
When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.” They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. All the neighbors were filled with
awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him. His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David as he said through his holy prophets of long ago, salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel. Luke 1: 57- 80
The name Elizabeth, which has been borne by several saints, means in Hebrew "worshiper of God." We can be certain of this truth as she has the distinction of being one of the first to know about Mary's great blessing as the Mother of God. A descendant of the priestly line of Aaron, she was a kinswoman—how close we are not told—of the Virgin Mary. According to the Gospel, Elizabeth had lived a blameless life with her husband in one of the hill-towns of Judea: “righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.” However, having reached an advanced age with her prayers for a son unanswered, she thought that her barrenness was a reproach. Following the miraculous conception, and Zachary’s visit from Saint Gabriel, Elizabeth is visited by Our Blessed Mother, and realizes the great honor and task that the Lord has set before her. The Gospel story tells us further that at Elizabeth's delivery her friends and neighbors rejoiced with her, and when the child was brought to be circumcised, they were going to call him after his father Zachary, but his mother said, "His name shall be John." Saint Zachary, whose name in Hebrew means “Jehovah hath remembered,” served as the High Priest in the Temple of Jerusalem, and had also lived an honorable and pious life. However, he was mocked and questioned by some, due to the fact that he had never produced a son. Following his visit from Saint Gabriel, Zachary was struck dumb, and his speech was not restored until he concurred with his wife’s assertion that their child be named John, despite no one of that name coming from their lineage.
Tradition, supported by Saint Basil and Cyril of Alexandria, asserts that when Herod set out to kill the Christ, he heard of the special circumstances surrounding Saint John's birth and tried to hunt him down. Saint Elizabeth took John, who was 18 months old, into the wilderness. They came to a mountain, and she spoke to it and a cave opened in it with a fresh stream and a fruitful date palm sprang up at its mouth. She escaped Herod's men by hiding in the cave. Saint Zachary died a martyr, killed in the Temple "between the porch and the altar" by command of Herod, because he refused to disclose the whereabouts of his son. Holy legend continues to tell us that the blood spilled in his martyrdom turned to stone as testimony against the reign of Herod. As the Roman Martyrology does not report this incident, it is unclear as the circumstances of this holy couple’s lives and deaths.
The lives of Saints Elizabeth and Zachary were lives of dedication to the Lord, faith in His ways, and hope in His love. Despite their advanced age, their disappointment in not conceiving a child, and the mockery they endured from their neighbors, both Zachary and Elizabeth continued to place their faith and trust in the Lord and were rewarded by bringing forth the Precursor to Jesus, Saint John the Baptist. What might we accomplish if we look to the Lord with faith, hope, and confidence, rather than clinging to our doubts?
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” -
John the Baptist, John 3:27-30
November 6 My Dear Children, November 5
My Dear Children, Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit O Lord Jesus Christ who before ascending into heaven, did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish your work in the souls of your apostles and disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul the work of your grace and your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom, that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal; the Spirit of Understanding, to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth; the Spirit of Counsel, that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven; the Spirit of Fortitude, that I may bear my cross with you and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation; the Spirit of Knowledge, that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the saints; the Spirit of Piety, that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable; the Spirit of Fear, that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.
November 6 My Dear Children, Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. - Luke 14:26
Compassion by William Bouguereau
November 7 My Dear Children, “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance." -
Luke 15:1-10
November 7 My Dear Children, God has a loving weakness for the lost sheep. Finding the lost sheep is a joy to God, because he has a “loving weakness” for those who are lost. These were the words of Pope Francis during his homily at Mass on Thursday morning in Casa Santa Marta. Commenting on the parables of the lost sheep and of the lost coin, Pope Francis talked about the attitude of the scribes and the Pharisees, who were scandalized by the things that Jesus did. They murmured against him: “This man is dangerous, he eats with the publicans and the sinners, he offends God, he desecrates the ministry of the prophet to accost these people”. Jesus, the Pope explained, says that this “is the music of hypocrisy”, and “answers this hypocrisy with a parable”. “He replies to this murmuring with a joyful parable. The words ‘joy’ and ‘happiness’ appear in this short text four times: three times joy, and once happiness. “And you” – it’s as if he were saying – “you are scandalized by this, but my Father rejoices”. That is the most profound message of this story: the joy of God, a God who doesn’t like to lose. God is not a good loser, and this is why, in order not to lose, He goes out on his own, and He goes, He searches. He is a God who searches: He searches for all those who are far away from Him, like the shepherd who goes to search for the
lost sheep.�
The work of God, the Pope continued, is to “go and search”, in order to “invite everyone to the celebrations, good and bad”. “He can’t stand losing one of His own. And this is the prayer of Jesus, too, on Holy Thursday: “Father, may none get lost, of those you have given to me”. He is a God who walks around searching for us, and has a certain loving weakness for those who are furthest away, who are lost. He goes and searches for them. And how does he search? He searches until the end, like the shepherd who goes out into the darkness, searching, until he finds the sheep. Or like the woman, when she loses a coin, who lights a lamp and sweeps the house, and searches carefully. That’s how God searches. “I won’t lose this son, he’s mine! And I don’t want to lose him.” This is our Father: he always comes searching for us.” Then, Pope Francis explained, “when he has found the sheep” and brought it back into the fold with the others, no one must say ‘you are lost’, but everyone should say ‘you are one of us’, because this returns dignity to the lost sheep. “There is no difference”, because God “returns to the fold everyone he finds. And when he does this, he is a God who rejoices”. “The joy of God is not the death of the sinner, but the life of the sinner. And how far from this were those who murmured against Jesus, how far from the heart of God! They didn’t know Him. They thought that being religious, being good people meant always being well mannered and polite, and often
pretending to be polite, right? This is the hypocrisy of the murmuring. But the joy of God the Father, in fact, is love. He loves us. “But I’m a sinner, I’ve done this and that and the other!” “But I love you anyway, and I go out searching for you, and I bring you home.” This is our Father. Let’s reflect on this.” Source News.VA
November 7 My Dear Children, O Mother of Perpetual Help, grant that I may ever invoke your most powerful name, which is the safeguard of the living and the salvation of the dying. O Purest Mary, O Sweetest Mary, let your name be ever on my lips. Delay not, O Blessed Lady, to help me whenever I call on you, for in all my needs, in all my temptations I shall never cease to call on you ever repeating your sacred name Mary. O what consolation, what sweetness, what confidence, what emotion fill my soul when I pronounce your sacred name, or even only think of you. I thank God for having given you, for my good, so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name. But I will not be content with merely pronouncing thy name: let my love for thee prompt me ever to hail you Mother of Perpetual Help.
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November 7 My Dear Children, "Do what is in your power so sinners may come to know My goodness." -
Diary of Saint Faustina
November 8 My Dear Children, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength." -
Mark 12:30
Icon of Pantokrator
What is man, that you are mindful of him? What is this new mystery surrounding me? I am both small and great, both lowly and exalted, mortal and immortal, earthly and heavenly. I am to be buried with Christ and to rise again with him, to become a co-heir with him, a son of God, and indeed God himself. This is why God became man and became poor for our sake: it was to raise up our flesh, to recover the divine image, to re-create mankind, so that all of us might become one in Christ who perfectly became in us everything that he is himself. God asks so little and gives so much, in this life and in the next, to those who love him sincerely. In a spirit of hope and out of love for him, let us then bear and endure all things and give thanks for everything that befalls us, since even reason can often recognize these things as weapons to win salvation. Lord and Creator of all, receive us prepared indeed by fear of you, but not troubled, not shrinking back on that day of death or uprooted by force like those who are lovers of the world and the flesh. Instead, may we set out eagerly for that everlasting and blessed life which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. -
Saint Gregory
November 9 My Dear Children, Today we celebrate the feast of Mater Domini – Mother of God and the story of Saint Gerard.
www.saintgerard.com
Introduction The life of St. Gerard Majella reads like a fairy tale for children: full of surprises, full of impossible things that happen anyway because of him. An archangel brings him Communion! A statue comes to life! Empty pantries suddenly bulge with bread! A bird bolts out of the air to perch on his finger and sing for a crying child! The life of St. Gerard teems with such things. If you are one who finds wonders hard to stomach, if dozens of “commonplace” miracles tax your forbearance this booklet is not for you. Lay it aside. Children will love this story and their mothers, too. That is only as it should be. For today, for some secret reason of Divine Providence, little ones and their mothers are Saint Gerard’s favorite beneficiaries. Thousands of children in the United States bear the name “Gerard” because of his powerful intercession. He is commonly called the Patron of Mothers.
Image by Audrey Cozzarin
November 9 My Dear Children, Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him and He began to teach them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are comforted.
those
who
mourn,
for
they
will
be
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and righteousness, for they will be filled.
thirst
after
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you
and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. -
Matthew 5:1-12
Image by James Tissot
November 10 My Dear Children, Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Leo the Great who saved Rome from the Atilla the Hun. “Virtue is nothing without the trial of temptation, for there is no conflict without an enemy, no victory without strife.�
In his Nativitate Domini, in the Christmas Day sermon "Christian, Remember your Dignity" Leo appears to articulate a fundamental and inclusive human dignity and equality: The saint, the sinner, and the unbeliever are all equal as sinners, and none is excluded in the call to "happiness": Our Savior, dearly-beloved, was born today: let us be glad. For there is no proper place for sadness, when we keep the birthday of the Life, which destroys the fear of mortality and brings to us the joy of promised eternity. No one is kept from sharing in this happiness. There is for all one common measure of joy, because as our Lord the destroyer of sin and death finds none free from charge, so is He come to free us all. Let the saint exult in that he draws near to victory. Let the sinner be glad in that he is invited to pardon. Let the gentile take courage in that he is called to life. -
Saint Leo the Great
November 10 My Dear Children, The Miracle Prayer Lord Jesus I come before you just as I am. I am sorry for my sins, I repent of my sins, please forgive me. In your name I forgive all others for what they have done against me. I renounce the evil spirits and all their works. I give you my entire self lord Jesus now and forever. I invite you into my life Jesus. I accept you as my lord, God and savior. Heal me, change me, strengthen me in body, soul and spirit. Come lord Jesus fill me with your Holy Spirit. I love you lord Jesus. I praise you Jesus. I thank you Jesus. I shall follow you every day of my life. Amen.
My Dear Children, Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called out ‘Lord,’ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” -
Luke 20:34-38
November 10 My Dear Children,
November 10 My Dear Children, The Christian family The Christian family constitutes a specific revelation and realization of ecclesial communion and for this reason it can and should be called a domestic church. It is a community of faith, hope and charity; it assumes singular importance in the Church, as is evident in the New Testament. The Christian family is a communion of persons, a sign and image of the communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit. In the procreation and education of children it reflects the Father's work of creation. It is called to partake of the prayer and sacrifice of Christ. Daily prayer and the reading of the Word of God strengthen it in charity. The Christian family has an evangelizing and missionary task. The relationships within the family bring an affinity of feelings, affections and interests arising above all from the members respect for one another. The family is a privileged community called to achieve a sharing of thought and common deliberation by the spouses as well as their eager cooperation as parents in the children's upbringing. -
Catechism of the Catholic Church 2204-06
November 11 My Dear Children, Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Martin of Tours the wonderworker. Martin was stationed in Gaul when the incident occurred which tradition and art have rendered so famous. As he rode towards the town one winter day, he noticed near the gates a poor man, thinly clad, shivering with cold, and begging alms. Martin saw that none who passed stopped to help the miserable fellow. He had nothing with him but the clothes he wore, but, drawing his sword from its scabbard, he cut his great woolen cloak in two pieces, gave one half to the beggar and wrapped himself in the other. The following night, the story continues, Martin in his sleep saw Jesus Christ, surrounded by angels and dressed in the half of the cloak he had given away. A voice bade him look at it well and say whether he knew it. He then heard Jesus say to the angels, "Martin, as yet only a catechumen, has covered me with his cloak."
November 12 My Dear Children, Let us ask Our Lady to teach us to love Jesus as she loved Him. -
Blessed Mother Teresa
November 13 My Dear Children, Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy or boast. It is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. So now faith, hope and love abide these three; but the greatest of these is Love. -
1 Corinthians 13
November 13 My Dear Children, Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini A saint of our time and the first United States citizen to be elevated to sainthood Francesca Cabrini was the thirteenth child of an Italian farmer’s family and became the foundress of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart and a pioneer worker for the welfare of dispersed Italian nationals in the US. The diminutive nun was responsible for the establishment of nearly seventy orphanages, schools and hospitals, scattered over eight countries in Europe, North, South and Central America. Villagers and members of the family recalled later that just before her birth a flock of white doves circled around high above the house, and one of them dropped down to nestle in the vines that covered the walls.
November 14 My Dear Children, I beseech you for the love of God, do not fear God, because He doesn't want to do you any harm at all. Love Him a great deal because He wants to do you a great deal of good. Walk simply, with certainty in your resolutions and reject the reflections of spirit concerning your suffering, treating them as cruel temptations. -
Saint Padre Pio (Letters III, p. 573)
November 15 My Dear Children, Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Albert the Great. It is by the path of love, which is charity, God draws near to man and man to God. But where charity is not found, God cannot dwell. If then we possess charity we possess God, for “God is Charity.� -
Saint Albert the Great
November 15 My Dear Children, Go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature. -
Saint Mark 16:15
November 16 My Dear Children, Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Gertrude the Great. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, fountain of eternal life, Your Heart is a glowing furnace of Love. You are my refuge and my sanctuary. O my adorable and loving Savior, consume my heart with the burning fire with which Yours is aflame. Pour down on my soul those graces, which flow from Your love. Let my heart be united with Yours. Let my will be conformed to Yours in all things. May Your Will be the rule of all my desires and actions. Amen.
November 17 My Dear Children, Sunday Gospel 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. "Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives." -
Luke 21:5-19
Image by Francisco Hayez
November 18 My Dear Children, The Lord says to Peter: "I say to you, that you are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not overcome it. And to you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven." -
Matthew 16:18–19
November 19, My Dear Children, A treatise on forgiveness. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye as the final trumpet sounds, the dead shall rise incorruptible and we shall be changed. Those who in this life have been changed from evil to good are promised that future change as a reward. Through justification and the spiritual resurrection, grace now effects in them an initial change that is God’s gift. Later on, through the bodily resurrection, the transformation of the just will be brought to completion and they will experience a perfect, abiding, unchangeable glorification. The purpose of this change wrought in them by the gifts of both justification and glorification is that they may abide in an eternal, changeless state of joy. Here on earth they are changed by the first resurrection, in which they are enlightened and converted, thus passing from death to life, sinfulness to holiness, unbelief to faith, and evil actions to holy life. For this reason the second death has no power over them. It is of such men that the Book of Revelation says: Happy the man who shares in the first resurrection; over such as he the second death has no power. Elsewhere the same book says: He who overcomes shall not be harmed by the second death. As the first resurrection consists of the conversion of
the heart, the second death consists of unending torment. Let everyone, therefore, who does not wish to be condemned to the endless punishment of the second death now hasten to share in the first resurrection. For if any during this life are changed out of fear of God and pass from an evil life to a good one, they pass from death to life and later they shall be transformed from a shameful state to a glorious one. -
Fulgentius of Ruspe, Bishop
November 19 My Dear Children, Eleazar, one of the foremost scribes, a man of advanced age and noble appearance, was being forced to open his mouth to eat pork. But preferring a glorious death to a life of defilement, he spat out the meat, and went forward of his own accord to the instrument of torture, as people ought to do who have the courage to reject the food which it is unlawful to taste even for love of life. Those in charge of that unlawful ritual meal took the man aside privately, because of their long acquaintance with him, and urged him to bring meat of his own providing, such as he could legitimately eat, and to pretend to be eating some of the meat of the sacrifice prescribed by the king; in this way he would escape the death penalty, and be treated kindly because of their old friendship with him. But Eleazar made up his mind in a noble manner, worthy of his years, the dignity of his advanced age, the merited distinction of his gray hair, and of the admirable life he had lived from childhood; and so he declared that above all he would be loyal to the holy laws given by God. He told them to send him at once to the abode of the dead, explaining: “At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense; many young people would think the ninety-year-old Eleazar had gone over to an alien religion. Should I thus pretend
for the sake of a brief moment of life, they would be led astray by me, while I would bring shame and dishonor on my old age. Even if, for the time being, I avoid the punishment of men, I shall never, whether alive or dead, escape the hands of the Almighty. Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now, I will prove myself worthy of my old age, and I will leave to the young a noble example of how to die willingly and generously for the revered and holy laws.” Eleazar spoke thus, and went immediately to the instrument of torture. Those who shortly before had been kindly disposed, now became hostile toward him because what he had said seemed to them utter madness. When he was about to die under the blows, he groaned and said: “The Lord in his holy knowledge knows full well that, although I could have escaped death, I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body from this scourging, but also suffering it with joy in my soul because of my devotion to him.” This is how he died, leaving in his death a model of courage and an unforgettable example of virtue not only for the young but for the whole nation. - 2 Maccabees 6:18-31
The Martyrdom of Eleazar by Paul Gustave DorĂŠ
Pope Francis Homily Grandparents play a heroic role in passing on the faith to younger generations. In his daily morning Mass at the Vatican, the Pope talked about taking care of the elderly. Echoing one of his trademark statements, he explained that a society that nurtures the elderly, is a society that protects its memory and future. “Let us pray for our grandfathers and grandmothers, who so very often have played a heroic role in transmitting the faith, even in times of persecution. When mom and dad weren't home, or when they had a strange belief system that reflected the politics of that time, grandparents were the ones who passed on the faith.� The Pope also highlighted that out of the ten commandments, 'Honoring thy Father and Mother' is the only commandment that guarantees prosperity. Pope Francis began his homily by pointing to the example of Eleazar in the Book of Maccabees, an elderly teacher of the law who preferred martyrdom rather than betraying his faith. This man, observed the Pope, was steadfast in his faith and he rejected advice from his friends who urged him merely to pretend to eat a piece of pork in order to save his life. Instead of worrying about his own fate, Eleazar was thinking of the young people who
would remember him and his act of courage. Pope Francis went on to lament how nowadays we live in times when the elderly don’t count. It’s unpleasant to say it, but the elderly are put to one side because they are considered a nuisance. However, the Pope continued, old people are those who tell us the history of things, who carry forward the faith and give it to us to inherit. To illustrate our treatment of old people, the Pope recalled a story he was told as a young child. He said there was a father, mother and their children and a grandfather. This grandfather got his face dirty when he ate soup, which annoyed the father so he bought a separate table for the grandfather to eat at. But one day the father returned home and saw one of his children playing with bits of wood and on asking his son what he was doing was told that he was building a table for Daddy to eat at when he became old. The Pope went on to say that a society that does not take care for and respect the elderly does not have a future because it doesn’t have memories. We would do well, he continued, to spare a thought for the many old people living in homes for the aged and, it’s unpleasant to say, for those who have been abandoned by their families. They are the treasure of our society. - Vatican Radio via Romereports.com
November 19 My Dear Children, Please Pray the Rosary everyday!
November 20 My Dear Children, I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life. -
John 8:12
November 21 My Dear Children, Today we celebrate the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Many of the celebrations in honor of Mary are based in historical fact. The Sacred Scriptures tell of her acceptance of God's invitation to be the mother of the Savior at the Annunciation. We know of her maternity and of her faithfulness to her son, Jesus, even standing at the side of his cross. The Scriptures tells us nothing of Mary's hidden life. The inspired Word of God gives us no word about her Presentation in the Temple, the feast which we celebrate each year on November 21st. However, we do have the testimonies of tradition, which are based on accounts, which come to us from apostolic times. That which is known about the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple is found in the Apocrypha, principally in chapter seven of the Protoevangelium of James, which has been dated by historians prior to the year 200 AD. This book gives us a detailed account in which Mary's father, Joachim, tells Anna his wife that he wishes to bring their child to the Temple of the Lord. Anna responds that they should wait until the child is three years old lest she yearn for her parents. When the day arrived, the undefiled daughters of the Hebrews were invited to accompany Mary with their lamps burning
to the Temple. There the priest received her, blessed her, and kissed her in welcome. He proclaimed, "The Lord has magnified thy name in all generations. In thee, the Lord will manifest His redemption to the sons of Israel." Mary was placed on the third step of the Temple and there danced with joy and all the house of Israel loved her. It was there that she was nurtured and her parents returned, glorifying the Almighty. This story is a legend with no foundation in history and the point of the story is to show that even in her childhood Mary was completely dedicated to God. However, it is from this very account that arose the feast of Mary's Presentation.
Historians tell us that the Emperor Justinian built a splendid church dedicated to Mary in the Temple area in Jerusalem. It was dedicated on November 21, 543 but was destroyed by the Persians within a century. Many of the early church Fathers such as Saint Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople and Saint John Damascene, his contemporary, preached magnificent homilies on this feast referring to Mary as that special plant or flower which was being nurtured for better things." She was planted in the House of God, nourished by the Holy Spirit and kept her body and soul spotless to receive God in her bosom. He Who is all-holy rests among the holy." We know that in the Byzantine Church this feast is considered one of the twelve great feasts of the liturgical year, called the Dodecaorton. Scholars believe that Mary's Presentation in the Temple is considered a major feast for the Eastern churches celebrating the same values that the Western church celebrates in the feast of the Immaculate Conception. It appears that this feast was not celebrated in Rome at the time of Pope Saint Sergius who established four other principle feasts dedicated to Mary. By the ninth century it is celebrated in the monasteries of southern Italy, which had been influenced by the traditions of the Byzantine churches. By the fourteenth century it had spread to England and it is recorded that it was celebrated in Avignon, France in 1373. Its acceptance is considered very slow and it was not until the year 1472 that Pope Sixtus IV extended its celebration to
the universal church.
Pope Paul VI in the 1974 encyclical Marialis Cultus, n.8, wrote of this feast that "despite its apocryphal content, it presents lofty and exemplary values and carries on the venerable traditions having their origins in the Eastern churches."
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Father Matthew Mauriello
November 22 My Dear Children, A reading from the book of Wisdom. In Wisdom is a spirit intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, agile, clear, unstained, certain, not baneful, loving the good, keen, unhampered, beneficent, kindly, firm, secure, tranquil, allpowerful, all-seeing, and pervading all spirits, though they be intelligent, pure and very subtle. For Wisdom is mobile beyond all motion and she penetrates and pervades all things by reason of her purity. For she is an aura of the might of God and a pure effusion of the glory of the Almighty; therefore naught that is sullied enters into her. For she is the refulgence of eternal light, the spotless mirror of the power of God, the image of his goodness. And she, who is one, can do all things, and renews everything while herself perduring; and passing into holy souls from age to age, she produces friends of God and prophets. For there is naught God loves, be it not one who dwells with Wisdom. For she is fairer than the sun and surpasses every constellation of the stars. Compared to light, she takes precedence; for that, indeed, night supplants, but wickedness prevails not over Wisdom. Indeed, she reaches from end to end mightily and governs all things well. -
Wisdom 7:22b–8:1
November 22 My Dear Children, Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Cecilia, patroness of artists, authors and musicians. Saint Cecilia belonged to an illustrious Roman family. She became a Christian and dedicated her virginity to our Lord Jesus Christ. Her parents, however, insisted on espousing her to a young Roman noble gentleman called Valerian. On the day of their marriage, Cecilia spoke frankly to her husband and told him that she had pledged her virginity to God and was defended by an Angel who would certainly punish him if he did not respect her pledge. Valerian, who was a pagan, asked to see the Angel and Cecilia replied that he could do so if he became a Christian. To this he consented and sought out Pope Urban, who was hidden in the catacombs, owing to the fierce persecution then raging against the Church. The Holy Father received him kindly, instructed him and Baptized him. On returning home, he at once saw the Angel, resplendent with beauty, who placed a crown on his head and another on that of Cecilia, saying:
"Be worthy to keep these precious crowns; I bring them to you from Heaven."
Image by CatholicTradition.org
November 23 My Dear Children, But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. -
Isaiah 40:31
Image by John Singleton Copley
November 23 My Dear Children, From a sermon by Saint Augustine on Psalm 63 The just man will rejoice in the Lord and put his hope in him; the hearts of all good men will be filled with joy. Now, as long as we are in the body, we walk by faith, for we are absent from the Lord. We walk by faith, and not by sight. When will it be by sight? Beloved, says John, we are now the sons of God; what we shall be has not yet been revealed, but we know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. Nevertheless, even now, before that vision comes to us, or before we come to that vision, let us rejoice in the Lord; for it is no small reason for rejoicing to have a hope that will some day be fulfilled. Therefore, since the hope we now have inspires love, the just man rejoices, Scripture says, in the Lord; but because he does not yet see, it immediately goes on to say, and hopes in him. Yet already we have the first fruits of the Spirit, and have we not also other reasons for rejoicing? For we are drawing near to the one we love, and not only are we drawing near—we even have some slight feeling and taste of the banquet we shall one day eagerly eat and drink.
But how can we rejoice in the Lord if he is far from us? Pray God he may not be far. If he is, that is your doing. Love, and he will draw near; love, and he will dwell within you. The Lord is at hand; have no anxiety. Are you puzzled to know how it is that he will be with you if you love? God is love. “What do you mean by love?� you will ask me. It is that which enables us to be loving. What do we love? A good that words cannot describe, a good that is for ever giving, a good that is the Creator of all good. Delight in him from whom you have received everything that delights you. But in that I do not include sin, for sin is the one thing that you do not receive from him. With that one exception, everything you have comes from him.
Image by Sandro Botticelli
November 24 My Dear Children, Today we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King! Long live Christ the King! O Jesus, I acknowledge you as universal king. All that has been made has been created for you. Exercise your rights over me. I renew my baptismal vows. I promise to live as a good Christian and pledge myself to labor, to the best of my ability, for the triumph of God and your church. Divine heart of Jesus, to you do I offer my poor services, laboring that all hearts may acknowledge your sacred kingship and the reign of your peace be established throughout the universe. Amen.
November 24 Brothers and sisters: Let us give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light. He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven. - Colossians 1:12-20
November 24 Pope Francis delivered the homily at Mass on Sunday to mark the Solemnity of Christ the King and close the Year of Faith. Today’s solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, the crowning of the liturgical year, also marks the conclusion of the Year of Faith. By this providential initiative, he gave us an opportunity to rediscover the beauty of the journey of faith begun on the day of our Baptism, which made us children of God and brothers and sisters in the Church. A journey which has as its ultimate end our full encounter with God, and throughout which the Holy Spirit purifies us, lifts us up and sanctifies us, so that we may enter into the happiness for which our hearts long. The Scripture readings proclaimed to us have as their common theme the centrality of Christ. Christ as the centre of creation, the centre of his people and the centre of history. 1.The apostle Paul, in the second reading, taken from the letter to the Colossians, offers us a profound vision of the centrality of Jesus. He presents Christ to us as the first-born of all creation: in him, through him and for him all things were created. He is the centre of all things, he is the beginning. God has given him the fullness, the totality, so that in him all things might be reconciled. Colossians 1:12-20.
This image enables to see that Jesus is the centre of creation; and so the attitude demanded of us as true believers is that of recognizing and accepting in our lives the centrality of Jesus Christ, in our thoughts, in our words and in our works. When this center is lost, when it is replaced by something else, only harm can result for everything around us and for ourselves.
2. Besides being the centre of creation, Christ is the centre of the people of God. We see this in the first reading, which describes the time when the tribes of Israel came to look for David and anointed him king of Israel before the Lord . 2 Sam 5:1-3. In searching for an ideal king, the people were seeking God himself: a God who would be close to them, who would accompany them on their journey, who would be a brother to them. Christ, the descendant of King David, is the “brother” around whom God’s people come together. It is he who cares for his people, for all of us, even at the price of his life. In him we are all one; united with him, we share a single journey, a single destiny. 3. Finally, Christ is the center of the history of the human race and of every man and woman. To him we can bring the joys and the hopes, the sorrows and troubles, which are part of our lives. When Jesus is the center, light shines even amid the darkest times of our lives; he gives us hope, as he does to the good thief in today’s Gospel. While all the others treat Jesus with disdain – “If you are the Christ, the Messiah King, save yourself by coming down from the cross!” – the thief who went astray in his life but now repents, clinging to the crucified Jesus, begs him: “Remember me, when you come into your kingdom” Luke 23:42. And Jesus promises him: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43. Jesus speaks only a word of
forgiveness, not of condemnation; whenever anyone finds the courage to ask for this forgiveness, the Lord does not let such a petition go unheard. Jesus’ promise to the good thief gives us great hope: it tells us that God’s grace is always greater than the prayer which sought it. The Lord always grants more than what he has been asked: you ask him to remember you, and he brings you into his Kingdom! Let us ask the Lord to remember us, in the certainty that by his mercy we will be able to share his glory in paradise. Amen!
November 25 My Dear Children, When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said, “I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.� -
Luke 21:1-4
November 25 My Dear Children, Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Catherine of Alexandria one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.
When at night I go to sleep, Fourteen angels watch do keep, Two my head are guarding, Two my feet are guiding; Two upon my right hand, Two upon my left hand. Two who warmly cover Two who o'er me hover, Two to whom 'tis given To guide my steps to heaven.
November 25 My Dear Children, "Today I call all of you to prayer. Open the doors of your heart profoundly to prayer, little children, to prayer with the heart; and then the Most High will be able to act upon your freedom and conversion will begin. Your faith will become firm so that you will be able to say with all your heart: ‘My God, my all.’ You will comprehend, little children, that here on earth everything is passing. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Our Lady of Medjugorje - Queen of Peace
November 26 My Dear Children, "Wrong is wrong even if everybody is doing it, and right is right even if nobody is doing it" -
Saint Augustine
November 27 My Dear Children, Our life in this world is a preparation for the life to come Dear Brothers and Sisters: In our catechesis on the Creed, we now reflect on “the resurrection of the body�. Christian faith illumines the mystery of death and brings the hope of the resurrection. Death challenges all of us: apart from belief in God and a vision of life as something greater than earthly existence, death appears as wholly tragic; we misunderstand it, fear and deny it. Yet human beings were made for something greater; we yearn for the infinite, the eternal. Christ’s resurrection not only offers us the certainty of life beyond death, it also shows us the true meaning of death. We die as we live: if our lives were lived in loving union with God, we will be able to abandon ourselves serenely and confidently into his hands at the moment of our death. Our Lord frequently tells us to be watchful, knowing that our life in this world is a preparation for the life to come. If we remain close to him, especially through charity to the poor and solidarity with those in need, we need not fear death, but rather welcome it as the door to heaven and to the joy of eternal life.
- Pope Francis
November 27 My Dear Children, Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. "All who wear it will receive great graces; they should wear it around the neck. Graces will abound for persons who wear it with confidence." O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Amen.
The History of the Miraculous Medal During Our Lady's visit to Catherine Laboure on November 27,1830 rays of light flowed from rings on her fingers which were made of precious stones. Mary explained: "These rays symbolize the graces I shed upon those who ask for them. The gems from which rays do not fall are the graces for which souls forget to ask." Mary then spoke of the medal with these words: "All who wear it will receive great graces; they should wear it around the neck. Graces will abound for persons who wear it with confidence." The medal is simply a visible sign of the inner devotion the wearer has to Mary and to her Son, Jesus. On the front of the Miraculous Medal, Mary stands on a globe, representing the earth, with a crushed snake under her feet. This image represents Mary's role as Queen of Heaven and Earth. The snake represents Satan, who was defeated by Mary's obedience to God. The rays coming from her hands symbolize the graces Mary gives to those who ask her. The year 1830 commemorates the year that the Blessed Mother appeared to Saint Catherine Laboure.
On the reverse side of the Miraculous Medal is a cross and the letter "M". The cross represents Christ's sacrifice for our salvation, while the bar under the cross stands for the Earth. The "M" stands for "Mary" and her true devotion both to Jesus and to her children on Earth. The two hearts are the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Sorrowful Heart of Mary. The entire image is surrounded by twelve stars. The stars can represent both the twelve Apostles and the verse from the Book of Revelation, "a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 12 stars.’ - Revelation 12:1
November 27 My Dear Children, "God dwells within you, and there you should dwell with Him" -
Saint Teresa of Avila
November 28 My Dear Children, Today we celebrate Thanksgiving with the Prayer of Thanksgiving God of all blessings, source of all life, giver of all grace: We thank you for the gift of life: for the breath that sustains life, for the food of this earth that nurtures life, for the love of family and friends without which there would be no life. We thank you for the mystery of creation: for the beauty that the eye can see, for the joy that the ear may hear, for the unknown that we cannot behold filling the universe with wonder, for the expanse of space that draws us beyond the definitions of ourselves. We thank you for setting us in communities: for families who nurture our becoming, for friends who love us by choice, for companions at work, who share our burdens and daily tasks, for strangers who welcome us into their midst, for people from other lands who call us to grow in understanding, for children who lighten our moments with delight, for the unborn, who offer us hope for the future.
We thank you for this day: for life and one more day to love, for opportunity and one more day to work for justice and peace, for neighbors and one more person to love and by whom be loved, for your grace and one more experience of your presence, for your promise: to be with us, to be our God and to give salvation. For these and all blessings, we give you thanks, eternal loving God, through Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen. November 29 My Dear Children, "It is important that you choose your career with care, so you may really follow the vocation that God has destined for you. No day should pass without some prayer to this end. Often repeat with Saint Paul: "Lord, what will you have me do?" -
Saint John Bosco
November 30 My Dear Children, Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Andrew, brother of Saint Peter and one of the first apostles. And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." - Matthew 4:19
November 30 My Dear Children, O Heart of Mary living in Jesus, O Heart of Jesus in Mary. Make all of our hearts like unto your Hearts In peace, love and humility. Amen.