Saturday, December 03, 2011 {St. Francis Xavier, Priest (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Love God, serve God: everything is in that.
-- St Clare of Assisi

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26
(God Will Bless His People)
19 You people who live in Jerusalem will not weep any more. The Lord is compassionate, and when you cry to him for help, he will answer you.
20 The Lord will make you go through hard times, but he himself will be there to teach you, and you will not have to search for him any more.
21 If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear his voice behind you saying, “Here is the road. Follow it.”

Saturday, November 26, 2011 {St. Leonard of Port Maurice, OFM, Priest (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Now that we are reborn, as I have said, in the likeness of our Lord, and have indeed been adopted by God as his children, let us put on the complete image of our Creator so as to be wholly like him, not in the glory that he alone possesses, but in innocence, simplicity, gentleness, patience, humility, mercy, harmony, those qualities in which he chose to become, and to be, one with us.
-- St Peter Chrysologus

First Reading: Daniel 7:15-27
(The Visions Are Explained)
15 The visions I saw alarmed me, and I was deeply disturbed.
16 I went up to one of those standing there and asked him to explain it all. So he told me the meaning.
17 He said, “These four huge beasts are four empires which will arise on earth.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011 {St. Vincent de Paul, Priest (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
A truly humble person never believes that he can be wronged in anything. Truly, we ought to be shamed to resent whatever is said or done against us; for it is the greatest shame in the world to see that our Creator bears so many insults from His creatures, and that we resent even a little word that is contradictory.
-- St. Teresa


READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Zechariah 8:20-23
20 The Lord Almighty says, “The time is coming when people from many  cities will come to Jerusalem. 
21 Those from one city will say to those from another, ‘We are going to worship the Lord Almighty and pray for his blessing. Come with us!’ 
22 Many  peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord Almighty and to pray for his blessing. 
23 In those days ten foreigners will come to one Jew and say, ‘We want to share in your destiny, because we have heard that God is with you.’”

Friday, September 09, 2011 {St. Peter Claver, Priest (Memorial)}

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: 1 Timothy 1:1-2, 12-14
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 I thank him who has given me strength for this, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful by appointing me to his service,
13 though I formerly blasphemed and persecuted and insulted him; but I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief,
14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.


Psalms: Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 11
1 Preserve me, O God, for in thee I take refuge.
2 I say to the LORD, "Thou art my Lord; I have no good apart from thee."
5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; thou holdest my lot.
7 I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
11 Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fulness of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.


Gospel:  Luke 6:39-42
39 He also told them a parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?
40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but every one when he is fully taught will be like his teacher.
41 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
42 Or how can you say to your brother, `Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.


REFLECTION FOR TODAY
I pray You to destroy in me all that is not of You. Grant that I may live but in You, by You and for You, so that I may truly say, with St. Paul, "I live - now not I - But Christ lives in me.


-- St. John Gabriel

Thursday, August 04, 2011 {St. John Mary Vianney, Priest (Memorial)}

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Numbers 20:1-13
1     And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.
2     Now there was no water for the congregation; and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
3     And the people contended with Moses, and said, "Would that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!
4     Why have you brought the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle?
5     And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates; and there is no water to drink."
6     Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tent of meeting, and fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them,
7     and the LORD said to Moses,
8     "Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water; so you shall bring water out of the rock for them; so you shall give drink to the congregation and their cattle."
9     And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
10     And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, "Hear now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?"
11     And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his rod twice; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their cattle.
12     And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them."
13     These are the waters of Mer'ibah, where the people of Israel contended with the LORD, and he showed himself holy among them.

Psalms: Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9
1     O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2     Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
6     O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
7     For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would hearken to his voice!
8     Harden not your hearts, as at Mer'ibah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9     when your fathers tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.

Gospel: Matthew 16:13-23
13     Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare'a Philip'pi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?"
14     And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli'jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15     He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
16     Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
17     And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
18     And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.
19     I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
20     Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
21     From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
22     And Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you."
23     But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men."

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
My daughter, I see more Pharisees among Christians than there were around Pilate.

-- St Margaret of Cortona

Thursday, May 26, 2011 {St. Philip Neri, Priest (Memorial)}

READINGS OF THE DAY
First Reading: Acts 15:7-21
7     And after there had been much debate, Peter rose and said to them, "Brethren, you know that in the early days God made choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.
8     And God who knows the heart bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us;
9     and he made no distinction between us and them, but cleansed their hearts by faith.
10     Now therefore why do you make trial of God by putting a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?
11     But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will."
12     And all the assembly kept silence; and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.
13     After they finished speaking, James replied, "Brethren, listen to me.
14     Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
15     And with this the words of the prophets agree, as it is written,
16     `After this I will return, and I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up,
17     that the rest of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,
18     says the Lord, who has made these things known from of old.'
19     Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God,
20     but should write to them to abstain from the pollutions of idols and from unchastity and from what is strangled and from blood.
21     For from early generations Moses has had in every city those who preach him, for he is read every sabbath in the synagogues."

Psalms: Psalm 96:1-3, 10
1     O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!
2     Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.
3     Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!
10     Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns! Yea, the world is established, it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity."

Gospel: John 15:9-11
9     As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love.
10     If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.
11     These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.    


REFLECTIONS OF THE DAY
I leave you the spirit of liberty - not that which excludes obedience, for that is the liberty of the flesh; but that which excludes restraint, scruple, and worry.

-- St. Francis De Sales

Thursday, May 12, 2011 {St. Leopold Mandic, Capuchin, Priest (Memorial)}

READINGS FOR THE DAY
First Reading: Acts 8:26-40
26     But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is a desert road.
27     And he rose and went. And behold, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a minister of the Can'dace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of all her treasure, had come to Jerusalem to worship
28     and was returning; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
29     And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot."
30     So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
31     And he said, "How can I, unless some one guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32     Now the passage of the scripture which he was reading was this: "As a sheep led to the slaughter or a lamb before its shearer is dumb, so he opens not his mouth.
33     In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken up from the earth."
34     And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, pray, does the prophet say this, about himself or about some one else?"
35     Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture he told him the good news of Jesus.
36     And as they went along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What is to prevent my being baptized?"
38     And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.
39     And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.
40     But Philip was found at Azo'tus, and passing on he preached the gospel to all the towns till he came to Caesare'a.

Psalms: Psalm 66:8-9, 16-17, 20
8     Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard,
9     who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.
16     Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me.
17     I cried aloud to him, and he was extolled with my tongue.
20     Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!

Gospel: John 6:44-51
44     No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
45     It is written in the prophets, `And they shall all be taught by God.' Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.
46     Not that any one has seen the Father except him who is from God; he has seen the Father.
47     Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.
48     I am the bread of life.
49     Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
50     This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die.
51     I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."    

REFLECTION OF THE DAY
The soul who is in love with God is a gentle, humble and patient soul.

-- St. John of the Cross