Daily Scripture Reading (from the Catholic Bible)

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Thursday, November 16, 2006
Feria

First Reading:Philemon 7-20
Psalm:Psalm 146:7-10
Gospel:Luke 17:20-25

20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed;
21 nor will they say, `Lo, here it is!' or `There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you."
22 And he said to the disciples, "The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and you will not see it.
23 And they will say to you, `Lo, there!' or `Lo, here!' Do not go, do not follow them.
24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of man be in his day.
25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.


Always be faithful to God in keeping the promises made to Him and do not bother about the ridicule of the foolish. Know that the saints were always sneered at by the world and worldlings; and they have trampled and triumphed over the world and its maxims.

-- Saint Pio of Pietrelcina

[kyuusai]

Tuesday (11/21): "Zacchaeus made haste and received Jesus joyfully"

Scripture: Luke 19:1-10

1 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And there was a man named Zacchae'us; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchae'us, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today." 6 So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." 8 And Zacchae'us stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold." 9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost."

Meditation: What would you do if Jesus knocked on your door and said, "I must stay at your house today"? Would you be excited or embarrassed? Jesus often "dropped-in" at unexpected times and he often visited the "uninvited" -- the poor, the lame, even public sinners like Zacchaeus, the tax collector! Tax collectors were despised and treated as outcasts, no doubt because they accumulated great wealth at the expense of others. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and was much hated by all the people. Why would Jesus single him out for the honor of staying at his home? Zacchaeus needed God's merciful love and in his encounter with Jesus he found more than he imagined possible. He shows the depth of his repentance by deciding to give half of his goods to the poor and to use the other half for making restitution for fraud. Zacchaeus' testimony included more than words. His change of heart resulted in a change of life, a change that the whole community could experience as genuine. The Lord is always ready to make his home with us. Do you make room for him in your heart and in your home?

"Lord, come and stay with me. Fill my home with your presence and fill my heart with your praise. Help me to show kindness and mercy to all, even those who cause me harm."

Psalm 15

1 O LORD, who shall sojourn in thy tent? Who shall dwell on thy holy hill?
2 He who walks blamelessly, and does what is right, and speaks truth from his heart;
3 who does not slander with his tongue, and does no evil to his friend, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
4 in whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 who does not put out his money at interest, and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

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Wednesday, November 22, 2006
St. Cecilia, Virgin, Martyr (Memorial)

First Reading: Revelation 4:1-11
Psalm:Psalm 150:1-6
Gospel:Luke 19:11-28

Luke 19: 11 - 28
11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.
12 He said therefore, "A nobleman went into a far country to receive a kingdom and then return.
13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten pounds, and said to them, `Trade with these till I come.'
14 But his citizens hated him and sent an embassy after him, saying, `We do not want this man to reign over us.'
15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading.
16 The first came before him, saying, `Lord, your pound has made ten pounds more.'
17 And he said to him, `Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.'
18 And the second came, saying, `Lord, your pound has made five pounds.'
19 And he said to him, `And you are to be over five cities.'
20 Then another came, saying, `Lord, here is your pound, which I kept laid away in a napkin;
21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man; you take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.'
22 He said to him, `I will condemn you out of your own mouth, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow?
23 Why then did you not put my money into the bank, and at my coming I should have collected it with interest?'
24 And he said to those who stood by, `Take the pound from him, and give it to him who has the ten pounds.'
25 (And they said to him, `Lord, he has ten pounds!')
26 `I tell you, that to every one who has will more be given; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me.'"
28 And when he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.



God is love, and all his operations proceed from love. Once he wills to manifest that goodness by sharing his love outside himself, then the Incarnation becomes the supreme manifestation of his goodness and love and glory. So, Christ was intended before all other creatures and for his own sake. For him all things were created and to him all things must be subject, and God loves all creatures in and because of Christ. Christ is the first-born of every creature, and the whole of humanity as well as the created world finds its foundation and meaning in him. Moreover, this would have been the case even if Adam had not sinned.

-- St. Lawrence of Brindisi

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Thursday, November 23, 2006
Thanksgiving Day

First Reading: Sirach 50:22-24
Psalm: Psalm 138:1-5
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Gospel: Luke 17:11-19

11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Sama'ria and Galilee.
12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance
13 and lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us."
14 When he saw them he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went they were cleansed.
15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice;
16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.
17 Then said Jesus, "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?
18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"
19 And he said to him, "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well."



(After Holy Communion) The most solemn moments of your life are those spent in thanksgiving, when the King of heaven and earth, your Savior and your judge, is yours, fully and inclined to grant you all you ask. Having received Jesus and enthroned Him in your heart, remain quiet for a moment, not praying in words but resting in silent adoration; like Zacheus and Magdalen, prostrate yourself in spirit with the most holy Virgin at the feet of Jesus; contemplate Him, filled with wonder at the sight of His love.

-- St. Peter Eymard

[kyuusai]

Friday (11/24): "All the people hung upon his words "
Scripture: Luke 19:45-48

45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, "It is written, `My house shall be a house of prayer'; but you have made it a den of robbers." 47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people sought to destroy him; 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people hung upon his words.

Meditation: What do God's acts of judgments teach us? Do they inspire reverence for God, and for his holiness and majesty? Few seem to pay much attention to God's judgments today. His acts of judgments, nonetheless, are intended to bring us into greater purity, holiness, and reverence for God's word of truth and love. Jesus went to Jerusalem, knowing he would meet certain death on the cross, but victory as well for our sake. His act of judgment in the temple is meant to be a prophetic sign and warning to the people that God takes our worship very seriously. In this incident we see Jesus' startling and swift action in cleansing the temple of those who were using it to exploit the worshipers of God. The money changers took advantage of the poor and forced them to pay many times more than was right— in the house of the Lord no less! Their robbery of the poor was not only dishonoring to God but unjust toward their neighbor. In justification for his audacious action Jesus quotes from the prophets Isaiah (56:7) and Jeremiah (7:11). His act of judgment aims to purify the worship of God's people and to discipline their erring ways. Despite the objections of the religious leaders, all the people present stood in awe of Jesus and they "hung upon his words".

The Lord disciplines and chastises us in love to lead us from the error of our ways to his truth and justice. "God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness" (Hebrews 12:10). Do you worship God with reverence and gratitude for his mercy and do you submit to his word with faith and obedience?

"Lord, you open wide the door of your house and you bid us to enter confidently that we may worship you in spirit and truth. Help me to draw near to you with gratitude and joy for your great mercy. May I always reverence your word and give you acceptable praise and worship."

Psalm 1

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

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Saturday, November 25, 2006
Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary

First Reading:Revelation 11:4-12
Psalm:Psalm 144:1-2, 9-10
Gospel:Luke 20:27-40

Luke 20: 27 - 40
27 There came to him some Sadducees, those who say that there is no resurrection,
28 and they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the wife and raise up children for his brother.
29 Now there were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and died without children;
30 and the second
31 and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died.
32 Afterward the woman also died.
33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife."
34 And Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage;
35 but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage,
36 for they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
37 But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.
38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to him."
39 And some of the scribes answered, "Teacher, you have spoken well."
40 For they no longer dared to ask him any question.



The command has been written:" Cling to the saints, for those who cling to them will be sanctified." Do we not possess the same Spirit of grace which was given to us and the same calling in Christ?

-- St. Clement, Pope -

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Monday, November 27, 2006
St. Francis Anthony Fasani, Priest (Memorial)

First Reading:Revelation 14:1-5
Psalm:Psalm 24:1-6
Gospel:Luke 21:1-4

1 He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury;
2 and he saw a poor widow put in two copper coins.
3 And he said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them;
4 for they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all the living that she had."


That man is truly humble who converts humiliation into humility.

-- St. Bernard

[CyberCrash]

28 November
Tuesday TODAY'S READINGS:


...they do not mean that the end is near. – Luke 21: 9

On February 22, 1986, my husband Ed and I were heading home when we heard on the car radio that then Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile and Army Chief of Staff Fidel Ramos, two key officials of then President Ferdinand Marcos, had resigned and had gathered defecting soldiers around them, starting the EDSA People Power Revolution.
Living near Malacanang, we saw heavily armed soldiers and military tanks moving on the streets surrounding the Palace, while military helicopters hovered menacingly above us.
Faced with the threat of a bloody revolution right at our doorsteps, my mind raced: Should we evacuate now? Where would we go? How are we going to protect our two little boys? We should bring food, clothes! It’s a weekend, how can we withdraw money from the bank?
The revolution turned out to be peaceful and was over in four days. Maybe I wouldn’t have been so troubled had I read today’s Gospel. Since EDSA I, we’ve had EDSA II, III, and rumors of more.
Through it all, I am able to contain my fears by depending on the love and mercy of God who would not abandon us at all times. Saintcha

REFLECTION:
Have you totally surrendered your life to the Lord, Jesus Christ?

Lord, I surrender to you my life, my future.

[CyberCrash]

28 November

1st READING

Revelation 14:14-19

This vision of a time of harvesting hearkens back to the parables of Jesus that speak of a time when the weeds will be separated from the wheat and the sheep from the goats. Each of our lives is a mixture of good and bad choices and acts. What we should be trying to do is to see that we are getting better and better at making the right choices in life rather than the wrong ones. Let us pray that when the time comes for our lives to be held in the balance, it will swing well over towards the side of righteousness and holiness and well away from the side of sin.

14 Then I looked and there was a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud one who looked like a son of man, with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud, “Use your sickle and reap the harvest, for the time to reap has come, because the earth’s harvest is fully ripe.” 16 So the one who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. 17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven who also had a sharp sickle. 18 Then another angel came] from the altar, [who] was in charge of the fire, and cried out in a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and cut the clusters from the earth’s vines, for its grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and cut the earth’s vintage. He threw it into the great wine press of God’s fury.


P S A L M

Psalm 96:10, 11-12, 13

R: The Lord comes to judge the earth.

10 Say among the nations the LORD is king. He has made the world firm, not to be moved; he governs the peoples with equity. (R) 11 Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and what fills it resound; 12 let the plains be joyful and all that is in them! Then shall all the trees of the forest exult. (R) 13 Before the LORD, for he comes; for he comes to rule the earth. He shall rule the world with justice and the peoples with his constancy. (R)

G O S P E L

Luke 21:5-11

We cannot afford to allow our lives to be consumed by the incidental things that will ultimately have very little bearing on eternity. Do we spend large amounts of time worrying about things that are of little value? Or have we learned how to focus our energies so that the major decisions are the ones that occupy most of our time? This is an important lesson to learn if we are going to be effective in the things that we have to do. Otherwise we will find that we spend most of our time doing things that have little effect on the final outcome of the situation.

5 While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, he said, 6 “All that you see here — Do we spend large amounts of time worrying about things that are of little value? Or have we learned how to focus our energies so that the major decisions are the ones that occupy most of our time? the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” 7 Then they asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” 8 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! 9 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.” 10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”

[kyuusai]

Tuesday (11/2: "Take heed that you are not led astray"
Scripture: Luke 21:5-11

5 And as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, 6 "As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." 7 And they asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to take place?" 8 And he said, "Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, `I am he!' and, `The time is at hand!' Do not go after them. 9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified; for this must first take place, but the end will not be at once." 10 Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 11 there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

Meditation: How would you respond if someone prophesied that your church or place of worship would be destroyed? In 1972 a violent earthquake ripped through the center of Managua and destroyed the great cathedral church. This was only the beginning of the troubles for the tiny nation and Christian community of Nicaragua which suffered great turmoil and loss in the civil war that ensued for more than a decade. Out of the ashes of destruction and the ravages of communism has emerged a humbler and more purified church. God sends many "signs" today pointing not only to his coming judgment, but also to his saving action and mercy. Jesus foretold many signs of God's action and judgment. To the great consternation of the Jews, Jesus prophesied the destruction of their temple at Jerusalem. The Jewish people took great pride in their temple, a marvel of the ancient world. The foretelling of this destruction was a dire judgment in itself. They sought Jesus for a sign that would indicate when this would occur. Jesus admonished them to not seek signs but rather to seek God's kingdom. There will be plenty of signs — such as wars, famines, diseases, tidal waves and earthquakes — pointing to God's ultimate judgment

An American judge, named Robert H. Bork, wrote a book a few decades ago entitled, Slouching Towards Gomorrah. His message sounds an alarm about the moral crisis and decay of culture which he sees in Western society. We often don't recognize the moral crisis and spiritual conflict of our age, until something "shakes us up" to the reality of our present condition. The reward for the righteous and the penalty for the unrighteous are not always experienced in this life; but they are sure to come in the day of judgment. There will be persecution, suffering, and difficulties in this age until the Lord comes again. God intends our anticipation of his final judgment to be a powerful deterrent to wrongdoing. God extends grace and mercy to all who will heed his call and his warning. Do you take advantage of this season of grace and mercy to seek God's kingdom and to pursue his will?

"Lord, your grace and mercy abounds even in the midst of turmoil and destruction. Increase my hunger for your kingdom and help me to be faithful to your word. May nothing, not even the fear of death or the loss of all that I have, deter me from seeking you and the coming of your kingdom with hope and joy."

Psalm 119:25-32

25 My soul cleaves to the dust; revive me according to thy word!
26 When I told of my ways, thou didst answer me; teach me thy statutes!
27 Make me understand the way of thy precepts, and I will meditate on thy wondrous works.
28 My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to thy word!
29 Put false ways far from me; and graciously teach me thy law!
30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness, I set thy ordinances before me.
31 I cleave to thy testimonies, O LORD; let me not be put to shame!
32 I will run in the way of thy commandments when thou enlargest my understanding!