Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 12-07-04, Memorial, St. Ambrose, bishop & doctor of the church

USCCB.org/New American Bible ^ | 12-07-04 | New American Bible

[Salvation]

December 7, 2004
Memorial of Saint Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church

Reading I
Is 40:1-11

Comfort, give comfort to my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
that her service is at an end,
her guilt is expiated;
Indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD
double for all her sins.

A voice cries out:
In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!
Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill shall be made low;
The rugged land shall be made a plain,
the rough country, a broad valley.
Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

A voice says, "Cry out!"
I answer, "What shall I cry out?"
"All flesh is grass,
and all their glory like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower wilts,
when the breath of the LORD blows upon it.
So then, the people is the grass.
Though the grass withers and the flower wilts,
the word of our God stands forever."

Go up onto a high mountain,
Zion, herald of glad tidings;
Cry out at the top of your voice,
Jerusalem, herald of good news!
Fear not to cry out
and say to the cities of Judah:
Here is your God!
Here comes with power
the Lord God,
who rules by his strong arm;
Here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
Carrying them in his bosom,
and leading the ewes with care.


Responsorial Psalm
96:1-2, 3 and 10ac, 11-12, 13

R (see Isaiah 40:10ab) The Lord our God comes with power.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name;
announce his salvation, day after day.
R The Lord our God comes with power.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R The Lord our God comes with power.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then let all the trees of the forest rejoice.
R The Lord our God comes with power.
They shall exult before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R The Lord our God comes with power.


Gospel
Mt 18:12-14

Jesus said to his disciples:
"What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost."

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For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

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Alleluia Ping!

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Saint Ambrose

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Advent 2004: Symbols, Meanings, Facts, Calendar

Reflections for Advent and Christmas, [November 28, 2004 - January 9, 2005]

[Salvation]

From: Matthew 18:12-14

The Lost Sheep

---

[12] "What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of
them
has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go
in search of the one that went astray? [13] And if he finds it,
truly,
I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that
never went astray. [14] So it is not the will of My Father who is in
Heaven that one of these little ones should perish."

---

Commentary:

12-14. This parable clearly shows our Lord's loving concern for
sinners. It expresses in human terms the joy God feels when a wayward
child comes back to Him.

Seeing so many souls living away from God, Pope John Paul II comments:
"Unfortunately we witness the moral pollution which is devastating
humanity, disregarding especially those very little ones about whom
Jesus speaks."

"What must we do? We must imitate the Good Shepherd and give
ourselves
without rest for the salvation of souls. Without forgetting material
charity and social justice, we must be convinced that the most sublime
charity is spiritual charity, that is, the commitment for the
salvation
of souls. And souls are saved with prayer and sacrifice. This is the
mission of the Church!" ("Homily to the Poor Clares of Albano," 14
August 1979).

As the RSV points out, "other ancient authorities add verse 11, "For
the Son of Man came to save the lost"--apparently taken from Luke
19:10.

---

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

[Salvation]

Tuesday, December 7, 2004
St. Ambrose, Bishop, Doctor of the Church (Memorial)

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Isaiah 40:1-11 Psalm 96:1-3, 10-13 Matthew 18:12-14 He who does not meditate acts as one who never looks into the mirror and so does not bother to put himself in order, since he can be dirty without knowing it. The person who meditates and turns his thoughts to God who is the mirror of the soul, seeks to know his defects and tries to correct them, moderates himself in his impulses and puts his conscience in order.  -- Saint Pio of Pietrelcina

[Askel5]

December 7, 2004

---

THE CALL OF CHRIST

---

Presence of God

Grace I Ask
Not to be deaf to Christ's challenge to me, but quick and eager to hear and answer Him.

The Idea
I must now compare my answer to the character test with my answer to Christ's real challenge. And first, would I have answered that call to save my country? Then how much more worth answering would I find Christ's call to save the world?

I picture Him to myself, the divine King of the universe. He stands before me, looking over the entire world, and He calls me personally. He says: "My will is to conquer the entire world and all my enemies, and so to enter into the glory of my Father. If you want to come with me, you must work along with me. As you share with me in the labors, so will you share the victory with me."

Compare this leader with the imaginary one. Christ is real; Christ is God Himself. Christ earned my love and devotion by dying for me. Think about the cause Christ asks me to fight for-the salvation of souls... the victory He offers –-a perfect reward which will last forever... the certainty of winning —at the last day, all who ever lived will have to acknowledge Christ as King of the universe. And today, to die for Christ is to live forever.

My Personal Application
What does He ask of me? To help Him conquer the world for the world's own good. I'm already bound to part of the job; winning the fight in my own soul against the world; the flesh; and the devil. But He is calling me to much more; and I can refuse it if I want. Christ's cause needs helpers in every walk of life. All who answer--men; women, children --find that their life takes on real; full meaning and purpose for the first time. Will I answer? Will I follow this Leader, Christ my King?

I Speak to God
Dear Lord; help me to understand what your call demands; help me to answer it fully and generously. I want my life to be worthwhile; devoted to the one thing that really matters.

Thought for Today
"My will is to conquer the whole world. If you want to come with me..."

---

Daily Sodality Readings

[Askel5]

St. Ambrose, pray for us.

That by following your example (with particular respect to combating Aryans, occupying churches in order to save them from corrupted hierarchy and -- as you did with Augustine -- inspiring the minds of others with with LOGIC so to win their heart to doctrine) we might bring souls to Christ ...

particularly those who have left the Church, denying Christ's divinity by rejecting the Eucharist

and those who likewise have embraced the New Arianism by embracing the the anti-Christian and lethally dangerous agendas promulgated by those adhering to the thoroughly politicized admixture of Old and New Covenant whose hallmark is its utter deformation by Hate.


ROMAN MISSAL | DOUAY TEXTS

-----------------†JMJ†-----------------
Tuesday, 2nd Week in the Season of Advent
---------------†AMDG†---------------

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON – See Zec 14:5, 7
Ecce Dóminus Véniet, et omnes sancti eius cum eo;
et erit in die illa lux magna.
And you shall flee to the valley of those mountains,
for the valley of the mountains shall be joined even to the next, and you shall flee as you fled from the face of the earthquake in the days of Ozias king of Juda: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with him.
6 And it shall come to pass in that day,
that there shall be no light, but cold and frost.
And there shall be one day, which is known to the Lord,
not day nor night: and in the time of the evening there shall be light.

OPENING PRAYER
Almighty God,
help us to look forward
to the glory of the birth of Christ our Savior;
his coming is procalimed joyfully
to the ends of the earth,
for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.

I confess to almighty God,
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have sinned through my own fault
--strike the breast--
in my thoughts and in my words
in what I have done,
and in what I have failed to do;
and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin,
all the angels and saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.

FIRST READING – Is 40:1-11
God consoles his people

Be comforted, be comforted, my people, saith your God.
Speak ye to the heart of Jerusalem, and call to her:
for her evil is come to an end, her iniquity is forgiven:
she hath received of the hand of the Lord double for all her sins.

The voice of one crying in the desert:
Prepare ye the way of the Lord,
make straight in the wilderness the paths of our God.
Every valley shall be exalted,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough ways plain.
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh together shall see,
that the mouth of the Lord hath spoken.

The voice of one, saying: Cry.
And I said: What shall I cry?

All flesh is grass, and all the glory thereof as the flower of the held.
The grass is withered, and the dower is fallen,
because the spirit of the Lord hath blown upon it.

Indeed the people is grass:
The grass is withered, and the flower is fallen:
but the word of our Lord endureth for ever.

Get thee up upon a high mountain,
thou that bringest good tidings to Sion:
lift up thy voice with strength,
thou that bringest good tidings to Jerusalem:
lift it up, fear not.

Say to the cities of Juda: Behold your God:
Behold the Lord God shall come with strength,
and his arm shall rule:
Behold his reward is with him and his work is before him.

He shall feed his flock like a shepherd:
he shall gather together the lambs with his arm,
and shall take them up in his bosom,
and he himself shall carry them that are with young.


RESPONSORIAL PSALM – Ps 95:1-2, 3 10ac, 11-12m, 13
Ecce Deus noster in fortitúdine véniet
(Is 40:10ab) the Lord God shall come with strength,

Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle:
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing ye to the Lord and bless his name:
shew forth his salvation from day to day.

Declare his glory among the Gentiles:
his wonders among all people.
For the Lord is great, and exceedingly to be praised:
he is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the Gentiles are devils:
but the Lord made the heavens.

Praise and beauty are before him:
holiness and majesty in his sanctuary.
Bring ye to the Lord, O ye kindreds of the Gentiles,
bring ye to the Lord glory and honour:
Bring to the Lord glory unto his name.

Bring up sacrifices, and come into his courts:
Adore ye the Lord in his holy court.
Let all the earth be moved at his presence.
Say ye among the Gentiles, the Lord hath reigned.
For he hath corrected the world,
which shall not be moved:
he will judge the people with justice.

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad,
let the sea be moved, and the fulness thereof:
The fields and all things that are in them shall be joyful.
Then shall all the trees of the woods rejoice
Before the face of the Lord, because he cometh:
because he cometh to judge the earth.

He shall judge the world with justice,
and the people with his truth.
__________________________________________
1 "When the house was built"... Alluding to that time, and then ordered to be sung: but principally relating to the building of the church of Christ, after our redemption from the captivity of Satan.

ALLELUIA
Prope est dies Dómini; ecce véniet ad salvándum nos.
Alleluia, alleluia
The day of the Lord is near:
Behold, he comes to save us.
Alleluia, alleluia.


GOSPEL – Mt 18:12-14
God does not will that the little ones be lost.

What think you?

If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them should go astray:
doth he not leave the ninety-nine in the mountains,
and go to seek that which is gone astray?

And if it so be that he find it:
Amen I say to you,
he rejoiceth more for that, than for the ninety-nine that went not astray.

Even so it is not the will of your Father,
who is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

But if thy brother shall offend against thee,
go, and rebuke him between thee and him alone.
If he shall hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother.


PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS
Lord,
we are nothing without you.
As you sustain us with your mercy,
receive our prayers and offerings.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

COMMUNION ANTIPHON – See 2 Tim 4:8
Corónam iustítiæ reddet iustus iudex iis qui díligunt adéntum eius.
As to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice,
which the Lord the just judge will render to me in that day:
and not only to me, but to them also that love his coming.
Make haste to come to me quickly.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Father,
you give us food from heaven.
By our sharing in this mystery,
teach us to judge wisely the things of earth
and to love the things of heaven.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.

---

[diamond6]

I ask this question to my fellow Catholics ONLY:

An acquaintance of mine recently passed away from cancer. She knew the Lord at the end of her life, but I don't know for how long. I have been praying for her soul just in case she is in purgatory. Besides offering masses, what are some other effective means for obtaining her release?

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Things for souls in Purgatory:

You do many things for the intentions of your friend. Any prayer, bible reading, good deed, or sacrifice can be made to help your friend.

For example:

Do things like the rosary, offering it up for the intentions of your friend.

Give up something you really like for awhile, such as a favorite TV show, offering it up for those intentions.

Light a candle for her.

Here's a prayer for a particular deceased:

V/. Eternal rest grant unto him/her, O Lord.
R/. And let perpetual light shine upon him/her.

V/. May he/she rest in peace.

R/. Amen.

V/. May his/her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

R/. Amen.

Here are some prayers for the souls in purgatory:



Prayer of St. Gertrude:

O Eternal Father, I offer Thee 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 and for sinners everywhere -- for sinners in the universal Church, for those in my own home and in my own family. Amen.

PRAYERS FOR THE POOR SOULS IN PURGATORY (On whichever day you begin, after the opening prayer, go to that day's prayers.) Oh Lord, hear my prayer. And let my cry come to you.

Let us pray: God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of your servants and handmaids the remission of all their sins, that through our sincere prayers they may obtain the pardon they have always desired. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.


SUNDAY Lord God, by the Precious Blood which Your divine Son, Jesus, shed in the garden, deliver the souls in Purgatory, especially those souls who are the most forsaken of all. Bring them into Your glory where they may praise and bless You forever. Amen.

Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Eternal rest grant unto them, 0 Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

MONDAY Lord God, by the Precious Blood which your divine Son, Jesus, shed in His cruel scourging, deliver the souls in Purgatory and among them those souls who are nearest to sharing Your glory that they may fully praise and bless You forever. Amen.

Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Eternal rest grant unto them, 0 Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

TUESDAY Lord God, by the Precious Blood of Your divine Son, Jesus, which was shed in His bitter crowning with thorns, deliver the souls in Purgatory, and among them those souls who are in greatest need of our prayers, in order that they may not long be delayed in praising You fully in Your glory and blessing You forever. Amen.

Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Eternal rest grant unto them, 0 Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

WEDNESDAY Lord God, by the Precious Blood of Your divine Son, Jesus, which was shed in the streets of Jerusalem while He carried the Cross, deliver the souls in Purgatory, especially those who are richest in merits in Your sight, so that when they have attained the high place to which they are destined, they may praise You triumphantly and bless You forever. Amen.

Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Eternal rest grant unto them, 0 Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

THURSDAY Lord God, by the Precious Body and Blood of Your divine Son, Jesus, which on the night before His passion He gave to His beloved Apostles and willed to His holy Church as a perpetual sacrifice and spiritual nourishment, deliver the souls in Purgatory. Most of all deliver those who were devoted to the mystery of the Eucharist, that they may praise You together with Your divine Son and the Holy Spirit in Your glory forever. Amen.

Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Eternal rest grant unto them, 0 Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen

FRIDAY Lord God, by the Precious Blood which Jesus, Your divine Son, shed upon the Cross this day, deliver the souls in Purgatory particularly those souls nearest to me and for whom I should pray, that they may come quickly into Your glory to praise and bless You forever. Amen.

Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Eternal rest grant unto them, 0 Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

SATURDAY Lord God, by the Precious Blood which came forth from the sacred side of Your divine Son, Jesus, in the presence and to the great sorrow of His holy Mother, deliver the souls in Purgatory, especially those souls most devoted to this noble Lady, that they may come quickly into Your glory, to praise You with her forever. Amen.

Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Eternal rest grant unto them, 0 Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Prayer ping! (I usually tack these prayers on to the mass readings for the day. If you want to be added to or taken off my ping list, freepmail me)

Loving

O Lord,
sometimes it's just so hard
to see the sorrows,
frustrations,
desires
of our loved ones,
to let them go
like doves flying off
into your care.
How often I want to scream,
NO! Don't do that!
and sometimes,
it pierces through my thick head
that you watching us
make all the wrong choices,
as we choose sin over good,
anger over love,
lust over charity,
must know how much restraint and love
it takes
to watch those who you care fore
choose badly.

O Lord,
help me to choose the good over the bad,
the light over the dark
to feel my heart conflicted, breaking with love
than to reject the chance to love,
and to thank you always
for your great mercy,
this day,
and always.

Amen.

[diamond6]

Wow! God bless you for taking the time to type that out for me. Thank you so much!!!!

[Salvation]

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	Aging is a Gift!
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph. D.
Date:	Tuesday, December 7, 2004

Isaiah 40:1-11; Matthew 18:12-14

Isaiah reminds us quite pointedly today of our mortality. "All mankind is grass, and all their glory like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower wilts...." How true, and how fast it happens. Before we know it, our lives are half over or more. And we can find ourselves sad or disappointed or even fearful about what comes next. There's a yearning in us for something more substantial, something more lasting.

Isaiah shows us where to look. "Though the grass withers and the flower wilts, the word of our God stands forever." And that's where we need to plant our lives, squarely in the Lord Who is the ground of our being. Aging has its drawbacks, but it has some singular blessings as well. It can remind us of what lasts and what doesn't, of where our hearts will be satisfied and filled full, and where they won't. It can prod us to let go of what doesn't count, and to grasp at real life, not just appearances.

Thank God that He's giving you the gift of time, time to grow up on the inside and to learn to value what has lasting value. Thank God, and let Him come all the way into your life.

May your Advent be more than just a recollection of events long past. Let it be a rejoicing at His coming to take up residence within you, never to leave again.

 

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

 

<< Tuesday, December 7, 2004 >>

St. Ambrose

Isaiah 40:1-11

Psalm 96

Matthew 18:12-14

View Readings

ACCEPTABLE LOSSES?

“What is your thought on this...will he not leave the ninety-nine...and go in search of the stray?” —Matthew 18:12

In the Western business world, certain losses are expected. Damaged goods, breakage, stains, defects, bruising or spoilage, theft, or misplacement in transit are simply written off.

In God’s business, no loss is acceptable! “It is the will of Him Who sent Me that I should lose nothing of what He has given Me” (Jn 6:39; see also 17:12; 18:9).

Jesus, the Good Shepherd:

• removes stains. He gave Himself up to present a holy and glorious Church “without stain or wrinkle or anything of that sort” (Eph 5:25, 27),
• heals the broken (Ps 147:3; Is 61:1),
• protects the bruised (Is 42:3),
• restores the damaged (Is 61:3),
• seeks out the lost (Ez 34:12, 16), and
• recovers what was stolen (see Jl 2:24-26; Is 49:25).

What is your assessment of the one missing sheep? How would you determine its worth? Like Jesus, would you hunt for a broken, dirty, and defective one to offer comfort and tenderness? (see Is 40:1-2) Is there anyone that you have “written off” as a loss? Perhaps this might be someone whose stain of sin is too repulsive, who has gone too far, who seems too broken to fix?

Jesus said, “ ‘Simon, son of John, do you love Me?’ ‘Yes Lord,’ Peter said, ‘You know that I love You.’ Jesus replied, ‘Tend My sheep’ ” (see Jn 21:16). Do you love Jesus?

Prayer: “Change my heart, O God, may I be like You.”

Promise: “Like a shepherd He feeds His flock; in His arms He gathers the lambs, carrying them in His bosom, and leading the ewes with care.” —Is 40:11

Praise: St. Ambrose, a bishop of the early Church, guarded the flock by defending the laws and true teachings of the Church and by serving the poor.

[Salvation]

American Cathlic's Saint of the Day

December 7, 2004

St. Ambrose

(340?-397)

One of Ambrose’s biographers observed that at the Last Judgment people would still be divided between those who admired Ambrose and those who heartily disliked him. He emerges as the man of action who cut a furrow through the lives of his contemporaries. Even royal personages were numbered among those who were to suffer crushing divine punishments for standing in Ambrose’s way.

When the Empress Justina attempted to wrest two basilicas from Ambrose’s Catholics and give them to the Arians, he dared the eunuchs of the court to execute him. His own people rallied behind him in the face of imperial troops. In the midst of riots he both spurred and calmed his people with bewitching new hymns set to exciting Eastern melodies.

In his disputes with the Emperor Auxentius, he coined the principle: “The emperor is in the Church, not above the Church.” He publicly admonished Emperor Theodosius for the massacre of 7,000 innocent people. The emperor did public penance for his crime. This was Ambrose, the fighter, sent to Milan as Roman governor and chosen while yet a catechumen to be the people’s bishop.

There is yet another side of Ambrose—one which influenced Augustine, whom Ambrose converted. Ambrose was a passionate little man with a high forehead, a long melancholy face and great eyes. We can picture him as a frail figure clasping the codex of sacred Scripture. This was the Ambrose of aristocratic heritage and learning.

Augustine found the oratory of Ambrose less soothing and entertaining but far more learned than that of other contemporaries. Ambrose’s sermons were often modeled on Cicero and his ideas betrayed the influence of contemporary thinkers and philosophers. He had no scruples in borrowing at length from pagan authors. He gloried in the pulpit in his ability to parade his spoils—“gold of the Egyptians”—taken over from the pagan philosophers.

His sermons, his writings and his personal life reveal him as an otherworldly man involved in the great issues of his day. Humanity, for Ambrose, was, above all, spirit. In order to think rightly of God and the human soul, the closest thing to God, no material reality at all was to be dwelt upon. He was an enthusiastic champion of consecrated virginity.

The influence of Ambrose on Augustine will always be open for discussion. The Confessions reveal some manly, brusque encounters between Ambrose and Augustine, but there can be no doubt of Augustine’s profound esteem for the learned bishop.

Neither is there any doubt that Monica loved Ambrose as an angel of God who uprooted her son from his former ways and led him to his convictions about Christ. It was Ambrose, after all, who placed his hands on the shoulders of the naked Augustine as he descended into the baptismal fountain to put on Christ.

Comment:

Ambrose exemplifies for us the truly catholic character of Christianity. He is a man steeped in the learning, law and culture of the ancients and of his contemporaries. Yet, in the midst of active involvement in this world, this thought runs through Ambrose’s life and preaching: The hidden meaning of the Scriptures calls our spirit to rise to another world.

Quote:

“Women and men are not mistaken when they regard themselves as superior to mere bodily creatures and as more than mere particles of nature or nameless units in modern society. For by their power to know themselves in the depths of their being they rise above the entire universe of mere objects.... Endowed with wisdom, women and men are led through visible realities to those which are invisible” (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 14–15, Austin Flannery translation).

[annalex]

Mt 18:12-14
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
12	What think you? If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them should go astray: doth he not leave the ninety-nine in the mountains, and goeth to seek that which is gone astray?	quid vobis videtur si fuerint alicui centum oves et erraverit una ex eis nonne relinquet nonaginta novem in montibus et vadit quaerere eam quae erravit
13	And if it so be that he find it: Amen I say to you, he rejoiceth more for that, than for the ninety-nine that went not astray.	et si contigerit ut inveniat eam amen dico vobis quia gaudebit super eam magis quam super nonaginta novem quae non erraverunt
14	Even so it is not the will of your Father, who is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.	sic non est voluntas ante Patrem vestrum qui in caelis est ut pereat unus de pusillis istis

[Salvation]

Excellent answer.

Prayer -- prayer -- prayer.

[Salvation]

FEAST OF THE DAY

St. Ambrose was born around the year 340 in Southern Gaul of
noble parents. As a youth, he studied classics, various philosophers,
and the Greek language. He soon made a name for himself as a
public speaker and poet. While Ambrose was in his late twenties, he
was made governor and served the people justly and kindly. In the
year 374, the bishop of Milan died and there was a major dispute
about who should take his place. Seeking to keep the dispute from
becoming an uprising, Ambrose intervened, but he so impressed the
people with a speech that he was chosen to be bishop even though
he was only a catechumen.

Ambrose did all he could to avoid becoming bishop, but he was
unsuccessful. Ambrose was ordained bishop on December 7, 374 at
the age of 34. The first thing that St. Ambrose did once he took office
was to give away all his possessions so he could totally commit his
life to his flock. As bishop, Ambrose immediately began to use his
talent of public speaking to instruct his flock. He preached against
the Arian heresy and continually instructed the people in the practice
of virtue. Ambose penned many works in defense of the Faith and
exhorting people to holiness.

During his time as bishop, Ambrose helped convert St. Augustine,
composed several liturgical hymns, and brought the Emperor
Theodosius to public penance for his sins. During his lifetime,
Ambrose called several councils and worked tirelessly against the
Arian heresy. He on Holy Saturday in the year 397 and was declared
a "great" doctor of the Church by Pope Boniface VIII in 1298.


QUOTE OF THE DAY

Our own evil inclinations are far more dangerous than any external
enemies. -St. Ambrose


TODAY IN HISTORY

283 St Eutychian ends his reign as Pope
1787 Delaware becomes 1st state to ratify constitution
1941 Japanese attack Pearl Harbor
1965 Pope Paul VI & Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras I
simultaneously lift mutual excommunications that led to split of the 2
churches in 1054


TODAY'S TIDBIT

Maranatha is a term used by the early Church and means "Come
Lord Jesus." This is one of the central petitions of the faithful
throughout the season of Advent.


INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray for peace throughout the world.


INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray through the intercession of St. Vincent de Paul, for all
who are poor.