Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 11-28-17

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 11-28-17 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

November 28, 2017

Tuesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Dn 2:31-45

Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar:
"In your vision, O king, you saw a statue,
very large and exceedingly bright,
terrifying in appearance as it stood before you.
The head of the statue was pure gold,
its chest and arms were silver,
its belly and thighs bronze, the legs iron,
its feet partly iron and partly tile.
While you looked at the statue,
a stone which was hewn from a mountain
without a hand being put to it,
struck its iron and tile feet, breaking them in pieces.
The iron, tile, bronze, silver, and gold all crumbled at once,
fine as the chaff on the threshing floor in summer,
and the wind blew them away without leaving a trace.
But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain
and filled the whole earth.

"This was the dream;
the interpretation we shall also give in the king's presence.
You, O king, are the king of kings;
to you the God of heaven
has given dominion and strength, power and glory;
men, wild beasts, and birds of the air, wherever they may dwell,
he has handed over to you, making you ruler over them all;
you are the head of gold.
Another kingdom shall take your place, inferior to yours,
then a third kingdom, of bronze,
which shall rule over the whole earth.
There shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron;
it shall break in pieces and subdue all these others,
just as iron breaks in pieces and crushes everything else.
The feet and toes you saw, partly of potter's tile and partly of iron,
mean that it shall be a divided kingdom,
but yet have some of the hardness of iron.
As you saw the iron mixed with clay tile,
and the toes partly iron and partly tile,
the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.
The iron mixed with clay tile
means that they shall seal their alliances by intermarriage,
but they shall not stay united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
In the lifetime of those kings
the God of heaven will set up a kingdom
that shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people;
rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms
and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever.
That is the meaning of the stone you saw hewn from the mountain
without a hand being put to it,
which broke in pieces the tile, iron, bronze, silver, and gold.
The great God has revealed to the king what shall be in the future;
this is exactly what you dreamed, and its meaning is sure."

Responsorial Psalm Dn 3:57, 58, 59, 60, 61

R. (59b) Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"You heavens, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.

Alleluia Rev 2:10c

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain faithful until death,
And I will give you the crown of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 21:5-11

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."

[Ciexyz]

I prayed earnestly and in faith and my condition improved. Praise the name of the Lord, bless His holy name.

[Fungi]

God does not have a “mother.” Ex, 3:14: God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” God was never born.

[annalex]

Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 21
5.	And some saying of the temple, that it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said:	Et quibusdam dicentibus de templo quod bonis lapidibus et donis ornatum esset, dixit :	και τινων λεγοντων περι του ιερου οτι λιθοις καλοις και αναθημασιν κεκοσμηται ειπεν
6.	These things which you see, the days will come in which there shall not be left a stone upon a stone that shall not be thrown down.	Hæc quæ videtis, venient dies in quibus non relinquetur lapis super lapidem, qui non destruatur.	ταυτα α θεωρειτε ελευσονται ημεραι εν αις ουκ αφεθησεται λιθος επι λιθω ος ου καταλυθησεται
7.	And they asked him, saying: Master, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when they shall begin to come to pass?	Interrogaverunt autem illum, dicentes : Præceptor, quando hæc erunt, et quod signum cum fieri incipient ?	επηρωτησαν δε αυτον λεγοντες διδασκαλε ποτε ουν ταυτα εσται και τι το σημειον οταν μελλη ταυτα γινεσθαι
8.	Who said: Take heed you be not seduced; for many will come in my name, saying, I am he; and the time is at hand: go ye not therefore after them.	Qui dixit : Videte ne seducamini : multi enim venient in nomine meo, dicentes quia ego sum : et tempus appropinquavit : nolite ergo ire post eos.	ο δε ειπεν βλεπετε μη πλανηθητε πολλοι γαρ ελευσονται επι τω ονοματι μου λεγοντες οτι εγω ειμι και ο καιρος ηγγικεν μη ουν πορευθητε οπισω αυτων
9.	And when you shall hear of wars and seditions, be not terrified: these things must first come to pass; but the end is not yet presently.	Cum autem audieritis prælia et seditiones, nolite terreri : oportet primum hæc fieri, sed nondum statim finis.	οταν δε ακουσητε πολεμους και ακαταστασιας μη πτοηθητε δει γαρ ταυτα γενεσθαι πρωτον αλλ ουκ ευθεως το τελος
10.	Then he said to them: Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.	Tunc dicebat illis : Surget gens contra gentem, et regnum adversus regnum.	τοτε ελεγεν αυτοις εγερθησεται εθνος επι εθνος και βασιλεια επι βασιλειαν
11.	And there shall be great earthquakes in divers places, and pestilences, and famines, and terrors from heaven; and there shall be great signs.	Et terræmotus magni erunt per loca, et pestilentiæ, et fames, terroresque de cælo, et signa magna erunt.	σεισμοι τε μεγαλοι κατα τοπους και λιμοι και λοιμοι εσονται φοβητρα τε και σημεια απ ουρανου μεγαλα εσται

[annalex]

5. And as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,
6. As for these things which you behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
7. And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
8. And he said, Take heed that you be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draws near: go you not therefore after them.

EUSEB. How beautiful was every thing relating to the structure of the temple, history informs us, and there are yet preserved remains of it, enough to instruct us in what was once the character of the buildings. But our Lord proclaimed to those that were wondering at the building of the temple, that there should not be left in it one stone upon another. For it was meet that that place, because of the presumption of its worshippers, should suffer every kind of desolation.

BEDE; For it was ordained by the dispensation of God that the city itself and the temple should be overthrown, lest perhaps some one yet a child in the faith, while rapt in astonishment at the rites of the sacrifices, should be carried away by the mere sight of the various beauties.

AMBROSE; It was spoken then of the temple made with hands, that it should be overthrown. For there is nothing made with hands which age does not impair, or violence throw down, or fire burn. Yet there is also another temple, that is, the synagogue, whose ancient building falls to pieces as the Church rises. There is also a temple in every one, which falls when faith is lacking, and above all when any one falsely shields himself under the name of Christ, that so he may rebel against his inward inclinations.

CYRIL; Now His disciples did not at all perceive the force of His words, but supposed they were spoken of the end of the world. Therefore asked they Him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign, &c.

AMBROSE; Matthew adds a third question, that both the time of the destruction of the temple, and the sign of His coming, and the end of the world, might be inquired into by the disciples. But our Lord being asked when the destruction of the temple should be, and what the sign of His coming, instructs them as to the signs, but does not mind to inform them as to the time. It follows, Take heed that you be not deceived.

ATHAN. For since we have received, delivered to us by God, graces and doctrines which ere above man, (as, for example, the rule of a heavenly life, power against evil spirits, the adoption and the knowledge of the Father and the Word, the gift of the Holy Spirit,) our adversary the devil goes about seeking to steal from us the seed of the word which has been sown. But the Lord, shutting up in us His teaching as His own precious gift, warns us, lest we be deceived. And one very great gift He gives us, the word of God, that not only we be not led away by what appears, but even if there is ought lying concealed, by the grace of God we may discern it. For seeing that the devil is the hateful inventor of evil, what he himself is he conceals, but craftily assumes a name desirable to all; just as if a man wishing to get into his power some children not His own, should in the absence of the parents counterfeit their looks, and lead away the children who were longing for them. In every heresy then the devil says in disguise, "I am Christ, and with me there is truth." And so it follows, For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draws near.

CYRIL; For before His descent from heaven, there shall come some to whom we must not give place. For the Only-begotten Son of God, when He came to save the world, wished to be in secret, that He might bear the cross for us. But His second coming shall not be in secret, but terrible and open. For He shall descend in the glory of God the Father, with the Angels attending Him, to judge the world in righteousness. Therefore He concludes, Go you not therefore after them.

TIT BOST. Or perhaps He does not speak of false Christs coming before the end of the world, but of those who existed in the Apostles' time.

BEDE; For there were many leaders when the destruction of Jerusalem was at hand, who declared themselves to be Christ, and that the time of deliverance was drawing nigh. Many heresiarchs also in the Church have preached that the day of the Lord is at hand, whom the Apostles condemn. Many Antichrists also came in Christ's name, of whom the first was Simon Magus, who said, This man is the great power of God.

9. But when you shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass, but the end is not by and by.
10. Then said he to them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
11. And great earthquakes shall be in diverse places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

GREG. God denounces the woes that shall forerun the destruction of the world, that so they may the less disturb when they come, as having been foreknown. For darts strike the less which are foreseen. And so He says, But when you shall hear of wars and commotions, &c. Wars refer to the enemy, commotions to citizens. To show us then that we shall be troubled from within and without, He asserts that the one we suffer from the enemy, the other from our own brethren.

AMBROSE; But of the heavenly words none are greater witnesses than we, upon whom the ends of the world have come. What wars and what rumors of wars have we received!

GREG. But that the end will not immediately follow these evils which come first, it is added, These things must first come to pass; but the end is not yet, &c. For the last tribulation is preceded by many tribulations, because many evils must come first, that they may await that evil which has no end.

It follows, Then said he to them, Nation shall rise against nation, &c. For it must needs be that we should suffer some things from heaven, some from earth, some from the elements, and some from men. Here then are signified the confusions of men.

It follows, And great earthquakes shall be in diverse places. This relates to the wrath from above.

CHRYS. For an earthquake is at one time a sign of wrath, as when our Lord was crucified the earth shook; but at another time it is a token of God's providence, as when the Apostles were praying, the place was moved where they were assembled. It follows, and pestilence.

GREG. Look at the vicissitudes of bodies. And famine. Observe the barrenness of the ground. And fearful sights and great signs there shall be from heaven. Behold the variableness of the climate, which must be ascribed to those storms which by no means regard the order of the seasons. For the things which come in fixed order are not signs. For every thing that we receive for the use of life we pervert to the service of sin, but all those things which we have bent to a wicked use, are turned to the instruments of our punishment.

AMBROSE; The ruin of the world then is preceded by certain of the world's calamities, such as famine, pestilence, and persecution.

THEOPHYL. Now some have wished to place the fulfillment of these things not only at the future consummation of all things, but at the time also of the taking of Jerusalem. For when the Author of peace was killed, then justly arose among the Jews wars and sedition. But from wars proceed pestilence and famine, the former indeed produced by the air infected with dead bodies, the latter through the lands remaining uncultivated. Josephus also relates the most intolerable distresses to have occurred from famine; and at the time of Claudius Caesar there was a severe famine, as we read in the Acts, and many terrible events happened, A forboding, as Josephus says, the destruction of Jerusalem.

CHRYS. But He says, that the end of the city shall not come immediately, that is, the taking of Jerusalem, but there shall be many battles first.

BEDE; The Apostles are also exhorted not to be alarmed by these forerunners, nor to desert Jerusalem and Judea. But the kingdom against kingdom, and the pestilence of those whose word creeps as a cancer, and the famine of hearing the word of God, and the shaking of the whole earth, and the separation from the true faith, may be explained also in the heretics, who contending one with another bring victory to the Church.

AMBROSE; There are also other wars which the Christian wages, the struggles of different lusts, and the conflicts of the will; and domestic foes are far more dangerous than all foreign.

Catena Aurea Luke 21

[annalex]

The sack of Jerusalem (A.D. 70)
from the inside wall of the Arch of Titus, Rome

[Salvation]

Saint James of the Marche

Fr. Don Miller, OFM

Image: Saint James of the Marches | Francisco de Zurbarán | photo by Galería online

Saint James of the Marche

Saint of the Day for November 28

(1394 – November 28, 1476)

 

Saint James of the Marche’s Story

Meet one of the fathers of the modern pawnshop!

James was born in the Marche of Ancona, in central Italy along the Adriatic Sea. After earning doctorates in canon and civil law at the University of Perugia, he joined the Friars Minor and began a very austere life. He fasted nine months of the year; he slept three hours a night. Saint Bernardine of Siena told him to moderate his penances.

James studied theology with Saint John of Capistrano. Ordained in 1420, James began a preaching career that took him all over Italy and through 13 Central and Eastern European countries. This extremely popular preacher converted many people–250,000 at one estimate–and helped spread devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. His sermons prompted numerous Catholics to reform their lives, and many men joined the Franciscans under his influence.

With John of Capistrano, Albert of Sarteano, and Bernardine of Siena, James is considered one of the “four pillars” of the Observant movement among the Franciscans. These friars became known especially for their preaching.

To combat extremely high interest rates, James established montes pietatis—literally, mountains of charity—nonprofit credit organizations that lent money on pawned objects at very low rates.

Not everyone was happy with the work James did. Twice assassins lost their nerve when they came face to face with him. James died in 1476, and was canonized in 1726.

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Reflection

James wanted the word of God to take root in the hearts of his listeners. His preaching was directed to preparing the soil, so to speak, by removing any rocks and softening up lives hardened by sin. God’s intention is that his word take root in our lives, but for that we need both prayerful preachers and cooperative listeners.

[Salvation]

Information: St. James of the Marches

Feast Day: November 28

Born: 1391, Monteprandone, Marche of Ancona, Italy

Died: November 28, 1476

Canonized: 10 December 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII

Major Shrine: Franciscan church of St. Maria la Nuova

Patron of: Patron of the city of Naples, Italy

[Salvation]

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Tuesday, November 28

Liturgical Color: Green

Today the Church honors St.
Stephen the Younger. He was a
monk in Constantinople during
the 8th century. Because he
refused the emperor's demands
to embrace the Iconoclast
heresy, he was stoned to death
with several companions.

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: November 28th

Tuesday of the Thirty-Fourth Week of Ordinary Time

MASS READINGS

November 28, 2017 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

Stir up the will of your faithful, we pray, O Lord, that striving more eagerly to bring your divine work to fruitful completion, they may receive in greater measure the healing remedies your kindness bestows. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Recipes (7)

• Plum Pudding
• Plum Pudding 2
• Plum Pudding 3
• Plum Pudding 4
• Plum Pudding 5
• Plum Pudding Rum Sauce
• Plum Pudding Sauce

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Activities (17)

• Advent and the Year of the Eucharist
• Advent Calendar I
• Advent Wreath: Background and How To Make Your Own Wreath
• Advent Wreath: Making Your Own
• Celebrating Advent and Christmas
• Death and Burial
• Jesse Tree
• Jesse Tree Instructions
• November and the Holy Souls
• Practical Suggestions for Christian Living (Anointing of the Sick)
• Praying for the Dead and Gaining Indulgences During November
• Prepare for Death
• Preparing for Heaven
• Religion in the Home for Elementary School: November
• Religion in the Home for Preschool: November
• Teaching About Death
• Teaching Children About Sickness and Death

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Prayers (9)

• Advent Table Blessing 1
• November Devotion: The Holy Souls in Purgatory
• Little Litany of the Holy Souls
• Prayer for a Happy Death
• Blessing and Prayers for Advent Wreath
• Out of the Depths - De Profundis
• Daily Acceptance of Death
• Novena to St. Francis Xavier - The Novena of Grace
• Collect for Feast of St. Catherine Laboure

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Library (7)

• Advent Invites Us to Perceive the Presence of God | Pope Benedict XVI
• Advent Wreath: Prayers and Explanation | Unknown
• Advent: A Cry of Hope of the Church and the Just | Pope Benedict XVI
• Advent: Awaiting God's Justice | Pope Benedict XVI
• Our Whole Life Should Be An 'Advent' | Pope John Paul II
• See Advent's Meaning Through Mary | Pope Benedict XVI
• The Advent Wreath | Fr. William Saunders

Old Calendar: St. Catherine Laboure, virgin & religious; St. James of the Marches, priest (Hist)

Traditionally today is the feast of St. Catherine Laboure. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to her, a member of the Daughters of Charity, three times in 1830 and commissioned her to have made the Miraculous Medal and to spread a devotion to it. St. Catherine Laboure was canonized in 1947. It is also the feast of St. James of the Marches who grew up in the turbulence of early 15th Century Europe. Wars were being waged across Western Europe, and the Papal seat of authority was divided between Italy and France.

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St. Catherine Laboure
St Catherine Labouré was born on the 2nd of May 1806 at Fainles-Moutiers, a picturesque village of Burgundy, France. She was the ninth child in a happy family of eleven. God made known the choice of this soul by marking her at an early age with the seal of suffering, for when she was only nine years old she lost her mother.

Saint Catherine Labouré responded to the divine call by entering the Community of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in Paris. Here, during the first months of her novitiate, she was favored with a number of apparitions of the Blessed Virgin, who confided to her the mission of having the Miraculous Medal made.

Until shortly before her death Saint Catherine kept a strict silence concerning these apparitions, speaking of them only to her confessor, according to the instructions of Our Lady.

During 46 years Saint Catherine witnessed the wonders and miracles wrought through the Medal. During all this time, carefully guarding her secret of the apparitions, she humbly performed her commonplace duties, devoting herself especially to the care of the infirmed men of Enghien, a suburb of Paris. For this she is called the patroness of seniors.

On the 31st of December 1876, Saint Catherine left this earth for heaven, to contemplate there her Immaculate Queen whose love and beauty had captured her heart on earth.

Her body was exhumed 57 years later and found in perfect condition. Even death respected her who had enjoyed the extraordinary privilege of resting her hands on the knees of the Blessed Virgin for more than two hours during one of the apparitions. Saint Catherine was canonized by Pope Pius XII on July 27, 1947.

The simplicity of Saint Catherine's life endears her to everyone. She became a saint by doing her commonplace duties well, for God. This "Saint of Ordinary People" has the secret of sanctity for us all.

Excerpted from Central Association of the Miraculous Medal

Things to Do:

• Read more about St. Catherine Laboure, here and here.

• Make a virtual visit to the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

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St. James of the Marches
The small town of Montebrandone, on the eastern coast of Italy, called the March of Ancona, gave birth to this Saint in the year 1391. While still young he was sent to the University of Perugia, where his progress in learning soon qualified him to be chosen preceptor to the children of a young gentleman of Perugia. He went with him to Florence, to aid in the administration of a juridical office the nobleman had obtained there; but realizing that he was about to be engulfed in the whirlpool of worldly excesses in which he found himself, Saint James applied himself to prayer and recollection, and thought of entering the Carthusian Order.

When traveling one day near Assisi, however, he went into the Church of the Portiuncula to pray, and moved by the fervor of the holy men who there served God and by the example of their blessed founder Saint Francis, he determined to petition in that very place for the habit of the Order. He was then twenty-one years of age; he received the habit near Assisi, at the convent of Our Lady of the Angels. He began his spiritual war against the world, the flesh and the devil in prayer and silence in his cell, joining extraordinary fasts and vigils to his assiduous prayer. He fell ill with a number of different illnesses which for thirty years he endured with heroic patience, without ever exempting himself from saying Holy Mass or assisting at the offices in common. For forty years he never passed a day without taking the discipline.

When, through the response of the Mother of Heaven to his prayers, he became able to preach, he carried out that ministry with such great fervor and power that he never failed to touch the most hardened hearts and produce truly miraculous conversions. He joined Saint John of Capistrano to preach a crusade against the Turks, who had become masters of Constantinople and were terrorizing Western Europe. At Buda he effected the miraculous cessation of a furious sedition by simply showing the crucifix to the people; the rebels themselves took him upon their shoulders and carried him through the streets of the city. At Prague he brought back to God many who had fallen into error, and when a magician wanted to dispute with him, he rendered him mute and thus obliged him to retire in confusion. He traveled through the northern Provinces, into Germany, Dalmatia, Hungary, Poland, Norway and Denmark and many other places; he went without any provisions other than his confidence in God. If he found no aid or was without lodging he rejoiced in his union with Lady Poverty, to whom he was joined by his religious profession.

When he was called back to Italy to labor against a heresy, he acquired new persecutors who attempted in several ways, including ambushes, poison, calumny and the arousing of seditions against him, to do away with him. But God delivered him each time from the most adroitly conceived artifices. When chosen as Archbishop of Milan, he fled, and could not be prevailed on to accept the office. He brought about several miracles at Venice and at other places, often by the simple Holy Name of Jesus written on a paper. He raised from dangerous illness the Duke of Calabria and the King of Naples. The Saint died in the Franciscan convent of the Holy Trinity near Naples, to which city the Holy Father had sent him at the prayer of its King, Ferdinand. The date was the 28th of November of the year 1476; he was ninety years old, and had spent seventy of those years in religion.

Excerpted from Les Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints, by Msgr. Paul Guérin (Bloud et Barral: Paris, 1882), Vol. 13; Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, a compilation based on Butler's Lives of the Saints and other sources by John Gilmary Shea (Benziger Brothers: New York, 1894).

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Luke 21:5-11

34th Week in Ordinary Time

The days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone. (Luke 21:6)

People often keep postcards or photographs of vacations or dream destinations on their kitchen walls or smartphones. Why? We’re trying, even if only for a moment, to experience something breathtaking, something amazing. Seeing beautiful locations takes us out of our normal lives and gives us a sense of wonder.

The Temple in Jerusalem was one such place of wonder in the ancient world. People spent their lives yearning to visit it. This was the place where God offered healing and forgiveness. Many traveled over long distances just to be there, and when they arrived, they were amazed by its beauty and grandeur. Some were even converted when they saw the greatness of God that the Temple represented, when they saw how much he wanted to dwell with his people. Although the Temple was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70, pilgrims still travel thousands of miles just to see its ruins—perhaps longing for just a glimpse of God’s glory.

Where can you see the wonder of God’s presence today? In yourself! You don’t have to travel to Rome or Jerusalem to find God. You have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, and that makes you a temple of the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:19)! Yes, you, with your doubts, fears, and sins. Nothing can stop God’s desire to be present with you; not original sin, not the destruction of the Temple, not all the evil done by humankind, not even your own personal weaknesses. Just as God chose to be present in the ancient Temple, he chooses to be present in you.

Here’s something even more wonderful: you carry God with you in the midst of your family, your co-workers, and even among strangers on the street. You might not always notice it happening, but you are the hands God uses to reach out to them in love. You are a marvel, made with more love and attention to detail than the Temple with all its costly stones. The Holy Spirit, living in you, has the power to amaze, to convert, to heal. You are much more than just a postcard. You are a temple of the living God.

“Thank you, Lord, that you are alive and active within me.”

Daniel 2:31-45
(Psalm) Daniel 3:57-61

[Salvation]

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for November 28, 2017:

Thanksgiving and Christmas are traditionally times when adult children return home and blended families gather together. This can be both a joyful and stressful time as family systems reshuffle. Be patient and remember that charity can go a long way!

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

November 28, 2017 – Why So Glum?

28 Nov 2017

Tuesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Father Edward McIlmail, LC

Luke 21:5-11

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.”

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for this special time I have with you. It’s one of the few calm moments of the day. Your presence reassures me that I don’t have to endure the trials of the day alone. You are my strength and my peace. I wish to abide in your love.

Petition: Jesus, help me to keep hoping despite the crises in my life.

1. Temple of Doom: For the Jews, the Temple in Jerusalem was the center of religious and cultural life. It contained the Holy of Holies, the sanctuary that once housed the Ark of the Covenant. The people were proud of the Temple, but Jesus warns them that the day will arrive when it will be destroyed (as indeed it was, in A.D. 70). Yet the end of the Temple will not be the end of religion. Jesus himself will remain with us, as he does to this day, in the Eucharist. Likewise, no matter what else passes away—our house, our office, our school —Christ remains. Does that belief fill me with confidence?

2. Be Not Deceived: Jesus doesn’t directly answer the question about when the Temple will be destroyed. Rather, he tries to get his listeners to focus on what is really important: their faith. Our Lord warns them not to listen to the wrong people. Throughout the course of a normal day, to whom do we listen? Whose voices are on our radios, our TV sets? Who really has our ear day–by-day? Worldly talk-show hosts? The news media’s “instant experts”? Hollywood stars? Jesus cautions us that the people we listen to might affect the quality of our lives — and the quality of our eternity. Do I judge carefully, then, the voices I listen to?

3. Do Not Be Terrified: Terrorist attacks, wars, abortion, euthanasia, natural disasters– is the world a nicer place today than in Jesus’ time? Our Lord was no stranger to bad news. He knew about the tower in Siloam that killed 18 people (see Luke 13:4)–and he knew what awaited him on Good Friday. Yet he always remained hopeful and encouraged the best in people. As his followers, we too must be witnesses to hope. We need to brighten the lives of those around us. More importantly we need to remind others that God will win in the end. “Good, not evil, has the last word,” Pope Saint John Paul II told the general audience of Oct. 17, 2001, “God triumphs over the hostile powers, even when they seem great and invincible.”

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I know in my mind that you will win in the end. If only my heart would believe that, too! Grant me this grace. Grant that my life will show that kind of optimism at every moment.

Resolution: I will make a small sacrifice or offer up a special prayer for someone suffering today.

[Salvation]

Homily of the Day

November 28, 2017

On the feast day of St. Catherine Laboure, a religious of the Daughters of Charity who received apparitions from Our Lady in 1830 at their motherhouse in Paris, we recall the “Miraculous Medal,” also known as the Medal of the Immaculate Conception, the design of which was originated by St. Catherine from the apparitions of Our Lady to her. It is called the Miraculous Medal because of many special favors and graces received by those who wear it with faith and devotion. The goldsmith Adrien Vachette made the medal on instructions from St. Catherine.

The medal shows Our Lady as she appeared to St. Catherine on 27 November 1830, inside and oval frame, standing upon a globe. She wore rings set with gems, which radiated light from her hands. At the margin of the oval frame are the words, “0 Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” The year
1830 is inscribed at the bottom of the frame.

At the back side of the medal there is a circle with twelve stars, a large letter M surmounted by a cross, and images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus crowned with thorns and the Immaculate Heart of Mary pierced by a sword.

St. Catherine was instructed to bring these images to her confessor and to have the medallion made, saying, “All who wear them will receive great graces.”

The chapel where Our Lady appeared to St. Catherine is at the motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity in Paris. The incorrupt bodies of St. Catherine and of St. Louise de Marillac, co-founder of the Daughters of Charity, are in the chapel

We pray to our Mother with great confidence, “Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

[Salvation]

Catholic Caucus: Usain Bolt, His Catholic Faith, and His Miraculous Medal

Newman and the Miraculous Medal
President Obama carried Miraculous Medal in his pocket [Catholic Caucus]
Miraculous Medal Shrine Celebrates 81st Novena (Catholic Caucus)
Being Catholic: Sacred Things, The Miraculous Medal [Ecumenical]
America Needs Fatima Campaign does outreach by distributing St. Benedict medals (Catholic Caucus)
Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (Catholic Caucus)
Graces Will Be Abundant (175th Anniversary of Miraculous Medal)
America Needs Fatima Launches "Miracles for America" Campaign: A Miraculous Medal Outreach
Miracles For America: A Miraculous Medal Outreach
How the Miraculous Medal Changed My Life

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espa�ol

All Issues > Volume 33, Issue 6

<< Tuesday, November 28, 2017 >>

Daniel 2:31-45
View Readings

Daniel 3:57-61

Luke 21:5-11
Similar Reflections

CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE: HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

"The great God has revealed to the king what shall be in the future; this is exactly what you dreamed, and its meaning is sure." �Daniel 2:45

The fourth kingdom in Nebuchadnezzar's vision was the strongest because it was made of iron (Dn 2:40). However, this kingdom was fragile because the iron was mixed with clay tile (Dn 2:41-42). This represented that the Seleucid kingdom sealed "their alliances by intermarriage" (Dn 2:43). This was doomed to failure and resulted in the collapse of the kingdom.

Marriage is the basis of culture. If people give their lives to Christ, love His Church (Eph 5:25), and then marry others who are also in Christ and in His Church, these marriages will be a strong base for a new civilization of life and love. However, if we denigrate marriage through adultery, fornication, contraception, unnatural sexual relations, pornography, and homosexual activity, our culture of death will become even more de-humanizing and will speed to its self-destruction.

Christian married couples, the world needs your marital love and united prayer. You are called to be co-creators with the Lord. You will significantly contribute to the destruction of this world, or you will rebuild this world by God's grace. Give your marriage to the Lord.

Prayer: Father, give us as many holy marriages as possible as soon as possible.

Promise: "The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people; rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever." �Dn 2:44

Praise: Children who have grown up in home-based Christian communities are passing on the faith to their own children.

[Salvation]