GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Wednesday - January 01, 2020

Wednesday - January 01, 2020

"So I resolved to change my life, because Jesus had given me clear lights to the effect that I should be a religious. I had a good occasion to do this, for we were about to begin the year of 1896. I wrote in a little notebook: "During this new year I resolve to begin a new life. I do not know what will happen to me during this year. But I abandon myself entirely to you, my God. And my aspirations and all my affections will be for You. I feel so weak, dear Jesus, but with Your help I hope and resolve to live a different life, that is, a life closer to You."

--ST GEMMA GALGANI

TODAY'S READINGS

 

January 1 2020

 

« December 31  |  January 2 »

The Octave Day of Christmas
Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God
Lectionary: 18

Reading 1 NM 6:22-27

The LORD said to Moses:
“Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them:
This is how you shall bless the Israelites.
Say to them:
The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon
you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and
give you peace!
So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites,
and I will bless them."

Responsorial PsalmPS 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8

R. (2a) May God bless us in his mercy.
May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.
R. May God bless us in his mercy.
May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
R. May God bless us in his mercy.
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you!
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
R. May God bless us in his mercy.

Reading 2 GAL 4:4-7

Brothers and sisters:
When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son,
born of a woman, born under the law,
to ransom those under the law,
so that we might receive adoption as sons.
As proof that you are sons,
God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
crying out, “Abba, Father!”
So you are no longer a slave but a son,
and if a son then also an heir, through God.

Alleluia HEB 1:1-2

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets;
in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelLK 2:16-21

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph,
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known the message
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.

When eight days were completed for his circumcision,
he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel
before he was conceived in the womb.

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Reflecting on Our Blessings

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Today is a very special opportunity to consecrate the new year to the Mother of Christ. This opens us to her protection and help. She will join us in asking God to make this a year of many blessings.

In the first reading, God teaches Moses how to pass blessings onto others. Today's responsorial psalm includes a request for God to bless us. The second reading describes the greatest blessing we've received: our adoption by God the Father, who has made available to us every blessing under the heavens and in heaven.

The people who heard the testimony of the shepherds in the Gospel reading were amazed. How often are you amazed by the Lord? Awe comes from recognizing the presence of Jesus in everything we see, do, hear, etc. With Jesus, we're even blessed in situations that feel like curses, because he is guiding us through it.

To experience this, we have to keep our eyes on Jesus at all times. Look past the problems: There is the victorious Jesus already working on your behalf! He was born for your sake and gave up his life for you; of course he is also doing everything else that will provide God's goodness to you!

Look past your emotional reactions to hardships: There is the peace of Christ! It's available when you decide to trust in the love and the wisdom of Christ.

Look past the person who is sinning against you: There is Jesus comforting you! He is trying to kiss your wounds and heal your heart. He speaks to you through scripture, through Holy Mass, through perhaps a counselor, and many other ways. This is available when you choose to forgive.

In every situation, keep your eyes on Jesus so that you can see his hand reaching toward you, offering to bless you.

We can learn from Mary how to look past the obvious and see God's hidden blessings. When Mary looked at the shepherds, did she see scruffy, stinky, unkempt strangers barging in? Of course not. She saw numerous blessings.

Look at the scruffy people in your own life -- through Mary's eyes. How many blessings do you see?

Mary the Mother of God our Savior is also our Mother now. She knows you and wants to show you the countless blessings that come from knowing her Son: blessings that await you as you follow Jesus, and blessings you already have because Jesus is at your side right now. Ask for Mary's help in keeping your focus on Jesus throughout the new year.

Today's Prayer
Praised be to You, my Lord, because You gave us Mary as a model of humility and the contemplation of Your wonders so that we gain humble hearts. Amen.

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God Bless You.....

Rosary Family
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Tuesday - December 31, 2019

Tuesday - December 31, 2019

“Remember the past with gratitude.  Live the present with enthusiasm.  Look forward to the future with confidence.”

–St. John Paul II

TODAY'S READINGS

 

December 31 2019

 

« December 30  |  January 1 »

The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas
Lectionary: 204

Reading 11 JN 2:18-21

Children, it is the last hour;
and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming,
so now many antichrists have appeared.
Thus we know this is the last hour.
They went out from us, but they were not really of our number;
if they had been, they would have remained with us.
Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number.
But you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One,
and you all have knowledge.
I write to you not because you do not know the truth
but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth.

Responsorial PsalmPS 96:1-2, 11-12, 13

R. (11a) Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
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. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
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 shall all the trees of the forest exult before the LORD.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
The LORD comes,
he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!

AlleluiaJN 1:14A, 12A

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us.
To those who accepted him
he gave power to become the children of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelJN 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.

A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world,
and the world came to be through him,
but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,
but his own people did not accept him.

But to those who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to those who believe in his name,
who were born not by natural generation
nor by human choice nor by a man's decision
but of God.

And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father's only-begotten Son,
full of grace and truth.

John testified to him and cried out, saying,
"This was he of whom I said,
'The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.'"
From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses,
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father's side,
has revealed him.

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The Final Hour

Our Gospel reading for today tells us: "Children, it is the last hour." Okay, so -- what is the "last hour"? When will it finally happen? Or has it happened already?

For more than two millennia, people have been looking for the Second Coming of Christ, expecting it to happen soon, wishing it would happen very soon to rescue our world from evil-doings. It seems like now would be a good time for it, right? Just look at the rampant immorality that's occurring everywhere. And it's only getting worse! Where is Jesus? When is that "last hour"?

I vaguely remember a time when we could leave home without locking our doors. Now we not only have to lock up everything, we don't even feel safe walking alone outside the house. Respect for human life has decreased so much that many now think it's okay to kill an unborn baby minutes before birth. Children are being encouraged to "switch" genders, and psychologists who see the harm in gender-identity crises are not supposed to provide therapy that would help people heal from whatever caused their confusion. And the persecution of Christians is increasing world-wide.

Making matters worse, the devil is even showing up in our Church, causing abuses by priests, coverups by bishops, and confusion and wrong ideas about Church teachings.
Where is Jesus? When is that "last hour"?

Year after year, the world keeps becoming more and more demonized. We naturally want Jesus to hurry up and bring us victory over evil by destroying all evil-doers and rapturing us from this terrible world.

The good news is: God is not idle. He's been unfolding a plan. It might actually lead to the Second Coming of Christ in our lifetime, or it might not. Either way, God is going to cover the world with so much Divine Grace that the good will be far greater than the bad. Jesus is victorious over evil!

Meanwhile, we can look for Jesus in what he is doing now and expect him to bring his victory to every situation that we turn over to his care. He delights in making good come from bad.

We are already in the "last hour" that scriptures speak of. It is the "hour" (which from our human perspective is an era, not 60 minutes on the clock) after the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is the era of the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to bring Christ's victory into the world. Instead of relying on the Second Coming of Christ to rescue us, we are to be the hands and feet and voice of Jesus overcoming evil in the world today.

The words of John draw us back to the first hour: "In the beginning was the Word." Jesus is the first and the last Word. As the old year ends, let us ask: "What will I do in the new year to be the Good News of Jesus and renew our world?"

Today's Prayer
Thank You, good Father, because You made me Your child in Jesus Christ due to the huge love You have for all humanity. Amen.

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God Bless You.....

Rosary Family
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Monday - December 30, 2019

Monday - December 30, 2019

God refuses only the person who does not admit his own weakness; ...The life of a soul who seeks true happiness clearly and indisputably depends on this: that those who seek their joy in God are the ones who give joy to God. 

~~St. Raphael Kalinowski

TODAY'S READINGS

December 30 2019

« December 29  |  December 31 »

The Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas
Lectionary: 203

Reading 11 JN 2:12-17

I am writing to you, children,
because your sins have been forgiven for his name's sake.

I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.

I am writing to you, young men,
because you have conquered the Evil One.

I write to you, children,
because you know the Father.

I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.

I write to you, young men,
because you are strong and the word of God remains in you,
and you have conquered the Evil One.

Do not love the world or the things of the world.
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world,
sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life,
is not from the Father but is from the world.
Yet the world and its enticement are passing away.
But whoever does the will of God remains forever.

Responsorial PsalmPS 96:7-8A, 8B-9, 10

R.(11a) Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and praise;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Bring gifts, and enter his courts;
worship the LORD in holy attire.
Tremble before him, all the earth.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
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. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A holy day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, and adore the Lord.
Today a great light has come upon the earth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelLK 2:36-40

There was a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee,
to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.

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How to belong to God's Holy Family

The scene in the Gospel reading today takes place when Mary and Joseph carried the baby Jesus into the temple to consecrate his life to God. After his consecration, a Jewish prophetess, named Anna, is moved by the Holy Spirit to recognize that this child is the long awaited Messiah. She rejoices and gives thanks and tells others about his arrival.

Has anyone ever told others that they recognized Jesus in you? When you and I were baptized, we too were consecrated to God, and the Messiah arrived yet again -- in us. We received the life of the Father so that we now belong to his family. We received the Holy Spirit so that we can recognize Jesus like Anna did. And we received Jesus so that we can continue his ministry of redemption in a world that still needs a Messiah.

The verses of our first reading today tell us what it means to belong to the Father. To remain in the family, the word of God has to remain in us. Since Jesus is the Word made flesh (see John 1:14), we must not push him out of our hearts by denying the Word through self-centered decisions and lifestyles. And we must rely on the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to embrace the Word and serve as the word of God in and for the world today.

In order not to divorce ourselves from God's family, we have to know God's will and do it. We have to realize that the enticements of the world are not going to help us in the long run, that they're harmful to our eternal souls and to our eternal relationship with the Holy Family.

Baptism is not a moment in time that guarantees eternal life for us. To continue to reap the benefits of its saving grace, we have to consecrate our lives to God every time the world entices us with something that would draw us away from the Father. Belonging to the Holy Family is a daily decision, sometimes even a moment-by-moment renewal of that decision.
This requires being in a constant state of prayer, communicating with God no matter how busy we are. It means staying awake spiritually.

It means filling our lives with the church family and learning God's will by educating ourselves in scripture and the teachings of the Church.

It means identifying which worldly enticements make us vulnerable to sin and asking the Holy Spirit to strengthen us in holiness.

It means yearning to be purged of our sins, because we truly desire to remain united to God's family forever.

To renew your baptismal graces, you can use this prayer:
"Lord Jesus, help me to live the consecrated life each and every moment. Holy Spirit, make me aware of the times I fail to do this and show me how to re-consecrate my life to You. Loving Father, accept my desire to be consecrated to You, and help me to know how precious and loved I am as your child. Amen!"

Today's Prayer
Lord: Help me to prepare my heart and all my being to grow in the wisdom of Your love and in the plan in which You want me to serve You. Amen.

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God Bless You.....

Rosary Family



The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”