SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Wednesday - January 02, 2019

Wednesday - January 02, 2019

Some say it is unreasonable to be courteous and gentle with a reckless person who insults you 

for no reason at all. 

I have made a pact with my tongue; 

not to speak when my heart is disturbed.

-- St. Francis de Sales 

 

January 2 2019

 

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Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church
Lectionary: 205

Reading 11 JN 2:22-28

Beloved:
Who is the liar? 
Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. 
Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist. 
Anyone who denies the Son does not have the Father,
but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.

Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. 
If what you heard from the beginning remains in you,
then you will remain in the Son and in the Father. 
And this is the promise that he made us: eternal life. 
I write you these things about those who would deceive you. 
As for you,
the anointing that you received from him remains in you,
so that you do not need anyone to teach you. 
But his anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not false; 
just as it taught you, remain in him.

And now, children, remain in him,
so that when he appears we may have confidence
and not be put to shame by him at his coming.

Responsorial PsalmPS 98:1, 2-3AB, 3CD-4

R. (3cd)  All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R.  All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

AlleluiaHEB 1:1-2

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

GospelJN 1:19-28

This is the testimony of John. 
When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him
to ask him, "Who are you?"
He admitted and did not deny it, but admitted,
"I am not the Christ." 
So they asked him,
"What are you then? Are you Elijah?" 
And he said, "I am not." 
"Are you the Prophet?"
He answered, "No." 
So they said to him,
"Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? 
What do you have to say for yourself?"
He said:
"I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,
'Make straight the way of the Lord,'
as Isaiah the prophet said." 
Some Pharisees were also sent. 
They asked him,
"Why then do you baptize
if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?" 
John answered them,
"I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie." 
This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,
where John was baptizing.

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Going Straight to Heaven

In today's Gospel reading, John the Baptizer is calling out to everyone who will listen -- including you and me! -- in the wilderness of our struggles and sufferings, and he says: "Make straight the way of the Lord!"

Often, our journey through life is like wandering through a thick forest, zig-zagging here and there trying to find clearings in the underbrush. We cannot see where we're headed. We feel lost. Maybe we are lost! We're certainly confused.

At other times, it's like our path has too many twists and unexpected turns. We detour into mountains of obstacles and oceans of overwhelming problems that could drown us.

So, is John telling us that we need to become a road paving company and build a straight route through life in order for Jesus to come to us?

No. He's already arrived!

John baptized with water to cleanse people from their sins. It was a baptism of repentance, but it was not the baptism that Jesus gave to the Church. It wasn't complete. It's not a sacrament. Repentance is only half of the equation, because it's what we do. In the full baptism that Jesus provides, God does something, too.

Christian baptism is a covenant of promises and commitment. The first part of the ceremony is our responsibility: We reject Satan and all his ways, we profess our faith in God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and we enter into the community of the Church. If it happened when we were infants, our parents and godparents committed us to this lifestyle on our behalf. It then became their responsibility to raise us in the faith so that our side of the covenant would take hold.

We renew our commitment to this covenant whenever we attend someone else's baptism and whenever we profess the Creed during Mass. (Note: I said "profess", not "recite". Reciting the words is mere lip service. Professing comes from the heart.)

The rest of the baptismal ceremony is God's responsibility: The Lord comes to and into the person being baptized. From that moment on, we have all the love of the Father, all the benefit of the sacrifice of Jesus, and all the anointing of the Holy Spirit to help us make straight the way we walk on our journey to heaven.

One of the signposts on the road is found in today's first reading. As long as we don't reject the baptismal promise of eternal life by denying the Lord, the anointing of the Holy Spirit helps us learn what is true. This anointing makes straight the way of the Lord. The Holy Spirit gives us discernment to know good from evil, if we pay attention. The Holy Spirit gives us faith as a gift to keep us moving forward on the path of holiness despite mountains of obstacles and oceans of overwhelming challenges.

At the start of this new year, let us recommit ourselves to the Holy Spirit's anointing so that we can walk straight on crooked roads.

Today's Prayer

I want to be Your instrument, my Lord, to prepare Your way. Empower me for this commission, and praised be You, Lord, for what you will do! 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!”