So great is the delight which the angels take in executing the will of God,
that if it were His will that one of them should come upon earth to pull
up
weeds and root out nettles from a field, he would leave Paradise
immediately
and set himself to work with all his heart, and with infinite pleasure.
-Bl. Henry Suso
<><><><>
"I would like the angels of Heaven to be among us. I would like an
abundance
of peace. I would like full vessels of charity. I would like rich
treasures
of mercy. I would like cheerfulness to preside over all. I would like
Jesus
to be present. I would like the three Marys of illustrious renown to be
with
us. I would like the friends of Heaven to be gathered around us from all
parts. I would like myself to be a rent-payer to the Lord; that I should
suffer distress, that he would bestow a good blessing upon me. I would
like
a great lake of beer for the King of Kings. I would like to be watching
Heaven's family drinking it through all eternity."
-St. Brigid of Kildare
Seven Things God Hates
"There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are
an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands
that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies,
and one who spreads strife among brothers" (Prov. 6:16-19).
God is clear about the things that displease Him.
God hates sin in any form, but Proverbs 6:17-19 lists seven that are
especially loathsome to Him. First is haughty eyes (v. 17), which
pictures a proud and arrogant person with his nose in the air and his
eyes uplifted. The pride in his heart is reflected in his mannerisms.
Pride is perhaps listed first because it is at the heart of all
rebellion against God--beginning with Lucifer himself, who cried out
against God, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above
the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the
recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High" (Isa. 14:13-14).
God also hates a lying tongue (v. 17). Men often toy with truth,
denying or distorting it to gain some supposed advantage. But God
can't tolerate deception of any kind. He expects us to live according
to His truth.
Third, He hates murderous hands (v. 17). That speaks of people whose
hatred and greed are so strong they will kill rather than be denied
what they want. God created life and established its sanctity. That's
why He ordained that murderers be put to death (Gen. 9:6).
God also hates a wicked heart and malevolent feet (v. 18). Sometimes
people fall into sin inadvertently. But these people carefully plot
their sinful activities, then hurry to execute their plans.
Finally, God hates a false witness and a divisive spirit (v. 19).
Bearing false witness is telling lies about an innocent party. That
can obstruct justice, destroy a reputation, and even destroy a life.
A divisive spirit is one who creates divisions where there should be
unity.
Those sins characterize unbelievers, but Christians aren't immune
from them. So be on guard not to stray into attitudes and actions
that God hates.
If you are practicing any of those things, confess it and repent.
<<>><<>><<>>
December 18th - Expectation of Our Lady
By the late Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira: (died 1995)
December 18 begins the last week of Advent, which the Church calls the
Week
of Expectation. We are only one week away from the Birth of Our Lord, and
the Church imagines the jubilation and hope of Our Lady in expectation of
her parturition: she was waiting to admire the Blessed Face of the Son she
was generating in her womb.
Our Lady had begged God to hasten the coming of the Messiah, and God heard
her omnipotent prayer, which in fact was anticipated. She was invited to
be
the Mother of the Word. She accepted, and conceived the Incarnate Word in
her womb. In this last week of her gestation, she awaits with expectation
seeing the Face of her Son, so that she might have a more profound
knowledge
of the soul and the full personality of her Son.
She also awaits the salvation of the world that approaches. She sees the
hour coming when the glory of God will cease to be offended by the legacy
of
original sin. The Devil's reign that dominated for more than 4,000 years
is
drawing to its end. She senses that the Reign of Our Lord Jesus Christ is
near. Only one week is lacking for the birth of the Word that marks the
beginning of the end of the reign of the Devil. It was definitely
destroyed
when Our Lord was immolated on the Cross and the Redemption was
consummated.
These considerations filled the heart of Our Lady with hope. That is why
during this period of waiting she is called Our Lady of the Expectation,
Our
Lady of the Hope or Our Lady of the O!, since on each of the seven days
before Christmas there is an antiphon in the liturgy that the Church
attributes to her. All of these antiphons begin with the exclamation - O!
-
and continue with a reference to words of the Old Testament that refer to
the birth of Our Lord and His Redemption.
These antiphons, called the "Greater Antiphons" or the "O Antiphons," are
the following:
Antiphon 1: O Wisdom! Thou came forth from the mouth of the Most High and,
reaching from beginning to end, Thou ordered all things mightily and
sweetly. Come, and teach us the way of prudence.
Antiphon 2: O Adonai, Ruler of the House of Israel! Thou appeared to Moses
in the fire of the burning bush and on Mount Sinai gave him Thy law. Come
to
redeem us with the strength of Thy arm.
Antiphon 3: O Root of Jesse! Thou stand as a sign for all peoples; before
Thee kings shall keep silence and to Thee all nations shall have recourse.
Come, save us, and do not delay.
Antiphon 4: O Key of David, Scepter of the House of Israel! Thou doth open
and no man closes; Thou doth close and no man opens. Come, and deliver
from
the chains of prison those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
Antiphon 5: O Rising Dawn, Radiance of the Light eternal and Sun of
Justice!
Come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
Antiphon 6: O King of the Gentile, the Awaited One of all! Thou are the
cornerstone that binds two into one. Come, and save man whom Thou
fa****oned
out of clay.
Antiphon 7: O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the Hope and Salvation of
the
nations! Come and save us, O Lord our God.
The O! antiphons suggest to us some thoughts.
When the encyclical Divini Redemptoris of Pius XI against Communism was
published in 1937, the Pontiff noted in it that the world was in such a
bad
state that it was in danger of falling to a state lower than it was before
the Redemption. And indeed, we can say that it fell. From 1937 to this
date,
the catastrophe has happened. The many evils described by Pius XI have
only
increased since his time. The world redeemed by Jesus Christ is now at a
lower state than before His coming.
In this situation we long for a restoration so radical that is similar to
a
redemption. We hope for a renewal of the fruits of Redemption applied to
the
needs of our times. We have need of the punishment of those who despise
Our
Lord and have infiltrated into the deepest recesses of His Church. If they
could, they would destroy her. We also call for those who can convert to
be
regenerated and reconciled with Our Lord. We need the Reign of Mary to be
implanted.
So, for us, in the days that precede Christmas, these antiphons should
express an appeal and a plea to the Infant Jesus to hasten a stronger and
more triumphant and invincible action to re-implant His Kingdom on earth -
with Mary, in Mary and through Mary.
We should ask Our Lady to obtain this from her Son. We also should ask her
to increase our hope that this will happen. In this way, we will pass this
week in expectation of these graces as Our Lady was waiting for the graces
of the Our Lord's coming before the feast of Christmas.
See pictures at:
http://www.traditioninaction.org/SOD/j207sd_OLExpectation_12-18.html
Quote:
Let us come close to the crib. If you love riches, you will find the gold
that the kings brought; if you are looking for the smoke of honors, you
will
find that in the incense; and if you take delight if in the delicacies of
the senses, you will find the delicate perfume of myrrh that pervades the
stable. Be rich in love for this adorable Saviour, respectful in the
familiarity with which you relate to Him, and delight in the joy of
experiencing in your soul so many inspirations and affections because you
belong exclusively to Him.
--St. Francis de Sales
Bible Quote
37 They were stoned, they were cut asunder, they were tempted, they were
put
to death by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins,
being in want, distressed, afflicted: (Hebrews 11:37)
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