NOVEMBER
MONDAY

28

Divine
Office

Invitatory

Office of Readings

Morning Prayer

Midmorning Prayer

Midday Prayer

Midafternoon Prayer

Evening Prayer

Night Prayer

Thoughts
on Today’s
Gospel

Courtesy of EVANGELI.NET

“What do you suppose Jesus praised in this man’s faith? Humility. The centurion’s humility was the door for the Lord to enter by.” (Saint Augustine)

“The Lord marvelled at the centurion. He marvelled at his faith. Therefore, he not only encountered the Lord, but he came to know the joy of being encountered by him. This is very important.” (Pope Francis)

“Before so great a sacrament [Eucharist], the faithful can only echo humbly and with ardent faith the words of the Centurion: ‘Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul will be healed’.” (Catechism Of The Catholic Church Nº 1386)

Life
Messages

Courtesy  Fr. Tony’s Homilies

1) We need to grow to the level of Faith of the centurion by knowing and personally experiencing Jesus in our lives. We do so by our meditative daily reading of the Bible, by our daily personal and family prayers, by frequenting the Sacraments, especially the Eucharistic celebration, and by surrendering our lives to Jesus in rendering loving service to others in all humility.

2) Like the centurion we are not worthy to receive Jesus into our hearts in Holy Communion, and at the same time, we invite Jesus to come and heal our souls.

NovEMBER
TUESDAY

29

Divine
Office

Invitatory

Office of Readings

Morning Prayer

Midmorning Prayer

Midday Prayer

Midafternoon Prayer

Evening Prayer

Night Prayer

Thoughts
on Today’s
Gospel

Courtesy of EVANGELI.NET

“For what idea could the human person have of God before, except maybe that of an idol which his own heart had made? Once God was incomprehensible. But now He wanted us to be able to understand him. How was this done? By lying in a manger. When I think on this, I am thinking of God.” (Saint Bernard)

“Jesus exalted in the joy of the Holy Spirit and praised the Father. This the interior life of Jesus: his relationship with the Father in the Spirit. Jesus is the closeness and the tenderness of the Father to us.” (Francis)

“The dual dimension of the Christian liturgy is evident. On the one hand, the Church, united with her Lord and ‘in the Holy Spirit’ (Lk 10:21), blesses the Father ‘for his inexpressible gift’ (2 Cor 9:15) in her adoration, praise, and thanksgiving. On the other hand… the Church never ceases to present to the Father the ‘offering of his own gifts’ and to beg him to send the Holy Spirit upon that offering, upon herself, upon the faithful, and upon the whole world, so that… these divine blessings will bring forth the fruits of life.” (Catechism Of The Catholic Church, Nº 1083)

Life
Messages

Courtesy  Fr. Tony’s Homilies

1) We need to make use of our blessings. We are more blessed than many who lived in Jesus’ time because we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and have him with us in the Eucharist, in the Bible, in the worshipping community, and in each one of us as Emmanuel.

2) Hence, let us participate in Jesus’ Divine life by Holy Communion, hear His words by meditative reading of the Bible, and worship Him as a community of believers.

NovEMBER
WEDNESDAY

30

Divine
Office

About Today

Invitatory

Office of Readings – Feast

Morning Prayer – Feast

Midmorning Prayer

Midday Prayer

Midafternoon Prayer

Evening Prayer – Feast

Night Prayer

Thoughts
on Today’s
Gospel

Courtesy of EVANGELI.NET

“For what idea could the human person have of God before, except maybe that of an idol which his own heart had made? Once God was incomprehensible. But now He wanted us to be able to understand him. How was this done? By lying in a manger. When I think on this, I am thinking of God.” (Saint Bernard)

“Jesus exalted in the joy of the Holy Spirit and praised the Father. This the interior life of Jesus: his relationship with the Father in the Spirit. Jesus is the closeness and the tenderness of the Father to us.” (Francis)

“The dual dimension of the Christian liturgy is evident. On the one hand, the Church, united with her Lord and ‘in the Holy Spirit’ (Lk 10:21), blesses the Father ‘for his inexpressible gift’ (2 Cor 9:15) in her adoration, praise, and thanksgiving. On the other hand… the Church never ceases to present to the Father the ‘offering of his own gifts’ and to beg him to send the Holy Spirit upon that offering, upon herself, upon the faithful, and upon the whole world, so that… these divine blessings will bring forth the fruits of life.” (Catechism Of The Catholic Church, Nº 1083)

Life
Messages

Courtesy  Fr. Tony’s Homilies

1) In order to be effective instruments in the hands of God and to continue Jesus’ preaching, healing, and saving ministry, we, too, need to repent of our sins on a daily basis and to renew our lives by relying on the power of God.

2) As the first four apostles, including Andrew, gave priority to Christ and left behind everything, we, too, are to give priority to Jesus and Jesus’ ideals in our vocation in life. 3) St. Andrew’s zeal is a real inspiration to us. When St. John the Baptist pointed to Jesus, saying, “Behold! The Lamb of God!”.

DECEMBER
THURSDAY

1

Divine
Office

Invitatory

Office of Readings

Morning Prayer

Midmorning Prayer

Midday Prayer

Midafternoon Prayer

Evening Prayer

Night Prayer

Thoughts
on Today’s
Gospel

Courtesy of EVANGELI.NET

“Peter and Andrew had not seen Jesus Christ perform any miracle. They had heard nothing of the eternal prize, and yet, upon hearing the voice of the Savior, they forgot everything they believed they possessed” (Saint Gregory the Great)

“May the Apostle Andrew teach us to follow Jesus promptly, to speak enthusiastically about Him, and above all to cultivate a relationship of authentic familiarity with Him, aware that only in Him can we find the ultimate meaning of our life and of our death.” (Benedict XVI)

“Christ the Lord (…) commanded the apostles to preach the Gospel, which had been promised beforehand by the prophets, and which he fulfilled in his own person and promulgated with his own lips. In preaching the Gospel, they were to communicate the gifts of God to all men. This Gospel was to be the source of all saving truth and moral discipline.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 75)

Life
Messages

Courtesy  Fr. Tony’s Homilies

1) We need to synchronize our practice of the Faith with our profession of it: The test of our Sunday worship is the effect it has in our homes and workplaces and on our relationships with friends and neighbors. The great test is the care and consideration we show to our neighbors, many of whom commonly experience the absence of affection, of words of encouragement and of forgiveness.

2) We need to build our families on strong foundations : There can be no great marriage and no great family without a solid foundation. Such a foundation exists when the husband and wife are the love of Christ for each other and for their children in deeds as well as in words. Our culture and nation also need strong foundations based on the moral law of God and love of Jesus Christ, and this is possible only if our families are built on these foundations.

DECEMBER
FRIDAY

2

Divine
Office

Invitatory

Office of Readings

Morning Prayer

Midmorning Prayer

Midday Prayer

Midafternoon Prayer

Evening Prayer

Night Prayer

Thoughts
on Today’s
Gospel

Courtesy of EVANGELI.NET

“Teach me to seek you, and reveal yourself to me as I seek, because I can neither seek you if you do not teach me how, nor find you unless you reveal yourself. Let me seek you in desiring you; let me desire you in seeking you; let me find you in loving you; let me love you in finding you.” (St. Anselm)

“Jesus himself, when he taught his disciples how to pray, told them to pray like the bothersome friend. Praying is a little like bothering God so that he listens to us. It is a matter of drawing God’s eyes and heart to us.” (Francis)

“The urgent request of the blind men, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David’ (Mt 9:27) or ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ (Mk 10:48) has-been renewed in the traditional prayer to Jesus known as the Jesus Prayer: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’ Healing infirmities or forgiving sins, Jesus always responds to a prayer offered in faith: ‘Your faith has made you well; go in peace.’” (Catechism Of The Catholic Church, Nº 2616)

Life
Messages

Courtesy  Fr. Tony’s Homilies

1) We, too, need light and eyesight because we are often blind to the needs and expectations of those around us and even living with us. We are also often blind to the presence of Jesus living in us and in others, to the blessings God showers on us, and to the protection God gives us every day. Hence, let us pray for the spiritual eyesight to realize and experience the presence of Jesus in ourselves and others, and for the good will to do good to and for others.

DECEMBER
SATURDAY

3

Divine
Office

About Today

Invitatory

Office of Readings – Memorial

Morning Prayer – Memorial

Midmorning Prayer

Midday Prayer

Midafternoon Prayer

Evening Prayer I

Night Prayer I

Thoughts
on Today’s
Gospel

Courtesy of EVANGELI.NET

“The harvest is great but the laborers are few. This cannot be said without a heavy heart, for although there are many to hear the good news there are only a few to preach it. Pray for us so that our tongue may not grow weary of exhortation.” (Saint Gregory the Great)

“The world is not a futile confusion of drudgery and pain, for all the distress the world contains is supported in the arms of merciful love. The person who celebrates Advent in this spirit will legitimately be able to speak of the joyous, blessed and grace-filled season of Christmas.” (Benedict XVI)

“With the Nicene Creed, we answer by confessing: ‘For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit, he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man’.” (Catechism Of The Catholic Church Nº 456)

Life
Messages

Courtesy  Fr. Tony’s Homilies

1) As Christians, we share Christ’s mission of preaching and healing. This means that we, too, have to demonstrate by our exemplary and transparent Christian lives the mercy, the forgiveness, and the unconditional love of Jesus.

2) We are also called to act as the agents of healing by praying for the sick, by helping them to get the necessary medical and nursing help, and by encouraging them, supporting them and boosting their morale.