Author name: sanjose

Hebrews 3:14

Verse:

“We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.” - Hebrews 3:14

Prayer For Conviction of Sins

Holy Father, You are the one and only Holy Father in heaven and on earth. I humble myself and confess that I need Your help to walk holy in this life You have given me. Thank You for the Holy Spirit's conviction and correction that You have freely bestowed to those who believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. I pray that the Holy Spirit, in mercy, would convict me of any sin or any bad habit that is in my life. I forsake my pride and renounce it in Jesus' Name. I want to live a life that brings glory and joy to You.

Sources:

Original version of the prayer: https://prayerist.com/prayer/convictionofsin

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Saint Hunger

Saint Hunger, also referred to as Hungerus Frisus, was the was the Bishop of Utrecht from 854 to 866. At first his relations with the Vikings were peaceful, but eventually Utrecht was threatened by the Vikings, which caused the bishop and the entire clergy of Utrecht to flee to Sint Odiliënberg, near Roermond. In 858 king Lothair II made a monastery available for them. Later the bishop settled in Prüm and then in Deventer.

Saint Hunger seems to have been a godly man who, unlike his predecessors, did not engage in nepotism. In the case of the childless marriage between Lothair II and his wife Teutberga, he defended the sanctity of their marriage on biblical and theological grounds, but to secure his succession, Lothair II repudiated his wife and married Waldrada, with whom he had a son.

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Proverbs 18:2

Verse:

“Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.” - Proverbs 18:2

Prayer Against Selfishness

“Lord, help me to not think only of myself, but of those you have put in my life for me to serve.”

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Saint Peter Canisius

Saint Peter Canisius was born in 1521 in Nijmegen in the Duchy of Guelders, which, until 1549, was part of the Habsburg Netherlands within the Holy Roman Empire and is now the Netherlands. His father was a wealthy burgermeister, Jacob Kanis. His mother, Ægidia van Houweningen, died shortly after Peter’s birth. He was sent to study at the University of Cologne, where he earned a master’s degree in 1540, at the age of 19.

While there, he met Peter Faber, one of the founders of the Society of Jesus. Through him, Canisius became the first Dutchman to join the newly founded Society of Jesus in 1543. Through his preaching and writings, Peter Canisius became one of the most influential Catholics of his time. He supervised the founding and maintenance of the first German-speaking Jesuit colleges, often with little resources at hand. At the same time he preached in the city and vicinity, and debated and taught in the university.[1] Due to his frequent travels between the colleges, a tedious and dangerous occupation at the time, he became known as the Second Apostle of Germany.

Canisius exerted a strong influence on the Emperor Ferdinand I. The king’s eldest son (later Maximilian II) appointed Phauser, a married priest, to the office of court preacher. Canisius warned Ferdinand I, verbally and in writing, and opposed Phauser in public disputations. Maximilian was obliged to dismiss Phauser and, on this account, the rest of his life he harboured a grudge against Canisius.

He was initially buried at the Church of St Nicholas. His remains were later transferred to the church of the Jesuit College, which he had founded and where he had spent the last year of his life, and interred in front of the main altar of the church; the room he occupied during those last months is now a chapel open for the veneration of the faithful.

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John 7:16

Verse:

“Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me.” ” - John 7:16

Prayer For Fully Understanding God’s Word

Dear Lord, Thank you that your Holy Spirit helps me to discern and understand your Word. Give me a hunger to feed my soul on Scripture every day. I recognize that living according to Scripture gives me a firm foundation for this life and the life to come. Open my ears to your Word, so when I hear it spoken aloud, I will receive it with joy. Help me to obey your Word so I will fully understand it and be able to move on to maturity in my faith. I pray these things through the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Sources:

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Saint Dominic of Silos

Our saint today, Dominic of Silos, was born in Spain around the year 1000 into a peasant family. As a young boy he spent time in the fields, where he welcomed the solitude. He became a Benedictine priest and served in numerous leadership positions. Following a dispute with the king over property, Dominic and two other monks were exiled. They established a new monastery in what at first seemed an unpromising location. Under Dominic’s leadership, however, it became one of the most famous houses in Spain. Many healings were reported there.
About 100 years after Dominic’s death, a young woman who experienced difficult pregnancies made a pilgrimage to his tomb. There Dominic of Silos appeared to her and assured her that she would bear another son. The woman was Joan of Aza, and the son she bore grew up to be the “other” Dominic—Dominic Guzman, the one who founded the Dominicans.
For hundreds of years thereafter, the staff used by Saint Dominic of Silos was brought to the royal palace whenever a queen of Spain was in labor. That practice ended in 1931.

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John 20:21

Verse:

“Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” - John 20:21

Prayer For Evangelism

Righteous Savior, as I look out over this city, I see so many who are lost and afraid. And yet in my own strength, I know that there is nothing I can do. I am shy. I am timid. Father, increase my faith. Give me the boldness I need to fill this city with the glorious hope of eternal life in Your Son, Jesus. Amen.

Sources:

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Saint Nemesius of Alexandria

Nemesius of Emesa was a Christian philosopher, and the author of a treatise De natura hominis (“On Human Nature”). According to the title of his book, he was the Bishop of Emesa (in present-day Syria). His book is an attempt to compile a system of anthropology from the standpoint of Christian philosophy; it was very influential in later Greek, Arabic and Christian thought.

Nemesius was also a physiological theorist. He based much of his writing on previous work of Aristotle and Galen, and it has been speculated that he anticipated William Harvey’s discovery of the circulation of blood. Other views included a five-theory hierarchy of divine providence. These theories are developed from an earlier Platonic theory.

Nemesius was one in a succession of advocates, from Herophilus and Erasistratus onward, of the idea that different cavities of the brain were responsible for different functions. His Doctrine of Ventricle Localisation of Mental Functioning is a reconciliation of Platonic doctrines on the soul with Christian philosophy and also emphasized Greek scientific interpretation and knowledge of the human body.

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Fourth Sunday of Advent

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: Is 7:10-14

The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying:
Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God;
let it be deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered,
"I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!"
Then Isaiah said:
Listen, O house of David!
Is it not enough for you to weary people,
must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Response– Lord, come and save us

The LORD God keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R– Lord, come and save us

The LORD gives sight to the blind;
the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
The LORD loves the just;
the LORD protects strangers.
R– Lord, come and save us

The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations.
R– Lord, come and save us

Second Reading: Rom 1:1-7

Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus,
called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God,
which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,
the gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh,
but established as Son of God in power
according to the Spirit of holiness
through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Through him we have received the grace of apostleship,
to bring about the obedience of faith,
for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles,
among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;
to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Alleluia: Mt 1:23

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: Mt 1:18-24

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
"Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means "God is with us."
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.

The Readings and Gospel were sourced from:

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Psalm 119:114

Verse:

“You are my refuge and my shield;I have put my hope in your word.” - Psalm 119:114

Prayer For Seeking Refuge

Dear God, I seek refuge in You from any knowledge which gives no benefit, and from a heart that fears You not, and from a soul not satisfied, and from prayer that cannot be answered. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what You know, and I ask You for the good of what You know, and I ask for Your forgiveness for what You already know. Surely You are the Knower of the Unseen. Amen.

Sources:

Dear God, I seek refuge in You from any knowledge which gives no benefit, and from a heart that fears You not, and from a soul not satisfied, and from prayer that cannot be answered. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what You know, and I ask You for the good of what You know, and I ask for Your forgiveness for what You already know. Surely You are the Knower of the Unseen. Amen.

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