One Shepherd: December 2024

Monday, December 2, 2024

Pope to Nicaraguan faithful: Trust in God even in darkest times - Vatican News

Pope to Nicaraguan faithful: Trust in God even in darkest times - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-12/pope-pastoral-letter-nicaragua-catholics-immaculate-conception.html

Words of the Holy Father-Jesus is the door that opens us to this dialogue with God-12-02-24

Not all prayers are equal, and not all are convenient: the Bible itself attests to the negative outcome of many prayers, which are rejected. Perhaps God at times is not pleased with our prayers and we are not even aware of this. God looks at the hands of those who pray: to make them pure it is not necessary to wash them; if anything, one should refrain from evil acts. Saint Francis prayed: “Nullu homo ène dignu te mentovare ”, that is, “no man is worthy to mention Your name” (Canticle of the Sun ).

But perhaps the most moving acknowledgment of the poverty of our prayer came from the lips of the Roman centurion who one day begged

Jesus to heal his sick servant (cf. Mt 8:5–13). He felt totally inadequate: he was not a Jew, he was an officer in the detested occupying army. But his concern for his servant emboldens him, and he says: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed” (v. 8). It is the phrase we also repeat in every Eucharistic liturgy. To dialogue with God is a grace: we are not worthy of it, we have no rights to claim, we “limp” with every word and every thought... But Jesus is the door that opens us to this dialogue with God. (General audience, 3 March 2021)

Date02/12/2024

Monday of the First Week of Advent

Gospel in Art: Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/51219

Words of the Holy Father-God is love-11-26-24

The destruction of the Temple foretold by Jesus is not so much a metaphor of the end of history as of the purpose of history. Indeed, before the listeners who want to know how and when these signs will happen, Jesus responds with the typical apocalyptic language of the Bible. (…)

And what is the attitude of the Christian? (…) Christ’s disciples cannot remain slaves to fear and anxiety; instead they are called to live history,

to stem the destructive force of evil, with the certainty that the Lord’s action of goodness is always accompanied by His providential and reassuring tenderness. This is the eloquent sign that the Kingdom of God is approaching us, that is, the realization of the world as God wants it. It is He, the Lord, who guides our existence and knows the ultimate purpose of things and events.

The Lord calls us to cooperate in the construction of history, becoming, together with Him, peacemakers and witnesses of hope in a future of

salvation and resurrection. Faith makes us walk with Jesus on the very often tortuous roads of this world, in the certainty that the power of His Spirit will bend the forces of evil, subjecting them to the power of God’s love. Love is superior, love is more powerful, because it is God: God is love. (Angelus, 17 November 2019)

Date26/11/2024

Tuesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html

Gospel in Art: The destruction of the Temple foretold https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/51174

Words of the Holy Father-men who responded generously to Jesus’ call-11-30-24

Jesus is always on the road! His first missionary appearances take place along the lake of Galilee, in contact with the multitude, in particular with the fishermen. There Jesus does not only proclaim the coming of the kingdom of God, but seeks companions to join in his salvific mission. In this very place he meets two pairs of brothers: Simon and Andrew, James and John. He calls them, saying: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (v. 19). The call reaches them in the middle of their daily activity: the Lord reveals himself to us not in an extraordinary or impressive way, but in the everyday circumstances of our life. There we must discover the Lord; and there he reveals himself, makes his love felt in our heart; and there — with this dialogue with him in the everyday

circumstances of life — he changes our heart. The response of the four fishermen is immediate and willing: “Immediately they left their nets and followed

him” (v. 20). (…) We, today’s Christians, have the joy of proclaiming and witnessing to our faith because there was that first announcement, because there were those humble and courageous men who responded generously to Jesus’ call. (…) May the knowledge of these beginnings give rise in us to the desire to bear Jesus’ word, love and tenderness in every context, even the most difficult and resistant. To carry the Word to all the peripheries! (Angelus, 22 January 2017)

Date30/11/2024

Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html

St. Andrew - Information on the Saint of the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/11/30/st--andrew--apostle.html

Gospel in Art: Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/51205

Words of the Holy Father-Praying, awaiting Jesus, opening oneself to others-11-28-24

To be mindful and to pray. Inner listlessness comes from always turning around ourselves and being blocked by our own life, with its problems, its joy, and suffering, but always turning around ourselves. And this is wearying; this is dull, this closes us off to hope. (…)

Arise, “look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (v. 28), the Gospel of Luke cautions. It is about standing up and praying, turning our thoughts and our hearts to Jesus who is about to come. One stands when awaiting something or someone. We await Jesus and we wish to await him in prayer which is closely linked to vigilance. Praying, awaiting Jesus, opening oneself to others, being mindful, not withdrawn in ourselves. (Angelus, 2 December 2018)

Date28/11/2024

Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html

Words of the Holy Father-the Church is faithful 11-25-24

In a certain sense the Church is “a widow somewhat, because she is waiting for her Bridegroom to return...”. Of course, “she has her Spouse in the Eucharist, in the Word of God, in the poor: but she is waiting for Him to return”. What of “the figure of the Church can be seen in this woman”? She wasn’t important, her name didn’t appear in the newspapers, no one knew her. She had no degree... nothing. Nothing. She did not shine of her own light. Likewise, the great virtue of the Church is not shining of her own light, but rather reflecting the light that comes from her Spouse. Especially since over the centuries, when the Church wanted to have her own light, she was wrong. (…) The Church receives light from there, from the Lord, and all the services we do in the Church help her to receive that light. When a service is lacking this light, it’s not good because it causes the Church to become rich, or powerful, or to seek power, or to lose her way, as has happened so many times in history and, as it happens in our life when we want to have another light: our own light, which is not really that of the Lord. (…)

When the Church is humble and poor, and even when the Church confesses her misfortunes — we all have them — the Church is faithful. It’s as if the Church were saying: I am darkened, but light comes to me from there! and this does us so much good. Thus, let us pray to this widow who is surely in heaven that she may teach us to be like the Church, renouncing all we have and keeping nothing for ourselves but instead giving all for the Lord and for our neighbour. Always humble and without boasting of having our own light, but always seeking the light which comes from the Lord. (Santa Maria, 24 November 2014)

Monday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html

Gospel in Art: A poverty-stricken widow put in two small coins https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/51166

What can we do to keep our hearts from becoming heavy? Pope Francis answers with the Gospel - ZENIT - English

What can we do to keep our hearts from becoming heavy? Pope Francis answers with the Gospel - ZENIT - English: Allocution on the occasion of the recitation of the Angelus on Sunday, December 1, 2024