Behold the Lord is coming in splendor to visit His people with peace.

 “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things;  but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased."  (Matthew 17: 11 - 12).

Elijah the great prophet came back in the persona of John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord, to make straight His paths and people did not recognize the hour or the opportunity.  Although he appeared like a fire whose words were as a flaming furnace, yet people took little notice. The noise in the world was too loud and impenetrable for the message of salvation.

This is Advent, less than ten days to Christmas. Arise from your sleep.  Do not allow Christmas shopping and any other frenzied activities to obscure the true meaning of the Season.

The Lord is surely coming in splendor to visit His people. Prepare to welcome Him.

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Who can please the world?

“To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another,  ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn."  (Matthew 11:  16 - 17).

Who can please the world? Nobody.  Stop trying.  It is far easier to please God than to please the world.  God looks at your heart and your goodwill and makes excuses for your weakness.  The world is capricious and erratic and expects you to be a winner 100% of the time for 100% of the people.  Impossible you would say.  So, what do you do?  Aim at pleasing God.  It is easier and less complicated.  At least you have a Manual (Bible) to check what God wants of you.

"To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul,
my God, in you I trust;
do not let me be disgraced;
do not let my enemies gloat over me. No one is disgraced who waits for you, but only those who are treacherous without cause."  (Psalm 25: 1 - 3)

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Fear, worry and doubts are not from God.

I will help you, says the Lord your God.

"For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.  Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, little Israel, do not fear, for I myself will help you,” declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel."   (Isaiah 41:13-14 NIV)

Fear, worry and doubts are not from God.  God Never Fails!
"Fear is useless; what is needed is trust."  (Luke  8: 50).

"Why would you ever complain, O Jacob, or, whine, Israel, saying, "God has lost track of me.  He doesn't care what happens to me"? Don't you know anything? Haven't you been listening?"

"God doesn't come and go. God lasts. He's Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath.  And he knows everything, inside and out. He energizes those who get tired,  gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag behind." 
(Isaiah 40:27 -  31  MSG)

Wait on God’s answer;  wait for His help.

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Come to Me all you who need rest and peace.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.   Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.   For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  (Matthew 11 - 28 - 30).

Gracious invitation from Christ.  But how do we come to Christ?  We come to Christ in prayer, in His word, and when we encounter the poor.  We come to Jesus especially in the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Penance. 

What are the labors and burdens that we bring to Christ the Doctor to heal?  First, we bring our burdens of sin.  We are overwhelmed with fears, worries and doubts about our health, family, finances, job, tools, food and the future.  We bring all these to Jesus.

How does Christ give us the promised rest?  He cancels our debts of sins and relieves us once and for all from guilt.  Sometimes He heals our bodies and finances.  At other times, He gives us a supernatural perspective from which to view our woes.  You may call this indepth perspective therapy.  People go to the Shrines of Our Lady of Lourdes in France and Guadalupe in Mexico for physical healing.  Many such people receive the indepth perspective therapy and decide to stay behind to minister to pilgrims sicker than themselves..

What yoke does Christ invite us to take upon ourselves?  The yoke of Christ is the Gospel of Christ.  The yoke of Christ is the Sermon on the Mount.  Christ Himself says that this yoke is both easy and light. John the Apostle says that to keep the commandments is not burdensome. (1 John 5:3). Paul writes of the weight of glory that awaits us after some light suffering.  (Romans 8: 18;  2 Corinthians 4: 17).

"Learn from me," pleads Christ.  Christ is the Teacher and the Lesson.  Learn to be with me.  Learn to be like me.

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Happy Feast Day O Virgin of Guadalupe!

“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus."  (Luke 1: 30 - 31).

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas. Some might even object:  You honor Mary too much!  How will Mary's children respond? Not enough! I am with this group.

To honor Mary is to honor Jesus, the Son of Mary.

“Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God, above all the women on earth; and blessed be the Lord God, the creator of heaven.
Your deed of hope will never be forgotten by those who recall the might of God."  (Judith 13: 18 - 19 NABRE)

"Sing and rejoice, daughter Zion! Now, I am coming to dwell in your midst — oracle of the Lord.  Many nations will bind themselves to the Lord on that day.   They  will be my people,  and I will dwell in your midst. Then you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you."  (Zechariah 2: 14 - 15 NABRE).

God spoke.  Mary believed.  Filled with the Holy Spirit, she predicted "All generations shall call me blessed." (Cf Luke 1: 48). True or false?

Happy Feast Day, Our Lady of Guadalupe! 

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Is your faith strong enough to be seen?

"When he saw their faith, he said, “As for you, your sins are forgiven.” ( Luke 5: 20).

What did Jesus see as their faith? Although Jesus could see the heart and mind of every person and know what is in it, here let us say that Jesus saw the physical effort the paralyzed man and his friends made to get to Jesus.  That is faith in action.

Jesus is our full security for health, family peace, money, job and all our needs.

What is paralyzing you today?  Health, family problems, money, job, tools, food or your future?  The paralyzed man had faith partners to lift him to the presence of Jesus.

We all need prayer and faith partners to lift us up at the moment of our greatest need. One of the great teachings of the Church is of immense consolation to many Christians:  the Communion of the Saints.  Our prayer partners include the saints here on earth and those already in Heaven.  I have probably over 30 such saints in Heaven whom I invoke every day to lift me up to God in my needs. Some people ask:  why don't you ask God directly instead of going through a saint? The answer is simple. Of course you can ask God directly.  But when you are in a desperate situation, you ask your pastor, prayer warriors, family and friends to help you urgently.  Some of these people you ask will not remember to pray for you.  But the saints in Heaven will never forget.  The greatest reason for invoking the saints in Heaven is because the practice is in the Bible and it is sealed by the official Teaching of the Church.

All you holy men and women in Heaven, pray for us in our struggles to get to where you are. Amen.

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John the Baptist is not one of the greatest but the GREATEST!

“Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths."  (Mark 1: 2 - 3).

Who is this messenger?  John the Baptist.  What do we know about John?  John was the son of promise of aged parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth. His father was a priest from the clan of Levi. This means that John was assured by birth the privileges of the upper middle class of the Jewish community. But John had a vocation announced by two Old Testament prophets, Isaiah 40: 1 - 5 and Malachi 3: 1.  So John is a serious and important person in salvation history.

How did John handle his mission?
John made the wilderness his home and "wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey." (Mark 1: 6).
You might wonder: Why this extreme austerity? This is to have the radical detachment and independence necessary for his mission.

Jesus praised John as not one of the greatest but the greatest!  (Matthew 11: 11;  Luke 7: 28).

John the Baptizer has done his work and is gone.  But the work of announcing the good news and glad tidings continue to this day. 
Jesus is Calling.

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We have One Teacher: Christ the Lord!

"No longer will your Teacher  hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher, and your ears shall hear a word behind you: “This is the way; walk in it,” when you would turn to the right or the left."  (Isaiah 30: 20 - 21).

A teacher in Israel is synonymous with a prophet. "Where there is no vision, the people perish."  (Proverbs 29: 18).  Israel has known many days without teachers and prophets.  "For many days Israel was without a teaching priest" (2 Chronicles 15: 3).  The nation was able to compare the Before and the After experience.

In our key Scripture for today (Isaiah 30: 20 - 21), God is promising a permanent Teacher, who will always be there.   "He is the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you."  (John 14: 17).

Today we live in a world in an existential crisis of truth.  In the Body of Christ, people ask  "Where is the truth? What is the truth?"  From the media and social media, and government media, we see  more often than in the past mutual accusations of falsehood and lies.
Who do we believe?

The Bible warns that the time will come when "They will accumulate teachers after their own lusts" (2 Timothy 4: 3).  These contending voices want to be teachers of the law, but are ignorant (1 Timothy 1:7).  The Bible warns:  "Not many of you should be teachers" (James 3: 1)

"Do not be called Rabbi, for you have one teacher, for the Christ is your only Teacher." (Matthew 23: 10). We have one Teacher, Jesus the Christ who teaches us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Amen!

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The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception - A Holyday of Obligation.

"I rejoice heartily in the Lord,
in my God is the joy of my soul;
for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation, and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bride adorned with her jewels. (Isaiah 61: 10, Entrance Antiphon on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception).

The Church worldwide celebrates today the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, a Holiday of Obligation.
The Church applies Isaiah 61: 10 to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was the gracious will of God to prepare a worthy dwelling for His Son Jesus. By God's prevenient grace, Mary was untouched by any stain of sin when she was conceived by her parents. She was preserved from the curse of Original Sin. This was accomplished by virtue of the vicarious death of Jesus the Christ which was foreseen by the Eternal Father.

The Immaculate Conception is the patronal feast of the United States of America.  Today therefore:  No fasting or Advent penances .  Let us rejoice and be glad as we celebrate one of the great mysteries of our salvation.

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Make Prayer a Special Gift for yourself this Advent.

"Seek the Lord while he may be found;  call him while he is near."  (Isaiah 55:  6).

The Gospel acclamation today, Thursday in the First Week of Advent is direct in its message.  Advent is a season of anticipation, expectation and waiting.  When you expect something,  as you grow in wisdom, you learn to wait for it.  When I was an inexperienced air traveler. I arrived at the airport at the stated time expecting the flight to leave exactly at the stated departure time.  Needless to say, it doesn't happen always.  I would be frustrated.  When I became more experienced, I planned to wait.  I bring along some work or books.  The Gospel intimates us that there will be delays in the Second Coming of Jesus.  It will come without warning like a thief in the night or spring open like a trap.

Lent and Advent are two Seasons  most favorable for divine favors:
"Seek the Lord while he may be found; call him while he is near."  (Isaiah 55:  6).  It is like handing you a cheat sheet for an exam.  Use it, you pass.

How do we prepare for Advent?
#1.  Prayer:  If you don't do the Liturgy of the Hours already, this is a good time to start. The Liturgy of the Hours is found in LAUDATE and is also available in other apps in all platforms. Prayer is a vital necessity.  When you pray with the Church using the Liturgy of the hours (about 10 minutes), you participate in a prayer used by millions all over the world.  You are comforted to know that this Prayer goes to the very beginning of the Church.  Jesus most probably prayed the Liturgy of the Hours.  All the clergy and all religious are bound to this prayer by Church.  Today many lay men and women pray it.

"Prepare our hearts, we pray, O Lord our God, by your divine power,
so that at the coming of Christ Your Son we may be found worthy of the banquet of eternal life and merit to receive heavenly nourishment from his hands.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever."  (Collect   Wednesday, 1st Week of Advent).

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Yes, Father, such has been Your gracious will.

"Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will."  (Luke 10: 21 RM).

I cannot read the above word of God without rejoicing in how it was fulfilled in the life of St Therèse of the Child Jesus, also called the Little Flower.  I just finished a reread of her autobiography.  St Therèse entered the Carmelite Convent at the age of 15, when most girls today have not graduated from high school. She died at the tender age of 24 when most people have not finished college. Her autobiography, THE STORY OF A SOUL was the only work she produced.  That was enough to make her one of the 35 Doctors of the Church in the 2017 years of Church History. Amazing, you might say.  But truly the most wise and powerful Divine Providence at work in human history.

"Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will."  (Luke 10: 21 RM).

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Lord Jesus, no need to come to my house. You can heal my servant right here, right now.

Lord, heal my servant, right here, right now.  The Roman Centurion pleaded with Jesus.

“Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith."  (Matthew 8: 10 NABRE)

Why does Jesus praise so lavishly the faith of the Centurion?  Faith is a rare commodity and one of the greatest gifts of God.  The opposite of faith is Unbelief and Doubt.

How does faith work?  Jesus said to the Centurion:  “I will come and cure him.” The Centurion heard this and believed.  The faith of the Centurion is much deeper.  He said to Jesus: No need to come to my house.  Just heal my servant with a word from here.  Right here, right now.

I had been a Christian for many years before I understood what faith means.  I remember that the first time I came to realize that faith means believing or trusting in what God says to us, I was surprised.  It sounded so simple.  My immediate reaction to this definition of faith was:  “Would anybody doubt what God says?”  In fact, this is what we do most of the time.  

What gave the Centurion such an elevated faith?  He applied  his experiences as a senior Roman officer to understand how God's power works.

Faith comes from hearing and believing the promises of God.  As you exercise your faith every day, it grows.

Happy Advent!

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Watch and Pray.

"Jesus said to His Disciples: "Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come."  (Mark 13: 33).

Today is the First Sunday of Advent. The above Scripture is the core message of the Advent Season.

How do we watch? How do we keep alert?

#1. By spending time in prayer.  Prayer is not just a vital necessity, it is the cause and source of grace and mercy.
#2. By spending time in the word of God.  Sacred Scripture is the Manual written by God for a purposeful and successful living.
#3.  By worshiping God in a Christian Community and Assembly on Sunday.

"God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."  (1 Corinthians 1: 9).

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Don't allow the day to catch you by surprise. Be prepared.

 “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise  like a trap."  (Luke 21: 34).

We are in the season of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year! It is one big celebration.  Yet the Church gives us the above Scripture always at this time.  Why?
Today is the last day of the Church Year.  The Church starts a New Year on Sunday with the Beginning of Advent.

Advent is the Season we wait for the Coming of the Lord.  Two Comings of Jesus are always in our mind.  The first Coming of Jesus as a poor child born in a Manger in Bethlehem.  The second Coming is His Coming in majesty at the end of the ages to judge the world.  Just as it is impossible to be unaware of a brilliant sunrise ☀, so will it be impossible to mistake the Second Coming of Jesus.  His Second Coming will be thousands of times more dazzling than the most brilliant sunrise 🌅 you have ever experienced.

This season of joy and festivities cause anxiety to some people.  Instead of trusting God and enjoying the present moment, they are filled with anxieties about the future. Some others see the season as a time of indulgence in sinful and carnal pleasures. Scripture warns that the Second Coming of Jesus the Christ will catch them unprepared as a trap catches a prey.

"Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”  (Luke 21:  36).

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First Friday in December 2017.

December 1st, 2017 First Friday in December.

Jesus promised 12 special favors to all those who will honor His Sacred Heart especially on the First Friday of every month.  In the 12th month of the year, we look at Promise #12.

#12. "The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour."

"I was dead but now I am alive for ever."  (Revelation 1: 18).
Many years ago, I was in a hospital ready for death. They called a priest, whom I chose and he came promptly for the Last Rites. He heard my confession and administered the Viaticum.  I was peaceful as he bid me goodbye and left the room for his work.  I recovered after a short time.

Now, when I read the 12th Promise, I remember this incident and thanked Jesus for His faithfulness. Jesus knew that I would not die then, but He wanted to impress upon that He is truly the Faithful Witness.

Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Friday, December 1st.

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For the 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, click the link below:

http://sfjweb.com/?q=content/sacred-heart-12-promises

Jesus Christ is in His word. That is why it will never pass away.

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."  (Luke 21: 33).

This is an amazing promise for the word of God. Everlasting stability and infinite staying power.  One of the attributes of God I love is His staunch faithfulness. Always faithful to His word, His promises and all His decrees.  Semper Fidelis!

But what is this word of God that will never pass away? Let us learn from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

"The Word of God, which is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, is set forth and displays its power in a most wonderful way in the writings of the New Testament" which hand on the ultimate truth of God's Revelation. Their central object is Jesus Christ, God's incarnate Son: his acts, teachings, Passion and glorification, and his Church's beginnings under the Spirit's guidance."  (CCC #124).

The word of God is ultimately and finally Jesus Christ Himself. He is the Truth, the Way and the Life. Jesus Christ is in His word. This is why it will never pass away.

Praise, honor and glory be to You, LORD Jesus Christ, Word of God, Son of the Eternal Father. Amen!

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Is Jesus calling you as He called Peter and Andrew?

"As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.  He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  At once they left their nets and followed him."  (Matthew 4:  18 - 20).

Today is the Feast of St Andrew the Apostle.  Jesus caught Andrew and his brother Peter as they were catching fish and promoted them beyond their dreams to be fishers of men.

"And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,  to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ."  (Ephesians 4: 11 - 12).

Is Jesus calling you to use your talent, training and experience to build up His Body?  There is no unemployment in the Vineyard of the Lord.  Jesus is hiring all the time.

“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring [the] good news!”  (Romans 10:  15).  Those beautiful feet may be yours.

“Their voice has gone forth to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”  (Romans 10: 18).
The Apostles and their disciples did their part.  The Lord Jesus is still saying:
"Why do you stand here idle all day?"  (Matthew 20: 6).

"They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard."  (Matthew 20: 7).

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Henry the 8th executed Saints John Fisher and Thomas More. The rest of the English Bishops ran for their lives.

"They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name.  It will lead to your giving testimony.....By your perseverance you will secure your lives." (Luke 21: 12 - 13,  19)

Persecution, small, big and unto death comes with the territory of being Christian. In 1534, St Thomas More opposed King Henry the 8th over his self declaration as head of the Church in England.  All the English hierarchy, that is all the Bishops of England out of fear of death succumbed to the threat of Henry the 8th except for Bishop St John Fisher and St Thomas More who was the Lord Chancellor of England.  Both were executed. Both were canonized as saints.  This is what Jesus is saying in today's Daily Bible Verse. Persecution can come suddenly.  As in the case of England in the 1530s, how the mighty may fall.

"By your perseverance you will secure your lives."  (Luke 21: 19).

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Daniel foretold the future of the Church.

"But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth."  (Daniel 2: 35).

Daniel interpreted to King Nebuchadnezzar the course of future events which was revealed to the king in a dream.  Throughout the Old Testament, God's plan for the Church was revealed in stages using different communications techniques.  King Nebuchadnezzar had a mysterious vision of various political powers vying for supremacy. One power displacing the other and occupying center stage for a brief moment until a mysterious stone fell out of heaven and shattered the myth of earthly powers. This stone is the Church. No historian will deny the enduring power of the Church.

"In the lifetime of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people; rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever." (Daniel 2: 44).

Christians rejoice in this truth:  The Church of God shall endure forever and ever.

"The great God has revealed to the king what shall be in the future; this is exactly what you dreamed, and its meaning is sure.”  (Daniel 2: 45).

"Remain faithful till death, and I will give you the crown of life."  (Revelation 2: 10).

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This poor widow gave everything she had because she trusted God to remain faithful.

"When he[Jesus] looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury  and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins."  She offered all that she had. (Luke 21: 1 - 2, 4).

Today we consider the story of the poor widow and her offertory contribution.  Have you noticed that God has a preferential option for widows?  What does Sacred Scriptures teach us about how God regards widows?

"For the Lord, your God, is the God of gods, the Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who has no favorites, accepts no bribes,  who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and loves the resident alien, giving them food and clothing." (Deuteronomy 10: 17 - 18).

"You shall not wrong any widow or orphan.  If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely listen to their cry." (Exodus 22: 21 - 22).

"The Lord protects the resident alien, comes to the aid of the orphan and the widow, but thwarts the way of the wicked."  (Psalm 146: 9)

"The Levite who has no hereditary portion with you, and also the resident alien, the orphan and the widow within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied; so that the Lord, your God, may bless you in all that you undertake."  (Deuteronomy 14: 29).

We have seen how the Lord cares so tenderly for the widow. Is it surprising to see that the poor widow in today's Gospel is aware of this from her life experiences and shows her gratitude and trust in a God who has provided all her necessities since her husband died.

"Fear is useless; what is needed is trust."  (Mark 5: 36; Luke 8: 50).

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