LIVE IT TODAY: Thursday, December 11, 2025 | Advent Weekday
You are stronger in My Spirit than the pressures that oppose you.
LIVE IT TODAY: Thursday, December 11, 2025 | Advent Weekday
A GREAT WAY TO BEGIN TODAY!
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GOD’S DECLARATION TO YOU TODAY
You are stronger in My Spirit than the pressures that oppose you.
INVOCATION
Come, Holy Spirit! Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, open my heart to hear and receive all that You desire for me. Draw me ever more deeply into the Love and Life of the Blessed Trinity!
GOSPEL | Matthew 11:11–15
Jesus said to the crowds:
“Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
From the days of John the Baptist until now,
the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence,
and the violent are taking it by force.
All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John.
And if you are willing to accept it,
he is Elijah, the one who is to come.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
EVERY DAY QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
Holy Boldness in a World Pressing Back
Jesus’ words today are jarring. The Kingdom “suffers violence,” and “the violent take it by force.” The Greek word for “violent” here, biastai, doesn’t mean attackers of God’s Kingdom—it refers to those who press into it with fierce resolve. It’s the holy determination of someone who has found the pearl of great price and refuses to let the world, the Enemy, or their own fear keep them from it.
John the Baptist is the icon of this boldness. His entire life was a living megaphone of repentance, humility, and truth-telling. Yet Jesus says that even the least in the Kingdom is greater than John—not because of talent, but because through Christ we share in divine sonship. We carry what John only pointed toward: the indwelling presence of God.
This matters deeply for families today. The cultural currents pressing against faith, purity, sacrificial love, and authentic discipleship are real. You feel them in your schedules, in your media intake, in your wounds, even in your anxieties about raising children in a confused world. Jesus is saying: Do not drift. Lay hold of the Kingdom with intentional, humble force.
That means pursuing holiness not as a hobby but as a home-building mission. It means refusing passive Christianity. It means taking ground in your own house—over habits, over technology, over anger, over division, over spiritual apathy. It means fighting with the weapons of the Spirit: humility, obedience, repentance, forgiveness, and worship.
The paradox of the Kingdom is this:
It is received like a child but fought for like a warrior.
Both require surrender. Both require courage.
Parents, pray over one another and your children by name. Ask the Holy Spirit to stir holy boldness, to uncover the places where the Enemy whispers resignation or fear, and to ignite in your home the fierce love that refuses to let go of Jesus. This is the “violence” of the Kingdom—the courageous, grace-fueled resolve that will not settle for anything less than life in Christ.
“God gives us the grace to persevere in faith and to bear witness even in the midst of trials.” (CCC 1811)
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
HOLY DETERMINATION
Where is Jesus inviting you to pursue Him with renewed intentionality?
SPIRITUAL RESISTANCE
What cultural or spiritual pressure is pressing hardest against your faith right now?
FAMILY MISSION
How can your home more intentionally embody the bold, humble pursuit of the Kingdom?
FAMILY LIVE IT
Make some time today to gather together and, going around, share one place where you want to grow in holy boldness—an area where you want Jesus to strengthen your resolve.
Then take a moment to pray over each person by name, asking the Holy Spirit to fill them with courage, clarity, and perseverance, and to protect their hearts from all fear and resignation.
Daily Challenge: Choose one simple act today that deliberately pushes back against spiritual passivity—pray, reconcile, or step boldly into a good you’ve been avoiding.
DAILY PARENT & GRANDPARENT BLESSING
LORD JESUS CHRIST, let Your holy anointing be upon each of our children, grandchildren, and godchildren this day and week, including all to whom they are called in vocation, and all future generations! In Your Sacred Name we claim them for You! We renounce all whispers, lies, and influences of the Enemy! We pray right now that each know Your loving Presence, be forged in virtue, and be flooded with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit to live fully their identity and mission in You now and and through all eternity, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother! Amen.
PARENT BLESSING PROJECT: bit.ly/ParentBlessing
GOING VERTICAL
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Just as the vertical beam upholds the horizontal beam of the Cross, so too does undistracted, dedicated daily turning to God as our lifeblood uphold and strengthen every part of life. Start with just three minutes. Wait patiently for the breakthrough beyond the noise. Let Him speak.
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WE WANT TO PRAY FOR YOU!
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