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Tuesday, June 3, 2014

The World Began

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Minute Meditations

Man of Action

Though I should speak with the tongue of men and of angels, and have not charity, nor show to my neighbor an example of virtue, I should be of little service to him, and none to myself. --St. Francis of Assisi
— from Saint Francis, Pope Francis



Presence

I pause for a moment and think of the love and the grace that God showers on me, creating me in his image and likeness, making me his temple....

Freedom

Your death on the cross has set me free.
I can live joyously and freely
without fear of death.
Your mercy knows no bounds.

Consciousness

In the presence of my loving Creator, I look honestly at my feelings over the last day, the highs, the lows and the level ground. Can I see where the Lord has been present?

The Word of God

Reading 1 acts 20:17-27

From Miletus Paul had the presbyters
of the Church at Ephesus summoned.
When they came to him, he addressed them,
"You know how I lived among you
the whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia.
I served the Lord with all humility
and with the tears and trials that came to me
because of the plots of the Jews,
and I did not at all shrink from telling you
what was for your benefit,
or from teaching you in public or in your homes.
I earnestly bore witness for both Jews and Greeks
to repentance before God and to faith in our Lord Jesus.
But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem.
What will happen to me there I do not know,
except that in one city after another
the Holy Spirit has been warning me
that imprisonment and hardships await me.
Yet I consider life of no importance to me,
if only I may finish my course
and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus,
to bear witness to the Gospel of God's grace.

"But now I know that none of you
to whom I preached the kingdom during my travels
will ever see my face again.
And so I solemnly declare to you this day
that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you,
for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God."

Responsorial Psalm ps 68:10-11, 20-21

R. (33a) Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance;
you restored the land when it languished;
Your flock settled in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed day by day be the Lord,
who bears our burdens; God, who is our salvation.
God is a saving God for us;
the LORD, my Lord, controls the passageways of death.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel jn 17:1-11a

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said,
"Father, the hour has come.
Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you,
just as you gave him authority over all people,
so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.
Now this is eternal life,
that they should know you, the only true God,
and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
I glorified you on earth
by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.
Now glorify me, Father, with you,
with the glory that I had with you before the world began.

"I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world.
They belonged to you, and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,
because the words you gave to me I have given to them,
and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you,
and they have believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me,
because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours
and everything of yours is mine,
and I have been glorified in them.
And now I will no longer be in the world,
but they are in the world, while I am coming to you."

Conversation

What is stirring in me as I pray? Am I consoled, troubled, left cold? I imagine Jesus himself standing or sitting at my side, and share my feelings with him.

Conclusion

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.


Catholic Meditations

Meditation: Acts 20:17-27

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Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs

I am not responsible for the blood of any of you. (Acts 20:26)

Imagine being at this last meeting between St. Paul and the believers in Ephesus. He had lived and worked with them for three years, and they must have been dear to his heart. But now he had come to say good-bye. There were embraces and tears, sadness and hope. Doesn't it strike you as odd, then, that Paul would end this emotional encounter by washing his hands of responsibility for them? Doesn't it seem cold?

Maybe it would help if we looked at this story from a different angle. Given Paul's history with the Ephesians, it's not possible to imagine him just walking away. What Paul is doing here, rather, is commending them to the Lord. Looking back over his time with them, he probably saw ways he could have done better. But he didn't want these recollections to cloud his vision—or the Ephesians' vision—of God's work in their hearts. In the end, Paul was at peace with what he did and didn't do. He refused to rehearse what might have been and directed his gaze to the future instead.

What a valuable lesson for those times when we look back over our lives! We fret over how this or that situation worked out. We worry whether we did or said enough. But worrying never helps. All we can do is ask whether we were trying to say yes to God—and leave the rest to him.

Ultimately, God is the One who is in control. We can entrust our friends and families to him because we know that God cares about them. We know that he loves them and will see them through every peak and valley in their lives long after we are gone.

Is what we do important? Yes, but it isn't all up to us. God is above everything, and we can't always see what fruit will come from our words or actions. So take a lesson from St. Paul. Trust that as you are trying to be faithful to what God is asking, he will take care of the rest.

"Lord, I put my family and friends into your hands. Help me to be faithful to you and trust you to take care of them."

 

Psalm 68:10-11, 20-21; John 17:1-11


my2cents:
It is a marvelous beauty the Word of God and in deed and flesh.  Today's spanish 5minutos ended with "...our compromise is to make of the earth the most Heaven as possible, plant seeds of Heaven, of the Kingdom of God".  Pope Francis I said Sunday to the charismatic Catholics reunited in a stadium "Let yourselves be guided by the Holy Spirit, with that same freedom. And please, do not cage the Holy Spirit!".  Supposedly the event included praise and worship music, spiritual testimonies, and a "flash mob" event.  Funny thought, as I spoke to the confirmed candidates at the meal after Confirmation the same Sunday, as they ate I said to each one "get ready for the flash mob song we will do for the Bishop".  At the hour I wanted them to stand up surprising all with a song "Our God Is Greater".  I say it is interesting because I didn't know that across the world they were also doing a flash mob of song and praise for the Bishop of Rome, the Pope.  I am never ceasing to be amazed by the Holy Spirit.  Today, we heard of St. Paul telling His loved ones he may be going away...forever.  Jesus also says He is going away.  But Saint Paul's prayer was for his loved ones was to remain strong.  Jesus too prayed for His people.  Is it the Holy Spirit?  I read from the Gospel of Mark 13:13 "You will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved."  Interesting.  He tells you exactly who will be saved.  Not all those that just claim they are "saved" or say "Lord, Lord", but those that will actually be saved.  It calls upon blood, and it calls upon glory...for Greater Glory.  Later in the Gospel of Mark we read about the final coming of our Lord " And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds' with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angels and gather elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky."  His elect.  His chosen ones.  Now remember, we did not choose to read about Him right now, He chose us to read about Him right now.  He is showing you the Way.  He is bringing us closer to an eternity.  Later in the Gospel, Jesus our Lord and Savior says "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."  Not the smallest letter will be taken away.  I ask you today, are you disposed, open to the Holy Spirit?  Before the world began, there was Jesus.  After Jesus touched the earth, there is Jesus.  After the earth passes away, there is Jesus.  For out of this world is the now.  Now is what matters.  Not Of World.  NOW.  Do things now for our Lord.  Give Glory Now.  Do not put it off for Sunday, or Wednesday, or next month or next year.  Excuses smell bad.  Point the finger and the rest point back.  Yesterday I heard from several people "so and so made me do it".  Yeah, they may have had something to do with it, but you did it.  Nobody forced you to do anything, especially not something wrong.  We are responsible for ourselves and those around us.  And I'm not speaking of the temporary, but what is NOW

adrian
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