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Wednesday, May 4, 2016

What Is Mine

"If we wish to make any progress in the service of God we must begin every day of our life with new eagerness. We must keep ourselves in the presence

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"If we wish to make any progress in the service of God we must begin every day of our life with new eagerness. We must keep ourselves in the presence of God as much as possible and have no other view or end in all our actions but the divine honor."

— St. Charles Borromeo

MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"My Jesus, it is truly easy to become holy; it just takes a little good will! And if He finds this minimum of good will in a soul, He quickly gives Himself to her. And nothing can stop Him, neither our faults nor our falls, absolutely nothing. Jesus hurries to help that soul; and if the soul is faithful to this grace from God, she can in a short time reach the highest levels of holiness that a created being can attain here below. God is very generous and does not refuse His grace to anyone. He gives even more than we ask for. The shortest road is faithfulness to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit."
— St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, p.142
AN EXCERPT FROM
Diary, p.142

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SaintofDay1

click to go there

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Blessed Michael Giedroyc

(d. 1485)

A life of physical pain and mental torment didn't prevent Michael Giedroyc from achieving holiness.

Born near Vilnius, Lithuania, Michael suffered from physical and permanent handicaps from birth. He was a dwarf who had the use of only one foot. Because of his delicate physical condition, his formal education was frequently interrupted. But over time, Michael showed special skills at metalwork. Working with bronze and silver, he created sacred vessels, including chalices.

He traveled to Kraków, Poland, where he joined the Augustinians. He received permission to live the life of a hermit in a cell adjoining the monastery. There Michael spent his days in prayer, fasted and abstained from all meat and lived to an old age. Though he knew the meaning of suffering throughout his years, his rich spiritual life brought him consolation. Michael's long life ended in 1485 in Kraków.

Five hundred years later, Pope John Paul II visited the city and spoke to the faculty of the Pontifical Academy of Theology. The 15th century in Kraków, the pope said, was "the century of saints." Among those he cited was Blessed Michael Giedroyc.

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Sacred Space
Daily Prayer - 2016-05-04

Presence

As I begin this prayer, God is here.
Around me, in my sensations, in my thoughts and deep within me.
I pause for a moment, and become aware
of God's life-giving presence.

Freedom

Lord, grant me the grace to be free from the excesses of this life.
Let me not get caught up with the desire for wealth.
Keep my heart and mind free to love and serve you.

Consciousness

Help me Lord to be more conscious of your presence.
Teach me to recognise your presence in others.
Fill my heart with gratitude for the times Your love has been shown to me through the care of others.

The Word of God

Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter

Reading 1 Acts 17:15, 22—18:1

After Paul's escorts had taken him to Athens,
they came away with instructions for Silas and Timothy
to join him as soon as possible.

Then Paul stood up at the Areopagus and said:
"You Athenians, I see that in every respect
you are very religious.
For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines,
I even discovered an altar inscribed, 'To an Unknown God.'
What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.
The God who made the world and all that is in it,
the Lord of heaven and earth,
does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands,
nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything.
Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything.
He made from one the whole human race
to dwell on the entire surface of the earth,
and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions,
so that people might seek God,
even perhaps grope for him and find him,
though indeed he is not far from any one of us.
For 'In him we live and move and have our being,'
as even some of your poets have said,
'For we too are his offspring.'
Since therefore we are the offspring of God,
we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image
fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination.
God has overlooked the times of ignorance,
but now he demands that all people everywhere repent
because he has established a day on which he will 'judge the world
with justice' through a man he has appointed,
and he has provided confirmation for all
by raising him from the dead."

When they heard about resurrection of the dead,
some began to scoff, but others said,
"We should like to hear you on this some other time."
And so Paul left them.
But some did join him, and became believers.
Among them were Dionysius,
a member of the Court of the Areopagus,
a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

After this he left Athens and went to Corinth.

Responsorial Psalm PS 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights.
Praise him, all you his angels;
praise him, all you his hosts.

R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,
the princes and all the judges of the earth,
Young men too, and maidens,
old men and boys.

R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
His majesty is above earth and heaven.

R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has lifted up the horn of his people;
Be this his praise from all his faithful ones,
from the children of Israel, the people close to him.
Alleluia.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia Jn 14:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I will ask the Father
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you always.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 16:12-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you."


Some thoughts on today's scripture

The mystery of the Trinity is difficult to put into words. One important word in considering the Trinity is 'sharing'. The three persons live in the love of sharing their truth and sharing all they are. Prayer introduces us to the mystery of God, the mystery of truth and the mystery of gift. All of God is gift; prayer is our time of allowing the gift of Father, Son and Spirit reach deeply into our lives.
In the words of a well-known prayer to the Holy Trinity, we pray: "O Everlasting and Triune God, I consecrate myself wholly to you today. Let all my days offer you ceaseless praise, my hands move to the rhythm of your impulses, my feet be swift in your service, my voice sing constantly of you, my lips proclaim your message, my eyes perceive you everywhere, and my ears be attuned to your inspirations. May my intellect be filled with your wisdom, my will be moved by your beauty, my heart be enraptured with your love, and my soul be flooded with your grace. Grant that every action of mine be done for your greater glory and the advancement of my salvation. Amen."

Conversation

Sometimes I wonder what I might say if I were to meet you in person Lord.
I think I might say "Thank You Lord" for always being there for me.
I know with certainty there were times when you carried me, Lord.
When it was through your strength I got through the dark times in my life.

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.

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wauorg

wau.org

Catholic Meditations

Meditation: Acts 17:15, 22–18:1

6th Week of Easter

What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you. (Acts 17:23)

In the opening paragraph of his encyclical Faith and Reason, Pope John Paul II wrote: "Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth—in a word, to know himself." Today's first reading depicts the Athenians as a people who earnestly desired to rise to that contemplation of truth, and it tells us how Paul offered them the good news as a way to strengthen their "faith wing."

In the time of Paul, the city of Athens was full of temples and shrines to various deities. Using human reason, the Greeks came to the correct, but incomplete, conclusion that there was a vast spiritual realm that we can't fully see or comprehend. Their society was built on the idea that a people would thrive so long as they kept the gods happy and be punished if they did not. So a sense of fear became a built-in part of their spirituality. They were so anxious about keeping every single god happy that they erected a shrine—probably several, according to archaeologists—to an "Unknown God," in case they had left anyone out (Acts 17:23).

Notice how gracious Paul is—and how smart. Instead of accusing the Greeks of idolatry, he commends their search for the truth. Then he uses their concept of an unknown god to introduce a new idea: this god has made himself known—and he is the one true God! Not only that, but he has stepped out of the shadows to walk with us.

Recalling this story highlights the miracle of the Incarnation, the miracle of God making himself known to us in a personal way. God saw our longing for the truth, so he sent Jesus to come be with us and to show us the truth. He is no longer unknown. In everything he said and did, especially in his cross and resurrection, Jesus revealed the invisible, all-powerful God. And wonder of wonders, he showed us that God is our Father, our Redeemer, and our Friend!

"Thank you, Jesus, for showing me the face of God. Help me know how close you are today."

Psalm 148:1-2, 11-14
John 16:12-15

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audio2cents

my2cents:
At one point we heard the Word of the Lord today "...he has provided confirmation for all by raising him from the dead." When they heard about resurrection of the dead, some began to scoff, but others said, "We should like to hear you on this some other time."

Yesterday my cousin died. Somehow a truck he was around caught on fire and he suffered a massive heart attack, I believe in the ambulance and was not revived. Since those moments, I have suffered an inner anguish. I am baffled at the unexplained and all I can imagine is one day my cousin Joe "Pachalo", him explaining what happened like he did several times in the various near death experiences he'd had before. He's only a few years older. I am not well, I ask for your prayers, and his mother went to the hospital in her torments as well. I have to believe in the resurrection of the dead, it is the only hope and it is our belief. But when the world hears the Word, many turn away "talk to you later" they say, but a few catch on, and remain...with the Word.
We prayed today "Heaven and earth are full of your glory." And we must understand the glory of God to appreciate it. I keep having to pray to be in tune, because how can I give or explain what I do not have? Do I have the guts to do what seems impossible? The Glory is like that, full of faith. The Glory is the shining in the dark. The Glory is made real in the crucifixion. Who can give glory? Who can sacrifice themselves for God? It takes much work and it all begins with your will.
Our Lord speaks to us today ""I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it right now". If not now then when? It will take an eternity with Him to realize all the unknowns of our unknown God that reveals Himself. How well do you know one another? Even best friends don't truly know each other. I will not confess to my earthly best friend, but to Our Father? Yes, and this is a leap of faith beyond comprehension. And so the Lord sends His Holy Spirit "and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me". Again with the glorifying! It is an exaltation, a raising up, to set high and to worship. What the Lord has said has been done and will come to be. I'm hanging on by a thread of life, but if that thread is with God, that thread can stand the weight of the world, for nothing is impossible to Him that created out of nothing, our everything. Let us glorify Him. It takes guts, but this calling is for everyone. For if evil is in the world, all the more is the glory of God made available, for by no other means can one avail such a powerful light than having to pierce through so much darkness. If you don't understand, then get up in the middle of the night in complete darkness, feel your way around, and tell me if you are not looking for the light!

GLORY BE to the Father
GLORY BE to the SON
GLORY BE TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

adailypic

adrian
pray for my cousin's soul and his poor family...
please and thank you

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