 | Clare's Charism Clare offers two extraordinarily important lessons. The first is obvious. It is the recognition of how important women—and this woman in particular—are to the Franciscan story. The second is more subtle. It is the lesson that Clare's importance stems from the fact that she was the recipient of a powerful charism of her own—a gift bestowed by the Spirit of the Lord and given to her in a fullness and forcefulness that was hers alone. That charism, matched with the equally full and forceful charism of Francis, created something akin to nuclear fission. It unleashed a mighty power of example and of hope for people who wanted to live the authentic Christian message. Too often we suppose that our study and imitation of these great saints is a sure path to our own beatitude. Her story shows us that what matters is not the effort to "draw down" from the spiritual wealth of others whom we admire as though only a supplicant's sharing of another's gift can make us good. What she shows us is that we need only have the courage to unlock what is within us, to spend our days powered by the graced anointing that we already possess. — from the book Light of Assisi: The Story of Saint Clare by Margaret Carney, OSF |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"I will simply counsel every man and woman to beware of even the very least speck of [pride], which seems to me to be the mere delight and liking of ourselves for anything whatsoever that either is in us or outwardly belongs to us."
— St. Thomas More † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"For it was while Eve was yet a virgin that the ensnaring word had crept into her ear which was to build the edifice of death. Into a virgin's soul, in like manner, must be introduced that Word of God which was to raise the fabric of life; so that what had been reduced to ruin by this sex might by the selfsame sex be recovered to salvation. As Eve believed the serpent, so Mary believed the angel. The delinquency which the one occasioned by believing, the other effaced by believing."
— Tertullian, p.44
AN EXCERPT FROM
Hail, Holy Queen † VERSE OF THE DAY
"The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and for evermore."
Psalm 121:5-8 |  click to read more | | ST. TERESA OF THE ANDES St. Teresa of Jesus (1900 - 1920), also known as St. Teresa of the Andes, was born in Chile to an upper class family. She was a pious child with a profound spirituality and a deep devotion to Jesus and Mary. Yet she was also stubborn and self-centered, defects which she diligently set herself to overcome in preparation for her First Holy Communion at the age of 10. Inspired by reading the autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, and confirmed by prayer, at the age of 14 she decided to become a Carmelite nun. Five years later her desire was realized. In May of 1919, at the age of 19, she entered the Carmelite monastery of Los Andes where she lived a life of prayer and sacrifice. She also took to writing letters through which she shared her remarkable spiritual life with the outside world. It was revealed to her in prayer that she would die young, which she accepted with happiness and confidence. A few months after her entry she contracted typhoid fever, from which she died in April of 1920 during Holy Week. Before her death she was permitted to profess her vows. She was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 1993, the first Chilean and the first Discalced Carmelite nun outside of Europe to be declared a saint. Her feast day is April 12. | Monday of the Second Week of Easter Lectionary: 267
Reading I Acts 4:23-31 After their release Peter and John went back to their own people
and reported what the chief priests and elders had told them.
And when they heard it,
they raised their voices to God with one accord
and said, "Sovereign Lord, maker of heaven and earth
and the sea and all that is in them,
you said by the Holy Spirit
through the mouth of our father David, your servant: Why did the Gentiles rage and the peoples entertain folly? The kings of the earth took their stand and the princes gathered together against the Lord and against his anointed. Indeed they gathered in this city
against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed,
Herod and Pontius Pilate,
together with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
to do what your hand and your will
had long ago planned to take place.
And now, Lord, take note of their threats,
and enable your servants to speak your word
with all boldness, as you stretch forth your hand to heal,
and signs and wonders are done
through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook,
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. Responsorial Psalm 2:1-3, 4-7a, 7b-9 R. (see 11d) Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Why do the nations rage and the peoples utter folly?
The kings of the earth rise up, and the princes conspire together against the LORD and against his anointed:
"Let us break their fetters and cast their bonds from us!"
R. Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He who is throned in heaven laughs; the LORD derides them.
Then in anger he speaks to them; he terrifies them in his wrath:
"I myself have set up my king on Zion, my holy mountain."
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD.
R. Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD said to me, "You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
Ask of me and I will give you the nations for an inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession.
You shall rule them with an iron rod; you shall shatter them like an earthen dish."
R. Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Col 3:1 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If then you were raised with Christ,
seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 3:1-8 There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
He came to Jesus at night and said to him,
"Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God,
for no one can do these signs that you are doing
unless God is with him."
Jesus answered and said to him,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God."
Nicodemus said to him,
"How can a man once grown old be born again?
Surely he cannot reenter his mother's womb and be born again, can he?"
Jesus answered,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and Spirit
he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
What is born of flesh is flesh
and what is born of spirit is spirit.
Do not be amazed that I told you,
'You must be born from above.'
The wind blows where it wills,
and you can hear the sound it makes,
but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes;
so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." | Daily Meditation: Acts 4:23-31 Enable your servants to speak your word with all boldness, as you stretch forth your hand to heal. (Acts 4:29-30) What comes to mind when you read healing stories in the Bible? Maybe you think of a saint whose prayers were miraculously answered. Or maybe you recall the site of a Marian apparition like Lourdes, where miraculous healings have taken place. But what about today, and what about us? Can we expect God to use "everyday" Catholics like us to heal people? The short answer is yes—because we have the Holy Spirit living in us. In today's first reading, we learn that the apostles, "as they prayed, . . . were all filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 4:31). It wasn't the apostles, in and of themselves, who healed people, but the Holy Spirit working through them. It was God who would "stretch forth [his] hand to heal" (4:30). They believed in the Spirit's power and then acted in that faith, and God did the rest. Plenty of modern-day people have believed in the Spirit's power and have seen their prayers for physical healing answered. Think of Blessed Solanus Casey, who was just the porter of a monastery. Or St. André Bessette, the doorman as well as the "miracle man" of Montreal. God delighted to work through them, and he can work through you too. That's the key: expectant faith. When we believe that God can heal through our prayers, we are giving him the chance to work through us. Sometimes physical healings do occur when we pray with someone. But even when they don't, we can trust that our prayers make a difference. Perhaps the person we pray with will experience a sense of peace or an assurance that God is with them. Or they may receive a deeper understanding of God's love or a greater confidence that God is at work and will take care of them. So does your neighbor have chronic back pain? Go ahead and pray this simple prayer with her: "Lord Jesus, please heal this person, and take away the pain." If your child has a fever, place your hand on his forehead and pray for the fever to leave in Jesus' name. As you do, believe that God hears and responds to your prayers. "Lord, give me boldness to step out in faith and pray with those around me." Psalm 2:1-4, 7-9
John 3:1-8 |  clickable | Love is proved by what we do when things get tough.
— Jeanette Flood
from her book Eight Ways of Loving God | Podcast will air around noon after this morning's reflection. I have to help at a funeral right now. | my2cents:
"And now, Lord, take note of their threats,
and enable your servants to speak your word
with all boldness, as you stretch forth your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are done through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
And the earth shook after this prayer. Can we pray like that? Can we make the earth shake with our prayers? Yes and no. Yes you can pray like that, but for the earth to shake is God's response. It was something that enabled them and ennobled them to a greater power of evangelistic life, that is one granted a gift to give witness with their lives. | We pray: "The LORD said to me, "You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
Ask of me and I will give you the nations for an inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession.
You shall rule them with an iron rod; you shall shatter them like an earthen dish."
Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord."
Who receives an inheritance if asked for? And what is the inheritance being asked for? For our Lord, it was the inheritance of all the Kingdoms of the world, namely, God's Kingdom. For us? Being incorporated to Him in Baptism makes us into the body of Christ Himself. Therefore, scripture shall be fulfilled in us all. | Our Lord said today: ""Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born of water and Spirit
he cannot enter the Kingdom of God."
He said what is flesh is flesh. What is Spirit is Spirit. The definition of a Sacrament is an outward sign of an inward reality. It is a covenant bond, as we are sacramentalized into His body, that is Spirit, the Holy Spirit, and dare we say, into God Himself. Now do you believe in ground breaking and ground shaking possibilities? Because I believe we live in a negative world. So pessimistic. So dark. So how can we be the positive influence God wants us to be? | We must be born again. "Do not be amazed that I told you,
'You must be born from above.' In this Gospel, our Lord tells us about water and spirit. We are baptized in water in Baptism, and we are baptized in fire in Confirmation. Saint John the Baptist baptized with water, and Jesus would baptize in Fire. And this means flesh into light. We are those lights in the dark. We are born from above. We show the world that love exists. And not just any love, but Truth, true Love, True God. Do you want to be born again? We can say that dying is being born. I have a loved one that said this weekend "pray for me, I'm having a hard time dealing with the death of our loved one". That loved one is my brother in law. I said "snap out of it. Stop living in the death. Have faith in God!" You see, I think some love to feel hurt and pain and woe and sorrow. Some choose to live in this bitterness. I myself find it hard to deal with yes. I myself feel bombarded at times with sadness. Most of my sadness though, is for the whole world! It's like, something takes over me, especially at nightfall, before bed, I get overwhelmed with sadness for the whole world! Not just my brother in law. What do I do? I surrender. I surrender it all to the Lord. I'm not in control. God is. I can't change a soul. I can't save the world. But God can. And if He is in us, we can help make that happen. If I've received the Holy Spirit, I can pray for a change. Yesterday on Divine Mercy Sunday, I prayed for certain countries, for mercy. Because God deserves mercy. He deserves mercy in the undeserved. What does this mean? Hope. Lord, I desire mercy. I desire mercy myself. But I desire mercy for others. I desire their eternal reward to be one of a blessing to God in the Highest. The world will never see an end to evil, but the world can see the greatness of God's True Heart....Jesus, You Jesus, I want to See You ALIVE!! | from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian | Random online bible verse from a random verse generator: AMEN! 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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