 | All the World Is Gift When we exist in a world of gift, in which we ourselves are given, then our own labors must be gifts to those around us. To refuse that possibility is to refuse the thanksgiving to which we are properly called. Or, to put it another way, if we are not willing to see our lives and the creation as gifts, then we are not able to properly acknowledge our debts. Being so free, we then feel as though it is in our right to say that others owe us. Thus we can easily sell our labors, without any sense of obligation that perhaps we really owe them. That some should give their labors freely is then, properly, the response of those who owe what cannot be repaid—which includes us all. — from the book Wendell Berry and the Given Life by Ragan Sutterfield |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"The limitless loving devotion to God, and the gift God makes of Himself to you, are the highest elevation of which the heart is capable; it is the highest degree of prayer."
— St. Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"We are all sinners. We have all turned away from the Lord, but the Lord is always ready to take us back. When we sin we hurt ourselves, we break our own hearts. The Father sends His Holy Spirit into our hearts to bring us forgiveness and to heal whatever damage we have done to ourselves."
— Rev. Jude Winkler, p. 21
AN EXCERPT FROM
Daily Meditations with the Holy Spirit † VERSE OF THE DAY
"But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or the plants of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind."
Job 12:7-10 |  click to read more | | ST. GEORGE St. George (d. 303 A.D.) was born in Palestine to noble Christian parents. Like his father, he enlisted as a soldier in the Roman army serving under Emperor Diocletian. He was renowned for his bravery and outstanding military prowess, and was a favorite of the Emperor. Many fantastical legends are ascribed to him, however, none are known to be true with any certainty. The most famous legend is St. George and the Dragon, where St. George, after making the Sign of the Cross, saved a king's daughter from being devoured by a man-eating dragon. St. George killed the elusive dragon, and by this feat persuaded many souls to accept baptism. He also admonished the king, in gratitude for his princess being saved by Christ's power, to support the cause of the Church. What is known with certainty is that St. George, after confessing and refusing to renounce his faith in Christ, was martyred in Palestine during the Christian persecution of Diocletian. He became a highly venerated saint in antiquity, and many early churches were dedicated in his honor. St. George is the patron of many causes and countries, including soldiers, knights, chivalry, horsemen, farmers, Canada, England, and Germany, to name a few. His feast day is April 23. | Friday of the Third Week of Easter Lectionary: 277
Reading I Acts 9:1-20 Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord,
went to the high priest and asked him
for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that,
if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way,
he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.
On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus,
a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,
"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"
He said, "Who are you, sir?"
The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do."
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless,
for they heard the voice but could see no one.
Saul got up from the ground,
but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;
so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.
For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank. There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias,
and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias."
He answered, "Here I am, Lord."
The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight
and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul.
He is there praying,
and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias
come in and lay his hands on him,
that he may regain his sight."
But Ananias replied,
"Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man,
what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests
to imprison all who call upon your name."
But the Lord said to him,
"Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel,
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name."
So Ananias went and entered the house;
laying his hands on him, he said,
"Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me,
Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came,
that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes
and he regained his sight.
He got up and was baptized,
and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength. He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus,
and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues,
that he is the Son of God. Responsorial Psalm 117:1bc, 2 R. (Mark 16:15) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD, all you nations; glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us, and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 6:56 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood,
remains in me and I in him, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 6:52-59 The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
"How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my Flesh is true food,
and my Blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever."
These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. | Daily Meditation: Acts 9:1-20 This man is a chosen instrument of mine. (Acts 9:15) Ananias knew all about Saul of Tarsus, the zealous persecutor who posed a mortal danger to him and his fellow Christians. Surely God couldn't be asking Ananias to seek Saul out and pray to restore his vision! But when Ananias questioned God further, God invited him to adjust his thinking and view Saul in a new light. It was the Lord, not Ananias, who decided what Saul deserved or didn't deserve. God had identified Saul as his own chosen instrument to bear witness throughout the world, and that's what counted. Clearly God didn't see Saul the way Ananias did! Notice how Ananias took this to heart. When he found Saul, he didn't question him or bring up his past sins. He simply addressed him as "my brother" and prayed that God would restore his sight (Acts 9:17). And he didn't stop there. He also prayed for Saul to be filled with the Holy Spirit, baptized Saul, and made sure he had something to eat. In other words, he helped Paul find the strength he needed to begin the work God had obviously called him to do. Ananias clearly went beyond just giving Saul the benefit of the doubt. And although he is not mentioned again in the Bible, we all benefit from Ananias' example. After all, we can all fall into the trap of labeling people according to what we have heard about them. Only God has the full picture. Whatever we may learn about another person, one fact stands above everything else: this is someone God has created and whom he loves very much. So when you're tempted to make harsh judgments, ask God for further light, as Ananias did. Just as a better light source can transform a photograph, looking at people in the light of God's love helps us see them more fully, more truly. Ananias shows us that gaining a new perspective is just the beginning. How might God be asking you to go further and be a blessing in someone's life today? How can your generous actions make a difference in their life? "Jesus, shed the light of your love on every person I meet or that you bring to mind today." Psalm 117:1-2
John 6:52-59 |  clickable | Be not afraid. God loves you and wants us to love one another as He loves us. As miserable, weak and shameful as we are, He loves us with an infinitely faithful love.
— St. Teresa of Calcutta
from the book Works of Love Are Works of Peace |  Listen to 2cents Podcast Going4th | | my2cents:
"On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus,
a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,
"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"
He said, "Who are you, sir?"
The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do." Saul was doing what he thought was right. But God shows us what is truly right. What Saul does next...changes everything. He Obeys! On that note let us go forth in our journey of faith! | We pray in the Psalms: "Go out to all the world and tell the Good News. Praise the LORD, all you nations; glorify him, all you peoples!"
Some used to say "Hey! What's the good news?" when greeting each other. Do you have an answer to that joyful question? Because somebody wants to hear the Good News! What is it? That Christ rose from the dead, defeated sin too, and calls us to Himself, this and every single day. That is good news isn't it? I can't think of anything better...yet still more comes as we will hear in the Gospel. | In the Gospel we heard:
"The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you. "
Unless! Unless? There's always that contingency word isn't there, and this straight out of our Lord's mouth! Unless you eat. In the older translations of the original language, the word "eat" was a more pronounced word that meant to chew or gnaw, and in spanish we get a better sense of it from the word "masticar" which means tearing away at it and working the food in your mouth. Eat flesh. Yes, but not earthly flesh! How does something turn into something else? This I asked my youth teens in class. It is like that in the Sacraments. You come in one way and leave another, but you are still the same flesh and bones you see, touch, and even smell right? Think Baptism. Think Confession/Reconciliation. Think Marriage even. What happened tough? Vows. And Eating Him is a vow in of itself. A giving of self. One for another. And so it is the most intimate of moments on earth with Jesus, to take Him inside of my body and soul. | And then...Eternity happens. Our Lord continues:
"Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me."
What an amazing gift. The gift of life. Everything will be set in its proper place if we put God properly in our lives...in the center of our body, mind, and soul. The heart is a fitting center. I pray that you find these words encouraging to set your life straight on a trajectory that sets everything else right. Love comes first. Amen? Let us pray: Lord, thank You. Eucharist, Your Body, means Thankgiving. I give Thee thanks for having called me to hear this message today. Now I pray that the message, the Word becomes flesh, and thus, Thy life for the world...eternity, an amazing gift of LIFE Called back to Thyself in perfect Love! | from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse from online generator: Galatians 5:24
24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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