 |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"The stillness of prayer is the most essential condition for fruitful action. Before all else, the disciple kneels down."
— St. Gianna Molla †MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"God gives prayer growth precisely according to our degree of readiness for it. He forces no one. According as we are more or less receptive, He bestows more or less depth of communion. In the same manner, five hundred people in a parish church all hear the same sound waves during the homily, but they profit from it exactly as they are or are not disposed for the message. Jesus taught the same truth in his parable of the sower: from the word of God some hearers yield nothing at all, while others yield thirty or sixty or a hundredfold."
— Fr. Thomas Dubay, p. 114
AN EXCERPT FROM
Fire Within †VERSE OF THE DAY
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight."
Proverbs 9:10 |  click to read more | | ST. BERNARDINE OF SIENA St. Bernardine of Siena (1380–1444) was born to a noble family in Siena, Italy. As a young man he witnessed the bubonic plague raging mercilessly through the city, and volunteered to care for the sick in the local hospital. At this time he also spent much time praying and fasting to know God's will for his life. He discerned a call to Holy Orders and the religious life, and joined the Franciscans at the age of 22. He lived in solitude for over a decade before being sent to preach in the streets, which he did with incredible skill, so much so that he became the most renowned preacher of his day. He traveled on foot to strife-torn cities, attacking sin and paganism and encouraging all to a life of faith and virtue. Huge crowds numbering in the tens of thousands would come to hear him preach in the public square. His fame and effectiveness as a preacher caused the pope to compare him to St. Paul the Apostle. Bernardine was especially known for his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and for promulgating devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. It was he who devised the IHS symbol over a blazing sun as a monogram and logo for the Holy Name of Jesus (in Greek) to replace the public display of insignias of rival family tribes which disturbed the peace. This symbol of Christ began appearing in churches and on public buildings, even to this day. He also served as the head of his Franciscan community. When he began there were 300 friars; when he died there were over 4,000. St. Bernardine's feast day is May 20th. | Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter Lectionary: 300
Reading I Acts 22:30; 23:6-11 Wishing to determine the truth
about why Paul was being accused by the Jews,
the commander freed him
and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene.
Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them. Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees,
so he called out before the Sanhedrin,
"My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees;
I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead."
When he said this,
a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees,
and the group became divided.
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection
or angels or spirits,
while the Pharisees acknowledge all three.
A great uproar occurred,
and some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party
stood up and sharply argued,
"We find nothing wrong with this man.
Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?"
The dispute was so serious that the commander,
afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them,
ordered his troops to go down and rescue Paul from their midst
and take him into the compound.
The following night the Lord stood by him and said, "Take courage.
For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem,
so you must also bear witness in Rome." Responsorial Psalm 16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11 R. (1) Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge; I say to the LORD, "My Lord are you."
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I bless the LORD who counsels me; even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices, my body, too, abides in confidence;
Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world, nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 17:21 R. Alleluia, alleluia. May they all be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that the world may believe that you sent me, says the Lord. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 17:20-26 Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
"I pray not only for these,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one,
as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that they also may be in us,
that the world may believe that you sent me.
And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.
Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I made known to them your name and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them." | Daily Meditation: John 17:20-26 Father, they are your gift to me. (John 17:24) Do you recall the last time someone gave you a gift and the anticipation, the eagerness you felt before you received it? Maybe you experienced joy or tender affection, for both the giver and the gift itself. Well, you are God's gift to Jesus. And Jesus has received you with joy and affection. You have a place of honor with him as he sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven. For most of us, that's a little hard to imagine. Too easily, our focus locks on to what we have to do to earn a place with Jesus. And having zoomed in on that, we tend to see our shortcomings and failure to deserve that place. But remember that on the night before he died, Jesus prayed for all "those who will believe" (John 17:20). He was praying for you. He knew that he was going to suffer death to ensure that he would never have to lose you. That's how much he treasures you. We often think about how we belong to Christ because of our faith, and of course that's true. But then we think about how weak our faith must be and, as a result, how our belonging to Christ must be weak as well. But you belong to Christ because God has given you to him as a gift. And God doesn't make mistakes; he doesn't give gag gifts. If you ever doubt this truth, remember the apostles. Peter denied Jesus three times, and the others ran away and hid when Jesus was arrested and executed. They experienced plenty of faults, failings, and lack of understanding, just as we do. Still, Jesus "loved them to the end" (John 13:1). Still, he came back to them and said, "Peace be with you" (20:19). Jesus loves you too. He knows how weak you are. He knows how easily you fall to temptation. But he still treasures you as God's gift to him, and he still wants to have you by his side (John 17:24). So when you see a fault, repent quickly. Remind yourself that falling short of God's intentions doesn't define you. It's what God says about you that defines you. And he says that you are a gift that he delights to give his Son. "Thank you, Jesus, for accepting me as God's gift to you. Help me to remember who I am today." Acts 22:30; 23:6-11
Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11 |  clickable | [Trust] entails surrendering our will to God, dedicating our lives to Him, and entrusting ourselves to His care in good times and in bad. It entails entering into an authentic love with the One who loves us, even when we sin. In turn, we must trust that He wants what's best for us. We show that trust by obeying His commandments.
—Fr. Chris Alar, MIC
from his book Understanding Divine Mercy |  Bro. Adrian Reads reflection Outloud. Click here | my2cents:
St. Paul was on trial, and we heard:
"The dispute was so serious that the commander, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them,
ordered his troops to go down and rescue Paul from their midst and take him into the compound. The following night the Lord stood by him and said, "Take courage.
For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome."
And so Paul would head to Rome, and lay His head for the Church. And his head, literally, is still in Rome, in a church. An offering for the Church. And the Roman government ended eventually, the persecutors, and the Church, the Holy Catholic Church still stands today, as it will be forever, as promised by our Lord and Savior who is with us always. | We pray in the Psalms:
"Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices, my body, too, abides in confidence; Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world, nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope."
My dad had a near death experience about a year or so before I was born. He was electrocuted by 480 volts along with his cousin when they struck powerlines with a pipe. They both died, but my dad came back to life. He had an out of body experience. Do you believe? Can you believe? Yesterday, as usual, he said once again in conversation with someone, "this body is just a suit we wear". And so, St. Paul, leaves his offering, his body for the Church, for the rest of time. He leaves it in offering to our Lord in saying 'You are my hope". | Our Lord speaks in prayer:
"I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me."
And our Lord brings about those who "believe" in Him. A believer shares the word with the world. What is it about the world that the Lord should care? I'll tell you what it is about the world created for you to experience...it is about You, and Him. It is not all about you, the world doesn't revolve around you my child, but our Lord loves you, and so in a sense it is about you, but not all about you! You see? We are all a part of it, and a very important part. The unnoticeables are noticeable. All secrets are brought to light. Will everyone be saved? Those who desire it...those who strive for salvation, those who reach for salvation, yes...those who are real. | Our Lord speaks:
"Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world."
Our Father gifted us to Jesus? Yes and He is one in the Father. The amazing part of this gift...we were given over to Mercy. Our Lord, the experienced in the world we live, the One who saw the tragic humanity in the eyes and said "This is the Way, I love You". That is our King, and there is Our Father. Let us pray with Our Lord:
"Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them."
Let us be one with You forever and ever, more and more true with You!
Amen | from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse from online generator: 1 Corinthians 10:13 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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