 | The Power of Enough We know there is power in the word enough. We carry this capacity to honor the present into every encounter and relationship, meaning that we honor the dignity that is reflected by God's goodness and grace. Every encounter, every relationship, is a place to include, invite mercy, encourage, receive, heal, reconcile, repair, say thank you, pray, celebrate, refuel, and restore. — from the book This Is the Life: Mindfulness, Finding Grace, and the Power of the Present Moment
by Terry Hershey |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"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 of St. Faustina † VERSE OF THE DAY
"The Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."
1 Samuel 16:7b |  click to read more | | ST. FLORIAN St. Florian (C. 250-304 A.D.) was a commander in the Roman army in what is now Austria. He served during the reign of Emperor Diocletian, who violently persecuted Christians. Among Florian's military duties was the organization of firefighting brigades. St. Florian was secretly a Christian and was known for miraculously saving a town from being destroyed by fire; after praying to God for help, he extinguished a raging fire with a single bucket of water. Word reached the Emperor that Florian was not enforcing the ban against Christianity in his territory. He was put under investigation and was discovered to be a Christian. In one account, it was for refusing to offer sacrifice to the gods; in another, for refusing to execute a group of Christians. He was then condemned to be tortured and executed for his Christian faith. Refusing to recant, St. Florian was then flayed alive, scourged, and martyred by being dumped in the river with a millstone attached to his body. His body was later recovered, and today his relics are venerated at a church named for him in Kraków, Poland. St. Florian is the patron saint of firefighters, chimney-sweeps, brewers, drowning victims, Austria, Poland, and against floods, fires, and battles. St. Florian's feast day is May 4th. | Tuesday of Fifth Week of Easter Lectionary: 286
Reading I Acts 14:19-28 In those days, some Jews from Antioch and Iconium
arrived and won over the crowds.
They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city,
supposing that he was dead.
But when the disciples gathered around him,
he got up and entered the city.
On the following day he left with Barnabas for Derbe. After they had proclaimed the good news to that city
and made a considerable number of disciples,
they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.
They strengthened the spirits of the disciples
and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying,
"It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships
to enter the Kingdom of God."
They appointed presbyters for them in each Church and,
with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord
in whom they had put their faith.
Then they traveled through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia.
After proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia.
From there they sailed to Antioch,
where they had been commended to the grace of God
for the work they had now accomplished.
And when they arrived, they called the Church together
and reported what God had done with them
and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
Then they spent no little time with the disciples. Responsorial Psalm 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 21 R. (see 12) Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD, and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom
or:
R. Alleluia.
Making known to men your might and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages, and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom
or:
R. Alleluia.
May my mouth speak the praise of the LORD, and may all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia See Lk 24:46, 26 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead,
and so enter into his glory.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 14:27-31a Jesus said to his disciples:
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me tell you,
'I am going away and I will come back to you.'
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.
I will no longer speak much with you,
for the ruler of the world is coming.
He has no power over me,
but the world must know that I love the Father
and that I do just as the Father has commanded me." | Daily Meditation: Acts 14:19-28 They strengthened the spirits of the disciples and exhorted them to persevere in the faith. (Acts 14:22) "Exhort." It's not the most common word used today, but exhortation is central to our calling as disciples of Christ. To exhort someone means to strongly urge them in some way. In the case of our Christian walk, it means encouraging one another "to persevere in the faith," just as Paul and Barnabas did for the people they had evangelized on their first missionary journey (Acts 14:22). Christian exhortation requires a delicate balance of positive encouragement and constructive criticism, all handled with such love and grace that the listener doesn't feel discouraged. Generally, this isn't something you do with a casual acquaintance. You only offer encouragement like this to friends you know and trust—people whom you have shared your life with and who have shared their lives with you. The truth is, God would like all of us to have close friendships like this that are rooted in our common faith and love for him. He wants to see all his children have brothers and sisters in Christ who are willing to help each other grow in holiness. Perhaps you already have one or two close friends like this. If so, thank the Lord for them and treasure them! If not, ask God to send you a brother or sister who can fulfill this role in your life. Or better yet, look at your friends and see if there are any with whom you can begin to build such a relationship. Is there someone you feel comfortable sharing your faith with? Start by sharing your thoughts on that Sunday's homily or letting them know that you are praying for them. You might also ask if there are any specific intentions you can pray for. Or share your own prayer intentions with them. Jesus told his disciples, "This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). Imagine the impact we could have on this world if we all grew to love and exhort each other in Christ! "Lord, help me deepen my friendships with my brothers and sisters so that we can help each other grow closer to you." Psalm 145:10-13, 21
John 14:27-31 |  clickable | An abstract God, who is hands-off with his creation and who demands nothing from us, is easy to believe in. But this is not the God we find in the Scriptures. Here we find a God who acts and interacts, who demands a response.
From the commentary in Bible in a Year |  Listen to 2cents Podcast Going4th | | my2cents:
"It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships
to enter the Kingdom of God."
Nowadays, modern Christians deny the need to suffer. They teach wealth and prosperity. It is a libertarian thought, that you should get something for nothing, that you need not lift a finger and get what "you deserve". So this is how the youth are being raised, given cars, phones, money, for what? For being a kid? I had to work for my first car, and my first phone, and even my first nintendo when I was a kid, picking up cans off the road and selling them to raise my own money to buy the first ever Nintendos out there.
And now that I'm an adult, I look at the faith, and boy, OH BOY, is there hardship to endure for the Kingdom. What kind of hardship? Just to get up to go to church is a modern hardship for many. Or to even pray. Why is it a battle to apply oneself to God? It always is, hard to start something important, like taking care of your health, there will be sacrifices, there will be hardships, but eventually you get used to the hardships, and even embrace them! This is how our Mature Master shows us the cross, the crossing to eternity. This is what the Church teaches, the Truth, the Way, the Life. | We pray today:
"May my mouth speak the praise of the LORD, and may all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom."
Are you friends of our Lord? How special is it to have friends? Friends can help. In the cursillo movement, we were taught to continue in friendship weekly meetings. I've been at it for over 15 years. What's it like? You want the truth? It's hard. My first friend passed away after a couple years. Another was severely injured in a car accident and we couldn't meet for months. And the rest of the friends? Well, it's almost like, I have to become the friend I wish they would be to me...faithful, loyal, always bugging to meet. You see, if your world is like mine, there are no true friends as you would love to have. Only Christ is true. That's why the bible tells us not to rely or trust in men. One current adult RCIA student is having trouble with the Confession they will have to do. She said she has already confessed to friends and prayed on her own, why in the world then need to go to a priest? I felt like a failure at that point. Had I not taught the importance of coming to Christ through the Authority of the Church in the priest? I had to tell her that confiding in man is the riskiest thing you can do because men are susceptible to sin and failure, but not Christ, and what's more, Jesus is waiting to absolve you from sins, that is to destroy the bonds to hell you've made with sin, and no other so called "friend" on earth could ever do that for you. Salvation. | Our Lord Jesus said to his disciples:
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid."
At one point, our Lord said He came not to bring peace, but the sword. Where even those in family would be opposed to each other. Why? Because, the truth cuts down to the marrow of the bone. People don't like truth, it's like telling an addict to clean up, they don't want to hear it, or they'll just brush it off. But when a fierce truth cuts to it, there is some reckoning to be dealt with.
If there is something the devil loves in the world it is this: neutral people. Oh boy it loves procrastinating neutral people, those are the best, those who just put things away, putting things off for later, and what a nut case I was when I was more neutral. Nobody could push me around without me causing an uproar. And I see it today. Nobody likes to be pushed around. I still have trouble with it at times, like when a young teenager doesn't move out of my way, like a nephew and pushes me over with no respect, boy, I got a right mind to set him in his place. So who is right? If you've read my daily reflections, online, you'll see various inspirations, and one today holds the key: the way of charity must win. "All rules must lead to Charity, said St. Vincent de Paul." So how do I teach the young nephew to be charitable and respectful? LOL. Do you really want to know? Teach him love by loving him (or her). How will they honor an adult and respect the elderly? Truthfully, the shepherd must be united to the flock. I can't just tell them to be honorable, they've no clue! It should come from the heart! They need you to show them! Some will learn quick, some will take years! Some may never learn! What's your job? Love charity, love Jesus our Lord. Have I deviated? Our Lord teaches peace. They may not have peace, but your loving soul will have peace. If you know mercy. WHOA! Totally opposite of what the world teaches. | Our Lord said:
"'I am going away and I will come back to you.'If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I."
Has Jesus come back? Yes. How? In the Eucharist. How else? In the Holy Spirit. How else? He will come in full glory in the second coming to reveal Himself and conquer. Yet...even that, dare I say, exists today. One more thing before we go; notice how our Lord said "The Father". Not "MY Father", but THE Father. There is honor and fear in these words. The Father awaits our return. The Father awaits HIS Word to come into us and return in full. And this is good news for us, a calling to hardship, a calling to truth, a calling to Himself in glorious honor. The world is not an accurate representation of what is expected in Heaven. Total honor to God. Let's pray: Lord, because Thou art Thy Father, I belong to Thee and not of this world. We are in the world but not of the world. This means, I must surrender, and endure hardships for Thy Holy Name on Earth. I pray for Thy strength of Love to grow in our hearts to show that the world can be enveloped with true light...and thus, Thy salvation, the most amazing Gift that awaits the faithful. I pray to be Thine to serve, to love, and cherish forever.... | from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse from online generator: WOW!
Proverbs 23:22
22 Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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