†Quote of the Day
"Quote of the Day
"Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring."
–St. Catherine of Siena †Today's Meditation
"If you love God, lust has no place in your heart. Saint Augustine teaches that the sin of lust is like an iron chain that binds you fast, enslaving your will to perversity. When lust gains entry to your heart, it quickly takes root as a habit. If you don't resist and uproot it, that habit inevitably becomes necessary."
—Patrick Madrid, p. 336
An Excerpt From
A Year with the Bible †Daily Verse
"Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
–James 1:2-4 |  click to read more | | St. James the Lesser St. James the Lesser (1st c.), also called St. James the Just, was one of the Twelve Apostles and the cousin of Jesus. Both James and his brother, St. Jude, began to follow Jesus in the second year of his ministry. St. James the Less was the first of the Twelve Apostles to whom the risen Christ appeared. After Jesus' ascension into heaven, James was given charge as bishop of the Church in Jerusalem, making him an important leader of the early Church. He was well-known for his prayer life and holiness. It is described that his knees and forehead were calloused due to long hours spent prostrate in prayer. His sanctity was such that he was respected by the Jews and considered by many to be a holy man. James the Less is the author of the New Testament epistle that bears his name. He was martyred by being thrown from the roof of the Jerusalem temple and then stoned and beaten to death as he prayed for his murderers. He died in the year 62 A.D. during the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero. St. James the Less is the patron saint of pharmacists and the dying. His feast day is May 3rd. | 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 I am reminding you, brothers and sisters, of the Gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand. Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures; that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. After that he appeared to James, then to all the Apostles. Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me. Psalm 19:2-5 R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
or R. Alleluia.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day;
and night to night imparts knowledge. R. Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message. R. Gospel Acclamation Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way, the truth, and the life, says the Lord;
Philip, whoever has seen me has seen the Father. Jn 14:6b,9c
Alleluia, alleluia. John 14:6-14 Jesus said to Thomas, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him." Philip said to him, "Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it." | Daily Meditation: John 14:6-14 Philip said to him, "Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us." (John 14:8) For hundreds of years, only four apostles were given feast days: Sts. Peter, Paul, Andrew, and John. However, in AD 560, the relics of Sts. Philip and James (the lesser) were formally brought to the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles in Rome and placed under the main altar there. To commemorate the event, this new feast day was added to the Church calendar. Like the other apostles, James and Philip played essential roles in building up the Church. Philip preached to the Scythians in what is now southern Russia and Ukraine and northern Iran. For his part, James remained in Jerusalem, where he served as head of the church there until he was martyred around AD 62. The fact that we are celebrating a missionary and a bishop on the same day shows us that Jesus' apostles were a diverse set of individuals. Each of them followed the path God had laid out for them with steadfast love and perseverance. This unique day also shows us two different but related ways that we ourselves can deepen our faith. James is probably the better known of these two apostles because of the New Testament letter that bears his name. In that letter, James makes it clear that faith must be paired with action (2:14-19). When Jesus invited Philip to follow him, Philip was so excited that he encouraged Nathanael to do the same. As we see in today's Gospel, Philip never stopped seeking a deeper understanding of the Lord. He felt free to ask Jesus questions because he wanted his faith to have the strongest foundation possible. That foundation likely became his main support in all his missionary travels! Two very different apostles—a missionary and a pastor. Two very important themes—deepening our faith and pairing that faith with action. Taken together, Philip and James show us that the Christian life is meant to change our actions and our inner thoughts and understanding. May we always follow their example! "Lord, teach me how to deepen my faith in my thoughts and in my deeds." 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
Psalm 19:2-5 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"I am reminding you, brothers and sisters, of the Gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand. Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain." And then the Holy Scripture goes on to say how many times and to how many people our Lord appeared to, even to the hundreds of people, and we don't have an exact count of the others that rose from their tombs and went into the city too.
Why? Why did they rise and go to the peoples?
To proclaim the news...the Good News of the risen Christ! | We pray today:
"Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message." | In the Gospel today we heard: ""Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." end bible verse. | From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, today we read the wonderful and mysterious passage from the fourteenth chapter of John's Gospel. The disciples are gathered around Jesus at the Last Supper, abiding in intimacy with him, asking questions and seeking wisdom.
Then listen to Jesus' words: "If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him." Paul refers to Jesus as the "icon of the invisible God." What both Jesus and Paul are saying is that Jesus' words are the Father's words and his deeds are the Father's deeds.
Philip, one of the first disciples chosen, still doesn't get this. He says, "Master, show us the Father." What he missed was the humility of the Logos: "The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works." Neither the words nor the deeds of Jesus are "his own." They are received from the Father." end quote. . . . . Our Lord told Philip that to see the Father is to see the Lord Jesus.
This my beloved, this is exactly what I experienced in my vision, there on the cross, He was in darkness taking his last breaths, and what did my inmost being know? All it knew was my real Father. What a strange sensation that was! It was just me (imagine you) and the Father! And your inmost parts of the makings of your soul just naturally knew it. We have our earthly dads, right? But this was a true knowing. I told this story to my dad as he was agonizing with the atrocity of covid, and I did it to encourage him, that I had seen what the world may or may not ever desire to see. I didn't even ask for it! I never asked for anything in my whole life, the Lord just makes things happen as He sees fit.
I am a father. My children look to me for everything, but I am trying to divert their attention to our REAL Father in Heaven. They trust me, but they need to trust Him more! Believe the works! Believe He is here! How can you question if He is even here? We can't. He is in our spiritual baptized DNA, we are bonded in Him forever. And this my beloved, is very, VERY good news indeed. ...†....
Let's pray:
Lord, Thomas doubted. Philip did not know You were in the Father and we can see the Father in You. Lord, help us live this belief, so that our faith now blooms. Enough with the drought of our faith for the last generation. | Random Bible Verse Galatians 6:9–10 " And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
