†Quote of the Day
"Go forth and set the world on fire."
–St. Ignatius of Loyola †Today's Meditation
"Man will not consent to drive away the money-changers from the temple of his soul until he realizes that it is a Holy of Holies—not a house of traffic, but in very truth the house of God. We thus reach two striking conclusions: There cannot be entire dependence upon the Holy Spirit's guidance, which is the true meaning of living in Christ, without complete self-renunciation. There cannot be complete self-renunciation without the constant underlying spirit of faith, without the habit of interior silence, a silence where God is dwelling. Many do not see the connection between thoughts about the King and the service of the King; between the interior silence … and the continual detachment … If we look closer, it will be seen that there is a strong, close, unbreakable link between the two. Find a recollected person, and he will be detached; seek one who is detached, and he will be recollected. To have found one is to have discovered the other … Anyone who tries, on a given day, to practice either recollection or detachment cannot ignore the fact that he is doing a double stroke of work."
—Raoul Plus, S.J., p. 39-40 An Excerpt From
How to Pray Always †Daily Verse
"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
–Romans 8:38-39 |  click to read more | | St. William of Rochester St. William of Rochester (d. 1201), also known as St. William of Perth, was born in Perth, Scotland. He was a wild youth who matured into a devoted man of God. He became a baker, and out of his charity he would always set aside bread to feed the poor. One day, while walking into the church for Mass, he found an abandoned baby boy on the church steps. He adopted the child, raised him, and taught him his trade. Years later St. William made a vow to visit the sacred sites of Our Lord's life on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, along with his adopted son. The two set out on their journey. While traveling through England his son deceived him, slit his throat, and stole the money he had saved for their pilgrimage. William's abandoned body was discovered and mourned over by a mentally deranged woman. She made a crown of flowers and placed it on the head of William's murdered corpse, then afterwards put the garland on her own head. Upon doing this, she was immediately cured of her mental illness. The local monks learned of this miracle and carried William's body to the Rochester cathedral to give him the proper burial of a saint. His shrine later attracted many pilgrims. St. William of Rochester is the patron of adopted children. His feast day is May 23rd. | Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter Lectionary: 298
Reading 1 Acts 20:17-27 From Miletus Paul had the presbyters
of the Church at Ephesus summoned.
When they came to him, he addressed them,
"You know how I lived among you
the whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia.
I served the Lord with all humility
and with the tears and trials that came to me
because of the plots of the Jews,
and I did not at all shrink from telling you
what was for your benefit,
or from teaching you in public or in your homes.
I earnestly bore witness for both Jews and Greeks
to repentance before God and to faith in our Lord Jesus.
But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem.
What will happen to me there I do not know,
except that in one city after another
the Holy Spirit has been warning me
that imprisonment and hardships await me.
Yet I consider life of no importance to me,
if only I may finish my course
and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus,
to bear witness to the Gospel of God's grace. "But now I know that none of you
to whom I preached the kingdom during my travels
will ever see my face again.
And so I solemnly declare to you this day
that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you,
for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God." Responsorial Psalm Ps 68:10-11, 20-21 R. (33a) Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance;
you restored the land when it languished;
Your flock settled in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed day by day be the Lord,
who bears our burdens; God, who is our salvation.
God is a saving God for us;
the LORD, my Lord, controls the passageways of death.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 14:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I will ask the Father
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you always.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 17:1-11a Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said,
"Father, the hour has come.
Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you,
just as you gave him authority over all people,
so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.
Now this is eternal life,
that they should know you, the only true God,
and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
I glorified you on earth
by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.
Now glorify me, Father, with you,
with the glory that I had with you before the world began. "I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world.
They belonged to you, and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,
because the words you gave to me I have given to them,
and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you,
and they have believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me,
because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours
and everything of yours is mine,
and I have been glorified in them.
And now I will no longer be in the world,
but they are in the world, while I am coming to you." | Daily Meditation: John 17:1-11 You gave him authority . . . so that your son may give eternal life. (John 17:2) As the Easter season draws to its conclusion and we prepare for Pentecost, we hear Jesus' prayer to his Father on the night before he died. It's a fitting end to the season, as it reveals Jesus' concern not only for his disciples but for all of us. He knew he would no longer be with us in the flesh, so he prayed that God would protect us until we received the indwelling Holy Spirit. So for Jesus, and for us, this is not the end of the story but the beginning of a marvelous new chapter. There is a beautiful and striking line in today's passage that tells us about this new chapter. Speaking about himself, Jesus prays to his Father, "You gave him authority over all people, so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him" (John 17:2). Here, in one sentence, is Jesus' entire purpose in becoming a man: all the authority God had given him was so that he could bring us to eternal life. This same mission, in fact, lies behind the gift of the Holy Spirit. Just as God sent his Son to give us eternal life, the Holy Spirit empowers the apostles and all believers to receive that gift of eternal life and to share it with the whole world. You are part of Jesus' story. A little further in his prayer, Jesus told his Father, "They accepted [the words you gave to me] and . . . have believed that you sent me" (John 17:8). That's you! You have heard the word of God, and the Holy Spirit has ignited the flame of faith in your heart. Along with the apostles, as well as every saint who has come before us, you can proclaim, I believe in you, Jesus! I believe that you have come from the Father. As you prepare for Pentecost, invite the Holy Spirit to come into your life more fully. Ask him to strengthen your faith. Ask him to help you take hold of the gift of eternal life. Finally, ask him to empower you to share that gift with the people around you. You are part of Jesus' story, and that means his mission is your mission! "Jesus, I believe in you and your authority. Holy Spirit, help me share my faith with someone I meet today." Acts 20:17-27
Psalm 68:10-11, 20-21 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
_""But now I know that none of you
to whom I preached the kingdom during my travels
will ever see my face again.
And so I solemnly declare to you this day
that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God." end of verse. St. Paul was a zealot for God before his conversion to Christ our Lord. He was taking lives for God, but now, after his conversion, he was giving his very life for Christ, the very one he was persecuting. He was a zealot in everything he did...for God.
Today, we need that zeal for God. And our Lord can work wonders with someone that is after God's own heart. | We pray today:
"A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance;
you restored the land when it languished;
Your flock settled in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy.
Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth" | In the Gospel today we heard: "I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me,
because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours
and everything of yours is mine,
and I have been glorified in them." said our Lord Jesus the Christ to Our Father. The world was created. Jesus our Lord spoke to the Father. The Father is supremely everything and in everything, just like the Holy Spirit can be for it is God Himself. So why does our Lord Jesus, who is God, speak to God? Is God speaking to Himself? Our God has imparted Himself to the world. Jesus is that part of Himself, and Jesus is the way to Our Father God. This is the normal way that God has revealed Himself to the world. He still reveals himself even to non-believers.
Our Lord is really speaking direct to God Himself. And Jesus our Lord now says that no one goes to the Father except through Him.
And so, we have our Lord speaking about glory today. He says He has been glorified in the ones He chose. He says He prays, not for the world, but for the chosen ones.
But didn't He die for the world? Yes. But only the chosen ones believe in His death, and His death's purpose...the Resurrection.
But things are changing my friend.
Science and the most recent studies is on the side of faith.
And now the culprits of using science against God are trying to depart away from science, all in attempts to defy common sense and logic, and even nature itself.
But our Lord has written Himself in our DNA. He is in everything. The Holy Spirit is everywhere.
Our Lord would love a zealot, but not a doer of the Word but a lover of the Word incarnate. This is when Saul (which means "the Great") became Paul (which means "the lesser"). We become less, so that Christ may be magnified and shine in our lives. | Let's pray:
Lord, May we become less and become more of Your True Love in Heaven! | Random Bible Verse 1
2 Timothy 2:22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
