† ".I Will No Longer Speak Much with . . "

† Quote of the Day "I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but rather, I believe in order that I may understand." — St. Anselm of

Web Version   Subscribe   Forward   † Quote of the Day "I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but rather, I believe in order that I may understand." — St. Anselm of Canterbury Today's Meditation "St. Augustine says, that to prevent the sheep from seeking assistance by her cries, the wolf seizes her by the neck, and thus securely carries her away and devours her. The Devil acts in a similar manner with the sheep of Jesus Christ. After having induced them to yield to sin, he seizes them by the throat, that they may not confess their guilt; and thus he securely brings them to Hell. For those who have sinned grievously, there is no means of salvation but the confession of their sins." —St. Alphonsus Liguori, p. 138 An excerpt from The Sermons of St. Alphonsus Liguori Daily Verse And Samuel said, 'Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.'" — 1 Samuel 15:22 Pope Saint Pius V Pope St. Pius V (1504–1572) was born as Antonio Ghislieri to a poor yet noble family in Bosco, Italy. He worked as a shepherd until the age of 14, after which he joined the Dominican Order and was ordained a priest at the age of 24. He taught theology and philosophy, spent long hours in prayer, and fasted regularly. Due to his great intelligence and reputation for holiness he rose to a number of prominent positions in the Church, including Inquisitor and Bishop. In 1565 he was elected Pope and took the name Pope Pius V. As Supreme Pontiff he was a great reformer and worked to implement the decisions of the Council of Trent following the Protestant revolt. He reformed the clergy, supported the foreign missions, published a catechism, revised the breviary and missal, and named St. Thomas Aquinas a Doctor of the Church. In his alliance with Venice and Spain, and with the aid of a rosary crusade among the faithful, he defeated the Ottoman Turks in the famous and decisive Battle of Lepanto in the Mediterranean sea on October 7, 1571. This miraculous victory saved Europe from being ruled by the Ottoman Empire. The Holy Father afterwards instituted the feast of Our Lady of Victory (now Our Lady of the Rosary) in thanksgiving to Our Lady for leading the Christian forces to victory, and to encourage a greater devotion to the Holy Rosary throughout the universal Church. For this he is known as the "Pope of the Rosary." His feast day is April 30th. Find a devotional for this saint Tuesday of Fifth Week of Easter Reading 1 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 Ps 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 spent no little time with the disciples. (Acts 14:28) Paul had been stoned and left for dead. "But when the disciples gathered around him," he was able to get back up (Acts 14:20). Surely the presence and prayers of his fellow believers helped him to recover and enabled him to continue his missionary journey with Barnabas. Then, strengthened by this show of love and support, he traveled to Antioch, where he, in turn, "strengthened the spirits of the disciples and exhorted them to persevere in the faith" (14:22). What an example of how God wants us to love and support one another! And it's not an isolated example, either. Paul likely relied on the encouragement of his fellow believers everywhere he went, just as they relied on him. This is what God desires for all his people. We can't go it alone. We need brothers and sisters in Christ who can cheer us on, pray for us, and care for us in difficult times. And they need us to do the same for them. The early Christian communities were small and close-knit; they had to depend on one another in a hostile world just to survive. But even if our church communities today are larger, we still need to make the effort to draw close to one another. We, too, live in a culture that often doesn't understand or support our faith. We need people around us who do! It can be tempting to attend Mass but not get to know the people who are worshipping right next to us. Shyness, lack of time, or even indifference can keep us from reaching out to them. Yet what if the first disciples didn't invest time and effort into their relationships with other Christians in their faith communities? The Church would never have grown or flourished as it did! If you have brothers or sisters who help you live your faith, stay close to them. Make time to meet together, pray together, and help one another in practical ways. If you don't, reach out by joining a Bible study or some other small group where you can get to know other Christians. Someone needs you, and you need that person. Trust the Lord to help you find them! "Lord, thank you for the brothers and sisters you have put in my life." Psalm 145:10-13, 21 John 14:27-31 try to hear it read by AI Reflections with Brother Adrian: In the Holy Scripture we hear today: ""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.'........" end quote. . From Bishop Barron today; "Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus gives us an antidote for fear. Who or what are you afraid of? That is a very important spiritual question. One way to understand our lives is to look at those things that we seek: wealth, power, privilege, honor, pleasure, friendship. But another way is to turn that question around and determine what or who it is that we fear. We might fear the loss of material things, the loss of a job, the loss of physical health, the loss of the esteem of others, the loss of personal intimacy, or ultimately, the loss of life itself. We are afraid of many things, but I'd be willing to bet that there is a primary or principal fear. What is it for you? Now, after identifying that, listen to Jesus: "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." Any and all of the things that we customarily fear—loss of money, fame, pleasure, and power—have to do with this world. What Jesus is saying is that we should not let those fears come to dominate or define our lives, for he is with us—and with him is his peace......" End quote Bishop Barron. Our Lord says "Do Not let your hearts be troubled or afraid". What was He talking about? What was the context of this Scripture? Was He only speaking to the apostles about when He would be taken away from them? Do not be afraid. This phrase they say is repeated in some way about 365 times in the bible. Once for every day of our year of every day of our lives. We are back from our family conference. Thank you for your prayers. I was wondering sometimes as I sat there "why exactly am I here?". And those are questions the founder asks in every Fullness of Truth Conference. "Why am I here?" and "What truly makes me happy?" And now that's all he does is make these wonderful conferences come together. I'm sure he is constantly running into problems, don't we all? I'm back at work and I'm tackling all sorts of work problems, and getting messages about water problems at the house and issues and funerals coming up at church and a spanish choir needed Sunday and the issues just keep coming up. These are daily problems, but I do notice some of the most funky problems are those of the human heart. Dealing with people and their egos, or bad spirits, or hard to speak to. Those are the awkward ones. Some of them even seem threatening. These are problems we must face without fear. But how? If I told you, would you believe? Faith and grace. Grace because of faith. Faith because of grace. How can we better believe? How can we be full of grace? Turn your focus away from the ruler of the world, the evil in the world. Turn to Him. Do not leave Him to the side, or else your world will lose its equilibrium. Our Lord our Savior must always be first and foremost at the center of our lives, our hearts. What we should be afraid of is sin and disobeying our Lord! That is the only thing we should be afraid of! And this is true of Heaven and Earth. Lord, Thy Will be done...let Thy will be done...through me! Click for Audio Random Bible Verse 1 Philippians 4:12 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com God Bless You! Peace Going4th For questions or comments contact Adrian@going4th.com. For more go to www.Going4th.com ©2024 Going4th | Andrews TX Preferences   Subscribe   Forward   Unsubscribe     Powered by GoDaddy Email Marketing ®

† ".The One Who loves . . "

† Quote of the Day "To join two things together there must be nothing between them or there cannot be a perfect fusion. Now realize that this is how

Web Version   Subscribe   Forward   † Quote of the Day "To join two things together there must be nothing between them or there cannot be a perfect fusion. Now realize that this is how God wants our soul to be, without any selfish love of ourselves or of others in between, just as God loves us without anything in between." — St. Catherine of Siena Today's Meditation "The soul, who is lifted by a very great and yearning desire for the honor of God and the salvation of souls, begins by exercising herself, for a certain space of time, in the ordinary virtues, remaining in the cell of self-knowledge, in order to know better the goodness of God towards her. This she does because knowledge must precede love, and only when she has attained love, can she strive to follow and to clothe herself with the truth. But, in no way, does the creature receive such a taste of the truth, or so brilliant a light therefrom, as by means of humble and continuous prayer, founded on knowledge of herself and of God; because prayer, exercising her in the above way, unites with God the soul that follows the footprints of Christ Crucified, and thus, by desire and affection, and union of love, makes her another Himself." —St. Catherine of Siena, p.1 Daily Verse "Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods! Thou hast multiplied, O Lord my God, thy wondrous deeds and thy thoughts toward us; none can compare with thee! Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be numbered." — Psalm 40:4-5 St. Catherine Of Siena St. Catherine of Siena (1347–1380) was born in Siena, Italy, the 24th of 25 children born to a wealthy wool dyer and his wife. Catherine began having profound mystical experiences at the age of six which encouraged her in a life of virtue, extreme penance, and total consecration to God through a private vow of virginity. She became a Dominican Tertiary at the age of 16 while continuing to live in the home of her parents. She had regular mystical visits from, and conversations with, Jesus, Mary, and many of the saints. Catherine had no formal education and was illiterate, yet her theological knowledge acquired through prayer astounded learned theologians. She was especially devoted to working for the unity and spiritual health of the Church. Among her most famous accomplishments was that she persuaded the Pope to return to Rome from Avignon in 1377. She also encouraged him to call for a Crusade to the Holy Land. She was an important political figure in her day, often entering into negotiations between warring rulers through personal visits and dictated letters. Her practical wisdom and profound spiritual insight was widely sought both inside and outside the Church. St. Catherine was a great mystic and was granted the stigmata which was made visible only after her death. She died in Rome at the age of 33, offering her life to God for the sanctification of the Church, and was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1970. St. Catherine of Siena is the patron saint of Italy and Europe. Her feast day is April 29th Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church Readings for the Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, virgin and doctor of the Church Reading 1 Acts 14:5-18 There was an attempt in Iconium by both the Gentiles and the Jews, together with their leaders, to attack and stone Paul and Barnabas. They realized it, and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding countryside, where they continued to proclaim the Good News. At Lystra there was a crippled man, lame from birth, who had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking, who looked intently at him, saw that he had the faith to be healed, and called out in a loud voice, "Stand up straight on your feet." He jumped up and began to walk about. When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they cried out in Lycaonian, "The gods have come down to us in human form." They called Barnabas "Zeus" and Paul "Hermes," because he was the chief speaker. And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, for he together with the people intended to offer sacrifice. The Apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their garments when they heard this and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, "Men, why are you doing this? We are of the same nature as you, human beings. We proclaim to you good news that you should turn from these idols to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all Gentiles to go their own ways; yet, in bestowing his goodness, he did not leave himself without witness, for he gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, and filled you with nourishment and gladness for your hearts." Even with these words, they scarcely restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them. Responsorial Psalm Ps 115:1-2, 3-4, 15-16 R. (1ab) Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory. or: R. Alleluia. Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name give glory because of your mercy, because of your truth. Why should the pagans say, "Where is their God?" R. Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory. or: R. Alleluia. Our God is in heaven; whatever he wills, he does. Their idols are silver and gold, the handiwork of men. R. Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory. or: R. Alleluia. May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven and earth. Heaven is the heaven of the LORD, but the earth he has given to the children of men. R. Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory. or: R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 14:26 R. Alleluia, alleluia. The Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all I told you. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 14:21-26 Jesus said to his disciples: "Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him." Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him, "Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. "I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name -- he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you." DAILY MEDITATION: JOHN 14:21-26 What happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world? (John 14:22) Don't you sometimes wish that Jesus would manifest himself in unmistakable terms, showing his reality, his power, and his purposes beyond a shadow of a doubt? In today's Gospel reading, that seems to be what's on the mind of "Judas, not the Iscariot" (John 14:22). If Jesus really did come to establish God's kingdom on earth, why wasn't this the right time to make some grand gesture to convince the whole world who he was? The answer is that Jesus wants to reveal his love to each person individually. Relationship is the key to revelation. That's why, in this brief dialogue, he uses the word "love" no fewer than seven times. He explains to Judas, "Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him" (John 14:23). It's more than knowing the fact that Jesus loved you enough to die for you. It's experiencing that love as you gaze at a crucifix and see how much he suffered or as you treasure his presence after you receive him in the Eucharist. That kind of personal encounter changes everything! In a similar way, there is a vast difference between knowing about a person and getting to know him. You don't get to know someone only by learning his age, his address, or where he works. Ultimately, it's love that opens the way to the most important and intimate kind of knowledge. Just think about a couple who have been married for many years. Their love has given them a much deeper understanding of each other than when they were first married. This is the kind of relationship that Jesus offers each of us. He is inviting us to come to know him and experience his love. He wants more than grand gestures; he wants to dwell in us, to bring us into friendship with him, and to teach us to abide in his love. "Jesus, thank you for loving me. Lord, reveal yourself to me more and more!" Acts 14:5-18 Psalm 115:1-4, 15-16 try to hear it read by AI Reflections with Brother Adrian: In the Holy Scripture we hear today: "Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me........" end quote. . From Bishop Barron today; "Friends, we see in our Gospel reading that the Holy Spirit's principal sign is love. The night before he died, Jesus told his friends the deepest truths. He spoke of himself, his Father, and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the love that connects the Father and the Son. From all eternity, he is breathed back and forth between the Father and the Son, and hence he is nothing but love. When, therefore, he comes to dwell in you and me, he turns us to the path of love. "On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father." God has created a dynamic universe, moving restlessly and relentlessly toward a goal, and this goal has been disclosed to us in Christ: the sharing in the love between the Father and the Son. Therefore, if we wish to know the creaturely realm in all of its complexity and multiplicity, in both its coming and going, we must immerse ourselves in the stream of the Spiritus Sanctus." End quote Bishop Barron. Once one of my godson asked me "how can I show God that I love Him?" I responded that we must obey His commands. Today our Lord says it again ""Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me." There are some that I know that say they believe in God...some even tattooed bible scriptures on themselves....but they are living in sin. Is this showing God that you love Him as you proclaim one thing and do another? And as I speak about others...I speak about myself. Am I not really living what I proclaim? The tough part is having one sinner admonish the next. Who has the "right" to tell another anything? That's the devil stance. If that is the case...in that train of thought...then all must cease to proclaim the Word of God...for everyone is a sinner. Right? Wrong. There is one greater in the world that speaks and lives and breathes among us....it is the Holy Spirit. He speaks through imperfect sinners. When the message is good and follows the commands of God...then it is good and of the Holy Spirit. Therefore we should not throw out the baby with the bath water. If you are criticized to cone to the Lord...it is good. We may not like it...but a cold bucket of truth sometimes has to wake us up. Warm comfortable baths aren't always what we need. Lord open my lips and my heart to let you live and breathe and speak through me...and let me listen as the words come forth so that we may Love Thee ever more. Click for Audio Random Bible Vers If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com God Bless You! Peace Going4th For questions or comments contact Adrian@going4th.com. For more go to www.Going4th.com ©2024 Going4th | Andrews TX Preferences   Subscribe   Forward   Unsubscribe     Powered by GoDaddy Email Marketing ®