†Quote of the Day ""I earnestly admonish you, therefore, my brothers, to look after your spiritual well-being with judicious concern. Death is certain; life is short and vanishes like smoke. Fix your minds, then, on the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Inflamed with love for us, he came down from heaven to redeem us. For our sake he endured every torment of body and soul and shrank from no bodily pain. He himself gave us an example of perfect patience and love. We, then, are to be patient in adversity."
–St. Francis of Paola Today's Meditation Solomon prayed for prudence and wisdom so that he might govern God's people rightly. Because his request was unselfish, God granted what he sought. When we pray, we should make sure that our desires are not motivated by selfishness. We should only want those gifts that help us most to serve others."
—Rev. Jude Winkler, p. 105 Daily Verse "May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
–Romans 15:5-6 | St. Francis of Paola St. Francis of Paola (1416-1507) was born in Calabria, Italy, to a husband and wife known for their holiness. After suffering childlessness for many years, his parents had recourse to prayer, especially the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi. They eventually had three children, and the eldest, Francis, was named after St. Francis in thanksgiving for his birth. Francis of Paola grew in sanctity, and after having a vision of St. Francis he spent a year in a Franciscan convent to fulfill a vow his parents had made to the saint. After his time there, he returned to his parents and accompanied them on a pilgrimage to Assisi. Upon returning home, Francis retired to a private spot on his parents' estate to live as a hermit. He later moved his dwelling to a lonely cave by the seashore, living there in prayer, solitude, and mortification for six years. Disciples gradually came to him to imitate his manner of life, so many that St. Francis of Paola, with the permission of his bishop, built a monastery and church to accommodate them. He later obtained permission from the Holy See to found a new religious order called the Minims, or "The Least," as they were to live hidden lives of poverty, abstinence, and humility. St. Francis of Paola became famous and was sought out by others for his prophecies and miracles. He spent the last three months of his life in solitude in preparation for his death. On Good Friday, after receiving Last Rites, he died while the Passion of Christ was read to him aloud. His feast day is April 2. | Reading 1 Acts 2:36-41 On the day of Pentecost, Peter said to the Jewish people,
"Let the whole house of Israel know for certain
that God has made him both Lord and Christ,
this Jesus whom you crucified."
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart,
and they asked Peter and the other Apostles,
"What are we to do, my brothers?"
Peter said to them,
"Repent and be baptized, every one of you,
in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins;
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For the promise is made to you and to your children
and to all those far off,
whomever the Lord our God will call."
He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them,
"Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."
Those who accepted his message were baptized,
and about three thousand persons were added that day. Responsorial Psalm 33:4-5, 18-19, 20 and 22 R. (5b) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia. Sequence - optional Victimae paschali laudes Christians, to the Paschal Victim Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems; Christ, who only is sinless, Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous: The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring What you saw, wayfaring.
"The tomb of Christ, who is living, The glory of Jesus' resurrection;
bright angels attesting, The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen; to Galilee he goes before you."
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining. Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning! Amen. Alleluia. Alleluia Ps 118:24 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 20:11-18 Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"
She said to them, "They have taken my Lord,
and I don't know where they laid him."
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?"
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
"Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary!"
She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni,"
which means Teacher.
Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to me,
for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,
'I am going to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.'"
Mary went and announced to the disciples,
"I have seen the Lord,"
and then reported what he had told her. | Daily Meditation: Acts 2:36-41 They were cut to the heart. (Acts 2:37) Imagine yourself in that crowd on Pentecost. You hear a rush of wind, and all of a sudden, a group of Jesus' disciples is "speaking in [their] own tongues of the mighty acts of God" (Acts 2:11). Then Peter stands up and lays out a compelling explanation of what you are seeing and hearing. He talks about Jesus' signs and teachings, along with the testimony of the Hebrew Scriptures. Just then, you feel "cut to the heart" (Acts 2:37). Something—or Someone—inside you is stirring, convincing you that Jesus of Nazareth truly is "Lord and Christ" (2:36). A mixture of joy and urgency floods your heart. You long to repent, welcome Jesus into your heart, and be baptized. What just happened? Sure, you were struck by Peter's urgency, but something deeper was going on. The Holy Spirit was at work! Peter's words came alive in your heart, and you knew you had to respond to what you just heard. In his 1975 apostolic exhortation on evangelization, Pope St. Paul VI described it this way: "The Holy Spirit places on [the evangelizer's] lips the words which he could not find by himself, and at the same time the Holy Spirit predisposes the soul of the hearer to be open and receptive to the Good News" (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 75). This is great news, especially for those of us who might shy away from the call to share our faith. The Holy Spirit is the ultimate evangelizer, not us. When you greet a neighbor or coworker, the Spirit is already there, communicating the joy of the Lord. When you offer words of compassion to a friend facing hardship, the Spirit is there, helping your friend to sense Christ's love through you. And when the opportunity arises for you to share "a reason for your hope" (1 Peter 3:15), the Spirit is there, giving life to your words, just as he did for Peter on the day of Pentecost. Never underestimate the power of the Spirit! He is always with you, ready to give you courage and boldness. And he always goes ahead of you, preparing the hearts of the people you will meet today. The more you learn to yield to him, the more powerfully you'll see him work. "Holy Spirit, teach me how to share the power and promise of the gospel!" Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20, 22
John 20:11-18 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:
Audio English | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?"
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
"Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary!"
She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni,"
which means Teacher......" end quote. | From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, today's Gospel reveals St. John's report of Mary Magdalene's encounter with the risen Jesus. An interesting lesson follows from the disquieting fact of the Resurrection—namely, that this world is not it. What I mean is that this world is not all that there is. We live our lives with the reasonable assumption that the natural world as we've come to know it is the final framework of our lives and activities. And one of the most powerful and frightening features of the natural world is death. Every living thing dies and stays dead.
But what if death and dissolution did not have the final say? What if, through God's power, and according to his providence, a "new heavens and a new earth" were being born? The Resurrection of Jesus from the dead shows as definitively as possible that God is up to something greater than we had imagined or thought possible.
And therefore we don't have to live as though death were our master. In light of the Resurrection, we can begin to see this world as a place of gestation, a place of growth and maturation toward something higher, more permanent, and more splendid." end quote Bishop Barron.
Our Lord asks "why are you weeping?". What does this mean? Why do we weep when someone leaves us? It is then, really, a matter of the heart. Our Lord appears and she doesn't even recognize Him with her heart distraught. It is only when He says her name that she recognizes Him.
And so, we too, we love to hear our name, but what would happen if our Lord called our name?
Everything would change. Remember that night retreat I said some of us men would have? Only 2 other men and 2 of my boys stayed the night there in the temple. I stayed in remembrance of the prophet Samuel. The Lord called out Samuel by name during the night.
Did any of us hear our names that night? Not that I know of. But speaking with the men, we know something strange happened that night. We prayed, yes. We prayed for our parish and families yes. We read scripture, and we shared testimony. Yes. And at 3 a.m., I said the alarm would go off and we would pray the Divine Mercy chaplet. The alarm rang. I was the only one that awoke to pray. All else were sound asleep. I didn't want to wake them up, to call them to pray, so I prayed for us all. But what if I would've called them? Would that be our Lord calling them through me?
I live by that creed, that if someone asks me to do something for God, it is literally the Lord asking, because God asks for what is good.
This is why I am heavily involved in ministries.
And now I am calling people constantly. I keep asking for help in the Lord's vineyard. Many are asleep. They won't hear the call. Many didn't come so they could hear the special call.
It is now the time of the resurrection. God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit is calling us this very day to move. Time is short on earth. Every moment is precious, not to be wasted.
You've heard this message, now go and tell the whole world.
Our Lord is alive. Our Lord calls us to meet Him. Our Lord has a mission.
The end of a Holy Mass always ends with an important command at the final blessing. It is the Lord before we all go our separate ways....until we meet again. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 11:28 28 Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
