†Quote of the Day "Therefore, my brother, scorned as you are by men, lashed as it were by God, do not despair. Do not be depressed. Do not let your weakness make you impatient. Instead, let the serenity of your spirit shine through your face. Let the joy of your mind burst forth. Let words of thanks break from your lips."
–St. Peter Damian Today's Meditation "'The Lord measures our perfection not by the number and greatness of the works we do for Him, but by our manner of doing them. And this manner is only the love of God with which, and for which, we do them. They are more perfect as they are done with more pure and perfect love, and as they are less mingled with the thoughts of pleasure or praise in this life or the other (St. John of the Cross).' When St. Bernard was assisting one night at Matins, he saw some angels who were carefully noting down the merit of each of the monks. The merit of those who were praying with much fervor, they set down in golden characters; of those with less fervor, in silver characters; of those with good will, but without affection, in ink; of those with sloth and drowsiness, in water; but as to those who were in mortal sin or voluntarily distracted, they wrote nothing, but, standing motionless, they lamented their blindness."
—Anonymous, p. 292 Daily Verse "Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God."
–1 Corinthians 1:26-29 | St. Bademus St. Bademus (d. 376 A.D.) was a wealthy and noble citizen of Bethlapeta in Persia. Desiring to give himself completely to God, he gave away his wealth and founded a monastery where he led a life of prayer and austerity. His sanctity was known to all, and he trained his monks to progress in devotion, virtue, and love of God. One day he and seven of his monks were abducted during the Christian persecution by King Sapor of Persia. He was chained in a dungeon for four months and whipped daily for his faith. He suffered his tortures for Christ and triumphed over them with patience and joy. One day a Christian prince named Nersan was also put into the dungeon, and, seeing the torments he would endure, apostatized from the faith in order to be released. To prove his conversion, the king ordered Nersan to slay St. Bademus on the spot. Bademus, after declaring his willingness to die for Christ, also warned Nersan of the account he would have to give to God for his actions. Nersan, timid and fearful, then killed Bademus with several awkward and misplaced blows. The pagans who were present admired the abbot's holy and resigned death, while abhorring the king's cruelty. St. Bademus' feast day is April 10th. | Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 5:17-26 The high priest rose up and all his companions,
that is, the party of the Sadducees,
and, filled with jealousy,
laid hands upon the Apostles and put them in the public jail.
But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison,
led them out, and said,
"Go and take your place in the temple area,
and tell the people everything about this life."
When they heard this,
they went to the temple early in the morning and taught.
When the high priest and his companions arrived,
they convened the Sanhedrin,
the full senate of the children of Israel,
and sent to the jail to have them brought in.
But the court officers who went did not find them in the prison,
so they came back and reported,
"We found the jail securely locked
and the guards stationed outside the doors,
but when we opened them, we found no one inside."
When the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this report,
they were at a loss about them,
as to what this would come to.
Then someone came in and reported to them,
"The men whom you put in prison are in the temple area
and are teaching the people."
Then the captain and the court officers went and brought them,
but without force,
because they were afraid of being stoned by the people. Responsorial Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 R. (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 3:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God so love the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 3:16-21 God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
| Daily Meditation: Acts 5:17-26 Go and . . . tell the people everything about this life. (Acts 5:20) Imagine that you are one of the apostles sitting in that jail cell. What would you do when the angel shows up, unlocks the door, and leads you to freedom? Would your first instinct be to get as far away from the city as possible? Would you hide from the authorities and try to stay out of the public eye? That would seem to be the most natural response, wouldn't it? But that's not what happens in this story. None of the apostles hide. Instead, they follow the angel's command to go back to the Temple to keep preaching. They didn't have to do that! They could have concluded that things were getting too dangerous and returned to their old lives. But they chose God's will over what was easier and safer, knowing full well that they might end up right back in jail again. What a difference from their time hiding in a locked room after Jesus' death! Freed from prison and from their fears, the apostles trusted that God would continue to deliver them and answer their prayers. Most of us have never had an angel show up to solve a problem for us. Still, God does sometimes answer our prayers in a way that can seem miraculous. An illness clears up overnight. A new job comes through against all odds. A family conflict is resolved simply and peacefully. Surely these are causes for celebration! But there are other times when the burden isn't lifted, and all we can do is keep trying our best to please the Lord. The apostles knew this to be true. Because as amazing as the miracle of the apostles' release from prison is, they didn't always experience such wondrous deliverances. In fact, each of them was either martyred or died in prison. God's ways will always be a mystery to us. But there is one thing we can always count on: no matter what our situation, he will always call us to "tell the people . . . about this life" (Acts 5:20). And he will always provide the opportunities—and the grace—to fulfill that call. Whether we are speaking with our lips, through our actions, or in our prayers, we can proclaim the good news wherever we go. "Jesus, help me to tell everyone about the life of freedom and joy you are offering them!" Psalm 34:2-9
John 3:16-21 |  corrected link 4/10/24 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life...." end quote. | In the first Holy Scripture we had heard today:
"The high priest rose up and all his companions,
that is, the party of the Sadducees,
and, filled with jealousy,
laid hands upon the Apostles and put them in the public jail.
But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison,
led them out, and said,
"Go and take your place in the temple area,
and tell the people everything about this life." Let's read those last words: "...Tell The People Everything About This Life".
Dr. Brant Pitre says what we should all know in his video explanation of "exptiation for our sins: a bible verse 1 John 2:5 "by this we may be sure that we are in Him; he who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked". Follow the footpaths of Christ. The manner of life. Keeping the Commandments. The morality that is the core of our life, the kind we would give our life for because they are the way to abide in Him. How you walk is how you keep the commands. "Walk This Way" says the old rock song. Walk this way if we are following Christ. Obedience is love of Christ. This is the way we show God love, that we Keep His Word and become His living Word in this way.
Dr. Pitre says Easter says at the end of his video this is what it means to live in the risen power of the risen Christ. Now, let me have a another couple of minutes of your attention. Jesus is the living God, the very living Son of God, the creation of God Himself for us in the human form to transcend space and time. He stands before God as God to expiate, to atone, to make up and to help us reconcile before the Almighty and Good God, our powerful Father above all.
How can we appreciate this? Firstly, the love of God and in the Holy Mass, where we live gain and forever His ultimate sacrifice.
"For God so loves the world!" should we remember. He loves us so much that He eternally gives us the Son to expiate for our atrocious sins we care not to think about. What if your mean look or words cut someone's life? What does that mean for Christ? It is an act against love and God IS LOVE. We will never know how deep our wounds go, or the wounds we cause others. Things get real deep real fast. There is absolutely nothing we can do by our own might to earn salvation or complete forgiveness....except through the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior, the only Son of God.
I couldn't ever fathom such a thing until lately in life, and I'll use my life and loved ones as an example.
I've bought my sister in law and husband probably around 8 or 10 used vehicles in the last 15 or so years. Why so many I don't know, bad luck, bad credit, bad life happenings, I don't know! They began paying some back, and some were not. I think last year I wound up buying her a vehicle and her husband a work truck to help them once again. They always say thank you, but this time I knew they couldn't pay back, he got a lower paying job and she doesn't work and they can barely pay their bills. Her husband is my godson in the faith, I helped him learn the faith and he received all his sacraments about 10 or 12 years ago. They are lovable and giving folks and barren, unable to have children so they watch our kids when we ask them to. Now, back to the double vehicles purchase. They can't pay me, and they know it. The husband feels bad and wouldn't come around church much. I could tell this was a burden, there was a disconnect happening. I never brooded over the fact, I knew full well what I was doing. They owe me and there is no way they are paying back the huge debts. But I wanted to reconcile with them in a way to get us back together. And to get them to feel better and get back to church. And so, what am I doing? I began asking them for more help around the house, she helps with kids and he helps with mechanic work, on our motorcycles and vehicles, and little by little they are paying back.
Now this is a far and awkward example but I feel like perhaps this is how God has done for us.
There is no way we can pay back for what we owe for our sins and ongoing sins. My inlaws still ask for money every week for groceries, bills and stuff, they just keep accumulating debt.
God knows this, that we can't pay back, so what does He do?
He asks us for help, in His vineyard, to pay off in love some debt. To be truly grateful and devoted. For us to take part in this life offering with Christ who is forever suffering for our sins outside of time and space. The protestants won't teach you this, but we cannot afford sin. Sin takes a toll on the world and our hearts. We are only truly free when we are more and more free from sin and tied with Christ within.
My Godson is freed from a dark life he used to live but the clutches of darkness are always trying to get at us.
We are children of the light, children of the Christ.
If we are put on this world it is for a reason. To be that light.
In spanish when someone is born, the mother is said to have "given light" to a child. In the same way, we are born from above in our baptism. To be born of light, born of God, and we are His children called to obey Him in true love. Thank you for your few minutes. Let this message sink into our hearts. God loves us so much that He keeps extending Himself above and beyond our comprehension. Mercy is unfathomable. His Love is everlasting. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 18:24 24 A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
