† Quote of the Day“Let each of us accept the truth of the following statement and try to make it our most fundamental principle: Christ's teaching will never let us down, while worldly wisdom always will. Christ Himself said that this sort of wisdom was like a house with nothing but sand as its foundation, while His own was like a building with solid rock as its foundation.” -St. Vincent de Paul Today’s Meditation"If during vocal prayer your heart is drawn to mental prayer, do not restrain it, but let your devotion take that channel, omitting the vocal prayers which you intended to say: that which takes their place is more acceptable to God, and more useful to your own soul." —St. Francis de Sales, p. 63
An excerpt from An Introduction to the Devout Life Daily VerseMoreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. Only fear the Lord, and serve him faithfully with all your heart; for consider what great things he has done for you. -1 Samuel 12:23-24
|
EWTN Daily Saint
|
|
St Lidwina Of SchiedamSt. Lidwina of Schiedam (1380-1433) was born to a poor family in Holland. She had a devotion to the Blessed Mother and would often pray before the miraculous image of Our Lady of Schiedam. One winter, when she was 15 years old, she fell while ice skating and broke a rib, which she never recovered from. Gangrene spread throughout her body, which became as one big sore, and she was bed-ridden for the rest of her life. No medicine was able to help her. Her gradual physical deterioration was so grotesque that many suspected her of being possessed by the devil. However, when a priest brought her an unconsecrated Host, she was able to discern that it was not the Body and Blood of Christ. She experienced great suffering in this way until she was 53, but God rewarded her with the gift of heightened prayer, mystical visions, and spiritual consolations. Although she was not cured, many miraculous healings were attributed to her intercession. She fasted continuously, eventually surviving on only the Eucharist, and after her death on Easter Sunday the sweet odor of sanctity filled her room. Her grave became a pilgrimage site over which a chapel was erected. St. Lidwina of Schiedam is the patron of the chronically ill and ice skaters. Her feast day is April 14th.
Find a devotional for this saint
|
Tuesday of the Second Week of EasterLectionary: 268 Reading 1Acts 4:32-37 The community of believers was of one heart and mind,
and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,
but they had everything in common.
With great power the Apostles bore witness
to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
and great favor was accorded them all.
There was no needy person among them,
for those who owned property or houses would sell them,
bring the proceeds of the sale,
and put them at the feet of the Apostles,
and they were distributed to each according to need. Thus Joseph, also named by the Apostles Barnabas
(which is translated "son of encouragement"),
a Levite, a Cypriot by birth,
sold a piece of property that he owned,
then brought the money and put it at the feet of the Apostles. Responsorial PsalmPsalm 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5 R. (1a) The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or:
R. Alleluia.
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or:
R. Alleluia. AlleluiaJohn 3:14-15 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man must be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him
may have eternal life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelJohn 3:7b-15 Jesus said to Nicodemus:
"'You must be born from above.'
The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes,
but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes;
so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
Nicodemus answered and said to him,
'How can this happen?"
Jesus answered and said to him,
"You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this?
Amen, amen, I say to you,
we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen,
but you people do not accept our testimony.
If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe,
how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."
|
Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ!
|
From Word Among Us WAU.org
|
Daily Meditation: John 3:7-15How will you believe? (John 3:12) In the Gospel today, Nicodemus is having a midnight conversation with Jesus—and he’s puzzled. Jesus has told him that he must be “born from above” to see and understand his kingdom (John 3:3). Nicodemus knows that only someone who comes from God could speak the words Jesus is saying and perform the works that he is doing (3:2). But Nicodemus, “the teacher of Israel,” is confused (3:10). He still doesn’t understand who Jesus is. As the conversation continues, Jesus offers Nicodemus a way out of his confusion: “If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?” (John 3:12). Believe. That’s the key. Like the crowds who saw Jesus’ mighty deeds and “began to believe in his name,” Nicodemus needed to take a step and believe (2:23). He needed to surrender to the work of the Spirit and stop trying to figure everything out all at once. He needed to accept what he could, and trust Jesus with the rest. With two thousand years of history and Church teaching, we know far more than Nicodemus did. We know that Jesus is the Son of Man, who came down from heaven. We know that he became man to teach us about the Father and give us eternal life. But it doesn’t always make sense to us. Sometimes, in fact, our own situations don’t make sense. “Why am I suffering like this?” we might ask. In both cases, Jesus asks of us the same thing that he asked of Nicodemus: to believe him and to trust him. It’s almost as if Jesus is saying, “I know what I’m doing. I know what I’m talking about. I am God. I love you. You can trust me.” Whether you feel as if you know God well or just a little, you can make this fundamental act of faith and proclaim: Jesus, I believe in you. It’s not an abstract statement. It’s a declaration and an act of surrender to a real Person whom you trust, Jesus Christ. Faith isn’t always easy, but it’s always within our grasp. We always have the option to trust Jesus. If we consciously choose to believe Jesus’ own testimony about himself, no earthly thing can shake our faith, no matter how we feel. “You are trustworthy, Lord. Jesus, I believe in you.” Acts 4:32-37
Psalm 93:1-2, 5
|
Reflections with Brother Adrian:
|
Audio of 2 Cents
|
From today's Holy Gospel: ".. If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe,
how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." ..."
|
From Roberto Juarez translated:
"Here is the heart of today's Gospel: It is not just about understanding... but of looking. Look at Christ on the cross. To look at it in the Eucharist. Look at it in prayer. And let that gaze transform us. Because when one truly looks at Christ: one discovers God's love, one learns to trust, one begins to live in a different way.
Jesus says it clearly: "That everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life." Eternal life does not begin only after death. It begins already in peace of heart, in hope, in the profound meaning of life. To believe in Christ is to enter into that new life.
Today the Lord invites us to take a concrete step on this Easter journey: to stop wanting to control everything, to open ourselves to the action of the Spirit, to learn to look at Christ with faith.
Let us pray in this Eucharist: that the Spirit may breathe into our lives, that he may help us to be truly reborn, and that we may know how to fix our gaze on Jesus of Nazareth, in order to discover in him the source of life. For whoever allows himself to be led by the Spirit and looks to Christ with faith... begin to live as a new person." end quote.
From Bishop Barron today: "Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus declares that he must be lifted up to bring eternal life to believers. Why would God’s salvation of the human race have to include something as horrifying as crucifixion? We live in a time when the human predicament is regularly denied, explained away, or ignored. Despite the massive counter-evidence from the moral disasters of the last century, we are still beguiled by the myth of progress: With just enough technical advancement, psychological insight, and personal liberation, we will solve our problems. But with this sort of stupidity and superficiality the Bible has no truck. The scriptural authors understand sin not so much as a series of acts but as a condition in which we are stuck, something akin to an addiction or a contagious disease. No amount of merely human effort could possibly solve the problem. With this biblical realism in mind, we can begin to comprehend why the crucifixion of the Son of God was necessary. The just rapport between God and human beings could not be reestablished either through our moral effort or with simply a word of forgiveness. Something had to be done—and God alone could do it." end quote.
From Brother Adrian.
At the end of Mass this past Sunday, I made another effort to invite all to our new bible study brought to you by Ascension Press with Jeff Cavins, The Great Adventure is The Bible Timeline. In my pitch, I said "we will study the approximately 3,000 years of scriptures before Christ entered to realize Himself in what happens here on the altar, so to understand the complexity of all this, we need to learn Scripture today".
The backstory is what makes the story deep, wonderful, and meaningful.
And that is the journey we are embarking on. And after reading all scriptures and stories, the question will still be "do you believe?"
Do you believe Saint Thomas?
Do you believe Nicodemus?
That our Lord had to die for a good reason.
That our Lord had to rise for a great Exodus.
That our Lord has to be raised up like the serpent was raised up in bronze in the desert.
Why? Read why! Ready why people had to look up at that horrible serpent mounted on a pole! The anti-virus. The healing. The antidote. The salvation.
The reason it had to be...that we may see...for ourselves...and believe!
|
Click for Audio
|
Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 16:32 " Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city."
Word of the Lord!
|
If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace
|
|
|
