†Saint Quote:Nothing seems tiresome or painful when you are working for a Master who pays well; who rewards even a cup of cold water given for love of Him. St. Dominic Savio Today's Meditation“Without doubt, Jesus Christ could have abolished pain at a single stroke, and, by virtue of the infinite grace of the Redemption, restored man to the state of complete, unmixed bliss that he enjoyed in the paradise of innocence. He did not so wish. He judged that, for some, suffering would be a source of merit, a gain, a source of glory, and a means of renewal and triumph; that, for the greater number, it would be a necessary expiation. He therefore maintained suffering, but purified, ennobled, and transfigured it by taking it upon Himself. He became the man of sorrows, virum dolorum, in the strict and absolute sense of these words.”
—Fr. Charles Arminjon, p. 276 Daily VerseFor I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: for Jew first, and then Greek. For in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith; as it is written, "The one who is righteous by faith will live. Romans 1:16-17
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EWTN Daily Saint
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St. Francis de Laval Saint of the DaySaint Francis-Xavier de Montmorency-Laval (1623-1708) was one of eight children born to one of France’s most illustrious families. He learned his piety from his mother, and like his namesake desired to become a priest and missionary. This dream was realized when he was appointed by Pope Alexander VII to be the first Apostolic Vicar of New France (Canada). His territory covered all of what is now Canada and the central section of what would become the United States, an enormous frontier which he undertook as a great spiritual work. He landed in Quebec in 1659 when the colonial population was just 500 people. He supported the missions, built a cathedral to the Immaculate Conception, taught devotion to Our Lady under this title, founded a seminary and an industrial school, and began the first Catholic school system in Canada. In all seasons he made long and perilous journeys by land and water to minister to his flock. When Quebec became a diocese he was consecrated as Canada’s first bishop. He fought the sinister alcohol trade to the Indian tribes by having it outlawed within his territory and excommunicating those involved with it. He converted and baptized an Iroquois chief who then became a promoter of the Christian faith and won other converts among the local tribes. St. Francis de Laval was a man known for his great influence and holiness of life. His feast day is May 6th.
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Wednesday of the Fifth Week of EasterLectionary: 287 Reading 1Acts 15:1-6 Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers,
“Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice,
you cannot be saved.”
Because there arose no little dissension and debate
by Paul and Barnabas with them,
it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others
should go up to Jerusalem to the Apostles and presbyters
about this question.
They were sent on their journey by the Church,
and passed through Phoenicia and Samaria
telling of the conversion of the Gentiles,
and brought great joy to all the brethren.
When they arrived in Jerusalem,
they were welcomed by the Church,
as well as by the Apostles and the presbyters,
and they reported what God had done with them.
But some from the party of the Pharisees who had become believers
stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them
and direct them to observe the Mosaic law.” The Apostles and the presbyters met together to see about this matter. Responsorial PsalmPsalm 122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5 R. (see 1) Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD.”
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia. AlleluiaJohn 15:4a, 5b R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord;
whoever remains in me will bear much fruit.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelJohn 15:1-8 Jesus said to his disciples:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you.
Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own
unless it remains on the vine,
so neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
will be thrown out like a branch and wither;
people will gather them and throw them into a fire
and they will be burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”
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Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ!
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From Word Among Us WAU.org
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Daily Meditation: John 15:1-8Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. (John 15:5) These are strong words from Jesus! We can do nothing without him? Well, nothing that will bear the kind of fruit that he created us to bear. Without him we can’t experience and bring forth the love, the joy, and the peace that come from heaven. Without him we can’t find the grace to share his good news or to love as he loves. That’s why he wants us to “remain” in him (John 15:5). But how do we do that? One way is by following Mary’s example of pondering and reflecting on the word of God. Mary is our greatest role model. Of course, her yes to God bore the fruit of Jesus’ birth. But it also bore the fruit of a life of perfect discipleship. She joined the crowds watching her son teach and perform miracles. She followed him to the cross. And she kept vigil with the apostles and was present when they received the Holy Spirit in the upper room. Scripture also tells us that Mary pondered the words from God spoken through the angel, as well as the words the shepherds, the wise men, and Anna and Simeon shared with her (Luke 2:51). These precious promises and heavenly messages helped Mary “remain” in the Lord and gave her the strength and direction she needed to continue following her son. Even when she felt surprised, anguished, or saddened, she was able to bear the fruit of hope and faithfulness. Jesus once said that his true family are those who “hear the word of God and act on it” (Luke 8:21). That one sentence captures Mary’s whole life! In spite of the intense suffering she experienced, she remained in her son by keeping her thoughts and the meditations of her heart fixed on the words, the promises, and the clear signs she had received. Take some time to reflect on the words of today’s Gospel, or on a time you heard the Lord speaking to you. Maybe it was through a Scripture passage, a homily, or the words of a wise friend. Jesus is the vine—your loving, caring, ever-nourishing vine. As you reflect on his words, you will remain in him, and you will bear fruit. Even when suffering comes, as it did for Mary, you will be able to continue remaining in Jesus and bearing the fruit of peace and love in this world. “Lord, I choose to remain in you today.” Acts 15:1-6
Psalm 122:1-5
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Reflections with Brother Adrian:
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Audio of 2 Cents
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From today's Holy Gospel: "..I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
will be thrown out like a branch and wither;
people will gather them and throw them into a fire
and they will be burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.” .. ”
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I don't know how many times this Gospel has been given to me as my penance.
I have to read it over and over....for it to sink in.
I am NOTHING without Him.
How could I ever fail Him?
How could I turn away from Him?
Why would I turn away from Him?
How do we remain in Him?
How do we remain true?
Only way I know is to love Him more and more.
To love mercy more and more.
To surrender to Him more and more.
To trust Him more.
And the more I do so, the more I learn, the more we can remain in Him.
One thing scares me about the book of Genesis.
In the beginning.
And the fact of a fallen angel that affected humanity.
All of that is scary to me.
Because what was introduced...was the possibility to fall away from God...and His Holy will, because of a free will.
How can we surrender our will to Him then?
In Heaven, the citizens are deathly afraid of looking away from our God. Therefore, on earth, we have guardian angels to always look at our Father for us. Our eyes are in our Guradian angels. Have you thanked them for looking to God for us?
We need them! We need to remain! We need grace to remain. We need to avail ourselves to this grace! Amen?
Lord, let us never turn away...let us remain forever in You! In Your Sacred Heart! Listen to a song I made for this Scripture today:
ABIDE IN ME
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WOW! Random Bible Verse 1
Acts 20:32 "And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified."
Word of the Lord!
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God Bless You! Peace
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