† Quote of the Day“Pray, hope and don't worry. Anxiety doesn't help at all. Our Merciful Lord will listen to your prayer.” -Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina Today’s Meditation"Thus sin renders the soul miserable, weak and torpid, inconstant in doing good, cowardly in resisting temptation, slothful in the observance of God's commandments. It deprives her of true liberty and of that sovereignty which she should never resign; it makes her a slave to the world, the flesh, and the devil; it subjects her to a harder and more wretched servitude than that of the unhappy Israelites in Egypt or Babylon. Sin so dulls and stupefies the spiritual senses of man that he is deaf to God's voice and inspirations; blind to the dreadful calamities which threaten him; insensible to the sweet odor of virtue and the example of the saints; incapable of tasting how sweet the Lord is, or feeling the touch of His benign hand in the benefits which should be a constant incitement to his greater love. Moreover, sin destroys the peace and joy of a good conscience, takes away the soul's fervor, and leaves her an object abominable in the eyes of God and His saints. The grace of justification delivers us from all these miseries. For God, in His infinite mercy, is not content with effacing our sins and restoring us to His favor; He delivers us from the evils sin has brought upon us, and renews the interior man in his former strength and beauty. Thus He heals our wounds, breaks our bonds, moderates the violence of our passions, restores with true liberty the supernatural beauty of the soul, reestablishes us in the peace and joy of a good conscience, reanimates our interior senses, inspires us with ardor for good and a salutary hatred of sin, makes us strong and constant in resisting evil, and thus enriches us with an abundance of good works. In fine, He so perfectly renews the inner man with all his faculties that the Apostle calls those who are thus justified new men and new creatures." —Venerable Louis Of Grenada, p. 46
An excerpt from The Sinner's Guide Daily VerseFor to you has been granted, for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him. -Philippians 1:29
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EWTN Daily Saint
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St Bernadette Soubirous Of LourdesSt. Bernadette Soubirous (1844–1879) was the eldest of nine children born to an impoverished family from Lourdes, France. She was a sickly child who suffered from severe asthma her entire life. While out collecting firewood on February 11, 1858, at the age of 14, Bernadette saw an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a grotto cave on the banks of the Gave River. It was the first of 18 times that the Blessed Mother would appear to her. Bernadette faced much controversy and opposition as a result of her visions, including humiliating interrogations from both the civil and ecclesiastical authorities. Yet, many of the townspeople believed her and gathered at the grotto when she continued to have visits from the Virgin Mary. During one of the visits a hidden spring was shown to St. Bernadette which proved to have miraculous healing power. When Our Lady finally revealed her name to Bernadette as the "Immaculate Conception," the local bishop acknowledged the visions as authentic. As requested by Our Lady of Lourdes, a church was erected at the site of the grotto and spring. Today, Lourdes is one of the most visited Catholic pilgrimage shrines in the world. Multitudes have experienced medically documented cures of body and soul from the Lourdes waters. St. Bernadette became a nun and died at a convent in Nevers, France, on April 16,1879, at the age of 35. She was canonized in 1933 by Pope Pius XI. Her feast day is April 16th.
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Thursday of the Second Week of EasterLectionary: 270 Reading 1Acts 5:27-33 When the court officers had brought the Apostles in
and made them stand before the Sanhedrin,
the high priest questioned them,
"We gave you strict orders did we not,
to stop teaching in that name.
Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching
and want to bring this man's blood upon us."
But Peter and the Apostles said in reply,
"We must obey God rather than men.
The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,
though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.
God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior
to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.
We are witnesses of these things,
as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him." When they heard this,
they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death. Responsorial PsalmPsalm 34:2 and 9, 17-18, 19-20 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.
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.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
Many are the troubles of the just man,
but out of them all the LORD delivers him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia. AlleluiaJohn 20:29 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord;
blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe!
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelJohn 3:31-36 The one who comes from above is above all.
The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things.
But the one who comes from heaven is above all.
He testifies to what he has seen and heard,
but no one accepts his testimony.
Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy.
For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God.
He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.
The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,
but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life,
but the wrath of God remains upon him.
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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: Acts 5:27-33We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him. (Acts 5:32) After Jesus’ resurrection, the apostles were doing what he had commissioned them to do: to be his witnesses. They gathered at the Temple regularly to proclaim that Jesus, who was crucified, had risen from the dead. Peter had also performed miracles. All this roused the Sanhedrin’s anger, so they arrested the apostles and put them in jail. Today, we find the apostles standing before the Sanhedrin as the high priest reminds them that they had received strict orders “to stop teaching in that name,” that is, in Jesus’ name (Acts 5:28). But Peter responds that they must obey God, not men: “We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him” (5:32). We live in a world that can seem unwelcoming or even hostile to the truths of our faith and the salvation Christ has won for us. Persecution looks different in different parts of the world, but it still exists—and is sometimes deadly. Some believers are only discouraged from sharing their faith, but in other parts of the world, people are imprisoned or even put to death for preaching the good news of the risen Christ. Pope Benedict XVI once said that even in the face of persecution, “all Christians in their own way can and must be witnesses of the Risen Lord” (Homily, May 7, 2005). So how do we do this? We can share with a coworker the wonders that God has done in our lives. We can speak up against abortion and all the other threats to the dignity of human life. We can keep celebrating Mass and preaching the gospel—even if we live in a country where we are risking jail or worse. Let’s keep all our brothers and sisters around the world in our prayers. Let’s remember that we all have the Holy Spirit to guide us and give us the courage to proclaim the risen Lord. Peter said that God has given his Holy Spirit to “those who obey him,” and today’s Gospel tells us that “he does not ration his gift of the Spirit” (Acts 5:32; John 3:34). So open your heart to the Holy Spirit and become a witness to the resurrection! “Jesus, I want to be your witness.” Psalm 34:2, 9, 17-20
John 3:31-36
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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: ".. The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,
but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life,
but the wrath of God remains upon him. ..."
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From Roberto Juarez: "Today the Lord invites us to take a further step on this paschal journey, to welcome Christ as the one who comes from God, to trust in his word, to open ourselves to the Spirit who is given to us without measure.
Let us pray that we do not remain in a superficial faith, that we know how to truly welcome Jesus of Nazareth, and that we live with the certainty that to believe in him is not to lose anything... but to win everything. For whoever believes in the Son... He already has eternal life." end quote.
From Bishop Barron.
"Friends, today’s Gospel promises eternal life to those who believe in the Son of God. In almost every religion, the life of faith has something to do with a creature’s relationship to the Creator; nearly all religions speak of the creature’s dependency upon God, of his subjection to the divine providence, and of his need for grace and forgiveness. Christianity, too, articulates these basic relationships, but it pushes beyond them because it speaks of the incarnation and the gifts associated with it. We hear in the third chapter of John’s Gospel that “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.” This well-known verse summarizes the Christian faith and gives expression to its distinctiveness, for it speaks of the possibility that a creature might share in God’s own life. The purpose of the sending of the Son was to gather the human race into the divine life—the rhythm of the Trinitarian love—so that we might relate to God not merely as creatures but as friends. You see, love becomes complete only when there is another who can receive fully what the lover wants to give." end quote.
Our Lord said today: "Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy."
He speaks in the Word, and our Lord Jesus is the very Word of God made flesh.
The question then is to you "do you CERTIFY that God is trustworthy?"
Can you verify it? Can you give witness to it?
Yesterday, I asked the adult formation group a question that came to mind "has your heart ever burned with God?"
I was amazed to see quiet looks. It was a perplexing question.
I was amazed because the walk to Emmaus is coming up on Sunday. Cleopas and the other guy were like "were not our hearts burning when He spoke to us on the journey?".
My personal answer is that my heart burns many times in my many ministries, and in contemplation, and in meditative prayer if done right. Concentrate my dear.
Concentrate and focus. What I find myself doing in these class sessions, is simply to help people see better, not that they are blind! But that they see what I have seen! God does not hide from those who seek. I am giving you clues on where to go to find Him! I told them too: "He is in your every day life, seek him in the loved ones, seek him in the strangers you meet, seek him in those that are even yelling at you!"
Sometimes when people are yelling at me I still ask within "Lord is that you?". I'm listening.
Speak..Lord, thy servant is listening...tuning in...that my heart my burn not for a little while...but forever with the fire of YOUR LOVE!
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Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 30:4 "Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name."
Word of the Lord!
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