† ".. I Have Told You THIS .."

† Saint Quote: “The Creator of the universe awaits the prayer of one poor little person to save a multitude of others, redeemed like her at the pric

Web Version   Subscribe   Forward   † Saint Quote: “The Creator of the universe awaits the prayer of one poor little person to save a multitude of others, redeemed like her at the price of His Blood.” -St. Therese of Lisieux Today’s Meditation "The freshness of a living hope in God fills the soul with such energy and resolution, with such aspirations after the things of eternal life, that all this world seems to it—as indeed it is—in comparison with that which it hopes for, dry, withered, dead, and worthless. The soul now denudes itself of the garments and trappings of the world, by setting the heart upon nothing that is in it, and hoping for nothing that is, or may be, in it, living only in the hope of everlasting life. And, therefore, when the heart is thus lifted up above the world, the world cannot touch it or lay hold of it, nor even see it. The soul then, thus disguised and clad in the vesture of hope, is secure from its second foe, the world, for St. Paul calls hope the helmet of salvation. Now a helmet is armor which protects and covers the whole head, and has no opening except in one place, where the eyes may look through. Hope is such a helmet, for it covers all the senses of the head of the soul in such a way that they cannot be lost in worldly things, and leaves no part of them exposed to the arrows of the world." —St. John of the Cross, p. 175 An excerpt from Dark Night of the Soul Daily Verse If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. -John 8:31-32 EWTN Daily Saint St. Francis de Laval Saint of the Day Saint 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. Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter Lectionary: 288 Reading I Acts 15:7-21 After much debate had taken place, Peter got up and said to the Apostles and the presbyters, “My brothers, you are well aware that from early days God made his choice among you that through my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the Gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness by granting them the Holy Spirit just as he did us. He made no distinction between us and them, for by faith he purified their hearts. Why, then, are you now putting God to the test by placing on the shoulders of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they.” The whole assembly fell silent, and they listened while Paul and Barnabas described the signs and wonders God had worked among the Gentiles through them. After they had fallen silent, James responded, “My brothers, listen to me. Symeon has described how God first concerned himself with acquiring from among the Gentiles a people for his name. The words of the prophets agree with this, as is written: After this I shall return and rebuild the fallen hut of David; from its ruins I shall rebuild it and raise it up again, so that the rest of humanity may seek out the Lord, even all the Gentiles on whom my name is invoked. Thus says the Lord who accomplishes these things, known from of old. It is my judgment, therefore, that we ought to stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God, but tell them by letter to avoid pollution from idols, unlawful marriage, the meat of strangled animals, and blood. For Moses, for generations now, has had those who proclaim him in every town, as he has been read in the synagogues every sabbath.” Responsorial Psalm Psalm 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 10 R. (3) Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations. or: R. Alleluia. Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all you lands. Sing to the LORD; bless his name. R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations. or: R. Alleluia. Announce his salvation, day after day. Tell his glory among the nations; among all peoples, his wondrous deeds. R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations. or: R. Alleluia. Say among the nations: The LORD is king. He has made the world firm, not to be moved; he governs the peoples with equity. R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations. or: R. Alleluia. Alleluia John 10:27 R. Alleluia, alleluia. My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel John 15:9-11 Jesus said to his disciples: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. “I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.” Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! From Word Among Us WAU.org Daily Meditation: Acts 15:7-21 . . . acquiring . . . a people for his name. (Acts 15:14) What an exciting and sometimes bewildering time the first disciples were living through! Imagine their awe and joy as they witnessed the Holy Spirit move in power day after day. God was without question breaking expectations and doing something new—and doing it through them! The explosive miracle of Pentecost had led to healings and conversions and exorcisms and countless other “signs and wonders” as they proclaimed the good news (Acts 15:12). But now, on top of all those miracles, the Lord began doing something even more astounding. He was pouring out his Spirit upon Gentiles, not just Jews! He was giving the same gifts of salvation and healing and transformation to people who were not keeping the Law of Moses. It’s hard for us to grasp the shock and scandal this caused. The core identity of every Jew was his or her unique status as a child of Abraham. Even Jewish Christians saw the gift of the Spirit as the fulfillment of God’s promises to his chosen people—not to Gentiles. But God was doing something different now, and the apostles had to catch up with him. With the Spirit’s help, Peter, Paul, Barnabas, and James came to realize that this gift of the Spirit was the fulfillment of God’s purposes in the Law. He had called Israel into being as a “light to the nations” so that his salvation might ultimately “reach to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6). And that’s exactly what was happening with the growth of the Church beyond Jerusalem. The Lord was reaching out to anyone who turned to him, Jew and Gentile alike! God is still at work today “acquiring . . . a people for his name” (Acts 15:14). He is still building a Church composed of people from every nation and background and culture. And he wants you to join him in his mission. So how can you extend his gracious invitation to the people around you, especially to those who are different from you? Is it through hospitality? Intercession? Opening the path to reconciliation? The overwhelming grace of the Lord Jesus continues to flow outward, so give away the gift that you have been given! “Lord, pour out your saving grace to all people everywhere!” Psalm 96:1-3, 10 John 15:9-11 Reflections with Brother Adrian: Audio of 2 Cents From today's Holy Gospel: "..“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.” .. ” From Roberto Juarez: "This Gospel unites three realities: love, obedience and joy. They are not separate. When we live in the love of Christ, when we respond faithfully... A joy appears that the world cannot give. This challenges us: is my faith joyful? Do I live from the love of God? Or is my relationship with God just an obligation? Christianity is not a heavy burden. It's a life full of meaning... and of deep joy. Today the Lord invites us to recognize that we are loved by God, to abide in that love, and to live joyfully. Let us ask that we do not live a sad faith, that we do not remain superficial, and that we learn to live from the love of Jesus of Nazareth. So that our life has a different joy... a joy that is not extinguished, because it is born of knowing that we are loved by God." end quote. In our Grow In Your Faith bible study, as we've called it with our priest's permission...there was some questions to quarrel with: 1. What is the relationship between love and obedience? 2. Which of these promises concerning love and obedience is most important to you? 1. What is the relationship between love and obedience? 2. Which of these promises concerning love and obedience is most important to you? Keep in mind, these questions we do are studying the Sunday Mass readings, which if covered in 3 years, covers most of the Holy Bible. Do you want our answers to the questions? Why should we do all the work for you! LOL. Is there really a relation between love and obedience? The second question asks a subjective answer question. You have to decide for yourself which is most important. All I could say, is you know I've been listening to nearly 20 volumes on "The Book of Heaven", which I do not suggest for the faint of heart and faith. There is much suffering going on, and so much joy at the same time? How can that be? Yet, our Lord dares to say "“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.” What kind of crazy person suffers and has joy in and through suffering? Only a person crazy in love. And God is love. So, only a person crazy in God. You know, the kind. The kind that just sticks out, like a sore thumb, like... a light in the dark! Lord help us be crazy in love with Thee TOO! Click for Audio Random Bible Verse 1 Psalm 32:8 " I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you." Word of the Lord! If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com God Bless You! Peace Going4th For questions or comments contact Adrian@going4th.com. For more go to www.Going4th.com ©2026 Going4th | Andrews TX Preferences   Subscribe   Forward   Unsubscribe     Powered by GoDaddy Email Marketing ®