| Minute Meditations
St. Cristóbal Magallanes and Companions Like Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, S.J., Cristóbal and his 24 companion martyrs lived under a very anti-Catholic government in Mexico, one determined to weaken the Catholic faith of its people. Churches, schools and seminaries were closed; foreign clergy were expelled. Cristóbal established a clandestine seminary at Totatiche, Jalisco. Magallanes and the other priests were forced to minister secretly to Catholics during the presidency of Plutarco Calles (1924-28). These martyrs did not die as a single group but in eight Mexican states, with Jalisco and Zacatecas having the largest number. They were beatified in 1992 and canonized eight years later. Dear Jesus, today I call on you in a special way. Lord, may I never take the gift Where do I sense hope, encouragement, and growth areas in my life? By looking back over the last few months, I may be able to see which activities and occasions have produced rich fruit. Wishing to determine the truth R. (1) Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying: Begin to talk to Jesus about the piece of scripture you have just read. What part of it strikes a chord in you? Perhaps the words of a friend - or some story you have heard recently - will slowly rise to the surface of your consciousness. If so, does the story throw light on what the scripture passage may be trying to say to you? I thank God for these few moments we have spent alone together and for any insights I may have been given concerning the text.
Saint Christopher Magallanes, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs ... that they may all be one. (John 17:21)
Is it possible, Lord? You prayed that your people would be one in the same way that you and the Father are one. It seems too good to be true! I see so many people who call on your name and yet are at odds with one another. But it's not just other people. There are times when I catch myself holding onto past grudges or feeling superior to my brothers and sisters from other traditions. Lord, I know that you deeply desire that all your children be united. It's what you prayed for on the night before you died, so it must be one of the deepest longings of your heart. And if you prayed for unity, then it must be possible. It must be capable of going beyond what I can see with my eyes. You want so much more for us, Lord: more than just tolerating one another or trying to pretend our differences aren't there, more than an uneasy truce or a compromise of our disagreements. You want to bind our hearts together, to knit us into one body with you as our head. Thank you, Lord, that you have provided the way! As you live in all of us, we can be "brought to perfection as one" (John 17:23). It is your life in us that overcomes disunity. So instead of looking at others or myself, I need to look to you, draw near to you, unite myself more fully to you. As I grow closer to you, I will grow closer to my brothers and sisters. As we all seek you with sincerity, we will find ourselves on a path toward you that will bring us nearer to each other as well. It's like a divine triangle with you at the top! I know that we will be fully united with each other only when we are with you in heaven. But I also know that this heavenly promise is available to us more and more as we pursue unity here on earth. So please, Lord, help us all break down walls of division. Lord, make us one! "Praise to you, Lord Jesus! You have made true unity possible. Help me to embrace your vision and dream so that we can become one in you!"
Acts 22:30; 23:6-11; Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11
Allow me to translate today's 5 minutos: "Who like Paul, risks it all to be a witness of the Lord whom he serves who ought to know clearly the ways to run for Him are seeded with difficulties and thorns. What each one of us does not recognize is what will be the concrete accumulation of adversities that will put our faith to the test, our confidence, our fortitude. That's why, like Paul, we are to be very prepared and open to the Spirit and the circumstances we are involved in. The itenerary of Paul could not be more complicated. Our Christian life and evangelizing, will always give itself in the context of the world in which we were chosen to live, and the one we serve. We do not have another form to show or second the truth, justice and love which we profess...."I'm no good for anything any more" said an elderly lady to her Parish Priest, she continued "The Lord is lengthening my life; but I don't know what for, I can't do any good" - 'You are doing much good' he said to her. 'For you help me every Sunday preach my sermon'. "How?" she interrupts. 'In the first place -I declare every time you are sitting in the first place in the church, that helps me. In second place, you are very attentive to me looking at my face; and that helps me too. In third place, I see at times tears roll down your cheeks, and that helps me more than anything..." Ask in your prayer how you can give testimony/witness of Him today, in the daily, and with what you have. " St. Paul was granted God's love and he was constantly in trouble...for the Lord. But this is joy for a saint. Sadly, the inverse is happening, people are suffering...but not for the Lord, and so the pain must be agonizing. I overheard a conversation that a young man shot himself in the heart after arguing with his wife a day or so ago. To what extreme does the heart go to commit such an atrocity...that of murder..of self? Because let's call it what it is, murder, killing, be it yourself or anyone else. And here comes the softies "oh Adrian you don't know what was going through their brain and chemicals and hormones, don't you judge them". Satan, get behind me! Because what I sense is a dark spirit of death looming, already snatching two in a week in my little home town. And so at the moment, you may feel like, "what am I good for?" like the little old woman said. Let's look to the HOLY Gospel: Our Lord's words end today with "Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them." Our Lord prays that we may be with Him as He is with us. He will not force Himself on you. Such gentleness that we do not appreciate. I heard on EWTN radio one speaking of our Blessed Mother on how she approached St. Bernadette of Our Lady of Lourdes, and she asks the little girl "would you do me the favor of meeting me here in two weeks". Such gentleness. Heaven is gentle, and the world is vicious. I want you to be Heaven my child. There is no screaming to take over, there is no anger that will force you. In my life, I've had to win by getting beat up, and no better place than when found working for the Lord. That is why the Mexicans in the Cristero movement lost their lives...for being one with their priest...the person of Christ on earth. It wasn't the peasants in the fields that got hung, it was the priests and those found with them that got hung on telephone poles, in a mock crucifixion. The government was taken over by the darkness of death, a dark spirit used by the devil. It is very interesting then, how you will be found when death is presented to you. I present to you what the Lord prays today...that we may be found ONE with HIM  adrian
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