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| The Meaning of Everything |  | | Not only is love everything, but everything is love. Love is the soul of everything valuable. The most precious gift in the world given without love is worthless; the cheapest gift in the world given with love is priceless.... Everything valuable is made of love. Your very existence is God's love of you. Love is the meaning of life and the meaning of religion and the meaning of everything. —Peter Kreeft | | |
St. Matthias
 According to Acts 1:15-26, during the days after the Ascension, Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers (about 120 of Jesus' followers). Now that Judas had betrayed his ministry, it was necessary, Peter said, to fulfill the scriptural recommendation that another should take his office. "Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men who accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus came and went among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which he was taken up from us, become with us a witness to his resurrection" (Acts 1:21-22).
They nominated two men: Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias. They prayed and drew lots. The choice fell upon Matthias, who was added to the Eleven. Matthias is not mentioned by name anywhere else in the New Testament.
Jesus speaks of the apostles' function of being judges, that is, rulers. He said, "Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matthew 19:28).
 Saint of the DayLives, Lessons and FeastBy Leonard Foley, O.F.M.; revised by Pat McCloskey, O.F.M.
Daily Prayer - 2015-05-14 Presence "Come to me all you who are burdened
and I will give you rest"
Here I am, Lord.
I come to seek your presence.
I long for your healing power. Freedom If God were trying to tell me something, would I know? If God were reassuring me or challenging me, would I notice? I ask for the grace to be free of my own preoccupations and open to what God may be saying to me. Consciousness Knowing that God loves me unconditionally, I can afford to be honest about how I am. How has the last day been, and how do I feel now?
I share my feelings openly with the Lord. The Word of God Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord In the first book, Theophilus,
I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
until the day he was taken up,
after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit
to the apostles whom he had chosen.
He presented himself alive to them
by many proofs after he had suffered,
appearing to them during forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God.
While meeting with them,
he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,
but to wait for "the promise of the Father
about which you have heard me speak;
for John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
When they had gathered together they asked him,
"Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
He answered them, "It is not for you to know the times or seasons
that the Father has established by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth."
When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
They said, "Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?
This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven
will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven." R. (6) God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia. Brothers and sisters:
May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation
resulting in knowledge of him.
May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,
what are the riches of glory
in his inheritance among the holy ones,
and what is the surpassing greatness of his power
for us who believe,
in accord with the exercise of his great might,
which he worked in Christ,
raising him from the dead
and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,
far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion,
and every name that is named
not only in this age but also in the one to come.
And he put all things beneath his feet
and gave him as head over all things to the church,
which is his body,
the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way. Brothers and sisters,
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the spirit
through the bond of peace:
one body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.
But grace was given to each of us
according to the measure of Christ's gift.
Therefore, it says:
He ascended on high and took prisoners captive;
he gave gifts to men.
What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended
into the lower regions of the earth?
The one who descended is also the one who ascended
far above all the heavens,
that he might fill all things.
And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets,
others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,
to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,
for building up the body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature to manhood,
to the extent of the full stature of Christ. Brothers and sisters,
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the calling
you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace:
one body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your calling;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.
But grace was given to each of us
according to the measure of Christ's gift.
And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets,
others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,
to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,
for building up the body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature to manhood,
to the extent of the full stature of Christ. R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Go and teach all nations, says the Lord;
I am with you always, until the end of the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Jesus said to his disciples:
"Go into the whole world
and proclaim the gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;
whoever does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe:
in my name they will drive out demons,
they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents with their hands,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.
They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them,
was taken up into heaven
and took his seat at the right hand of God.
But they went forth and preached everywhere,
while the Lord worked with them
and confirmed the word through accompanying signs. Some thoughts on today's scripture - A person blind from birth cannot understand colour. A person who has never been loved can find love a baffling word. I feel I have an inkling of love's meaning, but how? Whose love was it that taught me the meaning of the word? What do I know about the sort of self-giving that is unearned, unquestioning, looking for no return?
- Lord, I have so much to learn from you about love.
Conversation How has God's Word moved me? Has it left me cold? Has it consoled me or moved me to act in a new way? I imagine Jesus standing or sitting beside me, I turn and share my feelings with
him. Conclusion Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.
The Ascension of the Lord or Saint Matthias, Apostle You, Lord, who know the hearts of all ... (Acts 1:24) Have you ever anguished over an important decision, wanting to follow God but unsure if you're making the right choice? Decision making can be especially challenging when several doors are open before us, and many of them seem good. How much easier it would be if God would simply text us a message or send us an e-mail telling us exactly what to do! The disciples were faced with just such a difficult decision regarding which of two well-qualified candidates should fill Judas' spot as the twelfth member of their group. To our modern minds, drawing lots—the method they decided upon—may seem illogical. Why leave such a crucial matter up to the luck of the draw? The disciples recognized that the matter transcended their natural wisdom. They didn't know the mind of God, so they prayed to the One "who knows the hearts of all" (Acts 1:24). Then they gave God room to act. They reasoned that God had already made the choice, and drawing lots would make it clear. Biblical scholar Maureen Duffy explained it this way: "They choose not to choose—or exclude. According to the practice of the time, they cast lots, for an outcome unbiased by human ignorance. Perhaps, in secular language, they leave the decision to chance. In their language of faith, they leave it to God." In our own lives, many situations are clear-cut with straightforward decisions. But what about those times when we're trying to choose between things that seem equally appealing, equally advantageous—or equally risky? First, ask yourself: "Does my choice conform to God's law? Will it bring me closer to Christ?" Then, rather than trying to control things yourself, seek the Lord for guidance and some sign of direction or confirmation. Give God a chance to show his hand! Even if you make a wrong decision, he'll find a way to bring good out of it. All he asks is that you try your best. Take a chance, and leave the rest up to the Lord. Isn't that a really faith-filled way to act? "Father, I trust you! Guide me in your truth, and teach me, for you are God my savior' (Psalm 25:5)." Psalm 113:1-8; John 15:9-17
my2cents:
I heard on EWTN radion this morning about a poem that said there are 3 Thursdays that shine brighter than the sun throughout the year...Holy Thursday, Ascension Thursday, and Corpus Christi. They are all Jesus. So "Happy Ascencion Day!". 40 days after the resurrection we celebrate the Lord's ascension into Heaven. Normally this is a Holy Day of Obligation, but for some reason, (to accomoadate the working masses for the Mass, it's been allowed to be celebrated this Sunday).
Last night we discussed for a while the last line of the reading from Ephesians which we read today, "And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature to manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ." It is a long sentence and the greatest part was spent talking about the last words "to mature to manhood" and there I said that I believe once we are in full grace with God we will understand what it means to be mature, because sinfulness is immaturity, pride is of an immature person and so forth. "To the extent of the full stature of Christ" we concluded that all things will be fulfilled in Heaven to the "full extent", yet He offers His extent in His body. And He offers to all a baptism, of water and one of fire. Oneness with Him, more and more. More of Him, more grace.
The Psalms praise God "God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy; the LORD, amid trumpet blasts. Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our king, sing praise." On earth He proved His maturity, taking the humblest of positions from birth to death, placed on a wooden food holder, total humility at birth, and placed on a wooden holder, tied to it, nailed to it, food now for the world to devour, all creatures.
In today's Holy Gospel, we read ""Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned." God doesn't condemn, we condemn ourselves by the choices we make, this is what we discussed last night too. For there were some strong pillars we learned in the retreat we lived, one was "Christ did not live" (as if to remain in the past) but "He Lives!". Another pillar, "God is crazy in love for us", and another, "si tu quieres" (if you want). And so the decision of salvation is up to us, death or life. God or no God. Jesus your everything or not. We discussed more on it last night, and I said "you can't do good and bad together, for they cancel each other out...that is why scripture has those going to Heaven and saying "Lord, Lord we cast out demons in your name and did this and that" and He will say "get away from me you EVIL DOERS". You see, the good was made in His name, but the evil? in whose name? In other words, we are mere instruments, what we are...is something else. We are called is what we are. To you this day, His offer is extended on the cross. To you this glorious day, the offer is offered from His throne. Why did the world offer a throne of a cross? So that God would offer a throne at His right side. You see, losing our life for Him is not losing. The world teaches you backwards, and God wants you to swim backwards in this backwards world. People are afraid, we are all afraid of losing something aren't we? Health? Jesus offered His healthy body. Money? Jesus had none and left the world with the riches it offered. Reputation? Jesus reputed the haughty 'know-it-alls" with truth...Love comes first...God comes first. And we could go on forever. But today, a cloud takes Him to Heaven, after appearing for 40 days to many people. He will come again! I said last night "when He comes again that's it! the end of the world! One comrade said "then it's ok if he takes His time coming back!" and all chuckled and laughed. But listen, he is afraid for Jesus to come back. I impore him to go to church, to get married by the church, that is why he is afraid. That is why people live afraid...sin makes you afraid. Holiness makes you brave...mature
And Jesus calls us to the full extent of maturity in a world of spoiled kids, thinking they deserve something for nothing, a huge miracle without a prayer or living a devout religious life. And God does provide, and we live as if it is not enough...or worse...do not believe!
Let us Ascend, rise with the Lord, rise from the dead having died already with Him in baptism...we can
 adrian
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