| "If you truly want to help the soul of your neighbor, you should approach God first with all your heart. Ask him simply to fill you with charity, the | | "If you truly want to help the soul of your neighbor, you should approach God first with all your heart. Ask him simply to fill you with charity, the greatest of all virtues; with it you can accomplish what you desire."
— St. Vincent Ferrer |
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Blessed Anaclete Gonzales Flores ▪ April, 01
Blessed Anaclete Gonzales Flores - April, 01 MP3 | RSS Saint of the Day Archive
Learn More As a law student during the time of the persecution in Mexico, Anaclete Gonzales felt he needed to challenge his godless professors and, so, organized the Catholic students in defense of the Church. He himself joined the Third Order of St. Francis. Believing in the power of the press, he founded a weekly newspaper called The Word, and was a regular contributor to other Catholic periodicals. He also started a second weekly called The Sword. The government tried on a number of occasions to silence him by jailing him. His efforts would then turn to evangelizing his fellow prisoners. Finally the government decided to make an example of Anaclete. Because he refused to reveal the whereabouts of the archbishop, he was hung up, whipped and pierced with daggers. Anaclete maintained his silence, but to one of his executioners said, "I have labored unselfishly to defend the cause of Christ and his Church. You will kill me: But know that the cause will not die with me. I go, but with the assurance that from heaven I shall behold the triumph of religion in my native country." Anaclete was run through with a bayonet and died from a volley of bullets. It was April 1, 1927. He left a young wife and two small sons. His funeral was cause for a great outpouring of faith among the people and loud cries of "Viva Cristo Rey!" (Long live Christ the King!), a powerful tribute to a lay Franciscan who lived and died for the kingdom. Read More |
Sacred Space
Daily Prayer - 2016-04-01 Presence God is with me, but more, God is within me.
Let me dwell for a moment on God's life-giving presence
in my body, in my mind, in my heart,
as I sit here, right now. Freedom I try to let go of concerns and worries
that may be dragging me down at this present moment.
I place any concerns I have in Gods hands
- at least for these few minutes of prayer. 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 Friday in the Octave of Easter Reading 1 Acts 4:1-12 After the crippled man had been cured,
while Peter and John were still speaking to the people,
the priests, the captain of the temple guard,
and the Sadducees confronted them,
disturbed that they were teaching the people
and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.
They laid hands on Peter and John
and put them in custody until the next day,
since it was already evening.
But many of those who heard the word came to believe
and the number of men grew to about five thousand. On the next day, their leaders, elders, and scribes
were assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest,
Caiaphas, John, Alexander,
and all who were of the high-priestly class.
They brought them into their presence and questioned them,
"By what power or by what name have you done this?"
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered them,
"Leaders of the people and elders:
If we are being examined today
about a good deed done to a cripple,
namely, by what means he was saved,
then all of you and all the people of Israel should know
that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean
whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead;
in his name this man stands before you healed.
He is the stone rejected by you, the builders,
which has become the cornerstone.
There is no salvation through anyone else,
nor is there any other name under heaven
given to the human race by which we are to be saved." Responsorial Psalm PS 118:1-2 and 4, 22-24, 25-27a R. (22) The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone. or: R. Alleluia. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
"His mercy endures forever."
Let those who fear the LORD say,
"His mercy endures forever." R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone. or: R. Alleluia. The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it. R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone. or: R. Alleluia. O LORD, grant salvation!
O LORD, grant prosperity!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD;
we bless you from the house of the LORD.
The LORD is God, and he has given us light. R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone. or: R. Alleluia. Alleluia Ps 118:24 R. Alleluia, alleluia. This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 21:1-14 Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee's sons, and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing."
They said to him, "We also will come with you."
So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?"
They answered him, "No."
So he said to them, "Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something."
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord."
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad,
and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat,
for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards,
dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore,
they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you just caught."
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore
full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, "Come, have breakfast."
And none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?"
because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
after being raised from the dead.
Some thoughts on today's scripture ▪ This intervention of Jesus suits Peter perfectly as a fisherman. Jesus knows what will catch Peter's attention and make him happy. He tried to catch my attention too. Am I open to be happily surprised by God today?
▪ Here I am at prayer right now: is it a dull event, or do I catch on to the fact that Jesus is saying to me, 'Come and have breakfast!'?
Conversation Sometimes I wonder what I might say if I were to meet you in person Lord.
I think I might say "Thank You Lord" for always being there for me.
I know with certainty there were times when you carried me, Lord.
When it was through your strength I got through the dark times in my life. 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. |
wau.org
Catholic Meditations Meditation: Acts 4:1-12 Friday within the Octave of Easter _By what power or by what name have you done this? (Acts 4:7) _ At a street fair, members of a youth group set up a booth inviting anyone in need to come and receive prayer. The young man they saw looking at their sign was hobbling on crutches. "Can we pray with you in the name of Jesus?" they asked. The young man's reply stunned them. "Who's Jesus?" The people briefly told him about Jesus and then prayed with him. Amazingly, he was healed, and he eagerly began sharing his healing with the people around him. The prayer team hoped and prayed that this fellow would want to get to know Jesus better, not because he had heard some facts about an interesting person, but because that Person had changed his life. Perhaps we seldom encounter people who have no idea who Jesus is, but we all know people who haven't had a personal experience of him—not to mention all those (including ourselves) whom the Lord wants to draw into a closer relationship with him. If these people can see Jesus' love in action through us, they'll get a glimpse of who he is—and that glimpse will make them want to find out more. The next time you are in a public place like a city street or a grocery store, look around you. Jesus loves every person you see there. Some are hurting; he longs to heal them. Some are sad; he longs to comfort them. Some are happy; he longs to celebrate with them. Some are seeing signs of hope; he longs to increase their confidence. Could you be the person who brings his touch to them? Try to make it a point every day to connect with at least one other person. "That's a lovely dress! Where did you get it?" "You look happy today! Isn't it wonderful to experience God's blessings?" Start a conversation, and see where it leads. Don't try to force a "godly" topic on someone, but at the same time, be open to the possibilities that come up. You never know how far the Lord will take you! "Lord, walk with me today. Give me your heart for the people around me. I want to help them come to know you a little better." Psalm 118:1-2, 4, 22-27
John 21:1-14 |
audio2cents my2cents:
The question asked by the inquisitors went like this ""By what power or by what name have you done this?" And the answer came down to one word, the WORD itself...Jesus. He doesn't leave His bodily life for no reason, it is to give us the power of the Holy Spirit to transform and catch fish (of men meaning mankind). It was to build the long lost Church, because if there was a temple, there was not a Holy Church, because man had taken its place. This was one of the points Mother Angelica made to a Cardinal that supposed in a letter that the congregation was more than the Sacrament, putting people ahead of God. No. What's first is foremost, Jesus, the cornerstone. From there you can build your temple, your life. This is how Jesus returns, to remind and empower, to the point of persecution to be able to say like today's Saint Amacleto Gonzales, "it is because of Jesus". For that we have died, for Him we shall live. This is why on my truck I have a custom decal that speaks my life motto in a sense which reads "He Died For Me, I'll Live For Him." I invite you to same. But don't tattoo it on yourself or your vehicle, but put it on the inside. This was the witness St. Peter gave when being handcuffed and questioned. This was the witness of today's saint before being stabbed, then shot dead. This is the witness being awaited from us, me and you.
The Psalms we pray today say "The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone." Jesus is rejected, by the builders of the people of God, but becomes the cornerstone, the most important beginning and the end of the Holy Temple of Himself. "By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes." I don't know why, but I guess it was as Mother Angelica described Heaven, it made an image of God so big, that we looked like a bug before His Huge golden face and eye as He pierces through anyone and anything with a mere look. What our eyes perceive is only a fraction of what is really there. We are extremely limited by our senses, because what is out there is much more, and He is more than that. And so we pray on "This is the day the LORD has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it."
In comes the joy of life into our life with the disciples, feeling at a loss on what to do next, and so St. Peter says "let's go fishing". He had the right sense, but aimed at the wrong fish. He knew he was supposed to fish, but He went to the fish instead of the men. To which Jesus appears as a reminder "I want you now to be fisher of men". Remember. And so, find out what this means. Fishing is varied, it is different in different types of waters. In a cursillo, we learn that you must learn your environment and adapt to it to be able to be successful for the Lord in salvation of souls. It is called "Study of The Environment". Mostly, you'll find out, you need the most important bait...Jesus. Without faith, we can not move mountains. Without faith, I can not tell a tree to uproot itself and plant itself in the sea. Yet, we find the sea with the disciples, still seeking the faith, what to do next. Isn't that the story of our lives, just drifting along kind of at a loss at times? Baffled, and strung out, even tired of fishing in the dark, yet, perseverance pays off. Someone must've given UP to the Lord and said "we need you" and He appears, the Son appears at daybreak, morning arises the new life, the new Word, the new promise the new Temple awaits. This new 'you' awaits. You must learn what it means to love God and Heaven and live it now, for the next life to be complete and full. Jesus feeds. Imagine, in Heaven, Jesus feeding? Can you imagine? No. We can not properly imagine. Because what awaits is total amazement. Because everything in Heaven is backwards of our world. The world values diamonds, rubies, and gold because they are so rare, yet, the streets of Heaven, the very dirt is worthless gold, and rubies. At our family business we sell dirt, and it is dirt cheap, maybe $3 dollars for a ton, sometimes a little more. Can you imagine what is practically worthless here, being priceless up there in Heaven? And I'm talking about souls. Those despised on earth are probably precious in heaven. This is why Mother Teresa found Jesus among the heaps of trash, among the poorest of the poor. She learned the environment and transformed it...took on the darkness to bring light. The Holy Scripture ends with "none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they realized it was the Lord." It is this realization that you have encountered the Lord that makes all the difference. I know it is what made all the difference in my life, especially in a cursillo. I realized what was there all along and remained hidden right in front of me. Jesus among His people and especially the Most Blessed Sacrament, the Holy Eucharist. I even told the hundreds at my closing "...I look to all of you and see Jesus". And truth is, nothing has changed, I still see Jesus, Him in: need, Him in: desiring love, Him in: the delight, Him in: the courage, Him in: the world among us. Because if one thing proved true, it is that the Disciples of Christ gathered courage that He was among them. He always encouraged them, His children. If God can do anything, He can appear to you on any given day as an encouragement to do His will. With this, I implore, Go out, and bring fish to Christ, for He awaits to consume with fire His fish, so they can be eaten and distributed like His own body was...in the Most Holy Eucharist |
your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian gonzales |
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