| Safe in God's Hands Nothing and no one can take us from the hands of Jesus, because nothing and no one can overcome his love. Jesus's love is invinci | | Safe in God's Hands Nothing and no one can take us from the hands of Jesus, because nothing and no one can overcome his love. Jesus's love is invincible. The evil one, the great enemy of God and of his creatures, attempts in many ways to take eternal life from us. But the evil one can do nothing if we ourselves do not open the doors of our hearts to him, by following his deceitful enticements. The Virgin Mary heard and obediently followed the voice of the Good Shepherd. May she help us to welcome with joy Jesus's invitation to become his disciples, and to always live in the certainty of being in the paternal hands of the Father. –from the book Mother Mary: Inspiring Words from Pope Francis |
✞ "We are placed in our different ranks and stations, not to get what we can out of them for ourselves, but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has worked, we too have but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has His work, we too have ours; as He rejoiced to do his work, we must rejoice in ours also."
— St. John Neumann ✞ MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"When he was younger, St. Martin of Tours dedicated himself to military service. When he heard the call of Christ, he realized that his call was to fight a spiritual battle. His armor and weapons were vitrue and a life guided by the Spirit of God. Do I consider my spiritual life to be a type of battle against the forces of evil?"
— Rev. Jude Winkler, OFM, p.164
AN EXCERPT FROM
Daily Meditations with the Holy Spirit ✝ VERSE OF THE DAY
"Indeed, you are my lamp, O Lord, the Lord lightens my darkness. By you I can crush a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. This God—his way is perfect; the promise of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all who take refuge in him."
2 Samuel 22:29-31 |
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Saint Joan of Arc Saint of the Day for May 30 (? January 6, 1412 – May 30, 1431) Burned at the stake as a heretic after a politically-motivated trial, Joan was beatified in 1909 and canonized in 1920. Born of a fairly well-to-do peasant couple in Domremy-Greux southeast of Paris, Joan was only 12 when she experienced a vision and heard voices that she later identified as Saints Michael the Archangel, Catherine of Alexandria, and Margaret of Antioch. During the Hundred Years War, Joan led French troops against the English and recaptured the cities of Orléans and Troyes. This enabled Charles VII to be crowned as king in Reims in 1429. Captured near Compiegne the following year, Joan was sold to the English and placed on trial for heresy and witchcraft. Professors at the University of Paris supported Bishop Pierre Cauchon of Beauvis, the judge at her trial; Cardinal Henry Beaufort of Winchester, England, participated in the questioning of Joan in prison. In the end, she was condemned for wearing men's clothes. The English resented France's military success–to which Joan contributed. On this day in 1431, Joan was burned at the stake in Rouen, and her ashes were scattered in the Seine River. A second Church trial 25 years later nullified the earlier verdict, which was reached under political pressure. Remembered by most people for her military exploits, Joan had a great love for the sacraments, which strengthened her compassion toward the poor. Popular devotion to her increased greatly in 19th-century France and later among French soldiers during World War I. Theologian George Tavard writes that her life "offers a perfect example of the conjunction of contemplation and action" because her spiritual insight is that there should be a "unity of heaven and earth." Joan of Arc has been the subject of many books, plays, operas and movies. Reflection "Joan of Arc is like a shooting star across the landscape of French and English history, amid the stories of the Church's saints and into our consciousness. Women identify with her; men admire her courage. She challenges us in fundamental ways. Despite the fact that more than 500 years have passed since she lived, her issues of mysticism, calling, identity, trust and betrayal, conflict and focus are our issues still." (Joan of Arc: God's Warrior, by Barbara Beckwith) Saint Joan of Arc is the Patron Saint of: France Military Members |
Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Lectionary: 298 Reading 1 Acts 20:17-27 From Miletus Paul had the presbyters
of the Church at Ephesus summoned.
When they came to him, he addressed them,
"You know how I lived among you
the whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia.
I served the Lord with all humility
and with the tears and trials that came to me
because of the plots of the Jews,
and I did not at all shrink from telling you
what was for your benefit,
or from teaching you in public or in your homes.
I earnestly bore witness for both Jews and Greeks
to repentance before God and to faith in our Lord Jesus.
But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem.
What will happen to me there I do not know,
except that in one city after another
the Holy Spirit has been warning me
that imprisonment and hardships await me.
Yet I consider life of no importance to me,
if only I may finish my course
and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus,
to bear witness to the Gospel of God's grace. "But now I know that none of you
to whom I preached the kingdom during my travels
will ever see my face again.
And so I solemnly declare to you this day
that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you,
for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God." Responsorial Psalm Ps 68:10-11, 20-21
R. (33a) Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance;
you restored the land when it languished;
Your flock settled in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed day by day be the Lord,
who bears our burdens; God, who is our salvation.
God is a saving God for us;
the LORD, my Lord, controls the passageways of death.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 14:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I will ask the Father
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you always.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 17:1-11a Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said,
"Father, the hour has come.
Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you,
just as you gave him authority over all people,
so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.
Now this is eternal life,
that they should know you, the only true God,
and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
I glorified you on earth
by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.
Now glorify me, Father, with you,
with the glory that I had with you before the world began. "I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world.
They belonged to you, and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,
because the words you gave to me I have given to them,
and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you,
and they have believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me,
because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours
and everything of yours is mine,
and I have been glorified in them.
And now I will no longer be in the world,
but they are in the world, while I am coming to you." |
Catholic Meditations Meditation: John 17:1-11 7th Week of Easter Father, the hour has come. (John 17:1) If you find Jesus' prayer here difficult to understand at first, don't be surprised. After all, it's an exchange between two divine persons! The language of love between humans is hard enough to grasp at times, so it makes sense that we would have to read this expression of divine love slowly and carefully. Jesus' first thoughts are for his Father. While he was on earth, he sought to obey him in every way possible and so "vindicate" his Father's righteousness and goodness. We see this also when we look at the glory Jesus asks for himself—only to be with his Father. He doesn't ask for a great throne or for the unending worship of all peoples. He simply wants to be with his Father. Jesus' prayer doesn't remain focused on his Father. The love between them spills over into his love for his disciples. Imagine all the pressure he must have been feeling. He knew that the weight of all sin was about to be placed upon him. He knew that the devil was about to batter him with unspeakable hatred and temptation. He knew that all it took was one slip, one little sin, and all could be lost. But what was Jesus concerned about? His Father's plan. His disciples. Each of us. Now that's love! We know how this story ends. Jesus triumphs! By dying as an act of obedience to God's plan, he both glorified his Father and redeemed us from sin. Love carried the day. This is the love that Jesus offers us every day: a love strong enough to repel every temptation, heal every wound, and repair every broken relationship. It is a love that doesn't discriminate and never grows tired or jaded. It's a love that we are meant to experience, not just learn about. Let Jesus shower that love on you as you pray today. Then throughout the day, look for signs that his love is still out there. He never stops caring for his people! "Lord, I marvel at the love that you have for me and for your Father. Help me to open my arms ever wider to receive all that you have for me." Acts 20:17-27
Psalm 68:10-11, 20-21 |
my2cents:
"...compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem", truly the Holy Spirit had come into the life of Saint Paul. He let Himself be moved and guided by Jesus our Lord. Something so powerful, that he would proclaim the Word even where it was not welcome. It is this kind of power we shall seek in the Holy Spirit. We prayed today "Blessed day by day be the Lord, who bears our burdens; God, who is our salvation. God is a saving God for us;
the LORD, my Lord, controls the passageways of death." And the controlling Lord is an anchor to the soul, and we need this anchor in the storm of life, do not be moved, do not be wrecked, simply be anchored with our Lord. The other day I heard of treasure hunters, they found an anchor and saw that it had broke at the circle that ties to the boat. I want you now to consider your faith. Our tie to that anchor. How strong is it? Is it strong enough to break through walls that are built up around your life? What if I told you those walls you build in relationships are confining, and are like building a coffin? Jesus says "I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me". What kind of testimony is this? I thought He came to save the world?
Yeah! YOURS! As if the world has not heard about Jesus? Most have denied Him. The simple act of not going to Mass on Sunday is a denial. A denial of what is right. Right to righteousness...Glory to God. Our Lord says to Our Father: "I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do". The work He gave us to do.
We only have one life. Is it yours? Or is it for Him?
Let us pray to the Holy Spirit... |
adrian get Novena reminders at http://www.praymorenovenas.com/novenas/ Novena to the Holy Spirit Day 6 Faithfulness Let us bow down in humility at the power and grandeur of the Holy Spirit. Let us worship the Holy Trinity and give glory today to the Paraclete, our Advocate. Oh Holy Spirit, by Your power, Christ was raised from the dead to save us all. By Your grace, miracles are performed in Jesus' name. By Your love, we are protected from evil. And so, we ask with humility and a beggar's heart for Your gift of Faithfulness within us. You, oh Lord, are ever faithful. You are faithful until the end. Though we are weak and distracted, please give us the grace to be faithful to You as you are to us! Amen. Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord, Amen. Find the Original Here: http://www.praymorenovenas.com/novena-to-the-holy-spirit/#ixzz4iTeUKtPU |
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