A Community of Faith We are members of the Church. As such, through the Eucharist, our lives are united to Christ and his offering. The sacrifice of Christ made present on the altar enables all Christians to join themselves to his offering. So, each one of us helps Mother Church to make her sacrifice. We jointly offer our praise, our sufferings, our prayers, and our work together as a community of faith. And through the sacramental mystery, these little offerings of ours are joined to the one supreme offering of Jesus: his death on the cross. —from The Church Is Our Mother: Seven Ways She Inspires Us to Love
franciscan media | ✞Quote
"Heaven is filled with converted sinners of all kinds, and there is room for more."
— St. Joseph Cafasso ✞ MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"The reason why the soul not only travels securely when in obscurity, but also makes greater progress, is this: In general the soul makes greater progress in the spiritual life when it least thinks so, yea, when it rather imagines that it is losing everything ...There is another reason also why the soul has traveled safely in this obscurity; it has suffered: for the way of suffering is safer, and also more profitable, than that of rejoicing and of action. In suffering God gives strength, but in action and in joy the soul does but show its own weakness and imperfections. And in suffering, the soul practices and acquires virtue, and becomes pure, wiser, and more cautious."
— St. John of the Cross, p.149
AN EXCERPT FROM
Dark Night of the Soul ✞ VERSE OF THE DAY
"O Lord, you will ordain peace for us, for indeed, all that we have done, you have done for us."
Isaiah 26:12 |  click to read more | | SAINT OF THE DAY ST. MATTHIAS THE APOSTLE St. Matthias the Apostle (1st c.) followed Jesus during his entire earthly ministry and was one of his 72 disciples. Matthias was chosen by the 11 Apostles to replace Judas Iscariot after his betrayal of Christ and subsequent suicide. After Christ's Ascension into heaven, St. Matthias devoted himself to preaching Christianity among the pagans, some of them barbarians and cannibals, all over Judea, Cappadocia, and Ethiopia for over 30 years. Many miracles are ascribed to him as the pagans sought to kill him: that he was unharmed after being forced to drink poison, that he once hid by becoming invisible, and that the earth opened up and swallowed his attackers. St. Matthias also preached the need for mortification of the flesh as an aid to growth in holiness. Eventually, at God's appointed time, he was martyred for the cause of Christ, though there are conflicting traditions as to exactly where and how. St. Matthias is the patron saint of carpenters, tailors, and reformed alcoholics. His feast day is May 14th. | Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle Reading 1 Acts 1:15-17, 20-26 Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and sisters
(there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons
in the one place).
He said, "My brothers and sisters,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand
through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,
who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.
Judas was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry.
For it is written in the Book of Psalms: Let his encampment become desolate,
and may no one dwell in it.
and:
May another 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."
So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas,
who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
Then they prayed,
"You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place."
Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias,
and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles. Responsorial Psalm Ps 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
R. (8) The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high
and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor
To seat them with princes,
with the princes of his own people.
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia See Jn 15:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I chose you from the world,
to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 15:9-17 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.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one's life for one's friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another."
| Meditation: John 15:9-17 Saint Matthias, Apostle (Feast) It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you. (John 15:16) Matthias must have felt doubly chosen by God. Being among the followers of Jesus who had been with him from the start, he likely heard the Lord say, "Come follow me." Then he was chosen to replace Judas as one of the Twelve. How did that second calling come about? By casting lots—in other words, what some might call chance. The apostles used this random method for two reasons. First, because they couldn't choose between two equally qualified candidates: Matthias and Joseph Barsabbas. And second, to make sure that the decision would be God's and not theirs. But Matthias' calling didn't start with a roll of the dice. It didn't even start with Jesus' initial call to him. Matthias was chosen "before the foundation of the world" (Ephesians 1:4). God had chosen Matthias before he was even conceived! That choice guided this man every day before he first met Jesus, and it continued to define his life every day thereafter. You could say that God was choosing Matthias day after day, shaping him and leading him—even when Matthias didn't realize it. You can probably guess where we are going with this. God has chosen each of us in the same way. He has chosen you. He had you in mind before you were born. He knew what your gifts and talents, strengths and challenges would be, and he shaped a plan for you that would lead you to his heavenly throne. Every day, he continues to choose you with the same love that he had from the beginning. This doesn't mean your life will always be free of conflict. But it does mean that no matter what you face today, God is still with you, choosing you. He is always choosing the best way for you. Even when you choose the exact opposite way, he "recalculates" your route so that you can find him and follow him. Take some time today to ponder the joy embedded in this truth. Day after day, he wants to be near you, to walk with you, to show you his love. "Jesus, I'm amazed that you choose me! Help me to follow you more closely today." Acts 1:15-17, 20-26
Psalm 113:1-8 | my2cents:
""You, Lord, who know the hearts of all..." began the prayer of our first Pope Saint Peter the Apostle. He and all, the Holy Spirit declared that the chair of this bishop, should be replaced with a new body, for the other had deceased. And to this day, the seats are replaced with new bodies. Look at your local bishop, he too has been anointed/chosen by the Holy Spirit. Is he like Judas, or Matthias? Does God make mistakes? There are bishops that don't seem to live up to expectations, like Judas. But, all the others, like the 11 more, they live out the expectations. From the beginning, did God make a mistake with Eve? The serpent? Darkness was created, even demons. Was this a mistake? This is what atheists declare "if your god is so good, why is there evil in the world?", as if to say "I know better", and this rightly was the fall of Lucifer, the prince of lights from Heaven. We don't know better. Scripture had to be fulfilled. God created things we will never see in this world. But many, we will see, and things in Heaven we don't see, but we do get a hint and glimpses. And it begins with the chosen, and the heart. "He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill he lifts up the poor
To seat them with princes, with the princes of his own people. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people." They say our Lord was born in a stable, a manger, a place with animals, among the dung even, that's where we had room for Him in our lives. Everything and everyone else had filled the space of the heart, and so the Lord is the forgotten one, "oh yeah, you can sleep over there" and point to the place with the animals. And so our Mother Mary, in pain, knowing it was time, said yes to that too. Joseph made a spot to lay her and a spot to lay the coming of the Lord. She lay on the hay, and our Lord in the feeding trough. From here, God would feed the world. From this darkness He would bring light. From this poverty He would rule the world. This is why He has created what He has created. Our Lord says ""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" and He said something super important right after "just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love." He says to keep His commandments, but to keep them just like Him! WHoa! Tall order again. But He goes on "This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." Another Tall Order. Yeah, sure we love on another, BUT He says to love "as I LOVE YOU". We must love like Jesus loves, nothing less. Away with your false love, your false smiles, be true, be poor, be humus, dirt poor, all the meaning of humility, the kind that forgets self and lays their life for their friend....Jesus. How? Easy. Apply yourself to Church, the family of God. Apply God's love and it will soothe the ailing world. There is no other god in existence that says the following words "I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends". Jesus is what? Jesus is who? A nice man? A teacher? A prophet? A saint? Some might say "he is the son of God". Those answers are answers from strangers, those who do not know God truly. They are answers from atheists, Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Very few will say "He is my friend". Fewer yet will say "He is my Best Friend". And even more rare we'd here "He is Everything to me".
If He is everything to you, it means your world revolves around the Son, the giver of light and life. It means your day starts with Him, your day involves Him at every moment, and at the end of day, you end in conversation with Him again. Your week is filled with Him, your seasons, your weekends, your family is filled with him, and your friends? Not yet? Lay your life. It is no longer you to live but Christ for them. They must see Christ. They must not see you anymore. They must see light. They must see love in action. When someone asks for something, then do it, for the love of God, for the good of the Kingdom, our family in Heaven. The generous are lavishers of love, and it seems those who have the least give the most. I can't give some poor family members any money without them giving it all away within a few seconds it seems! I'm trying to help YOU! LOL. But they know how to lay their lives better...its not about them. Not at all. I can't teach them to be stingy. But they can teach me to be generous, if I am open to it. A generous soul is a loving soul.
"It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain". We are humus, dirt, but God has given life in this material, to bear fruit. We have been given water for our dirt, baptism, and light for spiritual photosynthesis, the light of the Holy Spirit through fire, confirmation. We are appointed to go. Missioners. These fruits, who will collect? Our bearing is our sacrificial thanksgiving, and those collecting are in the world eating of your sacrifice. Be tapped into the everlasting waters to give everlasting fruit. And you know what that fruit tastes like? Love.
"This I command you: love one another."
You are to love me, and I am to love you in the name of Jesus Christ. Bear it. And bear fruit ! | |
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