 clickable | | Jesus Is Constant At this time in history, you and I now are present. We, like the apostles, are unreliable and weak and afraid. We are inconstant in our devotion to our Lord. We deny him, we betray him. But Jesus is I Am. He is constant. Jesus sits in the center of our hearts with arms outstretched. He died on the cross out of love for us. He is continually with us, welcoming us, and looking at us with his loving, tender gaze, just as he looked at Peter. What he did at table, he continues to do with all our varied and challenged humanity, a variety of personalities that is forever and continually represented in every church, in every upper room, throughout our entire world. —from Meeting God in the Upper Room: Three Moments to Change Your Life by Monsignor Peter Vaghi |  clickable: The Following is from MorningOffering | †Saint Quote
"Know that the greatest service that man can offer to God is to help convert souls."
— St. Rose of Lima † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"The soul, however, cannot be perfectly purified from these imperfections, any more than from the others, until God shall have led it into the passive purgation of the dark night, of which I shall speak immediately. But it is expedient that the soul, so far as it can, should labor, on its own part, to purify and perfect itself, that it may merit from God to be taken under His divine care, and be healed from those imperfections which of itself it cannot remedy. For, after all the efforts of the soul, it cannot by any exertions of its own actively purify itself so as to be in the slightest degree fit for the divine union of perfection in the love of God, if God Himself does not take it into His own hands and purify it in the fire, dark to the soul."
— St. John of the Cross, p.14
AN EXCERPT FROM
Dark Night of the Soul † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven."
Matthew 10:32-33 |  click to read more | | Saint Adalbert of Prague's Story Opposition to the Good News of Jesus did not discourage Adalbert, who is now remembered with great honor in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Germany. Born to a noble family in Bohemia, he received part of his education from Saint Adalbert of Magdeburg. At the age of 27, he was chosen as bishop of Prague. Those who resisted his program of clerical reform forced him into exile eight years later. In time, the people of Prague requested his return as their bishop. Within a short time, however, he was exiled again after excommunicating those who violated the right of sanctuary by dragging a woman accused of adultery from a church and murdering her. After a short ministry in Hungary, he went to preach the Good News to people living near the Baltic Sea. He and two companions were martyred by pagan priests in that region. Adalbert's body was immediately ransomed and buried in the Gniezno, Poland, cathedral. In the mid-11th century his relics were moved to Saint Vitus Cathedral in Prague. His Liturgical Feast day is April 23.
Reflection Preaching the Good News can be dangerous work whether the audience is already baptized or not. Adalbert fearlessly preached Jesus' gospel and received a martyr's crown for his efforts. Similar zeal has created modern martyrs in many places, especially in Central and South America. Some of those martyrs grew up in areas once evangelized by Adalbert. | Monday in the Octave of Easter Reading 1 Acts 2:14, 22-33 On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the Eleven,
raised his voice, and proclaimed:
"You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem.
Let this be known to you, and listen to my words. "You who are children of Israel, hear these words.
Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God
with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs,
which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.
This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God,
you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.
But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death,
because it was impossible for him to be held by it.
For David says of him: I saw the Lord ever before me,
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted;
my flesh, too, will dwell in hope,
because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence. My brothers, one can confidently say to you
about the patriarch David that he died and was buried,
and his tomb is in our midst to this day.
But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him
that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,
he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ,
that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld
nor did his flesh see corruption.
God raised this Jesus;
of this we are all witnesses.
Exalted at the right hand of God,
he poured forth the promise of the Holy Spirit
that he received from the Father, as you both see and hear." Responsorial Psalm Ps 16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11 R. (1) Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, "My Lord are you."
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
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 Mt 28:8-15 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce the news to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me." While they were going, some of the guard went into the city
and told the chief priests all that had happened.
The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel;
then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
telling them, "You are to say,
'His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.'
And if this gets to the ears of the governor,
we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble."
The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.
And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.
| From WAU:
On this day when we celebrate Jesus' triumph over death, we are also saddened by the news of the church bombings in Sri Lanka. May the angels escort all the victims to the throne room of the Lord, and may the Holy Spirit give comfort and solace to all the victims' loved ones. For all those affected by this tragedy, today's second reading has taken on a new meaning: "You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory" (Colossians 3:3). May we all keep our eyes fixed on the risen Lord today. May we set our hearts on the promise of eternal glory that he has made possible by his resurrection.
Catholic Meditations
Meditation: Acts 2:14, 22-33 Monday within the Octave of Easter The patriarch David . . . foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ. (Acts 2:29, 31) Think about a priest giving a homily about the resurrection of Christ. You would likely expect him to talk about the empty tomb and the victory Jesus won over sin. But in today's reading, Peter talks about something different. He says the resurrection proves that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. Why? Put yourself back into first-century Palestine. God had promised to send his anointed one (which is what the words "messiah" and "Christ" mean). He would establish an eternal kingdom, so the Israelites were longing for this Messiah. Because they were suffering under Roman domination, they expected the Messiah to liberate them from Rome and restore them to the glory of Solomon's kingdom. That's why Peter was so excited to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah. God's promises had been fulfilled. Jesus is God's Holy One who was not abandoned to the netherworld. He is the everlasting king that David spoke about. But to their surprise, he did not come as an earthly king who would rescue God's people from a particular problem they were having. He came to save them from the problem, the source of all oppression and suffering. He came to save them—and everyone—from sin. And he did that by dying to sin on the cross and by opening heaven to them in his resurrection. You probably didn't grow up longing for a messiah in the same way the ancient Israelites did. But still, your longings might be similar. Maybe you are looking for Jesus to solve a problem for you or to deliver you from a particularly difficult situation. Maybe somewhere deep down, you believe that following him should give you health and prosperity. Just as he did back then, Jesus wants to upend your expectations now. He wants to release you from sin so that you are freer to love. He wants to restore you to your Father in heaven so that you can live in confidence, no matter your situation. He wants to help you overcome whatever drags you down so that you can be filled with his joy and peace. Let Jesus do this for you, and you'll know a freedom that far surpasses anything this world can offer. "Come, Lord Jesus, and give us your freedom!" Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11
Matthew 28:8-15 |  clickable | The Old Testament tells of Samson, how one night he lifted the gates of the city of Gaza from their hinges and carried them off. So, in the night when he was forsaken by God, Jesus unhinged the far more heavily bolted gates of our perdition and, on Easter morning, set us free to walk down the path into God's broad landscape.
—Fr. Hans Urs von Balthasar
from You Crown the Year with Your Goodness |  clickable go see food for poor | | 2cents: "I saw the Lord ever before me, with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted...".
Already we are focusing on what will happen after celebrating 50 days of Easter. Our hearts will be ignited with a fire from above, just as Jesus desired. And that fire within has been enkindled. The kindling has been given at baptism, that ability to abide and live with Him forever. To participate in the real life after this life. Lord help us be what Jesus wanted. | Let us pray: "Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices, my body, too, abides in confidence; Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world, nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope." There are a few bodies that remain incorrupt, defying the laws of science, just like St. Juan Diego's tilma, or the Eucharist that turns into flesh. The Word becomes flesh indeed. And then He says "Jesus therefore said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves." And the life of Christ should now be implanted in our hearts after having suffered with Him through this Lent, a very sign of how it is in our earthly life going to eternal life. My lent was very busy, inexplicably busy. Life passes by in a flash. Would our Lord pass you by in a flash? Be aware. Be caught in prayer, just like the 200 poor souls bombed this Easter weekend. That is how we are to be caught up with our Lord. It is a clear message to the world. Evil is ready to kill, you, your joy, your faith, your connection with our Lord. How do we kill joy in our homes and communities? Simply disconnect from God. Simply leave His side. Atheists want the courts to get rid of prayer, and institute their own invocations. That is to push out God and put ourselves in His place. It doesn't jive does it? We have feeble minds. We were not created to be the Creator, but to honor, serve, and love our Creator. I find great joy in serving Him. Some people you serve are "bad customers", but your job is not to oust them, but to serve them to the best of your abilities. Your job is to save wretches. Your job is to reach over enemy lines. Your job is to forgive to the point of bloodshed. Have we not learned a lesson from the cross? Jesus always spoke of His Father. Our Father. The news of the resurrection must be spread. Why? Because it has to do with your very resurrection...for we are the body of Christ in the world.
During lent, I visited with my spiritual director. He too confirmed that when we preach, we are preaching for our own sake, not so much for others, for it is on them after you preach.
Now, the word is on us. Jesus left us.
He left us His Body. Soul. And Divinity.
And as if that were not enough...Pentecost is soon to come, in the heat of the day, He will infuse His Holy Spirit in us.... |  click to hear the bible verse | adrian Random Bible Verse1
Proverbs 20:3 (Listen) 3 It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife,
but every fool will be quarreling. Thank You Jesus | |
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