 clickable | | A Shared Delight in Salvation When Elizabeth and her babe recognize God present in Mary's womb and proclaim with wonder and joy the blessing that it is to them he has first come, when Mary can feel with certainty that now is the time and this is the moment and she will no longer be the only one to know it, what else is left to but proclaim her love of the Lord? Imagine Mary as she stands before Elizabeth in the quiet shadows of a simple home in Judea, John the Baptist squirming with the delight of salvation in his mother's womb, and Mary knowing the life in her own womb is who he said he would be, this song escaping from her lips: "My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, because he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant…and done great things for me, and holy is his name" (Luke 1:46–49). —from the book When We Were Eve: Uncovering the Woman God Created You to Be by Colleen Mitchell |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"Where there is no love, put love — and you will find love."
— St. John of the Cross † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"What words, can, alas, express the deep grief of the Blessed Virgin? Her eyes closed, a death-like tint overspread her countenance; unable to stand, she fell to the ground, but was soon lifted up, and supported by John, Magdalen, and the others. She looked once more upon her beloved Son—that Son whom she had conceived by the Holy Ghost, the flesh of her flesh, the bone of her bone, the heart of her heart—hanging on a cross between two thieves; crucified, dishonored, condemned by those whom He came on earth to save; and well might she at this moment be termed 'the Queen of Martyrs.'"
— Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich, p. 294
AN EXCERPT FROM
The Dolorous Passion ⛪ TODAY'S FEAST DAY⛪ FEAST OF THE VISITATION
The Feast of the Visitation celebrates the providential meeting of Mary and Elizabeth, when two of the Church's greatest prayers were first spoken. After being told by the Archangel Gabriel that she would give birth to the Son of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who was then pregnant with John the Baptist. In the presence of Jesus in the womb of the Blessed Virgin, Elizabeth exclaimed through the Holy Spirit, "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb!" Mary, overflowing with joy, responded with her Magnificat. † VERSE OF THE DAY
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life."
Ephesians 2:8-10 |  click to read more | | ST. PETRONILLE St. Petronille (1st c.), also known as Petronilla, was a virgin martyr of the early Church in Rome. According to tradition she was connected to St. Peter the Apostle; she may have been either his natural daughter, servant, convert (spiritual daughter), or co-laborer in the faith. It is also a tradition that St. Petronilla was cured of palsy by St. Peter. She is remembered for being beautiful, for refusing marriage to a pagan king due to her vow of chastity, and for suffering martyrdom for her unwavering faith. In the 8th century the chapel containing her relics became the burial place of French kings. This is due to the fact that she was the supposed daughter of St. Peter, and the French kings were considered the "adopted sons" of St. Peter; therefore, St. Petronille was invoked as an intercessor for all treaties between the Holy See and the French crown. Her relics were later moved to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, and on her feast day Mass at St. Peter's is offered for France and attended by French residents living in Rome. St. Petronille is the patronness of the dauphins of France, mountain travelers, and against fever. Her feast day is May 31st. | Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Reading 1 Zep 3:14-18a Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!
Sing joyfully, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has removed the judgment against you,
he has turned away your enemies;
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
He will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals. Or Rom 12:9-16 Brothers and sisters:
Let love be sincere;
hate what is evil,
hold on to what is good;
love one another with mutual affection;
anticipate one another in showing honor.
Do not grow slack in zeal,
be fervent in spirit,
serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope,
endure in affliction,
persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the holy ones,
exercise hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you,
bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep.
Have the same regard for one another;
do not be haughty but associate with the lowly;
do not be wise in your own estimation. Responsorial Psalm Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5- R.(6) Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel. Alleluia See Lk 1:45 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary, who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 1:39-56 Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled." And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever." Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.
| Meditation: Luke 1:39-56 The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Feast) How does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (Luke 1:43) Eighty miles. That was a long way for the newly pregnant Mary to travel so that she could visit her cousin Elizabeth—especially when you consider that she either walked the whole way or rode a donkey. But what a gift that visit was for Elizabeth! Not only was she overjoyed to see Mary, but she also rejoiced in the knowledge that her Lord had come to her (Luke 1:43). Just as Mary did for Elizabeth, Mary did for all of humankind: she brought Christ to us. It's a gift that can bring us great joy, as it did for Elizabeth. It's also why since ancient times, Mary has been given such a place of honor in the Church. "In the mystery of the Annunciation and the Visitation," wrote St. Teresa of Calcutta, "Mary is the very model of the life we should lead. First of all, she welcomed Jesus in her existence; then, she shared what she had received." How can we follow Mary's example and share Christ with the people around us? The first step is to welcome him into our lives every day in prayer and, in a special way, in the Eucharist. According to Mother Teresa, "Every time we receive Holy Communion, Jesus the Word becomes flesh in our life." In other words, we become tabernacles of Christ, bearing him in our hearts just as Mary bore him in her womb. And that's how we share him. The grace of Christ alive in us can transform every act of love, service, mercy, or generosity into an opportunity for people to encounter Jesus himself. It's not that we are trying extra hard to act like Jesus; as it happened with Mary, the changes that Jesus makes in our lives can't help but touch the people around us. When you visit an ailing neighbor, call an estranged family member, or pause to warmly greet a harried cashier at the grocery store, you are doing much more than offering a kind gesture. You are letting Christ, who lives in you, actually work through you. So where does Jesus want you to take him today? "Lord, thank you for the example of our Blessed Mother, Mary. Help me to become an even more effective bearer of your life." Zephaniah 3:14-18
(Psalm) Isaiah 12:2-6 |  clickable | Jesus Christ is very much like the light of the sun. The sun is so very bright that if we are to understand its inner beauty, we have to shoot that sunlight through a prism, and when we do, it splits up into the seven rays of the spectrum. And so Our Blessed Lord, having a life that is infinitely rich, shoots this divine light through the prism of the Church and it splits up, not into the seven rays of the spectrum, but into the seven sacraments of the Church.
—ARCHBISHOP FULTON SHEEN
from Life is Worth Living | my2cents:
"Let love be sincere...". What about when love is betrayed? We heard: "Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged! The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior; He will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love..." | So we pray: "Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation." Someone once said "I don't know how you do it brother, with all your ministries". I replied that it is my Sacramental life, I am constantly going to the source, the fountain, the font of graces. By no means is it easy. When it comes to doing as the Lord says, it takes considerable effort. So long as you do yours, our Lord can meet you. | So let us turn to our Lord in contemplation of the visitation where St. Elizabeth says to our Mother: "Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." Blessed are you. She said Blessed are you among women. Blessed for what again? For having believed the Lord. And for believing, she now carries the Lord inside. Intimately. Think Eucharist. Do you believe? I sat among an abandoned crowd a while ago at the nursing home, for daily Mass. We left, and my daughter commented on how we just left the blind man alone there, sitting there. I said "mija, I don't know what else to do, I visited...whate else can we do?". On the way out, I caught a glimpse of an old neighbor as I grew up...she is now at the nursing home. I thought about her kids, childhood friends. None could take her in and take care of her? I often tell people to have kids and maybe one of them would help you when you are older. But it becomes a burden. Why am I bringing this up? Because Mary carried a new burden...of Christ. She had no idea what was in store for her. All she knew is that she had said yes and now...this.
It is one thing to believe, and another to care. We are going back to how we started today...about sincere love. | This month has been one dedicated to Mary. Always remembering her great love for Jesus. She loves Him so much and believes in Him so much that she is the world's first evangelist. She takes Jesus for miles and miles in great haste. But us? Are we full of grace and joy? Are we making haste to take Jesus everywhere? If so, wonderful, let us bear fruit! If not, then, I invite you to the font of grace and Sacraments. And then....move mountains. Mountains of fear and anxiety. If you are ashamed of yourself, know God is not ashamed of you, for He brought you into this world for His purpose. If you are despondent and are falling away, look no further away. Look this way. His way.
It calls for a suffering and a dying, yes, but it brings about a joy and a grace that lasts forever. |  hear it read | adrian Random Bible Verse1
2 Corinthians 5:9-10 (Listen) 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Thank You Jesus | |
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