 clickable | | Mary Is the Hinge of History Mary is the hinge of doctrine because she is the hinge of history. God awaited her yes at the pivotal moment. Thus, St. Irenaeus in the second century called her the "cause of salvation, both to herself and the whole human race."9 She was not the Savior, but she was indeed the "cause of salvation" and the first to be saved. Mary's place in history, doctrine, and devotion is extraordinary, exceptional, unique. Her vocation was distinctive and singular, and she responded with unfailing fidelity. In their turn, the Fathers gave her a singular devotion—Athanasius called it "commemoration"—that developed over the centuries, expressing itself in countless ways. —from the book Keeping Mary Close: Devotion to Our Lady Through the Ages by Mike Aquilina |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"We must not wish anything other than what happens from moment to moment, all the while, however, exercising ourselves in goodness. And to refuse to exercise oneself in goodness, and to insist upon simply awaiting what God might send, would be simply to tempt God."
— St. Catherine of Genoa † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"When needed, Mary provides for the defense and salvation of her children extraordinary graces and wonderful miracles. What wonders have caused, sustained, spread everywhere, a confidence among Christian people! What striking proofs of her protection the Church recalls to our memory in solemn feasts and devout practices, enriched by precious indulgences! What titles Christians give her to testify to their gratitude, 'Help of Christians, health of the sick, comfort of the afflicted, refuge of sinners, gate of heaven, our life, our sweetness, our hope!' What a multitude of people gather to the places where she is most honored, where she obtains the most assistance to those who call on her! What prayers and acts of thanksgiving are offered at the foot of her altars! In our days, what conquests have been made by Our Lady of Victories! What favors have been bestowed on all hearts devoted to the heart of Mary!"
— St. Ignatius of Loyola, p.156
AN EXCERPT FROM
Manual for Marian Devotion † VERSE OF THE DAY
"But I say to you that listen, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. ... Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you."
Luke 6:27-31 |  click to read more | | Saint Athanasius (c. 296 – May 2, 373) Athanasius led a tumultuous but dedicated life of service to the Church. He was the great champion of the faith against the widespread heresy of Arianism, the teaching by Arius that Jesus was not truly divine. The vigor of his writings earned him the title of doctor of the Church. Born of a Christian family in Alexandria, Egypt, and given a classical education, Athanasius became secretary to Alexander, the bishop of Alexandria, entered the priesthood and was eventually named bishop himself. His predecessor, Alexander, had been an outspoken critic of a new movement growing in the East—Arianism. When Athanasius assumed his role as bishop of Alexandria, he continued the fight against Arianism. At first, it seemed that the battle would be easily won and that Arianism would be condemned. Such, however, did not prove to be the case. The Council of Tyre was called and for several reasons that are still unclear, the Emperor Constantine exiled Athanasius to northern Gaul. This was to be the first in a series of travels and exiles reminiscent of the life of Saint Paul. After Constantine died, his son restored Athanasius as bishop. This lasted only a year, however, for he was deposed once again by a coalition of Arian bishops. Athanasius took his case to Rome, and Pope Julius I called a synod to review the case and other related matters. Five times Athanasius was exiled for his defense of the doctrine of Christ's divinity. During one period of his life, he enjoyed 10 years of relative peace—reading, writing, and promoting the Christian life along the lines of the monastic ideal to which he was greatly devoted. His dogmatic and historical writings are almost all polemic, directed against every aspect of Arianism. Among his ascetical writings, his Life of St. Anthony achieved astonishing popularity and contributed greatly to the establishment of monastic life throughout the Western Christian world.
Reflection Athanasius suffered many trials while he was bishop of Alexandria. He was given the grace to remain strong against what probably seemed at times to be insurmountable opposition. Athanasius lived his office as bishop completely. He defended the true faith for his flock, regardless of the cost to himself. In today's world we are experiencing this same call to remain true to our faith, no matter what. | Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Reading 1 Acts 5:27-33 When the court officers had brought the Apostles in
and made them stand before the Sanhedrin,
the high priest questioned them,
"We gave you strict orders did we not,
to stop teaching in that name.
Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching
and want to bring this man's blood upon us."
But Peter and the Apostles said in reply,
"We must obey God rather than men.
The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,
though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.
God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior
to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.
We are witnesses of these things,
as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him." When they heard this,
they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death. Responsorial Psalm Ps 34:2 and 9, 17-18, 19-20
R.(7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
Many are the troubles of the just man,
but out of them all the LORD delivers him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 20:29 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord;
blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe!
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 3:31-36 The one who comes from above is above all.
The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things.
But the one who comes from heaven is above all.
He testifies to what he has seen and heard,
but no one accepts his testimony.
Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy.
For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God.
He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.
The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,
but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life,
but the wrath of God remains upon him. | Meditation: John 3:31-36
Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Memorial) He does not ration his gift of the Spirit. (John 3:34) If there's one thing we can say about God, it's that he certainly is not stingy! He loves to go above and beyond what his people might need or even expect. For example, throughout their forty-year wandering in the desert, the Israelites woke up every morning to an abundant supply of manna. God didn't give them just enough food to sustain them. Each morning after they gathered all that they needed, there was plenty left over (Exodus 16:21). And when five thousand people followed Jesus to a mountainside, he took pity on them because they didn't have anything to eat for dinner. So with only five loaves and two fish, he fed everyone until they were satisfied—and there were twelve basketfuls left over (John 6:3-14). God could have rationed the food, but he didn't. That's not his nature. His nature is to pour himself out for us without limit. Think about how Jesus poured himself out for us on the cross. He spared nothing in his quest to redeem us. Then think about how he poured out his Spirit abundantly on the first disciples at Pentecost. Their preaching and signs and wonders were evidence of the Spirit working powerfully in them. And the result? The explosive growth of the Church. God has already given you his Spirit in Baptism and Confirmation. But that's not enough for him. He wants to pour out more of his Spirit on you each and every day. He wants to give you all that you need to be his disciple and to share his love with the people around you. He doesn't want to give you just enough to get by; he wants to give you more than you could ever imagine. God is trustworthy. He does what he says. That means he doesn't want you subsisting on just a little bit of his Spirit or just a few of his gifts. So go ahead and ask for that second helping of the Spirit, or even the third. Don't worry about sounding greedy. God rations neither the Spirit nor his gifts. His generosity knows no bounds. "Lord, thank you for pouring out your life, and your Spirit, on me." Acts 5:27-33
Psalm 34:2, 9, 17-20 |  clickable | The Rosary stops a busy family in its tracks, quiets the world's noise, gathers us together, and focuses us on God and not ourselves. This does wonders for a family psychologically and emotionally.
—TOM HOOPES
from The Rosary of Saint John Paul II |  clickable go see food for poor | | 2cents: "We must obey God rather than men." These are defying words, are they not? They defied the power of the men ruling their power over them. They were ruling with death. They were condemning the apostles with death. That was their power. But the apostles defied death. They spoke words of eternal life...that begin in Genesis...the call to obedience. The call to oneness with our Lord. The call for unity in the conditions, on the condition that Love set forth...fidelity. | Today we pray: "The Lord hears the cry of the poor. I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. Taste and see how good the LORD is; blessed the man who takes refuge in him."
Bless the Lord with what HE desires. Amen? He desires, yes your heart, but your heart to live for Him. What does this mean? Live Him in the world. Make sense? Make Him known. Make it known that He lives through you. | Our Lord says today:
"He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy". No one accepts His testimony? Really? No one? The truth speaks. For every time you doubted, this word is true. But He gives ample time for mercy to be obtained. He says right next "Whoever DOES accept His testimony certifies", certifies and believes, and propagates the message. And so the testimony goes from mouth to mouth, person to person, making Christ live, and let us make Him live through you and me. | "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life...". In the words today, we are asked to believe and obey. It goes all the way back to the beginning, in Genesis. It goes back to when you were a child, and you were taught to believe and obey. So most believe and obey their parents, even when parents are wrong. And many are. Uh oh, here goes Adrian, about to lay it real thick again. LOL. YEP! In all my years of helping and teaching youth, youngsters, I feel a heavy heart in Catechism. On the one hand, I love my students very much, and on the other, my heart aches for I know at home they are not teaching what I desire to teach them, a sincere love of God. At home they see animosity. At home, they see threats of divorce. At home, they see sadness. At home they are ignored. At home, they are yelled at. At home, they are stuck on Sundays, no one to take them to God. At home, the next day, they are taught what is important, work, school, sports, anything and everything but...the love of God...in essence, I speak of obedience. What has propelled me in the love of God? Obedience. The more I obey, the more I love God. So, I've grown up a goofball, making mistakes like most everyone else, following the ways of the world. But the difference has been that I have chosen to obey no matter what, even if I fail, keep going to Church. Keep going to accountability in Holy Confession. Just keep going! I tell my students from 1st grade to a 60 year old in my RCIA right now, "God wins". If you keep going, eventually He will win! If you keep obeying. Doing as He said from the beginning. I need your help in getting everyone going. How? LOL. THAT is for you to find out. I'm not being a punk, I'm trying to figure that out too. Free will is the most confounding gift from God, it is huge, but a gift like that carries huge weight. It is a power in of itself.
So how can I convince people to love and follow God?
How can you? His testimony is here. And me and you now have to be the living testimony... |  click to hear the bible verse | adrian Random Bible Verse1
Hebrews 4:15 (Listen) 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Thank You Jesus | |
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