 clickable | | Try Something New! Taking a risk to try something new can be an act of faith if we believe it's part of God's plan for us. He would not have prompted us if he didn't think we had all we needed for the task at hand— including the necessary skills and whatever external support the situation would require. Confidence isn't pride when we recognize our abilities as God-given and remain grateful to the Giver. So often, our fear of not being good enough drives us to overcompensate. When we rely on our own strength, sooner or later, we're bound to come up against our very real, very human limitations. So we try too hard, keeping a mental resume of accomplishments to prove our worth. We don't have to try so hard. —from the book Fools, Liars, Cheats, and Other Bible Heroes by Barbara Hosbach |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"The most deadly poison of our time is indifference. And this happens although the praise of God should know no limits. Let us strive, therefore, to praise him to the greatest extent of our powers."
— St. Maximilian Kolbe † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"If, then, we wish to persevere and to be saved—for no one can be saved without perseverance—we must pray continually. Our perseverance depends, not on one grace, but on a thousand helps which we hope to obtain from God during our whole lives, that we may be preserved in his grace. Now, to this chain of graces a chain of prayers on our part must correspond: without these prayers, God ordinarily does not grant his graces. If we neglect to pray, and thus break the chain of prayers, the chain of graces shall also be broken, and we shall lose the grace of perseverance."
— St. Alphonsus Liguori, p. 201
AN EXCERPT FROM
The Sermons of St. Alphonsus Liguori ⛪TODAY'S FEAST DAY MARY, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH
Mary, by virtue of being the mother of Jesus Christ, has always been recognized as the Mother of the Church, which Jesus established during His Passion. Before He expired on the Cross, Jesus gave His final instructions to Mary and John, elevating the nature of their relationship within the Kingdom of God. He said to Mary, "Woman, behold thy son," and to St. John the Beloved (who mystically represents all His disciples), "Behold thy mother." The title "Mother of the Church" was formally bestowed on Our Lady by Pope Paul VI, and she was given a liturgical memorial under this title by Pope Francis. The feast of Mary, Mother of the Church is celebrated on the Monday following Pentecost, highlighting the fact that the Mother of God was praying alongside her spiritual sons, the Twelve Apostles, at the moment when the Holy Spirit descended upon them at Pentecost.
See More About Today's Feast > † VERSE OF THE DAY
"And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God."
John 3:19-21 |  click to read more | | ST. OLIVIA OF PALERMO St. Olivia (448– 463 A.D.) was the beautiful daughter of a noble family living near Palermo on the island of Sicily. She desired to serve God through her life as a consecrated virgin, and gave her wealth to the poor. When the King of the Vandals invaded Italy and came to Palermo, many Christians were martyred at his hands. The young Olivia would visit and encourage the Christians in prison. Her piety, which was greatly admired, caused the local authorities to send her to Tunis to face the governor. There she converted many to the Christian faith, and as punishment she was banished into the wilderness to starve to death or be devoured by wild beasts. She was later found alive by hunters, and upon being brought back to civilization she continued to convert many pagans with her zeal. She was again sent to the governor for punishment and was cruelly tortured. After being dipped in a vat of hot oil and miraculously suffering no harm, she was finally beheaded. In Tunisia there was an ancient Christian basilica dedicated in her honor and built on the site of her tomb; today a mosque rests on the site, yet it retains her name and the memory of her relics. St. Olivia is a virgin martyr venerated especially in Sicily and Tunisia. Her feast day is June 10th. | Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church Reading 1 Gn 3:9-15, 20 After Adam had eaten of the tree,
the LORD God called to him and asked him, "Where are you?"
He answered, "I heard you in the garden;
but I was afraid, because I was naked,
so I hid myself."
Then he asked, "Who told you that you were naked?
You have eaten, then,
from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!"
The man replied, "The woman whom you put here with me—
she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it."
The LORD God then asked the woman,
"Why did you do such a thing?"
The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it." Then the LORD God said to the serpent:
"Because you have done this, you shall be banned
from all the animals
and from all the wild creatures;
On your belly shall you crawl,
and dirt shall you eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
He will strike at your head,
while you strike at his heel."
The man called his wife Eve,
because she became the mother of all the living. Or Acts 1:12-14 After Jesus had been taken up to heaven,
the Apostles returned to Jerusalem
from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem,
a sabbath day's journey away. When they entered the city
they went to the upper room where they were staying,
Peter and John and James and Andrew,
Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,
James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot,
and Judas son of James.
All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer,
together with some women,
and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. Responsorial Psalm Ps 87:1-2, 3 and 5, 6-7 R. (3) Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
His foundation upon the holy mountains
the LORD loves:
The gates of Zion,
more than any dwelling of Jacob.
R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
Glorious things are said of you,
O city of God!
And of Zion they shall say:
"One and all were born in her;
And he who has established her
is the Most High LORD."
R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled:
"This man was born there."
And all shall sing, in their festive dance:
"My home is within you."
R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God. Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O happy Virgin, you gave birth to the Lord;
O blessed mother of the Church,
you warm our hearts with the Spirit of your Son Jesus Christ.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 19:25-34 Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved,
he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son."
Then he said to the disciple,
"Behold, your mother."
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
After this, aware that everything was now finished,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
Jesus said, "I thirst."
There was a vessel filled with common wine.
So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop
and put it up to his mouth.
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
"It is finished."
And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit. Now since it was preparation day,
in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,
for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken
and they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs,
but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
and immediately Blood and water flowed out.
| Meditation: John 19:25-34 Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church (Memorial) Behold, your mother. (John 19:27) A young mother stood in line at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Holding her children's hands, she wondered what to expect as the motorized sidewalk carried her toward the miraculous image of Mary on St. Juan Diego's tilma. She had never had a particular devotion to Mary, but her own mother had died years earlier, and she wondered what place Mary might have in her life now. As she looked up at the tilma, the words Mary spoke to Juan Diego sounded clearly in her mind: "Am I not here who am your mother?" The words touched her heart, and she began to weep as the tenderness of Mary's maternal love overwhelmed her. This story shows how God has given mothers a unique ability to tend to their children's hearts and heal their woundedness. This is, actually, one of the things Pope Francis emphasized last year when he instituted today's feast of Mary, Mother of the Church. In his decree, he said he wanted to "encourage the growth of the maternal sense of the Church." In a homily on last year's feast, Pope Francis explained that tenderness is a hallmark of Mary and of all motherhood, including the motherhood of the Church. We know that Jesus gave Mary to John at the foot of the cross so that he could care for her. But he also gave John—and all of us—to Mary so that she can care for us. Mary shows us the same tenderness she showed Jesus as she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in the manger. She instructs us, just as she instructed the staff at the wedding at Cana, to do whatever Jesus tells us. She encourages us and prays with us as she did with the disciples awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit. She welcomes each of us because she loves us as her own children. Today, ask the Holy Spirit to show you how Mary cares for you. Ask Mary herself to show you her love and tenderness. Her maternal care is not just for the Church in general but for you personally. So accept her into your home as John did. Let her care for you. Behold your mother. "Thank you, Mary, for your constant love and care!" Genesis 3:9-15, 20
Psalm 87:1-3, 5-7 |  clickable | What we eat in Holy Communion is not a piece of matter: it is the Son of God who became man. Eating this new food therefore does not mean eating something; it is an encounter of my I with the I of the Son of God, it is a heart-to-heart communion.
—Joseph Ratzinger
from Teaching and Learning the Love of God | my2cents:
"I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself."
Sin makes one hide from the Lord. "I can't go to Church" they say. They hide. "I can't pray" they say. They won't speak to our Father and Creator. It happens, but I am here to speak in the name of the Lord...do not stop presenting yourself and your sins to our Lord. So if anything today, we are witnessing the world's first confession. Adam confesses and so does Eve. They blame each other or others. But in the end, you will have to respond for sin. Where are you now? | Let us pray: "Glorious things are said of you, O city of God! And of Zion they shall say: "One and all were born in her; And he who has established her is the Most High LORD." Still, God's plan trumps all evil and our sin. This is Good news, and is good if we remain! Spread the good news! | Our Lord said today: ""Behold, your mother."
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home."
Mother Mary! She's been given a feast day today by future Saint Pope Francis. It is our Mother's day then. It is a day to celebrate like this...as she stood by Jesus to the end, and then forever. Follow Jesus. Did you lose Jesus? Grab a hold of Mother Mary's hand! She will find Him...or else, He will find her! From Genesis, we heard of how we lost grace. Now, we find Grace, the Mother. Grace will keep us united. A fall from grace is disgrace, a lonely and dark place. Today, let's tell Blessed Mother in Heaven that we love her and that we need her to hold our hands tight. We need grace, always and forever.... Blessed Mother, pray for us sinners, now and forever amen |  hear it read | adrian Random Bible Verse1
Proverbs 25:21-22 (Listen) 21 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
22 for you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you. Thank You Jesus | |
