 |  clickable | | Called to Be People of Truth Without the kind of internal conversion of heart that Francis came to in his own life, we can easily find our certainties elsewhere, even from those who have elevated their own opinions and prejudices to the level of truth. And without our own inner certainties we can easily start listening to these false truths of others, often listening to the loudest, most convincing speaker rather than listening to God in the silence in which God speaks to the depths of the soul. And then we begin to imitate others' words and actions, as if they are our own hard-won truths and ways of living that we have come to after pondering prayerfully and carefully what is said and acted upon by others. So, if we are to learn from St. Francis today and live the words of Christ in the Gospel, we need first of all to ask what part we ourselves may be playing in disseminating lies without considering more carefully whether or not they are the truth they pretend to be, or being silent when we know lies are being proclaimed as the truth. And then, seeking God's mercy and forgiveness, like St. Francis, we try to begin again, listening to the words of the Gospel to find the truth, praying over them, and living them out in our daily lives, all the while asking God to help us to be people of the truth who try always to speak the truth. —from Surrounded by Love: Seven Teachings from Saint Francis by Murray Bodo, OFM |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"The limitless loving devotion to God, and the gift God makes of Himself to you, are the highest elevation of which the heart is capable; it is the highest degree of prayer."
— St. Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) PRAYER DURING CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
O clement, O loving, O sweet Mother Mary,
We, your children of every nation,
Turn to you in this pandemic.
Our troubles are numerous; our fears are great.
Grant that we might deposit them at your feet,
Take refuge in your Immaculate Heart,
And obtain peace, healing, rescue,
And timely help in all our needs.
You are our Mother.
Pray for us to your Son.
Amen. † PRAYER OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen. MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"We are all sinners. We have all turned away from the Lord, but the Lord is always ready to take us back. When we sin we hurt ourselves, we break our own hearts. The Father sends His Holy Spirit into our hearts to bring us forgiveness and to heal whatever damage we have done to ourselves."
— Rev. Jude Winkler, p. 21
AN EXCERPT FROM
Daily Meditations with the Holy Spirit † VERSE OF THE DAY
"But ask the animals, and they will teach you; the birds of the air, and they will tell you; ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being."
Job 12:7-10 |  click to read more | | ST. GEORGE Saint George is the object of a vast amount of imagination. There is every reason to believe that he was a real martyr who suffered at Lydda in Palestine, probably before the time of Constantine. The Church adheres to his memory, but not to the legends surrounding his life. That he was willing to pay the supreme price to follow Christ is what the Church believes. And it is enough. The story of George's slaying the dragon, rescuing the king's daughter, and converting Libya is a 12th-century Italian fable. George was a favorite patron saint of crusaders, as well as of Eastern soldiers in earlier times. He is a patron saint of England, Portugal, Germany, Aragon, Catalonia, Genoa, and Venice.
Reflection Human nature seems to crave more than cold historical data. Americans have Washington and Lincoln, but we somehow need Paul Bunyan, too. The life of Saint Francis of Assisi is inspiring enough, but for centuries the Italians have found his spirit in the legends of the Fioretti, too. Santa Claus is the popular extension of the spirit of Saint Nicholas. The legends about Saint George are part of this yearning. Both fact and legend are human ways of illumining the mysterious truth about the One who alone is holy.
Saint George is the Patron Saint of: Boy Scouts
England
Portugal
Soldiers
Germany | Thursday of the Second Week of Easter 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 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. | Today's Meditation: Acts 5:27-33 We must obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:29) Not too many people, upon being released from prison, would return to the scene of the crime and repeat it. Yet that's exactly what the apostles did. In the face of a direct command from the authorities not to teach about Jesus, they couldn't seem to stop. Having just been released from prison, all they wanted to do was obey Jesus' command to tell his good news to all people. What an example of faith-filled persistence! Of course, we most likely will not face the threat of imprisonment for our faith, but there is more than one type of prison that holds us back from sharing our faith. We can just as easily feel trapped by fear of failure or by a natural reluctance to put ourselves out there. So how can we break free from these prisons? The first and most important thing anyone needs to remember about evangelization is that it is a work of human encounter, not one of logical argumentation. Sometimes the most convincing "argument" anyone can offer is authentic care and concern for someone else. This may be easier than you think. Terms like "encounter" can sound awfully technical or demanding, but all it means is getting to know someone and gradually sharing your life with that person. It's the way Jesus reached out to the people he evangelized—by showing a true concern for them and offering them a glimpse into the reason for his own joy, confidence, and peace. What might this look like for us? Think about how Jesus said he came to testify to what he had seen (John 3:32). That's all it requires of us as well. What have you "seen"? A God who forgave you when he had every right to abandon you? A Savior who heard your prayer for a loved one and brought that person comfort? The ability to repair a wounded relationship or reconcile with a family member? It doesn't take much to share our faith—just the decision to step out of the prison of our own lack of confidence. And that happens as we take that first step and begin a conversation. Just begin, and see where the Holy Spirit leads you. "Come, Holy Spirit, and fill me with love and boldness to share about Jesus with the people I meet." Psalm 34:2, 9, 17-20
John 3:31-36 |  clickable | What page, what passage of the inspired books of the Old and New Testaments is not the truest of guides for human life? What book of the holy Catholic Fathers does not resoundingly summon us along the true way to reach the Creator? Are you hastening toward your heavenly home?
— The Rule of St. Benedict | my2cents:
"We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him."
The Holy Spirit is given to who? To those who obey HIM.
This is key. God issues a Word, a command, and it is meant for obedience, not suggestion. We have commands, not proposals. So often we treat commands as advice. But they are not. As much as we try to soften them, they are commands. But let's take this into consideration on that note, because the world sees commands as demands and acts against freedom. God is good, amen? Therefore, what He is issuing ultimately is goodness, they are the commands of goodness. Totally opposite than what the world sees. The world stereotypes religion. The world is prejudice against religion. They say religion is against them, the commands are against them and that ultimately....God is against them. You see? The Holy Spirit is speaking to reveal the truth. | "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. The Lord hears the cry of the poor."
He saves those that are crushed? Yes, crushed in Spirit. The Lord delivers them..with grace. He saves them...from disgrace. The Holy Spirit speaks. | Our Lord speaks:
"The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things. But the one who comes from heaven is above all."
How many people do you run into daily whom all they do is speak about earthly things? If you're like my world, it's probably like 95% of people. Talking about food, weather, work, politics, sports, shows, anything and everything but...what is important.
Here you will hear a rarity, someone speaking about the truth....Jesus. Jesus is special, and you know what makes Him special? You.
You make Him special. He'd love to live through you. He'd love to be one with you. He'd love to enjoy life through you. What you see, He sees. What you hear, He hears. But if you see and hear evil things, He turns away and down, much of this is then, the relationship of you and your guardian Angel...or is it the Guardian of Jesus? | "He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony." Enjoy then, life for Jesus. Enjoy and bask in the Sun rays of His commands. Let His life radiate in you. So often I hear of the light in people's eyes, especially of faithful ones, even entire families. Your family can have that light for the world. Can Jesus be a part or the whole of your family? The more the better! How much time per day does your family dedicate to God? I wish my family dedicated more time to God, we pray before meals, we pray the rosary, we pray night prayers, but I wish somehow we could dedicate more. How? Perhaps, love each other as if the Secret Jesus was living with already. In whom will Jesus be today?
That is the story of many miracles in my life. I seek Jesus in the stranger. In the mad face, in the glad face, "is that you Jesus?".
In the sorrowful, in the joyful...."are you there Jesus?"
In the glorious, and in the luminous "Jesus that gots to be You!". "He does not ration his gift of the Spirit." God is not stingy, Jesus does not every withhold His Holy Spirit to those who ask. That is how I pray with people, invoking Him and that is how I write to you, invoking His Holy Spirit. Because I know for sure, 100%, He is here when He is invoked. Can I see Him? Can I hear Him? Not physically but spiritually I know 100%. He lavishly gives, He doesn't give like we do, with bits and morsels, no, he gives in over abundance. He needs to Give. That is His state of being. And we are the opposite, but need to learn to be like Him, as one in need of giving. That's the Holy Spirit speaking. "The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him." What does it mean to give everything to Jesus? God is calling us to give everything to Jesus. That's what it means. Obedience, sure, your whole heart? YES! "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."
Now, let's not get lost in protestant theology here. They say if you believe you are saved. That can be deceiving. Yes in part it is true, but they don't tell the whole story...the very next words "BUT WHOEVER DISOBEYS" will die. You see? You can't cherry pick the words of God and make them your own. We cannot be cafeteria Catholics, picking and choosing what we will and will not believe. TAKE THE WHOLE THING. It is good for you. And let's say Johnny believes, but Johnny doesn't live the life of Christ on earth. When Johnny dies, will he have eternal life? Perhaps...but not in the presence of God.
Why? Why Not? Because, let's go back to the commands. They are not suggestions. They are not advice or something that's just nice. Johnny has been imprinted with the Law in his heart. And we have the direction set in our lives...the path to Heaven.
Let us then, rejoice in this news.
God has issued a command then:
FOLLOW MY SACRED HEART |  click to hear a message | Random Bible verse from an online generator: Job 1:21
21 And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." | If one day you don't receive these, just visit my website Going4th.com, surely you'll find me there. God Bless You! Share the Word. Share this, share what is good | | |
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