 |  clickable | | God Is the Source of All Good While we are quite familiar with being disappointed by the worst we see in the world, we cannot deny the extraordinary heroism of which humanity is also capable. All around us, ordinary people are performing acts of sacrifice, giving up their own lives so that others may live. It is nearly impossible to look into the world and not see love overflowing at every turn. Science cannot explain it; logic doesn't understand it. And yet, love emanates more powerfully than any substance we can measure. Truth transcends any instrument or equation. In moments of pessimism, when we find ourselves impatient with the world, do not grow hopeless, but trust in the unexplainable love lived by so many. Trust the goodness you see. Be still, and know that God is the source of all that is Good, Beautiful, and True, and that all love exists because God wills it. —from the book Let Go: Seven Stumbling Blocks to Christian Discipleship by Casey Cole, OFM |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote "Help me to journey beyond the familiar and into the unknown. Give me the faith to leave old ways and break fresh ground with You."
— St. Brendan 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
"Do not suppose that after advancing the soul to such a state God abandons it so easily that it is light work for the devil to regain it. When His Majesty sees it leaving Him, He feels the loss so keenly that He gives it in many a way a thousand secret warnings which reveal to it the hidden danger. In conclusion, let us strive to make constant progress: we ought to feel great alarm if we do not find ourselves advancing, for without doubt the evil one must be planning to injure us in some way; it is impossible for a soul that has come to this state not to go still farther, for love is never idle. Therefore it is a very bad sign when one comes to a standstill in virtue."
— St. Teresa of Avila, p.99
AN EXCERPT FROM
Interior Castle †VERSE OF THE DAY
"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:22-23 |  click to read more | | ST. ZITA OF LUCCA St. Zita (d. 1271) was born into poverty in Tuscany, Italy. Her mother taught her to develop a strong prayer life, which, combined with her happy disposition, enabled her to seek God's will in all her life circumstances. At the age of twelve she became a servant for a noble Italian family. The family she served lived near a church, and Zita would rise early to attend daily Mass before beginning her duties. She saw her work as being in the service of God, which she executed with care and diligence. Because of her goodness she suffered harsh treatment and even physical abuse at the hands of both her employers and the other servants. From her patient endurance of such mistreatment, Zita's humility and virtue became evident to all. She was eventually respected and promoted to a leadership role of managing the entire household and its servants. Throughout her life she exemplified hard work, gentleness, and a life of prayer, despite being overworked. She died at the age of 60 serving the same family, and after her death many miracles occurred through her intercession. The family contributed to the cause for her canonization. St. Zita is an incorruptible, and her relics are kept in the Basilica of St. Frediano where she attended Mass. She is the patron saint of maids, domestic servants, butlers, waiters, rape victims, lost keys, and people ridiculed for their piety. St. Zita's feast day is April 27th. | Monday of the Third Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 6:8-15 Stephen, filled with grace and power,
was working great wonders and signs among the people.
Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen,
Cyreneans, and Alexandrians,
and people from Cilicia and Asia,
came forward and debated with Stephen,
but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.
Then they instigated some men to say,
"We have heard him speaking blasphemous words
against Moses and God."
They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes,
accosted him, seized him,
and brought him before the Sanhedrin.
They presented false witnesses who testified,
"This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law.
For we have heard him claim
that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place
and change the customs that Moses handed down to us."
All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him
and saw that his face was like the face of an angel. Responsorial Psalm 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30 R. (1ab) Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Though princes meet and talk against me,
your servant meditates on your statutes.
Yes, your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
I declared my ways, and you answered me;
teach me your statutes.
Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Remove from me the way of falsehood,
and favor me with your law.
The way of truth I have chosen;
I have set your ordinances before me.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Mt 4:4b R. Alleluia, alleluia.
One does not live on bread alone
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 6:22-29 [After Jesus had fed the five thousand men, his disciples saw him walking on the sea.]
The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea
saw that there had been only one boat there,
and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat,
but only his disciples had left.
Other boats came from Tiberias
near the place where they had eaten the bread
when the Lord gave thanks.
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,
they themselves got into boats
and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
And when they found him across the sea they said to him,
"Rabbi, when did you get here?"
Jesus answered them and said,
"Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me
not because you saw signs
but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
Do not work for food that perishes
but for the food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give you.
For on him the Father, God, has set his seal."
So they said to him,
"What can we do to accomplish the works of God?"
Jesus answered and said to them,
"This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent." | Today's Meditation: Acts 6:8-15 His face was like the face of an angel. (Acts 6:15) Finishing an Ironman Triathlon is one of the toughest challenges around. Imagine the training an athlete needs in order to complete a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride, and a 26.22-mile marathon—all in one day! Today's first reading presents us with someone who had trained for the ultimate spiritual challenge: the ability to remain joyful and peaceful in every hard situation. The fact that even his opponents saw the light of heaven in St. Stephen's face is a testament to how committed he was to living in the Spirit. If you were training for a triathlon, you would follow a strict regimen called SBR endurance—swimming, biking, and running. Perhaps we could create a spiritual version of SBR: sacraments, the Bible, and refreshment. Sacraments. It's not always easy to make it to Mass. Tiredness, moodiness, kids' opposition—these and many other obstacles try to convince us to go back to sleep some Sunday mornings. But like an athlete in training, the more we get over that initial resistance, the more likely we will be to experience Jesus in the Eucharist and to receive his own strength and grace. The Bible. Any serious athlete is also a student. Whether it's training videos, playbooks, or coaching manuals, there is no lack of material available to help you hone your strategies. Similarly, God has given us the stories, teachings, and commandments in the Bible "so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:17). When we study the Scriptures, we are opening ourselves to the grace and wisdom that God wants to pour into us. Refreshment. While athletes have "rest days" to reset and recover from their training, God offers us his rest every single day in prayer. Day after day, Jesus invites us: "Come to me, all you who labor . . . , and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). He has new gifts to offer us every day: fresh assurances of his presence and the peace that comes from knowing we are in his hands. Training to be a disciple of Christ may not always be easy, but it certainly is worth the effort. "Lord, make me more like Stephen. Help me to run the good race." Psalm 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30
John 6:22-29 |  clickable | The more prayerfully attentive one is in heartfelt conversation with the biblical Jesus, the deeper is the exchange and healing transformation. One's quality of living increases. And when believers' lives are more radiant and appealing, they walk every day as living portraits announcing Christ's reign.
— Fr. John Horn, SJ
From Healing Prayer | my2cents: "All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him
and saw that his face was like the face of an angel."
What does it mean that Stephen had a face of an angel? How did they know what angels looked like?
And why would they ultimately have Stephen stoned to death? The first martyr for Christ suffered severe injustice. Was it just that Christ was given a black eye? Was it just that His lips were bleeding? Was it just that Christ have thorns prick His skull? And this, to the supreme of all Angels...The Son of God. | We pray with Christ: "Though princes meet and talk against me, your servant meditates on your statutes. Yes, your decrees are my delight; they are my counselors. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!"
They say the only way we know everyone was speaking the truth about Christ is because they followed Him, the truth, to the tomb. They never shied away from the truth they knew fully with their heart, mind, and soul. Blessed those who follow the Law of the Lord. | And Jesus becomes the fullness of the Law. Had they become blind to the truth, the full law of God? He always corrected them, and they always hated discipline. What about you? What about you and the Law...which is the truth? Do you love the Law? Do you love discipline? What if someone slaps you with some truth? Would you love that? Who would say "yeah, I needed that". The truth attracts more...and the truth is humility. Let the haters of the law then, serve you with humility, slaps and bruising and tearing away at you. Follow the Law, Follow Jesus.
And so many did follow Him.
"...they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus."
I always sing the song "Pescador de Hombres" at funerals, the song Lord You Have come to the Lakeshore. Our Lord had fed the thousands. And then dispatched the disciples to go across the sea on their own. They did, and they met Him on that mysterious and stormy night. He got on the boat with them. The people met up with Him ""Rabbi, when did you get here?"
Jesus answered them and said,
"Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
Do not work for food that perishes
but for the food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give you."
What do you work for? To put food on the table? Who do you work for? Why do you work for them? Everyone on earth will perish. The food we eat will perish. But Jesus does not perish. God gives us eternal food and food eternal. He gives us of Himself in the Bread He provides, His Sacred Body in the Holy Eucharist.
Why does God do this? And why did He have to get beat up and ground up like the grains of wheat to become Bread?
He becomes food and flesh of the Holy Spirit, the birds and the Manna in the desert.
If you find yourself in an arid spiritual place, come and eat.
If you find yourself in a place that seems content without God, come and eat humility.
If you find yourself suffering heartache and in need of consolation and healing, come and eat.
When will the chastisement end? When will we be consoled and fed?
There are third world countries that go on for long periods of time without a priest, and the Holy Mass. The Japanese people went for centuries...with an underground faith, the catacombs like where the first followers found themselves. You see, the bread lasts forever. It cannot be squandered, the more you beat it, the more it becomes finer pounder, and flies in the air like air particles and becomes seed for the world. Seeds of truth. Seeds of hope. Seeds of new life. My prayer is that when we return, that we return with hearts hungry. Hearts starving for Truth. Hearts that desire nothing more than Him.
"Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled." You were filled with something you know is good for you. Your body enjoys good food. And your Spirit enjoys soul food. Lord, encounter us. You knew we would be looking for you on the other side.
You were already there to their surprise.
Lord, we are looking for you now. You are here, and now.
Lord, we need your bread from Heaven. We need to adore your bread from Heaven. We need you in our life. And the whole of it is called Eucharist, thanksgiving, thanking God, and how you thanked God on the cross is mesmerizing and amazing. You opened your arms in full expectation that God would complete your embrace...and Our Father came, He was already there, waiting for you.... |  click to hear a message | Random Bible verse from an online generator:
Proverbs 15:26 26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD, but gracious words are pure. | 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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