 |  clickable | | St. Joseph: A Labor of Love Joseph's work in Nazareth was a labor of love. He understood the importance of the home life of the Holy Family, and he thoughtfully and sensibly carried out the stewardship necessary. While the work of raising a child is not always easy, Joseph's task was even weightier. Mary and her son didn't need just any man; they needed this one, the one whom God had chosen for them. Joseph gave himself completely to this holy undertaking. Was he aware of what was taking place? We don't know. We do know that every opportunity Joseph had to instruct Jesus was an opportunity to grow in the knowledge of God. Imagine being the one to teach the Son of God how to use a hammer or the one to watch anxiously the first time Jesus used a saw. The work in Nazareth, while truly the stuff of ordinary life, was carried out by an extraordinary man. This work wasn't only for Mary and Jesus but also for all women and men united with God in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph continues his work for us in the Church today. —from the book Joseph, the Man Who Raised Jesus by Fr. Gary Caster |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote "Whenever I go to the chapel, I put myself in the presence of our good Lord, and I say to Him, 'Lord, here I am. Tell me what You would have me do.' If He gives me some task, I am content and I thank Him. If He gives me nothing, I still thank Him since I do not deserve to receive anything more than that. And then, I tell God everything that is in my heart. I tell Him about my pains and my joys, and then I listen. If you listen, God will also speak to you, for with the good Lord, you have to both speak and listen. God always speaks to you when you approach Him plainly and simply."
— St. Catherine Laboure 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 "If favored souls are sometimes sensibly conscious of the presence of the Blessed Sacrament in our churches, how much more must holy Joseph, whose spiritual senses were so delicate and refined, have felt his heart burn within him with divine charity, from the nearness of Him who now dwelt in Mary as His living tabernacle!" — Edward Healy Thompson, p. 168 An Excerpt From The Life & Glories of Saint Joseph †Verse of the Day
"Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful." Colossians 3:14-15 |  click to read more | | St. Joseph the Worker St. Joseph (1st c.) was born in Bethlehem in Judea and later settled in Nazareth. By Divine command he became the husband of the Virgin Mary and adoptive father to God Incarnate. We know from Scripture and Tradition that St. Joseph was a virtuous man and a carpenter by trade. It was he who was entrusted with the great mission to guard, protect, and provide for the temporal needs of God's most precious gifts, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus, in the role of husband and father within the Holy Family. St. Joseph's mission continues from heaven as the patron saint of the Catholic Church. He is also the patron of many causes including fathers, laborers, and families. His feast days are: St. Joseph the Husband of Mary on March 19th, and St. Joseph the Worker on May 1st. Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker in 1955 to emphasize the dignity, meaning, and value of human work in the eyes of God, and to give all laborers a model of virtue as well as a heavenly intercessor and protector. | Friday of the Third Week of Easter
Lectionary: 277
Reading 1 Acts 9:1-20 Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord,
went to the high priest and asked him
for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that,
if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way,
he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.
On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus,
a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,
"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"
He said, "Who are you, sir?"
The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do."
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless,
for they heard the voice but could see no one.
Saul got up from the ground,
but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;
so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.
For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank. There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias,
and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias."
He answered, "Here I am, Lord."
The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight
and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul.
He is there praying,
and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias
come in and lay his hands on him,
that he may regain his sight."
But Ananias replied,
"Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man,
what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests
to imprison all who call upon your name."
But the Lord said to him,
"Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel,
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name."
So Ananias went and entered the house;
laying his hands on him, he said,
"Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me,
Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came,
that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes
and he regained his sight.
He got up and was baptized,
and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength. He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus,
and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues,
that he is the Son of God. Responsorial Psalm
---‐----------
117:1bc, 2 R. (Mark 16:15) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 6:56 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood,
remains in me and I in him, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel
Jn 6:52-59 The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
"How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my Flesh is true food,
and my Blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever."
These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. | Today's Meditation: Acts 9:1-20 Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? (Acts 9:4) Paul's conversion on the Damascus road has all the elements of a dramatic film. A villainous lead character is suddenly stopped in his tracks by a light from the sky. A voice comes from heaven, and this villain undergoes an amazing transformation and embarks on a whole new adventure. What about your own conversion story? More than likely, it wasn't so dramatic. Perhaps a friend spoke to you, or maybe you started reading the Scriptures, and over time, God got through to you. Most of us probably wouldn't pay to go see our story at the movies! But how we came to the Lord is not really important. What matters is that we have come to him. He loves each one of us passionately. He wants all of us to be saved and come to know the truth about him (1 Timothy 2:4). To him, every conversion story is valid and powerful. It's part of his awesome design for creation—a plan that he worked out before we were even born (Jeremiah 1:5). Just as he had a perfect plan for Paul's life, he has one for each of us as well. Remember, too, that God's plan doesn't begin and end with a dramatic conversion. What if Paul hadn't continued seeking the Lord after his experience on the Damascus road? Most likely he would have returned to his old ways! Remember, it took him ten years before he was ready to go on his first missionary journey—and even then he had his fair share of ups and downs. He knew he had to walk with Jesus day after day if he was going to become the person God wanted him to be. And so do we. As the refrain to a popular worship song reminds us, "Step by step, you lead me." Whatever our initial conversion was like, it's still going on. Today, try to draw closer to Jesus. If you've fallen in some way, rededicate your life to him. You don't have to look back. You just have to keep pursuing your goal: "the prize of God's upward calling, in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14). "Jesus, I give you my life again today. Fill me with your grace, so that I can follow you faithfully." Psalm 117:1-2
John 6:52-59 |  clickable | Let men make all the technical and economic progress they can, there will be no peace nor justice in the world until they return to a sense of their dignity as creatures and sons of God, who is the first and final cause of all created being. —St. John XXIII
From Mater Et Magistra | my2cents:
"Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel,
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name."
Suffer for His name? There's two words necessary for His Kingdom, suffering and sacrifice.
Saul will become Paul...his confirmation name.
Saul meant the great one.
Paul means the little one.
What does your confirmation name mean.
It is intended for you to become less and He to become more.
Suffer..for His name.
Give. SACRIFICE.
More time, more love.
More talent, more love.
More treasure, more love. | We pray today "Praise the LORD, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
Go out to all the world and tell the Good News."
Paul now has the mission of Christ forever.
We carry this burden of joy called the cross.
Praise Him justly.
Sacrifice today. Fast from something. Abstain from something. Pray to Him starving...for Him...and He will provide. | Our Lord said
"Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me."
Feed on Me, He says. He becomes the multiplication of the bread and the sacrificial lambe of Yaweh Yire...saying The Lord Will Provide. | From Bisop Barron: Friends, in today's Gospel Jesus declares that "unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you."
The talk that Jesus gave concerning the sacrament of his Body and Blood was quite literally revolting. It is a rather remarkable understatement when John writes, "The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?'"
So what does Jesus do when confronted with this objection? One would think that he would offer a metaphorical or symbolic interpretation of his words. Instead, he intensifies what he had said.
How do we appropriate this shocking talk? We honor these unnerving words of Jesus, resisting all attempts to explain them away. We affirm the doctrine of "Real Presence." Vatican II re-expressed the traditional Catholic belief when it taught that, though Jesus is present to us in any number of ways—in the proclamation of the Gospel, in the gathering of two or three in his name, in the poor and suffering—he is nevertheless present in a qualitatively different way in the Eucharist." Starving yet?
He Will Provide.
When we pray...we pray for sustenance.
Jesus our Lord will Provide.
And this becomes grace to endure the suffering..
Grace given in sacrifice.
We can do this with Him, in Him and through Him | Random Bible verse from an online generator: James 1
Hearing and Doing the Word 19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. | 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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