 |  clickable | | Praying with Mary As with every true prayer, the Magnificat does just that: it magnifies the Lord, focuses on the Almighty, who does great things among us, the One whose name is holy. We begin to change when our own plans scatter us, bring us down; God's plans replace them—God's plans, in the case of the mystic, are revealed in a vision or a voice speaking to the soul. God's plans work a revolution in our lives. We begin to change because of what we have seen and heard. Mary's life, like that of her son, will be a living out of her own canticle. Franciscans pray a seven-decade rosary, the Franciscan Crown, that for me summarizes what it means to enter into the mystery of how we are transformed by and into Christ. Each decade invites us to meditate on one of the seven joys of Mary. The mystic knows in a uniquely graced way these mysteries that we believe and live out as we try to be true to the mystery of our baptism. —from Mystics: Twelve who Reveal God's Love by Murray Bodo Mystics by Murray Bodo |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"For there are three ways of performing an act of mercy: the merciful word, by forgiving and by comforting; secondly, if you can offer no word, then pray—that too is mercy; and thirdly, deeds of mercy."
— St. Faustina Kowalska 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 will never be free of trials and temptations as long as our earthly life lasts. For Job has said: 'Is not the life of human beings on earth a drudgery?' (Job 7:1). Therefore, we should always be on our guard against temptations, always praying that our enemy, the devil, 'who never sleeps but constantly looks for someone to devour.' (1 Pet 5:8), will not catch us off guard. No one in this world is so perfect or holy as not to have temptations sometimes. We can never be entirely free from them. Sometimes these temptations can be very severe and troublesome, but if we resist them, they will be very useful to us; for by experiencing them we are humbled, cleansed, and instructed. All the Saints endured tribulations and temptations and profited by them, while those who did not resist and overcome them fell away and were lost. There is no place so holy or remote where you will not meet with temptation, nor is there anyone completely free from it in this life; for in our body we bear the wounds of sin—the weakness of our human nature in which we are born."
— Thomas á Kempis, p. 31
AN EXCERPT FROM
Imitation of Christ †TODAY'S FEAST DAY† OUR LADY OF FATIMA
On May 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children as they were grazing their sheep in Fatima, Portugal. Their names were Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta. She appeared "brighter than the sun, shedding rays of light clearer and stronger than a crystal goblet filled with the most sparkling water and pierced by the burning rays of the sun." The Virgin Mary identified herself as Our Lady of the Rosary. She taught the children to recite the rosary daily, to pray for the conversion of sinners, to make small sacrifices as penance in reparation for sin, and to honor her Immaculate Heart. She also prophesied about the World Wars, showed the children a frightening vision of hell, warned of the spread of ideological errors from Russia, and asked that the Holy Father solemnly consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart in union with the world's bishops. Our Lady appeared at Fatima on the 13th day of the month from May to October of that year. The final apparition was the well-documented celestial phenomena of the "Miracle of the Sun" witnessed by tens of thousands of people, believers and unbelievers alike. After investigation, the apparition at Fatima was declared worthy of belief by the Catholic Church. The feast of Our Lady of Fatima is May 13th. †VERSE OF THE DAY
"The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks."
Luke 6:45 |  click to read more | | ST. JULIANA OF NORWICH St. Julian/Juliana of Norwich (1342–1416) is a Benedictine nun who lived as a recluse in Norwich, England. Little is known of her life with certainty. At the age of 30 she was suddenly struck by a severe illness which almost took her life. During this illness she received a series of visions of Jesus Christ in sixteen separate revelations. When she recovered from her illness the visions stopped. Fifteen years later, Our Lord appeared to her to give her the meaning of her visions. St. Julian wrote her visions down in a book called Revelations of Divine Love, the earliest surviving book in the English language known to have been written by a woman. After these revelations she began to live a solitary life as an anchoress in a little cell built into the wall at the church of St. Julian in Norwich, not far from London. During her life the Church was in schism, and England was caught in a long war with France. The book contains a message of optimism based on the certainty of being loved by God and of being protected by his Providence. She received visitors to her cell and gave them guidance on the spiritual life, becoming a spiritual mother to many. St. Julian is an important medieval mystic whose response to the problem of evil is cited in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Her feast day is May 13th. | Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 287
Reading 1 Acts 15:1-6 Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers,
"Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice,
you cannot be saved."
Because there arose no little dissension and debate
by Paul and Barnabas with them,
it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others
should go up to Jerusalem to the Apostles and presbyters
about this question.
They were sent on their journey by the Church,
and passed through Phoenicia and Samaria
telling of the conversion of the Gentiles,
and brought great joy to all the brethren.
When they arrived in Jerusalem,
they were welcomed by the Church,
as well as by the Apostles and the presbyters,
and they reported what God had done with them.
But some from the party of the Pharisees who had become believers
stood up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them
and direct them to observe the Mosaic law." The Apostles and the presbyters met together to see about this matter. Responsorial Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5 R. (see 1) Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 15:4a, 5b R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord;
whoever remains in me will bear much fruit.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 15:1-8 Jesus said to his disciples:
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you.
Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own
unless it remains on the vine,
so neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
will be thrown out like a branch and wither;
people will gather them and throw them into a fire
and they will be burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples." | Today's Meditation: John 15:1-8 Remain in me, as I remain in you. (John 15:4) Jesus uses the beautiful image of the vine and the branches to describe the way in which we are united with and depend on him. As the vine supports all its branches, his divine life flows into us. Without him, we would not be able to grow or be fruitful in our life of faith. We would be like dry, dead wood, incapable of producing anything. That's why Jesus tells us to remain in him. But how do we do that, especially when each day we face a mountain of responsibilities that take our thoughts away from God? By leaning into him continually—in love, in trust, and in friendship. This requires a decision on our part to try to reach out to the Lord at every moment of the day. It can begin with a morning offering in which you dedicate the day to him. Maybe you can pray like this: "Thank you, Lord, for giving me this day to love and serve you. Help me to remain in you." You also come into the Lord's presence during your regular time of prayer, but it doesn't have to end there. You can seek encounters with God as you go about your day. As you are folding laundry, you can sing a song of praise. At the office, you can take a moment to offer him a prayer of gratitude. You can express your love to God even when you are in the car waiting for the stoplight to turn green. As the day progresses, you may feel anxiety welling up in you or experience a moment of sadness or find yourself struggling with temptation. Those are especially important times when you can cry out to God and tell him what's on your heart and then spend a moment listening to see if he has something to say to you. Remaining in Christ really does make a difference. Who knows? If you try it today, you may become aware of an opening to share your faith with a coworker. Or maybe you'll find the grace to be more patient with a difficult child. The possibilities are endless as you strive to live in him and believe that he lives in you. "Jesus, you are the vine, I am the branch. May I always be united with you." Acts 15:1-6
Psalm 122:1-5 |  clickable | In the Blessed Virgin Mary, we don't have someone who detracts from the greater glory of God, but somebody who gloriously displays God's power more excellently than anybody else, because of what Christ has done. Mary holds up even higher for the world to see all that Jesus Christ has merited for us.
— Dr. Scott Hahn
from The Gift of Our Blessed Mother | my2cents:
"They were sent on their journey by the Church..."
After being confirmed, the very act of confirmation is a sending forth by the church...to go and bear much fruit. You are sent with a special grace of the Holy Spirit, with God, for God, to God's mission and will in this world He created. We have a co-mission with Him, to do His will and what He desires, and it is all strange, yet so beautiful, mystical, yet mesmerizing. | We pray today: "Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. I rejoiced because they said to me, "We will go up to the house of the LORD." And now we have set foot within your gates, O Jerusalem."
There are some that are in joyful anticipation to return to Mass. Some are drifting. Some remain indifferent. One was demanding to be let in last week, and left crying when he broke down and said he needed prayer. I've never seen the man but the man knew He needed to come, and wanted to be there for Mother's day for our Blessed mother too. Some may decide to stay home from now on. No joyful anticipation. Why compare the Mass to a returning Home? There is a show on EWTN that's been on for decades probably, called "The Journey Home". It's about how protestants make their way to the Home church, where it all started. Much of the focus, after much inner theological debate, turns to the Mass and the Eucharist. It is in my vision, the Mass, our portal to Heaven. God makes Himself available and we take the opportunity to meet Him. The encounter though, is not permanent until the Exodus we will encounter. Until then, our joyful anticipation becomes cause for Evangelization.
The spreading of Good News. The bearing of fruit. | Our Lord says today: ""I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit."
Contemplating the Holy Word, I thought, "pruning?". I'm not a gardener. I'm not a farmer. Pruning? What is God pruning? What is He cutting out in my life in order that I may bear more fruit for Him?
In my life, I believe He has cut out many shenanigans. Many unnecessary add-ons. We add on things we think we need, to live, to survive, to be happy. Things like hobbies, material things, even your own self reliance. Pruning brings you closer to the vine, doesn't it? So you don't grow/go too far out on a limb and be susceptible to damage, like a twig breaking with a strong wind. | "Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me."
Remain. Do not go away. Do not turn away. How do you turn away? Sin. To sin is to not remain in Him. Remain. Return. Remain, that is, live life fully dependent on what He provides. This is God's providence, when He says "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" Mt 6:26. I live on prayer. A farmer lives on prayer. He depends on circumstances, like weather to help what He does. I'm in construction. I never know when or where our next project will come from. But we plow ahead in faith. You see...we remain faithful. I'm attempting to be fruitful...but I'll be fruitless if Christ is not in me...fully. To be full of Christ, we must be empty of self, and then fill up with Him. Think Confession. Empty yourself out. Confession avails you two things for sure, if done in true contrition: Humility, and Grace. These two things are gifts. God gives gifts to those who are disposed. That is, a disposition of true servitude to His every beckoning call.
"Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned." Our Lady of Fatima showed these 3 children a glimpse of hell, and this horrified them greatly. "The sins which cause most souls to go to hell are the sins of the flesh" said little Jacinta. Most souls in hell are there because of the flesh. Fleshly desires, of all sorts, feelings, unquenchable things that are like flames of hell already. These things are temptations to keep you out on a limb and far from God.
Remember...remain.
Our Lord says: "If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you."
These words are said in Psalms 141: "Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it, for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers." Pruning and righteousness. James 5:16 "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."
A prime example of this would be Saint Padre Pio. If you know a holy man, you'll ask him for prayer, right? Why? Because you know his prayers will be heard.
Is there a holy man in your life? If not, why? Wouldn't it be easier if you yourself became righteous and just? So your prayers could have a direct line to Heaven's door?
Yes. Then you could bear fruit, not for yourself, but for God's Kingdom. And this is where all things lead. Fruit for Him. Wealth for Him. Prosperity for Him. Not for me. But for His Sacred Body. The mystical body of Christ on earth.
And to Him I write.
"By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples." Lord, I want to bear fruit...help me love you more and more!
Mary Mother, Our Lady of Fatima, help us be fruitful children of God | Random Bible verse from an online generator:
Ephesians 4:25
"25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another." | 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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