 |  clickable | | Our Common Horizon Just as in each of our lives, we always need to begin again, to get up again, to rediscover the meaning of the goal of our lives, so also for the great human family it is always necessary to rediscover the common horizon toward which we are journeying.… The model of this spiritual disposition, of this way of being and journeying in life, is the Virgin Mary. A simple girl from the country who carries within her heart the fullness of hope in God! In her womb, God's hope took flesh, it became man, it became history: Jesus Christ. Her Magnificat is the canticle of the People of God on a journey, and of all men and women who hope in God and in the power of his mercy. Let us allow ourselves to be guided by her, she who is Mother, a Mamma, and knows how to guide us. —from Mother Mary: Inspiring Words from Pope Francis |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote "Put your heart at His feet. It is the gift He loves most."
— St. Elizabeth Ann Seton † 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
"Tell souls not to place within their own hearts obstacles to My mercy, which so greatly wants to act within them. My mercy works in all those hearts which open their doors to it. Both the sinner and the righteous person have need of My mercy. Conversion, as well as perseverance, is a grace of My mercy. Let souls who are striving for perfection particularly adore My mercy, because the abundance of graces which I grant them flows from My mercy. I desire that these souls distinguish themselves by boundless trust in My mercy. I myself will attend to the sanctification of such souls. I will provide them with everything they will need to attain sanctity. The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is-trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive. Souls that trust boundlessly are a great comfort to Me, because I pour all the treasures of My graces into them. I rejoice that they ask for much, because it is My desire to give much, very much. On the other hand, I am sad when souls ask for little, when they narrow their hearts."
—Jesus to St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in My Soul p. 560
AN EXCERPT FROM
Divine Mercy in My Soul, p. 560 † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Matthew 6:19-21 |  click to read more | | ST. FRANCIS OF GIROLAMO St. Francis de Girolamo (1642-1716) was the eldest of eleven children born to honorable and virtuous parents in Naples, Italy. As a child he was drawn to God and a life of prayer. Realizing his vocation to Holy Orders, he was ordained a Jesuit priest at the age of 28. He became a renowned public preacher due to his distinguished and eloquent voice. He was described as "a lamb when he talks, and a lion when he preaches." He had a heart for the missions after his patron St. Francis Xavier, but instead of traveling to distant lands he accepted his hometown of Naples as his India. He went as a missionary priest into country towns and villages for open-air preaching in the streets. He sought to convert sinners wherever they were—in brothels, prisons, galleys, hospitals, and asylums—as well as instructing the pious in their religious houses. He converted Muslim prisoners of war to the Christian faith, rescued chidren from dangerous and degrading situations, and opened a pawn shop for charity. The fruit of his labor was abundant. He converted many souls, even hardened sinners, and made them virtuous. Everyone knew him for his holiness and zeal. He also had a reputation for being a miracle worker during his lifetime and after his death. After spending 40 years in apostolic labor in Naples, he died of an illness from which he suffered greatly without complaint. His feast day is May 11th. | Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 285
Reading 1 Acts 14:5-18 There was an attempt in Iconium
by both the Gentiles and the Jews,
together with their leaders,
to attack and stone Paul and Barnabas.
They realized it,
and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe
and to the surrounding countryside,
where they continued to proclaim the Good News. At Lystra there was a crippled man, lame from birth,
who had never walked.
He listened to Paul speaking, who looked intently at him,
saw that he had the faith to be healed,
and called out in a loud voice, "Stand up straight on your feet."
He jumped up and began to walk about.
When the crowds saw what Paul had done,
they cried out in Lycaonian,
"The gods have come down to us in human form."
They called Barnabas "Zeus" and Paul "Hermes,"
because he was the chief speaker.
And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city,
brought oxen and garlands to the gates,
for he together with the people intended to offer sacrifice. The Apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their garments
when they heard this and rushed out into the crowd, shouting,
"Men, why are you doing this?
We are of the same nature as you, human beings.
We proclaim to you good news
that you should turn from these idols to the living God,
who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them.
In past generations he allowed all Gentiles to go their own ways;
yet, in bestowing his goodness,
he did not leave himself without witness,
for he gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons,
and filled you with nourishment and gladness for your hearts."
Even with these words, they scarcely restrained the crowds
from offering sacrifice to them. Responsorial Psalm 115:1-2, 3-4, 15-16 R. (1ab) Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name give glory
because of your mercy, because of your truth.
Why should the pagans say,
"Where is their God?"
R. Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Our God is in heaven;
whatever he wills, he does.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the handiwork of men.
R. Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
May you be blessed by the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
Heaven is the heaven of the LORD,
but the earth he has given to the children of men.
R. Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 14:26 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Holy Spirit will teach you everything
and remind you of all I told you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 14:21-26 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him."
Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him,
"Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us
and not to the world?"
Jesus answered and said to him,
"Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me. "I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit
whom the Father will send in my name
he will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you." | Today's Meditation: John 14:21-26 The Holy Spirit . . . will . . . remind you of all that I told you. (John 14:26) It's so hard to remember everything we have to do! Thank goodness for reminders: alarms on our cell phones, a loved one's gentle (or maybe not so gentle) prodding, or the old reliable Post-it Note. Thank God for the heavenly "reminder" of the Holy Spirit! Of course, the Spirit is much more than a ringtone, but one of the things Jesus promised the Spirit would do is bring his teachings to the forefront of our minds. During his public ministry, Jesus taught his disciples quite a lot about his heavenly Father and about the kind of life he wants us to live. But he didn't expect them to grasp it all at once—nor does he expect that we do either. He knows it's a life's work. And that's why the Holy Spirit is so important. He comes to us to help us remember all that Jesus taught and to guide us into a life that is most pleasing to the Lord. What does it look like for the Holy Spirit to remind us? Maybe a few examples will help. When we are faced with a difficult situation, he reminds us of how trustworthy God is—maybe by bringing a Scripture passage to mind or by using a friend's words to prompt us. When we doubt his love, he helps us to remember that Christ lives in us—maybe through a hymn at Mass or by calling to mind a past event that was filled with his grace. He reminds us to call a friend or family member who is hurting. He prods us to be generous when we're feeling stretched. And he helps us to recall Jesus' own example of mercy when we struggle to forgive. What's even better, the Spirit acts not only as our reminder, but he also empowers us to do what Jesus taught! Today, thank the Holy Spirit for his work in your life. Take a few moments to reflect on the ways he is already helping you follow Jesus. Then ask him for even more—more of his power, guidance, and love—so that you can live a life that is even more conformed to the life of Jesus Christ. "Holy Spirit, I want more of you! Thank you for 'reminding' me." Acts 14:5-18
Psalm 115:1-4, 15-16 |  clickable | The Church Fathers called Mary the holy earth from which [Jesus] was formed as man. And the miracle is that God in Christ forever remains in union with the earth.
— Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI)
From Images of Hope | my2cents:
"He listened to Paul speaking, who looked intently at him,
saw that he had the faith to be healed..."
There was a trained eye, to see faith in the eye. To see what the other sees in of itself is a gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit that is of God works in the faithful...those full of faith, those who are not just eager, but those who are devoted. And that what you see in the eye, is the light of God. When these two eyes meet, something spectacular happens. Lives are transformed, and it wasn't so much about the crippled man, but about the whole. He was made whole meant that the whole congregation was made whole. That one miracle was meant for the body. The body of Christ. | We pray: "Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name give glory because of your mercy, because of your truth. Why should the pagans say, "Where is their God?"
Typically, outside of pandemics pandemonium, you'll hear much church bashing. Not so much during the pandemic chaos. They say there aren'tm any atheists in foxholes. Foxholes meaning when you are about to lose your life when the skies are filled with bombs and you're hiding in a little whole hoping for a miracle. But still, you'll have those who ask "where is your God now?" Right? Where is He now? The answer is: Where has He been all your life? Yesterday, I sung a song at Mass, that quite frankly, I don't think I did justice to it, As A Mother Cares by Barbara Bridge (click to listen), and it says "as a mother cares and nurtures her child, so have I cared for you all along". Where is your God? Is He a God greater than all the impossibilities? | Our Lord speaks an impossibility:
"Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words..."
1.) What's the first impossibility?
Keeping His Word? Being perfectly observant? I know it's impossible to me as hard as I try, I fail, again, and again. Should I give up?
2.) What's the second impossibility? God dwelling in the keeper of the Word? To me, that is mind blowing. How does God dwell in you? In the Spiritual world, they claim your body is a dwelling place. For evil spirits, up to hundreds and even a thousand can be in a person, how mind blowing is that? How does that work? | For now, we must realize that we are dealing with the God of impossibilities. Life on earth, in this galaxy, is a mind blowing impossibility, and there are billions of galaxies. And when it comes to time and space, things really begin to get weird. Time can bend and go backwards. Very strange things, and impossible things we face.
Yet, this is the God we worship. A crippled man was told to walk, and he walked. This message is for you.
Get up and walk.
That what you thought you couldn't do.
That man was hearing stories like you are today.
Yet, that man believed, and that man transformed the world he lived in.
How? Faith. Transformed by grace, and faith, not one alone, but with doing, works too.
Right now, think of the impossibility you face? What is it? Name it.
I can think of many challenging things in my prayers.
A baby that is struggling for its life, with a hole in its heart right now.
A single dad that is struggling with faith and life with his only son.
A couple that is fighting, about having an abortion, the mom doesn't want the child and the father does.
Many loved ones that have left the faith...on the shelf, like a forgotten book and they struggle more than before.
As I write to you, the song is playing randomly on youtube "Do not be afraid I am with you, I love you and you are mine"...You Are Mine.
Where is your God?
Where is your Father?
If you've been faithful, He is inside of you.
You carry Love inside of you.
Share it, and He will grow...
Cherish it, and He will give fruit...
And the lame will walk, and the tome will talk, the dead will rise, and there will be light... | Random Bible verse from an online generator:
Proverbs 25:15
15 With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone. | 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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