 |  clickable | | Faith Builds on Love Faith builds on a totally positive place within, however small. It needs an interior "Yes" to begin, just as the "Yes" of Mary began the entire process of salvation. God needs just a mustard seed-sized place that is in love, that is open to grace, that is thrilled, that has found something wonderful. We've got to go back and build from that "Yes" place—or faith is not faith. That's why real faith is always rare. But God uses all of us, with our mixed motives. We have been given, not only the conclusion, but also the way to get there. We have been shown how to fight hate without becoming hate ourselves. We have been given a Companion and a Friend, not only a good idea. We have been given joy in the midst of failure, not only a way of winning or being right. Gospel people are basically indestructible. —from The Wisdom Pattern: Order, Disorder, Reorder by Richard Rohr, OFM |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
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
"The vow of chastity includes purity of body and soul; this is easily lost ... This great treasure is deposited in a castle, which has many portals and openings, and if these are not well guarded and defended, the treasure is without security. My daughter, in order to preserve perfectly this vow, it is necessary to make an inviolable pact with thy senses, not to use them, except for what is according to the dictates of reason and for the glory of the Creator. After once the senses are mortified, it will be easy to overcome thy enemies, for only through them can they conquer thee; for no thoughts can recur, or be awakened to activity, unless fomented and excited by the images and impressions admitted through the exterior senses."
— Ven. Mary of Agreda, p. 86
AN EXCERPT FROM
The Mystical City of God ⛪ TODAY'S FEAST DAY⛪ ASCENSION THURSDAY
After Jesus' Resurrection from the dead, He continued to appear to His disciples for a period of 40 days. After this time, with His Apostles gathered around Him on the Mount of Olives, Jesus was taken up bodily into heaven, as recorded in the Gospels. To comfort them in His physical absence, He promised to send them a Consoler and Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to be with them and to guide them into all truth until the end of the world. The Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord is celebrated on the 40th day after Easter Sunday, also called Ascension Thursday. It is a Holy Day of Obligation, and among the oldest and most solemn feasts on the liturgical calendar. In many dioceses the celebration of the feast is transferred to the following Sunday. †VERSE OF THE DAY
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved."
Ephesians 1:3-6 |  click to read more | | ST. EUGENE DE MAZENOD St. Eugene de Mazenod (1782-1861) was born in southern France to a noble family. When he was eight years of age his family was forced to flee the turmoil of the French Revolution and seek political asylum in Italy. Leaving their possessions behind, the family struggled financially as they relocated from city to city. A sympathetic priest took it upon himself to educate Eugene and stir in him a love for God. The family returned to France when Eugene was twenty. They were distressed to find a dramatically altered society, and their social status no greater than ordinary citizens. The family was also plagued with in-fighting which culminated in divorce, a rarity at the time. While Eugene's father remained in Italy, Eugene's mother fought to regain the family's former possessions. She also attempted to force Eugene to marry a wealthy heiress. St. Eugene, deeply affected by how the Revolution had decimated the Church in France, decided to enter the seminary instead. After his ordination he sought out other zealous priests and together they went as missionaries into the countryside villages, calling themselves the "Missionaries of Provence," which was later approved by the pope as the "Oblates of Mary Immaculate." St. Eugene went on to become the Bishop of Marseilles. He did much work in restoring his diocese by building and repairing churches, doubling the number of priests, and bringing in religious communities. He also worked to weaken the government's monopoly on education, and supported the rights of the Holy See. Eugene de Mazenod is the patron saint of dysfunctional families. His feast day is May 21st. | The Ascension of the Lord
Lectionary: 58
Reading 1 Acts 1:1-11 In the first book, Theophilus,
I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
until the day he was taken up,
after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit
to the apostles whom he had chosen.
He presented himself alive to them
by many proofs after he had suffered,
appearing to them during forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God.
While meeting with them,
he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,
but to wait for "the promise of the Father
about which you have heard me speak;
for John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." When they had gathered together they asked him,
"Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
He answered them, "It is not for you to know the times or seasons
that the Father has established by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth."
When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
They said, "Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?
This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven
will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven." Responsorial Psalm Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 R. (6) God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia. Reading 2 Eph 1:17-23 Brothers and sisters:
May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation
resulting in knowledge of him.
May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,
what are the riches of glory
in his inheritance among the holy ones,
and what is the surpassing greatness of his power
for us who believe,
in accord with the exercise of his great might,
which he worked in Christ,
raising him from the dead
and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,
far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion,
and every name that is named
not only in this age but also in the one to come.
And he put all things beneath his feet
and gave him as head over all things to the church,
which is his body,
the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way. Alleluia Mt 28:19a, 20b R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Go and teach all nations, says the Lord;
I am with you always, until the end of the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 28:16-20 The eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them,
"All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." | Today's Meditation: John 16:16-20 You will see me. (John 16:16) What a promise! Jesus was going to go away, but then he would come back, and the apostles would see him once more. These words must have brought them a great deal of comfort. Of course, they did see Jesus again—on Easter Sunday, when he appeared to them in the upper room. But the "seeing" Jesus was speaking of here meant more than just encountering him again with their physical eyes. He was also talking about the way the Holy Spirit would help them sense Jesus' presence and his guidance even after he had ascended and was no longer visible to them. But why would Jesus think it was important for us to "see" him again? Didn't his cross and resurrection take care of our salvation? Wasn't it enough for us to hear his gospel and be baptized into his name? No, it wasn't. And thank God for this truth! We need to "see" Jesus every day. We need to "hear" his voice, to know his guidance, and to sense his love. As St. Paul taught, Jesus gave us the Spirit "so that we may understand the things freely given us by God" (1 Corinthians 2:12). On our own, we could never grasp the price that Jesus paid for our salvation or the depth of his love for us. And neither can we find the best way to follow him on our own. We need the Spirit to open the eyes of our heart so that we can receive the grace to live out Jesus' commands. Without the Holy Spirit, we limit both our understanding and our actions. This is why Jesus wants us to be baptized, immersed, in his Holy Spirit. He knows it's the only way we can know the power and presence of God in our lives. So what did the apostles do after Jesus was taken away from them and they could no longer see him? Looking forward to the fulfillment of his promise, they prayed. They searched the Scriptures. They cried out, "Come, Holy Spirit!" Follow their example. From now until Pentecost, dive into Scripture, fix your eyes on Jesus, and try to increase your prayer. Ask for the grace to see Jesus with new eyes, the eyes of the Holy Spirit. "Come, Holy Spirit! Open the eyes of my heart!" Acts 18:1-8
Psalm 98:1-4 |  clickable | Men always work harder and more readily when they work on that which belongs to them; nay, they learn to love the very soil that yields in response to the labor of their hands, not only food to eat, but an abundance of good things for themselves and those that are dear to them.
— Pope Leo XIII
from Rerum Novarum | my2cents:
"...why are you standing there looking at the sky?"
They stood there, watching our Lord ascend, and then, didn't know what else to do, until they had to be reminded "He'll be back" and "get to work". | We prayed today: "For king of all the earth is God; sing hymns of praise. God reigns over the nations, God sits upon his holy throne. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord."
All these words are meant to give us into praise and worship and honor of our Lord, trumpets and horns are lifted to announce the impending importance of the King, the Word. | In comes our Lord issuing forth commands:
1.) Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations
2. Baptize:...baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
3.) Teach: teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And that is the duty of every baptized soul. It's not the job of the local preacher or pastor alone. We are all to go hand in hand...with Our Lord.
Because our Lord Himself said:
"... behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." | Make disciples of those in your world. Your children, your family, your friends, your acquaintances, strangers even.
And this will lead them to baptism, a coming into the union of His mystical body.
In no particular order, baptism doesn't have to come first or last, because regardless, you are to TEACH them before and after.
Teach them to what?
Observe everything He COMMANDS.
Today, we are given the power of the Holy Spirit and it happens with the Ascension for the Descension coming in Pentecost. Lord, help us to make disciples, baptize, and to teach.
Give us the power of courage, and more over...love to do all things that are impossible in our heads, but possible in every way in your hands.... | Random Bible verse from an online generator: 1 Cor 15:58
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. | 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 | | |
