 | Embracing the Ecstasy of Life We all wrestle with some internal governor prescribing some need for moderation or temperance, which translates, "It's time to put the kibosh on all manner of joy or ecstasy or elation or, God forbid, wholeheartedness." Here's the deal: When we give way to any such shackling measure, we put a lid on our passion and our spirit, and we short-circuit the bounty and generosity that would spill from our heart. This all begs the question: What is the reason we internalize this script, and how does it procure its power? In other words…why do we allow ourselves to live so small? — from the book This Is the Life: Mindfulness, Finding Grace, and the Power of the Present Moment
by Terry Hershey |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring."
— St. Catherine of Siena † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"If you love God, lust has no place in your heart. Saint Augustine teaches that the sin of lust is like an iron chain that binds you fast, enslaving your will to perversity. When lust gains entry to your heart, it quickly takes root as a habit. If you don't resist and uproot it, that habit inevitably becomes necessary."
— Patrick Madrid, p. 336
AN EXCERPT FROM
A Year with the Bible † VERSE OF THE DAY
"For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and preserving the way of his saints."
Proverbs 2:6-8 |  click to read more | | ST. JAMES THE LESSER St. James the Lesser (1st c.), also called St. James the Just, was one of the Twelve Apostles and the cousin of Jesus. Both James and his brother, St. Jude, began to follow Jesus in the second year of his ministry. St. James the Less was the first of the Twelve Apostles to whom the risen Christ appeared. After Jesus' ascension into heaven, James was given charge as bishop of the Church in Jerusalem, making him an important leader of the early Church. He was well-known for his prayer life and holiness. It is described that his knees and forehead were calloused due to long hours spent prostrate in prayer. His sanctity was such that he was respected by the Jews and considered by many to be a holy man. James the Less is the author of the New Testament epistle that bears his name. He was martyred by being thrown from the roof of the Jerusalem temple and then stoned and beaten to death as he prayed for his murderers. He died in the year 62 A.D. during the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero. St. James the Less is the patron saint of pharmacists and the dying. His feast day is May 3rd. | Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles Lectionary: 561
Reading I 1 Cor 15:1-8 I am reminding you, brothers and sisters,
of the Gospel I preached to you,
which you indeed received and in which you also stand.
Through it you are also being saved,
if you hold fast to the word I preached to you,
unless you believed in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he was buried;
that he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
After that, he appeared to more
than five hundred brothers and sisters at once,
most of whom are still living,
though some have fallen asleep.
After that he appeared to James,
then to all the Apostles.
Last of all, as to one born abnormally,
he appeared to me. Responsorial Psalm 19:2-3, 4-5 R. (5) Their message goes out through all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day; and night to night imparts knowledge.
R. (5) Their message goes out through all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Not a word nor a discourse whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds, and to the ends of the world, their message.
R. (5) Their message goes out through all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 14:6b, 9c R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way, the truth, and the life, says the Lord;
Philip, whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 14:6-14 Jesus said to Thomas, "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you know me, then you will also know my Father.
From now on you do know him and have seen him."
Philip said to him,
"Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us."
Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you for so long a time
and you still do not know me, Philip?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.
The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,
or else, believe because of the works themselves.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,
and will do greater ones than these,
because I am going to the Father.
And whatever you ask in my name, I will do,
so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it." | Daily Meditation: 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 He appeared to me. (1 Corinthians 15:8) We don't know much about these two apostles, whose feast we celebrate today. We know that Philip came from Bethsaida, the hometown of Peter and Andrew. He appears a few times in the Gospels, such as when he leads Nathaniel to Jesus and when he asks Jesus to show them the Father (John 1:43-46; 14:8). We know even less about St. James, son of Alphaeus. He is believed to have come from Cana and is sometimes called James the Lesser, to distinguish him from James, son of Zebedee. But we do know that both Philip and James saw the risen Jesus. Like St. Paul, in our first reading, they could say, "He appeared to me" (1 Corinthians 15:8). For these early Christians, seeing Jesus risen from the dead made all the difference. His resurrection validated everything that Jesus had said and done during his ministry. Because Jesus rose, they were not afraid to face opposition, persecution, even martyrdom. They knew that death would not have the final word—not for Jesus and not for them. But we live two thousand years after Jesus. How can we have this same confidence in the Lord and assurance of eternal life? As it did for Philip and James, it begins with an encounter with the risen Jesus. Even now, Jesus is still "appearing" to people. We won't see him physically the way Philip and James did. And we probably won't see a flashing light as Paul did (Acts 9:3). But we can know, deep within our hearts, that Jesus is real, that he is with us, that he is risen. We will recognize his presence as he calms our hearts and fills us with peace. We will become convinced that he is risen as we experience him helping us overcome habits of sin and teaching us to love our neighbors. We will be assured that he knows and loves us as he answers our prayers or reminds us of just the right Scripture passage to help us face our circumstances. Jesus longs for every believer to say, "He appeared to me" (1 Corinthians 15:8). Today, let him reveal himself to you. "Jesus, help me to see you today." Psalm 19:2-5
John 14:6-14 |  clickable | We miss out on the Miraculous because we are not willing to risk asking God for the extraordinary. Yet taking a risk to trust Him and act on His word is part of prayer, part of faith. Joshua risks looking foolish by telling his whole army to shout instead of fight at Jericho. The Lord rewards his act of obediant faith and tears down the walls of Jericho.
From the commentary in Bible in a Year |  Listen to 2cents Podcast Going4th | | my2cents:
"I am reminding you, brothers and sisters,
of the Gospel I preached to you,
which you indeed received and in which you also stand."
When we apply ourselves daily, we are reminded daily. Therefore, create the good habit, but, do not make it only a habit, like someone accused me of when I said I needed to go to daily Mass. I replied to him "this is not a habit, the first thing I do when I am headed and starting work, I'm looking for daily Mass online to listen to, to tune into, and to desire it, and when I go, I'm ready for it all the more". It's not a habit, it is life, it is the bread of life, it is Life Himself for Jesus came to defeat sin and death, and give us holiness and life. That is my desire and when I do this, I want everyone to desire my desires, for I become the hunger for God of Life and true Love. You see, I don't go to get filled, but to hunger for more, and that is the aim of a Holy Sacrament. If I confess, it creates space in me for more. Only after many years has this become an inkling of my reality. | "The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day pours out the word to day; and night to night imparts knowledge."
And so we pray in Mass in the creed "light from light" and "true God from true God". Light imparts light. Witness. | This is why our Lord says to Saint Philip today:
"Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own."
And on that note, be very watchful for God in your life. He speaks! How many times have we wanted to see or hear God? How many times do we go about feeling alone and unheard? How many times do we go looking for love and as the country song says "looking for love in all the wrong places"? He speaks to us and we don't want to hear it. I send daily emails to about 250 people with these reflections and Scriptures and inspirations, and lately about 27 open them up. That's about 10% isn't it? So what's the deal? Why don't people open up...to our Lord? I see hundreds of thousands subscribed to a Catholic channel and only 1,000 tune into a daily Mass. Why is it? What other things are we opening up to? What other things are filling our lives? Surely it is not life! Surely it is not Christ!
God speaks. | Oracle of the Lord.
:"Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father."
Our Lord accomplished amazing feats and miracles, yet He dares to say we can do even greater things? Has it ever happened? Yes. Some would flock to our first Pope Saint Peter and the other Apostles so that just their shadow would fall on the sick and be healed. What was that all about? Faith.
Why can't I heal someone? LOL. Because, you my friend, are not the healer. "But why can't I pray and have my prayers be heard (every single time)?" Wouldn't it be a rotten world if you got everything you wanted, even though you thought it was good? Our Lord says "my ways and my thoughts are not yours".
You see, when it comes to faith, we must speak about humility, and when we speak about humility, we need to speak about obedience, and when we speak about obedience, we need to speak about Love. The true Love of the Father.
So when Philip asks Jesus to show us the Father, our Lord becomes the Father and opens up the Fatherly discourse.
"And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son." Let us pray:
Lord, in Thy Holy Name we pray, and now, let us pray "Thy Will Be Done", so that we allow room for Thy Will and not mine alone. That way we leave room for humility, a place for You to reside forever in my heart....Thank You Lord for being My Father, and Our Father! | from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse from online generator: AMEN!
1 Corinthians 11:32
32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined1 so that we may not be condemned along with the world. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
