 | In the Waiting And now in this new rebirth of Jesus, Mary could still see her own love in the eyes that looked back at her as he walked upon the earthen floor, much as he had walked the first time he waddled and stumbled into her arms, a little baby boy becoming. She had held Jesus in her arms once he'd walked so determined but hesitantly toward her open arms; she had held him lifeless in her lap when he was taken down from the cross; she would now wait for him to embrace her with the love with which she had embraced him all the days of his life. Even when he left home to embrace the Father's will that he preach and teach, suffer and die for the people of Israel, she embraced him lovingly in her heart every day as she waited for the next mystery to be revealed. When God works upon us, she thought, then the real working of our lives is in the waiting, waiting to receive what is given us when we wait upon the Lord in all we are and all we have. — from the book Nourishing Love: A Franciscan Celebration of Mary
by Murray Bodo, OFM |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"Arm yourself with prayer rather than a sword; wear humility rather than fine clothes."
— St. Dominic †MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"In our self-centered culture and classic American emphasis on work, we often feel we have to accomplish something during our times of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. We rate our experience by how 'good' our prayer was, how heartfelt our devotion was, or how focused we could remain. Yet prayer and contemplation are fundamentally God's work, in which we are invited to participate. We need only to give Him the opening, and He will do the rest. By coming to adoration, we are handing Him the keys to our hearts, allowing the rays of His love and grace to bathe our souls in the light of His Presence, as the rays of the sun bathe our bodies in light. If we can take the time to pull away from the busyness and distractions of life and just sit at His feet, He will lead us."
— Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, p. 33
AN EXCERPT FROM
Manual for Eucharistic Adoration †VERSE OF THE DAY
"The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and his ears toward their cry. The face of the Lord is against evildoers, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit."
Psalm 34:15-18 |  click to read more | | ST. DAMIEN OF MOLOKAI St. Damien de Veuster (1840–1889), also known as St. Damien of Molokai, was a priest from Belgium belonging to the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. He had a special devotion to St. Francis Xavier and desired, like him, to be a missionary. His desire was fulfilled when he was sent to minister in Hawaii in place of his brother, a religious of the same congregation, who was assigned to go but was unable due to illness. The island was suffering from an influx of unknown diseases brought by foreigners, among them Hansen's disease (leprosy). The island of Molokai became quarantined as a leper colony, and all lepers were forcibly exiled there. The local bishop believed that the people living on the island, numbering over 800 at the time, needed a priest. Yet, the bishop knew that ministering to a people of this contagious and deadly disease would be a death sentence for the priest who went. The bishop asked for priests to volunteer to serve in Molokai. After serving in Hawaii for nine years, Fr. Damien was the first to volunteer. He began his ministry to the lepers in 1873. He built a church on the island and did much to improve the morale and joy among the people. St. Damien lived and ministered at the Kalaupapa leper colony for 15 years, fully knowing that this decision would eventually cause him to contract and die of the horribly mutilating disease. St. Damian died of leprosy in 1889 at the age of 49. He became known as a "martyr of charity" and the "Apostle to the Lepers." He was canonized during the Year of Priests in 2009. His feast day is May 10. | Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter Lectionary: 291
Reading I Acts 16:11-15 We set sail from Troas, making a straight run for Samothrace,
and on the next day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi,
a leading city in that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony.
We spent some time in that city.
On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river
where we thought there would be a place of prayer.
We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there.
One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth,
from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened,
and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention
to what Paul was saying.
After she and her household had been baptized,
she offered us an invitation,
"If you consider me a believer in the Lord,
come and stay at my home," and she prevailed on us. Responsorial Psalm 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b R. (see 4a) The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker, let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance, let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people, and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy upon their couches.
Let the high praises of God be in their throats. This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 15:26b, 27a R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord,
and you also will testify.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 15:26—16:4a Jesus said to his disciples:
"When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,
he will testify to me.
And you also testify,
because you have been with me from the beginning. "I have told you this so that you may not fall away.
They will expel you from the synagogues;
in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you
will think he is offering worship to God.
They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me.
I have told you this so that when their hour comes
you may remember that I told you." | Daily Meditation: Acts 16:11-15 If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home. (Acts 16:15) Let's imagine St. Paul settling down for the night at Lydia's house in Philippi. He and Silas had set out from Antioch intending to visit the churches Paul had founded in Asia Minor. They had no idea they would wind up here, the first apostles to enter Europe. What might Paul have said to the Lord as he prepared for a much-needed rest? "Lord, you certainly work in mysterious and unexpected ways! I wish you would sometimes let me in on the big picture! But you don't just map out the whole itinerary for us in advance, do you? All the same, I am amazed at how you have led us every step of the way. "That doesn't mean we weren't frustrated along the way, Lord. It seemed like every time we thought we should head in a certain direction, your Spirit blocked our way. When that happens, it's hard to believe you have something better in mind. You didn't let us go to Bithynia, so all we could do was turn around and head for Troas and wait. We had no idea what to do next! I'm so grateful for the dream you finally sent: a man I recognized as Macedonian begging, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us' (Acts 16:9). It reminded me that every time you close one door, you eventually open another one. "That's what happened here in Philippi. Thank you for bringing us to the home of Lydia, this brand-new believer. When we arrived, we weren't sure what we'd find, so we went to the river looking for Jews gathered to pray. And we shared the good news about Jesus with the group of Gentile women we found there. Now we have a friend and sister in Lydia. As a wealthy, influential businesswoman, she could provide a strategic center for our mission here. "Jesus, help me not to run ahead of you. Clearly you have a plan. Just let me know how to cooperate as we carry it forward together. Help me listen for you. Lead me!" "Lord, you are totally trustworthy. Help me wait until you show me the next small step to take with you." Psalm 149:1-6, 9
John 15:26–16:4 |  clickable | I have realized that whoever undertakes to do anything for the sake of earthly things or to earn the praise of others, decieves himself. Today one thing pleases the world, tomorrow another; and what is praised on one occasion is denounced by another. Blessed are you, my Lord and my God, for you are unchangeable for all eternity. Whoever serves you faithfully to the end will enjoy life without end in eternity.
— St. Terese of Lisieux |  Listen to 2cents Podcast Going4th | | "After she and her household had been baptized,
she offered us an invitation...?
The entire household was baptized, no specific age, no specific reasoning, just all baptized. And once again, this is why we still baptize all households in the Holy Catholic Church. She, though, had some type of special gift...thankfulness, and graciousness. She insisted they stay to eat, she wanted to show she was not just Church from the teeth out, by word, but by deed. A strong root had already taken place in her heart and soul. | We pray in the Psalms:
"Let them praise his name in the festive dance, let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp. For the LORD loves his people, and he adorns the lowly with victory. The Lord takes delight in his people."
Can the Lord delight in you? Really? The bible says so. He delights in the faithful. He does. And today, you can be His delight. And you have received the word so you just might! | Our Lord said bascially two verses today, here's the first:
"When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,
he will testify to me.
And you also testify,
because you have been with me from the beginning."
Now, recall the time that angels appeared and said: "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
How is this relevant? Because, many await the second coming, just like many await the first death.
What does this mean? It means that our Lord has already descended, in the Holy Spirit, and it means we must die first of self, to truly give the second death of the body. each one is a hard pill to swallow, but in the end, it can mean hope. I say this because Jesus our Lord lives in the body of Christ. I say this because He comes in the Holy Spirit among His faithful. I say this because to receive Him fully, we must let go of our own concerns and be like our Lord "did you not know I must be about My Father's business?"
Many await the Messiah, like the Jews to this day. And just like that, many would-be believers await for our Lord to come speak to them.
Yet He does.
Yet He has.
Yet He will.
What does this mean? Be opened! And the deaf heard.
Be opened! And the mute spoke!
Be opened! And the lame and paralyzed began to move and jump for joy.
Or ... just remain closed!? What will happen if you remain obstinate in your own ways and thinking?
What will happen? Many things will happen. Or, simply, nothing. The same will remain the same, just as all atheists and scientologists belive in...NOTHING. They say we are nothing and mean nothing. Unless they throw in some philosophy to try to understand (temporal) life but now that would not be true to their beliefs, because ultimately, they believe life is meaningless, and so, abortion and divorce are part of their products.
But not so, to the believer.
We are here for a purpose. What is that? LIFE.
Jesus is the Life.
We are here for more, to give fruit and be fruit for the next generation to thrive.
In comes faith. Your faith matters. | The second verse to sum the life of a follower is predicted by our Lord and forever:
""I have told you this so that you may not fall away.
They will expel you from the synagogues;
in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you
will think he is offering worship to God."
Why do people kill? We need to find the answer to that so that you may understand...your own sin.
Some people kill out of vanity, and pride.
Some people kill out of sheer hatred.
Some people kill because they have never known true love...that is to say...our Lord Jesus, and this means, to have truly given their lives for our Lord.
This is why the roots of sin must be dealt with, and the roots that are in your own heart. Root them out in Confession. Root out your hatred. Root out your pride. Root out what divides the body of Christ. Is this possible?
Yes, with the first death.
Is it possible to take Christ as the root of all life?
Yes, because He has entered in us in the Holy Spirit.
When did He?
Baptism. When else? All the other Sacraments? When else? When you opened this message too! The Lord is speaking. Let us pray:
Lord, why don't I listen?
Lord, why can't I hear?
Lord, why can't I talk...right?
Lord, why am I so afraid to believe and to love?
Lord, why do I give into hearsay and let other people influence me instead of You?
Lord, I want to hear and listen and speak Your life. I want to believe so I can love, and I want only Your word to be the truth by which I live and die for the world, Your seed, Your vine, Your Way, Your Life. Remember Me Lord, I am Your child needing to hold Your hand in this life You gave me.
Amen. | from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse from online generator: Proverbs 12:19
19 Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
