 |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"Occupy your mind with good thoughts, or the enemy will fill them with bad ones. Unoccupied, they cannot be."
— St. Thomas More MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Infinite grief I wish from My creature in two ways: in one way, through her sorrow for her own sins, which she has committed against Me her Creator; in the other way, through her sorrow for the sins which she sees her neighbors commit against Me. Of such as these, inasmuch as they have infinite desire, that is, are joined to Me by an affection of love, and therefore grieve when they offend Me, or see Me offended, their every pain, whether spiritual or corporeal, from wherever it may come, receives infinite merit, and satisfies for a guilt which deserved an infinite penalty, although their works are finite and done in finite time; but, inasmuch as they possess the virtue of desire, and sustain their suffering with desire, and contrition, and infinite displeasure against their guilt, their pain is held worthy. Paul explained this when he said: If I had the tongues of angels, and if I knew the things of the future and gave my body to be burned, and have not love, it would be worth nothing to me. The glorious Apostle thus shows that finite works are not valid, either as punishment or recompense, without the condiment of the affection of love."
— St. Catherine of Siena, p. 4
AN EXCERPT FROM
Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena VERSE OF THE DAY
"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved), raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus."
Ephesians 2:4-7 |  click to read more | | BLESSED IMELDA LAMBERTINI Bl. Imelda Lambertini (1322–1333) was born to a noble and devout family in Bologna, Italy. As a child she developed a great love for prayer, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and the Holy Eucharist. She spent much of her time in the Dominican monastery praying with the nuns, and at nine years of age requested to enter there as a postulant. Her parents and the nuns allowed her to enter, however, in that era children her age were not permitted to receive Holy Communion. Imelda repeatedly pleaded to receive Communion, but each time she was denied. Nevertheless, she developed a close relationship with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. When the feast of the Ascension approached, Imelda begged to make her First Holy Communion on this feast. Again, she was denied. On the Vigil of the Feast of the Ascension she was in the chapel praying, as usual, as the other Sisters received Holy Communion. Afterwards a glowing host was seen suspended in the air above the child. The priest understood this as a sign that the child should be permitted to receive, and he ministered the Holy Eucharist to her. Imelda remained kneeling in prayer in thanksgiving as the nuns left the chapel. When they returned for her, they found her just as they had left her, but her body was lifeless. It was understood that Imelda died of pure ecstatic joy after receiving Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, as she had so ardently desired. Bl. Imelda Lambertini is the patron saint of First Communicants. Her feast day is May 12th. | Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter Lectionary: 293
Reading I Acts 17:15, 22—18:1 After Paul's escorts had taken him to Athens,
they came away with instructions for Silas and Timothy
to join him as soon as possible. Then Paul stood up at the Areopagus and said:
"You Athenians, I see that in every respect
you are very religious.
For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines,
I even discovered an altar inscribed, 'To an Unknown God.'
What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.
The God who made the world and all that is in it,
the Lord of heaven and earth,
does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands,
nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything.
Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything.
He made from one the whole human race
to dwell on the entire surface of the earth,
and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions,
so that people might seek God,
even perhaps grope for him and find him,
though indeed he is not far from any one of us.
For 'In him we live and move and have our being,'
as even some of your poets have said,
'For we too are his offspring.'
Since therefore we are the offspring of God,
we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image
fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination.
God has overlooked the times of ignorance,
but now he demands that all people everywhere repent
because he has established a day on which he will 'judge the world
with justice' through a man he has appointed,
and he has provided confirmation for all
by raising him from the dead." When they heard about resurrection of the dead,
some began to scoff, but others said,
"We should like to hear you on this some other time."
And so Paul left them.
But some did join him, and became believers.
Among them were Dionysius,
a member of the Court of the Areopagus,
a woman named Damaris, and others with them. After this he left Athens and went to Corinth. Responsorial Psalm 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14 R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights.
Praise him, all you his angels; praise him, all you his hosts.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the kings of the earth and all peoples, the princes and all the judges of the earth,
Young men too, and maidens, old men and boys.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted;
His majesty is above earth and heaven.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has lifted up the horn of his people;
Be this his praise from all his faithful ones, from the children of Israel, the people close to him. Alleluia. R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 14:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I will ask the Father
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you always.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 16:12-15 Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you." | Daily Meditation: John 16:12-15 The Spirit of truth . . . will guide you to all truth. (John 16:13) Today's Gospel reading comes from Jesus' Last Supper discourse to his disciples. It seems that John wanted to capture as much of Jesus' final words as he could—he devotes four whole chapters to them! But even after having shared so much with them, Jesus said that there was still more he wanted to tell the Twelve. "But you cannot bear it now," he added (John 16:12). What did Jesus mean by that? Just as a seasoned teacher doesn't try to cram too much information into one lesson, Jesus didn't want to overwhelm his disciples. They were already feeling confused. Peter wondered why Jesus wanted to wash his feet (John 13:6-10). Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father (14:8). Jude didn't understand why Jesus was going to "reveal" himself to them but not to the world (14:22). And several disciples wondered where Jesus was going and when they would ever see him again (14:5; 16:17). Don't you wish Jesus had given more information? Or more to the point, don't you wish he would have answered every question you ever had? But Jesus doesn't work that way. Some of the answers came for the Twelve as they witnessed Jesus' passion, death, and resurrection. But things really began to make sense once they had received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost—just as Jesus had promised. Only as they learned to listen to the Spirit did his words come back to them and bolster their faith (John 2:22; 14:26). The same holds true for us. In fact, not knowing everything has its advantages. It teaches us to turn to the Spirit for more wisdom and to lean on him when we feel weak and confused. God's ways may not always make sense at first, but give it time and keep asking the Spirit to "guide you to all truth" (John 16:13). Be patient, and don't get discouraged as you move through your faith journey. Remember that the Holy Spirit is at your side. He will reveal his wisdom to you a little bit at a time, allowing you to grow into holiness at just the right pace. "Come, Holy Spirit, and help me to know your ways more and more each day." Acts 17:15, 22–18:1
Psalm 148:1-2, 11-14 |  clickable | The Lord is inviting you to come and gaze into His eyes of mercy. He's offering you hope for a fresh start. Oh, I pray that the eyes of your heart would be enlightened, and that the darkness of shame would be chased away. Shame keeps your eyes cast down. But God is cupping your face in His hands and calling you to look up.
— Lisa Brenninkmeyer
from her book Be Still: A Daily Devotional |  CLICK TO HEAR IT READ! | my2cents:
"'For we too are his offspring..."
we heard in the Scripture. In non christian religions, people do not see God as Father. Some naturalists may consider "nature" as "mother" but not as a true mother relationship but as a byproduct. But in Christianity, we have God as Father. This is why our Scripture says we are His offspring. Have you spoken with Him? Have you heard Our Father speaking lately? And we not only have Father, but mother too! Given to us from Jesus our Lord from the cross, Behold your Mother. We are the offspring of a new covenant, yes, but in all reality, the very essence of life, for dust is one thing, but spirit is another. Electricity is needed to run our heart, and that energy is from God Himself. | We pray in the Psalms:
"He has lifted up the horn of his people;
Be this his praise from all his faithful ones, from the children of Israel, the people close to him. Heaven and earth are full of your glory."
What is a horn? Horns are spoken of all throughout the bible, until the end in Revelation. A horn is the message through the messenger, because when the horn blows, it is a call to attention, and for some it has been a call to war. But this horn is the one of salvation. If this horn was lowered, now our Lord raises it up in His faithful...children. | Our Lord said:
"...when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me..."
Have you had an experience with the Holy Spirit? You may or may not. And so, I relay a testimony of truth that I have experienced, so that you may learn to open up to the Spirit of Truth. What is the truth like? The truth is humble and difficult but we cannot live without it...and if you want the truth, I must introduce you to Him....Jesus. Outside of Him, there is no clear guiding light. He is God revealed. He is the light we need. If anyone comes declaring some other truth, they are a liar, misguided, and blind leading the blind. There is much more I'd like to say too, but for now...I pray with you. | Lord,
I asked to see You, and to not be alone, and You said "it was I who held you, not the nurse, not your family, it was I who wiped your tears.
I asked to hear You, and you sent messengers to speak words of encouragement.
I ask if You love Me, and I look to the cross....and I ask no more questions....Father,
I Love You Too. amen | from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse from online generator: 1 Peter 2:2–3 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
