 |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"Faith is a habit of the mind whereby eternal life is begun in us, making the intellect assent to what is non-apparent."
— St. Thomas Aquinas †MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Very pleasing to Me, dearest daughter, is the willing desire to bear every pain and fatigue, even unto death, for the salvation of souls, for the more the soul endures, the more she shows that she loves Me; loving Me she comes to know more of My truth, and the more she knows, the more pain and intolerable grief she feels at the offenses committed against me."
— God to St. Catherine of Siena, p. 9
AN EXCERPT FROM
Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena †VERSE OF THE DAY
"Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!"
Psalm 119:1-3 |  click to read more | | BL. ANTONIA MESINA Blessed Antonia Mesina (1919-1935) was one of ten children born to a poor family on the island of Sardinia in Italy. Being the second oldest child, she had to leave school to help with the family chores after her mother became bedridden, a task which she accepted with obedience, humility, and joy. Antonia's mother referred to her daughter as "the flower of my life." Antonia was also active in her parish, joining the Young Women of Catholic Action organization at the age of ten and encouraging others to do the same. On May 17, 1935, while in the forest with a friend gathering firewood, Antonia was assaulted by a teenage boy who attempted to rape her. Her friend ran for help while Antonia bravely defended herself against her attacker. The young man, unable to achieve his goal due to her continuous resistance, brutally attacked Antonia with dozens of blows with a rock. By the time help arrived, it was too late. Antonia died at the age of sixteen. The entire town accompanied her body to the site of her burial. She is considered a martyr of sexual purity, and was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II in 1987. Her story has been likened to that of St. Maria Goretti. Blessed Antonia Messina is the patron of rape victims. Her feast day is May 17th. | Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter Lectionary: 297
Reading I Acts 19:1-8 While Apollos was in Corinth,
Paul traveled through the interior of the country
and down to Ephesus where he found some disciples.
He said to them,
"Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?"
They answered him,
"We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
He said, "How were you baptized?"
They replied, "With the baptism of John."
Paul then said, "John baptized with a baptism of repentance,
telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him,
that is, in Jesus."
When they heard this,
they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul laid his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came upon them,
and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
Altogether there were about twelve men. He entered the synagogue, and for three months debated boldly
with persuasive arguments about the Kingdom of God. Responsorial Psalm 68:2-3ab, 4-5acd, 6-7ab R. (33a) Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
God arises; his enemies are scattered, and those who hate him flee before him.
As smoke is driven away, so are they driven; as wax melts before the fire.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
But the just rejoice and exult before God; they are glad and rejoice.
Sing to God, chant praise to his name; whose name is the LORD.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The father of orphans and the defender of widows is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken; he leads forth prisoners to prosperity.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Col 3:1 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If then you were raised with Christ,
seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 16:29-33 The disciples said to Jesus,
"Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech.
Now we realize that you know everything
and that you do not need to have anyone question you.
Because of this we believe that you came from God."
Jesus answered them, "Do you believe now?
Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived
when each of you will be scattered to his own home
and you will leave me alone.
But I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.
In the world you will have trouble,
but take courage, I have conquered the world." | Daily Meditation: Acts 19:1-8 The Holy Spirit came upon them. (Acts 19:6) "Holy what?" The disciples whom Paul encountered in Ephesus didn't know there was a Holy Spirit, or even that Jesus was the Messiah. But when Paul shared the good news and prayed with them, their eyes were opened to the spiritual gifts that were now theirs through Christ. The Ephesian disciples knew that the Spirit had come upon them because they were able to prophesy and speak in God-given tongues (Acts 19:6). Such manifestations were a sure sign of the Spirit's presence in the early Church, and even today there are believers who experience these "charismatic" gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). While these are two of the more obvious signs of the Spirit, Scripture tells us about other gifts that we might experience (Isaiah 11:2-3): • When you pray for guidance and receive wisdom, that's the Spirit.
• When you are tempted to do or say something rash and you resist by saying a quick Hail Mary, God's Spirit of counsel is giving you restraint.
• When you are looking for credit for your accomplishments, fear of the Lord reminds you that all your talents come from God.
• When you are confused about Church teaching on a moral issue and you stumble across a podcast that gives you insight, the Spirit is granting you knowledge and understanding.
• When you are at the end of your rope but keep persevering in faith, you are being filled with fortitude.
• When you are feeling restless at Mass but a hymn fills you with a sense of God's love, the Spirit is giving you piety. Pentecost is approaching, so let's ask the Lord to fill us with even more of his gifts so that we can better serve him and his body. Be sure to ask freely and expectantly. Remember, God "does not ration his gift of the Spirit" (John 3:34). Maybe in this season of your life, you are in special need of fortitude or wisdom. Maybe you'd like to experience one of the charismatic gifts. Whatever it is, don't be shy about asking. God wants it for you even more than you do! "Come upon me, Holy Spirit! Strengthen your gifts within me." Psalm 68:2-7
John 16:29-33 |  clickable | …Biblical prayer is essentially a relation between persons and hence ultimately the affirmation of the person.
— Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI)
from his book "The Feast of Faith" |  Recordings go out minutes after writing is emailed! | |  CLICK TO HEAR IT READ! | my2cents:
"When they heard this,
they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus."
This is baptism, yes.
"And when Paul laid his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came upon them..."
This is Confirmation, yes.
These are two separate Sacraments. Yesterday our Bishop confirmed various students.
Did they leave speaking in tongues? Or did they begin to prophecy? Because in Holy Scripture it says they did! Let us dive deeper into this. | We pray in the Psalms:
"God arises; his enemies are scattered, and those who hate him flee before him.
As smoke is driven away, so are they driven; as wax melts before the fire. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth."
It is a historical fact, not a mere biblical fact, that all those who persecuted Christ scattered after He arose again from the dead. The light does scatter the dark. He didn't chase them away, the dark goes to dark, and light goes to light... the faithful remain. | Our Lord speaks about the scattering:
""Do you believe now? Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone. But I am not alone, because the Father is with me."
That is the truth speaking. And indeed, all those who said they believed in Him....ran from Him, they all went into hiding...to save themselves. They all went home. They all turned away, even his own Disciples.
How many of us are cowards today?
Before you say you are not, consider your sins.
If you sin, you are a coward. If you look to the dark, if you go to the dark, you are running from God, the light.
I have come to believe that only the strong remain. But if you are weak? What if you do not have strength to overcome sin? | I would like to know that because that is where I fall, with the rest of the world, for we are nothing without God!
Our Lord speaks:
"I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world."
Our Lord has spoken to you. Take courage, have peace in Him our Lord in Heaven. Do you think the world is a horrible place? I beg to ask you what you are staring at...entranced, hypnotized, mesmerized by the deviations you are addicted to.
Now, I ask that you break away from those enticements...and look to the Lord. Turn away from your sin, and turn to the light. Let us pray:
From Mt. 24:44
And they too will reply, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' 45Then the King will answer, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.'…
And so I pray, that I may see Your Holy Face, Your Precious Body, and never turn away again. May my body glorify Your body, at every moment, and in every action and thought I ever take...for the sake of Thy Kingdom, My Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All! | from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse from online generator: Ephesians 1:3
Spiritual Blessings in Christ 3 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, | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
