†Saint Quote
"Let every knee bend before Thee, O greatness of my God, so supremely humbled in the Sacred Host. May every heart love Thee, every spirit adore Thee and every will be subject to Thee!"
— St. Margaret Mary † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Oh, how sweet and pleasant to that soul and to Me is holy prayer, made in the house of knowledge of self and of Me, opening the eye of the intellect to the light of faith, and the affections to the abundance of My charity, which was made visible to you, through My visible Only-begotten Son, who showed it to you with His blood! Which blood inebriates the soul and clothes her with the fire of divine charity, giving her the food of the Sacrament . . . that is to say, the food of the Body and Blood of My Son, wholly God and wholly man, administered to you by the hand of My vicar, who holds the key of the Blood."
— St. Catherine of Siena, p. 92
AN EXCERPT FROM
Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena ⛪ TODAY'S FEAST DAY
Feast Day
SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, or Corpus Christi, is celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday in honor of the institution of the Holy Eucharist (in some U.S. dioceses it is transferred to the following Sunday). The feast originated with the visions of St. Juliana of Mont Cornillon, a Belgian nun deeply devoted to the Holy Eucharist, to whom Jesus appeared requesting a feast in honor of the Blessed Sacrament. St. Juliana shared this with the Church hierarchy, and after decades of opposition Pope Urban IV instituted the feast of Corpus Christi for the universal Church in 1264. At the time there was a formal dispute among theologians on the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist—that is, Christ's actual Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—for the first time in Church history. In response to this heresy and in support of the authenticity of St. Juliana's visions, a Eucharistic Miracle took place in Orvieto, Italy which proved the truth of the literal interpretation of Christ's doctrine handed down from the Apostles. The Holy Father requested that the liturgy for the feast be composed by St. Thomas Aquinas, now one of the Church's most sublimely poetic liturgies. Corpus Christi is traditionally accompanied with Eucharistic large and elaborate public processions, most notably by the Holy Father in Rome. †Verse of the Day
"My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways."
Proverbs 23:26 |  click to read more | | ST. KEVIN OF GLENDALOUGH St. Kevin of Glendalough (498-618 A.D.) lived in Ireland during the age of the great early Irish saints, many of whom were his contemporaries. He was baptized by St. Cronan, and from age seven was taught by St. Petroc. From age twelve he studied under the Irish monks as a student of St. Eonagh, and eventually became a monk himself. Among his friends were St. Comgall, St. Columba, St. Cannich, and St. Kieran. After his ordination he lived a penitential life as a cave-dwelling hermit for seven years. Word of his holiness spread, and he attracted a group of followers which led him to found the famous monastery at Glendalough. Because of his fame this remote spot became a town and then a city, with offshoots of several other monastic foundations rising up around it. He served as abbot at Glendalough, and once the monastery was well-established he withdrew to live as a hermit again for four years. He was then called back to Glendalough, and continued to serve as abbot there until his death at age 120. St. Kevin has many legends surrounding him involving wild animals obeying his commands, seeking him for refuge, and helping him feed others. St. Kevin is the patron of blackbirds, Glendalough, the Archdiocese of Dublin, and he is one of the patron saints of Ireland. His feast day is June 3rd. | Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs
Lectionary: 356 Reading I Tb 6:10-11; 7:1bcde, 9-17; 8:4-9a When the angel Raphael and Tobiah had entered Media
and were getting close to Ecbatana,
Raphael said to the boy,
"Tobiah, my brother!"
He replied: "Here I am!"
He said: "Tonight we must stay with Raguel, who is a relative of yours.
He has a daughter named Sarah." So he brought him to the house of Raguel,
whom they found seated by his courtyard gate.
They greeted him first.
He said to them, "Greetings to you too, brothers!
Good health to you, and welcome!"
And he brought them into his home. Raguel slaughtered a ram from the flock
and gave them a cordial reception.
When they had bathed and reclined to eat, Tobiah said to Raphael,
"Brother Azariah, ask Raguel to let me marry
my kinswoman Sarah."
Raguel overheard the words; so he said to the boy:
"Eat and drink and be merry tonight,
for no man is more entitled
to marry my daughter Sarah than you, brother.
Besides, not even I have the right to give her to anyone but you,
because you are my closest relative.
But I will explain the situation to you very frankly.
I have given her in marriage to seven men,
all of whom were kinsmen of ours,
and all died on the very night they approached her.
But now, son, eat and drink.
I am sure the Lord will look after you both."
Tobiah answered,
"I will eat or drink nothing until you set aside what belongs to me." Raguel said to him: "I will do it.
She is yours according to the decree of the Book of Moses.
Your marriage to her has been decided in heaven!
Take your kinswoman;
from now on you are her love, and she is your beloved.
She is yours today and ever after.
And tonight, son, may the Lord of heaven prosper you both.
May he grant you mercy and peace."
Then Raguel called his daughter Sarah, and she came to him.
He took her by the hand and gave her to Tobiah with the words:
"Take her according to the law.
According to the decree written in the Book of Moses
she is your wife.
Take her and bring her back safely to your father.
And may the God of heaven grant both of you peace and prosperity."
Raguel then called Sarah's mother and told her to bring a scroll,
so that he might draw up a marriage contract
stating that he gave Sarah to Tobiah as his wife
according to the decree of the Mosaic law.
Her mother brought the scroll,
and Raguel drew up the contract, to which they affixed their seals. Afterward they began to eat and drink.
Later Raguel called his wife Edna and said,
"My love, prepare the other bedroom and bring the girl there."
She went and made the bed in the room, as she was told,
and brought the girl there.
After she had cried over her, she wiped away the tears and said:
"Be brave, my daughter.
May the Lord grant you joy in place of your grief.
Courage, my daughter."
Then she left. When the girl's parents left the bedroom
and closed the door behind them,
Tobiah arose from bed and said to his wife,
"My love, get up.
Let us pray and beg our Lord to have mercy on us
and to grant us deliverance."
She got up, and they started to pray
and beg that deliverance might be theirs.
And they began to say: "Blessed are you, O God of our fathers, praised be your name forever and ever. Let the heavens and all your creation praise you forever. You made Adam and you gave him his wife Eve to be his help and support; and from these two the human race descended. You said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; let us make him a partner like himself.' Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine not because of lust, but for a noble purpose. Call down your mercy on me and on her, and allow us to live together to a happy old age." They said together, "Amen, amen," and went to bed for the night. Responsorial Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 R. (see 1a) Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; Blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive plants around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Behold, thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion: may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord. Alleluia See 2 Tm 1:10 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 12:28-34 One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
"Which is the first of all the commandments?"
Jesus replied, "The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.
The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these."
The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he.
And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God."
And no one dared to ask him any more questions. | DAILY MEDITATION: MARK 12:28-34
Which is the first of all the commandments? (Mark 12:28) Scholars tell us that the Law of Moses contains 613 commandments. So it's no wonder that the scribe in today's Gospel would ask Jesus which command was the most important. Unlike the others who had sparred with Jesus that day, this man doesn't seem to want to trick Jesus or to be looking for a way to avoid some of God's commands. He seems devout and faithful, someone sincerely seeking to understand how best to honor God. Jesus answers by quoting from the Book of Deuteronomy: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" (6:4-5; Mark 12:30). When he says that it's the "first" command, he is saying that it contains all the other commandments. It doesn't eliminate them; rather, it's the source for them. The command to love the Lord with all that we are governs every situation and every choice. Everything we do flows from this. Then Jesus gives a second command: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18; Mark 12:31). He reminds us that loving God is inseparable from loving our neighbor; without it, our love for God is incomplete. We concretely express our love for God by loving our neighbor. Like the first, this command is not narrow. It encompasses every relationship—with the people we love and with the ones we find difficult. Hearing these words, the scribe could have wondered, "How could anyone love so completely?" He could have even felt tempted to walk away. But he didn't. He saw that Jesus was expressing the heart of the Law: love of God and neighbor together constitute true worship, true obedience. He saw that this pleases God more than anything else. You can imagine his heart burning as Jesus told him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God" (Mark 12:33). You are not far from the kingdom of God either. Jesus is close to you. He has all the grace you need to love God and your neighbor. He blesses even your faltering attempts to love. So how will you love the "Jesus" you meet today? "Jesus, help me to love my neighbor as an expression of my love for you." Tobit 6:10-11; 7:1, 9-17; 8:4-9
Psalm 128:1-5 | As long as I reach Heaven with my dear Louis and see them [her children] all there far better placed than I, I will be happy enough like this. I don't ask for anything more.
— St. Zélie Martin
quoted in "A Family of Saints: The Martins of Lisieux" |  Bro. Adrian Reads reflection Outloud. Click here | my2cents:
From the book of Tobit:
The 8th groom (a forever pact):
"When the girl's parents left the bedroom
and closed the door behind them,
Tobiah arose from bed and said to his wife,
"My love, get up.
Let us pray and beg our Lord to have mercy on us and to grant us deliverance."
She got up, and they started to pray..."
There is a difference when a couple gets married in the Church...you set your foundation on Love, and God is Love and God is truly eternal. It is a swearing, an oath to be bound with...it is a Holy Sacrament that cannot be undone, if you truly understand what it undertakes and means. | We pray in the Psalms:
"Blessed are those who fear the Lord. Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; Blessed shall you be, and favored." | We heard in the Holy Gospel according to Mark:
"One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?"
Jesus replied, "The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.
The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these." | Our Lord teaches what comes first. First comes Love, God, then comes marriage, man(kind) with God. If you love God truly, you'll love neighbor truly. Take away God and you will not love man truly. This is the danger of our world, that they wish not to have God first, that they wish to be first instead, and the atrocities of humanity begins, because in a world without commandments, jungle law takes over, every man for himself, survival of the fittest, the biggest egos win, and this is evident in the dictatorships and communist devastations that have transpired throughout the ages and is still happening today.
So how can we love our Lord? Doing His will. Following His commands. How can we be perfect in His eyes? Giving it all to Him, heart, mind, soul, and strength. Is it possible? Of course. But it becomes almost impossible when you love sin, when you keep returning to the pig pens of liberation, like the prodigal son when he wanted to be free from his dad, just wanted all the money and no dad, no Father, no God. And it becomes a vicious circle of having to return to God...unless, we learn to break away from sin, for good. And this calls for a personal crucifixion, that is, you must crucify yourself, by letting other have their way, for love comes first. God proves His love by letting you go free. And we freely crucified Him with our sins. Now, can we love like that? Can we make a whole return to God of heart, mind, soul and strength? Can we love Him so much as to let ourselves be crucified by the proud? Pride is a huge root of evil. And pride comes before the fall. So many fights and divisions come because of pride. Where is love of neighbor in pride fights? Let others win, and then you will win. Let others first and then you will be first. The first shall be last, no? So let us be last now, for the sake of the everlasting...God...our Father. Let us pray:
Lord, only You can show us true love and it is forever engraved in our minds and souls and hearts...that You gave Your life on the cross, as if to say "I give Myself completely, heart, mind, soul, and strength to You My God...and my family" for the sake of Love...for the sake of God...and His Holy Will of Goodness forever. | from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse from online generator: Galatians 5:22–23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
