.: † "Go Tell My ... "

Monday, April 18, 2022

† "Go Tell My ... "

†Saint Quote
"Quote of the Day
"One just soul can obtain pardon for a thousand sinners."
–St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

†Today's Meditation
"Souls who spread the honor of My mercy I shield through their entire lives as a tender mother her infant, and at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior. At that last hour, a soul has nothing with which to defend itself except My mercy. Happy is the soul that during its lifetime immersed itself in the Fountain of Mercy, because justice will have no hold on it."
—Jesus to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, p.

An Excerpt From
Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska - Divine Mercy in My Soul

†Daily Verse
"There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops."
–Luke 12:2-3

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St. Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur

St. Peter of St. Joseph Betancur, or Pedro de San José Betancur (1626-1667), also known as Hermano Pedro, was born into poverty in the Canary Islands. He was a shepherd until the age of 24 at which time he traveled to Guatemala, then the capital of New Spain, hoping to connect with a relative and to begin training to be a priest. The journey so impoverished him that he entered a bread line served by the Franciscans. He took up work in a textile factory and later entered a Jesuit college to study for the priesthood. Being too poor to continue his studies, he instead became a Franciscan tertiary. He dedicated his life to helping the poor and oppressed in jails and hospitals, as well as ministering to African slaves, Native Americans, and anyone else in need. He also founded a hospital, a school for the poor, and a homeless shelter. He also preached to the rich, inviting them to repent of their sins. Because of his effective apostolate he became known as "St. Francis of the Americas." People were attracted to his way of life and followed him, leading to the founding of the Bethlehemite Brothers and Sisters. In addition to serving the poor, they had the charism of special devotion to the Divine Child and the Blessed Virgin, and offered prayer and sacrifices for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Each night St. Peter would carry a heavy wooden cross through the streets as a form of penance and evangelization. It is also said that he was the first to start the Posadas procession during Advent. He died in 1667 and was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II as the first saint from Central America. His feast day is April 18.

Monday in the Octave of Easter

Lectionary: 261
Reading I

Acts 2:14, 22-33

On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the Eleven,
raised his voice, and proclaimed:
"You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem.
Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.

"You who are children of Israel, hear these words.
Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God
with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs,
which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.
This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God,
you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.
But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death,
because it was impossible for him to be held by it.
For David says of him:

I saw the Lord ever before me,

with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted;

my flesh, too, will dwell in hope,

because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,

nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.

You have made known to me the paths of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence.

My brothers, one can confidently say to you
about the patriarch David that he died and was buried,
and his tomb is in our midst to this day.
But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him
that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,
he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ,
that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld
nor did his flesh see corruption.
God raised this Jesus;
of this we are all witnesses.
Exalted at the right hand of God,
he poured forth the promise of the Holy Spirit
that he received from the Father, as you both see and hear."

Responsorial Psalm

16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

R. (1) Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;

I say to the LORD, "My Lord are you."
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,

you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;

even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;

with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,

my body, too, abides in confidence;
Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,

nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You will show me the path to life,

fullness of joys in your presence,

the delights at your right hand forever.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia

Ps 118:24

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mt 28:8-15

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce the news to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me."

While they were going, some of the guard went into the city
and told the chief priests all that had happened.
The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel;
then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
telling them, "You are to say,
'His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.'
And if this gets to the ears of the governor,
we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble."
The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.
And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.

Daily Meditation: Acts 2:14, 22-33

[Jesus] poured forth the . . . Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:33)

Christ is risen! Alleluia! On this second day of the Octave of Easter, the Church continues to celebrate Jesus' resurrection by turning to Peter's famous speech on Pentecost. Throughout the Easter season, we will read through the Book of Acts to see the difference the Holy Spirit made in the lives of the apostles. We'll see how the Spirit changed them from fearful men hiding from the religious authorities into bold and fearless preachers of the good news.

At our baptism, we received the same Spirit that the apostles did. And we too have been changed by the Spirit! Each day he wants to guide us and empower us. As he did with the disciples, he can use us in ways we might not even imagine. So how can we open ourselves more fully to his action in our lives? Here are some suggestions:

Be alert. It's so easy, given our busyness and distractions, to miss the Holy Spirit's action in our daily lives. Or perhaps we don't expect him to work through us. But if we keep our "antenna" pointed in his direction, we will hear him. Maybe he'll ask us to reach out to a fellow parishioner or speak an encouraging word to a family member. We never know what he might nudge us to do unless we listen.

Step out in faith. The Holy Spirit prompted Peter to speak, but Peter still had to open his mouth, raise his voice, and begin talking. He might have been tempted to feel unworthy or nervous. But the Holy Spirit was prompting him to preach, so he did. Like Peter, we may need to get out of our comfort zone or try something new if we feel the Spirit is leading us.

Persevere, even when it takes time or when the Holy Spirit works in a way we didn't expect. We won't always see immediate or abundant fruit, and the waiting may be difficult. It wasn't easy for the apostles, but in the long run, look at the fruit they bore!

This Easter season, try to be open to the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. Each day pray, "Come, Holy Spirit!" Then listen, step out in faith, and persevere through any trials you may encounter. Remember, the risen Christ is in you!

"Holy Spirit, I'm listening. Speak to me today."

Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11
Matthew 28:8-15

From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses.
Exalted at the right hand of God"

Is there something better than this life?

Apparently there is. If it were not, many souls may have very well have chosen to stay on earth.
But can you imagine not being subject to flesh desires and being bound to the rules and order of the world we live in? And I speak of the natural order and how the physical body works and makes our very minds think. God raised Jesus. And this means the world to us. Once God the Father raises His Son, it changes everything. Now we can follow Him into Eternity. More on that, but first, let us pray.

We pray in Psalms:
"Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices, my body, too, abides in confidence;
Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world, nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption."

There are to this day, bodies that are not corrupt. They belong to holy and faithful children of God. There are very few. Indeed, Mother Mary has said at Medjugorje that just a few actually go straight to Heaven, but most go to purgatory, and very many go straight to hell. Now, there are things to consider. Purgatory is a strange place of being. The lower levels are close to hell and feel very much like hell. The higher places are very close to Heaven and one can taste it by smelling it. I bet the rich man that ignored the poor Lazarus was in a hard spot in purgatory, but not too far because he could see Abraham in Heaven. We believe in the resurrection, we will rise, all who are baptized into Christ our Lord. But there are a million paths and worlds to consider that can happen to us, therefore, consider every thought and bit of faith we have now.

In today's Gospel we heard:
" Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me."

Our Lord appears, but not as before. The women are excited to go tell the whole world, but afraid. But time is of the essence. There should be in all of us, a real sense of urgency...to do God's will.

But how often is He put off? As if, there were more important things to tend to?

Every second counts. How are you? What are you? Why are you?

What were the Marys afraid of when running from the tomb?

And what are you running from today?

There are many questions to consider. But I want you to consider how precious time really is, and it isn't time, but the actual state of being.

The more I study Holy Scripture, the more I become afraid of God. The more I apply my faith, the more I realize how great He is.

And so, we may dare to wonder:
How is God the Father?
Why is God the Father?
What is God the Father?

The answers would blow our mind. It would be like trying to fill an entire library of all the books of the world into the mind of a dog. So what can a poor dog do? LOL.
Depend
On
God

The world has been decreasing in population through abortions and the free will to reject children. But there is much more sad news to tend to; the world has been losing faith in God.
What is faith then? All I can do is explain it by describing it.
Faith is a phenomenal gift to God. Think Abraham and Isaac.
And think about the faith God has in us, to give us His only Son too! Think about Jesus faith, who also asked if there could be any other way than that of being slaughtered, let this cup pass me.
Then, faith was love. Faith was obedience. Depend On God.
Want to love God? Then have faith that shines. Have faith that rises from the dead, and watch for all the living dead among us that need the life of Christ. If there is a shortage of people, there is a shortage of saints. Therefore, Holy Saints are in high demand. Are you a saint?

Let me tell you the truth: you've got what it takes.

from your brother in Christ,
Adrian

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Random bible verse generator:
Hebrews 4:15

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace

Going4th

For questions or comments contact Adrian@going4th.com. For more go to www.Going4th.com

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