.: † "..You Will Remain In My .. . ."

Thursday, May 19, 2022

† "..You Will Remain In My .. . ."

†Saint Quote
"Oh, my soul, how much longer do you wish to be so stingy with Jesus? Why so negligent towards Jesus who made You? Why so lazy towards Jesus who redeemed you? Who do you want to love, if you do not want to love Jesus?"
–St. Gemma Galgani

†Today's Meditation
"Solomon prayed for prudence and wisdom so that he might govern God's people rightly. Because his request was unselfish, God granted what he sought. When we pray, we should make sure that our desires are not motivated by selfishness. We should only want those gifts that help us most to serve others."
—Rev. Jude Winkler, p. 105

An Excerpt From
Daily Meditations with the Holy Spirit

†Daily Verse
"The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth."
–1 John 3:16-18

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St. Ivo

St. Ivo of Kermartin (1253–1303) was born to a noble family in Brittany, France. He studied civil and canon law, philosophy, and theology. He went on to practice law for many years in both the civil and ecclesiastical courts. He graciously defended the poor without charge, and visited them in prison as they awaited trial. He also worked to settle matters out of court to save litigants money and time. For these good works he became known as "Advocate of the Poor." St. Ivo also practiced a life of asceticism; he wore a hairshirt under his clothing, fasted regularly, and became a Franciscan Tertiary. These spiritual disciplines aided him in his practice of virtue in the courtroom: he fought the State in court on behalf of the rights of the Church, and became a diocesan judge who was unable to be tempted by bribes. St. Ivo eventually resigned from practicing law and joined the priesthood. He used the funds from his years practicing law to build a hospital for the poor, and he fed them with the harvests of his land. He became a miracle-worker during his life, feeding hundreds from a single loaf of bread. St. Ivo is the patron saint of judges, attorneys, lawyers, orphans, bailiffs, advocates, and canon lawyers. His feast day is May 19th.
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Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter

Lectionary: 288
Reading I

Acts 15:7-21

After much debate had taken place,
Peter got up and said to the Apostles and the presbyters,
"My brothers, you are well aware that from early days
God made his choice among you that through my mouth
the Gentiles would hear the word of the Gospel and believe.
And God, who knows the heart,
bore witness by granting them the Holy Spirit
just as he did us.
He made no distinction between us and them,
for by faith he purified their hearts.
Why, then, are you now putting God to the test
by placing on the shoulders of the disciples
a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?
On the contrary, we believe that we are saved
through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they."
The whole assembly fell silent,
and they listened
while Paul and Barnabas described the signs and wonders
God had worked among the Gentiles through them.

After they had fallen silent, James responded,
"My brothers, listen to me.
Symeon has described how God first concerned himself
with acquiring from among the Gentiles a people for his name.
The words of the prophets agree with this, as is written:

After this I shall return

and rebuild the fallen hut of David;

from its ruins I shall rebuild it

and raise it up again,

so that the rest of humanity may seek out the Lord,

even all the Gentiles on whom my name is invoked.

Thus says the Lord who accomplishes these things,

known from of old.

It is my judgment, therefore,
that we ought to stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God,
but tell them by letter to avoid pollution from idols,
unlawful marriage, the meat of strangled animals, and blood.
For Moses, for generations now,
has had those who proclaim him in every town,
as he has been read in the synagogues every sabbath."

Responsorial Psalm

96:1-2a, 2b-3, 10

R. (3) Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song;

sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;

among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;

he governs the peoples with equity.
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia

Jn 10:27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Jn 15:9-11

Jesus said to his disciples:
"As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father's commandments
and remain in his love.

"I have told you this so that
my joy might be in you and
your joy might be complete."

Daily Meditation: John 15:9-11

. . . that my joy might be in you. (John 15:11)

You've probably heard the Latin expression quid pro quo. It literally means "something for something." But it's often used in the context of business dealings: someone agrees to do something for you, and then you're expected to do something for them in return. Unfortunately, it can seep into the way we give and receive gifts. In fact, this approach has become so ingrained in many of us that it even affects the way we relate to Jesus.

God has given us a great gift—his saving love. What a joy to realize that, unlike some of the gifts we receive in this world, there's no quid pro quo with this one. It's completely free. He doesn't give it to us because he expects something in return but just because he loves us.

That's not to say we don't respond to God's love by trying to please him in our thoughts, words, or actions. But we're not paying back a debt. It's more like a child saying, "I love you" when his father has just given him a big hug. That child can't really repay the father's love, but he still wants to reciprocate in some way.

That's a good thing to keep in mind because it's easy to make our Christian life all about "doing." We can lose our joy if we think that we must somehow earn God's love or repay him for loving us. The truth is that we could never pay God back for all he has given us. Knowing that we are not expected to reciprocate, that we have been given a matchless gift with no quid pro quo, can make our joy complete.

So instead of worrying about what you "owe" God, decide just to live in his love. You could look into the sky on a dark night and wonder at the vastness of the heavens. You could take a deep breath and think how blessed you are to be alive and to be God's son or daughter. You could sit before a crucifix and contemplate the wounds Jesus suffered for you. As you do this, you may feel a spark of joy kindling in your heart.

The more you grasp the magnitude of his gift, the more joyful you'll become. So praise and thank the Lord for what he has done for you!

"Thank you, Lord, for your unmatched love!"

Acts 15:7-21
Psalm 96:1-3, 10

From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"the Gentiles would hear the word of the Gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart,
bore witness by granting them the Holy Spirit
just as he did us."

Who are Gentiles? Basically anyone who was not Jewish right? They believed, and our Lord entered them through the Holy Spirit. Thus was the purpose of His incarnation, and resurrection and the institution of the Holy Eucharist. That we all might be saved. That we all may turn to Him and become one in Him in true love.

We pray in Psalms:
"Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations; among all peoples, his wondrous deeds. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations"
If you had good news...would you share it...with excitement? So what's the good news then? Seek and ye shall find.

In today's Gospel we heard our Lord:
"If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love"

Why did our Lord ask us to keep His commandments? Just to "remain"?

It's even more, remaining means so much...for eternity.

Why does our Lord ask us to keep and love His commandments?
He answered that question today:
"I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete."

We will NEVER be complete in joy without Him.

What's more, our youth is swindled into darkness, and adults too, thinking that other things will bring you much joy. Do they?

Perhaps a very small percentage of joy; so small in fact that you have to keep trying to fill with more to try to complete you joy. Perhaps more sin, or more material goods which is called consumerism. Perhaps some more party, more vacation, more recreation, just more food, or whatever to give you just that little more joy.

But it is never complete joy.

Now, let's talk to a holy monk or nun, or a simple humble priest who vow to a life of poverty. They are typically full of joy. Oh the devil hates those folks, and watch how the world typically ridicules them.
But nothing can rob them of joy...Jesus Christ.

Our Lord wants to make us happy but we want to be happy without our Lord, God, And Father.

Let this be a call to eternal joy..and it starts right here and right now...
Our Lord is our Source of Joy....Thank You Lord for giving Yourself to us DAILY!

from your brother in Christ,
Adrian

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Random bible verse generator:

WOW AMEN
Deuteronomy 6:4–5

4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.1 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

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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Thursday, May 19, 2022