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Monday, May 16, 2022

† "While I Am With You . . ."

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†Saint Quote
"I have been all things unholy; if God can work through me, He can work through anyone."
–St. Francis of Assisi

†Today's Meditation
"On the whole, God's love for us is a much safer subject to think about than our love for Him. Nobody can always have devout feelings: and even if we could, feelings are not what God principally cares about. Christian Love, either towards God or towards man, is an affair of the will. If we are trying to do His will we are obeying the commandment, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God.' He will give us feelings of love if He pleases. We cannot create them for ourselves, and we must not demand them as a right. But the great thing to remember is that, though our feelings come and go, His love for us does not. It is not wearied by our sins, or our indifference; and, therefore, it is quite relentless in its determination that we shall be cured of those sins, at whatever cost to us, at whatever cost to Him."
—C. S. Lewis, p. 146

An Excerpt From
Mere Christianity

†Daily Verse
"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ."
–Ephesians 2:13

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St. Simon Stock

St. Simon Stock (1165-1265) was born in Kent, England. He was strongly drawn to God as a child, and at the age of twelve he began to live as a hermit in the hollow of an oak tree. After two decades of this solitary and penitential life, he entered the world again to study theology and become a priest. His studies complete, he then returned to his hermitage. At this time the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him, instructing him to join the Carmelite Order that was just entering England. St. Simon became a Carmelite in 1212. By 1215 he became the order's leader and worked to establish it across Europe, especially at the great universities. He also traveled to Rome and Mt. Carmel in the Holy Land, and revised the Carmelite Rule to make them mendicant friars instead of hermits. Tradition holds that the Virgin Mary appeared to him again and presented him with a brown scapular, the habit of his order, promising that those who wore it would not be eternally lost in hell. This apparition is known as Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and her "scapular promise" is that she will intercede with her Son to ensure that the wearer of the scapular obtains the grace of final perseverance, that is, of dying in a state of grace. This is the origin of the Brown Scapular devotion which soon spread to the laity to obtain the graces promised by Our Lady, a devotion later encouraged by many popes. St. Simon Stock's feast day is May 16th.

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Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter

Lectionary: 285
Reading I
Acts 14:5-18

There was an attempt in Iconium
by both the Gentiles and the Jews,
together with their leaders,
to attack and stone Paul and Barnabas.
They realized it,
and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe
and to the surrounding countryside,
where they continued to proclaim the Good News.

At Lystra there was a crippled man, lame from birth,
who had never walked.
He listened to Paul speaking, who looked intently at him,
saw that he had the faith to be healed,
and called out in a loud voice, "Stand up straight on your feet."
He jumped up and began to walk about.
When the crowds saw what Paul had done,
they cried out in Lycaonian,
"The gods have come down to us in human form."
They called Barnabas "Zeus" and Paul "Hermes,"
because he was the chief speaker.
And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city,
brought oxen and garlands to the gates,
for he together with the people intended to offer sacrifice.

The Apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their garments
when they heard this and rushed out into the crowd, shouting,
"Men, why are you doing this?
We are of the same nature as you, human beings.
We proclaim to you good news
that you should turn from these idols to the living God,
who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them.
In past generations he allowed all Gentiles to go their own ways;
yet, in bestowing his goodness,
he did not leave himself without witness,
for he gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons,
and filled you with nourishment and gladness for your hearts."
Even with these words, they scarcely restrained the crowds
from offering sacrifice to them.

Responsorial Psalm

115:1-2, 3-4, 15-16

R. (1ab) Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Not to us, O LORD, not to us

but to your name give glory

because of your mercy, because of your truth.
Why should the pagans say,

"Where is their God?"
R. Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Our God is in heaven;

whatever he wills, he does.
Their idols are silver and gold,

the handiwork of men.
R. Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
May you be blessed by the LORD,

who made heaven and earth.
Heaven is the heaven of the LORD,

but the earth he has given to the children of men.
R. Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia

Jn 14:26

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Holy Spirit will teach you everything
and remind you of all I told you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Jn 14:21-26

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him."
Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him,
"Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us
and not to the world?"
Jesus answered and said to him,
"Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.

"I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit
whom the Father will send in my name --
he will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you."

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Daily Meditation: John 14:21-26

What happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world? (John 14:22)

Why did Jesus spend so much time focusing on his closest disciples? Wouldn't it have been more efficient for him to reveal himself "to the world" in a big way (John 14:22)? He could have summoned political and religious leaders to witness his resurrection in a blaze of cosmic glory that would leave no room for doubt. Was he possibly missing his chance to reach everyone at once in one grand spectacle?

There's no doubt that Jesus loves every single person and wants everyone to come to know him. But just as he did when he walked the earth, he has chosen to reveal himself on a small, personal scale. No grand, once-and-for-all gesture will accomplish what he wants to do; only many daily small ones will make him known.

Think about it. When God came to us as a helpless baby, he showed that he wanted to be one of us and one with us. Rather than overpowering humanity as a mighty, heroic Lord, he quietly spent years building relationships with Mary and Joseph and his fellow Nazarenes. Then when he called his disciples, he did the same thing. He forged relationships with them—relationships that taught them to love as he loved and that turned them into living examples of his mercy.

Jesus is still using the same strategy today. He is revealing himself "to the world" through relationships—our relationships with the people around us. Every time we reach out to someone, he is reaching out through us. Every time we offer someone words of encouragement or understanding, he is speaking through us. It's in our simple, everyday acts of love that Jesus can shine through the brightest.

Of course, we know that we aren't perfect. We know that we don't always act as Jesus would have us act. But Jesus has taken care of even this wrinkle in his plan. He has chosen to reveal himself in an especially powerful way every time we forgive each other and make amends.

So yes, Jesus is revealing himself to the world—through you!

"Jesus, reveal yourself more fully to me so that other people can come to see you more clearly."

Acts 14:5-18
Psalm 115:1-4, 15-16

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adyn
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From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
_""The gods have come down to us in human form."

The people from Lystra saw the miracle of instant healing through St. Paul and they freaked out, and declared what everyone in the Jewish religions should've declared and known...that the God of Heaven had been manifested in HUMAN FORM!

Why do you think the devil hates humans so much! Because we are made in HIS image!

But we should realize that God comes in Human form until today!

Spectacular things like today's healing happen still...believe it or not. But these things don't cause a ruckus anymore, most keep miracles a hidden secret. WHY? Why don't we proclaim from rooftops- God's marvelous deeds!

Like my "private revelations". Some take me a very long time to divulge. Why? Probably one major thing is the answer...doubt. Doubt to wash away all faith. We need the antidote for everything sin and death...Christ HIMSELF.

psalms

We pray in Psalms:
''Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name give glory because of your mercy, because of your truth. Why should the pagans say, "Where is their God?"

Why do people rather praise people than God? The people of Lystra didn't know better. But we do know better. Praises and applause are unnecessary. As a matter of fact, they should have no room like in a Mass setting. We applaud one thing as Father asks usually...in a baptism, a welcoming into the family of God. But even that...should we? Everything should be as a matter of fact. Faith forward.

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In today's Gospel we heard:
""Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me.
Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him."

Jesus reveals Himself to the faithful. He always does. He always will.

So let's repeat...who does He reveal Himself to?
"Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me."

My godson once asked me "how can I show God that I love Him?". Look no further son! I hope you are reading this today (and I know you will because you'll text me right away).

"Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me."

In today's Mass, Fr. Joseph said that it's like children who listen to their parents because they love them.

Yet, how many times do I listen to my parents to make THEM happy, but it doesn't make ME happy?

Remember...God loves a cheerful giver?
I love it when kids do things gladly for me.
I don't like to see other kids frowny faces hating to do what they are told.

Yet...I say this, because I speak of faith and how we serve our Lord.

Like "we HAVE to" instead of "we GET to" serve the Lord.

Eventually one of two things will happen to a mad giver.
Either they will never be asked for help again, or they will stop helping on their own. It is a sad road either way.

And so our Lord says:
"Whoever does not love me does not keep my words".

And the world hates His words...like when we are told to go to Mass, or to hold purity and faith as the most important tenets of our lives.

There is fierce competition in the world...for your attention.

As I am realizing I have 3 jobs now since my dad/boss passed away, I am watching how weeds want to choke the life out of me...the faith.

So, I need weed control. I need peace. I need our Lord now more than ever.
It seemed that the helpers of Mother Teresa were bombarded with work, things to do...and the more they wanted to pull out of praying so much to work much...the more she insisted to not only pray what she said...but pray more. Adoration came first. The Lord comes first.
So, what is vying for your attention? Many lures are set out to distract you from a true life in Christ.
A life, the Way.
A life, the Truth.

Lord, help us live YOUR WAY, Walk YOUR WAY, and Be Your Way...a light to all nations today.

from your brother in Christ,
Adrian

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2cents

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Random bible verse generator:

Ephesians 4:29

29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

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God Bless You! Peace

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