†Quote of the Day "Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them, every day begin the task anew." St. Francis de Sales †Today's Meditation "Now man need not hide from God as Adam did; for He can be seen through Christ's human nature. Christ did not gain one perfection more by becoming man, nor did He lose anything of what He possessed as God. There was the Almightiness of God in the movement of His arm, the infinite love of God in the beatings of His human heart and the Unmeasured Compassion of God to sinners in His eyes. God was now manifest in the flesh; this is what is called the Incarnation. The whole range of the Divine attributes of power and goodness, justice, love, beauty, were in Him. And when Our Divine Lord acted and spoke, God in His perfect nature became manifest to those who saw Him and heard Him and touched Him. As He told Philip later on: Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father [John 14:9]." —Fulton J. Sheen, p. 21 An Excerpt From Life of Christ Recommended Reads †Daily Verse† "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then from my flesh I shall see God." Job 19:25-26 | click to read more | | St. Dymphna St. Dymphna (7th c.) was the daughter of a pagan Irish chieftain and a beautiful Christian noblewoman. Dymphna was raised as a Christian, and she consecrated her virginity to Christ at a young age. Dymphna's father loved his wife deeply. When her mother died, Dymphna's father was so overcome with grief that he became mentally unstable. Unable to find another suitable wife of equal character and beauty to his first wife, he attempted to marry Dymphna due to her close resemblance to her mother. Upon learning of his wicked plan, Dymphna fled across the sea into Belgium along with her tutor and confessor, Father Gerebran. Her father pursued them and eventually discovered their location by tracing the foreign money they used along the way. He killed Dymphna's confessor and pleaded with his daughter to return with him to Ireland to be his wife. When she refused, he cut off her head in a mad rage. St. Dymphna's church still stands on the place of her burial near Antwerp. There have been numerous accounts of those afflicted with epilepsy and mental illness visiting her tomb and receiving miraculous cures through her intercession. Because of this, St. Dympha is the patroness of those suffering from mental and neurological disorders and illnesses, as well as of mental health professionals. Her feast day is May 15th. | Acts 16:11-15 We set sail from Troas, making a straight run for Samothrace, and on the next day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, a leading city in that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We spent some time in that city. On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river where we thought there would be a place of prayer. We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there. One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, "If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home," and she prevailed on us. Psalm 149:1-6, 9 R. The Lord takes delight in his people. or R. Alleluia. Sing to the Lord a new song of praise in the assembly of the faithful. Let Israel be glad in their maker, let the children of Zion rejoice in their king. R. Let them praise his name in the festive dance, let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp. For the Lord loves his people, and he adorns the lowly with victory. R. Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy upon their couches; Let the high praises of God be in their throats. This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia. R. Gospel Acclamation Alleluia, alleluia. The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord, and you also will testify. Jn 15:26b, 27a Alleluia, alleluia. John 15:26–16:4a Jesus said to his disciples: "When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning. "I have told you this so that you may not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you." | Daily Meditation: Acts 16:11-15 If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home. (Acts 16:15) Lydia must have been a shrewd businesswoman! At a time when there were very few women merchants, she found success in one of the most lucrative and competitive markets: fine fabrics imbued with the hard-to-produce color of royal purple. As successful as she was in business, Lydia was also a very spiritual person. Though she was a Gentile, she had come to believe in the God of Israel. That's what drew her to the place of prayer by the river, where she met Paul (Acts 16:13-14). And as she listened to his preaching, the Holy Spirit opened her heart to accept the gospel with joy, passion, and energy. Conversion changed everything for Lydia. Not only did she request Baptism for herself, but she wanted her entire household to share her new life in the Lord. Then, grateful to the apostles who had brought her the good news, she urged Paul and his companions to stay in her home. That way, she could use her practical skills to provide for their needs. She was such a good salesperson that they couldn't say no! Of course, much more went on in Lydia's house than sharing meals. Paul taught Lydia and her household about Jesus and his salvation. He prayed with them. And with Lydia's help, he turned her home into a kind of base of operations for his ministry to the people of Philippi. What a wonderful work the Holy Spirit did through Lydia! He built on her previous experience and natural gifts and brought forth something new and vibrant. Through her generosity, the gospel kept advancing, and the Church was built up in Greece and beyond. That's what faith does: it moves outward. God touches our lives, and it has a ripple effect far beyond ourselves. So let your faith move you to action today. Let your gratitude for all the ways God has worked in your life propel you to find ways to share the good news. Then watch to see how God takes your response and extends its effect beyond your expectations! "Holy Spirit, guide me as I respond to the gift of faith." Psalm 149:1-6, 9 John 15:26–16:4 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture: " After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, "If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home," and she prevailed on us." She prevailed on them! What does this mean? It means they could not refuse her. Can you feel that irresistible invitation by reading this? You know, like it is just meant to be? Our hope would be that our Lord's calling would be the same, irresistible, once He insists, how can we refuse? I'm asking right now, our Lord to make His callings, because my answer of "Yes", is waiting for Him. | We pray today: " The Lord takes delight in his people. Let them praise his name in the festive dance, let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp. For the Lord loves his people, and he adorns the lowly with victory" | In the Gospel today we heard: "Jesus said to his disciples: "When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning." How does the Holy Trinity work! The Father has always existed. Jesus is one in the Father. And now our Lord is going to the Father to send the Holy Spirit? Who knows! But all 3 are at work. Where do they work? They work where they live. They work from home! LOL. Really though, if we let them, or Him, our Trinitarian God work and live inside of us, He will work from within us. That's why I'm praying to the Lord "my answer is yes, when will you make it be?" And I'm asking Him for more adoration. The lists for adoration have dwindled. And this cannot be! We must reverse that trend. This is where life begins! The spiritual active life needs fuel. Our Eucharistic Lord is that fuel. His fire burns, His light burns, His heart yearns. He wants to live in this darkened world to light it up. And so, after my prayer, I had a question this morning to myself "wouldn't it be better if I didn't wait for the invite, and just try to make it happen? At what point does He have to do all the work and at what point do I do my own work?". | ...†.... Let's pray: Lord, help us not drag our feet in confusion. Help us anticipate Your Holy Will and be found as those already tilling the soil, for the seed that You will provide. Give us the motivation that comes from your Holy Spirit, so this world see Your light all encompassing across the earth. | RANDOM BIBLE VERSE James 1:13–14 [James 1] 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com God Bless You! Peace | | |
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