.: 04/26/23

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

† ". I came down. "

†Saint Quote
"Quote of the Day
"At the end of our life we shall be judged by charity."
–St. John of the Cross

†Today's Meditation
"Every human person consists of both a body and soul. Just as our body needs things to survive and grow, such as oxygen, water, food, etc., so our soul needs things as well, such as faith, hope, and love. These spiritual longings point to the truth that every human person has a natural desire for God. The human person is a spiritual person, and we all interiorly desire the relationship that God offers to us. In our lives and in our culture, we can find several apparent goods to try and fill the capax Dei, which is our capacity for God, oftentimes simply called the "God hole" within us. But, try as we might to fill it with other things, this interior desire can only be completely fulfilled by a relationship with God, and by acts of religion that bind us to him."
—Father Jeffrey Kirby, STL, p.4

An Excerpt From
Lord Teach Us to Pray

†Daily Verse
"I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one."
–Luke 12:4-5

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Sts. Cletus & Marcellinus

St. Cletus (1st c.) and St. Marcellinus (3rd c.) were both Romans, popes, and martyrs who ruled the Holy See during the terrible persecution of Christians at the hands of the Roman Empire. St. Cletus was a convert and disciple of St. Peter the Apostle who became the third Bishop of Rome from 76 to 89 A.D., under the reigns of Roman Emperors Vespasian and Titus. His name appears in the Roman Canon of the Mass. St. Marcellinus was the twenty-ninth Bishop of Rome from 296 to 304 A.D. during the infamous persecution of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, on the eve of the legalization of Christianity across the Empire. Statues of these two popes of the early Church sit on opposite corners of the portico ceiling of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. They share a feast day on April 26th.

Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter

Reading 1 Acts 8:1b-8

There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem,
and all were scattered
throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria,
except the Apostles.
Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him.
Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church;
entering house after house and dragging out men and women,
he handed them over for imprisonment.

Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.
Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 66:1-3a, 4-5, 6-7a

R. (1) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, "How tremendous are your deeds!"

R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
"Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!"
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.

R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.

R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia See Jn 6:40

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Everyone who believes in the Son has eternal life,
and I shall raise him up on the last day, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 6:35-40

Jesus said to the crowds,
"I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
But I told you that although you have seen me,
you do not believe.
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day."

Daily Meditation: John 6:35-40

I am the bread of life. (John 6:35)

Is it any wonder that Jesus promises to satisfy our hunger and thirst? Just as life withers and dies without water and food, so our souls can waste away without Jesus, the Bread of Life. Notice that Jesus doesn't just mention this image of bread as a passing remark. In the Gospel readings over the next few days, he will say over and over again how vital it is that we come and receive him in this way. He makes it clear that the gift of his flesh and blood is essential if we want to remain in him. So how can we experience all that he has promised us?

First and foremost, we can receive Jesus in the gift of Holy Communion. He promises, "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life" (John 6:54). This life begins now and finds its fulfillment "on the last day," when Jesus will raise us up (6:54). This is a profound mystery, and a humble one, but at its heart is the promise that as we partake of him with faith, Jesus becomes part of us. He transforms us from the inside out and makes us more like him.

But it's not just a matter of receiving him. We can also adore Jesus, both after Communion and in times of quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. What a privilege it is to sit in his presence, pour out our hearts to him, and praise him for redeeming us! There is grace, peace, and mercy to be found in these moments, for we are giving him the opportunity to pour his love into us and to speak his word to our hearts.

Finally, just as earthly bread provides strength to the weary, so heavenly bread strengthens us to serve Jesus in his people. As we receive him and adore him, he opens our eyes to his presence in the least among us. He doesn't just comfort our hearts; he sends us into the world to extend his mercy to those he came to save. And he promises that as we go, we will encounter him even more deeply. His humility, present in the poor, will melt our hearts and fill us with joy.

"This is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day" (John 6:40). Let's receive and adore Jesus so that we can better serve him in his people!

"Lord, 'give us this bread always!' (John 6:34)."

Acts 8:1-8
Psalm 66:1-7

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Reflections with Brother Adrian:

From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.
Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them."

You ever been camping, or seen someone starting a fire out of embers, hot charcoals? What do they do? They blow on them to make flames, and a fire to start up.

What did our our Lord do when He appeared to the scared apostles? He blew on them. And soon after, things started happening. They received the fire of the Holy Spirit. That is what we receive from Him...the wind from the beginning of time, at the right moment, to bring a much needed light in the world.

We pray today:
""Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you, sing praise to your name!"
Come and see the works of God, his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam"

In the Gospel today we heard:

""I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst."

From Bishop Barron Today:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus declares that he is the bread of life and promises eternal life to all who believe in him.
Many of the Church Fathers characterized the Eucharist as food that immortalizes those who consume it. They understood that if Christ is really present in the Eucharistic elements, the one who eats and drinks the Lord's Body and Blood becomes configured to Christ in a far more than metaphorical way. The Eucharist, they concluded, Christifies and hence eternalizes.
If the Eucharist were no more than a symbol, this kind of language would be so much nonsense. But if the doctrine of the Real Presence is true, then this literal eternalization of the recipient of Communion must be maintained.
But what does this transformation practically entail? It implies that the whole of one's life—body, psyche, emotions, spirit—becomes ordered to the eternal dimension. The Christified person knows that his life is not finally about him but about God; the Eucharistized person understands that her treasure is to be found above and not below. Wealth, pleasure, power, honor, success, titles, degrees, even friendships and family connections are all relativized as the high adventure of life with God opens up."_ end quote Bishop Barron.
. . .

These words give us strength and faith, no?
"I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst."
What is He speaking about? Eternity! There you won't have to eat food or drink to survive, you will only need Him!

Don't you need Him now?
YES!
We need Him!
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the USCCB wants the United States to be in the midst of a Eucharistic Revival, which started last year and is going into parish levels this year, and how will you be helping this revival?
Say yes! Say you believe! Participate! That's all you got to do to make a revival happen; let it happen!
Not much going on? Then start your own revival! All retreats I'm involved in, all the others, even youth ones are focusing on Eucharistic Revival.

We need a real awakening. Has the pandemic not been an eye opener? It has brought a lot of people down, lockdowns are horrible. Being in time out is no fun. Being locked up is not fun. But it should serve as a lesson, and help us realize what is truly important, for life, and forever.
Did someone say forever?
That's what our Lord is all about. All things on earth pass, but not the Lord's works, and marvels, and love, and life.
He is the bread that lasts forever.
He is the drink that lasts forever.
Did you know that we will soon drink of the cup, the blood?
Isn't that exciting?
What does that mean? Like the chalice our Lord took and then suffered a brutal murder?
That's only for the extreme God lovers, those willing to give it all they got for our Father God.
But you don't have to, you don't have to do anything you don't want. Right?

There needs to be extremists to reveal the core of truths in the group. The extremists for Jesus let themselves be slaughtered for proclaiming His name.

There are very, VERY few of those.
The sheep are silent.
The Shepherd is watching.
God is with us!

The Eucharist is in us! God is already forever in us! This is so amazing! Amen?

Let's pray:
...†....
Lord, You are my bread, my everything, my all. With You in me, what else could I ever possibly want or need? Help us now give ourselves to the world to feed, and see, to grow, and meet, and be for an eternity.