†Quote of the Day ""Lord, help me to make time today to serve you in those who are most in need of encouragement or assistance."
–St. Vincent de Paul Today's Meditation At times, you may become discouraged when you pray because your sins seem to jump out at you. You may actually feel worse than ever. But don't let that get you down. It's actually a sign of progress because the closer you draw to the perfect holiness of God, the more your own imperfections will stand out against the pure light of His holiness…This explains why really holy people are often the last ones to admit it, because the holier they get, the less holy they feel."
–J. Augustine Wetta, O.S.B, p.91 Daily Verse "'Ah Lord God! It is thou who hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and by thy outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for thee, who showest steadfast love to thousands, but dost requite the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God whose name is the Lord of hosts, great in counsel and mighty in deed; whose eyes are open to all the ways of men, rewarding every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings."
–Jeremiah 32:17-19 | St. Richard of Chichester St. Richard of Chichester (1197-1253), also known as St. Richard de Wyche, was born in Worcestershire, England to a land-owning squire. His father died when he was young, causing the family to suffer hardship for many years. The situation became dire enough for Richard to suspend his studies to take over the family estates and make them profitable again. He went on to Oxford to study for the priesthood, and was so poor that he and two companions shared a set of clothes which they took turns wearing to class. He obtained degrees at the universities in Paris and Bologna before being appointed as the Chancellor of Oxford University. Richard became well-known for his learning and sanctity. As a result he next became Chancellor for the Archbishop of Canterbury, St. Edmund Rich, to whom he was a faithful companion and advisor. Years later St. Richard was ordained the Bishop of Chichester. In this position he entered into power struggles with King Henry III, who withheld his diocesan revenues and blocked his access to the cathedral. St. Richard had many accomplishments as bishop, including establishing greater order and reverence to the liturgy, vigorously defending the rights of the Church, assisting the poor and the oppressed, and preaching a crusade against the Saracens at the request of the Pope. He died of fever surrounded by his closest friends at about 56 years of age. He was buried in the Chichester Cathedral and his shrine became a popular place of pilgrimage before being destroyed by King Henry VIII. St. Richard's feast day is April 3rd. | Wednesday in the Octave of Easter Reading 1 Acts 3:1-10 Peter and John were going up to the temple area
for the three o'clock hour of prayer.
And a man crippled from birth was carried
and placed at the gate of the temple called "the Beautiful Gate" every day
to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple.
When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple,
he asked for alms.
But Peter looked intently at him, as did John,
and said, "Look at us."
He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.
Peter said, "I have neither silver nor gold,
but what I do have I give you:
in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk."
Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up,
and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong.
He leaped up, stood, and walked around,
and went into the temple with them,
walking and jumping and praising God.
When all the people saw him walking and praising God,
they recognized him as the one
who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple,
and they were filled with amazement and astonishment
at what had happened to him. Responsorial Psalm 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9 R. (3b) Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations--
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia. Sequence -- optional Victimae paschali laudes
Christians, to the Paschal Victim Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems; Christ, who only is sinless, Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous: The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring What you saw, wayfaring.
"The tomb of Christ, who is living, The glory of Jesus' resurrection;
bright angels attesting, The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen; to Galilee he goes before you."
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining. Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning! Amen. 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 Lk 24:13-35 That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus' disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
"What are you discussing as you walk along?"
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
"Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?"
And he replied to them, "What sort of things?"
They said to him,
"The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his Body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see."
And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?"
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, "Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over."
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
"Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?"
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the Eleven and those with them who were saying,
"The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!"
Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
| Daily Meditation: Acts 3:1-10 They were filled with amazement and astonishment at what had happened to him. (Acts 3:10) Today's first reading takes place not long after Pentecost. The Jewish believers had begun to share their possessions, break bread together, and meet in the Temple to listen to the apostles' teaching. So they likely saw and knew the man who sat beside the Temple gate, and he probably knew them. Perhaps that's why he asked Peter and John for alms: If they shared their goods with one another, he thought, perhaps they might be generous with me. What a surprise when Peter gave the man not money but a miraculous healing! Able to walk for the first time, he strode into the Temple, jumping for joy and praising God. This man's healing changed his life physically and spiritually. He could freely enter the Temple and worship the God who had healed him. Even more, his healing changed the lives of the people who knew him. They had seen him for years begging by the gate, and suddenly he stood physically whole, proclaiming that God had healed him! Just as the disciples' witness of generosity had sparked hope in him, his witness of transformation opened the hearts of the bystanders to listen to Peter's teaching. And because of what they had seen and heard, they came to believe that salvation and healing were available to them through Jesus (Acts 4:4). Not everyone can preach like Peter. Certainly the healed man's only reported words were the praises of God. But by his joy, he led many people to Jesus that day. They not only were amazed at his healing, but they also put their faith in the resurrection and joined the community of believers, despite seeing Peter and John put in custody (Acts 4:3-5). The change in this unlikely evangelist gave visible testimony to the power of God to change even lifelong conditions! Don't underestimate the power of the testimony of your life. You can witness to the life-changing power of Jesus by living in the freedom God has given you. You can bring hope and open the door for someone to meet Jesus! "Thank you, Jesus, for changing my life!" Psalm 105:1-4, 6-9
Luke 24:13-35 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:
Audio English | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?"
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, "Stay with us....." end quote. | A Spanish reflection ends today:
"The first Christians said that without the Eucharist "we are not". There is no existence or identity outside of life in Christ. And, when giving communion, it was said: "Receive what you are; become what you receive," which is now summarized in "The Body of Christ (keep your soul for eternal life)." The Eucharist is the center and culmination of all Christian life. Recognizing the gesture forces us to repeat it: give thanks, bless, break and distribute. This is what all of life is about, because it is Life that is given to us. Living eucharistically will then mean giving thanks always and everywhere; to bless, to say well, which is to do well; break and distribute so that others can reach that same life." end quote Carmen Aguinaco.
Our Lord rises from the dead, walks among us unrecognized and He says "how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!"
What does slow of heart mean? They didn't recognize Him, was it their fault?
Why are we slow of heart? So slow to advance in our faith and to believe everything they tell us about God! Have we reason to doubt? Why are we so afraid? Our Lord will soon appear to all the disciples locked in an upper room... they were all afraid... for their very lives.
He appears and says "Do Not Be Afraid".
He appeared to Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb and said "why are you weeping?"
Why is everyone crying and scared? And why is that still the case right now?
Last night we had a meeting with some parishioners, and I said "the pandemic is over, why are all the communities (the weekly faith groups that gathered) why are they growing cold and stale? They've disappeared! We need to keep the fire going!". I even sung a charismatic song that says "Don't let the fire burn out that is in my heart".
One man said the truth, that "we've grown comfortable in our coldness." We like to get lazy doing nothing, but this is bad, bad for our bodies, our minds, our souls! We don't feel like doing anything, we are even afraid to do something! Why? Because it will cost something.
Even faith will cost you something.
Surrender it now. Surrender your doubts. Have faith.
Surrender your pains, let the pains now be for the Lord.
Did you know something happens when you suffer for God?
And it is good. What happens? The world changes. Souls are saved.
Is there something wrong with our parish? It depends on who you ask. Some say it is fine the way it is. Some say it is dead, nothing good. Truth is, if you stand back, it is slow. Slow to grow. It does take time for things to grow, but in the meantime, families are being lost to hell or to an abyss and a world of chaos, and why? Because, we are slow to believe.
Slow to believe we can make a difference and help God do His thing with our bodies, minds, and souls.
I don't think you realize, but time is flying by fast. The new year started, and lent fast approached and now it is gone, and now we are in the Easter tide, for 50 days pondering the Glorious resurrection.
But let us not ponder too much and thus wander off too much.
Easter is a time to spring forth new life into our faith. The flowers open up for what? To be pollinated, for other creatures to come and disseminate the seed throughout the earth, that is to be a proliferation of God's Word.
Life is passing by fast. Seize the moment of every day. What we do now is of tremendous value. Your quiet prayers. Your holiness. Your virtue. Your offerings. Your sufferings. Your faith matters tremendously. Every soul is a light for the world, if we let it be...with Christ alive inside. Lord, may Your Holy Eucharist shine the way to forever in Love of God in His Holy will. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Mark 11:25 [Mark 11] 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."1 | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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