†Quote of the Day "I urge you to remain steadfast in faith, so that at last we will all reach heaven and there rejoice together."
–St. Andrew Kim Taegon Today's Meditation The soul that does not attach itself solely to the will of God will find neither satisfaction nor sanctification in any other means, however excellent by which it may attempt to gain them. If that which God Himself chooses for you does not content you, from whom do you expect to obtain what you desire? …It is only just, therefore, that the soul that is dissatisfied with the divine action for each present moment should be punished by being unable to find happiness in anything else."
—Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade, p. 14 Daily Verse "Gladden the soul of thy servant, for to thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For thou, O Lord, art good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on thee. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; hearken to my cry of supplication. In the day of my trouble I call on thee, for thou dost answer me."
–Psalm 86:4-7 | Blessed Anacleto Gonzalez Flores Bl. Anacleto Gonzalez Flores (1888–1927) was the second of twelve children born to a poor family in Jalisco, Mexico. He was baptized the day after his birth. As he grew, a priest recognized his intelligence and recommended that he enter the seminary. Anacleto studied there for a time before discerning that he was not called to the priesthood. Instead he became an attorney, husband, and father, as well as an activist for his Catholic faith. He was a prolific writer and dedicated catechism teacher, and attended daily Mass. He joined the Catholic Association of Young Mexicans (ACJM) in addition to starting another Catholic lay organization committed to resisting the fierce persecution of the Catholic Church under the infamous Mexican dictator, Calles. Initially he participated only in the non-violent resistance against Calles, until four members of the ACJM were murdered in 1926. Their deaths spurred Anacleto to lend support to the armed resistance movement. Anacleto did not take up arms but instead gave speeches to encourage Catholics to support the Cristeros, the Catholic army fighting against Calles. Anacleto was captured during the Cristero War on April 1, 1927, and was brutally tortured before being martyred by firing squad. His feast day is April 1st. | Monday in the Octave of Easter Reading 1 Acts 2:14, 22-33 On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the Eleven,
raised his voice, and proclaimed:
"You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem.
Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
"You who are children of Israel, hear these words.
Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God
with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs,
which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.
This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God,
you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.
But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death,
because it was impossible for him to be held by it.
For David says of him:
I saw the Lord ever before me,
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted;
my flesh, too, will dwell in hope,
because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.
My brothers, one can confidently say to you
about the patriarch David that he died and was buried,
and his tomb is in our midst to this day.
But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him
that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,
he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ,
that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld
nor did his flesh see corruption.
God raised this Jesus;
of this we are all witnesses.
Exalted at the right hand of God,
he poured forth the promise of the Holy Spirit
that he received from the Father, as you both see and hear." Responsorial Psalm 16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11 R. (1) Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
R. Alleluia.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, "My Lord are you."
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
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 Mt 28:8-15 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce the news to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me."
While they were going, some of the guard went into the city
and told the chief priests all that had happened.
The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel;
then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
telling them, "You are to say,
'His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.'
And if this gets to the ears of the governor,
we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble."
The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.
And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.
| Daily Meditation: Matthew 28:8-15 This story has circulated among the Jews to the present day. (Matthew 28:15) The chief priests knew something supernatural had happened. The guards' account of an earthquake, an angel, and an empty tomb all pointed in that direction. Still, they decided to circulate a different story: that the apostles came at night and stole Jesus' dead body. And as Matthew tells us today, this story was still in circulation when he wrote his Gospel some forty or fifty years later. On one level, the chief priests' story was far more believable than the apostles' insistence that Jesus had risen from the dead. But we all know that over time the apostles' account proved to be more convincing. But why, especially when a much more "reasonable" explanation was available? Because it was true! The apostles actually did see the risen Christ—and not just once, but many times (Acts 1:3). And not just the Twelve, but upwards of five hundred believers (1 Corinthians 15:6). They were so convinced, in fact, that many of them chose to face persecution and death rather than deny what they had seen and heard. What made these men and women so firm in their testimony? The fact that they didn't just "see" the risen Jesus. They had life-giving encounters with him! They experienced divine mercy when he said, "Peace be with you," even after they had abandoned him (John 20:19). They experienced divine revelation as he "opened their minds to understand the scriptures" (Luke 24:45). And they experienced divine love as their hearts burned within them in his presence (24:32). Those encounters changed their lives. Mercy. Revelation. Love. These stories of encounter with the Lord always win out because they're true! They win out because the same encounters are available to each and every person! Christ is risen. This is the true and life-changing story you have been baptized into. This is your spiritual inheritance. So why not devote this Easter Season to seeking out the risen Lord? Tell Jesus you want to encounter him more deeply in the coming weeks. Jesus really is risen. And he wants to reveal himself to you. "Lord Jesus, open my heart so that I can encounter you today!" Acts 2:14, 22-33
Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:
Audio English | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me."....." end quote. | From a Spanish Reflection today: "Telling the disciples to go to Galilee is to return to Christ. Galilee is the land of Jesus; Galilee is where Christ is found. Returning to Galilee is returning to life, moving away from the grave, rejecting death and lies to encounter the Truth. With fear, yes, but letting joy win."- Carmen Aguinaco And another Spanish reflection ended today from a Friar:
"Don't be afraid, there is no need to convince life of the struggles you have gone through. In these cases the gaze will always be different when one is able to raise it towards the one who illuminates it more clearly. God will always be present, like a faithful friend, opening the way for me to the courage of joy, and a life without fear." end quote from Friar Alexis González de León O.P
Happy Easter! I like it when people catch me off guard by greeting me with those words. Easter means glory, sunshine, spring time, all things new and bloom. I took pictures of new roses blooming, it is life that is continuing, when it all seemed dead and gone. No. Life goes on!
Lent was supposed to be us, like a caterpillar, that, yes, it lives the life as it knows, but it soon makes its own tomb, and that caterpillar would never come out the same. It becomes a flying creature, flying all over the world. That is what is expected of a Christ follower. That we learn that we are going to be in a tomb, so to speak, and that we are going to rise with our Lord just like His Easter, so it will be for the faithful baptized souls.
They will not come back as worms! We will become much more, as we will be able to travel high into the sky to be with our maker, our Lover, our Creator, and Our Father.
That is the Easter message for you today.
And what was the message direct from our Lord?
my child, do not be afraid! Today's saint that was martyred for the Catholic faith in Mexico, pray for us today! To be on fire for Catholic Action, to be the Light of Christ for the world today! |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 3:11–12 11 My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof,
12 for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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