Friday, May 31, 2024

† "He has come to the help of . . ."

†

Quote of the Day

"Where there is no love, put love and you will find love." — St. John of the Cross

Today's Meditation

"Dearly beloved Mother, grant, if it is possible, that I may have no other spirit but yours to know Jesus and his divine will; that I may have no other soul but yours to praise and glorify the Lord; that I may have no other heart but yours to love God with a love as pure and passionate as yours. I do not ask you for visions, revelations, feelings of devotion, or spiritual pleasures. It is your privilege to see God clearly; it's your privilege to enjoy heavenly bliss; it's your privilege to triumph gloriously in heaven at the right hand of your Son and to hold absolute sway over angels, men, and demons; it is your privilege to dispose of all the gifts of God, just as you wish . . . The only grace I beg you to obtain for me is that every day and every moment of my life I may say: Amen, so be it, to all that you did while on earth; amen, so be it, to all that you are now doing in heaven; amen, so be it, to all that you are doing in my soul, so that you alone may fully glorify Jesus in me for time and eternity." —St. Louis de Montfort, p.160
An excerpt from Manual for Marian Devotion

Daily Verse

"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever." — Luke 1:46-55

St. Petronille

St. Petronille (1st c.), also known as Petronilla, was a virgin martyr of the early Church in Rome. According to tradition she was connected to St. Peter the Apostle; she may have been either his natural daughter, servant, convert (spiritual daughter), or co-laborer in the faith. It is also a tradition that St. Petronilla was cured of palsy by St. Peter. She is remembered for being beautiful, for refusing marriage to a pagan king due to her vow of chastity, and for suffering martyrdom for her unwavering faith. In the 8th century the chapel containing her relics became the burial place of French kings. This is due to the fact that she was the supposed daughter of St. Peter, and the French kings were considered the "adopted sons" of St. Peter; therefore, St. Petronille was invoked as an intercessor for all treaties between the Holy See and the French crown. Her relics were later moved to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, and on her feast day Mass at St. Peter's is offered for France and attended by French residents living in Rome. St. Petronille is the patronness of the dauphins of France, mountain travelers, and against fever. Her feast day is May 31st.

Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Reading I Zep 3:14-18a

Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!

Sing joyfully, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,

O daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has removed the judgment against you,

he has turned away your enemies;
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,

you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:

Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,

a mighty savior;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,

and renew you in his love,
He will sing joyfully because of you,

as one sings at festivals.

Rom 12:9-16

Brothers and sisters:
Let love be sincere;
hate what is evil,
hold on to what is good;
love one another with mutual affection;
anticipate one another in showing honor.
Do not grow slack in zeal,
be fervent in spirit,
serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope,
endure in affliction,
persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the holy ones,
exercise hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you,
bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep.
Have the same regard for one another;
do not be haughty but associate with the lowly;
do not be wise in your own estimation.

Responsorial Psalm Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6

R. (6) Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
God indeed is my savior;

I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,

and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water

at the fountain of salvation.
R. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;

among the nations make known his deeds,

proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;

let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,

for great in your midst

is the Holy One of Israel!
R. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

Alleluia See Lk 1:45

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary, who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 1:39-56

Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled."

And Mary said:

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,

he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever."

Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.

Daily Meditation: Luke 1:39-56

She entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. (Luke 1:40)

Why is it that Mary "set out . . . in haste" to see her older kinswoman (Luke 1:39)? She could have just sent a message. Nowadays, maybe a text with some hearts or a "hug" reaction on social media would do the trick. So excited to hear your big news! Zechariah must have been speechless when he found out!

We know deep down that those types of communication are inadequate, especially when there is something momentous going on. We learned during the pandemic how amazing video calls and livestreaming are, but we also learned that they are no substitute for being together in person.

There is something profoundly human about being in someone else's presence. It's so essential, in fact, that God himself took this approach after centuries of speaking through the prophets. Scripture tells us that "the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14, emphasis added).

We call Mary the model disciple because, among other things, she echoes God's style of loving. As God hastened to us in the Incarnation, so Mary hastened to Elizabeth at the Visitation. Though Jesus was just beginning to grow in her womb, Mary was already responding to her vocation. Rather than staying home in Nazareth preparing for the birth of her son, she put someone else first. Moved by the Spirit, she ran to Elizabeth to serve her. In the flesh. In person.

Of course, the Holy Spirit was present in the Visitation in a unique way, but the same Spirit still flows through you when you take the time to be with another person. Consider the difference your embrace can make in a hospital room or funeral parlor. Or how your invitation to coffee might come at just the right time. Or how giving your undivided attention to your child, parent, or friend—especially when you are tired—can be a powerful reflection of God's closeness.

In a world filled with distractions, let Mary show you God's way of loving.

"Jesus, help me to be present to my loved ones just as Mary was present to Elizabeth."

Zephaniah 3:14-18
(Psalm) Isaiah 12:3-6

try to hear it read by AI

Reflections with Brother Adrian:

In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
_"And Mary said:

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation......"_ end quote.

This was the month of Mary. Tomorrow we will enter the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Mary made haste with the news.
Everyone wonders why she took off in a rush to see her older relative Elizabeth. Mary, our Virgin Mother, had just received news of her pregnancy from above and another miracle pregnancy of her elderly relative that had been wanting a pregnancy all their lives. A double miracle of life. Do people get excited today to hear about babies? Some do. Most don't get too excited. Back in the day it was seen as a blessing from God. Today it could be considered a curse, and so we make it a curse and use curses as cures like witchcraft. And the modern potion is termed "modern medicine" to have unwanted pregnancies taken care of from home with a poison for the newly conceived child in the womb.
I digress.
This is a stark difference to the reaction for children of the light. Life is welcome here. Sure it is going to be hard, everything, the pregnancy, the labor, the supposed financial responsibilities they say. But we undervalue life. A human is priceless...in God's eyes. He is making room in the Heavens for more and evil is trying to keep them from filling up, but taking away. Evil takes away from God. Just like a person that dresses to impress in sexy clothes at church, she is taking away attention from God. Or, just like when we spend all our money on ourselves and our problems, we are taking away from God too, or spending our time on all things except more time with Him.

We are lost souls when we do not seek the light like the sunflower in the summer day, always facing the light to live and to grow to the heavens.
I digress.
Mary ran to Elizabeth. The news moved her to love in action. To go help Elizabeth. To go rejoice at life. To go and please God.
How can we be enticed to move in action of love of God?

It is the job of the body of Christ to do just that. To move the world to the light and this means the love of God above all things and people.
And wow do I get a hard look when I tell people to love God more than their own family! It's like I am insulting them. Yet this is His command! Not something I make up! Only then will the world live for true love because God IS Love.
Make haste today my child.

Make haste to love in God, to live in God, to let God live and love in you today. He wants the world to be in love, and this is why He created you, to hear this message, right where you are, and do just that.

May we connect like Mary and Elizabeth and share in the joy of the life of the Lord.
The child will leap for joy. The body of Christ changes everything.

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Random Bible Verse 1
Romans 6:22

22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

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God Bless You! Peace

Going4th

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