† Quote of the Day "I place trust in God, my creator, in all things; I love Him with all my heart." — St. Joan of Arc Today's Meditation "All, however, cannot attain to the same degree of sacrifice. There are chosen souls whom God has raised above the ordinary callings of life, who, true to their vocation, show their love for God in heroic self-denial, in total surrender to His will, exulting in the use of all their powers to spread His kingdom. But regardless of disparity of calling, all can be led by the same spirit. It is the spirit, not the measure, of sacrifice that will decide our eternity." —John A. Kane, p. 81
An excerpt from How to Make a Good Confession Daily Verse "Yea, thou art my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness. Yea, by thee I can crush a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. This God—his way is perfect; the promise of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him." — 2 Samuel 22:29-31 | St. Joan Of Arc St. Joan of Arc (1412-1431) was born in Domremy, France to peasant farmers during the Hundred Years War between France and England. She was a pious child, and from age 13 she received visions of saints, most notably St. Michael the Archangel, St. Margaret of Antioch, and St. Catherine of Alexandria, who became her special patrons. Through these visions, voices, and other interior promptings, Joan understood that she was to help the King of France regain his throne. After overcoming her own reluctance, and that of the military and ecclesiastical authorities, she heroically led the French army in battle. With her leadership they recaptured Orleans and Troyes, which allowed Charles VII to be restored to the throne of France. All the while she wore the dress of a soldier to protect her virtue and modesty. The following year she was captured by the English, imprisoned, and placed on trial under accusation of heresy and witchcraft. She was treated unjustly and illegally during her captivity, and her trial became a circus. Under political pressure she was condemned and burned alive at the stake, even though she proved herself to be blameless and fearless in character and faith. As she burned she kept her eyes on a crucifix and repeatedly called on the name of Jesus. A second Church trial twenty-five years later nullified the earlier verdict and found her innocent of all charges, paving the way for her veneration as a saint. St. Joan of Arc is the patron saint of captives, rape victims, soldiers, and France. Her feast day is May 30th. | Thursday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 1 Pt 2:2-5, 9-12 Beloved:
Like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk
so that through it you may grow into salvation,
for you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings
but chosen and precious in the sight of God,
and, like living stones,
let yourselves be built into a spiritual house
to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people of his own,
so that you may announce the praises of him
who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were no people
but now you are God's people;
you had not received mercy
but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as aliens and sojourners
to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against the soul.
Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles,
so that if they speak of you as evildoers,
they may observe your good works
and glorify God on the day of visitation. Responsorial Psalm PS 100:2, 3, 4, 5 R. (2c) Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him;
bless his name.
R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
The LORD is good:
his kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord. Alleluia Jn 8:12 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 10:46-52 As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,
Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,
sat by the roadside begging.
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
he began to cry out and say,
"Jesus, son of David, have pity on me."
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
But he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me."
Jesus stopped and said, "Call him."
So they called the blind man, saying to him,
"Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."
He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?"
The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see."
Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you."
Immediately he received his sight
and followed him on the way. | Daily Meditation: 1 Peter 2:2-5, 9-12 Long for pure spiritual milk so that through it you may grow into salvation, for you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:2-3) Just as each of us was born on a particular date, each of us was reborn the moment we were baptized. But that's only the beginning! As St. Peter writes, salvation is something we "grow into" (1 Peter 2:2). It's a step-by-step process, with each step building on the last one. And when we "have tasted that the Lord is good," we long for more (2:3). Did you know that those tastes of God's goodness are available to you in the sacraments? They are the "pure spiritual milk" that can foster our growth (1 Peter 2:2). Take Confession, for example. Maybe we've been looking to quench our thirst with things that don't really satisfy us, like money, power, or pleasure. But when we bring these fruitless pursuits to the Lord, we receive his forgiveness and the grace to move forward. And that makes us long for his mercy and grace every time we stray from him. Of course, there is no more life-giving spiritual food available to us than the Eucharist. At Mass, as we listen to the word of God and as we "taste" the goodness of Jesus himself in his Body and Blood, we are nourished and empowered to follow him. And that makes us hunger even more for God's presence because we realize what a difference it makes in our lives. Yet even when you receive the sacraments regularly, you might feel as if your growth in faith and understanding is painstakingly slow. But "growing into salvation" can be like time-lapse photography of a seed sprouting, pushing through the soil, forming leaves and buds, and finally unfolding into the beautiful flower that God intended it to be. You are growing even if you can't see every step of the process. So keep hungering for that "pure spiritual milk" of God's goodness. Drink deeply and know that as you quench your thirst, it will have an effect in your life! "Lord, I long for your nourishment. Thank you that you never stop working in me." Psalm 100:2-5
Mark 10:46-52 |  try to hear it read by AI | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?"
The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see."
Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you."
Immediately he received his sight
and followed him on the way......" end quote. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus heals a blind man. Physical blindness is an evocative symbol of the terrible blindness of the soul that all of us sinners experience. When the pusilla anima (small soul) reigns, when the imago Dei (image of God) is covered over, we see within the narrow spectrum of our fearful desires.
Blind Bartimaeus, sitting helplessly by the road outside of Jericho begging for alms and attention, expresses this hopeless and darkened-over state of soul. When he hears that Jesus of Nazareth is in the vicinity, he begins to cry out, "Son of David, have pity on me." The original Greek here is eleēson me, beautifully reflective of the liturgical cry of the Church, Kyrie eleison, Lord have mercy. Bartimaeus gives voice to the prayerful groaning of the whole people of God for release from the imprisonment of the small soul.
Though he is reprimanded by the crowd, Bartimaeus continues to shout, until finally Jesus calls out to him. This is the summons that echoes from the very depths of one's own being, the call of the magna anima (great soul), the invitation to rebirth and reconfiguration. Inspired by this voice and convinced that he has discovered the pearl of great price, the unum necessarium (one thing necessary), Bartimaeus jumps up and comes to Jesus. " end quote Bishop Barron.
When we cry for mercy, when we cry for help, wouldn't it be nice to have someone there?
Yes! Of course it would! Unless, you don't care about yourself anymore. And there are some that die in silence.
And I'm talking about dying spiritually.
What gets a person to the point that they will not cry out for help anymore? They lose hope? Maybe it is a sense of pride? As if to close off to the world saying "the world doesn't care about me, so why should I care?" And then all the ugliness begins from evil.
These are very real spirits. These are very real happenings in our world today.
What is scary though, is if the church stopped caring enough to tell you what to do. That the church would stop trying to be holy. That the church would be afraid to speak up and act in the name of Love of God. And this is you. This is not the job of a priest. We make the good priests! And priests can make the people good! So which is more important? God is more important.
We've been living in a relaxed world where people don't think religion is important. That religion is the reason for all evils. That religion is what is causing division. Lies! Lies from hell! We need more religion in our life, but not just any! We need the religion of JESUS the Christ. We need the solid belief that He is still here.
This is the cry of the blind man at Jericho. He heard Jesus was around and he believed, and the more he yelled for help, the more people around him told him to be silent! What is that? How can we silence those calling for help?
Yet it happens. We silence those around us most often by not helping them and this by not being truthful with them or ourselves. Preachers preach, but we must live out the preaching, all of us.
God desires holiness. The blind man was heard.
He was granted what he wanted...to be able to see.
And He saw Jesus the Savior, and from there followed Him.
And so the question is today for you: "What do you want?" and "Who do you want to see more than anything?"
May your answer be Jesus our Savior, so that we can follow Him forever, wherever He leads, no matter the cost.
I will be silent no more. I need our Lord, like air for my lungs, like our soul needs the Spirit of God.
Lord, I want to see, not to believe, but to be united with You forever in the fullest sense! |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Revelation 22:20 20 He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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