† Quote of the Day "Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset." — St. Francis de Sales Today's Meditation "Motherhood is such an incredible mystery! And the Blessed Virgin Mary, the masterpiece of motherhood, experienced all of its blessings. After having been courted by God and swept off her feet in the divine romance, she becomes the Theotokos (the God-bearer) and the New Eve and mother of all the living. Never was there a mother so fruitful. Theologically, Mary is even the spiritual mother of Eve and the spiritual mother of the Old Testament prophets! Yes, even Adam and Eve call her mother." –Donald C. Clloway, MIC, p. 269 An excerpt from Under the Mantle Daily Verse "And they prayed and said, 'Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which one of these two thou hast chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside, to go to his own place.' And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthi′as; and he was enrolled with the eleven apostles." — Acts 1:24-26 | St. Matthias The Apostle St. Matthias the Apostle (1st c.) followed Jesus during his entire earthly ministry and was one of his 72 disciples. Matthias was chosen by the 11 Apostles to replace Judas Iscariot after his betrayal of Christ and subsequent suicide. After Christ's Ascension into heaven, St. Matthias devoted himself to preaching Christianity among the pagans, some of them barbarians and cannibals, all over Judea, Cappadocia, and Ethiopia for over 30 years. Many miracles are ascribed to him as the pagans sought to kill him: that he was unharmed after being forced to drink poison, that he once hid by becoming invisible, and that the earth opened up and swallowed his attackers. St. Matthias also preached the need for mortification of the flesh as an aid to growth in holiness. Eventually, at God's appointed time, he was martyred for the cause of Christ, though there are conflicting traditions as to exactly where and how. St. Matthias is the patron saint of carpenters, tailors, and reformed alcoholics. His feast day is May 14th. | Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle Reading I Acts 1:15-17, 20-26 Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and sisters
(there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons
in the one place).
He said, "My brothers and sisters,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand
through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,
who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.
Judas was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry.
For it is written in the Book of Psalms: Let his encampment become desolate, and may no one dwell in it.
and: May another take his office. Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men
who accompanied us the whole time
the Lord Jesus came and went among us,
beginning from the baptism of John
until the day on which he was taken up from us,
become with us a witness to his resurrection."
So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas,
who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
Then they prayed,
"You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place."
Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias,
and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles. Responsorial Psalm 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 R. (8) The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD both now and forever.
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
From the rising to the setting of the sun is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD; above the heavens is his glory.
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill he lifts up the poor
To seat them with princes, with the princes of his own people.
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia See Jn 15:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I chose you from the world,
to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 15:9-17 Jesus said to his disciples:
"As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father's commandments
and remain in his love. "I have told you this so that my joy might be in you
and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one's life for one's friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another." | Daily Meditation: Acts 1:15-17, 20-26 One of the men who accompanied us the whole time . . . (Acts 1:21) The first time we hear of Matthias is when the apostles are considering who will take the place of Judas. Yet Matthias must have been a familiar face to the community of disciples. Peter says he "accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus came and went among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which he was taken up from us" (Acts 1:21-22). Though Matthias wasn't initially one of the Twelve, he probably supported Jesus' ministry in important ways. He was quite possibly among the seventy-two whom Jesus sent out to announce the coming of the kingdom (Luke 10:1-12). As he followed Jesus from place to place, he was surely needed for a variety of tasks, from crowd control to finding places to sleep and food to eat. There must have been many other disciples who were part of this "support team." They knew that not everyone could be part of Jesus' inner circle, yet they still considered it an honor to serve him in whatever way they could. And surely Jesus knew them and recognized how crucial they were to his ministry. Have you ever been called on to work behind the scenes in ways that could easily go unnoticed or even be taken for granted? When that happens, we could be tempted to think that we aren't gifted or worthy enough to do anything else. But every work God calls us to do is important. Whether it's keeping track of paperwork or offering refreshments, our presence is necessary in building God's kingdom. Furthermore, the Lord sees us and appreciates our labor. According to tradition, Matthias went on to preach the gospel in modern-day Turkey and was eventually crucified for his faith. All the work he did before being named an apostle was preparation for this greater, more visible role. Yet it was an honor for him to serve the Lord all his life, no matter what part he played. May we also recognize what an honor it is to build God's kingdom in whatever way he is calling us! "St. Matthias, pray that I may say yes to all the ways I am being asked to serve." Psalm 113:1-8
John 15:9-17 |  try to hear it read by AI | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
""I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you........" end quote. | What did our Lord tell us so that our joy would be complete again?
Here's how to be a happy camper:
"If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love." In the opposite world, the dark world, they say that if you break the rules, like in "party mode", you will have happiness, in that next drink, in that next affair, in that next extravagant getaway. But it is not true. They are the equivalent of drugs. The next high lets you feel low the rest of the time without the highs, and it becomes a loop, a way of life, the sinful lifestyle that leaves one more and more sad, and alone.
They say in recent research that about 31% of catholic men do not have 1 close personal friend. We live in an era where the youth have been feeling more and more lonely by being lost in "social media". What causes isolation? And why such sadness now?
Back to the joy we need.
Back to our Lord Jesus.
How can we make our joy complete? Fill in the cross shaped hole in your heart. Fill your life with Christ. Fill your soul with Eucharist. Build up the body of Christ here and now.
I told my 16 year old son as we walked at night last night, "everything you do must be open to God, whether at work, or school, give it your full hearted attention and effort, especially in church related things, like your classes, be opened to what is being taught, otherwise, your wasting everyone's time, and especially yours, whether at work, not caring, hurts the business, hurts your own outlook too, if you help improve the business you improve your own life as well, because it is a symbiotic relation in all we do....and by all means, think of God, put all your effort in listening to Him and letting the Holy Spirit in...".
It was a long lesson I gave him because I saw him going to work, and I knew he was going to be late.
As an employer, I see what tardiness can do...it hurts everyone in some way or other. Simple little things go a long way.
And the same could be said of the good little things we do....they go a long ways.
What good can we do then to improve the Body of Christ?
Everything we do can improve the body of Christ.
Our Lord calls us friends.
You are not as alone as you think. If you are alone, He is alone too.
Just go to any typical Catholic Church. Most often He is there...alone, in the Blessed Sacrament, without visitor or worshiper. If He is alone, it is because we have left Him alone. But if we are alone...He is there for us.
Why should He be there for us always, and we are never there for Him?
All my life I've struggled with making prayer groups.
There is no consistency. Prayer groups come and go. The only one that has remained is the one I go attend. And the best one in the world is the Holy Catholic Mass. Do I go out of obedience? I used to. But now I go because I NEED to and because I LOVE to.
You see, obedience will get you there. Just obey. You may not understand why, but just do it.
My command today is to you, like my son, Go, and Go with a heart completely open to what is being said and done. Do not waste another time.
That way your joy might be complete. And it will one day.
I told my boy "...today, I went to Mass, and I received the Lord, and after Mass I said to myself, 'well, everything else now is secondary, the work problems, the trouble, the issues...I have everything I need inside of me...Jesus". You see, with Him, everything is possible. With Him the world is conquered. With Him grace and life and joy abounds.
I got here because of obedience. I got here because I was opened ever so much, but nevertheless, I paid attention, and light began to call for the light. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 34:8 8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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