†Quote of the Day "Confession heals, confession justifies, confession grants pardon of sin. All hope consists in confession. In confession there is a chance for mercy. Believe it firmly, do not doubt, do not hesitate, never despair of the mercy of God."
–St. Isidore of Seville Today's Meditation Reading the holy Scriptures confers two benefits. It trains the mind to understand them; it turns man's attention from the follies of the world and leads him to the love of God. Two kinds of study are called for here. We must first learn how the Scriptures are to be understood, and then see how to expound them with profit and in a manner worthy of them . . . No one can understand holy Scripture without constant reading . . . The more you devote yourself to the study of the sacred utterances, the richer will be your understanding of them, just as the more the soil is tilled, the richer the harvest."
—St. Isidore of Seville, p. 201 Daily Verse "God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like hinds' feet, he makes me tread upon my high places."
–Habakkuk 3:19 | St. Isidore of Seville St. Isidore of Seville (560 – 636 A.D.) was born in Carthagena, Spain, to noble and pious parents. After the example of their parents, he, as well as his two brothers and sister, all became saints. Isidore received his early education at the cathedral school in Seville where a group of learned men taught classical education, among them was his brother Leander, the Archbishop of Seville. The cathedral school was the first of its kind in the country and Isidore excelled in his studies there. He became a man of great learning, zeal, piety, and apostolic endeavor, assisting his brother in converting the Visigoths from the Arian heresy. He followed his brother in becoming next Archbishop of Seville, leading his diocese for nearly 40 years. Isidore was an important saint for his time. He was one of the most learned men of the 6th century and is considered the last of the early Church Fathers. He was a prolific writer on the sciences and the classics which in effect helped preserve western civilization during the early middle ages following the barbarian invasions. He composed history books, a dictionary with a structure akin to a database, and an encyclopedia which was used for nine centuries. St. Isidore reunited Spain after the barbarian onslaught, making it a center of culture and learning. He required seminaries to be built in every diocese, wrote a rule for religious orders, and founded schools that taught every branch of learning. Spain then became a model for similar renewal in other European countries. For his great learning and written works he was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIV. St. Isidore of Seville is the patron of computers, schoolchildren, and the internet. His feast day is April 4th.
| Thursday in the Octave of Easter Reading 1 Acts 3:11-26 As the crippled man who had been cured clung to Peter and John,
all the people hurried in amazement toward them
in the portico called "Solomon's Portico."
When Peter saw this, he addressed the people,
"You children of Israel, why are you amazed at this,
and why do you look so intently at us
as if we had made him walk by our own power or piety?
The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,
the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus
whom you handed over and denied in Pilate's presence,
when he had decided to release him.
You denied the Holy and Righteous One
and asked that a murderer be released to you.
The author of life you put to death,
but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.
And by faith in his name,
this man, whom you see and know, his name has made strong,
and the faith that comes through it
has given him this perfect health,
in the presence of all of you.
Now I know, brothers and sisters,
that you acted out of ignorance, just as your leaders did;
but God has thus brought to fulfillment
what he had announced beforehand
through the mouth of all the prophets,
that his Christ would suffer.
Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away,
and that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment
and send you the Christ already appointed for you, Jesus,
whom heaven must receive until the times of universal restoration
of which God spoke through the mouth
of his holy prophets from of old.
For Moses said:
A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you
from among your own kin;
to him you shall listen in all that he may say to you.
Everyone who does not listen to that prophet
will be cut off from the people.
"Moreover, all the prophets who spoke,
from Samuel and those afterwards, also announced these days.
You are the children of the prophets
and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors
when he said to Abraham,
In your offspring all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
For you first, God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you
by turning each of you from your evil ways." Responsorial Psalm 8:2ab and 5, 6-7, 8-9 R. (2ab) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
or:
R. Alleluia.
O LORD, our Lord,
how glorious is your name over all the earth!
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
or:
R. Alleluia.
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
or:
R. Alleluia.
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
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 24:35-48 The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way,
and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread.
While they were still speaking about this,
he stood in their midst and said to them,
"Peace be with you."
But they were startled and terrified
and thought that they were seeing a ghost.
Then he said to them, "Why are you troubled?
And why do questions arise in your hearts?
Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.
Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones
as you can see I have."
And as he said this,
he showed them his hands and his feet.
While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed,
he asked them, "Have you anything here to eat?"
They gave him a piece of baked fish;
he took it and ate it in front of them.
He said to them,
"These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that everything written about me in the law of Moses
and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled."
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
And he said to them,
"Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things."
| Daily Meditation: Luke 24:35-48 Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? (Luke 24:38) Why were the disciples troubled? Maybe because they were only human! They had seen Jesus arrested. He had died a horrible death on a Roman cross. Their mission had been destroyed, their hopes dashed. So when Jesus suddenly appeared to them, they were so stunned that they didn't even recognize him. Instead of greeting him with open arms, they drew back in fear. What they needed was some reassurance—some physical evidence—that they were really seeing Jesus. And that's just what he gave them. He showed them his hands and feet, which still bore the wounds he had suffered on Calvary (Luke 24:40). He even ate in front of them (24:43)! Jesus knows that we can be like those disciples at times. We're only human! Even with two thousand years of history behind us, we might not recognize Jesus in our midst. But in his kindness, Jesus responds to us generously—and in so many different ways. Jesus gives us physical evidence of his presence through the sacraments, visible signs that confer his grace. In Baptism, as the water pours over us, we are made sons and daughters of God. In the Eucharist, we consume his Body and Blood. In Confession, he touches us with his merciful love and calms our fears. In marriage, he is present in the love between the spouses. In the Anointing of the Sick, the sacred oil on our forehead and hands assures us that the Lord is with us until the very end. Jesus is also present to us in the men and women he dwells in. A friend's comforting arm around your shoulder, a kind word from a neighbor, or wise counsel from a mentor can all reveal Christ's closeness to us. In his goodness, Jesus allowed his disciples to see his physical body. In his goodness, he makes himself present to you as well, in the sacraments and in his people. So if you're feeling troubled today, ask him to help you recognize that he is with you. Then be on the lookout for him. He wants to give you a fresh experience of his presence today. "Lord, I know you are with me—open my eyes to see you!" Acts 3:11-26
Psalm 8:2, 5-9 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:
Audio English | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed,
he asked them, "Have you anything here to eat?"
They gave him a piece of baked fish;
he took it and ate it in front of them.
He said to them,
"These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that everything written about me in the law of Moses
and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled."
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures......" end quote. | From Bishop Barron today:
"...It is a contemporary prejudice that ancient people were naïve, easily duped, willing to believe any far-fetched tale—but this is simply not the case. They knew about visions, hallucinations, dreams, and even claims to ghostly hauntings.
In fact, in St. Luke's telling, when the risen Lord appeared to his disciples in the upper room, their initial reaction was that they were seeing a specter. But Jesus himself moved quickly to allay such suspicions: "Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have."
While they were, in Luke's words, "still incredulous for joy and were amazed," the risen Jesus asked if there was anything to eat and then consumed baked fish in their presence. This has nothing to do with fantasies, abstractions, or velleities, but rather with resurrection at every level." end quote.
How often have we wondered why God hides Himself from us?
How often have you felt alone...in the faith?
How often have you just let yourself go and just wander through life without real direction?
Our Lord does not leave us alone, nor does He hide. Our Lord reveals Himself through the ages, so we can see what He has been doing through the centuries. You can't see some things now because you can only see them when you zoom out further. Right now, we are close to the earth, watching and making history happen with our very lives. That we do not matter is a lie from the devil. Every soul is precious to the Lord for we are His creation, conceived in His mind before our minds were formed on earth. He reveals Himself through Scripture and through people. He can appear as anyone He desires. And He is especially found...when we look for Him.
Today, our Lord appears, and the spiritual becomes physical, His soul and body are revealed to the disciples. He is not far. And He had to completely ascend so that the Holy Paraclete would descend from Heaven. God comes deeper and deeper into our lives.
When He reveals that He is alive, the apostles are given a strength to fortify the Holy Church. And it has endured forever and will be until the end of the world. It has been happening and will continue to happen, with or without your help. I rather help and why? For my own salvation? My salvation is important but not more important than yours, and what's more, is the fact that my own salvation could very well depend on you being saved!
And this is why the Christ came...that we might be saved ... through Him. Our Lord came to fortify us with His body and blood. Notice they were gathered, and He wanted to eat. Notice when they broke bread, He appeared. God has not left. Just recently, in India, another phenomenal Eucharistic miracle took place. A baptist lady took the Eucharist from a Mass, returned it and the priest left it in water to dissolve but it didn't, eventually it turned into a bloody flesh like substance. That one is about to go scientific studies but all the other miracles have turned out to be the cells of a 33 year old man, who suffered trauma, and the cells were from the heart, and the blood type is AB, the type all humans can take transfusions from.
His blood and body is for everybody that seeks and desires Him.
This is why I go to Mass every day. Because Heaven meets earth and joins with us in the most beautiful and pure of ways for Divine Mercy to live on...Jesus Himself, the body of the risen Lord.
Lord, I want to eat with You and love You and be one with You forever! |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Colossians 3:23–24 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
