†Quote of the Day "One just soul can obtain pardon for a thousand sinners." — St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Today's Meditation "Creation itself is a silent word of God. The wordless beauty of nature displays before our eyes the manifold riches of a Father who is ceaselessly present among men. This divine speech is not audible to ears that are too human; nevertheless, it is the most profound speech of all. The sun, the moon, and the stars are absolutely silent to our ears, but they are a word and a message essential to our earthly existence. There is a language of the stars that we can neither know nor comprehend but that God understands perfectly." –Robert Cardinal Sarah, p.88 Daily Verse "There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops." — Luke 12:2-3 | St. Peter Of Saint Joseph Betancur St. Peter of St. Joseph Betancur, or Pedro de San José Betancur (1626-1667), also known as Hermano Pedro, was born into poverty in the Canary Islands. He was a shepherd until the age of 24 at which time he traveled to Guatemala, then the capital of New Spain, hoping to connect with a relative and to begin training to be a priest. The journey so impoverished him that he entered a bread line served by the Franciscans. He took up work in a textile factory and later entered a Jesuit college to study for the priesthood. Being too poor to continue his studies, he instead became a Franciscan tertiary. He dedicated his life to helping the poor and oppressed in jails and hospitals, as well as ministering to African slaves, Native Americans, and anyone else in need. He also founded a hospital, a school for the poor, and a homeless shelter. He also preached to the rich, inviting them to repent of their sins. Because of his effective apostolate he became known as "St. Francis of the Americas." People were attracted to his way of life and followed him, leading to the founding of the Bethlehemite Brothers and Sisters. In addition to serving the poor, they had the charism of special devotion to the Divine Child and the Blessed Virgin, and offered prayer and sacrifices for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Each night St. Peter would carry a heavy wooden cross through the streets as a form of penance and evangelization. It is also said that he was the first to start the Posadas procession during Advent. He died in 1667 and was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II as the first saint from Central America. His feast day is April 18. | Thursday of the Third Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 8:26-40 The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip,
"Get up and head south on the road
that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route."
So he got up and set out.
Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch,
a court official of the Candace,
that is, the queen of the Ethiopians,
in charge of her entire treasury,
who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning home.
Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
The Spirit said to Philip,
"Go and join up with that chariot."
Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said,
"Do you understand what you are reading?"
He replied,
"How can I, unless someone instructs me?"
So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him.
This was the Scripture passage he was reading: Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who will tell of his posterity?
For his life is taken from the earth. Then the eunuch said to Philip in reply,
"I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this?
About himself, or about someone else?"
Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this Scripture passage,
he proclaimed Jesus to him.
As they traveled along the road
they came to some water,
and the eunuch said, "Look, there is water.
What is to prevent my being baptized?"
Then he ordered the chariot to stop,
and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water,
and he baptized him.
When they came out of the water,
the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away,
and the eunuch saw him no more,
but continued on his way rejoicing.
Philip came to Azotus, and went about proclaiming the good news
to all the towns until he reached Caesarea. Responsorial Psalm Ps 66:8-9, 16-17, 20 R. (1) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless our God, you peoples,
loudly sound his praise;
He has given life to our souls,
and has not let our feet slip.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in words,
praise was on the tip of my tongue.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 6:51 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven,
says the Lord;
whoever eats this bread will live forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 6:44-51 Jesus said to the crowds:
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father
except the one who is from God;
he has seen the Father.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my Flesh for the life of the world."
| Daily Meditation: Acts 8:26-40 So he got up and set out. (Acts 8:27) How do you think Philip started his morning on the day we read about here? Do you think he got up and thought to himself, "I'm going to walk down the road to Gaza, meet an Ethiopian official, explain the gospel to him, and baptize him"? Do you think he then said, "After that, I'd like to be miraculously transported to a completely different location"? Of course not. We don't know exactly what was on Philip's mind that morning, but we can be sure that, as a prayerful man, he was eager to listen to and obey what the Lord might be saying to him. So as soon as he heard the angel telling him to head out, he got up and went (Acts 8:27). Because Philip obeyed that first prompting, he was in the right place at the right time for the next one: to strike up a conversation with the Ethiopian man in the chariot. And then he was able to speak to this man and proclaim Jesus to him. What about you? Do you listen for the Lord's voice when you pray? Do you ever hear the "still small voice" of the Holy Spirit when you're at work, at school, or running errands? God is still speaking to his people, and you can trust that he wants to lead you. So experiment! You might have an insight or inspiration during prayer or at Mass or in the course of the day. Don't dismiss it as being just your imagination. Stop and try to act on it. It might be the Holy Spirit leading you! The best way to learn to hear the Spirit's voice is to try responding when you do feel a nudge. That's likely what the first believers did. Maybe the Spirit is telling you to open your Bible. Maybe he is telling you to contact someone who could use your help or inspiring you to a different work of mercy. It all starts with taking that first step. That's what the entire Book of Acts is about. Because the first believers obeyed the voice of the Spirit, word spread about the transforming power of Jesus' death and resurrection throughout the known world. It just goes to show, you never know what can happen if, like Philip, you listen and obey! "Lord, I want to listen for—and obey—your voice today!" Psalm 66:8-9, 16-17, 20
John 6:44-51 |  try to hear it read by AI | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
""No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They shall all be taught by God.
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me....." end quote. | Last night, I was teaching the teenagers in RCIA many things about the faith, I'm trying to get as much information and teachings into them before the end of the school year, which is only 2 more classes. They couldn't believe it, and the looks on their faces when I said that was encouraging, they couldn't believe we'd only have that much more time together to pray together and to learn about God and to get closer to Him.
I asked two visiting teens from another class that cancelled, I knew who they were and I knew they already received their Sacraments in Easter, and I asked them to testify what their experience was before and after receiving the Sacraments of Baptism, Confession, and First Communion. They were not ashamed, and as bashful as before, and one said "I feel closer to God now". And the other also testified that she felt "lighter" after confession. I wanted them to testify so that the others knew what they could possibly expect next year when they receive the Holy Sacraments.
But it is not a feeling that we get, like all the earthly and worldly temporal feelings. No. It is much more. It is a "knowing" that we are closer to God, and knowing that we are forgiven. This is what happens in the Holy Sacraments.
I walked them to the church from class, we prayed before the tabernacle, and we prayed a decade of the Holy Rosary in the chapel. After finishing I relayed many things to them before dismissal. I reminded them that purgatory is not a place to aim for, but to be saints, because only saints are in Heaven. I said "Who wants to wait 3 hours in the hot sun for a 2 minute ride at the theme park? I don't! That'd be torture!" We want a fast pass, don't we? Yes we do, unless you begin to develop a taste for suffering for Jesus!
And so I said basically what our Lord said today to them, that He is calling them to Him. I told them that God loves them and wants them in Heaven with Him. And this is true of you. God loves you and wants you in Heaven with Him. And so it is actually an honor to be called to Him, in church, in ministry, in classes, in retreats, in anything He asks of us even if it feels like torture! Amen? Amen!
We are designed to live forever, we know it, that's why death is such a conundrum for us, seeing it as an end, perhaps the big goodbye, but that's not what our Lord wants us to live by.
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give
is my Flesh for the life of the world." end quote.
I told the class what I want you to realize from here on out. The Eucharist has had several miracles throughout the last centuries, where it turns into flesh. The young saint to be Blessed Carlo Acutis archived these miracles as many others have in books too. But I told the class to remember, the miracles are always tested and the cells are found to be alive, and of a 33 year old man, and the cells come from the heart tissue, and so, we must realize this is the heart of God. Jesus is giving us His heart, what are we doing with it? Where do we take it? To whom do we share it? The flesh of Christ is alive and active in us all and calling us to Himself as we speak. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 9:7–8 [Psalm 9] 7 But the LORD sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice,
8 and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
