† Quote of the Day
"Let us love Jesus above all, let us love Mary as our mother; but then, how could we keep from loving Joseph, who was so intimately united to both Jesus and Mary? And how can we honor him better than by imitating his virtues? Now, what else did he do in all his life but contemplate, study, and adore Jesus, even in the midst of his daily labors? Behold, therefore, our model."
— St. Madeleine Sophie Barat Today's Meditation
"I believe the life of Saint Joseph offers us a great example of strength and courage. I imagine there were many times when Joseph wondered what was in store for him and his family. Having to leave everything behind to find safety has the potential for causing great anxiety. Saint Joseph found courage in his profound faith. The life of this humble carpenter, chosen by God to be the spouse of Mary and foster father of Jesus, invites us to find our strength and courage by placing our complete trust in the Lord." –Elizabeth Kingsbury-Puscas, p. 256 Daily Verse
And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful." — Colossians 3:14-15 | St. Joseph The Worker St. Joseph (1st c.) was born in Bethlehem in Judea and later settled in Nazareth. By Divine command he became the husband of the Virgin Mary and adoptive father to God Incarnate. We know from Scripture and Tradition that St. Joseph was a virtuous man and a carpenter by trade. It was he who was entrusted with the great mission to guard, protect, and provide for the temporal needs of God's most precious gifts, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus, in the role of husband and father within the Holy Family. St. Joseph's mission continues from heaven as the patron saint of the Catholic Church. He is also the patron of many causes including fathers, laborers, and families. His feast days are: St. Joseph the Husband of Mary on March 19th, and St. Joseph the Worker on May 1st. Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker in 1955 to emphasize the dignity, meaning, and value of human work in the eyes of God, and to give all laborers a model of virtue as well as a heavenly intercessor and protector. | Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter Lectionary: 287
Reading 1 Acts 15:1-6 Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers,
"Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice,
you cannot be saved."
Because there arose no little dissension and debate
by Paul and Barnabas with them,
it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others
should go up to Jerusalem to the Apostles and presbyters
about this question.
They were sent on their journey by the Church,
and passed through Phoenicia and Samaria
telling of the conversion of the Gentiles,
and brought great joy to all the brethren.
When they arrived in Jerusalem,
they were welcomed by the Church,
as well as by the Apostles and the presbyters,
and they reported what God had done with them.
But some from the party of the Pharisees who had become believers
stood up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them
and direct them to observe the Mosaic law." The Apostles and the presbyters met together to see about this matter. Responsorial Psalm PS 122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5 R. (see 1) Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 15:4a, 5b R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord;
whoever remains in me will bear much fruit.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 15:1-8 Jesus said to his disciples:
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you.
Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own
unless it remains on the vine,
so neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
will be thrown out like a branch and wither;
people will gather them and throw them into a fire
and they will be burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples." | Daily Meditation: John 15:1-8 By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. (John 15:8) Do you believe that you can bring glory to God? It's not such a stretch, actually. At its heart, glorifying God means allowing his love and life to shine forth from you. Of course, Jesus glorified his Father perfectly. But you can glorify God too, even if you don't do it perfectly. In today's Gospel, Jesus describes two ways this can happen. First, you glorify the Father when you "bear much fruit" (John 15:8). Since "a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine," fruitfulness requires "remain[ing]" in Jesus, the true vine (15:4). In the same way that nutrients and water flow from the roots of a vine into each branch, the stream of Jesus' life and love flows into you as you stay rooted in him. And that flow of divine life and love is what produces fruit in your life. Of course, it takes some effort on your part to stay united to Jesus: holding onto his word, following his commands, and turning away from sin. But in the end, his life flowing into you produces spiritual fruit like joy, peace, patience, and humility. And that brings honor to your heavenly Father. Second, you glorify God when you "become [Jesus'] disciples" (John 15:8). In ancient Israel, a rabbi had disciples—people who followed him, were formed by him, and spread his teaching. The goal was that anyone who saw the disciple would immediately recognize the master through that disciple's words and actions. The same is true for us, followers of the Lord. The more we are conformed to the Son who perfectly reflects the Father, the more we can bring him glory! God can be glorified in each one of us. So stay close to Jesus. Let him make you more like himself. And let his life shine forth from you today. "Jesus, help me to glorify my heavenly Father!" Acts 15:1-6
Psalm 122:1-5 |  try to hear it read by AI | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
will be thrown out like a branch and wither;......" end quote. | . From Bishop Barron today;
"It's odd that we accept this sort of language very easily when it comes to our bodily health, while we balk at it when it comes to spiritual or supernatural health. Doctors and health specialists can say, with a clarity and matter-of-factness, that certain practices and behaviors are absolutely essential if one wants to maintain physical well-being. Unless you eat a balanced, nutritious diet, you will get sick and unfit. If you smoke, drink to excess, and never exercise, your body will become unhealthy, and if these practices (or negligences) become exaggerated, you will die. It just isn't that complicated.
Jesus is not engaging in charming poetic imagery. He is laying out the spiritual facts. The spirit is a living thing, and it derives its life from the vine. If, therefore, you are separated from the vine, you will die spiritually; you will stop living a supernatural life. And it's just not that complicated......" End quote Bishop Barron.
Today's bible verse is a chapter that I used to get as penance after Confession quite often.
Maybe the Lord wanted me to realize something that I wasn't grasping, but what? On the outside, the scripture makes sense, He is the vine and we are the branches, we need to be pruned but if we separate from Him we will wither and die.
Let us never be separated from God! Let us let ourselves be pruned! Prune away sin! If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off! If your eye or ear causes you to sin, cut it off! So says scripture. Better to arrive in heaven with partial limbs than none at all!
I always like the scripture when a man was being healed by our Lord: " He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?"
24 He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around."
25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly." Mark 8:22 He saw trees. Trees need to be pruned. Vines need to be pruned too, dead leaves won't let the plant be more fruitful. Right? There are sinful things in us that are causing us to be less fruitful. And if not pruned, the rest of the tree or vine could be affected severely. But these words stand out the most "...without me you can do nothing."
Perhaps one day we will see the perfectly manicured realms of Heaven, the perfectly pruned trees and flowers and bushes, where everything is perfect. But how can we start that now?
And why would I need to be pruned? Most people are seemingly happy right where they are in their faith.
I am an instigator of faith. Daily I send messages, text messages, emails, inspirational quotes or pictures, and leading in ministries, always pushing and perhaps some get tired of it.
But I can't help it! The sap of the Lord wants to pass through this poor sappy person! The flames of His blood want to course through our veins! His will wants to be done!
I told my teenager RCIA class something to answer this question better.
I go to Daily Mass before teaching class. That day at Mass I had a revelation of sorts. The answer is that our Lord lives in this world and among us, as an all encompassing body over the whole world, the earth. He then, is struggling in us to be good and do good. The more we can help Him, the more He will be good in the world that we so very much need. We got to let Him be good in us, to do good, to love through us and to do what God wants. It is His nature. The vine wants to grow! The vine wants to give fruit for Heaven and in doing so, fruit for the world. Food for the soul.
What else prunes us? I think of the loss of a loved one, particularly a dad, a father. I think of that as a type of pruning. It hurts! But God sees that this is the way for better fruit to come. I think of St. Joseph, whom I would dare say, our God lived in St. Joseph, showing our Lord Jesus the humble ways of loving God and even loving God through work. They say in visions, I think Sister Anne Emmerich, that St. Joseph would make chairs, and other types of cool furniture. But he wouldn't make it if it would not be for good, or if what he was asked was for other gods. He was righteous in all the meaning of the word.
Jesus watched. He learned. It was infused in his soul. Our Lord's hands were tough like His daddy's. But they were used for caring and sharing, and they held God, and they held God to be the highest of all loves in this world. I'm sure the death of St. Joseph hurt our Lord as a young man. They say St. Joseph gave his life for Jesus. They say he wouldn't have been able to bear the crucifixion, and he wanted to give his life for that in offering. Whatever transpired, it was glorious. Giving your life to God is the greatest Glory we could do, giving our heart to Him and doing as He desires. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 16:12 [Proverbs 16] 12 It is an abomination to kings to do evil, for the throne is established by righteousness. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
