† Quote of the Day "Truth sees God, and wisdom contemplates God, and from these two comes a third, a holy and wonderful delight in God, who is love." — St. Juliana of Norwich Today's Meditation "No one denies that Jesus Christ is our only mediator of justice, and that he by his merits has obtained our reconciliation with God. But, on the other hand, it is impious to assert that God is not pleased to grant graces at the intercession of his saints, and more especially of Mary his mother, whom Jesus desires so much to see loved and honored by all. Who can pretend that the honor bestowed on a mother doesn't redound to the honor of the son? For this reason St. Bernard says, 'We must not imagine that we obscure the glory of the Son by the great praise we lavish on the mother; for the more she is honored, the greater is the glory of her Son.'" —St. Alphonsus Liguori, p. 3 An excerpt from A Year with Mary Daily Verse "A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks." — Luke 6:45 | St. Juliana Of Norwich Mother Julian/Juliana of Norwich (1342–1416) lived as a recluse in Norwich, England. Little is known of her life with certainty. At the age of 30 she was suddenly struck by a severe illness which almost took her life. During this illness she received a series of visions of Jesus Christ in sixteen separate revelations. When she recovered from her illness the visions stopped. Fifteen years later, Our Lord appeared to her to give her the meaning of her visions. St. Julian wrote her visions down in a book called Revelations of Divine Love, the earliest surviving book in the English language known to have been written by a woman. After these revelations she began to live a solitary life as an anchoress in a little cell built into the wall at the church of St. Julian in Norwich, not far from London. During her life the Church was in schism, and England was caught in a long war with France. The book contains a message of optimism based on the certainty of being loved by God and of being protected by his Providence. She received visitors to her cell and gave them guidance on the spiritual life, becoming a spiritual mother to many. St. Julian is an important medieval mystic whose response to the problem of evil is cited in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Although she was never formally beatified or canonized, her feast day is celebrated on May 13th.
Find a devotional for this saint | Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 19:1-8 While Apollos was in Corinth,
Paul traveled through the interior of the country
and down to Ephesus where he found some disciples.
He said to them,
"Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?"
They answered him,
"We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
He said, "How were you baptized?"
They replied, "With the baptism of John."
Paul then said, "John baptized with a baptism of repentance,
telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him,
that is, in Jesus."
When they heard this,
they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul laid his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came upon them,
and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
Altogether there were about twelve men. He entered the synagogue, and for three months debated boldly
with persuasive arguments about the Kingdom of God. Responsorial Psalm PS 68:2-3ab, 4-5acd, 6-7ab R. (33a) Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
God arises; his enemies are scattered,
and those who hate him flee before him.
As smoke is driven away, so are they driven;
as wax melts before the fire.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
But the just rejoice and exult before God;
they are glad and rejoice.
Sing to God, chant praise to his name;
whose name is the LORD.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The father of orphans and the defender of widows
is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken;
he leads forth prisoners to prosperity.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Col 3:1 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If then you were raised with Christ,
seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 16:29-33 The disciples said to Jesus,
"Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech.
Now we realize that you know everything
and that you do not need to have anyone question you.
Because of this we believe that you came from God."
Jesus answered them, "Do you believe now?
Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived
when each of you will be scattered to his own home
and you will leave me alone.
But I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.
In the world you will have trouble,
but take courage, I have conquered the world." | Daily Meditation: Acts 19:1-8 The Holy Spirit came upon them. (Acts 19:6) "Holy what?" The disciples whom Paul encountered in Ephesus didn't know there was a Holy Spirit, or even that Jesus was the Messiah. But when Paul shared the good news and prayed with them, their eyes were opened to the spiritual gifts that were now theirs through Christ. The Ephesian disciples knew that the Spirit had come upon them because they were able to prophesy and speak in God-given tongues (Acts 19:6). Such manifestations were a sure sign of the Spirit's presence in the early Church (1 Corinthians 12:4-11), and even today, there are believers who experience these "charismatic" gifts. While tongues and prophecy are two of the more obvious signs of the Holy Spirit, Scripture tells us about other gifts that we might experience (Isaiah 11:2-3): When you pray for guidance and receive wisdom, that's the Spirit. When you are tempted to do or say something rash and you resist by saying a quick Hail Mary, God's Spirit of counsel is giving you restraint. When you are looking for credit for your accomplishments, fear of the Lord reminds you that all your talents come from God. When you are confused about Church teaching on a moral issue and a homily gives you new insight, the Spirit is granting you knowledge and understanding. When you are at the end of your rope but keep persevering in faith, you are being filled with fortitude. When you are feeling restless at Mass but a hymn fills you with a sense of God's love, the Spirit is giving you piety. Pentecost is approaching, so let's ask the Lord to fill us with even more of his gifts so that we can better serve him and his body. Be sure to ask freely and expectantly. Remember, God "does not ration his gift of the Spirit" (John 3:34). Maybe in this season of your life, you are in special need of fortitude or wisdom. Maybe you'd like to experience one of the charismatic gifts. Whatever it is, don't be shy about asking. God wants it for you even more than you do! "Come upon me, Holy Spirit! Strengthen your gifts within me." Psalm 68:2-7
John 16:29-33 |  try to hear it read by AI | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Jesus answered them, "Do you believe now?
Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived
when each of you will be scattered to his own home
and you will leave me alone.
But I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.
In the world you will have trouble,
but take courage, I have conquered the world."......." end quote. | Are there people, followers that have scattered and are afraid in their own homes? Are there those who have decided not to follow closely anymore? Are there those who leave our Lord alone?
Our Lord says something that should be engraved in all of our hearts:
" I am not alone, because the Father is with me."
And this is an amazing feat, that we are connected with the same Father as our Lord Jesus God himself in the Father.
We should remember always those words:
" I am not alone, because the Father is with me."
The question is, "are WE with the Father?"
Or have we scattered?
Our Lord is asking us to unite ourselves with Him. He is asking to take courage!
Let's hear Him again:
"I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.
In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world."
Do you have trouble in the world we live in? Of course! I've never met anyone who has absolutely no trouble in their lives. If you know someone who has absolutely no problems let me know!
In the book of Revelation, we hear that our Lord conquers the world. This is not a book about the future, it is more of an eschatological book, meaning it speaks about the "last things" of humankind. Much of what we hear in that book has already happened, and I'd dare say, all of it has already been fulfilled.
Our Lord conquered the world, but there still remains those two things we see He defeated to a certain degree...sin, and death.
And sin brings about death.
But our sight is limited. We then are called to be a people of faith.
So why do we focus so much on sin and death? Why do these things even exist on earth? Because....this isn't Heaven.
And it is God's will that we do good for goodness' sake, that we are given an opportunity to share in salvation history. Savings souls is the goal, yes, but there is more. There is something that is often overlooked, because saving souls cannot be done without Jesus the Christ, and Who or What is Jesus?
The Son of God, who calls Himself the "son of Man".
So which is He? Both! What's more, He can be much more!
What are we overlooking as we attempt to save souls across the world? The simplicity of the dove, the humility of Mary.
And I'm speaking about true love, and the beautiful grace that is produced in true love.
These ingredients make for a most beautiful light in Heaven.
That is why we pray in the Lord's prayer "...Thy will be done...on earth as it is in Heaven". That the world might see Christ alive, the body resurrected, the victory over death of sin accomplished. Sin dies here, and the body will continue without it...if you want.
"For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day" John 6:40
All things Glory To God. All things Eucharist. All things the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart right now. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse: Hebrews 12:1–2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
