† Quote of the Day "If you are suffering from a bad man's injustice, forgive him—lest there be two bad men." — St. Augustine Today's Meditation "By accepting the sufferings 'offered' by life and allowed by God for our progress and purification, we spare ourselves much harder ones. We need to develop this kind of realism and, once and for all, stop dreaming of a life without suffering or conflict. That is the life of heaven, not earth. We must take up our cross and follow Christ courageously every day; the bitterness of that cross will sooner or later be transformed into sweetness." —Fr. Jacques Philippe, p. 49 An excerpt from Interior Freedom Daily Verse "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off." — Acts 12:2-3 | St. Barnabas St. Barnabas (1st c.) was a Jew from the island of Cyprus who was given the name Joseph at birth. He is mentioned by name in the New Testament. A convert to the Christian faith in Jerusalem, he sold his property and preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles alongside St. Paul the Apostle and St. Mark the Evangelist. He was given the surname Barnabas, meaning 'Son of Exhortation' and was highly esteemed among the Christian leaders at Jerusalem and Antioch, almost ranked among the twelve Apostles themselves. St. Luke said of him, "...for he was a good man, full of the Holy Ghost and of Faith." It was Barnabas who vouched for the genuineness of St. Paul's conversion and had him accepted as a Christian by the other Apostles. Barnabas was the cousin of St. Mark, and Barnabas famously disputed with St. Paul over bringing Mark along on their missionary journey, which caused the two famed preachers to part ways and travel separately as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. They were later reconciled. Barnabas was eventually stoned to death around the year 61 A.D. His feast day is celebrated on June 11. | Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle • Readings for the Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle Reading 1 ACTS 11:21B-26; 13:1-3 In those days a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
The news about them reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem,
and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.
When he arrived and saw the grace of God,
he rejoiced and encouraged them all
to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart,
for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.
And a large number of people was added to the Lord.
Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch.
For a whole year they met with the Church
and taught a large number of people,
and it was in Antioch that the disciples
were first called Christians.Now there were in the Church at Antioch prophets and teachers:
Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger,
Lucius of Cyrene,
Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,
"Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul
for the work to which I have called them."
Then, completing their fasting and prayer,
they laid hands on them and sent them off. Responsorial Psalm PS 98:1, 2-3AB, 3CD-4, 5-6 R. (see 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. Alleluia Mt 5:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let your light shine before others
That they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel MT 5:13-16 Jesus said to his disciples:
"You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father."
| Daily Meditation: Acts 11:21-26; 13:1-3 The Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." (Acts 13:2) Barnabas, whose feast we celebrate today, was a pivotal figure in the early Church. In fact, without his ardent desire to share the gospel and care for God's people, the Church might never have grown as quickly or spread as far as it did. We are first introduced to Barnabas in Acts 4. Out of love for Christ and his followers, he sold a piece of property and gave the money to the apostles to distribute to the needy among them. No wonder he was nicknamed "Barnabas," which means "son of encouragement" (4:36)! He must have lifted the sagging spirits of his fellow believers in the midst of their hardship and persecution. As a trusted brother in the Lord, Barnabas was sent to Antioch to investigate reports that Gentiles were coming to faith in Christ (Acts 11:22). He then teamed up with Paul to teach these new believers, undertook a relief mission for the Jerusalem community, and finally, with Paul, was "set apart" by the Holy Spirit for their first missionary journey (11:25, 30; 13:2). Barnabas must have possessed many gifts that helped him become such an effective evangelist. But his story tells us that his most important gift was his passion for Christ. And the source of that passion? He was "filled with the Holy Spirit and faith" (Acts 11:24). By virtue of our Baptism, God has "set apart" each and every one of us to contribute to the building up of his kingdom. But Barnabas would tell you that you can't do this kind of work by yourself. You need the Holy Spirit, not only to equip you with talents and gifts, but to give you a burning desire to see that kingdom flourish in your midst. Today, ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with a passion to do the work to which he has called you (Acts 13:2). If you're not sure what that work is, keep asking God to show you. If you've been doing God's work but are feeling worn out or discouraged, ask the Spirit to inflame your heart with renewed determination and hope. Then trust that he will do it! "St. Barnabas, pray for me to be a passionate disciple, just as you were." Psalm 98:1-6
Matthew 5:13-16 |  HEAR it read by AI | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"...You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father."
....." end quote. | From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus uses the images of salt and light to show how we are to bring salvation to the world. In our rather privatized and individualistic culture, we tend naturally to think of religion as something for ourselves, designed to make our lives richer or better. Now there is a sense in which that is true, but on the biblical reading, religiosity is like salt, light, and an elevated city: it is meant not for oneself, but for others.
Perhaps we can bring these two together by saying that we find salvation for ourselves precisely in the measure that we bring God's life to others. The point is that we followers of Jesus are meant to be salt, which effectively preserves and enhances what is best in the society around us. We effectively undermine what is dysfunctional in the surrounding culture.
We are also light by which people around us come to see what is worth seeing. By the very quality and integrity of our lives, we shed light, illuminating what is beautiful and revealing what is ugly. The clear implication is that, without vibrant Christians, the world is a much worse place.
....." end quote Bishop Barron.
Christ followers are those who bring flavor to the bland world.
Christ followers are those who bring light to a dark world.
The world is actually bland, have you noticed? I look just at pictures of non-Christian countries, and there is something bland in their life, there is no purpose, they are defeated in communist countries, and there is no light in their eyes.
Has anyone ever looked at you with a light in their eyes?
What does that light look like?
And what does the salt taste like?
Have you ever had salt that had lost its flavor? What is there to savor if it has lost the flavor?
Have you ever had a light that went dim? Things are hard to see, especially if you need it to see where you are going, driving, or walking, things are just so much tougher.
But what if you live without the light of faith on in your life?
Quite simply, others will not see faith in action. And thus, they will not see the love of God in action.
This is the same as losing flavor in life, to become bland, to become "neutral". The world wants you to become bland and neutral. The world wants you neither hot or cold! The evil's favorite word is "neutral". But the Lord wants you fiery hot, burning. The Sacred Heart of Jesus image is a heart on fire with flames. The fire of God's love wants to consume us.
If we live in God, if we live in Love, then the flames give off light and heat, the warmth and truth we all so very much need.
Yesterday we gathered at my dad's tomb, my sisters and all our kids. I told them our dad's wishes, our father's wishes, I said "he wanted faith and unity above all, and it will not happen if God is not first in our lives". If God is not first, in means that love is not first.
The world loves to preach "love is love", but their version is a false love, because to teach that love is separate from God is a lie from the pits of hell. We cannot separate love from God, because God is a burning fire of Love from above.
And this Sacred Love should kindle in us a fire with His Holy Spirit, to show the world that God is here, and he is moving and acting through you.
How much better would your love be if it were God's love moving through you?
In God's love, friends become family.
In God's love, enemies become friends.
In God's love, strangers become children of God, children of light, and salt for the earth.
Salt can heal wounds. Salt can preserve you. Salt can corrode too, the hardest of hearts, the outer layers.
I have a question then before we go:
Do you really want to change and become a true child of God?
How much sacrifice would it take on your part? We all talk the talk, but how many of us will walk the walk? To become true salt and true light?
Jesus Shines from the Cross and in the Heavens above. Sacred Heart of Jesus, BE MY LOVE! |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 90:2 2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
