Quote of the Day "Prayer is the best preparation for Holy Communion. Prayer is the raising of the mind to God. When we pray we go to meet Christ Who is coming to us. If our Creator and Savior comes from heaven with such great love, it is only fitting that we should go to meet Him. And this is what we do when we spend some time in prayer." St. Bernardine of Siena Today's Meditation "For us Christians, the first virtue of godliness is to honor our parents—to pay back the troubles of those who bore us, and to give them whatever comforts we can with all our strength. For if we repaid them as much as possible, we could still never pay them back for their gift of life. Then they will enjoy the comfort we provide, . . . And then won't our Father in heaven accept our good intentions, and judge us worthy to 'shine like the sun in the Kingdom of our Father' (Matthew 13:43)?"
—St. Cyril of Jerusalem, p. 190
Cover image from the book, A Year with Church Fathers
An Excerpt From A Year with Church Fathers Daily Verse "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight." Proverbs 9:10 | Bl. Caroline Gerhardinger (1797-1879), also known as Mother Maria Theresa of Jesus, was born into a working class family in Bavaria. Her giftedness as an educator was apparent early in her life, and she became a certified teacher at the age of 15. Although she was drawn to a quiet, contemplative life, her desire was to teach young girls to aspire to their full potential. For this she was greatly loved by her students. Responding to the needs of the time, and with the guidance of her bishop, she began a new religious order dedicated to education called the Poor School Sisters of Notre Dame. This was during a period when all religious orders were closed by decree of the Bavarian government. She sent her Sisters in groups of twos and threes into the local villages to teach the poor young girls who would otherwise have no opportunity for education, a novelty in her day which grew into a new form of apostolic religious life. In this way she sought to remedy social ills through education, which she believed was just as necessary for a child as love, food, and shelter. When the Vatican negotiated the reopening of Bavaria's religious communities in 1828, the Sisters moved into a convent. Caroline took the religious name Mary Theresa of Jesus for her devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. At the time of her death her order had grown to 2,500 sisters. She was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II in 1985. Her feast day is May 9th. | Friday of the Third Week of Easter Lectionary: 277
Reading 1 Acts 9:1-20 Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord,
went to the high priest and asked him
for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that,
if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way,
he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.
On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus,
a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,
"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"
He said, "Who are you, sir?"
The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do."
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless,
for they heard the voice but could see no one.
Saul got up from the ground,
but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;
so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.
For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank. There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias,
and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias."
He answered, "Here I am, Lord."
The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight
and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul.
He is there praying,
and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias
come in and lay his hands on him,
that he may regain his sight."
But Ananias replied,
"Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man,
what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests
to imprison all who call upon your name."
But the Lord said to him,
"Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel,
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name."
So Ananias went and entered the house;
laying his hands on him, he said,
"Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me,
Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came,
that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes
and he regained his sight.
He got up and was baptized,
and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength. He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus,
and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues,
that he is the Son of God. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 117:1bc, 2 R. (Mark 16:15) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia John 6:56 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood,
remains in me and I in him, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel John 6:52-59 The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
"How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my Flesh is true food,
and my Blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever."
These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Acts 9:1-20 Go. (Acts 9:15) An oil lamp flickers on the wooden table as Ananias and two friends discuss the amazing times they live in. Healings, miracles, rich and poor sharing meals together: Jesus really has ushered in the kingdom of God! But then the conversation becomes hushed as the topic shifts to those trying to squash their growing community of faith—especially a Pharisee named Saul. Not only did he support Stephen's execution, but he has even begun throwing believers into prison! And there are the "murderous threats" people have heard him making against the followers of Jesus (Acts 9:1). But then, on his walk home, Ananias has a vision—it's the Lord! And God has a surprising message: go. Go find this Saul, pray with him, and invite him to be baptized. What happens next is a sign of how deep Ananias' faith was. He believed that God could transform even the darkest of hearts. Most likely, his faith was based on experience. Perhaps he himself had been just as opposed to Jesus as Saul was. Or maybe he knew some of the fraudulent tax collectors, the prostitutes, and the other "sinners" whose lives had been turned upside down by the Lord. Whatever the case, Ananias took a great risk and obeyed the Lord. And the rest is history! Think about your own life or the lives of some of the people you know. What signs of God's power to change hearts have you seen? Maybe you think of a priest friend who, twenty years ago, was a rebellious, angry teenager. Or a woman whose short temper with her children mellowed dramatically after she attended a retreat. Or the social worker whose newfound faith helps her manage her stress-filled job in a far healthier way. God is still changing people's hearts, even those who seem to be the least deserving or the hardest to reach. So follow Ananias' example and go! Pray for conversion for those who are far from the Lord. Pray for those who are actively persecuting the Church. Pray for those whose lives seem like an irreparably broken mess. And don't be too surprised if you sense him telling you to share his good news or to offer to pray with someone you least expect! "Lord, I trust in your power to change any heart!" Psalm 117:1-2
John 6:52-59 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: In the Gospel we hear today:
"The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
"How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my Flesh is true food,
and my Blood is true drink........." - Word of the Lord! | From Roberto Juarez:
"How many times do we participate in the Eucharist routinely, without being aware of this miracle of love? Christ gives himself body and blood to live in us, to transform us, so that we may have his very life in the midst of the world.
The Eucharist is a call to intimacy, to live in Christ and to let Him live in us. It is also a commitment of love: just as He gives Himself completely, we are invited to give ourselves out of love for God and for others. • Am I aware of the immense gift that is to receive the Eucharist? • Do I seek to live in communion with Christ also outside of Mass, in my daily life? • Do I let His presence transform my thoughts, decisions, and relationships? 'Lord Jesus,
You are the Bread of Life,
the true food that satisfies the soul.
Thank you for giving to me without reservation,
for making you my food and drink,
for abiding in me when I receive you.
Make my heart good soil
to welcome your presence.
May it not receive your Body lightly,
but with faith, with love and with gratitude.
Transform my life with your life.
Amen.'..... End quote.
From brother Adrian: Some of the people that heard our Lord say to Eat of His flesh had a hard time swallowing that, saying to each other "How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?".
A poll several years ago asked Catholics if they believed in the Real Presence of Christ, as Jesus Himself in the Eucharist. The statistics were astounding, something like 30% were said to really believe.
But it also makes sense as to why the faith has been so tepid. Darkness has done a good job for the last century in squashing the true belief in God here. But, there is an upswing now, and how do I know? A recent bombing of the Blessed Sacrament has occurred, and several more bombings in the last decades in Nigeria and beyond of churches in Mass. These are clear signs that we are on the upswing, as gruesome as it sounds.
I say that, because we read about horrible things that happen in the world, mostly an oppression of the faithful. Then, we hear of beautiful spring time of faith.
We have some pasture at our ranch. We don't know who or what caused a grass-fire a couple months ago, the fire department came, we made a huge deal on asking who caused this. Still not sure what happened, I supposed I knew a youngster that did it but he claimed not. Regardless, today, if you drive out there to our pasture, yes, you can see it was blackened, but it looks so green with the rainfalls, in stark contrast to the dull yellow grass we are used to in the desert lands of west Texas. And it happened around a pond my late father built with trees, and it looks like a perfect oasis of life.
Some of us joked lately, that we wished more grass would've caught fire in a controlled manner.
A tree and a plant gives more fruit if properly trimmed, and pruned.
So, let us take the message of life to heart. If our Lord asks us to Trust Him, let us do it with great love.
What is our Lord asking when He says "Eat My flesh"?
Why would He ask people that don't even love Him, how could He allow them to eat of Him?
Yet, it happens in the Eucharist.
But we eat self condemnation if we are not careful in our faith.
We say we believe and act like we do not in front of others.
It's not good. The faithful must arise. In my part of the world, I still see people pray before meals, and this helps me. I feel like I am not alone in a world of disbelief, which means darkness.
Believe and there is light. His flesh is our life and our light.
I have seen The Holy Eucharist turn literally to flesh on the altar twice in my life with different priests, once in my Cursillo, and once in my parish about 20 years ago, and at that one in my parish, my parents also seen it, I was not alone.
This morning, I ate the Eucharist, and before I had been wondering, how can I get all to believe? How can I convince my children, all my parish, all my Diocese to believe more truly?
Sometimes I feel alone in that regard, because, if people truly believed, we would flood the Mass daily.
And we would leave excitedly "HE IS HERE!" "THE LORD HAS COME!"
And here I am exclaiming to you: "I HAVE SEEN HIM".
"I TOUCHED HIM, HE TOUCHED ME!" Always in the Eucharist, He burns in my chest, and my soul is nourished, and my life is graced, and everything...is good. We are ONE. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Galatians 6:1 [Galatians 6]
Bear One Another's Burdens 6
Brothers,1 if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
