Quote of the Day "For He became man that we might become divine; and He revealed Himself through a body that we might receive an idea of the invisible Father; and He endured insults from men that we might inherit incorruption." — St. Athanasius of Alexandria Today's Meditation "I realize as never before that the Lord is gentle and merciful; He did not send me this heavy cross until I could bear it. If He had sent it before, I am certain that it would have discouraged me . . . I desire nothing at all now except to love until I die of love. I am free, I am not afraid of anything, not even of what I used to dread most of all . . . a long illness which would make me a burden to the community. I am perfectly content to go on suffering in body and soul for years, if that would please God. I am not in the least afraid of living for a long time; I am ready to go on fighting." —St. Therese of Lisieux, p. 122
An excerpt from The Story of a Soul Daily Verse "But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you." — Luke 6:27-31 | St. Athanasius Of Alexandria St. Athanasius (296-373 A.D.) was born in Alexandria, Egypt, to noble Christian parents. He received an excellent education in theology, philosophy, rhetoric, and law, which he directed to the service of God. He made great progress in both wisdom and virtue, and made a spiritual retreat in the Egyptian desert with St. Anthony the Great. St. Athanasius became the Bishop of Alexandria and served in that role for 46 years. He tirelessly and courageously devoted most of his life to defeating the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ. When the majority of his fellow bishops were Arian heretics, which threatened the integrity of the whole Church, Athansius stood firmly and almost single-handedly against their error using his philosophical knowledge, theological wisdom, rhetorical skill, and strength of spirit. Despite having the support of several popes, he suffered great trials, scandals, and persecutions at the hands of his doctrinal enemies, and spent much of his life in exile. He was a participant in the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. and did much of the theological work which supported the condemnation of the Arian heresy and the formulation of the Nicene Creed. St. Athanasius is known as one of the greatest champions of Catholic doctrine to have ever lived, earning the title, "Father of Orthodoxy." St. Athanasius was later declared a Doctor of the Church. His feast day is celebrated on May 2nd. | Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Lectionary: 271
Reading 1 Acts 5:34-42 A Pharisee in the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel,
a teacher of the law, respected by all the people,
stood up, ordered the Apostles to be put outside for a short time,
and said to the Sanhedrin, "Fellow children of Israel,
be careful what you are about to do to these men.
Some time ago, Theudas appeared, claiming to be someone important,
and about four hundred men joined him, but he was killed,
and all those who were loyal to him
were disbanded and came to nothing.
After him came Judas the Galilean at the time of the census.
He also drew people after him,
but he too perished and all who were loyal to him were scattered.
So now I tell you,
have nothing to do with these men, and let them go.
For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin,
it will destroy itself.
But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them;
you may even find yourselves fighting against God."
They were persuaded by him.
After recalling the Apostles, they had them flogged,
ordered them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus,
and dismissed them.
So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin,
rejoicing that they had been found worthy
to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.
And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes,
they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Christ, Jesus. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14 R. (see 4abc) One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid? R. One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
One thing I ask of the LORD
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple. R. One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD. R. One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Matthew 4:4b R. Alleluia, alleluia.
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel John 6:1-15 Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee.
A large crowd followed him,
because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.
Jesus went up on the mountain,
and there he sat down with his disciples.
The Jewish feast of Passover was near.
When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him,
he said to Philip, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?"
He said this to test him,
because he himself knew what he was going to do.
Philip answered him,
"Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enough
for each of them to have a little."
One of his disciples,
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,
"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;
but what good are these for so many?"
Jesus said, "Have the people recline."
Now there was a great deal of grass in that place.
So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,
and distributed them to those who were reclining,
and also as much of the fish as they wanted.
When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,
"Gather the fragments left over,
so that nothing will be wasted."
So they collected them,
and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments
from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat.
When the people saw the sign he had done, they said,
"This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world."
Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off
to make him king,
he withdrew again to the mountain alone. | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Acts 5:34-42 You may even find yourselves fighting against God. (Acts 5:39) These are very wise words from the rabbi Gamaliel! He cautioned the Sanhedrin that they might want to rethink their strategy of arresting and harassing the apostles for preaching the resurrection of Christ. Essentially, he told the group, Can you say for certain that these men are enemies of Israel? We don't always know precisely how God is working, so how can we claim that these disciples of Jesus are definitely wrong? After all, we don't want to end up opposing God himself! Perhaps Gamaliel was thinking of some of Israel's spiritual ancestors who thought they had God figured out. Abraham's wife, Sarah, laughed at the idea that she could finally become pregnant in her old age (Genesis 18:13-14). Moses kept trying to tell God to find someone else to set his people free from slavery (Exodus 3:10–4:17). And Jonah sat and pouted when he saw how merciful God was being toward the repentant people of Nineveh (Jonah 4:1-11). So how can we know if we are on the right track when it comes to understanding God's will? We can follow Gamaliel's example. We can acknowledge the limitations of our fallen, human ideas and approach puzzling situations with humility and caution. We can pray, "Lord, help me to know your heart and your will in this situation. And if you choose not to answer me right now, help me to make the best choice I can and to leave the rest in your hands. Jesus, I surrender myself to you!" Then keep your heart open for an answer. Try your best to be patient as you look for signs from the Lord, both in your heart and in the people around you. Whatever happens, be assured of this: the Lord is glad that you asked! He is glad that you are taking steps to understand him better. And he's even more glad that you're not trying to tell him what to do! He knows it means that you are growing in the way of wisdom—the same wisdom that Gamaliel had. "Lord, show me how to listen patiently for your direction. Jesus, keep me from ever fighting against you!" Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14
John 6:1-15 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: In the Gospel we hear today:
"Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee.
A large crowd followed him,
because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.
Jesus went up on the mountain,
and there he sat down with his disciples.
The Jewish feast of Passover was near.
When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him,
he said to Philip, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?"
He said this to test him,
because he himself knew what he was going to do......." - Word of the Lord! | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, today's Gospel tells of the feeding of the five thousand, which is a type of the Mass. Jesus is interested not only in instructing the crowds but also in feeding them. Copying this rhythm, the Mass moves from the Liturgy of the Word to the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
The disciples supply a poor pittance—five barley loaves and two fish. Jesus makes the customary Eucharistic moves in regard to the bread: taking, giving thanks, and distributing. And everyone is fed.
During the sacred liturgy, the priest, on behalf of the people, offers to God a small pittance: some wafers of bread and some wine and water. But because God has no need of these gifts, they come back infinitely multiplied for the benefit of the people.
Through the power of Christ's word, those gifts become his very Body and Blood, the only food capable of feeding the deepest hunger of the human heart. This liturgical rhythm is beautifully conveyed by the laconic lines: "Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted.".... " End quote.
From brother Adrian:
"He said this to test him,
because he himself knew what he was going to do..."
What was our Lord and our God about to do?
He was about to amaze everybody.
He was about to reveal Himself.
He was about to do something nobody would ever forget, in an eternal perpetuation of His Holy, His Divine will from Heaven.
He was about to do what we are called to do.
Sharing? Yes. Caring? Yes. But there is a hidden message of all the hidden gems in the Gospel, that we glance over too quickly: "Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted." Thousands and thousands of people were fed, even if it were one hundred it would've been a miracle, but thousands and thousands were fed.
Let's rewind again. How did this happen? Someone shared? Well ok, but what made the miracle happen? Jesus? Yes, but what did He do? He gave thanks. Thanks to God. This is why every single day, and all over the world, we do THAT! It's called a holy Mass, and the bread of the presence from the Jews is called "Thanksgiving" in the Holy Mass.
Who is giving thanks in the Mass? The priest? Yes. But the priest is representing Christ to the world. This is why in the last centuries, our Lord suffers tremendously, not because of the people, but mostly because of the priests. This is why, we are all to support priests and not side with dark side that seeks to ruin the holy priest.
But, there is more. Thanksgiving, is the purpose of Mass. Not for us to be glorified, but God. Not for us to be fed, but for us to feed God in this intimate unification of souls.
Why do I say this? Because, I've had a revelation once, I was swept up in a mystic vision by our Mother Mary into the biggest expanse of Heaven, that cannot be measured by the consciousness, as I can only compare it as worlds if you want to use a measurement figure. And, there, hidden under her immense veil, I was able to see in a Kingdom and myriads and myriads, millions upon millions coming to offer to God Himself what I can only explain as ...love offerings that were like lights fueling an immense light before our God. That's all I could tell before I was zapped back into my recording studio where I had been recording and writing songs to God for years.
I don't think the world understands this. St. Therese of Lisieux had it right, the little flower, she explained everything in terms of love and doing little things with great love. We can't all do big things, but we can all do little things with great love.
What good would it be to do great things with little love?
How about doing little offerings...like say, oh, I don't know...give of your life...to God Himself! A sacrifice of thanksgiving, like our Lord Himself on a cross. WOW! HUGE! THIS IS IMMENSE!
Lord, help us love Thee more and more! |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Matthew 6:14–15 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
