Quote of the Day "Have caution in not allowing yourself to be struck down by adversity nor becoming vain by prosperity." — St. Clare of Assisi Today's Meditation "Finally—and this is perhaps the most difficult aspect of what concerns the practice of conformity to the will of God—we should desire virtue itself and the degrees of grace only insofar as God wishes to give them, and not desire more. Our whole ambition should be to attain the degree of perfection that has been appointed for us, since it has not been given to everybody to reach the same height. It is obvious that however well we may correspond with the graces given us, we can never equal the humility, charity and other virtues of the Blessed Virgin. And who can even presume to imagine that he can reach the same heights as the Apostles? Who can equal St. John the Baptist whom Christ called the greatest of the children of men? Or St. Joseph to whom God entrusted His Son? In this we must as in all else submit to the will of God. He must be able to say of us, My will is in them; it rules and governs everything. So when we hear or read that God in a short time has brought some souls to a very high degree of perfection and shown them signal favors, enlightened their understanding and imbued their hearts with His love, we should repress any desire to be treated likewise so as not to fall short in pure love of conformity to His Will. We should even unite ourselves still more closely to His Will by saying, 'I praise Thee, O Lord, and bless Thee for deigning to show Thyself with so great love and familiarity to the souls Thou has chosen ...'" —Jean Baptiste Saint-Jure, p. 75-76
An excerpt from Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence Daily Verse "The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their refuge in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked, and saves them, because they take refuge in him." — Psalm 37:39-40 | St. Victor Maurus St. Victor Maurus (d. 303 A.D.), also known as Victor the Moor and Victor of Milan, was born in Mauretania (North Africa) in a Christian household. He later relocated to Milan, Italy, as a soldier of the Praetorian Guard that served Roman Emperor Maximian during his persecution of Christians. Although Victor was a Christian since childhood, this fact was not widely known until he destroyed an altar to a pagan god. The Emperor, infuriated, had Victor imprisoned and starved for six days. The Emperor then gave him every chance to recant his faith, including offering him riches, but Victor refused each attempt. He was then tortured mercilessly, unless he would offer sacrifice to the gods, by being stretched on the rack and having molten lead poured over his body. Victor remained steadfast and boldly proclaimed his faith in Christ, declaring that the Roman gods were demons. Finally the saint was beheaded on May 8 in the year 303 A.D. The Emperor refused him burial so that wild beasts would consume his body. However, after six days the body was discovered untouched with two beasts guarding it at the head and foot. The local bishop then received permission to bury the body. A church was later erected over Victor's grave and many miracles occurred there. St. Victor's feast day is May 8th. | Thursday of the Third Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 8:26-40 The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip,
"Get up and head south on the road
that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route."
So he got up and set out.
Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch,
a court official of the Candace,
that is, the queen of the Ethiopians,
in charge of her entire treasury,
who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning home.
Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
The Spirit said to Philip,
"Go and join up with that chariot."
Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said,
"Do you understand what you are reading?"
He replied,
"How can I, unless someone instructs me?"
So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him.
This was the Scripture passage he was reading: Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who will tell of his posterity?
For his life is taken from the earth. Then the eunuch said to Philip in reply,
"I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this?
About himself, or about someone else?"
Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this Scripture passage,
he proclaimed Jesus to him.
As they traveled along the road
they came to some water,
and the eunuch said, "Look, there is water.
What is to prevent my being baptized?"
Then he ordered the chariot to stop,
and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water,
and he baptized him.
When they came out of the water,
the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away,
and the eunuch saw him no more,
but continued on his way rejoicing.
Philip came to Azotus, and went about proclaiming the good news
to all the towns until he reached Caesarea. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 66:8-9, 16-17, 20 R.(1) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless our God, you peoples,
loudly sound his praise;
He has given life to our souls,
and has not let our feet slip. R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in words,
praise was on the tip of my tongue. R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness! R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia John 6:51 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord;
whoever eats this bread will live forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel John 6:44-51 Jesus said to the crowds:
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father
except the one who is from God;
he has seen the Father.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my Flesh for the life of the world."
| Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Acts 8:1-8 When they heard it and saw the signs he was doing. . . . there was great joy in that city. (Acts 8:6, 8) The church in Jerusalem was experiencing severe persecution. Stephen had been stoned to death, and "all were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria" (Acts 8:1). In the middle of this difficult situation, Phillip, a deacon like Stephen, went to Samaria and began to proclaim the Messiah. And because of all the signs he was doing, "there was great joy in that city" (8:8). When we feel we are in the midst of turmoil, it can be easy to lose our joy. We don't even need persecution; our daily lives can be hard, too! The loss of a job, the illness of a loved one, that unsolved problem with an old friend, or simply all the demands of a busy day—there are many reasons why we might feel discouraged. But we are still celebrating the Easter season! We are still celebrating Jesus' victory over sin and death that Philip proclaimed in Samaria. And although we probably don't always see paralyzed people being cured and evil spirits being cast out (see Acts 8:7), we have seen and believed in the signs of Jesus' resurrection. And what are those signs? Maybe your daughter who stopped attending Mass returns to the Church. Or you have tried to overcome a sin, and then one day you receive the grace to finally do it. Maybe you see a sign of Jesus' resurrection in the love you have for your neighbor and the love you receive from the people around you. When you see these signs and believe in the risen Lord, your heart will be filled with joy, and you will know eternal life. It's just as Jesus says in today's Gospel: "This is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day" (John 6:40). This joy will enable you to go—as Phillip did—and tell others what you have heard and seen. It will enable you to share your hope with them and remind them that Jesus Christ has saved them, too. Your heart will rejoice, and you will be able to sing with the psalmist, "How tremendous are your deeds, Lord! Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you! (Psalm 66:3, 4)" Psalm 66:1-7
John 6:35-40 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: In the Gospel we hear today:
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my Flesh for the life of the world........." - Word of the Lord! | From Roberto Juarez:
"The phrase "whoever eats of this bread will live forever" fills us with hope. Eternal life begins when we accept Jesus as our daily sustenance, when we open ourselves to his Word and partake of the Sacrament of his Body and Blood with living faith.
This passage invites us to look at the Eucharist not as a routine, but as a profound encounter with the living Christ, who wants to accompany us, heal us and give us strength. • Do I recognize that God constantly draws me to Jesus? • How do I value and live the Eucharist? Do I celebrate it as a true encounter with Christ, the Bread of Life? • Do I allow myself to be transformed by the food I receive at the Lord's table? "Lord Jesus,
Living bread come down from heaven,
that you give yourself for love of the world,
make me come to you every day with more faith,
and that in receiving you into the Eucharist,
may my heart be filled with your life and your light.
Make me worthy of this great gift
and help me to live united with you
until eternal life is attained.
Amen"...... End quote.
From Bishop Barron: "Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus declares, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven." The bread is referred to as living. Bread is good, but it's not alive. Instead, when we take it in, and it is turned by our bodies into fat or muscle or bone, then it comes alive. But it is just the opposite with the living bread of Christ. This we take in and we become alive in a way that we were not before. And this is why Jesus says that he is bread come down from heaven. What is heaven? St. Paul says, "Eye has not seen, and ear has not heard . . . what God has prepared for those who love him." Paul's pithy remark gives us a clue: "those who love him." Whatever heaven is, it is the realm of God, and therefore it is a realm of love. What is the Eucharist, this heavenly food, but a participation in the love between the Father and the Son? In the Eucharist, the sacrifice of Christ is made present, and the sacrifice of Christ is the fullest expression of the love of the Father and the Son.
...." end quote. From brother Adrian:
What do we consume in the Eucharist? Jesus.
Are you consuming a person? Like cannibals, as we have been accused of for centuries?
The opposite of the accusation is happening. He consumes us, if we allow him.
It is a kindling, this body of ours. We become ignited with Him, if our hearts are ready to burn for Him.
I asked my students, all two of them that showed up last night, to consider proclaiming the gospel to their families. They say it was hard. I said, be ready for a lifelong challenge then. Conversions do not happen overnight, not normally.
For some people, it takes decades to break their hard shell for whatever reason it is built, and then, the soft kindling can be set on fire.
I want your heart to be like the Sacred Heart of Jesus, on fire.
Do we consume Jesus? Do you really believe in the Eucharist? Do you really believe He has come to set the world on fire? In Baptism, we are given the Holy spirit.
In Confirmation, we give our bodies to the Holy Spirit, and we are supposed to give our heart.
In Communion we are supposed to let Him in, to let Him live in an eternal bond with the Holy Spirit and Our Father.
In all the Sacraments then, we are to allow the Holy Spirit to come inside.
I am a firm believer in the fire of God's love. This is the reason and message of the cross, God's heart poured out, not only blood and water, but a light that illumines the mind, the eye of the soul, a prime example, the centurion that pierced the side of Jesus...and He saw for Himself the light...the truth, the God He always wanted to see.
The same for you and me. We too can be touched by His blood in the Eucharist. His blood is a purifying fire. His water is light. This is what we consume. This is what we ought to ask for in our lives...for the love of God. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 25:28 [Proverbs 25] 28 A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
