Quote of the Day "Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them, every day begin the task anew." St. Francis de Sales Today's Meditation "Many Christians regard Confession in the light of an unimportant act of piety, if not mere ceremony . . . many go even frequently to Confession, but so few amend, and consequently derive little or no benefit from the Sacrament. … Be, then, most thoroughly convinced of the immense importance of this Sacrament, and be filled with an earnest desire of approaching it worthily, bestowing the utmost care and attention upon your preparation for this great duty, if you desire to obtain eternal salvation. Confession is one of the seven Sacraments instituted by Christ; it is called the Sacrament of Penance, and by its means alone can he who has committed mortal sin after Baptism hope to save his soul; therefore it is called by the holy Council of Trent: the second plank after shipwreck. In this Sacrament Jesus Christ has deposited His Precious Blood, that it may be to our souls as a salutary bath wherein they may be cleansed from all the stains of sin, their wounds closed, their maladies cured, their weakness strengthened, and grace unto salvation imported to them. This Divine Blood is dispensed to us by the priest in the holy absolution, and is abundantly poured forth upon all souls approaching the tribunal of confession with proper dispositions."
—Fr. Ignatius of the Side of Jesus, p. 284-285
Cover image from the book, The School of Jesus Crucified
An Excerpt From The School of Jesus Crucified Daily Verse "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then from my flesh I shall see God." Job 19:25-26 | St. Dymphna (7th c.) was the daughter of a pagan Irish chieftain and a beautiful Christian noblewoman. Dymphna was raised as a Christian, and she consecrated her virginity to Christ at a young age. Dymphna's father loved his wife deeply. When her mother died, Dymphna's father was so overcome with grief that he became mentally unstable. Unable to find another suitable wife of equal character and beauty to his first wife, he attempted to marry Dymphna due to her close resemblance to her mother. Upon learning of his wicked plan, Dymphna fled across the sea into Belgium along with her tutor and confessor, Father Gerebran. Her father pursued them and eventually discovered their location by tracing the foreign money they used along the way. He killed Dymphna's confessor and pleaded with his daughter to return with him to Ireland to be his wife. When she refused, he cut off her head in a mad rage. St. Dymphna's church still stands on the place of her burial near Antwerp. There have been numerous accounts of those afflicted with epilepsy and mental illness visiting her tomb and receiving miraculous cures through her intercession. Because of this, St. Dympha is the patroness of those suffering from mental and neurological disorders and illnesses, as well as of mental health professionals. Her feast day is May 15th. | Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 13:13-25 From Paphos, Paul and his companions
set sail and arrived at Perga in Pamphylia.
But John left them and returned to Jerusalem.
They continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia.
On the sabbath they entered into the synagogue and took their seats.
After the reading of the law and the prophets,
the synagogue officials sent word to them,
"My brothers, if one of you has a word of exhortation
for the people, please speak." So Paul got up, motioned with his hand, and said,
"Fellow children of Israel and you others who are God-fearing, listen.
The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors
and exalted the people during their sojourn in the land of Egypt.
With uplifted arm he led them out,
and for about forty years he put up with them in the desert.
When he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan,
he gave them their land as an inheritance
at the end of about four hundred and fifty years.
After these things he provided judges up to Samuel the prophet.
Then they asked for a king.
God gave them Saul, son of Kish,
a man from the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
Then he removed him and raised up David as their king;
of him he testified,
I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;
he will carry out my every wish.
From this man's descendants God, according to his promise,
has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.
John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance
to all the people of Israel;
and as John was completing his course, he would say,
'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he.
Behold, one is coming after me;
I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.'" Responsorial Psalm Psalm 89:2-3, 21-22, 25 and 27 R.(2) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The favors of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever";
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness. R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
"I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
That my hand may be always with him,
and that my arm may make him strong."
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
"My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him,
and through my name shall his horn be exalted.
He shall say of me, 'You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.'" R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia See Revelation 1:5ab
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus Christ, you are the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead,
you have loved us and freed us from our sins by your Blood.
R. Alleluia, alleluia Gospel John 13:16-20 When Jesus had washed the disciples' feet, he said to them:
"Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master
nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him.
If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.
I am not speaking of all of you.
I know those whom I have chosen.
But so that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me.
From now on I am telling you before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe that I AM.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send
receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Acts1:15-17, 20-26 . . . become with us a witness to his resurrection. (Acts 1:22) Who was St. Matthias? Chosen by lot, this disciple took the place of Judas, who had betrayed Jesus. In fact, today's account of his selection is the only reference to Matthias in all of Scripture, so we don't know much about him. But we do know that Matthias, whose feast we celebrate today, had been a disciple since Jesus' baptism, and that made him uniquely qualified to bear "witness to his resurrection" (Acts 1:22). After praying, the apostles chose Matthias to become one of the Twelve, fulfilling the Scripture: "May another take his office" (Psalm 109:8; Acts 1:20). This completion was important because, just as the twelve tribes were the foundation of Israel, there should be twelve apostles who could play a founding role in the Church. Like Peter and the others, Matthias' witness would help bridge the gap between the time when people knew the historical Jesus and the age of the Church. He would join the others who had followed Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem, witnessed his crucifixion, and "ate and drank with him after he rose" (Acts 10:41). Once the Holy Spirit came, they were filled with power and proclaimed the risen Christ. Their bold witness, along with the grace of the Spirit, moved thousands to believe in Jesus, to accept Baptism, and to become the next generation of witnesses. In Baptism, you, too, were filled with the Spirit and called to bear witness to Jesus. You're not an apostle like Matthias, but the word "apostle" means "one who is sent," and you have been sent by God. You can testify to the new, resurrected life you have experienced! How has Jesus changed your life? Has he freed you from guilt? Has he helped you to love someone? Do you have a new confidence in prayer? All of these demonstrate the power of the resurrection! So look for a chance to share these stories. They are your witness to the risen Lord! "Holy Spirit, help me to proclaim the good news of Jesus' resurrection!" Psalm 113:1-8
John 15:9-17 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: In the Gospel we hear today:
"The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me.
From now on I am telling you before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe that I AM.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send
receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me........." - Word of the Lord! | Whoever receives the one I send receives Jesus?
Watch out!
Our Lord is sending people to you...to see if you will receive Him!
Watch how you treat them! For how you treat them...you treat the Lord Himself!
Lest, we betray Him after we partake of Him!
One of my biggest daily regrets, well there is two of them, number one is eating what I shouldn't and the other is saying what I should not.
I should not say unkindly words, yet, I feel some word choices are not as prudent or graceful as they should be, I can be blunt or crass, or harsh.
The other is watching what comes in, like floodgates to addictions! Which is worse?
Our Lord talks about eating and how we receive others.
These things are critical to watch for if we want to truly be His light in the world, if we truly want to make a difference in the world.
Let us take note then, of this important fact for our lives.
Yes, we got things to do, but what is most important?
Sometimes, what is most important, is right in front of you, wherever you go...that person...that family member, that stranger, is our Lord awaiting for you to carress Him, treat Him like royalty, how do we lavish Him on earth?
He lavished us with His blood. What can we do in return? Use our blood to live for Him, with Him, and in Him, with His blood in the Eucharist? Mingled with humanity, God loves what transpires in our daily lives, to the tune of millions upon billions of lights and lives....let us approach Him with our offering...daily.... |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
1 Peter 5:10 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
