Quote of the Day "Let us never forget that if we wish to die like the saints we must live like them." — St. Eugene de Mazenod Today's Meditation "The works of her [Mary], who was to be the Mother of the God-man, were altogether and in every way most perfect, and even to understand them exceeds the capacity of all human creatures and of the angels. Her interior acts of the virtues were so precious and of such great merit and favor, that they surpass all that the seraphim can do . . . But it is my Will, that during thy pilgrimage in thy mortal body thou place most holy Mary as the beginning of thy joy, and that thou follow her through the desert of renunciation and abnegation of all that is human and visible. Follow her by a perfect imitation according to the measure of thy strength and of the light which thou receivest. Let her be thy guiding star and thy Directress: she will manifest to thee my Will and will let thee find my holy law which is written in her by the power of my right hand: meditate upon it day and night." —Jesus to Ven. Mary of Agreda, p. 87
An excerpt from The Mystical City of God Daily Verse "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved." — Ephesians 1:3-6 | St. Eugene De Mazenod St. Eugene de Mazenod (1782-1861) was born in southern France to a noble family. When he was eight years of age his family was forced to flee the turmoil of the French Revolution and seek political asylum in Italy. Leaving their possessions behind, the family struggled financially as they relocated from city to city. A sympathetic priest took it upon himself to educate Eugene and stir in him a love for God. The family returned to France when Eugene was twenty. They were distressed to find a dramatically altered society, and their social status no greater than ordinary citizens. The family was also plagued with in-fighting which culminated in divorce, a rarity at the time. While Eugene's father remained in Italy, Eugene's mother fought to regain the family's former possessions. She also attempted to force Eugene to marry a wealthy heiress. St. Eugene, deeply affected by how the Revolution had decimated the Church in France, decided to enter the seminary instead. After his ordination he sought out other zealous priests and together they went as missionaries into the countryside villages, calling themselves the "Missionaries of Provence," which was later approved by the pope as the "Oblates of Mary Immaculate." St. Eugene went on to become the Bishop of Marseilles. He did much work in restoring his diocese by building and repairing churches, doubling the number of priests, and bringing in religious communities. He also worked to weaken the government's monopoly on education, and supported the rights of the Holy See. Eugene de Mazenod is the patron saint of dysfunctional families. His feast day is May 21st. | Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 15:7-21 After much debate had taken place,
Peter got up and said to the Apostles and the presbyters,
"My brothers, you are well aware that from early days
God made his choice among you that through my mouth
the Gentiles would hear the word of the Gospel and believe.
And God, who knows the heart,
bore witness by granting them the Holy Spirit
just as he did us.
He made no distinction between us and them,
for by faith he purified their hearts.
Why, then, are you now putting God to the test
by placing on the shoulders of the disciples
a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?
On the contrary, we believe that we are saved
through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they."
The whole assembly fell silent,
and they listened
while Paul and Barnabas described the signs and wonders
God had worked among the Gentiles through them. After they had fallen silent, James responded,
"My brothers, listen to me.
Symeon has described how God first concerned himself
with acquiring from among the Gentiles a people for his name.
The words of the prophets agree with this, as is written: After this I shall return
and rebuild the fallen hut of David;
from its ruins I shall rebuild it
and raise it up again,
so that the rest of humanity may seek out the Lord,
even all the Gentiles on whom my name is invoked.
Thus says the Lord who accomplishes these things,
known from of old. It is my judgment, therefore,
that we ought to stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God,
but tell them by letter to avoid pollution from idols,
unlawful marriage, the meat of strangled animals, and blood.
For Moses, for generations now,
has had those who proclaim him in every town,
as he has been read in the synagogues every sabbath." Responsorial Psalm Psalm 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 10 R.(3) Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name. R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds. R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity. R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia John 10:27 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel John 15:9-11 Jesus said to his disciples:
"As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father's commandments
and remain in his love. "I have told you this so that
my joy might be in you and
your joy might be complete." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: John 15:9-11 I have told you this so that my joy might be in you. (John 15:11) "Joy" is a very familiar word, but it's not always easy to describe. Where exactly does it come from? And how can we experience it? Today's Gospel reading can help us answer these questions. Let's take a look. First, Jesus tells his disciples, "As the Father loves me, so I also love you" (John 15:9). He assures them that his love for them is as stable and trustworthy as the love his Father has for him. Nothing they could ever say or do will convince him to stop loving them. Then he says, "If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love" (John 15:10). Did you catch that? Jesus just revealed his secret to staying immersed in his Father's love: by keeping his commands. And here's where the joy comes in. Jesus says, "I have told you this so that my joy might be in you" (15:11). That's the answer! Joy comes to those who commit themselves to living out Jesus' commands. The idea of keeping commandments may not sound very joy inspiring. Forgiving our enemies. Helping the poor. Taking up our crosses. But this is one of the great paradoxes of the Christian life! When we do these "difficult" things, we do experience joy. Not as a giddy happiness, but as a deep-down sense of satisfaction and fulfillment in our hearts. We will know the same joy that Jesus knew as he focused on fulfilling his Father's will. It's the joy that comes from fulfilling our own destiny—the joy that comes from becoming the people God created us to be. This kind of joy isn't something we can make ourselves feel; it's a gift from God. It's a "fruit of the Spirit" that arises in us as we strive to live in obedience and remain in his love and trust in the Lord (Galatians 5:22). So what is joy? The answer is not so much "what" as it is "who." It's Jesus, living in us, filling us with his joy as we set our hearts on following him. "Jesus, you are the source of my joy. Help me to follow you more each day." Acts 15:7-21
Psalm 96:1-3, 10 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: Jesus said to his disciples:
"As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father's commandments
and remain in his love. "I have told you this so that
my joy might be in you and
your joy might be complete." | Always that word "remain". Like the vine and the branches "remain", He asks us to "remain".
Remain my child, "remain with Me", He says.
As if to say "Remain Faithful".
Which is an invitation to "remain" in His love, His care, His embrace, His Life, and His Way.
How? Keeping the commandments. Which one? All of them. This is how we can remain.
But, simply obeying, cannot produce a greater love and sacrifice, right? Well, it can. I would blame obedience in my life, having produced a love of God in my life.
What's more, my studies have led me to believe, that obedience is the key word in Heaven.
Notice the Bible, from the beginning to end, things hinge on obedience. From the beginning, the rise and the fall, of mankind. At the end, the fall of mankind, all things of eschatology, the part of theology concerned with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind, hinge on obedience.
And yet, we have people purposely, and inadvertently teaching disobedience. In one of my ministries, I'm having a hard time convincing the group that we should be obeying the bishop, but it seems they are taking his desires as mere "suggestions". NO!
I want no part of it. I know what disobedience can do .... to souls.
And so, for the Love of God, we must obey, it will carry us much further than not.
And if we do things for the Love of God, and grow in that true love, we will then grow in love with those we encounter, so that they will see God alive. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
2 Timothy 3:16–17 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God1 may be complete, equipped for every good work. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
