† Quote of the Day“Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing.” -St. Therese of Lisieux Today’s Meditation"I've appointed the Devil to tempt and to trouble My creatures in this life [St. Catherine of Siena reports that Our Lord said to her]. I've done this, not so that My creatures will be overcome, but so that they may overcome, proving their virtue and receiving from Me the glory of victory. And no one should fear any battle or temptation of the Devil that may come to him, because I've made My creatures strong, and I've given them strength of will, fortified in the Blood of My Son. Neither the Devil nor any other creature can control this free will, because it's yours, given to you by Me. By your own choice, then, you hold it or let it go if you please. It's a weapon, and if you place it in the hands of the Devil, it right away becomes a knife that he'll use to stab and kill you. On the other hand, if you don't place this knife that is your will into the hands of the Devil—that is, if you don't consent to his temptations and harassments—you will never be injured by the guilt of sin in any temptation. Instead, you'll actually be strengthened by the temptation, as long as you open the eyes of your mind to see My love, and to understand why I allowed you to be tempted: so you could develop virtue by having it proved. My love permits these temptations, for the Devil is weak. He can do nothing by himself unless I allow him. So I let him tempt you because I love you, not because I hate you. I want you to conquer, not to be conquered, and to come to a perfect knowledge of yourself and of Me." —St. Catherine of Siena, p. 159-160 Daily Verse"Hearken to me, you who pursue deliverance, you who seek the Lord; look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were digged. -Isaiah 51:1"
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EWTN Daily Saint
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Blessed Katarzyna FaronBl. Katarzyna Celestyna (Catherine Celestine) Faron (1913-1944) was born in Zabrzez, Poland. At the age of five she was orphaned and raised by pious, childless relatives. Desiring the religious life, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate in 1930. She served in the community as a kindergarten teacher and catechist. After the breakout of World War II she became the leader of her religious house, ran an orphanage, and helped the poor. She was eventually arrested by the Gestapo, charged with conspiracy against the Nazis, and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp on the feast of Epiphany in 1943, where she was assigned to manual labor digging ditches. She praised God in all her suffering and resigned herself to following His will. Due to the poor conditions she developed typhoid fever and tuberculosis. Because she completed the nine First Fridays devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, she trusted that she wouldn’t die without Holy Communion, as Our Lord promised. On December 8, 1943, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, she received Holy Communion as viaticum which was secretly brought to the camp by a prisoner priest. While on her deathbed she prayed intensely for various intentions on a rosary made of bread. According to witnesses she offered her sufferings for the conversion of a priest who had fallen away from the Church, who did eventually return to the true Faith. Bl. Katarzyn finally died from her illness on Easter morning. She is one of the 108 beatified Polish Catholic Martyrs killed during World War II by Nazi Germany. Her feast day is April 9th.
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Thursday in the Octave of EasterLectionary: 264 Reading 1Acts 3:11-26 As the crippled man who had been cured clung to Peter and John,
all the people hurried in amazement toward them
in the portico called “Solomon’s Portico.”
When Peter saw this, he addressed the people,
“You children of Israel, why are you amazed at this,
and why do you look so intently at us
as if we had made him walk by our own power or piety?
The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,
the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus
whom you handed over and denied in Pilate’s presence,
when he had decided to release him.
You denied the Holy and Righteous One
and asked that a murderer be released to you.
The author of life you put to death,
but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.
And by faith in his name,
this man, whom you see and know, his name has made strong,
and the faith that comes through it
has given him this perfect health,
in the presence of all of you.
Now I know, brothers and sisters,
that you acted out of ignorance, just as your leaders did;
but God has thus brought to fulfillment
what he had announced beforehand
through the mouth of all the prophets,
that his Christ would suffer.
Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away,
and that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment
and send you the Christ already appointed for you, Jesus,
whom heaven must receive until the times of universal restoration
of which God spoke through the mouth
of his holy prophets from of old.
For Moses said: A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you
from among your own kin;
to him you shall listen in all that he may say to you.
Everyone who does not listen to that prophet
will be cut off from the people. “Moreover, all the prophets who spoke,
from Samuel and those afterwards, also announced these days.
You are the children of the prophets
and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors
when he said to Abraham,
In your offspring all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
For you first, God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you
by turning each of you from your evil ways.” Responsorial PsalmPsalm 8:2ab and 5, 6-7, 8-9 R.(2ab) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
or:
R. Alleluia.
O LORD, our Lord,
how glorious is your name over all the earth!
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
or:
R. Alleluia.
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
or:
R. Alleluia.
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
or:
R. Alleluia. Sequence -- optionalVictimae paschali laudes Christians, to the Paschal Victim Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems; Christ, who only is sinless, Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous: The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring What you saw, wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ, who is living, The glory of Jesus’ resurrection;
bright angels attesting, The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen; to Galilee he goes before you.”
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining. Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning! Amen. Alleluia. AlleluiaPsalm 118:24 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelLuke 24:35-48 The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way,
and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread. While they were still speaking about this,
he stood in their midst and said to them,
"Peace be with you."
But they were startled and terrified
and thought that they were seeing a ghost.
Then he said to them, "Why are you troubled?
And why do questions arise in your hearts?
Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.
Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones
as you can see I have."
And as he said this,
he showed them his hands and his feet.
While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed,
he asked them, "Have you anything here to eat?"
They gave him a piece of baked fish;
he took it and ate it in front of them. He said to them,
"These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that everything written about me in the law of Moses
and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled."
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
And he said to them,
"Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things."
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Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ!
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From Word Among Us WAU.org
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Daily Meditation: Luke 24:35-48He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. (Luke 24:45) Imagine how the disciples felt in the scene from today’s Gospel! Two of them had just returned to Jerusalem with the incredible news that Jesus had appeared to them on the road to Emmaus. No sooner had they finished describing their encounter when Jesus himself stood in their midst. Their Lord, who had been crucified, was alive and well! Luke tells us that the disciples were “startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost” (24:37). Jesus saw their doubt, but he patiently calmed their fears. He showed them his hands and feet, invited them to touch him, and ate fish with them. Even more, “he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” and showed them how he had fulfilled God’s promises (24:45). As he had always done, he led them closer to himself, one step at a time. Wouldn’t it be great if Jesus were explaining the Scriptures to you as he did for those disciples? It would be so much easier to grasp! But the truth is, Jesus can help you understand the Bible. He longs to reveal himself to you in God’s word. He longs to assure you that he can bring Scripture alive for you. And just as he did back then, he will lead you one step at a time. How? He might highlight a verse from the daily readings and help it stick in your mind during the day. He might enlighten you as you use a commentary to learn about the historical context of a passage. Or he might give you an awareness that he is “with you always,” even when you’re lonely or afraid (Matthew 28:20). He might even give you a personal experience of his mercy, as though a light has turned on, enabling you to believe his promise: “Neither do I condemn you” (John 8:11). Each experience builds on the next, so that you become more and more confident that Jesus can teach you through his word. Jesus wants to open your mind to hear his voice and understand the Scriptures. So spend time pondering and studying God’s word. Pause a few times during the day, and ask the Spirit to speak to you about it. You will be amazed, just as his disciples were! “Jesus, help me to hear your voice speaking to me in Scripture today.” Acts 3:11-26
Psalm 8:2, 5-9
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Reflections with Brother Adrian:
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Audio of 2 Cents
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From today's Holy Gospel: ".. He said to them,
"These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that everything written about me in the law of Moses
and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled."
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
And he said to them,
"Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things." ..."
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From Roberto Juarez: "Then Jesus does something decisive: "He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures." Here's another essential point. The Resurrection is not understood only with the senses.
It needs an interior light. It needs God himself to open our minds and hearts. And then everything makes sense: the cross, the suffering, the history of salvation. We also need this grace. Because we can hear the Word many times... but only when God enlightens us do we truly understand it.
And finally comes the mission: "You are witnesses of this." This sentence is direct, clear, straightforward. It does not say: "you are students", "you are listeners", "you are sympathisers". It says: witnesses. A witness is someone who talks about what he has seen and experienced. And here is the core of our Christian vocation. We are not asked to know everything, nor to have answers for everything. We are asked to have encountered Christ, to live from that encounter and to communicate it. To be witnesses in the family, at work, in daily life. With words, yes... but above all with life.
Today the Gospel leaves us with a very clear itinerary. Christ makes himself present in the midst of our doubts. He gives us his peace. He shows us that his wounds are a source of life. It helps us understand. And he sends us as witnesses.
Let us ask the Lord to dispel our fears, to strengthen our faith, to open our understanding, and to grant us the grace to be true witnesses to him. And may we too, in the midst of the world, be able to bring that word that we have heard today: "Peace be with you." end quote.
Today we are launching Jeff Cavin's Adventure Timeline bible study in our parish. This will be my personal 3rd time in 10 years to do it in different ways. I study to know...God. I study to know how He has been writing to us in a span of thousands of years. The bible can be confusing, and boring, so how can we understand God better? Join a group! If your church does not have one, the solution is simple...Start One NOW.
You have nothing to lose but yourself and your self interests!
I can imagine Heaven to me, would be one long study of how God is working with humanity, with creation, the beauty...and the beauty of self sacrifice. Why? Because. If you study well, you will realize the I AM, is completed in His will, as in Jesus, and His Sacred heart, therefore, the being of the very Sacred Heart of God. And this is what we are called into. A life that God has resurrected to. The life Our Father in Jesus is calling us to. Once we understand that we can
*Follow Him like Abraham,
* follow him like in Exodus,
* follow Him like in the wars,
* follow Him like David, King David,
* follow Him into to Calvary,
Then we are in a better knowledge of God's Kingdom...in which we find ourselves now. Lord Help us all.
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Wow!
Random Bible Verse 1
Ephesians 5:1–2 [Ephesians 5]
Walk in Love 5
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
Word of the Lord!
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God Bless You! Peace
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