† Saint Quote:“See, my children, we must reflect that we have a soul to save, and an eternity that awaits us. The world, its riches, pleasures, and honors will pass away; heaven and hell will never pass away. Let us take care, then. The saints did not all begin well; but they all ended well. We have begun badly; let us end well, and we shall go one day and meet them in heaven.” -St. John Vianney Today’s Meditation"The greatest suffering of the souls in purgatory, it seems to me, is the awareness that something in them displeases God, that they have deliberately gone against His great goodness. I can also see that the divine essence is so pure and light-filled—much more than we can imagine—that the soul that has but the slightest imperfection would rather throw itself into a thousand hells than appear thus before the divine presence." —St. Catherine of Genoa, p.41
An excerpt from Hungry Souls Daily VerseLet the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. -Colossians 3:16-17
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EWTN Daily Saint
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St Rita Of CasciaSt. Rita of Cascia (1381-1457) was born in Italy during an era of violent strife between cities and warring family tribes. As a child she repeatedly requested to enter the convent, but instead her parents arranged her marriage to a rich, ill-tempered, and violent man. He became physically abusive, yet she met his cruelty with kindness and patience. During her eighteen years of marriage she bore two sons whom she loved deeply. After many years of persistent prayer she eventually won her husband over to greater civility and kindness. When he was murdered, her sons plotted a bloody vendetta against the culprits. St. Rita labored to guide her children into forgiveness, without success. She earnestly prayed that God would change her son's murderous intentions, or allow them to die rather than commit a mortal sin. God heard St. Rita's prayers, and soon both of her sons became ill and died. St. Rita was then free to join the convent, however, she was rejected due to her family's connection with the local violence. She finally obtained entry only after much prayer, humility, patience, and perseverance. St. Rita's life in the convent was marked by heroic charity and penance as she closely united herself and her life of deep suffering to Christ. While praying before a crucifix, St. Rita mystically received a thorn in her forehead (stigmata) from Jesus' Crown of Thorns. St. Rita is the patron saint of impossible causes, difficult marriages, and abuse victims. Her feast day is May 22nd.
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Friday of the Seventh Week of EasterLectionary: 301 Reading 1Acts 25:13b-21 King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea
on a visit to Festus.
Since they spent several days there,
Festus referred Paul's case to the king, saying,
"There is a man here left in custody by Felix.
When I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and the elders of the Jews
brought charges against him and demanded his condemnation.
I answered them that it was not Roman practice
to hand over an accused person before he has faced his accusers
and had the opportunity to defend himself against their charge.
So when they came together here, I made no delay;
the next day I took my seat on the tribunal
and ordered the man to be brought in.
His accusers stood around him,
but did not charge him with any of the crimes I suspected.
Instead they had some issues with him about their own religion
and about a certain Jesus who had died
but who Paul claimed was alive.
Since I was at a loss how to investigate this controversy,
I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem
and there stand trial on these charges.
And when Paul appealed that he be held in custody
for the Emperor's decision,
I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar." Responsorial PsalmPsalm 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20ab R. (19a) The Lord has established his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord has established his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
R. The Lord has established his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the LORD, all you his angels,
you mighty in strength, who do his bidding.
R. The Lord has established his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia. AlleluiaJohn 14:26 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Holy Spirit will teach you everything
and remind you of all I told you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelJohn 21:15-19 After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them,
he said to Simon Peter,
"Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?"
Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs."
He then said to Simon Peter a second time,
"Simon, son of John, do you love me?"
Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
He said to him, "Tend my sheep."
He said to him the third time,
"Simon, son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time,
"Do you love me?" and he said to him,
"Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you."
Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.
Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,
you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted;
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,
and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not want to go."
He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when he had said this, he said to him, "Follow me."
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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: John 21:15-19Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? (John 21:15) That’s quite a probing question that Jesus asks of Peter. He’s addressing something deep inside his chief apostle, but what exactly, we’re not sure. Is he asking, Do you love me more than you love the other disciples? Or is he talking about Peter’s old life: more than these boats and the life of a fisherman? Or is he reminding Peter about his boasting that he would be more faithful than the others: Do you love me more than these men do? Whatever the case, this is a convicting yet compassionate moment when Jesus shows Peter the many “loves” within his heart—when what matters most is loving Jesus over and above everything else. What other “loves” might Jesus help you uncover? Most often, they are not evil. We tend to love mostly good things: our families, the beauty of this created world, the work we do, the ways we have contributed to our communities. But as good as these loves may be, they will not satisfy us. We will always be looking for more. The truth is, we are created to be in a relationship with Jesus. Only he can fill our deepest longing, and loving him puts everything else in its rightful order. None of us loves Jesus perfectly; it’s a lifelong process. But every day, we can love him a little bit more. As we spend time with him in prayer, we get another taste of his goodness, and our hearts soften. Everything else pales in comparison. We see the many ways he has loved us, even to the point of giving up his life for us. Our desire to love him grows. Sin and selfishness become less attractive, and we find ourselves loving—even if just a bit more—the things that he loves. Over time, we even begin to love him more than the blessings in our lives. Do you love Jesus more than “these”? He is worthy of your full yes! So let him do for you what he did for Peter. Let him gently reveal your attachments and invite you to surrender them to him. Right now, imagine Jesus standing before you with his loving searching gaze fixed on your heart. How can you reprioritize your other “loves”? What comes to mind? Look into his eyes and surrender it to him. “Jesus, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Acts 25:13-21
Psalm 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20
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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: "......Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time,
"Do you love me?" and he said to him,
"Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you."
Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.
Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,
you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted;
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,
and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not want to go."
He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when he had said this, he said to him, "Follow me." ..... ”
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From Roberto Juarez: "This Gospel is not just for Peter. We too hear that question today: "Do you love me?" It is a question that touches the heart. Because Christianity is not only about fulfilling religious practices. It is a living relationship with Christ.
And that love is concretized in fidelity, in service, in forgiveness, in daily self-giving. It is not enough to say, "Lord, I love you." Life has to reflect that.
The Gospel ends with a decisive word: "Follow me." After forgiveness, after the mission, Jesus calls Peter again. The monitoring continues. And we too are called to follow Christ every day.
Today the Lord invites us to enter into this personal conversation with Him. Not from perfection,
but from the sincerity of the heart. Let us ask that we may know how to recognize our frailties without despair, that we may allow Christ to heal our wounds, and that we may learn to love him truly. And when the Lord asks us, "Do you love me?" we can humbly answer, like Simon Peter, "Lord, you know everything; You know I love you." And then He will continue to entrust us with a mission, because true love always becomes service and following."
end quote.
Our Lord and our God is asking our first Pope if he loves Him.
Peter was forgiven, for the 3 times he denied Christ.
3 times our Lord asked Saint Peter "Do you LOVE ME?".
Love calls on sacrifice.
I don't believe we are realizing what following Christ really means until we really love Christ, the Christ Himself, the Messiah, our Savior. Like true sheep, that truly trust and bond with the Shepherd, we are called to follow, even blindly in the darkest moments of our lives.
And so...eventually, our first Pope, like the first 300 years of popes, would lay down their lives for Christ, sheep to the slaughter. I don't think we can begin to truly appreciate the blood shed for our faith. Yet, it has begun again, in the last 100 years, a record number of martyrs for the faith has begun.
It is not only our Lord that is asking us if we love Him, but the world, and the evil one with the slaughtering tool, menacing, threatening..."Do YOU love God the Father?" and "Do You Love Jesus?".
The Holy Spirit will step in that moment of trial for you to answer for Him...if He is at work in your soul.
This love is in all of the little things of life. This little light, that becomes bigger and bigger, the closer we unite ourselves, our will, with His.
Come HOLY SPIRIT. That we might ignite the World on the fire of God's love!
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Philippians 4:19 "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."
Word of the Lord!
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