†Saint Quote:“"The last degree of love is when He gave Himself to us to be our Food; because He gave Himself to be united with us in every way."” -St. Bernardine of Siena Today’s Meditation"Jesus has many lovers of His heavenly kingdom, but few cross-bearers. Many desire His consolation, but few His tribulation. Many will sit down with Him at table, but few will share His fast. All desire to rejoice with Him, but few will suffer for Him. Many will follow Him to the breaking of the bread, but few will drink the bitter cup of His Passion. Many revere His miracles, but few follow the shame of His cross. Many love Jesus when all goes well with them, and praise Him when He does them a favor; but if Jesus conceals Himself and leaves them for a little while, they fall to complaining or become depressed. They who love Jesus purely for Himself and not for their own sake bless Him in all trouble and anguish as well as in time of consolation. Even if He never sent them consolation, they would still praise Him and give thanks. Oh how powerful is the pure love of Jesus, when not mixed with self-interest or self-love!" —Thomas à Kempis, p. 88-89
An excerpt from Imitation of Christ Daily Verse"My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." -Proverbs 2:1-5
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EWTN Daily Saint
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St Fidelis Of SigmaringenSt. Fidelis of Sigmaringen (1577-1622) was born with the name Mark Rey in what is today Germany. He studied and taught law and became known for his charity, austerities, and great devotion to God. He gained a reputation for being "the poor man’s lawyer” because of his concern for the helpless. He eventually left his profession to become a Capuchin Franciscan friar and priest, taking the religious name “Fidelis,” meaning “faithful.” His work as a friar was fraught with danger. He lived during the Counter-Reformation, a time of great religious, cultural, and political upheaval in Western Europe. He zealously defended the teaching of the Catholic Church against the Protestant heretics. He wrote many pamphlets against Calvinism and Zwinglianism, and even traveled to Switzerland to preach against the Calvinists both in the pulpits and the public square. His untiring efforts to bring souls back to the Church was so successful that he became a threat to the heretic preachers. One day his preaching provoked a mob that confronted him and demanded he renounce his Catholic faith upon pain of death. He replied, "I came to extirpate heresy, not to embrace it," after which he was bludgeoned to death. Many miracles led to his canonization in the following century. St. Fidelis' feast day is April 24.
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Friday of the Third Week of EasterLectionary: 277 Reading 1Acts 9:1-20 Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord,
went to the high priest and asked him
for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that,
if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way,
he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.
On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus,
a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,
"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"
He said, "Who are you, sir?"
The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do."
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless,
for they heard the voice but could see no one.
Saul got up from the ground,
but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;
so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.
For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank. There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias,
and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias."
He answered, "Here I am, Lord."
The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight
and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul.
He is there praying,
and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias
come in and lay his hands on him,
that he may regain his sight."
But Ananias replied,
"Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man,
what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests
to imprison all who call upon your name."
But the Lord said to him,
"Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel,
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name."
So Ananias went and entered the house;
laying his hands on him, he said,
"Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me,
Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came,
that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes
and he regained his sight.
He got up and was baptized,
and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength. He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus,
and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues,
that he is the Son of God. Responsorial PsalmPsalm 117:1bc, 2 R. (Mark 16:15) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia. AlleluiaJohn 6:56 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood,
remains in me and I in him, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelJohn 6:52-59 The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
“How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my Flesh is true food,
and my Blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
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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: Acts 8:26-40Get up and head south on the road. (Acts 8:26) Arlene was on her way home from work when she noticed a motorcycle accident and felt the Lord urging her to stop. She pulled over and knelt beside a biker lying on the street. He was in bad shape but still alive. Leaning close to his ear, she began to pray with him. He whispered that he remembered his mom’s active and fervent faith in Jesus. So Arlene helped him recommit his life to the Lord. She stayed with him until an ambulance arrived, praying with him and calming his fears. When she got home hours later with blood on her clothes, her daughters were alarmed. All she could say was, “I knew I had to stop.” We see something similar in today’s first reading when the Lord tells Philip to take the desert road toward Gaza. It might seem strange that God would give him such specific directions. But Philip had been learning to listen to such promptings. Having fled persecution in Jerusalem, he had already been preaching and working wonders in Samaria. So he had become familiar with how God worked when he responded with obedience to his direction. In this case, Jesus was inviting Philip to be part of a life-changing event for an Ethiopian court official. As Philip saw the chariot and heard what the man was reading, he saw the Lord’s plan unfolding. So seizing the chance to tell him about Jesus, he approached and spoke to the man inside. And the official’s life was forever changed. These stories may seem extreme. But God loves to guide us as we strive to bring him to the world. Think back on your own life. Perhaps a line from Scripture stirred your heart and led you to invite a friend to a Bible study or start serving at a food bank. Or you heard a message in a homily that brought you comfort, so you shared it with a coworker who was struggling. Maybe you ran into someone at the store and struck up a conversation that led you to share about Jesus. The Lord might guide you to do something “big” like Arlene or Philip. But every day, he will surely show you more ordinary opportunities to follow his lead and share his good news. So open your heart and listen for his promptings today. “Jesus, help me to follow your lead today.” Psalm 66:8-9, 16-17, 20
John 6:44-51
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YouTube Video BACK TO THE GARDEN
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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: "...Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my Flesh is true food,
and my Blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.... ”
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From Roberto Juarez: "Let us ask that wonder may grow in us, that we may not become accustomed to this gift, and that we may learn to live truly from this food. So that, nourished by Jesus of Nazareth, our lives may change, our hearts may be renewed, and we may live from now on that communion that does not end. For whoever eats this bread... will live forever." end quote.
From Bishop Barron:
"How do we appropriate this shocking talk? We honor these unnerving words of Jesus, resisting all attempts to explain them away. We affirm the doctrine of “real presence.” Vatican II reexpressed the traditional Catholic belief when it taught that, though Jesus is present to us in any number of ways—in the proclamation of the Gospel, in the gathering of two or three in his name, in the poor and suffering—he is nevertheless present in a qualitatively different way in the Eucharist. "
From Bro. Adrian:
There is overwhelming evidence of our Lord's presence, especially in the Holy Eucharist.
How can this be? The truth can not hide.
The truth is a light. And the truth is Christ.
Just look at the vile hatred of the light. Ignorance produces hatred.
In our weekly "Grow in Faith" sessions we started, we discuss the Sunday readings. In this week's session a question had us going: "What is the difference between recognizing Jesus as “Messiah” and acknowledging him as “Lord”?
Most people claim they believe in a god, but like this is that "unknown" nobody ventures to.
It is a good question. Even last night at our new Adventure Bible Timeline Study, we had some there saying they wanted to know God, not just know ABOUT Him, but a true personal and loving relationship. I said "you are in good place for that".
This morning at daily Mass, I pondered at how wonderful it is to seek Him and find precious little gems about Him, following His tracks.
He is among us. Where 2 or 3 gather. Yes. He is among us in prayer and daily life, yes.
But He is among us most amazingly...in the Holy Eucharist.
Do you believe?
Because, after reading the entire bible, that will be the ultimate question...God's proposal to you: " my child, will you believe in Me?, "
You already should know how much I love you!
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Oh wow... Random Bible Verse 1
John 15:12–14 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you."
Word of the Lord!
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God Bless You! Peace
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