†Saint Quote:“Occupy your mind with good thoughts, or the enemy will fill them with bad ones. Unoccupied, they cannot be.” -St. Thomas More Today’s Meditation"A man must go through a long and great conflict in himself before he can learn fully to overcome himself, and to draw his whole affection towards God. When a man stands upon himself he is easily drawn aside after human comforts. But a true lover of Christ, and a diligent pursuer of virtue, does not hunt after comforts, nor seek such sensible sweetnesses, but is rather willing to bear strong trials and hard labors for Christ." —Thomas a' Kempis, p. 64
An excerpt from Imitation of Christ Daily VerseAnd he said, 'Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.' -Job 1:21
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EWTN Daily Saint
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Blessed Imelda LambertiniBl. Imelda Lambertini (1322–1333) was born to a noble and devout family in Bologna, Italy. As a child she developed a great love for prayer, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and the Holy Eucharist. She spent much of her time in the Dominican monastery praying with the nuns, and at nine years of age requested to enter there as a postulant. Her parents and the nuns allowed her to enter, however, in that era children her age were not permitted to receive Holy Communion. Imelda repeatedly pleaded to receive Communion, but each time she was denied. Nevertheless, she developed a close relationship with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. When the feast of the Ascension approached, Imelda begged to make her First Holy Communion on this feast. Again, she was denied. On the Vigil of the Feast of the Ascension she was in the chapel praying, as usual, as the other Sisters received Holy Communion. Afterwards a glowing host was seen suspended in the air above the child. The priest understood this as a sign that the child should be permitted to receive, and he ministered the Holy Eucharist to her. Imelda remained kneeling in prayer in thanksgiving as the nuns left the chapel. When they returned for her, they found her just as they had left her, but her body was lifeless. It was understood that Imelda died of pure ecstatic joy after receiving Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, as she had so ardently desired. Bl. Imelda Lambertini is the patron saint of First Communicants. Her feast day is May 12th.
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Tuesday of the Sixth Week of EasterLectionary: 292 Reading 1Acts 16:22-34 The crowd in Philippi joined in the attack on Paul and Silas,
and the magistrates had them stripped
and ordered them to be beaten with rods.
After inflicting many blows on them,
they threw them into prison
and instructed the jailer to guard them securely.
When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell
and secured their feet to a stake. About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying
and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened,
there was suddenly such a severe earthquake
that the foundations of the jail shook;
all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose.
When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open,
he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,
thinking that the prisoners had escaped.
But Paul shouted out in a loud voice,
"Do no harm to yourself; we are all here."
He asked for a light and rushed in and,
trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas.
Then he brought them out and said,
"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus
and you and your household will be saved."
So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.
He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds;
then he and all his family were baptized at once.
He brought them up into his house and provided a meal
and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God. Responsorial PsalmPsalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8 R. (7c) Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple,
and give thanks to your name.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Because of your kindness and your truth,
you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia. AlleluiaSee John 16:7, 13 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I will send to you the Spirit of truth, says the Lord;
he will guide you to all truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelJohn 16:5-11 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Now I am going to the one who sent me,
and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'
But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.
But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.
For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
sin, because they do not believe in me;
righteousness, because I am going to the Father
and you will no longer see me;
condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned."
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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 16:22-34While Paul and Silas were praying and singing . . . (Acts 16:25) After months of battling cancer, Helen entered hospice care. While it was hard for her daughter, Pam, to watch her mom fade, she was deeply moved by Helen’s courage, her peace, and her faith. Her mom never complained about her pain or allowed herself to be consumed with regret. Instead, she held tight to her rosary and told Pam and her siblings that she was ready to go to the Lord. Pam had always taken her mother’s faith for granted, but seeing her pass so peacefully moved Pam to go back to church and explore her own faith more deeply. The witness of Helen’s faith is similar to the witness that we see in Paul and Silas in today’s first reading. After having been severely beaten and thrown into jail, these two apostles spent the night praying “as the prisoners listened” (Acts 16:25). Note that this happened “about midnight,” when prisoners would normally be trying to sleep (Acts 16:25). But here were these prisoners, listening attentively and eagerly drinking in the witness of faith that the pair revealed. You can imagine them thinking, “What would inspire such a joyful response from two men who have been treated so harshly?” They were so impressed that even after an earthquake opened the prison doors, the inmates chose to gather around the two men instead of trying to make a break for it and run to freedom. Both Helen’s story and today’s reading show us that suffering can be redeemed, even in the hardest of times. It can become fertile ground where virtues like patience, hope, and even joy can grow. If we try to stay close to the Lord during these times, our sufferings won’t just strengthen our own faith; they’ll also draw other people to deepen their relationship with the Lord. This is easier said than done, but every time we take just one step closer to Jesus in the midst of hardships, he takes a thousand steps closer to us. He not only comforts and strengthens us, but he finds a way to bring good from it. So never doubt the goodness of the Lord, even in the hardest times! “Jesus, reach out to all who are suffering right now. Help them and their loved ones to find you today.” Psalm 138:1-3, 7-8
John 16:5-11
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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: ".. Jesus said to his disciples:
"Now I am going to the one who sent me,
and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'
But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.
But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.
For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you. .. ”
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From Roberto Juarez: "Without the Spirit, faith grows cold, the Gospel becomes theory, and the heart is hardened. With the Spirit we discover the truth, we find strength, we learn to live as disciples.
Today the Lord invites us to open ourselves to the action of the Holy Spirit, to allow ourselves to be enlightened, to allow ourselves to be corrected, to allow ourselves to be transformed.
Let us ask that the Spirit will help us to recognize what distances us from God, to strengthen our faith, and to make us live with hope. Because Christ has not left us alone. His presence continues to live in our midst through the Holy Spirit. And that Spirit continues to be at work today, guiding the Church and renewing our hearts." end quote.
Or Lord speaks...and was it in the 3rd person?
"But if I go, I will send him to you."
The Advocate.
Yes, the Lord literally speaks in and through the 3rd person of the Holy Spirit of God.
Father Creator. Jesus Sacred Flesh and our source for God. Holy Spirit, the very GOODNESS of God at work through us all. In your daily life...how do you communicate? In the next realms, in the realities we do not see, they do not speak through human vocal cords, nor human ears like we creatures do on earth. No. But they can speak through spirits. Now, which spirit would you care to listen to?
How about tuning out the bad spirits, and only tune into the HOLY SPIRIT! Invite Him in your daily life. He speaks in the consciousness, He speaks in the heart, He speaks also, through people, if you are tuning into the goodness of God. The Holy Spirit speaks in truth. Many times in the truth we do not want to hear. And so, today, our Lord says the Holy Spirit will come. Jesus is sending the Holy Spirit. That which we get baptized in the Holy Sacrament of Confirmation. The baptism of fire. The baptism that burns. The baptism that yearns to set the world on fire. I am amazed at how few have a burning heart. It is much of the reason which I am in the vineyard doing the works of the Lord. A heart for a heart. A heart open to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. That heart that shows the thorns, the blood, the cross, the very passion of our Lord, to suffer with us and through us...for the very Holy will of God our Father.
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Random Bible Verse 1
Isaiah 52:7 [Isaiah 52]
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
Word of the Lord!
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God Bless You! Peace
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