Saturday - May 20, 2017
You ask me a method of attaining perfection. I know of love – and only love. Love can do all things.
– Saint Therese of Lisieux
TODAY'S READINGS
May 20, 2017
Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 290
Reading 1ACTS 16:1-10
Paul reached also Derbe and Lystrawhere there was a disciple named Timothy,
the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer,
but his father was a Greek.
The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him,
and Paul wanted him to come along with him.
On account of the Jews of that region, Paul had him circumcised,
for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
As they traveled from city to city,
they handed on to the people for observance the decisions
reached by the Apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem.
Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith
and increased in number.
They traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian territory
because they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit
from preaching the message in the province of Asia.
When they came to Mysia, they tried to go on into Bithynia,
but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them,
so they crossed through Mysia and came down to Troas.
During the night Paul had a vision.
A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words,
"Come over to Macedonia and help us."
When he had seen the vision,
we sought passage to Macedonia at once,
concluding that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to them.
Responsorial PsalmPS 100:1B-2, 3, 5
R. (2a) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is good:
his kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaCOL 3:1
R. Alleluia, alleluia.If then you were raised with Christ,
seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 15:18-21
Jesus said to his disciples:"If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own;
but because you do not belong to the world,
and I have chosen you out of the world,
the world hates you.
Remember the word I spoke to you,
'No slave is greater than his master.'
If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
And they will do all these things to you on account of my name,
because they do not know the one who sent me."
******************************
Who Condemns You? Not God!
How do you feel when you're criticized? Or when a family member gets angry because you express your faith-based perspective about a moral issue? In today's world, we Christians are hated more than I've ever experienced before. We're judged as intolerant by those who are not tolerant of us.
This should be easy to recover from emotionally, but most of us have been conditioned to feel condemned and accept it. This is why most of us have self-esteem problems to some extent. We over-compensate by thinking better of ourselves than we should, while deep down we are believing that we are bad.
Our religion tends to reinforce this. How often have you heard that you're a sinner? It's the reason why we need the Sacrament of Confession, right? Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa.
Yes, it's true that we all sin, but if you've been baptized and if you have a personal relationship with Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you've been reborn from sinner to saint. Your true identity is not "sinner". Your true identity is a child of God, a saint.
------------------------------
God Bless You.....
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
No comments:
Post a Comment