SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Saturday - April 14, 2018

 

Saturday - April 14, 2018

All of us can attain to Christian virtue and holiness, no matter in what condition of life we live and no matter what our life work may be.

--Saint Francis de Sales      

 

 

 

April 14, 2018

 

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Saturday of the Second Week of Easter
Lectionary: 272

Reading 1ACTS 6:1-7

As the number of disciples continued to grow,
the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews
because their widows 
were being neglected in the daily distribution.
So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said,
"It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table.
Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men,
filled with the Spirit and wisdom,
whom we shall appoint to this task,
whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer
and to the ministry of the word."
The proposal was acceptable to the whole community,
so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit,
also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas,
and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
They presented these men to the Apostles
who prayed and laid hands on them.
The word of God continued to spread,
and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly;
even a large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith.

Responsorial PsalmPS 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19

R. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ is risen, who made all things;
he has shown mercy on all people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelJN 6:16-21

When it was evening, the disciples of Jesus went down to the sea,
embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum.
It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing.
When they had rowed about three or four miles,
they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat,
and they began to be afraid.
But he said to them, "It is I. Do not be afraid."
They wanted to take him into the boat,
but the boat immediately arrived at the shore
to which they were heading.

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And Now This Too, Lord?

A Testimony by Graciela Ramos

In Saturday's Gospel reading, the apostles embark on a simple journey, from one shore to another, but Jesus is delayed and the disciples depart. It was already dark and they were fighting against the strong swell due to the intense wind. In the midst of this difficult situation, Jesus puts the finishing touch on the situation by scaring them as he approached them walking on the water. "Do not fear, it's me," he tells them when he sees that they are afraid.

When we are struggling with some problems in our life, how often do unforeseen things happen that force us to say, "And now this!"? The "this", as it turns out, is usually Jesus.

My husband, my four children and I were living in a town where God was rejected. A place where only one Mass was celebrated on Sundays (and not always, we often went two weeks without consecrated Hosts) and where nothing that was related to the Christianity (Catholic or Protestant) prospered. Therefore the Sacraments almost did not exist, and my family longed for them so much.

My youngest children (at that time 12 years old) were being bullied at school. They suffered to the point that one of them was being assisted by a psychologist and the other refused to return to school after having escaped, because he felt desperate about the hostile environment.

We did not know what to do. We prayed, asking the Lord, and we didn't hear anything. Suddenly, one of my children gets a wound in his foot and ends up with osteomyelitis hospitalized in a nearby town! When we took him to the orthopedic surgeo, we learned that the first practices done to him had worsened the situation and, at that moment, his life could be in danger.

"And now this!"

Even more! We had scheduled a vacation that we had to suspend, and we had to spend that Christmas in the hospital, celebrating to the extent that we could (of course Jesus was certainly there).

After much prayer, the anointing of the sick and 15 days of hospitalization, my son recovered and we returned home (not a trace of the infection was left). Why, Lord, did You allow that situation?

There is always a "why". God wants to say, correct, confirm or teach us when he allows these unexpected situations to happen.

The "why" was simple: The Lord warned us that the life (spiritual and physical) of our children and ours was in danger in that place, where God was strictly rejected and other spirits, not from the Kingdom of Heaven, reigned. With my husband, we made the determination to move to another place and Jesus slowly guided us to the city where we are today.

Great surprise we had! In this city, the Blessed Sacrament is exposed 24 hours a day in the parish, the Christian life flourishes abundantly, and since then our children and we, too, have recovered joy and peace.

Thank you Lord for the "And now this!" It is You calling our attention to give us back Your peace and joy."

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When Jesus and the disciples were riding through a storm in the boat that was about to capsize, Jesus didn't help His friends survive the storm. Jesus calmed the storm! Jesus wants to calm your storms, too. What are you doing that keeps the storm raging? How are you contributing to its forces? Turn around and see Jesus standing in the boat next to you. See His lack of fear, His lack of worry, His lack of making any attempts to steer the boat through the rough waters and high winds. What is He doing? He is saying, "Love your enemies. Do good to those who are creating the storm. Live My way, and though the storm might continue to rage around the others in your life, you will be standing with Me where the sea is calm and the wind is but a gentle breeze refreshing your soul."  God be with you!!

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God Bless You.....

Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”