Wednesday - May 09, 2018
The more a person loves God, the more reason he has to hope in Him. This hope produces in the Saints an unutterable peace, which they preserve even in adversity, because as they love God, and know how beautiful He is to those who love Him, they place all their confidence and find all their repose in Him alone.
~~St. Alphonsus Liguori
May 9, 2018
Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 293
Reading 1ACTS 17:15, 22—18:1
After Paul's escorts had taken him to Athens,
they came away with instructions for Silas and Timothy
to join him as soon as possible.
Then Paul stood up at the Areopagus and said:
"You Athenians, I see that in every respect
you are very religious.
For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines,
I even discovered an altar inscribed, 'To an Unknown God.'
What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.
The God who made the world and all that is in it,
the Lord of heaven and earth,
does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands,
nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything.
Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything.
He made from one the whole human race
to dwell on the entire surface of the earth,
and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions,
so that people might seek God,
even perhaps grope for him and find him,
though indeed he is not far from any one of us.
For 'In him we live and move and have our being,'
as even some of your poets have said,
'For we too are his offspring.'
Since therefore we are the offspring of God,
we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image
fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination.
God has overlooked the times of ignorance,
but now he demands that all people everywhere repent
because he has established a day on which he will 'judge the world
with justice' through a man he has appointed,
and he has provided confirmation for all
by raising him from the dead."
When they heard about resurrection of the dead,
some began to scoff, but others said,
"We should like to hear you on this some other time."
And so Paul left them.
But some did join him, and became believers.
Among them were Dionysius,
a member of the Court of the Areopagus,
a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
After this he left Athens and went to Corinth.
they came away with instructions for Silas and Timothy
to join him as soon as possible.
Then Paul stood up at the Areopagus and said:
"You Athenians, I see that in every respect
you are very religious.
For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines,
I even discovered an altar inscribed, 'To an Unknown God.'
What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.
The God who made the world and all that is in it,
the Lord of heaven and earth,
does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands,
nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything.
Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything.
He made from one the whole human race
to dwell on the entire surface of the earth,
and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions,
so that people might seek God,
even perhaps grope for him and find him,
though indeed he is not far from any one of us.
For 'In him we live and move and have our being,'
as even some of your poets have said,
'For we too are his offspring.'
Since therefore we are the offspring of God,
we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image
fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination.
God has overlooked the times of ignorance,
but now he demands that all people everywhere repent
because he has established a day on which he will 'judge the world
with justice' through a man he has appointed,
and he has provided confirmation for all
by raising him from the dead."
When they heard about resurrection of the dead,
some began to scoff, but others said,
"We should like to hear you on this some other time."
And so Paul left them.
But some did join him, and became believers.
Among them were Dionysius,
a member of the Court of the Areopagus,
a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
After this he left Athens and went to Corinth.
Responsorial PsalmPS 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights.
Praise him, all you his angels;
praise him, all you his hosts.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,
the princes and all the judges of the earth,
Young men too, and maidens,
old men and boys.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
His majesty is above earth and heaven.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has lifted up the horn of his people;
Be this his praise from all his faithful ones,
from the children of Israel, the people close to him.
Alleluia.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights.
Praise him, all you his angels;
praise him, all you his hosts.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,
the princes and all the judges of the earth,
Young men too, and maidens,
old men and boys.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
His majesty is above earth and heaven.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has lifted up the horn of his people;
Be this his praise from all his faithful ones,
from the children of Israel, the people close to him.
Alleluia.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaJN 14:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I will ask the Father
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you always.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I will ask the Father
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you always.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 16:12-15
Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you."
"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you."
******************************
Gifts from the Spirit of Truth
In today's Gospel passage, Jesus assures us that we have been given the Holy Spirit to teach us what we need to know and to help us recognize the truth. To better understand how this happens, let's consider the seven sanctifying gifts of the Spirit, as listed in Isaiah 11:2-3.
Wisdom: The wisdom of God is contrary to the wisdom of the world. The Holy Spirit's gift of wisdom helps us to detach from the world and to cherish only what's heavenly. This wisdom, when used in everyday life, enlivens us in the ways of Christ. We find pleasure in what's holy.
Understanding: What don't you like about a Church teaching? What is doubtful about the ways of faith? Ask the Holy Spirit for understanding and you will be enlightened. You will increasingly gain a fuller awareness of the wisdom in Church teachings and a stronger sense about the truths of the faith, of God's love, of his plans for you, etc.
Counsel: Are you uncertain about a decision you need to make? Do you feel hesitant in the choices you're facing? Are you full of doubts about the future? The Holy Spirit wants to guide you and instruct you so that you can make the best decisions. My favorite prayer for this is: "Lord, open doors of opportunities in the way I should go, and close all doors that lead elsewhere." And he does!
Fortitude: Are you growing weary from trials? The Holy Spirit gives us supernatural courage to persist and overcome obstacles and difficulties. From this we learn that we really can trust Jesus and reach a good end despite how bad and lengthy the problems seem to be.
Knowledge: The Holy Spirit directs us to the right paths and the right solutions, even supernaturally if necessary. Watch carefully; the Spirit of Truth is pointing out the dangers to avoid and the goals to reach. Listen to the songs, the scriptures, and the people that God puts "coincidentally" into your day. If their message seems familiar, because the Holy Spirit has already been speaking it to your heart, trust it and proceed with confidence.
Piety: Do you have a desire to embrace a life of holiness and to imitate Christ? This desire comes straight from the Holy Spirit as you learn how to respond to every situation with holy actions and attitudes.
Fear of the Lord: Respect for God feels instinctive, doesn't it? That's because it's purely a gift from the Holy Spirit. Fear of the Lord is a profound respect for his perfect holiness. The more enlivened our relationship with the Spirit is, the more we loathe the idea of offending the Lord whom we love so dearly.
Here's a prayer for increasing these gifts:
Come, Holy Spirit, and renew the face of the earth through me.
Fill me with Your life and Your grace,
that my soul may be sanctified.
Increase in me the gift of holy wisdom,
that I may use wisely the gifts You have given me.
Increase in me the gift of understanding,
that I may hear and respond to Your call.
Increase in me the gift of Your good counsel,
that I may always follow God's will.
Increase in me the gift of knowledge,
that I may grow in holiness by knowing God and myself more fully.
Increase in me the gift of love,
that I may serve as Christ's hands and feet and voice
sharing Your love with everyone I meet today.
Come, Holy Spirit! Renew the face of the earth through me!
Amen.
Fill me with Your life and Your grace,
that my soul may be sanctified.
Increase in me the gift of holy wisdom,
that I may use wisely the gifts You have given me.
Increase in me the gift of understanding,
that I may hear and respond to Your call.
Increase in me the gift of Your good counsel,
that I may always follow God's will.
Increase in me the gift of knowledge,
that I may grow in holiness by knowing God and myself more fully.
Increase in me the gift of love,
that I may serve as Christ's hands and feet and voice
sharing Your love with everyone I meet today.
Come, Holy Spirit! Renew the face of the earth through me!
Amen.
-----------------------------
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!”
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