SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Friday - May 01, 2020

  

Friday - May 01, 2020

"As mariners are guided into port by the shining of a star, so Christians are guided to heaven by Mary."

- Saint Thomas Aquinas

 

May 01 2020

 

« April 30  |  May 2 »

Friday of the Third Week of Easter
Lectionary: 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 Psalm117:1BC, 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.

AlleluiaJN 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.

GospelJN 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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Taking Risks for the Lord

In our first reading today, Judas and Ananias take an extraordinary risk because of their love for the Lord and their ability to listen -- really listen -- to him. They helped a fanatically prejudiced, dangerous enemy. And thus they played a significant role in changing the world.
How would we respond if Jesus were to appear to us in a vision and tell us to help a Muslim extremist? What if Jesus had already converted the Muslim's heart? Are our prayer lives so brief and weak that we would think this can't be real?

Let's make this question easier: What if the Holy Spirit gives us a vision of Jesus telling us, "Go to the house of your neighbor. He's got a visitor there and I want you to minister to him." Would we trust the vision? Would we stop what we're doing and go?

Visions were normal for Christians for many centuries. Then the Age of Enlightenment and scientific inquiry dictated that everything has to be proven by repeatable, empirical studies or else it cannot be true. The supernatural became viewed as mere superstition.

Okay, let's say we're willing to give it a try. We'll knock on the neighbor's door, just to see if he's got a visitor. But what if Jesus, during the vision, says that he wants to work through us to provide a miraculous healing? Is this too much? Too doubtful? Or do we reply: "Jesus, if you want it, then he'll be healed as you say."

Ananias went despite fears and logic. He and Judas were the first Christians to befriend and forgive Saul (renamed Paul). Because they trusted Jesus more than their own perspectives and ideas, they were Paul's first experience of true Christianity.

We must never underestimate the impact that we can make when we follow Christ into unknown, unpredictable, unreasonable and even scary circumstances. What has he been asking you to do that you've been resisting? Your act of faith might be the first step in a long, hugely important plan of God. We must never underestimate how essential we are.

Jesus says in today's Gospel reading that his Flesh is bread from heaven. By consuming his Flesh and Blood in the Eucharist at Mass, we renew our participation in God's salvation plan for the world. Just as Jesus risked everything to heal our souls and lead us to heaven, so too are we sent forth from Mass to take risks with him, carrying his healing and salvation to others.

Okay, what if Jesus tells us that the person we're to visit at our neighbor's house is our ex-spouse? Or the father who abused us? Or the employer who makes our job miserable? Or that other person who makes us angry or fearful?

"Say what? You can't be serious!"

Jesus says, "Go!"

Today's Prayer
Beloved Jesus, forgive me for not getting closer to You with the intensity and desire that You expect from me. Thank You for always waiting for me at the tabernacle. Amen.

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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!”

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : THURSDAY - April 30, 2020

THURSDAY - April 30, 2020

TODAY'S READINGS

 

April 29 2020

 

« April 28  |  April 30 »

Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, virgin and doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 275

Reading 1ACTS 8:1B-8

There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem,
and all were scattered
throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria,
except the Apostles.
Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him.
Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church;
entering house after house and dragging out men and women,
he handed them over for imprisonment.

Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.
Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.

Responsorial Psalm66:1-3A, 4-5, 6-7A

R.    (1)  Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R.    Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R.    Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R.    Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R.    Alleluia.

AlleluiaJN 6:40

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Everyone who believes in the Son has eternal life,
and I shall raise him up on the last day, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelJN 6:35-40

Jesus said to the crowds,
“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
But I told you that although you have seen me,
you do not believe.
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”

*****************************************************************************

Dream Bigger and Reach Your Full Potential!

In our Gospel reading today, Jesus says, "I am the living bread from heaven." Is he talking about the Eucharist? Yes, and --.

In the bread we use for sandwiches, the yeast that made the dough rise has been baked to death. The heat of the oven prevents the bread from growing any larger. Jesus, on the other hand, is living bread. He overcame death. His life is constantly rising, continually growing larger within us and then out from us to change the world. Or it should be.

God wants us reach our full potential. Most people today settle for a life of mediocrity. How hard do you push yourself to move beyond your comfort zone to discover how far your potential can actually reach?

We under-estimate our worth. We under-expect what God wants to do through us. We under-work our talents. We under-eat the Bread of Life. Like the baker who kneads the dough, we have to put effort into becoming all that God designed us to be and to do all that Jesus desires for us. And we have to spend time dreaming to find out what God has dreamt up for us.

It's important to know our limits, but only so that we can turn to God and find new ways to grow past these limits. "Do you really grasp what you're reading?" That's the question that Philip asked the Ethiopian in our first reading today. The foreign official was on his way home from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He wanted to grow in his relationship with God, but he was limited until Philip taught him about Jesus.

What's the limit of your understanding of who Jesus is and what he can do for you and what you can do for him because of your faith? How can you expand beyond that?
How are the people around you limited in their understanding of Jesus? Will you let God stretch you so that you can help them experience more of him?

Jesus points out: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them... They shall be taught by God." Philip was able to lead the Ethiopian to Christ because the Father was already drawing him. Anyone who truly desires a full relationship with God is drawn by the Father to the Son. If we're willing to fulfill our own potential, God will have us jog along beside them, and the Holy Spirit will empower us to expand beyond our old limits, even beyond earthly limits, so that we can make a difference.

Daily, how much do we rely on God to take us to our full potential? We need to dare to dream his dreams for us. When we desire to grow beyond the mediocre, fascinated by the unimagined possibilities of our full potential, we find more self-esteem, more satisfaction, and more joy -- and we change the world.

Today's Prayer
Thank You, Lord, for giving Yourself to me in the Eucharist. Give me the grace for opening my heart to whatever You want to do in 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!”

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : WEDNESDAY - April 29, 2020

WEDNESDAY - April 29, 2020

TODAY'S READINGS

 

April 29 2020

 

« April 28  |  April 30 »

Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, virgin and doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 275

Reading 1ACTS 8:1B-8

There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem,
and all were scattered
throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria,
except the Apostles.
Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him.
Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church;
entering house after house and dragging out men and women,
he handed them over for imprisonment.

Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.
Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.

Responsorial Psalm66:1-3A, 4-5, 6-7A

R.    (1)  Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R.    Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R.    Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R.    Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R.    Alleluia.

AlleluiaJN 6:40

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Everyone who believes in the Son has eternal life,
and I shall raise him up on the last day, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelJN 6:35-40

Jesus said to the crowds,
“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
But I told you that although you have seen me,
you do not believe.
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”

*****************************************************************************

St. Catherine of Siena

Catherine, the youngest of twenty-five children, was born in Siena on March 25, 1347. During her youth she had to contend with great difficulties on the part of her parents. They were planning marriage for their favorite daughter; but Catherine, who at the age of seven had already taken a vow of virginity, refused. To break her resistance, her beautiful golden brown tresses were shorn to the very skin and she was forced to do the most menial tasks. Undone by her patience, mother and father finally relented and their child entered the Third Order of St. Dominic.

Unbelievable were her austerities, her miracles, her ecstasies. The reputation of her sanctity soon spread abroad; thousands came to see her, to be converted by her. The priests associated with her, having received extraordinary faculties of absolution, were unable to accommodate the crowds of penitents. She was a helper and a consoler in every need. As time went on, her influence reached out to secular and ecclesiastical matters. She made peace between worldly princes. The heads of Church and State bowed to her words. She weaned Italy away from an anti-pope, and made cardinals and princes promise allegiance to the rightful pontiff. She journeyed to Avignon and persuaded Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome. Even though she barely reached the age of thirty-three her accomplishments place her among the great women of the Middle Ages. The virgin Catherine was espoused to Christ by a precious nuptial ring which, although visible only to her, always remained on her finger.

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, who set Saint Catherine of Siena on fire with divine love in her contemplation of the Lord's Passion and her service or your Church, grant, through her intercession, that your people, participating in the mystery of Christ, may ever exult in the revelation of his glory. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, on God, for ever and ever. 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!”

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : TUESDAY - April 28, 2020

TUESDAY - April 28, 2020

TODAY'S READINGS

 

April 28 2020

 

« April 27  |  April 29 »

Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter
Lectionary: 274

Reading 1ACTS 7:51—8:1A

Stephen said to the people, the elders, and the scribes:
“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears,
you always oppose the Holy Spirit;
you are just like your ancestors.
Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute?
They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one,
whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.
You received the law as transmitted by angels,
but you did not observe it.”

When they heard this, they were infuriated,
and they ground their teeth at him.
But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God
and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
and Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
But they cried out in a loud voice,
covered their ears, and rushed upon him together.
They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him.
The witnesses laid down their cloaks
at the feet of a young man named Saul.
As they were stoning Stephen, he called out,
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice,
“Lord, do not hold this sin against them”;
and when he said this, he fell asleep.

Now Saul was consenting to his execution.

Responsorial Psalm31:3CD-4, 6 AND 7B AND 8A, 17 AND 21AB

R.    (6a)  Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety.
You are my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake you will lead and guide me.
R.    Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
My trust is in the LORD;
I will rejoice and be glad of your mercy.
R.    Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your kindness.
You hide them in the shelter of your presence
from the plottings of men.
R.    Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R.    Alleluia.

AlleluiaJN 6:35AB

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the bread of life, says the Lord;
whoever comes to me will never hunger.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelJN 6:30-35

The crowd said to Jesus:
“What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?
What can you do?
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:

"He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”

So Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven;
my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.”

So they said to Jesus,
“Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

*****************************************************************************

The Healing Power of the Eucharist

In the Gospel reading today, Jesus makes himself known as the "bread of life". What does it mean to be bread? And how does that affect life?

The practicalities of providing communion to large congregations make it necessary to use little flat wafers of bread for the paschal meal, but they don't seem very bread-like. In the early years, Christians celebrated the Lord's Supper with bread that looked like bread and they broke off their own pieces after it became the Body of Christ. We've forgotten some of the rich meaning behind sharing the "breadness" of the Eucharist.

During the consecration prayers, Jesus comes to us fully, with all his humanity and divinity, in a form that we can touch. We can hold him. We can kiss him. We can consume him into our physical beings, and by uniting ourselves to him, we are consumed by him and our lives become his life (if we don't reject that life the moment we walk out the door). Such an encounter with God should change us every time!

Why then doesn't every Catholic who receives Communion leave Mass transformed? Since we've received the fullness of Jesus himself, it seems that no matter how little we've paid attention, we should be holier than when we came in.

Before Jesus distributed the Passover bread to his disciples, he broke it. It was the broken bread that he gave when he said, "Take and eat. This is my body, which will be given up for you." We are, in fact, transformed when we become aware that we are uniting ourselves to the brokenness of Christ.

It was in Christ's brokenness that he delivered us from evil. Therefore, it is in our brokenness that our humility unites us to Christ, it is in our brokenness that we become free from the power of evil. A broken spirit is ready to depend on God instead of self. A broken heart needs the love that no human, other than the divine Jesus, is perfect enough to give. A broken family is forever wounded unless Jesus becomes the center of each person's life, and when we want reconciliation but the other person refuses, we give our broken hearts to the perfect love of the only One who can heal us.

Recognizing our brokenness is what begins change within us. Accepting the blessing of our brokenness is what empowers the change. And offering our brokenness to the Lord -- to be used in loving service for others, like Jesus -- is what completes the transformation.
This is what it means to truly receive Jesus, the bread of our life, in the Eucharist.

Today's Prayer
Lord, give me enough wisdom to discover You every day as the nourishment and support of my life. 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!”