SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Saturday - May 16, 2020

  

Saturday - May 16, 2020

By Mary, God descended from Heaven into the world, so that by her men might ascend from earth into Heaven.

-St. Fulgentius

 

May 16 2020

 

« May 15  |  May 17 »

Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 290

Reading 1ACTS 16:1-10

Paul reached also Derbe and Lystra
where 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 Psalm100:1B-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.”

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Has Someone Tried to Silence You?  

If you ever feel rejected or (worse) silenced because of your Christ-centered convictions, I've got good news for you!

For many of us, the society we live in has become very anti-Christian. Those who are not living by faith and those who think they have faith but they worship a god of their own design do not want to find out that they are wrong. They are so deluded by the devil's lies that they get angry (they feel the devil's anger) toward us. They want to bully us into silence. This is why I made the above image for my personal Facebook cover photo.

The good news is: They are what scripture calls "chaff". They look big and brutal but "they are like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears, like chaff swirling from a threshing floor..." (Hosea 13:3).

When we can see them as they really are, they become less intimidating. We can stand up strong in the courage that comes from the Holy Spirit.

This is the kind of followers Christ needs now.

"They say to God, 'Leave us alone! We have no desire to know your ways. Who is this so-called Almighty God that we should serve him? What would we gain by praying to him?' But their prosperity is not in their own hands, so I stand aloof from their plans. Have you noticed ... how often they are like straw before the wind, like chaff swept away by a gale?" (Job 21:14-18.)

And here's what my favorite scripture (Psalm 1 NIV) says about it:

Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.

Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away....

As we approach Pentecost Sunday, remember how necessary it is to have a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. This is how we become empowered and emboldened to know and live and speak the truth.

"The people were wondering if John the Baptizer might possibly be the Messiah. John answered them: "I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I will come. I am not worthy enough to untie the straps of whose sandals! He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand. He is ready to clear the threshing floor and will gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (Luke 3:15-17)

Prayer
Come Holy Spirit, set me on fire! Come Holy Spirit, renew me. Come Holy Spirit, fill me. Come Holy Spirit, I want to be fully alive in a personal relationship with You. Come Holy Spirit, You have my permission to change me. Help me to be effective in the mission of Christ rescuing sinners from the unquenchable fire of Hell. 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!”