GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Wednesday - June 01, 2022

 

Wednesday - June 01, 2022

Love overcomes, love delights, those who love the Sacred Heart rejoice. 

- St. Bernadette Soubirous

June 1, 2022

 

MEMORIAL OF SAINT JUSTIN, MARTYR

Lectionary: 299

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    Acts 20:28-38

 

At Miletus, Paul spoke to the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus:

“Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock

of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers,

in which you tend the Church of God

that he acquired with his own Blood.

I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you,

and they will not spare the flock.

And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth

to draw the disciples away after them.

So be vigilant and remember that for three years, night and day,

I unceasingly admonished each of you with tears.

And now I commend you to God

and to that gracious word of his that can build you up

and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated.

I have never wanted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.

You know well that these very hands

have served my needs and my companions.

In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort

we must help the weak,

and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said,

‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

 

When he had finished speaking

he knelt down and prayed with them all.

They were all weeping loudly

as they threw their arms around Paul and kissed him,

for they were deeply distressed that he had said

that they would never see his face again.

Then they escorted him to the ship.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  68:29-30, 33-35a, 35bc-36ab

 

R.        (33a)  Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

 

Show forth, O God, your power

            the power, O God, with which you took our part;

For your temple in Jerusalem

            let the kings bring you gifts.

R.        Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

 

You kingdoms of the earth, sing to God,

            chant praise to the Lord

            who rides on the heights of the ancient heavens.

Behold, his voice resounds, the voice of power:

            “Confess the power of God!”

R.        Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

 

Over Israel is his majesty;

            his power is in the skies.

Awesome in his sanctuary is God, the God of Israel;

            he gives power and strength to his people.

R.        Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

 

Alleluia                                              Phil 2:8 Jn 17:17b, 17a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Your word, O Lord, is truth;

consecrate us in the truth.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                           Jn 17:11b-19

 

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying:

“Holy Father, keep them in your name

that you have given me,

so that they may be one just as we are one.

When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me,

and I guarded them, and none of them was lost

except the son of destruction,

in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

But now I am coming to you.

I speak this in the world

so that they may share my joy completely.

I gave them your word, and the world hated them,

because they do not belong to the world

any more than I belong to the world.

I do not ask that you take them out of the world

but that you keep them from the Evil One.

They do not belong to the world

any more than I belong to the world.

Consecrate them in the truth.

Your word is truth.

As you sent me into the world,

so I sent them into the world.

And I consecrate myself for them,

so that they also may be consecrated in truth.”

 

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Surviving This World

“I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the Evil One. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth.”  John 17:14–17

 

“Consecrate them in the truth.  Your word is truth.”  That’s the key to survival! 

 

Scripture reveals three primary temptations we face in life: The flesh, the world and the devil.  All three of these work to lead us astray.  But all three are conquerable with one thing…the Truth.

 

This Gospel passage above specifically speaks of the “world” and the “evil one.”  The evil one, who is the devil, is real.  He hates us and does all he can to mislead us and ruin our lives.  He tries to fill our minds with empty promises, offers fleeting pleasure, and encourages selfish ambitions.  He was a liar from the beginning and remains a liar to this day.

 

One of the temptations that the devil threw at Jesus during His forty day fast at the beginning of His public ministry was a temptation to obtain all the world has to offer.  The devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the Earth and said, “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”

 

First of all, this was a silly temptation given the fact that Jesus already was the Creator of all things.  But, nonetheless, He allowed the devil to tempt Him with this worldly enticement.  Why did He do this?  Because Jesus knew we would all be tempted with the many enticements of the world.  By “world” we mean many things.  One thing that comes to mind, in our day and age, is the desire for worldly acceptance.  This is a plague that is very subtle but affects so many, including our Church itself.

 

With the powerful influence of the media and the global political culture, there is pressure today, more than ever, for us as Christians to simply conform to our age.  We are tempted to do and believe what is popular and socially acceptable.  And the “gospel” we are allowing ourselves to hear is the secular world of moral indifferentism. 

 

There is a powerful cultural tendency (a global tendency due to the Internet and media) to become people who are willing to accept anything and everything.  We have lost our sense of moral integrity and truth.  Thus, the words of Jesus need to be embraced more today than ever.  “Your Word is Truth.”  The Word of God, the Gospel, all that our Catechism teaches, all that our faith reveals is the Truth.  This Truth must be our guiding light and nothing else.

 

Reflect, today, on how much of an influence the secular culture has on you.  Have you given into secular pressure, or the secular “gospels” of our day and age?  It takes a strong person to resist these lies.  We will resist them only if we stay consecrated in the Truth.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Lord of all Truth, I do consecrate myself to You.  You are the Truth.  Your Word is what I need to stay focused and to navigate through the many lies all around me.  Give me strength and wisdom so that I may always remain in Your protection away from the evil one.  Jesus, I trust in You.

 

  

God Bless You.....

The 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 - May 31, 2022

  

Tuesday - May 31, 2022

“To give worthy praise to the Lord's mercy, we unite ourselves with Your Immaculate Mother, for then our hymn will be more pleasing to You, because She is chosen from among men and angels. Through Her, as through a pure crystal, Your mercy was passed on to us. Through Her, man became pleasing to God; Through Her, streams of grace flowed down upon us.”

- St. Faustina

May 31, 2022

 

FEAST OF THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Lectionary: 297

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    Zep 3:14-18a

 

Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!

            Sing joyfully, O Israel!

Be glad and exult with all your heart,

            O daughter Jerusalem!

The LORD has removed the judgment against you,

            he has turned away your enemies;

The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,

            you have no further misfortune to fear.

On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:

            Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!

The LORD, your God, is in your midst,

            a mighty savior;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

            and renew you in his love,

He will sing joyfully because of you,

            as one sings at festivals.

 

Or

    

Rom 12:9-16

 

Brothers and sisters:

Let love be sincere;

hate what is evil,

hold on to what is good;

love one another with mutual affection;

anticipate one another in showing honor.

Do not grow slack in zeal,

be fervent in spirit,

serve the Lord.

Rejoice in hope,

endure in affliction,

persevere in prayer.

Contribute to the needs of the holy ones,

exercise hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you,

bless and do not curse them.

Rejoice with those who rejoice,

weep with those who weep.

Have the same regard for one another;

do not be haughty but associate with the lowly;

do not be wise in your own estimation.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6

 

R.        (6)  Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

 

God indeed is my savior;

            I am confident and unafraid.

My strength and my courage is the LORD,

            and he has been my savior.

With joy you will draw water

            at the fountain of salvation.

R.        Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

 

Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;

            among the nations make known his deeds,

            proclaim how exalted is his name.

R.        Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

 

Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;

            let this be known throughout all the earth.

Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,

            for great in your midst

            is the Holy One of Israel!

R.        Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

 

Alleluia                                              Phil 2:8 Lk 1:45

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary, who believed

that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                           Lk 1:39-56

 

Mary set out

and traveled to the hill country in haste

to a town of Judah,

where she entered the house of Zechariah

and greeted Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,

the infant leaped in her womb,

and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,

cried out in a loud voice and said,

“Most blessed are you among women,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

And how does this happen to me,

that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,

the infant in my womb leaped for joy.

Blessed are you who believed

that what was spoken to you by the Lord

would be fulfilled.”

 

And Mary said:

 “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

            my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

            for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

            the Almighty has done great things for me,

            and holy is his Name.

 

He has mercy on those who fear him

            in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

            he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

            and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

            and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

            for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

            the promise he made to our fathers,

            to Abraham and his children for ever.”

 

Mary remained with her about three months

and then returned to her home.

 

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Most Blessed Are You Among Women!

Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”  Luke 1:41b–43

 

What an honor it would be to have our Blessed Mother, the mother of Jesus, come to us for a visit.  Elizabeth was keenly aware of this honor and, as a result, she cried out in an inspired way acknowledging that fact. 

 

Though this was a unique gift given to Elizabeth, to have the mother of her Lord come to her, we must understand that we are all equally blessed by the opportunity to daily invite the presence of the Mother of God into our lives.

 

Mother Mary is the Queen of all Saints, but she is also the Queen of all sinners and Queen of those striving for holiness.  She is the Mother of All the Living and the Mother of the Church.  In God’s providence, she continues to carry out her unique role of visiting those in need on a daily basis.  She does so in a way that is far more profound and transformative than in the case of Elizabeth.  Mother Mary’s visits to us, her children, now takes place in the order of grace.

 

What does it mean when we say that our Blessed Mother visits us in the order of grace?  It means that our relationship with her is based on the divine will and plan of God.  It means we are able to have a relationship with her by which she communicates to us countless mercies from her Son.  It means that she becomes the most powerful mediatrix of grace for us that the world has ever known.  It means that the effect she has in our lives is deep, profound, transformative and intimately personal.

 

The difficult part about a relationship with our Blessed Mother is that it must take place on a spiritual and interior level rather than on a physical and exterior one.  However, even though this is the case, we should not think that this means we are less capable of knowing her and loving her.  In fact, the relationship we are now able to have with our Blessed Mother by grace is far deeper and more profound than the relationship Elizabeth was able to have with her on account of the Visitation. 

 

Reflect, today, upon your relationship with the Mother of God.  She visited Elizabeth long ago and now desires to visit your soul so as to bring you the grace and mercy of her Son.  Seek to establish this beautiful relationship with her in the order of grace.  Invite her in, listen to her, be open to the grace she brings to you and rejoice with Elizabeth that the mother of your Lord would come to you.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Dearest Mother Mary, I love you and consecrate my life to You, trusting in your motherly care and mediation.  Help me, dear Mother, to be open to all that you desire to bring to me from your Son, Jesus.  I am honored and humbled that you would care for me and desire to bring to me the mercy of the Heart of your Son Jesus.  Mother Mary, pray for us.  Jesus, I trust in You.

 

 

God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

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