GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Tuesday - May 17, 2022

  

Tuesday - May 17, 2022

No one who shall invoke this Mother of Grace with devotion and perseverance can possibly perish forever. 

 

-St. John Eudes

May 17, 2022

 

TUESDAY OF FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER

Lectionary: 286

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    Acts 14:19-28

 

In those days, some Jews from Antioch and Iconium

arrived and won over the crowds.

They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city,

supposing that he was dead.

But when the disciples gathered around him,

he got up and entered the city.

On the following day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.

 

After they had proclaimed the good news to that city

and made a considerable number of disciples,

they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.

They strengthened the spirits of the disciples

and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying,

“It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships

to enter the Kingdom of God.”

They appointed presbyters for them in each Church and,

with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord

in whom they had put their faith.

Then they traveled through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia.

After proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia.

From there they sailed to Antioch,

where they had been commended to the grace of God

for the work they had now accomplished.

And when they arrived, they called the Church together

and reported what God had done with them

and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

Then they spent no little time with the disciples.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  145:10-11, 12-13ab, 21

 

R.        (see 12)  Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

 

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,

            and let your faithful ones bless you.

Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom

            and speak of your might.

R.        Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

 

Making known to men your might

            and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages,

            and your dominion endures through all generations.

R.        Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

 

May my mouth speak the praise of the LORD,

            and may all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

R.        Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

 

Alleluia                                              Phil 2:8 Jn 14:27-31a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead,

and so enter into his glory.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                           Jn 14:21-26

 

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

Not as the world gives do I give it to you.

Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.

You heard me tell you,

‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’

If you loved me,

you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;

for the Father is greater than I.

And now I have told you this before it happens,

so that when it happens you may believe.

I will no longer speak much with you,

for the ruler of the world is coming.

He has no power over me,

but the world must know that I love the Father

and that I do just as the Father has commanded me.”

 

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

A Troubled Heart

“Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”  John 14:27

 

What a wonderful reminder that we all need to hear on a regular basis.  “Do not let your heart be troubled.”  And “Do not let your heart be afraid.”  How often do you follow that advice?

 

Interestingly, it’s actually more than advice.  It’s a command of love from our Lord.  He wants to be clear and wants us to know that a fearful and troubled heart is not of Him.  To be troubled and fearful is a great burden and weighs us down.  Jesus desperately wants us to be free of these burdens.  He wants us to be free so that we can experience the joy of life. 

 

So what is it that burdens you in life the most?  Is there something in your life that you obsess about, are angry about, can’t let go of or that tends to dominate your life?  Or perhaps your burden is more subtle.  Perhaps there is nothing that overwhelms you but, instead, is a constant burden in a small way, always there in the background.  These burdens can be quite difficult when they last from year to year.

 

The first step to freedom is to see the burden for what it is.  Identify it and seek to identify the underlying cause.  If the cause of your burden is your own sin, repent of it and seek Confession.  This is the best way to experience immediate freedom. 

 

If, however, your burden is the result of another’s actions or some situation in life that is out of your control, then you are in a unique position to surrender to our Lord, giving Him complete control of this situation.  Freedom is found in total surrender, trust and abandonment to His will.

 

Spend some time today reflecting upon that which burdens you the most in life.  What is it that weighs heavily upon you?  It is this, more than anything else, that Jesus wants to enter into and lift for you.  He wants you free so that you can experience the joy that He has to offer you in life.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Lord of true joy, I want to be free.  I want to experience the joy You have in store for me.  When the burdens of life weigh me down, help me to turn to You in my need.  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!”