SATURDAY - April 29, 2023
“I can have no other spouse, but Jesus Christ. I have considered myself content to live in poverty and misery for his love.”
~Kateri Tekakwitha
TODAY'S READINGS
Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 278
Reading I
Acts 9:31-42
The Church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria
was at peace.
She was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord,
and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit she grew in numbers.
As Peter was passing through every region,
he went down to the holy ones living in Lydda.
There he found a man named Aeneas,
who had been confined to bed for eight years, for he was paralyzed.
Peter said to him,
“Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed.”
He got up at once.
And all the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon saw him,
and they turned to the Lord.
Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha
(which translated is Dorcas).
She was completely occupied with good deeds and almsgiving.
Now during those days she fell sick and died,
so after washing her, they laid her out in a room upstairs.
Since Lydda was near Joppa,
the disciples, hearing that Peter was there,
sent two men to him with the request,
“Please come to us without delay.”
So Peter got up and went with them.
When he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs
where all the widows came to him weeping
and showing him the tunics and cloaks
that Dorcas had made while she was with them.
Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed.
Then he turned to her body and said, “Tabitha, rise up.”
She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up.
He gave her his hand and raised her up,
and when he had called the holy ones and the widows,
he presented her alive.
This became known all over Joppa,
and many came to believe in the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm 116:12-13, 14-15, 16-17
R. (12) How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD
R. How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
R. How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?
O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life.
R. Alleluia
Gospel Jn 6:60-69
Many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening said,
“This saying is hard; who can accept it?”
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this,
he said to them, “Does this shock you?
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail.
The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.
But there are some of you who do not believe.”
Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe
and the one who would betray him.
And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me
unless it is granted him by my Father.”
As a result of this,
many of his disciples returned to their former way of life
and no longer walked with him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe
and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
**********************************
Hope for Our Lost Loved Ones
Which relationships need to be resurrected? Who has been running away from you because they are running away from Jesus?
I think all faith-filled Catholics have loved ones who’ve left the Faith. When we follow Christ, if we go far enough to be noticeably Christian in today’s darkened world, we lose people who are dear to us.
The good news is: Jesus gave us his Holy Spirit so that we can rise above the bad news and know how and when to demonstrate the power of God so that others are converted by it. When enough of us are activated by the Holy Spirit, together we are a mighty army victoriously defeating evil. And thus, the Holy Spirit changes the world.
The challenging news is: The Holy Spirit changes the world through us — through people who are empowered by a personal relationship with the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. Are you ready to be available for this?
Pray whole-heartedly: “Yes, I will let the Holy Spirit change the world through me!” And: “Come Holy Spirit, You have my permission to change me so that Christ can work more effectively through me!”
Liturgically, we’re in the time of year when the readings of Mass make it very clear what normal Christian living is supposed to look like. Let’s take it seriously — because Satan does not want us to. For example, in this Saturday’s reading from the Book of Acts, Peter raises Dorcas from the dead. End result: Many came to believe in the Lord. Do we think that God no longer wants to demonstrate his power this way? Do we think we can evangelize today’s world without supernatural evidence that God is real?
I believe that Satan’s #1 strategy in today’s world is the disempowering of Christians so that many do not come to believe in the Lord. He accomplishes this by convincing us Christians that the only thing Jesus asks of us is to be nice. Forget raising people from the dead! It won’t work. So just be nice.
We — individually and as a Church — need to repent of this lie. We need to pray daily: “Lord, I do believe; help my unbelief!” We need to ask for the full anointing of the Holy Spirit: “Come, Holy Spirit, and renew the face of the Earth!” And keep asking until it changes us.
Faith is contagious. Until we — the body of Christ on Earth, as a community of believers — are fully activated in the Holy Spirit like the first Christians were, we cannot expect (or even hope for) the massive conversion of unbelievers like the first Christians saw. By surrounding ourselves with Spirit-filled people, we grow in faith. And this leads to the conversion of others.
Today's Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, help me totally trust and fully believe that in the Eucharist I have a personal, intimate, and transforming encounter with You. Amen.
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
No comments:
Post a Comment