GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Thursday - June 01, 2023

  

Thursday - June 01, 2023

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

 

- St. Bernadette Soubirous

June 1, 2023

Memorial of Saint Justin, Martyr

Lectionary: 350

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    Sir 42:15-25

 

Now will I recall God’s works;

what I have seen, I will describe.

At God’s word were his works brought into being;

they do his will as he has ordained for them.

As the rising sun is clear to all,

so the glory of the LORD fills all his works;

Yet even God’s holy ones must fail

in recounting the wonders of the LORD,

Though God has given these, his hosts, the strength

to stand firm before his glory.

He plumbs the depths and penetrates the heart;

their innermost being he understands.

The Most High possesses all knowledge,

and sees from of old the things that are to come:

He makes known the past and the future,

and reveals the deepest secrets.

No understanding does he lack;

no single thing escapes him.

Perennial is his almighty wisdom;

he is from all eternity one and the same,

With nothing added, nothing taken away;

no need of a counselor for him!

How beautiful are all his works!

even to the spark and fleeting vision!

The universe lives and abides forever;

to meet each need, each creature is preserved.

All of them differ, one from another,

yet none of them has he made in vain,

For each in turn, as it comes, is good;

can one ever see enough of their splendor?

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              PS 33:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

 

R. (6a) By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.

 

Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;

with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.

Sing to him a new song;

pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.

R. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.

For upright is the word of the LORD

and all his works are trustworthy.

He loves justice and right;

of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.

R. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made;

by the breath of his mouth all their host.

He gathers the waters of the sea as in a flask;

in cellars he confines the deep.

R. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.

Let all the earth fear the LORD;

let all who dwell in the world revere him.

For he spoke, and it was made;

he commanded, and it stood forth.

R. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.

 

Alleluia         

 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;

whoever follows me will have the light of life.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                                       Lk 1:39-56

 

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,

Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,

sat by the roadside begging.

On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,

he began to cry out and say,

“Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”

And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.

But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.”

Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called the blind man, saying to him,

“Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”

He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.

Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?”

The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.”

Jesus told him, ‘Go your way; your faith has saved you.”

Immediately he received his sight

and followed him on the way.

 

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

Is it foolish to trust God?

Have you ever been ridiculed for how you pray or what you ask God to provide? The blind man in today’s Gospel story was scolded when he boldly called out to Jesus for help. Probably, he annoyed the heck out of the people around him. They thought he was foolish to draw so much attention to himself. They thought, “What a pity. Somebody shut him up!”

 

In those days, people assumed that physical ailments and deformities were a punishment from God. Bartimaeus asked for his eyes to be healed — how foolish! But his rebukers were the blind ones. They could not see the true nature of Jesus. They missed the loving compassion that he gave to everyone who sought his help.

 

Have you been called a fanatic for trusting in God’s help? Would you dare to make a public witness of calling out to Jesus? Undoubtedly, you’d seem quite foolish against the facts of “reality”. But God’s reality isn’t the world’s reality.

 

Often, the person who ridicules us the most is us. “Shhh, don’t look foolish,” we warn ourselves. “Remember that guy you snickered at because he made a fool of himself? I don’t want to be laughed at, too.”

 

Look at the blind man’s enthusiasm: After he received healing, he immediately followed Jesus up the road. How do you respond to a blessing that God has given to you? Most of us deliberately subdue our joy, afraid of what others might think. But if the blind man had been concerned about the opinions of those who scolded him, he would not have received his miracle.

 

Of course we should not draw people’s attention onto ourselves unnecessarily. We become sinfully foolish if we’re bold in order to give ourselves glory at the expense of distracting people away from Jesus. But if our enthusiasm can bring others to Jesus, then we’re sinning if we keep our faith private.

 

We have much to be enthusiastic about. Today’s first reading presents a list of works that God has done. What’s on your list? Surely you could write your own “scripture” of what God has done in your life and your reasons for being enthusiastic about following Christ.

 

Such a list could be a great tool for lifting up your spirit when you feel discouraged or disappointed. It can also be a great witness to those who are going through trials that are similar to yours.

 

What do you need from Jesus? You should be willing to do anything to get it. Often we lack what we need because we haven’t tried hard enough to find God’s help. We’re too easily defeated, content to be victims of our circumstances, because we might look foolish or because we’re afraid of failure if we trust God in big ways. Now, that attitude is foolish!

 

Today's Prayer

 

My Lord, give me the grace of being aware of what I need to pray for, and may no human reason intimidate me or distract me from turning to You. Amen.

 

 

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 : Wednesday - May 31, 2023

   

Wednesday - May 31, 2023

“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, 2023

Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Lectionary: 572

 

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         

 

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.

 

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

Being visited by Our Blessed Mother

Imagine what it might have been like for Elizabeth when Mary visited her, as told in today’s Gospel story. Have you been personally visited by Our Blessed Mother? I’m not talking about having visions or getting messages from her. Do you know what it’s like to have a personal relationship with her, in which you experience her motherly concern for you? Because God loves you and wants the best for you, through his power this is possible!

 

I grew up Protestant. Although I became Catholic in 1977, I couldn’t feel any personal connection to Mary. I listened to what others with more experience said about her, but it just didn’t seem real. I learned to pray the Rosary, but it was boring and less meaningful than my other methods of praying.

 

After a few years of trying and failing to understand how to experience Mary’s motherly involvement in my life, I gave up and told Jesus that if he wanted me to have a relationship with his mom, he’d have to introduce her to me. A few more years went by.

 

In 1990, I landed a job as a staff reporter for a Catholic newspaper. One day, I was invited to write about a Marian speaker named Wayne Weible while he toured my diocese. As I interviewed the man who had organized the event, he told me that Our Lady had personally selected me to cover this story. Wow! She picked me? This was not just a decision by my editor? What a thought!

 

I travelled with Mr. Weible from church to church for my article. I questioned him, I listened to him, I prayed with him. I watched people thank him for his words. Some of them gave him gifts, such as a crucifix and a picture of Mary. Each time, he turned and gave them to me and said, “Your mother wants you to have this.” Really? Mary was giving me gifts through these people?

 

I was not convinced. She continued to feel like a stranger. I knew about her, but she seemed long-dead and far away. That night before I went to sleep, I told Jesus again that if he wants me to have a relationship with his mother, he’d have to make it happen.

 

The next morning, I awoke feeling very different. Don’t ask me how it happened, but I now had a genuine understanding of who Mary is to me: that she loves me, knows me, cares about me, prays for me, prays with me, and works to accomplish much good for me. She has been dear to me ever since. She guided me into starting Good News Ministries even before I knew God’s plans for this.

 

Mary cares about you, too, and every person you know. From heaven, she mourns for those who reject her Son, and she laughs for joy with those who delight in the Lord. She is real. Her love for you is real. She very much wants to have an “Elizabeth experience” with each of us and to praise the Lord with us. She wants us to sing our own Magnificat with her. This is the basis of our relationship with her: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord …. “

 

Imagine the two of you making this a duet for the Father! “God who is mighty has done great things for us, and holy is his name!”

(Terry Modica, ex-Protestant)

Today's Prayer

 

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for giving us Your own Mother as an aid to our salvation. Praised be You, Holy Spirit, because Your full presence in Mary reaches us through her intercession. Amen.

 

 

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!”