SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Saturday - May 29, 2021

   Saturday - May 29, 2021

Most amiable Queen, I, a miserable sinner, also love thee, but I love thee too little. I desire to obtain a greater and more tender love for thee. Obtain this for me; because to love thee is a great sign of predestination and a grace which God does not grant except to those whom He will save ... If thou dost not assist me, I shall be lost. No. No one can be lost who recommends himself to thee. In thy hands, therefore, do I place my eternal salvation and to thee do I consign my soul, which was lost, but which thou wilt save by thy holy intercession.

 

-St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori

May 29, 2021

Saturday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 352

 

Reading 1                                                     Sir 51:12cd-20

 

I thank the LORD and I praise him;

    I bless the name of the LORD.

When I was young and innocent,

    I sought wisdom openly in my prayer

I prayed for her before the temple,

    and I will seek her until the end,

    and she flourished as a grape soon ripe.

My heart delighted in her,

My feet kept to the level path

    because from earliest youth I was familiar with her.

In the short time I paid heed,

    I met with great instruction.

Since in this way I have profited,

    I will give my teacher grateful praise.

I became resolutely devoted to her—

    the good I persistently strove for.

My soul was tormented in seeking her,

My hand opened her gate

    and I came to know her secrets.

I directed my soul to her,

    and in cleanness I attained to her.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              19:8, 9, 10, 11

 

R.     (9ab)  The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.

 

The law of the LORD is perfect,

    refreshing the soul.

The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,

    giving wisdom to the simple.

R.     The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.

The precepts of the LORD are right,

    rejoicing the heart.

The command of the LORD is clear,

    enlightening the eye.

R.    The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.

The fear of the LORD is pure,

    enduring forever;

The ordinances of the LORD are true,

    all of them just.

R.    The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.

They are more precious than gold,

    than a heap of purest gold;

Sweeter also than syrup

    or honey from the comb.

R.    The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.

 

Gospel Acclamation                                              Col 3:16a, 17c

Alleluia Alleluia

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly;

giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                                       Mk 11:27-33

Jesus and his disciples returned once more to Jerusalem.

As he was walking in the temple area,

the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders

approached him and said to him,

“By what authority are you doing these things?

Or who gave you this authority to do them?”

Jesus said to them, “I shall ask you one question.

Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin?  Answer me.”

They discussed this among themselves and said,

“If we say, ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say,

‘Then why did you not believe him?’

But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”–

they feared the crowd,

for they all thought John really was a prophet.

So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.”

Then Jesus said to them,

“Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

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HERE'S GOOD NEWS ABOUT THE UNCERTAINTIES OF OUR TIMES

One of the devil's biggest strategies in our times has been to infect the world with uncertainty. Not the uncertainty that's part of trusting the Lord, where we don't know for sure what he has planned and what the next step is to be on our journey. It's the uncertainty of what is right and what is wrong, what did Jesus say and what has it been twisted into, what is moral and what is immoral.

 

This is the very first infection that the Devil brought to the world of humanity. He asked Eve what God's command was, and he made her feel uncertain about it by twisting the truth and inserting a variation that sounded logical and legitimate.

 

We've all become alarmed at the growth of demonically induced uncertainty in society. The boundaries of what was allowed on television, for example, have been gradually pushed farther and farther out. The most blatant case in point is what's happened to the ideology of sex. On television in the 1950s, husbands and wives had separate beds because you didn't dare show on television what was, in real life, very private. By the 1990s, the TV viewers were exposed to very visual, lustful embraces and kissing and touching.

 

The same pushing away of boundaries has been happening in every area of life. Moral relativism has been expanding so much that it has reached its worst case scenario, its ultimate conclusion: There is no such thing as absolute truth. Whatever I feel like believing, that's my truth and you'd better accept it or else you're the bad guy.

 

What happens to those who have no relationship with Christ and who do not stand on the solid rock of the commandments of God? How insecure they must feel! While they think everything is "okay" because they believe it is, they are standing on quicksand. There is no certainty in life anymore that they can rely on. No certainty in the future of their marriages, no certainty in their health, no certainty in their livelihoods. A lack of certainty means a lack of security, and security is one of the most basic of human needs.

 

What this means is good news. No one can enjoy life very long without security and certainty. They will soon look around for solid rocks to stand on. We who have the Solid Rock must be ready to share with others how appealing it is to stand firmly on the truths of God. We must know and explain how wonderful it is to have the certainty of God's love, the certainty of God's commandments (which are protective boundaries), and the certainty of knowing that when we cross those boundaries we can repent and run back to him and be forgiven.

 

I don't think that moral relativism has reached the point yet where the uncertainty drives most people to look for solid rock. Almost but not quite yet. It looks to me like we're currently in a preparation time, which the Lord has provided. Now is the time that we who have the Solid Rock need to examine our lives and our beliefs and ask ourselves: "Where am I uncertain? Where do I see uncertainty in the culture of my Church? Where can I go to cure the uncertainty?"

 

If you are uncertain about God's undying love for you, root out the causes of that uncertainty and be healed. If you are uncertain about the teachings of the Church Magisterium, go and read the Catechism; read the encyclicals and apostolic letters of holy popes. If you are uncertain about whether Vatican Council II was legitimate (because there are voices in our Church who are claiming that it was not), go and read the Vatican II documents under the guidance of the Spirit of Truth.

 

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you bring to mind the various areas of uncertainty that you have. Then rely on Wisdom (like in Saturday's first reading) -- the Spirit of Truth -- to deliver you from those uncertainties and to reveal to you what is true and what is not true, what is moral and what is immoral, what are the teachings of the Church and what are misunderstandings about these teachings.

 

The only things that God wants you to be uncertain about are steps in faith that require you to trust him blindly. He makes everything else very clear.

 

Today's Prayer 

Oh Lord Father God, forgive us for being content with our powerlessness. Thank you for all the trials and darkness in our world today, for they are making us dissatisfied with the old status quo of sub-normal faith. Come forth, Holy Spirit! Come forth from us with Your power! Release Your glory! Super-charge our faith In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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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!”

SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Friday - May 28, 2021

  

Friday - May 28, 2021

Do you want certain salvation? Then have great devotion to the Virgin Mary... She will guarantee your salvation. She infallibly saves the one who honors her.

-St. Sharbel Makhlouf

May 28, 2021

Friday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 351

 

Reading 1                                                     Sir 44:1, 9-13

 

Now will I praise those godly men,

    our ancestors, each in his own time.

But of others there is no memory,

    for when they ceased, they ceased.

And they are as though they had not lived,

    they and their children after them.

Yet these also were godly men

    whose virtues have not been forgotten;

Their wealth remains in their families,

    their heritage with their descendants;

Through God’s covenant with them their family endures,

    their posterity, for their sake.

 

And for all time their progeny will endure,

    their glory will never be blotted out.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b

 

R.    (see 4a)  The Lord takes delight in his people.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

 

Sing to the LORD a new song

    of praise in the assembly of the faithful.

Let Israel be glad in their maker,

    let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.

R.    The Lord takes delight in his people.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Let them praise his name in the festive dance,

    let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.

For the LORD loves his people,

    and he adorns the lowly with victory.

R.    The Lord takes delight in his people.

or:

R.    Alleluia.  

Let the faithful exult in glory;

    let them sing for joy upon their couches;

Let the high praises of God be in their throats.

    This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.

R.    The Lord takes delight in his people.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

 

Gospel Acclamation                                              Jn 15:16

Alleluia Alleluia

I chose you from the world,

to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.

Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                                       Mk 11:11-26

Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple area.

He looked around at everything and, since it was already late,

went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

 

The next day as they were leaving Bethany he was hungry.

Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf,

he went over to see if he could find anything on it.

When he reached it he found nothing but leaves;

it was not the time for figs.

And he said to it in reply, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again!”

And his disciples heard it.

 

They came to Jerusalem,

and on entering the temple area

he began to drive out those selling and buying there.

He overturned the tables of the money changers

and the seats of those who were selling doves.

He did not permit anyone to carry anything through the temple area.

Then he taught them saying, “Is it not written:

 

    My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples?

    But you have made it a den of thieves.”

 

The chief priests and the scribes came to hear of it

and were seeking a way to put him to death,

yet they feared him

because the whole crowd was astonished at his teaching.

When evening came, they went out of the city.

 

Early in the morning, as they were walking along,

they saw the fig tree withered to its roots.

Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look!

The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”

Jesus said to them in reply, “Have faith in God.

Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,

‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’

and does not doubt in his heart

but believes that what he says will happen,

it shall be done for him.

Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer,

believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.

When you stand to pray,

forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance,

so that your heavenly Father may in turn

forgive you your transgressions.”

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Moving Mountains

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus curses the fig tree, and within 24 hours it withers up all the way down to its roots. Wouldn't it be great if we could do that to the weeds in our lawns! There's a burr-bearing bush in my backyard that I can't successfully curse even with potent chemicals. And yet, Jesus says that "if you are ready to believe that you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer, it shall be done for you."

 

So why are we such prayer-wimps? We do believe that God can answer our prayers, and we work hard to believe that he does want to answer our prayers, and sometimes we do muster up the courage to say: "I do believe I will receive what I ask for, I do believe, I do believe, I do believe."

 

But we don't. Not really.

 

Give yourself a system check. Is your belief system so intact that you have absolutely no anxiety, worry, fear, or doubt regarding each situation that you're covering in prayer? Neither is mine. Okay, so we're falling short of what Jesus told us: "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours." Can't God, whose power and love is infinite, make up for our lack of belief and answer our prayers regardless of how uncertain we feel?

 

Yes! And he does every day! It's the only reason our prayers have been answered at all. But it's not a lack of belief that causes doubt. It's a lack of love.

 

We cannot truly believe that God will answer our prayers if we don't fully believe in his loving concern for our needs and our desires. If what we ask for is holy, if what we pray for is healthy, and if it contributes to goodness in the world, then of course God's great love is both an immediate and ongoing response to our prayers. There is no reason why our prayers would fail -- no reason except our disbelief in God's love.

 

Disbelief in his love is evidenced by our unforgiveness toward others. It's no accident that Jesus instructs us to forgive others while explaining how to move mountains. What we sow is what we reap. If we don't forgive others, we rob ourselves of prayer power because unforgiveness divides us from God.

 

Unforgiveness means we say no to love. How can we command fig trees or move mountains if we disconnect ourselves from God's love?

 

Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of people you still need to forgive -- and don't forget to include yourself! Then choose to forgive them all, whether they deserve it or not. Forgiving them does not mean you approve of their hurtful behavior. Forgiveness frees up your love, which frees up your relationship with God, which frees up your prayer power.

 

Pray first for your enemies; then you'll really be moving mountains!

 

Today's Prayer

 

Lord, make my faith grow in a heart that's free from resentments, rooted in Your love. May my trust in You surpass all human logic.

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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!”

SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Thursday - May 27, 2021

  

Thursday - May 27, 2021

O admirable Mother of God! How many sins have I committed for which thou hast obtained pardon for me, and how many others would I have committed if thou hadst not preserved me? How often have I seen myself on the brink of Hell in obvious danger of falling into it but for thy most benign hand which saved me? How often would the Roaring Lion of Hell have devoured and swallowed up my soul had not the charity of thy heart opposed him? Alas! Without thee, my dearest and my all-good Mother, where should I be today? I should be in the fiery furnace of Hell from which I would never emerge!

 

-St. John Eudes

May 27, 2021

Thursday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 350

 

Reading 1                                                     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                                              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.

 

Gospel Acclamation                                              Jn 8:12

Alleluia Alleluia

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

whoever follows me will have the light of life.

Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                                       Mk 10:46-52

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.

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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.

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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!”