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Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 05-14-12, feast, St. Matthias, Apostle
USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 05-14-12 | Revised New American Bible

Posted on 05/13/2012 10:07:48 PM PDT by Salvation

May 14, 2012

 

Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle

 

Reading 1 Acts 1:15-17, 20-26

Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and sisters
(there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons
in the one place).
He said, "My brothers and sisters,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand
through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,
who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.
Judas was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry.
For it is written in the Book of Psalms:

Let his encampment become desolate,
and may no one dwell in it.
and:
May another take his office.

Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men
who accompanied us the whole time
the Lord Jesus came and went among us,
beginning from the baptism of John
until the day on which he was taken up from us,
become with us a witness to his resurrection."
So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas,
who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
Then they prayed,
"You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place."
Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias,
and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

R. (8) The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high
and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor
To seat them with princes,
with the princes of his own people.
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel Jn 15:9-17

Jesus said to his disciples:
"As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father's commandments
and remain in his love.

"I have told you this so that my joy might be in you
and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one's life for one's friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another."


TOPICS: Catholic; General Discusssion; Prayer; Worship
KEYWORDS: catholic; easter; prayer; saints
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Vespers

INTRODUCTION


God, + come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

HYMN

The Apostles’ hearts were full of pain
For their dear Lord so lately slain:
That Lord his servants’ wicked train
With bitter scorn had dared arraign.

With gentle voice the Angel gave
The women tidings at the grave;
“Forthwith your Master shall ye see:
He goes before to Galilee.”

And while with fear and joy they pressed
To tell these tidings to the rest,
Their Lord, their living Lord, they meet,
And see his form, and kiss his feet.

The Eleven, when they hear, with speed
To Galilee forthwith proceed:
That there they may behold once more
The Lord’s dear face, as oft before.

Tune: Grenoble L.M.
Music: Grenoble Antiphoner, 1753
Text: Aurora lucis rutilat, verses 5-8, attributed to Saint Ambrose of Milan (340-397)
Translation: John Mason Neale, 1818-1866

Or:

Tristes erant apostoli
De nece sui Domini,
Quem poena mortis crudeli
Servi damnarant impii

Sermone blando angelus
Praedixit mulieribus,
“In Galilaea Dominus
Videndus est quantocius.”

Illae dum pergunt concite
Apostolis hoc dicere,
Videntes eum vivere
Osculant pedes Domini.

Quo agnito discipuli
In Galilaeam propere
Pergunt videre faciem
Desideratam Domini.

Tune: Grenoble L.M.
Music: Grenoble Antiphoner, 1753
Text: Aurora lucis rutilat, verses 5-8, attributed to Saint Ambrose of Milan (340-397)

PSALMODY


Ant. 1 You are the men who have stood by me in my time of trial, alleluia.

Psalm 116:10-19
Thanksgiving in the Temple

Through Christ let us offer God a continual sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15).

I trusted, even when I said: *
“I am sorely afflicted,”
and when I said in my alarm: *
“No man can be trusted.”

How can I repay the Lord *
for his goodness to me?
The cup of salvation I will raise; *
I will call on the Lord’s name.

My vows to the Lord I will fulfill *
before all his people.
O precious in the eyes of the Lord *
is the death of his faithful.

Your servant, Lord, your servant am I; *
you have loosened my bonds.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make: *
I will call on the Lord’s name.

My vows to the Lord I will fulfill *
before all his people,
in the courts of the house of the Lord, *
in your midst, O Jerusalem.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen

Psalm Prayer

Father, precious in your sight is the death of the saints, but precious above all is the love with which Christ suffered to redeem us. In this life we fill up in our own flesh what is still lacking in the sufferings of Christ; accept this as our sacrifice of praise, and we shall even now taste the joy of the new Jerusalem.

Ant. You are the men who have stood by me in my time of trial, alleluia.

Ant. 2 I have lived among you as one who ministers to others, alleluia.

Psalm 126
Joyful hope in God

Just as you share in sufferings, so you will share in the divine glory (2 Corinthians 1:7).

When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage, *
it seemed like a dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter, *
on our lips there were songs.

The heathens themselves said: “What marvels *
the Lord worked for them!”
What marvels the Lord worked for us! *
Indeed we were glad.

Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage *
as streams in dry land.
Those who are sowing in tears *
will sing when they reap.

They go out, they go out, full of tears, *
carrying seed for the sowing:
they come back, they come back, full of song, *
carrying their sheaves.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm Prayer

Lord, you have raised us from the earth; may you let the seeds of justice, which we have sown in tears, grow and increase in your sight. May we reap in joy the harvest we hope for patiently.

Ant. I have lived among you as one who ministers to others, alleluia.

Ant. 3 I no longer call you servants, but my friends, for I have shared with you everything I have heard from my Father, alleluia.

Canticle: Ephesians 1:3-10
God our Savior


Praised be the God and Father *
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has bestowed on us in Christ *
every spiritual blessing in the heavens.

God chose us in him *
before the world began
to be holy *
and blameless in his sight.

He predestined us *
to be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ,
such was his will and pleasure,
that all might praise the glorious favor *
he has bestowed on us in his beloved.

In him and through his blood, we have been redeemed, *
and our sins forgiven,
so immeasurably generous *
is God’s favor to us.

God has given us the wisdom *
to understand fully the mystery,
the plan he was pleased *
to decree in Christ.

A plan to be carried out *
in Christ, in the fulness of time,
to bring all things into one in him, *
in the heavens and on earth.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. I no longer call you servants, but my friends, for I have shared with you everything I have heard from my Father, alleluia.

READING

Ephesians 4:11-13

Christ gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers in roles of service for the faithful to build up the body of Christ, till we become one in faith and in the knowdge of God’s Son, and form that perfect man who is Christ come to full stature.

RESPONSORY

Tell all the nations how glorious God is, alleluia, alleluia.
Tell all the nations how glorious God is, alleluia, alleluia.

Make known his wonders to every people,
alleluia, alleluia.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Tell all the nations how glorious God is, alleluia, alleluia.

CANTICLE OF MARY


Ant. You have not chosen me but I have chosen you and have appointed you to go forth and bear fruit, and your fruit will remain, alleluia.

Luke 1:46-55
The soul rejoices in the Lord

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.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. You have not chosen me but I have chosen you and have appointed you to go forth and bear fruit, and your fruit will remain, alleluia.

INTERCESSIONS


My brothers and sisters, we build on the foundation of the apostles. Let us pray to our almighty Father for his holy people and say:
Be mindful of your Church, O Lord.

Father, you wanted your Son to be seen first by the apostles after the resurrection from the dead,
we ask you to make us his witnesses to the farthest corners of the world.
Be mindful of your Church, O Lord.

You sent your Son to preach your good news to the poor,
help us to preach this Gospel to every creature.
Be mindful of your Church, O Lord.

You sent your Son to sow the seed of unending life,
grant that we who work at sowing the seed may share the joy of the harvest.
Be mindful of your Church, O Lord.

You sent your Son to reconcile all to you through his blood,
help us all to work toward achieving this reconciliation.
Be mindful of your Church, O Lord.

Your Son sits at your right hand in heaven,
let the dead enter your kingdom of joy.
Be mindful of your Church, O Lord.

THE LORD’S PRAYER


(Gathering our prayer and praises into one, let us offer the prayer Christ himself taught us:)

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

CONCLUDING PRAYER


Father,
you called Saint Matthias to share in the mission of the apostles.
By the help of his prayers
may we receive with joy the love you share with us
and be counted among those you have chosen.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Or:

O God, who assigned Saint Matthias
a place in the college of Apostles,
grant us, through his intercession,
that, rejoicing at how your love has been alloted to us,
we may merit to be numbered among the elect.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

DISMISSAL


May the Lord + bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
21 posted on 05/14/2012 1:44:13 AM PDT by markomalley (Nothing emboldens the wicked so greatly as the lack of courage on the part of the good-Pope Leo XIII)
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Compline

INTRODUCTION


God, + come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

Examination of Conscience

A brief examination of conscience may be made. In the communal celebration of the Office, a Penitential Rite using the formulas of the Mass may be inserted here.

[I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,

And, striking their breast, they say:

through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;

Then they continue:

therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.

The absolution by the Priest follows:

May almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.]

HYMN

At the Lamb’s high feast we sing
Praise to our victorious King,
Who has washed us in the tide
Flowing from his wounded side;
Praise the Lord, whose love divine
Gives his sacred blood for wine,
Gives his body for the feast,
Christ the victim, Christ the priest.

Where the Paschal blood is poured,
Death’s dark angel sheathes his sword;
Israel’s host in triumph go
Through the waves that drown the foe.
Christ the Lamb whose blood was shed,
Paschal victim, Paschal bread;
Let us with a fervent love
Taste the manna from above.

Mighty Victim from on high,
Pow’rs of hell now vanquished lie;
Sin is conquered in the fight:
You have brought us life and light;
Your resplendent banners wave,
You have risen from the grave;
Christ has opened Paradise,
And in him all men shall rise.

Easter triumph, Easter joy,
Sin alone can this destroy;
Souls form sin and death set free
Glory in their liberty.
Hymns of glory, hymns of praise
Father unto you we raise;
Risen Lord, for joy we sing;
Let our hymns through heaven ring.

Tune: Salzburg 77.77 D
Music: Jacob Hintze, 1622-1702
Text: Ad regias Agni dapes
Translation: Robert Campbell, 1814-1868, adapted by Geoffrey Laycock

Or:

God who made the earth and heaven,
    Darkness and light;
You the day for work have giv’n
    For rest the night.
May your angel guards defend us,
Slumber sweet your mercy send us,
Holy dreams and hope attend us,
    All through the night.

And when morn again shall call us
    To run life’s way,
May we still whate’er befall us,
    Your will obey.
From the pow’r of evil hide us,
In the narrow pathway guide us,
Never be your smile denied us
    All through the day.

Guard us waking, guard us sleeping,
    And, when we die,
May we in your mighty keeping
    All peaceful lie.
When the last dread call shall wake us,
Then O Lord, do not forsake us,
But to reign in glory take us
  With you on high.

Melody: Ar Hyd Y Nos 84.84.88.84
Music: Welsh Carol
Text: st 1 Reginald Heber, 1783-1826; st. 2 William Mercer, 1811-1876; st. 3 Richard Whately, 1787-1863

PSALMODY

Ant. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Psalm 86
Poor man’s prayer in trouble

Blessed be God who comforts us in all our trials (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4).

Turn your ear, O Lord, and give answer *
for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am faithful: *
save the servant who trusts in you.

You are my God; have mercy on me, Lord, *
for I cry to you all day long.
Give joy to your servant, O Lord, *
for to you I lift up my soul.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving, *
full of love to all who call.
Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer *
and attend to the sound of my voice.

In the day of distress I will call *
and surely you will reply.
Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; *
nor work to compare with yours.

All the nations shall come to adore you *
and glorify your name, O Lord:
for you are great and do marvelous deeds, *
you who alone are God.

Show me, Lord, your way
so that I may walk in your truth. *
Guide my heart to fear your name.

I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart *
and glorify your name for ever;
for your love to me has been great: *
you have saved me from the depths of the grave.

The proud have risen against me;
ruthless men seek my life: *
to you they pay no heed.

But you, God of mercy and compassion, *
slow to anger, O Lord,
abounding in love and truth, *
turn and take pity on me.

O give your strength to your servant *
and save your handmaid’s son.
Show me the sign of your favor
that my foes may see to their shame *
that you console me and give me your help.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

READING
1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

God has destined us for acquiring salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us, that all of us, whether awake or asleep, together might live with him.

RESPONSORY

Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit, alleluia, alleluia.
Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit, alleluia, alleluia.

You have redeemed us, Lord God of truth.
Alleluia, alleluia.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit, alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL CANTICLE


Ant. Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace, alleluia.

Luke 2:29-32
Christ is the light of the nations and the glory of Israel


Lord, + now you let your servant go in peace; *
your word has been fulfilled:

my own eyes have seen the salvation *
which you have prepared in the sight of every people:

a light to reveal you to the nations *
and the glory of your people Israel.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace, alleluia.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Let us pray.

Lord,
give our bodies restful sleep
and let the work we have done today
bear fruit in eternal life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

BLESSING


May the all-powerful Lord
grant us a restful night
and a peaceful death.
Amen.

Antiphon or song in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
The Son whom you merited to bear, alleluia,
has risen as he said, alleluia.
Pray for us to God, alleluia.

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia!
For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia!

Or:

Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia,
quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia,
resurrexit sicut dixit, alleluia;
ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.

Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, alleluia.
Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.

Or:

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy,
our life, our sweetness, and our hope.
To you do we cry,
poor banished children of Eve.
To you do we send up our sighs
mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
your eyes of mercy toward us,
and after this exile
show us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving,
O sweet Virgin Mary.

Or:

Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with you!
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.

Or:

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;
 vita, dulcedo et spes nostra, salve,
Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae.
Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
 in hac lacrimarum valle.

Eia ergo, advocata nostra,
 illos tuos misericordes occulos
 ad nos converte.
Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
 nobis post hoc exilium ostende.
O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo Maria.

Or:

Loving mother of the Redeemer,
gate of heaven, star of the sea,
assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again.
To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator,
yet remained a virgin after as before.
You who received Gabriel’s joyful greeting,
have pity on us poor sinners.

22 posted on 05/14/2012 1:44:20 AM PDT by markomalley (Nothing emboldens the wicked so greatly as the lack of courage on the part of the good-Pope Leo XIII)
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To: All
Saint Matthias, Apostle

Saint Matthias, Apostle
Feast Day
May 14th 

Maestà (detail)
Duccio di Buoninsegna
1308-11
Tempera on wood
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena

History:

The Greek Matthias (or, in some manuscripts, Maththias), is a name derived from Mattathias, Heb. Mattithiah, signifying "gift of Yahweh." Matthias was one of the seventy disciples of Jesus, and had been with Him from His baptism by John to the Ascension (Acts 1:21, 22). It is related (Acts 1:15-26) that in the days following the Ascension, Peter proposed to the assembled brethren, who numbered one hundred and twenty, that they choose one to fill the place of the traitor Judas in the Apostolate. Two disciples, Joseph, called Barsabas, and Matthias were selected, and lots were drawn, with the result in favour of Matthias, who thus became associated with the eleven Apostles. Zeller has declared this narrative unhistoric, on the plea that the Apostles were in Galilee after the death of Jesus. As a matter of fact they did return to Galilee, but the Acts of the Apostles clearly state that about the feast of Pentecost they went back to Jerusalem.

(Principal source - Catholic Encyclopedia - 1913 edition)
 


Collect:
O God, who assigned Saint Matthias
a place in the college of Apostles,
grant us, through his intercession,
that, reoicing at how your love has been allotted to us,
we may merit to be numbered among the elect.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.

First Reading: Acts of the Apostles 1:15-17, 20-26
In those days Peter stood up among the brethen (the company of persons was in all about a hundred and twenty), and said, "Brethen, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David, concerning Judas who was guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us, and was allotted his share in this ministry.

For it is written in the book of Psalms, 'Let his habitation become desolate, and let there be no one to live in it'; and 'his office let another take.'

So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when He was taken up from us -- one of these men must become with us a witness to His resurrection." And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, "Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which one of these two thou hast chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside, to go to his own place." And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthais; and he was enrolled with the eleven apostles.

Gospel Reading: John 15: 9-17
As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give it to you. This I command you, to love one another."


23 posted on 05/14/2012 7:52:12 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Judas and Matthias - The betrayer and his replacement [Pope Benedict XVI]
SAINT MATTHIAS, APOSTLE. Feast: May 14
On Judas Iscariot and Matthias - Never Despair of God's Mercy
St Matthias
24 posted on 05/14/2012 7:55:07 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All


Information:
St. Matthias
Feast Day: May 14
Died: Colchis in 80
Patron of: alcoholism; carpenters; Gary, Indiana; Great Falls-Billings, Montana; smallpox; tailors



25 posted on 05/14/2012 8:01:47 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Matthias

Feast Day: May 14
Born: (around the time of Jesus) :: Died: 80 A.D

St. Matthias had been a follower of Jesus and was one of his seventy-two disciples. After the Lord's Resurrection, St. Peter asked the 120 people gathered in prayer to choose an apostle to replace Judas. This was very important because that man would be a bishop, as the other apostles were.

He said it should be someone who had been with Jesus from his baptism in the Jordan until the resurrection. The first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles explains that the group proposed two names. One was Matthias, the other, Joseph, called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus).

Both men were very good but they only needed one. So they prayed and asked God to reveal to them who the chosen one was. Then they cast lots and Matthias' name was chosen.

St. Matthias was a very good apostle. He preached the Good News in Judea. Then he went to Cappadocia (modern-day Turkey), Egypt and Ethiopia. Many people listened to Matthias and believed his wonderful message. The enemies of Jesus grew furious to see how people listened to Matthias. They decided to stop him and stoned him to death in Colchis. Matthias died a martyr for his faith in Jesus.

Reflection: We can ask St. Matthias to help us "announce to the world that Jesus of Nazareth is truly risen."


26 posted on 05/14/2012 8:04:53 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
 
Catholic
Almanac:

Monday, May 14

Liturgical Color: Red


Today is the Feast of St. Mathias, Apostle. He was chosen by the other Apostles to replace Judas. St. Mathias had been a follower of Jesus through His entire public ministry. Like most of the Apostles, St. Mathias suffered a martyr's death.


27 posted on 05/14/2012 4:10:20 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: May 14, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who assigned Saint Matthias a place in the college of Apostles, grant us, through his intercession, that, rejoicing at how your love has been allotted to us, we may merit to be numbered among the elect. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Easter: May 14th

Feast of St. Matthias, apostle and martyr

Old Calendar: St. Boniface, martyr

After the Ascension of Jesus, St. Peter proposed to the assembled faithful that they choose a disciple of Christ to fill the place of the traitor Judas in the first missionary band. Lots were drawn, with the result in favor of Matthias. According to one ancient tradition, this missioner labored in Ethiopia and was martyred there. Thus did St. Matthias receive "the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him." The Church venerates St. Matthias on an equal footing with the other Apostles, whose voices resound throughout the world, from generation to generation, giving testimony of what they saw and heard in their life with our Lord. His name is mentioned in the Canon of the Mass.

According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, St. Matthias' feast was celebrated on February 24 or 25. Today is the commemoration of St. Boniface who after a stormy youth, was converted to the Catholic faith, suffered numerous tortures, and was beheaded in 307.


St. Matthias
Mathias was one of the first to follow our Savior; and he was an eye-witness of all His divine actions up to the very day of the Ascension. He was one of the seventy-two disciples; but our Lord had not conferred upon him the dignity of an apostle. And yet, he was to have this great glory, for it was of him that David spoke, when he prophesied that another should take the bishopric left vacant by the apostasy of Judas the traitor. In the interval between Jesus' Ascension and the descent of the Holy Ghost, the apostolic college had to complete the mystic number fixed by our Lord Himself, so that there might be the twelve on that solemn day, when the Church, filled with the Holy Ghost, was to manifest herself to the Synagogue. The lot fell on Mathias; he shared with his brother-apostles the persecution in Jerusalem, and, when the time came for the ambassadors of Christ to separate, he set out for the countries allotted to him. Tradition tells us that these were Cappadocia and the provinces bordering on the Caspian Sea.

The virtues, labor, and sufferings of St. Mathias have not been handed down to us: this explains the lack of proper lessons on his life, such as we have for the feasts of the rest of the apostles. Clement of Alexandria records in his writings several sayings of our holy apostle. One of these is so very appropriate to the spirit of the present season, that we consider it a duty to quote it. 'It behooves us to combat the flesh, and make use of it, without pampering it by unlawful gratifications. As to the soul, we must develop her power by faith and knowledge.' How profound is the teaching contained in these few words! Sin has deranged the order which the Creator had established. It gave the outward man such a tendency to grovel in things which degrade him, that the only means left us for the restoration of the image and likeness of God unto which we were created, is the forcible subjection of the body to the spirit. But the spirit itself, that is, the soul, was also impaired by original sin, and her inclinations were made prone to evil; what is to be her protection? Faith and knowledge. Faith humbles her, and then exalts and rewards her; and the reward is knowledge.

— Excerpted from The Liturgical Year, Abbot Gueranger O.S.B.

Symbols: Halbert; lance; carpenter's square; sword held by its point; axe; saw; scroll; scimitar and book; stone; battle axe; two stones; long cross; hatchet.

Patron: Alcoholism; carpenters; reformed alcoholics; smallpox; tailors; diocese of Gary; Indiana; diocese of Great Falls-Billings, Montana;

Things to Do:


St. Boniface
According to certain very unreliable "Acts", Boniface was a Roman citizen who for a time lived in sinful union with a noble woman named Aglae. Upon his conversion he determined to do penance by seeking the remains of martyrs and giving them honorable burial. At Tarsus he found many confessors about to be martyred for professing the faith; he kissed their chains and encouraged them to bear their sufferings courageously, assuring them that everlasting rest would follow a brief struggle. Finally he himself was taken captive, his body mangled with iron hooks, and boiling lead poured into his mouth. In spite of excruciating pain only one cry came from the lips of Boniface: "I thank You, Christ Jesus, Son of God!"

When Aglae, who in the meantime had likewise repented and was devoting herself to acts of virtue, was informed by an angel of the martyr's death, she hastened to inter the sacred remains in a church erected to his honor. His martyrdom took place on May 14 in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, during the reign of the Emperors Diocletian and Maximian.

As a penance for his sins, Boniface sought out the remains of martyrs and provided honorable burial. Such an act of penance today would appear strange, even though motivated by love and contrition. And yet it was an act wholly pleasing to the Lord. This penitent became a martyr himself, and suffered the most excruciating torments during which he continuously repeated: "I thank You, Christ Jesus, Son of God!"

— Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patron: Bachelors; converts.


28 posted on 05/14/2012 4:20:00 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
John
  English: Douay-Rheims Latin: Vulgata Clementina Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
  John 15
9 As the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love. Sicut dilexit me Pater, et ego dilexi vos. Manete in dilectione mea. καθως ηγαπησεν με ο πατηρ καγω ηγαπησα υμας μεινατε εν τη αγαπη τη εμη
10 If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; as I also have kept my Father's commandments, and do abide in his love. Si præcepta mea servaveritis, manebitis in dilectione mea, sicut et ego Patris mei præcepta servavi, et maneo in ejus dilectione. εαν τας εντολας μου τηρησητε μενειτε εν τη αγαπη μου καθως εγω τας εντολας του πατρος μου τετηρηκα και μενω αυτου εν τη αγαπη
11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be filled. Hæc locutus sum vobis : ut gaudium meum in vobis sit, et gaudium vestrum impleatur. ταυτα λελαληκα υμιν ινα η χαρα η εμη εν υμιν μεινη και η χαρα υμων πληρωθη
12 This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you. Hoc est præceptum meum, ut diligatis invicem, sicut dilexi vos. αυτη εστιν η εντολη η εμη ινα αγαπατε αλληλους καθως ηγαπησα υμας
13 Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Majorem hac dilectionem nemo habet, ut animam suam ponat qui pro amicis suis. μειζονα ταυτης αγαπην ουδεις εχει ινα τις την ψυχην αυτου θη υπερ των φιλων αυτου
14 You are my friends, if you do the things that I command you. Vos amici mei estis, si feceritis quæ ego præcipio vobis. υμεις φιλοι μου εστε εαν ποιητε οσα εγω εντελλομαι υμιν
15 I will not now call you servants: for the servant knoweth not what his lord doth. But I have called you friends: because all things whatsoever I have heard of my Father, I have made known to you. Jam non dicam vos servos : quia servus nescit quid faciat dominus ejus. Vos autem dixi amicos : quia omnia quæcumque audivi a Patre meo, nota feci vobis. ουκετι υμας λεγω δουλους οτι ο δουλος ουκ οιδεν τι ποιει αυτου ο κυριος υμας δε ειρηκα φιλους οτι παντα α ηκουσα παρα του πατρος μου εγνωρισα υμιν
16 You have not chosen me: but I have chosen you; and have appointed you, that you should go, and should bring forth fruit; and your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. Non vos me elegistis, sed ego elegi vos, et posui vos ut eatis, et fructum afferatis, et fructus vester maneat : ut quodcumque petieritis Patrem in nomine meo, det vobis. ουχ υμεις με εξελεξασθε αλλ εγω εξελεξαμην υμας και εθηκα υμας ινα υμεις υπαγητε και καρπον φερητε και ο καρπος υμων μενη ινα ο τι αν αιτησητε τον πατερα εν τω ονοματι μου δω υμιν
17 These things I command you, that you love one another. Hæc mando vobis : ut diligatis invicem. ταυτα εντελλομαι υμιν ινα αγαπατε αλληλους

29 posted on 05/14/2012 5:42:26 PM PDT by annalex (http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.php)
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To: annalex
9. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you: continue in my love.
10. If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love--even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
11. These things have I spoken to you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

AUG. Made bright or glorified; the Greek word may be translated in either way. In Greek it signifies glory; not our own glory, we must remember, as if we had it of ourselves: it is of His grace that we have it; and therefore it is not our own but His glory. For from whom shall we derive our fruitfulness, but from His mercy preventing us.

Wherefore He adds, As My Father has loved Me, even so love I you. This then is the source of our good works. Our good works proceed from faith which works by love: but we could not love unless we were loved first: As My Father has loved Me, even so love I you. This does not prove that our nature is equal to His, as His is to the Father's, but the grace, whereby He is the Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. The Father loves us, but in Him.

CHRYS. If then I love you, be of good cheer; if it is the Father's glory that you bring forth good fruit, bear no evil. Then to rouse them to exertion, He adds, Continue you in My love; and then shows how this is to be done: If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love.

AUG. Who doubts that love precedes the observance of the commandments? For who loves not, has not that whereby to keep the commandments. These words then do not declare whence love arises, but how it is shown, that no one might deceive himself into thinking that he loved our Lord, when he did not keep His commandments. Though the words, Continue you in My love, do not of themselves make it evident which love He means, ours to Him, or His to us, yet the preceding words do: I love you, He says: and then immediately after, Continue you in My love.

Continue you in My love, then, is, continue in My grace; and, If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love, is, Your keeping of My commandments will be evidence to you that you abide in My love. It is not that we keep His commandments first, and that then He loves; but that He loves us, and then we keep His commandments. This is that grace, which is revealed to the humble, but hidden from the proud. But what means the next words, Even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love: i.e., the Father's love, wherewith He loves the Son.

Must this grace, wherewith the Father loves the Son, be understood to be like the grace wherewith the Son loves us? No; for whereas we are sons not by nature, but by grace, the Only Begotten is Son not by grace, but by nature. We must understand this then to refer to the manhood in the Son, even as the words themselves imply: As My Father has loved Me, even so love I you.

The grace of a Mediator is expressed here; and Christ is Mediator between God and man, not as God, but as man. This then we may say, that since human nature does not pertain to the nature of God, but does by grace pertain to the Person of the Son, grace also pertains to that Person: such grace as has nothing superior, nothing equal to it. For no merits on man's part preceded the assumption of that nature.

ALCUIN. Even as 1 have kept My Father's commandments. The Apostle explains what these commandments were: Christ became obedient to death, even the death of the cross (Phil 2:8).

CHRYS. Then because the Passion was now approaching to interrupt their joy, He adds, These things have I spoken to you, that my joy may remain in you: as if He said, And if sorrow fall upon you, I will take it away, so that you shall rejoice in the end.

AUG. And what is Christ's joy in us, but that He deigns to rejoice on our account? And what is our joy, which He says shall be full, but to have fellowship with Him? He had perfect joy on our account, when He rejoiced in foreknowing, and predestinating us; but that joy was not in us, because then we did not exist: it began to be in us, when He called us. And this joy we rightly call our own, this joy wherewith we shall be blessed; which is begun in the faith of them who are born again, and shall be fulfilled in the reward of them who rise again.

12. This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.
13. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14. You are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you.
15. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knows not what his Lord does; but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known to you.
16. You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you.

THEOPHYL. Having said, If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love, He shows what commandments they are to keep: This is My commandment, That you love one another.

GREG. But when all our Lord's sacred discourses are full of His commandments, why does He give this special commandment respecting love, if it is not that every commandment teaches love, and all precepts are one? Love and love only is the fulfillment of every thing that is enjoined. As all the boughs of a tree proceed from one root, so all the virtues are produced form one love: nor has the branch, i.e. the good work, any life, except it abide in the root of love.

AUG. Where then love is, what can be wanting? Where it is not, what can profit? But this love is distinguished from men's love to each other as men, by adding, As I have loved you. To what end did Christ love us, but that we should reign with Him? Let us therefore so love one another, as that our love be different from that of other men; who do not love one another, to the end that God may be loved, because they do not really love at all. They who love one another for the sake of having God within them, they truly love one another.

GREG. The highest, the only proof of love, is to love our adversary; as did the Truth Himself, who while He suffered on the cross, showed His love for His persecutors: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34). Of which love the consummation is given in the next words:

Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Our Lord came to die for His enemies, but He says that He is going to lay down His life for His friends, to show us that by loving, we are able to gain over our enemies, so that they who persecute us are by anticipation our friends.

AUG. Having said, This is My commandment: that you love one another, even as I have loved you (1 Jn 3); it follows, as John said in his Epistle, that as Christ laid down His life for us, so we should lay down our lives for the brethren. This the martyrs have done with ardent love And therefore in commemorating them at Christ's table, we do not pray for them, as we do for others, but we rather pray that we may follow their steps. For they have shown the same love for their brother, that has been shown them at the Lord's table.

GREG. But whoever in time of tranquillity will not give up his time to God, how in persecution will he give up his soul? Let the virtue of love then, that it may be victorious in tribulation, be nourished in tranquillity by deeds of mercy.

AUG From one and the same love, we love God and our neighbor, but God for His own sake, our neighbor for God's. So that, there being two precepts of love, on which hang all the Law and the Prophets, to love God, and to love our neighbor, Scripture often unites them into one precept. For if a man love God, it follows s that he does what God commands, and if so, that he loves his neighbor, God having commanded this. Wherefore He proceeds: You are My friends, if you do whatsoever I command you.

GREG. A friend is as it were a keeper of the soul. He who keeps God's commandments, is rightly called His friend.

AUG. Great condescension! Though to keep his Lord's commandments is only what a good servant is obliged to do, yet, if they do so, He calls them His friends. The good servant is both the servant and the friend. But how is this? He tells us: Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knows not what his Lord does. Shall we therefore cease to be servants, as soon as ever we are good servants? And is not a good and tried servant sometimes entrusted with his master's secrets, still remaining a servant? We must understand then that there are two kinds of servitude, as there are two kinds of fear. There is a fear which perfect love casts out; which also has in it a servitude, which will be cast out together with the fear. And there is another, a pure fear, which remains forever.

It is the former state of servitude, which our Lord refers to, when He says, Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knows not what his Lord does; not the state of that servant to whom it is said, Well done, you good servant, enter you into the joy of your Lord (Matt 25:21), but of him of whom it was said below, The servant abides not in the house for ever, but the Son abides ever. Forasmuch then as God has given us power to become the sons of God, so that in a wonderful way, we are servants, and yet not servants, we know that it is the Lord who does this. This that servant is ignorant of, who knows not what his Lord does, and when he does any good thing, is exalted in his own conceit, as if he himself did it, and not his Lord; and boasts of himself, not of his Lord.

But I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard of My Father, I have made known to you.

THEOPHYL. As if He said, The servant knows not the counsels of his lord; but since I esteem you friends, I have communicated my secrets to you.

AUG. But how did He make known to His disciples all things that He had heard from the Father, when He forebore saying many things, because He knew they as yet could not bear them? He made all things known to His disciples, i.e., He knew that He should make them known to them in that fullness of which the Apostle said, Then we shall know, even as we are known (1 Cor 13:12). For as we look for the death of the flesh, and the salvation of the soul, so should we look for that knowledge of all things, which the Only-Begotten heard from the Father.

GREG. Or all things which He heard from the Father, which He wished to be made known to His servants: the joys of spiritual love, the pleasures of our heavenly country, which He impresses daily on our minds by the inspiration of His love. For while we love the heavenly things we hear, we know them by loving, because love is itself knowledge. He had made all things known to them then, because being withdrawn from earthly desires, they burned with the fire of divine love.

CHRYS. All things, i.e., all things that they ought to hear. I have heard, shows that what He had taught was no strange doctrine, but received from the Father.

GREG. But let no one who has attained to this dignity of being called the friend of God, attribute this superhuman gift to his own merits:

You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you.

AUG. Ineffable grace! For what were we before Christ had chosen us, but wicked, and lost? We did not believe in Him, so as to be chosen by Him: for had He chosen us believing, He would have chosen us choosing. This passage refutes the vain opinion of those who say that we were chosen before the foundation of the world, because God foreknew that we should be good, not that He Himself would make us good.

For had He chosen us, because He foreknew that we should be good, He would have foreknown also that we should first choose Him, for without choosing Him we cannot be good; unless indeed he can be called good, who has not chosen good. What then has He chosen in them who are not good? you can not say, I am chosen because I believed; for had you believed in Him, you had chosen Him. Nor can you say, Before I believed I did good works, and therefore was chosen. For what good work is there before faith? What is there for us to say then, but that we were wicked, and were chosen, that by the grace of the chosen we might become good?

AUG. They are chosen then before the foundation of the world, according to that predestination by which God foreknew His future acts. They are chosen out of the world by that call whereby God fulfills what He has predestined: whom He did predestine, them He also called (Rom 8:30).

AUG. Observe, He does not choose the good; but those, whom He has chosen, He makes good: And I have ordained you that you should go, and bring forth fruit. This is the fruit which He meant, when He said, Without Me you can do nothing. He Himself is the way in which He has set us to go.

GREG. I have set you, i.e., have planted you by grace, that you should go by will: to will being to go in mind, and bring forth fruit, by works. What kind of fruit they should bring forth He then shows: And that your fruit may remain; for worldly labor hardly produces fruit to last our life; and if it does, death comes at last, and deprives us of it all. But the fruit of our spiritual labors endures even after death; and begins to be seen at the very time that the results of our carnal labor begin to disappear. Let us then produce such fruits as may remain, and of which death, which destroys every thing, will be the commencement.

AUG. Love then is one fruit, now existing in desire only, not yet in fullness. Yet even with this desire whatever we ask in the name of the Only-Begotten Son, the Father gives us: That whatsoever you shall ask the Father in My name, He may give it you. We ask in the Savior's name, whatever we ask, that will be profitable to our salvation.

17. These things I command you, that you love one another.

AUG. Our Lord had said, I have ordained that you should walk and bring forth fruit. Love is this fruit. Wherefore, He proceeds: These things I command you, that you love one another. Hence the Apostle said, The fruit of the Spirit is love(Gal 5:22), and enumerates all other graces as springing from this source. Well then does our Lord commend love, as if it were the only thing commanded: seeing that without it nothing can profit, with it nothing be wanting, whereby a man is made good.

CHRYS. Or thus: I have said that I lay down My life for you, and that I first chose you. I have said this not by way of reproach, but to induce you to love one another.

Then as they were about to suffer persecution and reproach, He bids them not to grieve, but rejoice on that account: If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you: as if to say, I know it is a hard trial, but you will endure it for My sake.

Catena Aurea John 15
30 posted on 05/14/2012 5:43:42 PM PDT by annalex (http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.php)
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To: annalex


Christ with the 12 Apostles


31 posted on 05/14/2012 5:47:31 PM PDT by annalex (http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.php)
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To: All
The Word Among Us

Meditation: Acts 1:15-17,20-26

 St. Matthias

It is necessary that one of the men who accompanied us … become with us a witness to his resurrection. (Acts 1:21,22)

Peter, new head of the infant church, was thinking long-term. His concern, St. John Chrysostom tells us, “was to have eyewitnesses, even though the Spirit was to come upon all. It had to be someone who had lived with Jesus, not simply some­one who was a disciple.” It had to be someone who could look people in the eye and declare without a shadow of a doubt: “I saw him die. I saw him risen from the dead.” Many of Jesus’ followers could testify to his miracles; only a few, to the resurrection.

Such a testimony carries weight. It moves hearts and minds, and it provokes decisions. Chrysostom goes on: “The apostle who could say: ‘The very man who ate and drank and was crucified also rose from the dead’ would be more deserving of belief.” A person like this could stir up belief, or at least hunger to believe, in those who heard. And the whole world was waiting to hear, eager to receive this marvelous news.

The world is still waiting to hear—both about the power of the resurrection and what Jesus is doing today. And that’s why God calls every one of us to be a witness to some aspect of God’s life. God has worked in each of our lives in specific ways so that each of us can reveal something unique about who he is. Matthias witnessed the resur­rection, and was chosen to tell about that. But surely you have seen some­thing of who God is! Surely you have experienced his presence in a way all your own. Whatever it is, that is the “resurrection” God is calling you to proclaim.

Few of us will stand in a pulpit or on a street corner. But wherever you are, you can share what you know. Remaining peaceful in chaotic situ­ations speaks volumes about who Jesus is and what difference his life in you makes. Refusing to take offense, no matter how liberally it is offered, tells of a life steeped in forgiveness. Sometimes, too, your witness will be in words, as you announce Jesus’ power to heal, deliver, and forgive. Don’t sell your­self short. You are just as important today as Matthias was two thousand years ago!

“Jesus, you are risen! Show me today how and where to be your witness.”

Psalm 113:1-8; John 15:9-17


32 posted on 05/14/2012 7:41:32 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
 
Marriage = One Man and One Woman
Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for May 14, 2012:

Explore what made your beloved the person he/she is. What traits did he get from his parents? Did she rebel against her family and take a different path? Who was the most influential person in your spouse’s life during childhood?


33 posted on 05/14/2012 7:49:12 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Regnum Christi

Intimacy with God
| SPIRITUAL LIFE
Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle



Father John Doyle, LC

John 15:9-17

Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father´s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one´s life for one´s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another."

Introductory Prayer: Lord, as I begin this prayer I offer you my whole self: my thoughts, desires, decisions, actions, hopes, fears, weaknesses, failures and petty successes. I open my entire being to you, aware that you know everything already. I’m certain of your mercy and of the purifying power of your penetrating, loving gaze.



Petition: Jesus, let me fulfill your command of charity.

1. The Greatest Love: Jesus makes a startling comparison: He likens his love for his disciples with the immense love his Father has for him. Before even the world came to be, the Father and the Son were immersed in boundless, mutual love. The Holy Spirit is this bond of love. The intimacy of the union and self-giving of the Blessed Trinity surpasses any human comparison, and yet Our Lord tells his disciples he loves them in a like manner. Do I realize how deeply my Savior loves me? Does the truth of Christ’s personal love for me, proven from the height of the cross, fill me with awe and find an ever more generous response in my spiritual life?

2. The Greatest Treasure: The circumstances and timing surrounding Jesus’ designation of his disciples as friends reiterates the authenticity of the title. Jesus is just a few hours away from being abandoned and betrayed by those he now calls friends. Still, Our Lord is so moved by love that he looks beyond his followers’ betrayal, to the victory he is about to win for them. Jesus also offers me his friendship. He invites me to “remain in his love.” I am not called to be a spectator, but to discover the joy found in accompanying him. To follow the “Crucified One” will always be demanding, but his friendship is a treasure which far surpasses the weight of the cross.

3. Written on Our Hearts: The mutual love of the Father and the Son, which Jesus gratuitously extends to us as his friends, should bear fruit in charity. The first Christians took very seriously Christ’s command of charity. It was their distinctive mark. It set them apart from the peoples among whom they lived. It was the magnetic force that attracted so many to join their ranks. The command to love each other is the logical result of our personal worth as people loved by the Lord. If Jesus loves my brother or sister so much that he gave his life for him or her, can there be any excuse for me not to show respect and deference on their behalf? Charity is the badge of every true Christian. How can I better live Christ’s commandment of love, starting within my own family?

Conversation with Christ: Jesus, I pray that I will never cease to be astonished by the depths of your personal love for me. You call me your friend even though I have not always lived up to the demands of this calling. I want to be a better and truer friend of yours.

Resolution: I will show a simple act of kindness to a member of my family today.


34 posted on 05/14/2012 7:53:35 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

Christian Joy

Christ’s love for Christians is a reflection of the love the Three Divine Persons have for one another and for all men: “We love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

Reflection from “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”

The certainty that God loves us is the source of Christian joy (verse 11), but it is also something which calls for a fruitful response on our part, which should take the form of a fervent desire to do God’s will in everything, that is, to keep His commandments, in imitation of Jesus Christ, who did the will of His Father (cf. John 4:34).

12-15. Jesus insists on the “new commandment”, which He Himself keeps by giving His life for us.  See note on John 13:34-35.

Christ’s friendship with the Christian, which our Lord expresses in a very special way in this passage, is something very evident in St.Escriva’s preaching: “The life of the Christian who decides to behave in accordance with the greatness of his vocation is so to speak a prolonged echo of those words of our Lord, ‘No longer do I call you My servants; a servant is one who does not understand what his master is about, whereas I have made known to you all that My Father has told Me; and so I have called you My friends’ (John 15:15).  When we decide to be docile and follow the will of God, hitherto unimagined horizons open up before us….  ‘There is nothing better than to recognize that Love has made us slaves of God.  From the oment we recognize this we cease being slaves and become friends, sons’ (St. J. Escriva, “Friends of God”, 35).

“Sons of God, friends of God….  Jesus is truly God and truly Man, He is our Brother and our Friend.  If we make the effort to get to know Him well ‘we will share in the joy of being God’s friends’ ["ibid.", 300].  If we do all we can to keep Him company, from Bethlehem to Calvary, sharing His joys and sufferings, we will become worthy of entering into loving conversation with Him.  As the Liturgy of the Hours sings, “calicem Domini biberunt, et amici Dei facti sunt” (they drank the chalice of the Lord and so became friends of God).

“Being His children and His friends are two inseparable realities for those who love God.  We go to Him as children, carrying on a trusting dialogue that should fill the whole of our lives; and we go to Him as friends….  In the same way our divine sonship urges us to translate the overflow of our interior life into apostolic activity, just as our friendship with God leads us to place ourselves at ‘the service of all men.  We are called to use the gifts God has given us as instruments to help others discover Christ’ ["ibid.", 258]” (Monsignor A. del Portillo in his preface to St. J. Escriva’s, “Friends of God”).

16. There are three ideas contained in these words of our Lord.  One, that the calling which the Apostles received and which every Christian also receives does not originate in the individual’s good desires but in Christ’s free choice.  It was not the Apostles who chose the Lord as Master, in the way someone would go about choosing a rabbi; it was Christ who chose them.  The second idea is that the Apostles’ mission and the mission of every Christian is to follow Christ, to seek holiness and to contribute to the spread of the Gospel.  The third teaching refers to the effectiveness of prayer done in the name of Christ; which is why the Church usually ends the prayers of the liturgy with the invocation “Through Jesus Christ our Lord…”.

The three ideas are all interconnected: prayer is necessary if the Christian life is to prove fruitful, for it is God who gives the growth (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:7); and the obligation to seek holiness and to be apostolic derives from the fact that it is Christ Himself who has given us this mission. 


35 posted on 05/14/2012 8:04:25 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

 

<< Monday, May 14, 2012 >> St. Matthias
Saint of the Day
 
Acts 1:15-17, 20-26
View Readings
Psalm 113:1-8 John 15:9-17
 

"NOW WE REMAIN"

 
"Remain in My love." —John 15:9, JB
 

St. Matthias was known for remaining in God's love, during the portion of his life when he was included in the number of the twelve apostles, and during the portion of his life when he was not (Acts 1:21-22). Most likely Matthias would have remained in God's love even if he was not chosen one of the Twelve. Remaining in the love of Jesus is a lifestyle, and Matthias embraced that lifestyle. Those like Matthias who remain in Jesus' love have the following behaviors as a key component of their lifestyle:

  • obeying Jesus' commandments (Jn 15:10; 1 Jn 3:24),
  • communal prayer (Acts 1:14),
  • seeking God's will (Acts 1:24),
  • waiting for the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5, 8),
  • loving one another even to the point of laying down our lives (Jn 15:12-13) for our brothers and sisters in faith, and
  • bearing abundant, enduring fruit (Jn 15:5, 16) for Jesus.

Matthias remained with the disciples in the upper room, praying for the Holy Spirit. His prayers were answered beyond all imagining (Eph 3:20) when the Holy Spirit descended upon him at Pentecost. Then the Holy Spirit remained with Matthias because Matthias remained with Jesus. "This is how we know that He remains in us: from the Spirit that He gave us" (1 Jn 3:24).

"Receive the Holy Spirit" (Jn 20:22) and remain in Jesus' love. Those who remain with Jesus until the end will be saved (Lk 21:19).

 
Prayer: Jesus, help me to "remain here" with you and pray (Mt 26:38). Keep me faithful to You. Never let me be parted from You.
Promise: "As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you." —Jn 15:9
Praise: When whipped for teaching about Jesus, St. Matthias kept "teaching and proclaiming the good news" (Acts 5:40, 42).

36 posted on 05/14/2012 8:07:06 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

Protect the babies and the mothers!

  Say "NO" to Planned Parenthood!

37 posted on 05/14/2012 8:08:26 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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