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Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 04-26-13
USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 04-26-13 | Revised New American Bible

Posted on 04/25/2013 8:47:05 PM PDT by Salvation

April 26, 2013

 

Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter

 

Reading 1 Acts 13:26-33

When Paul came to Antioch in Pisidia, he said in the synagogue:
“My brothers, children of the family of Abraham,
and those others among you who are God-fearing,
to us this word of salvation has been sent.
The inhabitants of Jerusalem and their leaders failed to recognize him,
and by condemning him they fulfilled the oracles of the prophets
that are read sabbath after sabbath.
For even though they found no grounds for a death sentence,
they asked Pilate to have him put to death,
and when they had accomplished all that was written about him,
they took him down from the tree and placed him in a tomb.
But God raised him from the dead,
and for many days he appeared to those
who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem.
These are now his witnesses before the people.
We ourselves are proclaiming this good news to you
that what God promised our fathers
he has brought to fulfillment for us, their children, by raising up Jesus,
as it is written in the second psalm,

You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.”

Responsorial Psalm PS 2:6-7, 8-9, 10-11ab

R. (7bc) You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“I myself have set up my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD:
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
this day I have begotten you.”
R. You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“Ask of me and I will give you
the nations for an inheritance
and the ends of the earth for your possession.
You shall rule them with an iron rod;
you shall shatter them like an earthen dish.”
R. You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
And now, O kings, give heed;
take warning, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice before him;
with trembling rejoice.
R. You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel Jn 14:1-6

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the way.”
Thomas said to him,
“Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”


TOPICS: Catholic; General Discusssion; Prayer; Worship
KEYWORDS: catholic; easter; prayer
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To: All
Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Radbertus

Feast Day: April 26
Born: (around) 790 ::Died: 860

St. Radbertus was born in France. No one knows who his parents were. They left their newborn infant on the doorstep of the Notre-Dame of Soissons convent. The nuns loved and cared for the baby. They named him Radbertus.

When he was old enough for school, Radbertus was sent to the monks of St. Peter nearby. The boy loved learning and especially enjoyed the Latin classics. When he grew up, he spent many years in quiet study.

Then he felt God calling him to become a monk. He joined a community led by two good and pious abbots, St. Adalhard and his brother, Abbot Wala. Radbertus tried hard to be a holy monk and often went with the two abbots on their journeys. After they died, he wrote stories about their life called biographies.

Radbertus became a Scripture scholar (a person who learns especially about the Word of God). He wrote a long explanation about the Gospel of St. Matthew. He wrote explanations on other parts of the Bible, too. But his most well-known work is called "The Body and Blood of Christ."

He was a very good teacher and helped to make the monastery at Corbie one of the most famous places of learning in those days. He traveled all over Europe, speaking at councils, and acting as peacemaker in both political and religious disagreements. conflict.

Radbertus did not think he would make a suitable priest but he was made the head and abbot of the Corbie monastery for seven years. Although he did his best, his term as abbot was very difficult for him.

Then he insisted on returning to his life of prayer, meditation, study and writing. He spent the rest of his life as a hermit at the monastery at Saint Riquiet at Cenula. He wrote a lot about history, philosophy and religious studies.

Radbertus died in 860.


21 posted on 04/26/2013 7:25:49 AM 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 14
1 LET not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. Non turbetur cor vestrum. Creditis in Deum, et in me credite. μη ταρασσεσθω υμων η καρδια πιστευετε εις τον θεον και εις εμε πιστευετε
2 In my Father's house there are many mansions. If not, I would have told you: because I go to prepare a place for you. In domo Patris mei mansiones multæ sunt ; si quominus dixissem vobis : quia vado parare vobis locum. εν τη οικια του πατρος μου μοναι πολλαι εισιν ει δε μη ειπον αν υμιν πορευομαι ετοιμασαι τοπον υμιν
3 And if I shall go, and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will take you to myself; that where I am, you also may be. Et si abiero, et præparavero vobis locum, iterum venio, et accipiam vos ad meipsum : ut ubi sum ego, et vos sitis. και εαν πορευθω [και] ετοιμασω υμιν τοπον παλιν ερχομαι και παραληψομαι υμας προς εμαυτον ινα οπου ειμι εγω και υμεις ητε
4 And whither I go you know, and the way you know. Et quo ego vado scitis, et viam scitis. και οπου εγω υπαγω οιδατε και την οδον οιδατε
5 Thomas saith to him: Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Dicit ei Thomas : Domine, nescimus quo vadis : et quomodo possumus viam scire ? λεγει αυτω θωμας κυριε ουκ οιδαμεν που υπαγεις και πως δυναμεθα την οδον ειδεναι
6 Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me. Dicit ei Jesus : Ego sum via, et veritas, et vita. Nemo venit ad Patrem, nisi per me. λεγει αυτω ο ιησους εγω ειμι η οδος και η αληθεια και η ζωη ουδεις ερχεται προς τον πατερα ει μη δι εμου

22 posted on 04/26/2013 5:30:23 PM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex
1. Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me.
2. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
4. And where I go you know, and the way you know.

AUG. Our Lord consoles His disciples, who, as men, would be naturally alarmed and troubled at the idea of His death, by assuring them of His divinity: Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in Me; as if they must believe in Him, if they believed in God; which would not follow, unless Christ were God. you are in fear for this form of a servant; let not your heart be troubled; the form of God shall raise it up.

CHRYS. Faith, too, in Me, and in the Father that begat Me, is more powerful than anything that shall come upon you; and will prevail in spite of all difficulties. He shows His divinity at the same time by discerning their inward feelings: Let not your heart be troubled.

AUG. And as the disciples were afraid for themselves, when Peter, the boldest and most zealous of them, had been told, The cock shall not crow, till you have denied Me thrice, He adds, In My Father's house are many mansions, by way of an assurance to them in their trouble, that they might with confidence and certainty look forward, after all their trials, to dwelling together with Christ in the presence of God. For though one man is bolder, wiser, juster, holier than another, yet no one shall be removed from that house of God, but each receive a mansion suited to his deserts. The penny indeed which the householder paid to the laborers who worked in his vineyard, was the same to all; for life eternal, which this penny signifies, is of the same duration to all. But there may be many mansions, many degrees of dignity, in that life, corresponding to people's deserts.

GREG. The many mansions agree w with the one penny, because, though one may rejoice more than another, yet all rejoice with one and the same joy, arising from the vision of their Maker.

AUG. And thus God will be all in all; that is, since God is love, love will bring it to pass, that what each has, will be common to all. That which one loves in another is one's own, though one have it not one's self. And then there will be no envy et superior grace, for in all hearts will reign the unity of love.

GREG Nor is there any sense of deficiency in consequence of such inequality; for each will feel as much as suffices for himself.

AUG. But they are rejected by the Christians, who infer from there being many mansions that there is a place outside the kingdom of heaven, where innocent souls, that have departed this life without baptism, and could not there enter into the kingdom of heaven, remain happy. But God forbid, that when every house of every heir of the kingdom is in the kingdom, there should be a part of the regal house itself not in the kingdom. Our Lord does not say, In eternal bliss are many mansions, but they are in My Father's house.

CHRYS. Or thus: Our Lord having said above to Peter, Where I go, you can not follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterwards, that they might not think that this promise was made to Peter only, He says, In My Father's house are many mansions; i.e. You shall be admitted into that place, as well as Peter, for it contains abundance of mansions, which are ever ready to receive you: If it were not so, I would have told you: I go to prepare a place for you.

AUG. He means evidently that there are already many mansions, and that there is no need of His preparing one.

CHRYS. Having said, you can not follow Me now, that they might not think that they were cut off for ever, He adds: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again area receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also: a recommendation to them to place the strongest trust in Him.

THEOPHYL. And if not, I would have told you: I go to prepare, &c. As if He said; Either way you should not be troubled, whether places are prepared for you, or not. For, if they are not prepared, I will very quickly prepare them.

AUG. But why does He go and prepare a place, if there are many mansions already? Because these are not as yet so prepared as they will be. The same mansions that He has prepared by predestination, He prepares by operation. They are prepared already in respect of predestination; if they were not, He would have said, I will go and prepare, i.e. predestine, a place for you; but inasmuch as they are not yet prepared in respect of operation, He says, And if I go and prepare a place for you.

And now He is preparing mansions, by preparing occupants for them. Indeed, when He says, In My Father's house are many mansions, what think we the house of God to be but the temple of God, of which the Apostle said, The temple of God is holy, which temple you are (1 Cor 3:17). This house of God then is now being built, now being prepared.

But why has He gone away to prepare it, if it is ourselves that He prepares: if He leaves us, how can He prepare us? The meaning is, that, in order that those mansions may be prepared, the just must live by faith and if you see, there is no faith. Let Him go away then, that He be not seen; let Him be hid, that He be believed. Then a place is prepared, if you live by faith: let faith desire, that desire may enjoy. If you rightly understands Him, He never leaves either the place He came from, or that He goes from. He goes, when He withdraws from sight, He comes, when He appears. But except He remain in power, that we may grow in goodness, no place of happiness will be prepared for us.

ALCUIN. He says then, I go, by the absence of the flesh, I shall come again, by the presence of the Godhead; or, I shall come again to judge the quick and dead. And as He knew that they would ask where He went, or by what way He wells, He adds, And whither I go you know, i.e. to the Father, and the way you know, i.e. Myself.

CHRYS. He show them that He is aware of their curiosity to know His meaning, and thus excites them to pelt questions to Him.

5. Thomas said to him, Lord, we know not where you go; and how can we know the way?
6. Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.

CHRYS. If the Jews, who wished to be separated from Christ, asked where He was going, much more would the disciples, who wished never to be separated from Him, be anxious to know it. So with much love, and, at the same time, fear, they proceed to ask: Thomas said to Him, Lord, we know not where you go; and how can we know the way?

AUG. Our Lord had said that they knew both, Thomas says that they knew neither. Our Lord cannot lie; they knew not that they did know. Our Lord proves that they did: Jesus said to Him, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

AUG. As it He said, I am the way, whereby you would go; I am the truth, whereto you would go; I am the life, in which you would abide. The truth and the life every one understands; but not everyone has found the way. Even the philosophers of the world have seen that God is the life eternal, the truth which is the end of all knowledge.

And the Word of God, which is truth and life with the Father, by taking upon Him human nature, is made the way. Walk by the Man, and you will arrive at God. For it is better to limp on the right way, than to walk ever so stoutly by the wrong.

HILARY. For He who is the way does not lead us into devious courses out of the way; nor does He who is the truth deceive us by falsehoods; not does He who is the life leave us in the darkness of death.

THEOPHYL. When you art engaged in the practical, He is made your way; when in the contemplative, He is made your truth. And to the active and the contemplative is joined life: for we should both act and contemplate with reference to the world to come.

AUG. They knew then the way, because they knew He was the way. But what need to add, the truth, and the life? Because they were yet to be told whither He went. He went to the truth; He went to the life. He went then to Himself, by Himself. But did you leave Yourself, O Lord, to come to us? I know that you took upon you the form of a servant; by the flesh you came, remaining where you were; by that you returned, remaining where you had come to. It by this then you came, and returned, by this you were the way, not only to us, to come to you, but also to Yourself to come, and to return again. And when you went to life, which is Yourself you raised that same flesh of Your from death to life.

Christ therefore went to life, when His flesh arose from death to life. And since the Word is life, Christ went to Himself; Christ being both, in one person, i.e. Word-flesh. Again, by the flesh God came to men, the truth to liars; for God is true, but every man a liar. When then He withdrew Himself from men, and lifted up His flesh to that place in which no liar is, the same Christ, by the way, by which He being the Word became flesh, by Himself, i.e. by His flesh, by the same returned to Truth, which is Himself, which truth, even amongst the liars He maintained to death.

Behold I myself, if I make you understand what I say, do in a certain sense go to you, though I do not leave myself. And when I cease speaking, I return to myself, but remain with you, if you remember what you have heard. If the image which God has made can do this, how much more the Image which God has begotten? Thus He goes by Himself, to Himself and to the Father, and we by Him, to Him and to the Father.

CHRYS. For if, He says, you have Me for your guide to the Father, you shall certainly come to Him. Nor call you come by any other way. Whereas He had said above, No man can come to Me, except the Father draw him, now He says, No man comes to the Father but by Me, thus equaling Himself to the Father. The next words explain, Where I go you know, and the way you know.

If you had known Me, He says, you should have known My Father also; i.e. If you had known My substance and dignity, you would have known the Father's. They did know Him, but not as they ought to do. Nor was it till afterwards, when the Spirit came, that they were fully enlightened.

On this account He adds, And from henceforth you know Him, know Him, that is, spiritually. And have seen Him, i.e. by Me; meaning that he who had seen Him, had seen the Father. They saw Him, however, not in His pure substance, but clothed in flesh.

Catena Aurea John 14
23 posted on 04/26/2013 5:30:46 PM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex


All Saints

Greek icon

24 posted on 04/26/2013 5:31:12 PM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: All
 
Catholic
Almanac:
Friday, April 26
Liturgical Color: White

During an address given this day in 1968, Pope Paul VI stressed the importance of Latin in the Liturgy. He reaffirmed that Vatican II did not intend to abandon the use of Latin when permitting use of the vernacular in the liturgy.

25 posted on 04/26/2013 7:09:38 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: April 26, 2013
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, author of our freedom and of our salvation, listen to the voice of our pleading and grant that those you have redeemed by the shedding of your Son's Blood may have life through you and, under your protection, rejoice for ever unharmed. 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: April 26th

Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter; Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Good Counsel (Can)

Old Calendar: Saints Cletus and Marcellinus, popes and martyrs; Our Lady of Good Counsel

The devotion to our Lady of Good Counsel originated at Gennazzano, a village in the neighborhood of Rome, where an Augustinian church, in which is enshrined a miraculous picture of our Lady, had been for centuries a place of popular pilgrimage. This feast is observed in Canada.

According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of Sts. Cletus and Marcellinus. St. Cletus, who is probably identical with St. Anacletus (his feast moved from July 13 before 1961), figures in the list of Popes as the second successor of St. Peter, A.D. 76-88. St. Marcellinus governed the Church two centuries later, from A.D. 296 to 304, during the terrible Diocletian persecution.


Our Lady of Good Counsel
On the Feast of Saint Mark, April 25 1467, the people of Genazzano, Italy witnessed a marvellous sight. A cloud descended upon an ancient church dedicated to Our Lady of Good Counsel. When the cloud disappeared, an image of Our Lady and the Child Jesus was revealed which had not been there before. The image, on a paper-thin sheet, was suspended miraculously.

Soon after the image's appearance many miracles were attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Good Counsel. Because of this, Pope Paul II ordered an investigation and the results have been preserved.

It was later discovered that the very same image had been seen in a church dedicated to the Annunciation in Scutari, Albania. The image in this church was said to have arrived there in a miraculous manner. Now, the image had been transported from Albania miraculously to avoid sacrilege from Moslem invasion.

A commission of enquiry determined that a portrait from the church was indeed missing. An empty space the same size as the portrait was displayed for all to see.

Many miracles continue to be attributed to Our Lady of Good Counsel. Pope Saint Pius V, for example, credited victory in the Battle of Lepanto to Her intercession.

Several Popes have approved the miraculous image. In 1682 Pope Innocent XI had the portrait crowned with gold. On July 2 1753 Pope Benedict XIV approved the Scapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel, and was the first to wear it.

In 1884 a special Mass and Office of the Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel was approved by Pope Leo XIII.

For more than 500 years the image has continued to attract countless pilgrims.

Although much of the church was destroyed during World War II, the image has remained intact — and continues to be suspended miraculously.

Patron: Albania, enlightenment.


St. Cletus I
Emperor Vespasian reigned in Rome when Cletus assumed leadership of the Church. His specific responsibilities, like those of his predecessor Linus, can only be surmised because a monarchial episcopate had not yet emerged in Rome. Little is known of Cletus, perhaps due to the confusion over his name. Some historians refer to him as Anacletus or, more correctly, Anencletus, which is a Greek adjective meaning "blameless." There is, however, no doubt that he is recognized as the third successor and is commemorated in the ancient canon of the Mass.

According to tradition, he appointed twenty-five presbyters for Rome and erected a shrine over the burial place of Peter. He is said to have died a martyr, in the twelfth year of the reign of Emperor Domitian, and was buried on the Vatican Hill.

Excerpted from The Popes: A Papal History, J.V. Bartlett


St. Marcellinus
St. Marcellinus was Pope during the Diocletian persecution (296-304). With wise forethought he ordered large rooms to be constructed in the catacombs for liturgical use. Such a chamber in the catacomb of Callistus still recalls his action. According to one ancient account (certainly erroneous), this pope strewed incense before the gods when arrested during the persecution, but later atoned for his weakness by a glorious martyrdom. His grave in the catacomb of Priscilla was an object of highest honor.

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


26 posted on 04/26/2013 7:19:59 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
The Word Among Us

Meditation: John 14:1-6

4th Week of Easter

You have faith in God; have faith also in me. (John 14:1)

These words might have sounded all right while Jesus and the disciples were celebrating the Last Supper. But can you imagine how the disciples felt the next day, when Jesus had been crucified? “Have faith? How? The One we hoped would be the Messiah has died. What hope can we possibly have—let alone faith?”

Have you ever felt like this? You had so much excitement and expectation, and suddenly everything changed. With it, you felt hurt and alone. You felt as if your hope had died. Even as you went on living, a little part of you felt isolated, buried, and entombed. But just as death could not hold Christ in the tomb, he wants you to know that you can have faith in him. You can still trust that he will restore you and bring you new hope.

Maybe you can think of a situation right now that you just find difficult even to contemplate. In your quiet time, picture Jesus in the room with you. Look at the smile on his face as he gazes at you. Listen to his words: “I want you to know my peace. I know the places that hurt and feel dead. I want to bring them to new life. But don’t worry. I’ll work only when you are ready. Whether it is today, next week, or even months from now, I will wait as long as you need me to. But right now, can you take one small step of faith toward me?”

It’s okay if you don’t feel too much progress. Remember, the disciples didn’t dare to hope right away either. So if even accepting God’s love in this area is a struggle, ask the Holy Spirit to help you navigate the emotions that keep this part of your heart buried away. Ask him to help you release them to him: disappointment, frustration, self-blame, guilt, discouragement—whatever they may be. Just exposing these emotions to him is already an act of faith. Give it time, and you’ll find the Lord slowly, gently restoring your hope. You do have faith in God—or you wouldn’t be reading these words. Jesus sees that faith, and he is blessing it right now.

“Jesus, help me to find hope again. I believe that you are merciful and kind. Help me, Lord, to find new life in you.”

Acts 13:26-33; Psalm 2:6-11


27 posted on 04/26/2013 7:22:26 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
 
Marriage = One Man and One Woman
Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for April 26, 2013:

(Reader’s Tip) Spend time together talking, listening, praying, laughing,being playful and reconnecting. Make that time for each other.


28 posted on 04/26/2013 7:28:37 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Regnum Christi

Our Gaze Fixed on Christ
| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY
Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter



Father Steven Reilly, LC

John 14:1-6

Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father´s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way." Thomas said to him, "Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Introductory Prayer: Father, how empty is the life that doesn’t know the joy of Jesus your Son. I have come to this prayer today to know you and your Son better, to love you more and to imitate your perfections. Thank you for this time of prayer.

Petition: Lord Jesus, grant me a greater intensity in my relationship with you, the Way, the Truth and the Life!

1. Follow Me, I Am the Way: Remember the olden days, when you would stop in a gas station and ask directions? “Follow me” was the easiest way to give directions. Something like that is happening in the Gospel today. To Thomas’ question, “How can we know the way?” Jesus gives himself as the answer. We know the way with infallible precision. A personal and passionate relationship with Christ is the sure way through this confusing world. Let us keep our relationship with Jesus always on our spiritual GPS. Whenever we have a doubt, we should ask ourselves, “How would Jesus act in this situation? What is the path he would follow?”

2. Believe in Me, I Am the Truth: Jesus gives his followers a truth so rock solid, that nothing can shake them. Just as he is the Way, he is also the Truth. “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved” (Acts 4:12). With the Truth of Jesus, we have the answer to basically any question we need to ask. What a comfort it is to have Jesus as the Truth in this world of jaded souls and in this climate of relativism.

3. Come to Me, I Am the Life: “He’s the life of the party” is a compliment of high regard in certain circles. He’s the spark plug, the guarantee for an entertaining evening. If he’s not there, a deflated feeling hangs in the air and everybody wonders if there isn’t a better way to be spending their time. A life lived with Jesus is never dull. He is the “Life” of more than just a party. The Christian with an intense relationship with Christ is completely fulfilled — he is never bored, nor is he boring.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, you are the Way, the Truth and the Life. I thank you for giving me the great grace of my Catholic faith. Help me to share with others the immense joy of this personal relationship you have given me.

Resolution: I will speak to someone today about having a personal relationship with Christ.


29 posted on 04/26/2013 7:33:07 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled

 

by CE Editor on April 26, 2013 · 

1) Opening prayer
Lord our God,
your Son Jesus Christ is to us
the way that leads to you and to one another,
the truth that is good news of love and hope,
the life which he sacrificed to give it.
Help us to show the way to him
and to go his way to one another,
to speak the truth that is encouraging and credible,
to give life by sharing happiness,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
2) Gospel Reading – John 14,1-6
Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father’s house there are many places to live in; otherwise I would have told you. I am going now to prepare a place for you, and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you to myself, so that you may be with me where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.
Thomas said, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’
Jesus said: I am the Way; I am Truth and Life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
3) Reflection
• These five chapters (Jn 13-17) are a beautiful example of how the communities of the Beloved Disciple of the end of the first century in Asia Minor, which today is Turkey, carried on the catechesis. For example, in chapter 14, the questions of the three disciples, Thomas (Jn 14, 5), Philip (Jn 14, 8) and Judas Thaddeus (Jn 14, 22) were also the questions and problems of the communities. Thus, the answers of Jesus to the three of them are like a mirror in which the communities found a response to their doubts and difficulties. To understand better the environment in which the catechesis was carried out, it is possible to do what follows. During and after the reading of the text, it is good to close the eyes and pretend that we are in the room in the midst of the disciples, participating in the encounter with Jesus. While we listen, it is necessary to pay attention to the way in which Jesus prepares his friends to separate themselves and reveals to them his friendship, communicating to them security and support.
• John 14, 1-2: Do not let your hearts be troubled. The text begins with an exhortation: “Do not let your hearts be troubled!” And immediately he adds: “In my Father’s house there are many places to live in!” The insistence in continuing to use encouraging words which help to overcome the trouble and the divergence is a sign that there was much polemic and divergence among the communities. One would say to the other: “Our way of living the faith is better than yours. We are saved! You live in error: If you want to go to heaven, you have to convert yourselves and live like we do!” Jesus says: “In my Father’s house there are many places!” It is not necessary that everybody thinks in the same way. The important thing is that all accept Jesus, the revelation of the Father and that out of love for him, they have attitudes of understanding, of service and of love. Love and service are the basis which unite the bricks and help the diverse communities to become a Church of brothers and sisters.
• John 14, 3-4: The farewell of Jesus. Jesus says that he is going to prepare a place and that afterwards he will return to take us with him to the Father’s house. He wants us to be with him forever. The return which Jesus speaks about is the coming of the Spirit that he sends and who acts in us, in such a way that we can live as he lived (Jn 14, 16-17.26; 16, 13-14). Jesus ends by saying: “You know the way to the place where I am going!” Anyone who knows Jesus knows the way, because the way is the life that he lived and which led him through death together to the Father.
• John 14, 5-6: Thomas asks which is the way. Thomas says: “Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answers: “I am the Way, I am Truth and Life! No one can come to the Father except through me”. Three important words. Without the way we cannot go. Without the truth one cannot make a good choice. Without life, there is only death! Jesus explains the sense. He is the Way, because “No one can come to the Father except through me”. And he is the gate through which the sheep enter and go out (Jn 10, 9). Jesus is the truth, because looking at him, we see the image of the Father. “Anyone who knows me knows the Father!” Jesus is the life, because walking like Jesus we will be united to the Father and we will have life in us!
4) Personal questions
• What beautiful encounter of the past do you remember, encounters which give you the strength to continue ahead?
• Jesus says: “In my Father’s house there are many places”. What does this affirmation mean for us today?
5) Concluding Prayer
Sing a new song to Yahweh,
for he has performed wonders,
his saving power is in his right hand and his holy arm. (Ps 98,1)
Thank you to the good Carmelites at ocarm.org for this reflection.

30 posted on 04/26/2013 7:42:38 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

 


<< Friday, April 26, 2013 >>
 
Acts 13:26-33
View Readings
Psalm 2:6-11 John 14:1-6
 

PLACEMENT SERVICES

 
"In My Father's house there are many dwelling places; otherwise, how could I have told you that I was going to prepare a place for you?" —John 14:2-3
 

The Lord created human beings as creatures of place. We want a place in life, a place to live, job placement, even a place at table. We don't want to feel out-of-place. We also want a place in church. Some people even come early to church to get a certain place. It's usually in the back, and one they've had for years.

Deep down we feel a need for a place not just in the church building but in the Church, the body of Christ. Jesus promised He would go and prepare this place for us (Jn 14:2). "When He ascended on high, He took a host of captives and gave gifts to men" (Eph 4:8). By using these gifts of the Spirit, we can take our place in the body of Christ and in His plan of salvation. By repenting, we are able to return to our proper place after losing that place through sin.

After we have taken our place in this life Jesus will come back and take us with Him so that where He is we also may be (Jn 14:3). He will give us our place in heaven. Then we will be "in place" forever.

 
Prayer: Father, I repent of any words and thoughts which are out of place (see Eph 5:4) .
Promise: "Yet God raised Him from the dead, and for many days thereafter Jesus appeared to those who had come up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. These are His witnesses now before the people." —Acts 13:30-31
Praise: Harry quit a high-paying job because God called him elsewhere.

31 posted on 04/26/2013 7:47:48 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
"I've noticed that everybody that is for abortion has already been born."

~Ronald Reagan, quoted in New York Times, 22 September 1980
 
 

32 posted on 04/26/2013 7:49:17 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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