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Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 05-03-13, Feast, Sts. Philip and James, Apostles
USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 05-03-13 | Revised New American Bible

Posted on 05/03/2013 2:23:33 AM PDT by Salvation

May 3, 2013

 

Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles

 

Reading 1 1 Cor 15:1-8

I am reminding you, brothers and sisters,
of the Gospel I preached to you,
which you indeed received and in which you also stand.
Through it you are also being saved,
if you hold fast to the word I preached to you,
unless you believed in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he was buried;
that he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
After that, he appeared to more
than five hundred brothers and sisters at once,
most of whom are still living,
though some have fallen asleep.
After that he appeared to James,
then to all the Apostles.
Last of all, as to one born abnormally,
he appeared to me.

Responsorial Psalm PS 19:2-3, 4-5

R. (5) Their message goes out through all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day;
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel Jn 14:6-14

Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you know me, then you will also know my Father.
From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to him,
“Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time
and you still do not know me, Philip?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.
The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,
or else, believe because of the works themselves.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,
and will do greater ones than these,
because I am going to the Father.
And whatever you ask in my name, I will do,
so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”


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

Regina Coeli

 

This prayer, which dates from the twelfth century, is substituted for the Angelus during Easter Season.

Glory to God in the highest!

In Latin

In English

Regina coeli, laetare, alleluia: Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia. Resurrexit sicut dixit, alleluia. Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.

 

V. Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, Alleluia,

R. Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.

 

Oremus: Deus qui per resurrectionem Filii tui, Domini nostri Iesu Christi, mundum laetificare dignatus es: praesta, quaesumus, ut per eius Genetricem Virginem Mariam, perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum.

R. Amen.

Queen of Heaven rejoice, alleluia: For He whom you merited to bear, alleluia, Has risen as He said, alleluia. Pray for us to God, alleluia.

 

V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.

R. Because the Lord is truly risen, alleluia.

 

Let us pray: O God, who by the Resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, granted joy to the whole world: grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may lay hold of the joys of eternal life. Through the same Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.


21 posted on 05/03/2013 9:17:10 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Ioannes Paulus PP.II 16.X.1978 - 2.IV.2005

Ioannes Paulus PP. II
Karol Wojtyla
16.X.1978 - 2.IV.2005

The best, the surest , and the most effective way of establishing everlasting peace on the face of the earth is through the great power of perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament." -- Pope John Paul II

The Agony .jpg


"Could you not watch one hour?" -- Mark 14:37

I am happy to testify that many young people are discovering the beauty of adoration, whether personal or in community. I invite priests to encourage youth groups in this, but also to accompany them to ensure that the forms of adoration are appropriate and dignified, with sufficient times for silence and listening to the word of God. In life today, which is often noisy and scattered, it is more important than ever to recover the capacity for interior silence and recollection: Eucharistic adoration permits one to do this not only within one's "I" but rather in the company of that "You" full of love who is Jesus Christ, "the God who is near us."
 
~Pope Benedict XVI


Jeffrey Bruno/CNA

“The Pope has a great spiritual sense of worship and [importance of] reaching out to every human being,” says Msgr. Fazio. “In Buenos Aires in recent years, he has spontaneously promoted the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in parishes, and it is bearing spiritual fruit.” Furthermore, Msgr. Fazio is sure the Pope will “pay particular attention to Eucharistic adoration and the preaching of the word.”

22 posted on 05/03/2013 9:20:04 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
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PERPETUAL ADORATION

23 posted on 05/03/2013 9:22:42 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All


Information:
St. Philip
Feast Day: May 3
Born: Bethsaida, Palestine
Died: 80 at Hierapolis, Phrygia
Patron of: hatters; pastry chefs


24 posted on 05/03/2013 5:17:00 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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The Apostle Philip, He Invites Us to Come and See Jesus
HOMILIES PREACHED BY FATHER ALTIER ON THE FEAST OF SAINTS PHILIP AND JAMES.
St. Philip, Apostle
25 posted on 05/03/2013 5:17:40 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All


Information:
St. James the Lesser
Feast Day: May 3
Patron of: apothecaries; druggists; dying people; fullers; hatmakers; hatters; milliners; pharmacists



26 posted on 05/03/2013 5:18:25 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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James the Less
HOMILIES PREACHED BY FATHER ALTIER ON THE FEAST OF SAINTS PHILIP AND JAMES.
The Divine Liturgy of St. James
St. James the Lesser, Apostle
Burial Box of St. James (A Catholic Perspective)
27 posted on 05/03/2013 5:19:31 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 14
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
7 If you had known me, you would without doubt have known my Father also: and from henceforth you shall know him, and you have seen him. Si cognovissetis me, et Patrem meum utique cognovissetis : et amodo cognoscetis eum, et vidistis eum. ει εγνωκειτε με και τον πατερα μου εγνωκειτε αν και απ αρτι γινωσκετε αυτον και εωρακατε αυτον
8 Philip saith to him: Lord, shew us the Father, and it is enough for us. Dicit ei Philippus : Domine, ostende nobis Patrem, et sufficit nobis. λεγει αυτω φιλιππος κυριε δειξον ημιν τον πατερα και αρκει ημιν
9 Jesus saith to him: Have I been so long a time with you; and have you not known me? Philip, he that seeth me seeth the Father also. How sayest thou, Shew us the Father? Dicit ei Jesus : Tanto tempore vobiscum sum, et non cognovistis me ? Philippe, qui videt me, videt et Patrem. Quomodo tu dicis : Ostende nobis Patrem ? λεγει αυτω ο ιησους τοσουτον χρονον μεθ υμων ειμι και ουκ εγνωκας με φιλιππε ο εωρακως εμε εωρακεν τον πατερα και πως συ λεγεις δειξον ημιν τον πατερα
10 Do you not believe, that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak to you, I speak not of myself. But the Father who abideth in me, he doth the works. Non creditis quia ego in Patre, et Pater in me est ? Verba quæ ego loquor vobis, a meipso non loquor. Pater autem in me manens, ipse fecit opera. ου πιστευεις οτι εγω εν τω πατρι και ο πατηρ εν εμοι εστιν τα ρηματα α εγω λαλω υμιν απ εμαυτου ου λαλω ο δε πατηρ ο εν εμοι μενων αυτος ποιει τα εργα
11 Believe you not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? Non creditis quia ego in Patre, et Pater in me est ? πιστευετε μοι οτι εγω εν τω πατρι και ο πατηρ εν εμοι ει δε μη δια τα εργα αυτα πιστευετε μοι
12 Otherwise believe for the very works' sake. Amen, amen I say to you, he that believeth in me, the works that I do, he also shall do; and greater than these shall he do. alioquin propter opera ipsa credite. Amen, amen dico vobis, qui credit in me, opera quæ ego facio, et ipse faciet, et majora horum faciet : quia ego ad Patrem vado. αμην αμην λεγω υμιν ο πιστευων εις εμε τα εργα α εγω ποιω κακεινος ποιησει και μειζονα τουτων ποιησει οτι εγω προς τον πατερα μου πορευομαι
13 Because I go to the Father: and whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, that will I do: that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Et quodcumque petieritis Patrem in nomine meo, hoc faciam : ut glorificetur Pater in Filio. και ο τι αν αιτησητε εν τω ονοματι μου τουτο ποιησω ινα δοξασθη ο πατηρ εν τω υιω
14 If you shall ask me any thing in my name, that I will do. Si quid petieritis me in nomine meo, hoc faciam. εαν τι αιτησητε [με] εν τω ονοματι μου εγω ποιησω

28 posted on 05/03/2013 5:20:34 PM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex
6. Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.
7. If you had known me, you should have known My Father also; and from henceforth you know him, and have seen him.

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.

BEDE. How can our Lord say, If you had known Me, you should have known My Father also; when He has just said, Where I go you know, and the way you know? We must suppose that some of them knew, and others not: among the latter, Thomas.

HILARY. Or thus: When it is said that the Son is the way to the Father, is it meant that He is so by His teaching, or by His nature? We shall be able to see from what follows: If you had known Me, you should have known My Father also.

In His incarnation asserting His Divinity, He maintained a certain order of sight and knowledge: separating the time of seeing from that of knowing. For Him, who He said must be known, He speaks of as already seen: that henceforward they might from this revelation have knowledge of the Divine Nature which they had all along seen in Him.

8. Philip said to him, Lord, show us the Father, and it suffices us.
9. Jesus said to him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet have you not known me, Philip? he that has seen me has seen the Father; and how say you then, Show us the Father?
10. Believe you not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak to you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwells in me, he does the works.
11. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

HILARY. A declaration so new startled Philip. Our Lord is seen to be man. He confesses Himself to be the Son of God, declares that, if He were known, the Father would be known, that, if He is seen, the Father is seen. The familiarity of the Apostle therefore breaks forth into questioning our Lord, Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father, and it suffices us. He did not deny He could be seen, but wished to be shown him; nor did he wish to see with his bodily eyes, but that He whom he had seen might be made manifest to his understanding. He had seen the Son in the form of man, but how through that form He saw the Father, he did not know. This he wants to be strewn him, strewn to his understanding, not set before his eyes; and then he will be satisfied: And it suffices us.

AUG. For to that joy of beholding His face, nothing can be added. Philip understood this, and said, Lord, show us the Father, and it suffices us. But he did not yet understand that he could in the same way have said, Lord, show us Yourself, and it suffices us. But our Lord's answer enlightens him, Jesus said to him,

Have I been so long with you, and yet have you not known Me, Philip?

AUG. But how is this, when our Lord said that they knew where He was going, and the way, because they knew Him? The question is easily settled by supposing that some of them knew, and others not; among the latter, Philip.

HILARY. He reproves the ignorance of Philip in this respect. For whereas his actions had been strictly divine, such as walking on the water, commanding the winds, remitting sins, raising the dead, He complained that in His assumed humanity, the Divine nature was not discerned. Accordingly to Philip's request, to be strewn the Father, Our Lord answers, He that has seen Me, has seen the Father.

AUG. When two persons are very like each, we say, If you have seen the one, you have seen. n the other. So here, He that has seen Me, has seen the Father; not that He is troth the Father, and the Son, but that the Son is an absolute likeness of the Father.

HILARY. He does not mean the sight of the bodily eye: for His fleshly part, born of the Virgin, does not avail towards contemplating the form and image of God in Him; but the Son of God being known with the understanding, it follows that the Father is known also, forasmuch as He is the image of God, not differing from but expressing His Author. For our Lord's expressions do not spear; of one person solitary and without relationship, but teach us His birth. The Father also excludes the supposition of a single solitary person, and leaves us no other doctrine but that the Father is seen in the Son, by the incommunicable likeness of birth.

AUG. But is he to be reproved, who, when he has seen the likeness, wishes to see the man of whom he is the likeness? No, our Lord rebuked the question, only with reference to the mind of the asker.

Philip asked, as if the Father were better than the Son; and so showed that He did not know the Son. Which opinion our Lord corrects: Believe you not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? as if He said, If it is a great wish with you to see the Father, at any rate believe what you do not see.

HILARY. For what excuse was there for ignorance of the Father, or what necessity to show Him, when the Father was seen in the Son by His essential nature, while by the identity of unity, the Begotten and the Begetter are one: Believe you not that I am in the Father and the Father in Me?

AUG. He wished him to live by faith, before he had sight, and therefore says, Believe you not? Spiritual vision is the reward of faith, vouchsafed to minds purified by faith.

HILARY. But the Father is in the Son, and the Son in the Father, not by a conjunction of two harmonizing essences, nor by a nature grafted into a more capacious substance as in material bodies, in which it is impossible that what is within can be made external to that which contains it; but by the birth of a nature which is life from life; forasmuch as from God nothing but God can be born.

HILARY. The unchangeable God follows, so to speak, His own nature, by begetting unchangeable God. Nor does the perfect birth of unchangeable God from unchangeable God forsake His own nature. We understand then here the nature of God subsisting in Him, since God is in God, nor besides Him who is God, can any other be God.

CHRYS. Or thus: Philip, because [he thought] he had seen c the Son with his bodily eye, wished to see the Father in the same way; perhaps too remembering what the Prophet said, I saw the Lord (Isaiah 6:1), and therefore he says, Show us the Father. The Jews had asked, who was His Father; and Peter and Thomas, whither He went; and neither were told plainly. Philip therefore, that he might not seem burdensome, after saying, Show us the Father, adds, And it suffices us: i.e. we seek for no more. Our Lord in reply does not say, that he asked an impossible thing, but that he had not seen the Son to begin with, for that if he had seen Him, he would have seen the Father: Have I been so long time with you, and yet have you not known Me? He does not say, not seen Me, but, not known Me; not known that the Son, being what the Father is, does in Himself fitly show the Father. Then dividing the Persons, He says, He that has seen Me has seen the Father; that none might maintain that He was both the Father and the Son. The words show too that even the Son was not seen in a bodily sense. So if anyone takes seeing here, for knowing, I will not contradict him, but will take the sentence as if it was, He that has known Me, has known the Father. He shows here His consubstantiality with the Father: He that has seen My substance, has seen the Father. Whence it is evident He is not a creature: for all know and see the creature, but not all God; Philip, for instance, who wished to see the substance of the Father. If Christ then had been of another substance from the Father, He would never have said, He that has seen Me, has seen the Father. A man cannot see the substance of gold in silver: one nature cannot be made apparent by another.

AUG. He then addresses all of them, not Philip only: The word that I speak to you, I speak not of Myself. What is, I speak not of Myself, I but, I that speak am not of Myself? He attributes what He does to Him, from whom He Himself, the doer, is.

HILARY. Wherein He neither desires Himself to be the Son, nor hides the existence of His Father's power in Him. In that He speaks, it is Himself that speaks in His own person; in that He speaks not of Himself, He witnesses His nativity, that He is God from God.

CHRYS. Mark the abundant proof of the unity of substance. For He continues; But the Father that dwells in Me, He does the works. As if He said, My Father and I act together, not differently from each other; agreeing with what He said below: If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not. But why does He pass from words to works? Why does He not say as we might have expected, He speaks the words? Because He means to apply what He says both to His doctrine, and to His miracles; or because His words are themselves works.

AUG. For he that edifies his neighbor by speaking, does a good work. These two sentences are brought against us by different sects of heretics; the Arians saying that the Son is unequal to the Father, because He does not speak of Himself; the Sabellians, that the same who is the Father is the Son. For what is meant, they ask, by, The Father that dwells in Me, He does the works, but, I that dwell in Myself, do these works.

HILARY. That the Father dwells in the Son, show that He is not single, or solitary; that the Father works by the Son, shows that He is not different or alien. As He is not solitary who does not speak from Himself, so neither is He alien and separable who speaks by Him.

Having shown then that the Father spoke and worked in Him, He formally states this union: Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me: that they might not think that the Father works and speaks in the Son as by a mere agent or instrument, not by the unity of nature implied in His Divine birth.

AUG. Philip alone was reproved before.

CHRYS. But if this does not suffice to show my consubstantiality, at least learn it from My works: Or else believe Me for the very works' sake. You have seen My miracles, and all the proper signs of My divinity; works which the Father alone works, sins remitted, life restored, and the like.

AUG. Believe then for My works' sake, that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me; for, were we separated, we could not be working together.

12. Verily, verily, I say to you, He that believes in me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to my Father.
13. And whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14. If you shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

CHRYS. Having said, Believe for the works' sake, our Lord goes on to declare that He can do much greater than these, and what is more wonderful, give others the power of working them. Verily, verily, I say to you, He that believes in Me, the works that I do, shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do.

AUG. But what are these greater works? Is it that the shadow of the Apostles, as they passed by, healed the sick; It is indeed a greater thing that a shadow should heal, than that the border of a garment should. Nevertheless, by works here our Lord refers to His words. For when He says, My Father that dwells in Me, He does the works, what are these works but the words which He spoke? And the fruit of those words was their faith.

But these were but few converts in comparison with what those disciples made afterwards by their preaching: they converted the Gentiles to the faith. Did not the rich man go away sorrowful from His words? And yet that which one did not do at His own exhortation, many did afterwards when He preached through the disciples. He did greater works when preached by the believing, than when speaking to men's ears.

Still these greater works He did by His Apostles, whereas He includes others besides them, when He says, He that believes in Me. Are we not to compute any one among the believers in Christ, who does not do greater works than Christ? This sounds harsh if not explained. The Apostle says, To him that believes in Him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness (Rom 4:5).

By this work then we shall do the works of Christ, the very believing in Christ being the work of Christ, for He works this in us, though not without us. Attend then; He that believes on Me, the works that I do, shall he do also. First I do them, then he will do them: I do them, that he may do them. Do what works but this, viz. that a man, from being a sinner, become just? which thing Christ works in us, though not without us. This in truth I call a greater work to do, than to create the heaven and the earth; for heaven and earth shall pass away, but the salvation and justification of the predestined shall remain.

However, the Angels in heaven are the work of Christ; shall he who works with Christ for his own justification, do greater even than these? Judge any one which be the greater work, to create the just, or to justify the ungodly? At least, if both be of equal power, the latter has more of mercy. But it is not necessary to understand all the works of Christ, when He says, greater works than these shall he do.

These perhaps refers to the works He had done that hour. He had then been instructing them in the faith. And surely it is a less work to preach righteousness, which He did without us, than to justify the ungodly, which He so does in us, as that we do it ourselves. Great things truly did our Lord promise His people, when He went to His Father: Because I go to My Father.

CHRYS. i.e. I shall not perish, but shall remain in My proper dignity, in heaven. Or He means: It is your part henceforth to work miracles, since I am going.

AUG. And that no one might attribute the merit to himself, He shows, that even those greater works were His own doing: And whatsoever you shall ask in My name, that will I do. Before it was, He shall do, now, I will do: as if He said, Let not this appear impossible to you. He that believes in Me, will not be greater than I; but I shall do greater works then than now; greater by him that believes on Me, than now by Myself; which will not be a failing, but a condescension

CHRYS. In My name, He says. Thus the Apostles, In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, arise and walk. , All the miracles that they did, He did: the hand of the Lord was with them.

THEOPHYL. This is an explanation of the doctrine of miracles. It is by prayer, and invocation of His name, that a man is able to work miracles.

AUG. Whatsoever you shall ask. Then why do we often see believers asking, and not receiving? Perhaps it is that they ask amiss. When a man would make a bad use of what he asks for, God in His mercy does not grant him it. Still if God even in kindness often refuses the requests of believers, how are we to understand, Whatsoever you shall ask in My name, I will do? Was this said to the Apostles only? No. He says above, He that believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also.

And if we go to the lives of the Apostles themselves, we shall find that he who labored more than they all, prayed that the messenger of Satan might depart from him, but was not granted his request. But attend: does not our Lord lay down a certain condition? In My name, which is Christ Jesus. Christ signifies King, Jesus, Savior.

Therefore whatever we ask for that would hinder our salvation, we do not ask in our Savior's name and yet He is our Savior, not only when He does what we ask, but also when He does not. When He sees us ask any thing to the disadvantage of our salvation, He shows s Himself our Savior by not doing it. The physician knows whether what the sick man asks for is to the advantage or disadvantage of his health; and does not allow what would be to his hurt, though the sick man himself desires it; but looks to his final cure.

And some things we may even ask in His name, and He will not grant them us at the time, though He will some time. What we ask for is deferred, not denied. He adds, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. The Son does not do any thing without the Father, inasmuch as He does it in order that the Father may be glorified in Him.

CHRYS. For when the great power of the Son is manifested, He that begot Him is glorified. He introduces this last, to confirm the truth of what He has said.

THEOPHYL. Observe the order in which the glorifying of the Father comes. In the name of Jesus miracles were done, by which men were made to believe the Apostles' preaching. This brought them to the knowledge of the Father, and thus the Father was glorified in the Son.

Catena Aurea John 14
29 posted on 05/03/2013 5:21:03 PM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex


Holy Trinity

The master of Flémalle

1433-35
Oil on panel, 34 x 24 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

30 posted on 05/03/2013 5:21:32 PM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: All
Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Philip and St. James

Feast Day: May 03
Born: (around the time of Jesus) :: Died: (in the first century)

Philip and James were two of Jesus' twelve apostles.

Philip was born at Bethsaida, in Galilee and was one of the first apostles. He was a follower of John the Baptist. When Jesus found him and said, "Follow me", Philip obeyed immediately. He was so happy to be with Jesus that he wanted to share his joy with his friend, Nathaniel. "We have found the one Moses and the prophets wrote about," Philip said. "He is Jesus of Nazareth."

Nathaniel did not believe him as Nazareth was only a little village, not big and important like Jerusalem. But Philip forgave his friend for his lack of faith and just said, "Come and see." Nathaniel went to see Jesus and after he had spoken with him, he, too, became an eager follower of the Lord.

After Jesus died, Philip traveled to Greece and Asia Minor preaching the good news of salvation. He was finally killed for his faith in Jesus at Hierapolis in Phrygia around the year 80.

St. James who was the cousin of Jesus, was the son of Alpheus and brother of St. Jude Thaddeus. After Jesus ascended into heaven, James was made the bishop of Jerusalem.

People had a great respect for him and called him "James the Just," which means "James the Holy One." He is also called "James the Less," because he was younger than the other apostle named James. That apostle they called "James the Greater" because he was older.

St. James was very gentle and forgiving. He prayed a lot and begged God to forgive the people who tortured him and the other followers of Jesus. Even when the enemies of Jesus came to kill him, he asked God to pardon them. St. James was thrown down from a pinnacle of the Temple in Jerusalem and then beaten to death in the year 62.

Reflection: Would I be an apostle of Jesus today and share the Good News of how special Jesus is for me?


31 posted on 05/03/2013 5:25:58 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
 
Catholic
Almanac:

Friday, May 3

Liturgical Color: Red


Today is the Feast of Sts. Philip and James, Apostles. After Christ's Resurrection and Ascension, Philip traveled to Greece and Asia Minor to preach the Gospel. He was martyred around 80 A.D.


32 posted on 05/03/2013 5:31:36 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 03, 2013
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who gladden us each year with the feast day of the Apostles Philip and James, grant us, through their prayers, a share in the Passion and Resurrection of your Only Begotten Son, so that we may merit to behold you for eternity. 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 3rd

Feast of Sts. Philip and James, apostles

Old Calendar: Saints Alexander I, pope; Eventius and Theodulus, martyrs and Juvenal, bishop and confessor; Finding of the Holy Cross; (Hist)

Today's Mass tells us that the example of the Apostles is the most certain and direct path to heaven. They suffered and were persecuted, but they placed their confidence in God and now they rejoice in heaven. We too must have confidence in God and not be troubled in our adversities. In our Father's house there are many mansions, and if we follow the way indicated by Him, Christ will come at the end of our life and take us to Himself.

Before the reform of the General Roman Calendar the Feast of Sts. Philip and James was celebrated on May 11 and the Finding of the Holy Cross and the commemoration of Sts. Alexander I, Eventius and Theodulus and St. Juvenal were celebrated. None of these feasts remain on the calendar in the United States.


St. Philip
The Apostle Philip was one of Christ's first disciples, called soon after his Master's baptism in the Jordan. The fourth Gospel gives the following detail: "The next day Jesus was about to leave for Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him: Follow Me. Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael, and said to him: We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets wrote, Jesus the Son of Joseph of Nazareth. And Nathanael said to him: Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip said to him: Come and see" (John 1:43ff). — The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patron: Hatters; Luxembourg; pastry chefs; Uruguay.

Symbols: basket; basket and Tau cross or letter Tau; two or three loaves and a cross; patriarchal cross and spear; knotted cross; broken idols; inverted cross; tall column; dragon; carpenter's square and cross; long staff and spear; tall cross and book.

Often Portrayed As: Elderly bearded man holding a basket of loaves and a cross which is often t-shaped; elderly man casting a devil from the idol of Mars; elderly man crucified on a tall cross; elderly man holding loaves and fishes; elderly man with a dragon nearby; elderly man with a loaf and book; elderly man with a snake nearby; loaves of bread; man baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch; man holding a book or scroll reading descendit ad inferna; with Saint Andrew.


St. James the Less
St. James the Less, a brother of the Apostle Jude, was of Cana of Galilee. He is the author of one of the Catholic Epistles in the New Testament. He was favored by an appearance of the Risen Christ (I Cor. 15:7). After the dispersion of the Apostles he was made Bishop of Jerusalem. He was visited by St. Paul (Gal. 1:19). He spoke after Peter at the meeting of the Apostles (Acts 15:13). When he refused to deny the Divinity of Christ, the Jews cast him down from the terrace of the temple and clubbed him to death. The Breviary contains a very moving description of his death. "When he was ninety-six years old and had governed the Church for thirty years in a most holy manner, the Jews sought to stone him, then took him to the pinnacle of the temple and cast him off headlong. As he lay there half dead, with legs broken by the fall, he lifted his hands toward heaven and prayed to God for the salvation of his enemies, saying: Lord, forgive them for they know not what they do! While the apostle was still praying, a fuller struck his head a mortal blow." His relics now rest next to those of St. Philip in the church of the Holy Apostles in Rome, and their names are mentioned in the first list in the Canon of the Mass.

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

Patron: Apothecaries, druggists, dying people, fullers, hatmakers, hatters, milliners, pharmacists, Uruguay.

Symbols: Vertical saw; Fuller's club; windmill; halbert; three stones; loaf of bread.
Often portrayed as: man holding a book.

Things to Do:

  • Read the Epistle of St. James, a book that is devout and edifying as well as highly practical.

  • St. James is referred to as "the brother of Jesus", learn how to prove that Mary did not have any other children but remained ever a virgin.

The Finding of the Holy Cross
After the victory Constantine gained through the power of the Cross which he had seen in the heavens, and whose sign he reproduced in the Labarum, St. Helena, his mother, went to Jerusalem to try to find the true Cross. At the beginning of the second century, Hadrian had Calvary and the Holy Sepulchre covered over with earth, the top of which became a terrace of 100 feet in length, where were erected a statue of Jupiter and a temple of Venus. The Empress had them razed to the ground, and dug up. The laborers found the nails and three crosses. The miraculous cure of a woman authenticated the sacred tree, to which we owe "life, salvation and resurrection".

St. Helena divided the precious wood in three. One part was deposited in Rome in the church of Holy Cross in Jerusalem. The second in Constantinople and the third in Jerusalem. This last relic having been carried off by the Persians and recovered by Heraclius, this emperor solemnly brought it back to Jerusalem on May 3rd, 628.

Excerpted from Saint Andrew Daily Missal


Sts. Alexander I , Eventius and Theodulus
Alexander governed the Church under the Emperor Hadrian. His name is inscribed in the Canon of the Mass. He was martyred at the same time as the priests Eventius and Theodulus, in 117, and their bodies rest in Rome, in the church of St. Sabina, where the Station is held on Ash Wednesday. — Saint Andrew Daily Missal

Symbols: Nailes; stiletto; angel with torch; Often pictured with his chest pierced with nails or spikes.


St. Juvenal
A priest and physician from the East, he immigrated to Narni, Italy, and was named first bishop of that See by Pope Damasus. Juvenal is reported to have saved Narni from destruction by invading Ligurians and Sarmatians when thousands of the invaders were drowned in a downpour reputedly brought on by his prayers. He was noted for his eloquent preaching, which converted many, and is the patron of Narni. — Dictionary of Saints, John J. Delaney


33 posted on 05/03/2013 5:50:31 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 14:6-14

Saints Philip and James, Apostles

Master, show us the Father. (John 14:8)

We know nothing for certain about what happened to either of these apostles after Jesus’ resurrection. However, the Gospel of John gives us several revealing glimpses of the apostle Philip. On several occasions, he was able to verbalize what others were thinking or wondering. We can only hope that Jesus’ responses moved all of them—especially Philip, who dared to ask the questions—along in their faith.

At the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry, it is Philip who tells his friend Nathanael about this rabbi from Nazareth (John 1:43-46). Instead of getting into a theological argument, he invites Nathanael to come meet Jesus for himself. And Jesus, who knows Nathanael inside and out, does the rest.

Before Jesus feeds a huge crowd, he asks Philip where they can get enough food for everyone (John 6:5). Philip expresses what everyone must have been thinking: There’s no way! But then he follows Jesus’ directions and shares in a miracle that reveals a food that lasts forever. When some Gentiles want to meet Jesus, Philip approaches the Master on their behalf (John 12:20-22). And in today’s passage, it is Philip who pleads for what they all want: “Show us the Father” (14:8).

Jesus seldom gives a straight-forward answer to Philip’s questions. Philip has to listen closely and turn Jesus’ words over in his mind before understanding what Jesus means. We don’t know the outcome for the Greeks and most of the people on the hillside, but we do know that Philip became sufficiently convinced to lay down his life for Jesus.

Perhaps you could stir up the gift Philip used so effectively by taking your questions to the Lord, even as you bring other people to him. Sometimes it will mean persisting in your own prayer until you hear the Lord answering your deeper concerns. Sometimes it will mean interceding for someone in the quiet of your heart, and other times it will mean delving into Scripture to build up your own understanding. Sometimes this will mean asking a friend, “Can we pray together about that?” and offering a simple prayer. Whatever you do, invite the Lord to be with you, and watch what he does.

“Jesus, teach me how to be a true friend, just as Philip was.”

1 Corinthians 15:1-8; Psalm 19:2-5


34 posted on 05/03/2013 5:54:25 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 May 3, 2013:

A good argument can be a labor of love. Have something sensitive or difficult to talk about with your spouse? Try holding hands and maintaining direct eye contact when you are having a discussion about a disagreement.


35 posted on 05/03/2013 5:58:42 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
Vultus Christi

The Indwelling Word

 on May 3, 2013 9:22 AM | 
 
 

getFile.jpg

Let us then at length arise, since the Scripture stirreth us up, saying: It is time now for us to rise from sleep." And our eyes being open to the deifying light, let us hear with wondering ears what the Divine Voice admonisheth us, daily crying out: "Today if ye shall hear His voice, harden not your hearts." And again, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the Churches." And what saith He? "Come, my children, hearken to Me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Run while ye have the light of life, lest the darkness of death seize hold of you."

Receive the Ingrafted Word

In this very brief passage of the Prologue, Saint Benedict weaves together five passages from Sacred Scripture. What does this tell us about the man? And what does this tell us about the monks he would have us be? It tells us that Saint Benedict was a man wholly indwelt by the living Word of God. The Word indwelling his heart sprang to his lips easily and spontaneously, becoming his own articulation of the inexhaustible mystery of Christ. It tells us that Saint Benedict would have us be men wholly indwelt by the Word; it tells us that in our lives, over time, the Word will begin to spring from our inmost hearts to our lips, becoming in each one of us a unique articulation of the same inexhaustible mystery of Christ. "With meekness," says the Apostle Saint James, "receive the ingrafted word, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21).

Maria Regula Monachorum

There is a profoundly Marian dimension of the Rule of Saint Benedict that is too often overlooked. Mary is regula monachorum, that is to say that she is the pattern and image of what the monk is called to be. If one would see the perfection of the monastic vocation, one has only to contemplate Mary, who said "Be it done to me according to thy word" (Luke 1:38), and who "kept all these words, pondering them in her heart" (Luke 2:19). The Word received and held in Mary's Immaculate Heart becomes the doxological Word (i.e. the Word of praise), the eucharistic Word (i.e. the Word of thanksgiving) that springs to her lips in the Magnificat. The monk, like the Virgin Mary, is called to receive the impression of the Word in silence, and to give expression to the Word in song, and in all of life, by singing what he lives, and by living what he sings.

Ecclesial and Liturgical Context

Saint Benedict would not have known the kind of "Bible reading" practiced and popularised by Protestants: a private reading of the text without reference to the ecclesial and liturgical context that illumines and quickens it. For Saint Benedict, the Word of God was, first of all, a living message carried on the breath of God, striking the ear, illuminating the mind, and penetrating into the sanctuary of the heart where it becomes the sacrament of the Divine Indwelling. Saint Benedict would have known the Word of God by listening to it in the context of the Opus Dei (the Divine Office), and by chanting it seven times daily and once during the night, following the liturgical cycle of fasts and of feasts, within the virginal space of optimal resonance that is the Church Catholic.

Generative and Fruitful

Saint Benedict's apparent mastery of the Word of God is evidence that he was mastered by it. A Benedictine monastery is a school of the Lord's service, a school in which the Word is, at once, both the Master teaching and the matter taught. Humble submission to the Word of God -- perfectly imaged in the mystery of the Annunciation -- is the secret of Saint Benedict's prodigious generativity, and of the fecundity of his capital grace (or charism) down through the ages.


36 posted on 05/03/2013 6:55:54 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
Regnum Christi

Seeing God Face to Face
| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY
Feast of Saint Philip and Saint James, Apostles

Father John Bullock, LC

 

John 14: 6-14

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him." Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ´Show us the Father´? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

Introductory Prayer: Christ, I thank you for the gift of faith. You know that I believe, but I want my faith to grow. In knowing you I find meaning, rest and strength. I need you, Lord. I trust in your loving mercy. You know what I need the most today. All I ask is that you remain at my side throughout this day. That is enough for me. I want to spend this day making you happy, pleasing you with my every thought, word and action.

Petition: Christ, help me to know you and love you more each day.

1. I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life: “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Christ is the answer to our problems. Since he is fully God and fully man, his very reality unites humanity to God in a way never before hoped. It is in following Christ that we find our way. It is in believing in Christ that we discover truth. It is in accepting Christ that we gain life. Christians don’t simply follow a set of rules or believe in some doctrines, we follow a person: Christ. As Archbishop Fulton Sheen wrote, Christ’s “doctrine was himself” (Life of Christ, p. 153).

2. Show Us the Father: “Seeing is believing”, the saying goes. Yet this seems to go contrary to the faith. Didn’t Christ tell “doubting” Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (John 20:29)? Here again, Christ seems to be chiding Philip for wanting to see. However, Christ isn’t correcting Philip for wanting to see; rather, he didn’t see in Christ what he was supposed to: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” At the core of the doctrine of the Incarnation is that now the “face” of God is made visible in the person of Christ. Answering the man born blind whom he had just healed when asked who the Son of Man is, Christ said, “You have seen him” (John 9:37). The Second Council of Nicaea, in the year 787, reaffirmed against the iconoclasts the validity of using sacred images, linking religious pictures and art to the Incarnation (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 476). Man has a need to see God, and the Incarnation was God’s response.

3. Believe Because of the Works: Christ helps Philip’s faith by pointing to the works he has done. The faith cannot be proven in an empirical sense, but there can be many signs which assist our reason in that act of faith. Christ’s miracles, his moral stature, his words and ultimately his resurrection are strong arguments in favor of the faith. Nevertheless we must still decide to believe. Once we decide, then even greater works than Christ performed in his earthly life can be worked through us. Don’t wait to understand everything to believe, rather believe and you will begin to understand.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, let me see your face in prayer, in the Eucharist and in my neighbor. Be my way, my truth and my life. Be my model, my point of reference and my strength. Without you I can do nothing; with you I can do all things.

Resolution: I will do a conscious act of charity for my neighbor, making an effort to see Christ in others.


37 posted on 05/03/2013 6:59:02 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

The Son Shows the Father

 

by CE Editor on May 3, 2013 ·

1) Opening prayer

Lord our God,
we praise and thank you on the feast
of your apostles Philip and James.
Through them many have come to know
that Jesus is alive and risen.
May we too be good witnesses
to the risen Jesus
by the way we live his risen life,
even though we are flawed and weak,
that people may find through us
the way to the Father of Jesus our Lord.

2) Gospel Reading – John 14,6-14

Jesus said: I am the Way; I am Truth and Life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father too. From this moment you know him and have seen him.
Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and then we shall be satisfied.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? ‘Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father, so how can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
What I say to you I do not speak of my own accord: it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his works. You must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe it on the evidence of these works. In all truth I tell you, whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, and will perform even greater works, because I am going to the Father.
Whatever you ask in my name I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

3) Reflection

• Today’s Gospel, the Feast of the Apostles Philip and James, is the same one as we meditated on during the 4th week of Easter, and narrates the request of the Apostle Philip to Jesus: “Show us the Father, and that is enough for us”.
• John 14, 6: I am the way, I am Truth and Life: Thomas had addressed a question to Jesus: “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (Jn 14, 5). 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 walk. 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 “comes to the Father except through me”. And he is the gate through which the sheep go in and out (Jn 10, 9). Jesus is the Truth because looking at him, we are seeing the image of the Father. “If you know me, you will know my Father too!” Jesus is Life, because walking like Jesus we will be united to the Father and will have life in us!
• John 14, 7: To know Jesus is to know the Father. Thomas had asked: “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus answers: “I am the way, I am Truth and Life! No one comes to the Father except through me”. And he adds: “If you know me, you will know my Father too. From this moment you have known him and have seen him”. This is the first phrase of today’s Gospel. Jesus always speaks about the Father, because it was the life of the Father that appeared in everything that he said and did. This continuous reference to the Father causes Philip to ask the question.
• John 14, 8-11: Philip asks: “Show us the Father and then we will be satisfied!” It was the desire of the disciples, the desire of many persons of the communities of the Beloved Disciple and it is the desire of many people today. What do people do to see the Father of whom Jesus speaks so much? Jesus’ answer is very beautiful and it is valid even today: “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!”People should not think that God is far away from us, at a distance and unknown. Anyone who wants to know how and who is God the Father, it suffices for him to look at Jesus. He has revealed him in the words and gestures of his life! “The Father is in me and I am in the Father!” Through his obedience, Jesus has totally identified himself with the Father. At every moment he did what the Father told him to do (Jn 5, 30; 8, 28-29.38). This is why in Jesus, everything is the revelation of the Father! And the signs or works are the works of the Father! As people say: “The son is the face of the father!” This is why in Jesus and for Jesus, God is in our midst.
• John 14, 12-14: The Promise of Jesus. Jesus makes a promise to say that his intimacy with the Father is not a privilege only for him, but it is possible for all those who believe in him. We also, through Jesus, can be able to do beautiful things for others as Jesus did for the people of his time. He intercedes for us. Everything that people ask from him, he asks the Father and obtains it, always if it is to serve. Jesus is our defender. He leaves but he does not leave us without defence. He promises that he will ask the Father and the Father will send another defender and consoler, the Holy Spirit. Jesus even said that it is necessary that he leaves, because otherwise the Holy Spirit will not come (Jn 16, 7). And the Holy Spirit will fulfil the things of Jesus in us, if we act in the name of Jesus and observe the great commandment of the practice of love.

4) For Personal confrontation

• Jesus is the way, the Truth and the Life. Without the way, without Truth and without life we cannot live. Try to make this enter your conscience.
• Two important questions: who is Jesus for me? Who am I for Jesus?

5) Concluding Prayer

The heavens declare the glory of God,
the vault of heaven proclaims his handiwork,
day discourses of it to day,
night to night hands on the knowledge. (Ps 19,1-2)

This reflection is thanks to the good Carmelites at ocarm.org


38 posted on 05/03/2013 7:08:40 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

 


<< Friday, May 3, 2013 >> Sts. Philip & James
 
1 Corinthians 15:1-8
View Readings
Psalm 19:2-5 John 14:6-14
 

WILL YOUR FAITH LAST? (see Lk 18:8)

 
"Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me, or else, believe because of the works I do." —John 14:11
 

If we believe in Jesus, we will do greater works than He did (Jn 14:12). By faith, we can move mountains (Mt 17:20), conquer the world (1 Jn 5:5), obtain God's promises, break the jaws of lions, put out raging fires, and escape the devouring sword (Heb 11:33-34). By faith, we accept the grace of salvation (Eph 2:8). Definitely, faith is a very great gift from God.

However, as great as faith is, it must be permanent. Otherwise, we have believed in vain (1 Cor 15:2). Only by lasting faith do we hold fast to the gospel (1 Cor 15:2). Therefore, it is extremely important to protect and develop our faith. Our daily prayer should be: "I do believe. Help my lack of faith!" (Mk 9:24, our transl.)

Faith is confidence, assurance, and conviction (Heb 11:1). Faith is a result of a good relationship. Therefore, faith can increase or decrease frequently because all relationships continually deepen or lessen. Consequently, we need to maximize our communication with the Lord so as to deepen our relationship with Him, thereby strengthening our faith. We need the Scriptures (Rm 10:17), Christian community, the breaking of the bread (the Eucharist), and the prayers (Acts 2:42). We need ever-increasing and everlasting faith. Lord, "increase our faith" (Lk 17:5).

 
Prayer: Father, deepen my faith in You so that I will die for you as did Sts. Philip and James.
Promise: "He was seen by five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still alive, although some have fallen asleep. Next He was seen by James; then by all the apostles. Last of all He was seen by me." —1 Cor 15:6-8
Praise: St. James "the Less" was an apostle who is never mentioned individually in the gospels as saying or doing anything. His only activity was to hear Jesus' call in his life and respond by wholeheartedly following Jesus. He died as a martyr and is part of the foundation of the Church (Eph 2:20).

39 posted on 05/03/2013 7:11:02 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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18" x 24' Full Color Signs

40 posted on 05/03/2013 7:13:40 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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