Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 05-11-13

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 05-11-13 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

Information: St. Francis of Girolamo

Feast Day:	May 11
Born:	17 December 1642 at Grottaglie, Apulia, near Taranto, Italy
Died:	11 May 1716 at Naples, Italy
Canonized:	26 May 1839 by Pope Gregory XVI
Patron of:	Grottaglie, Italy

[Salvation]

Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Ignatius of Laconi

Feast Day: May 11
Born: 1701 :: Died: 1781

Ignatius was born at Laconi, Sardinia in Italy. He was the son of a poor farmer with seven children and Ignatius grew up working in the fields. When he was about seventeen, he became very ill and Ignatius promised God he would become a Franciscan if he got cured. But when the illness left him, his father convinced him to wait.

Two years later, Ignatius was almost killed when he lost control of his horse. But suddenly, the horse stopped and trotted on quietly. Ignatius was certain, then, that God had saved his life. He made up his mind to follow his religious calling and became a Franciscan friar at once.

Brother Ignatius never had any important position in the Franciscan order. For fifteen years he worked in the weaving shed. Then, for forty years, he was part of the team who went from house to house asking for food and donations to support the friars.

Ignatius visited families and received their gift. But the people soon realized that they received a gift in return. Brother Ignatius consoled the sick and lonely and cheered the children of the street. He made peace between enemies, softened the hearts of people that had become hardened by sin and advised those in trouble. They began to wait for his visits.

There were some difficult days, too. Once in a while, a door was slammed in his face, and often the weather was bad. Always, there were miles and miles to walk. But Ignatius did his duty well.

People noticed that Ignatius always skipped the house of a rich moneylender. This man never forgave a debt and made the poor pay back much more than they could afford. He felt bad because Ignatius never visited his home to ask for donations and complained to Brother Ignatius' superior.

The superior knew nothing about the moneylender so he sent Ignatius to his home. Brother Ignatius obeyed without a word. He returned with a large sack of food. It was then that God worked a miracle. When the sack was emptied, blood dripped out.

"This is the blood of the poor," Ignatius explained softly. "That is why I never ask for anything at that house." The friars began to pray that the moneylender would repent. Brother Ignatius died at the age of eighty, on May 11, 1781

[annalex]

John
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	John 16
23.	And in that day you shall not ask me any thing. Amen, amen I say to you: if you ask the Father any thing in my name, he will give it you.	Et in illo die me non rogabitis quidquam. Amen, amen dico vobis : si quid petieritis Patrem in nomine meo, dabit vobis.	και εν εκεινη τη ημερα εμε ουκ ερωτησετε ουδεν αμην αμην λεγω υμιν οτι οσα αν αιτησητε τον πατερα εν τω ονοματι μου δωσει υμιν
24.	Hitherto you have not asked any thing in my name. Ask, and you shall receive; that your joy may be full.	Usque modo non petistis quidquam in nomine meo : petite, et accipietis, ut gaudium vestrum sit plenum.	εως αρτι ουκ ητησατε ουδεν εν τω ονοματι μου αιτειτε και ληψεσθε ινα η χαρα υμων η πεπληρωμενη
25.	These things I have spoken to you in proverbs. The hour cometh, when I will no more speak to you in proverbs, but will shew you plainly of the Father.	Hæc in proverbiis locutus sum vobis. Venit hora cum jam non in proverbiis loquar vobis, sed palam de Patre annuntiabo vobis :	ταυτα εν παροιμιαις λελαληκα υμιν αλλ ερχεται ωρα οτε ουκετι εν παροιμιαις λαλησω υμιν αλλα παρρησια περι του πατρος αναγγελω υμιν
26.	In that day you shall ask in my name; and I say not to you, that I will ask the Father for you:	in illo die in nomine meo petetis : et non dico vobis quia ego rogabo Patrem de vobis :	εν εκεινη τη ημερα εν τω ονοματι μου αιτησεσθε και ου λεγω υμιν οτι εγω ερωτησω τον πατερα περι υμων
27.	For the Father himself loveth you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.	ipse enim Pater amat vos, quia vos me amastis, et credidistis, quia ego a Deo exivi.	αυτος γαρ ο πατηρ φιλει υμας οτι υμεις εμε πεφιληκατε και πεπιστευκατε οτι εγω παρα του θεου εξηλθον
28.	I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again I leave the world, and I go to the Father.	Exivi a Patre, et veni in mundum : iterum relinquo mundum, et vado ad Patrem.	εξηλθον παρα του πατρος και εληλυθα εις τον κοσμον παλιν αφιημι τον κοσμον και πορευομαι προς τον πατερα

[annalex]

23. And in that day you shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say to you, Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
24. Hitherto have you asked nothing in my name; ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full.
25. These things have I spoken to you in proverbs; but the time comes, when I shall no more speak to you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father.
26. At that day you shall ask in my name; and I say not to you, that I will pray the Father for you:
27. For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.
28. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.

CHRYS, Again our Lord shows that it is expedient that He should go: And in that day shall you ask Me nothing.

AUG. The word ask here means not only to seek for, but to ask a question: the Greek word from which it is translated has both meanings.

CHRYS. He says, And in that day, i.e. when I shall have risen again, you shall ask Me nothing, i.e. not say to Me, Show us the Father, and, Where do You go? since you will know this by the teaching of the Holy Ghost; or, you shall ask Me nothing, i.e. not want Me for a Mediator to obtain your requests, as My name will be enough, if you only call upon that: Verily, verily, I say to you, whatsoever you shall ask the Father in My Name, He will give it you. Wherein He shows His power; that neither seen, or asked, but named only to the Father, He will do miracles.

Do not think then, He said, that because for the future I shall not be with you, that you are therefore forsaken; for My name will be a still greater protection to you than My presence: Hitherto have you asked nothing in My Name; ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full.

THEOPHYL. I or when your prayers shall be fully answered, then will your gladness be greatest.

CHRYS. These words being obscure, He adds, These things have I spoken to you in proverbs, but the time comes when l shall no more speak to you in proverbs; for forty days He talked with them as they were assembled, speaking of the kingdom of God. And now, He says, you are in too great fear to attend to My words, but then, when you see Me risen again, you will be able to proclaim these things openly.

THEOPHYL. He still cheers them with the promise that help will be given them from above in their temptations: At that day you shall ask in My Name. And you will be so in favor with the Father, that you will no longer need my intervention: And I say not to you that I will pray the Father for you, for the Father Himself loves you. But that they might not start back from our Lord, as though they were no longer in need of Him, He adds, Because you have loved Me: as if to say, The Father loves you, because you have loved Me; when therefore you fall from My love, you will straightway fall from the Father's love.

AUG. But does He love us because we love Him; or rather do not we love Him, because He loved us; This is what the Evangelist says, Let us love God, because God first loved us (1 Jn 4:19). The Father then loves us, because we love the Son, it being from the Father and the Son, that we receive the love from the Father and the Son. He loves what He has made; but He would not make in us what He loved, except He loved us in the first place.

HILARY. Perfect faith in the Son, which believes and loves what has come forth from God, and deserves to be heard and loved for its own sake, this faith confessing the Son of God, born from Him, and sent by Him, needs not an intercessor with the Father; wherefore it follows, And have believed that I came forth from God.

His nativity and advent are signified by, I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world. The one is dispensation, the other nature. To have come from the Father, and to have come forth from God, have not the same meaning; because it is one thing to have come forth from God in the relation of Sonship, another thing to have come from the Father into this world to accomplish the mystery of our salvation. Since to come forth from God is to subsist as His Son, what else can He be but God.

CHRYS. As it was consolatory to them to hear of His resurrection, and how He came from God, and went to God, He dwells again and again on these subjects: Again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. The one was a proof that their faith in Him was not vain: the other that they would still be under His protection.

AUG. He came forth from the Father, because He is of the Father; He came into the world, because He showed Himself in the body to the world. He left the world by His departure in the body, and went to the Father by the ascension of His humanity, nor yet in respect of the government of His presence, left the world; just as when He went forth from the Father and came into the world, He did so in such wise as not to leave the Father. But our Lord Jesus Christ, we read, was asked questions, and petitioned after His resurrection; for when about to ascend to Heaven He was asked by His disciples when He would restore the kingdom to Israel; when in Heaven He was asked by Stephen, to receive his spirit.

And who would dare to say that as mortal He might be asked, as immortal He might not? I think then that when He says, In that day you shall ask Me nothing, He refers not to the time of His resurrection, but to that time when we shall see Him as He is: which vision is not of this present life, but of the life everlasting, when we shall ask for nothing, ask no questions, because there will remain nothing to be desired, nothing to be learnt.

ALCUIN. This is His meaning then: In the world to come, you shall ask me nothing: but in the mean time while you are traveling on this wearisome road, ask what you want of the Father, and He will give it you: Verily, verily, I say to you, Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in My Name, He will give it you.

AUG. The word whatsoever must not be understood to mean anything, but something which with reference to obtaining the life of blessedness is not nothing. That is not sought in the Savior's name, which is sought to the hindering of our salvation; for by in My name must be understood not the mere sound of the letters or syllables, but that which is rightly and truly signified by that sound. He who holds any notion concerning Christ, which should not be held of the only Son of God, does not ask in His name.

But he who thinks rightly of Him, asks in His name, and receives what he asks, if it be not against his eternal salvation; he receives when it is right he should receive; for some things are only denied at present in order to be granted at a more suitable time. Again, the words, He will give it you, only comprehend those benefits which properly appertain to the persons who ask.

All saints are heard for themselves, but not for all; for it is not will give simply, but will give you; what follows, Hitherto have you asked nothing in My name, may be understood in two ways: either that they had not asked in His name, because they had not known it as it ought to be known; or, you have asked nothing, because with reference to obtaining the thing you ought to ask for, what you have asked for is to be counted nothing.

That therefore they may ask in His name not for what is nothing, but for the fullness of joy, He adds, Ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full. This full joy is not carnal, but spiritual joy; and it will be full, when it is so great that nothing can be added to it.

AUG. And this is that full joy, than which nothing can be greater, viz. to enjoy God, the Trinity, in the image of Whom we are made.

AUG, Whatsoever then is asked, which appertains to the getting this joy, this must be asked in the name of Christ. For His saints that persevere in asking for it, He will never in His divine mercy disappoint. But whatever is asked beside this is nothing, i.e. not absolutely nothing, but nothing in comparison with so great a thing as this. It follows: These things have I spoken to you in proverbs; but the time comes when I shall no more speak to you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father.

The hour of which He speaks may be understood of the future life, when we shall see Him, as the Apostle said, face to face, and, These things have I spoken to you in proverbs, of that which the Apostle said, Now we see as in a glass darkly (1 Cor 13:12). But I will show you that the Father shall be seen through the Son; For no man knows the Father save the Son, and he to whom the Son shall reveal Him (Matt 11:17).

GREG. When He declares that He will show them plainly of the Father, He alludes to the manifestation about to take place of His own majesty which would troth show His own equality With the Father and the procession of the coeternal Spirit from both.

AUG. But this sense seems to be interfered with by what follows: At that day you shall ask in My name. What shall we have to ask for in a future life, when all our desires shall be satisfied; Asking implies the want of something. It remains then that we understand the words of Jesus going to make His disciples spiritual, from being carnal and natural beings.

The natural man so understands whatever he hears of God in a bodily sense, as being unable to conceive any other. Wherefore whatever Wisdom said of the incorporeal, immutable substance are proverbs to him, not that he accounts them proverbs but understands them as if they were proverbs. But when, become spiritual, he has begun to discern all things, though in this life he see but in a glass and in part, yet does he perceive, not by bodily sense, not by idea of the imagination, but by most sure intelligence of the mind, perceive and hold that God is not body, but spirit; the Son shows so plainly of the Father, that He who shows is seen to be of the same nature with Him who is shown.

Then they who ask, ask in His name, because by the sound of that name they understand nothing but the thing itself which is expressed by that name. These are able to think that our Lord Jesus Christ, in so far as He is man, intercedes with the Father for us' in so far as He is God, hears us together with the Father: which I think is His meaning when He says, And I say not to you that I will pray the Father for you. To understand this, viz. how that the Son does not ask the Father, but Father and Son together hear those who ask, is beyond the reach of any but the spiritual vision.

Catena Aurea John 16

[annalex]

No. 38 Scenes from the Life of Christ: 22. Ascension

Giotto di Bondone

1304-06
Fresco, 200 x 185 cm
Cappella Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padua

[Salvation]

 

Catholic

Almanac:

Saturday, May 11

Liturgical Color: White

Today is the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Laconi, Religious. St. Ignatius’ job was to beg for food for the friary. Even the poor wanted to give from their need because of his holiness. He died in 1781. (Franciscan Calendar)

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: May 11, 2013
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, whose Son, at his Ascension to the heavens, was pleased to promise the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, grant, we pray, that, just as they received manifold gifts of heavenly teaching, so on us, too, you may bestow spiritual gifts. 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.

RECIPES

• St. Mary's Mocha Surprise
• Vuccidrato -- Mary's Palms

ACTIVITIES

• Stella Matutina

PRAYERS

• Blessing of Sprouting Seed, Rogation Days
• Regina Coeli (Queen of Heaven)
• Roman Ritual Blessing Before and After Meals: Easter Season (2nd Plan)
• Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Litany of Loretto)

Easter: May 11th

Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter

Old Calendar: Our Lady, Queen of Apostles; Saints Philip and James, apostles and martyrs; St. Francis di Girolamo, priest (Hist)

Historically today is the feast of St. Francis di Girolamo, a Jesuit priest from Italy who spent most of his life working as a rural missionary in the countryside near Naples. His sermons were short and vigorous, and he touched many hearts.

According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of Sts. Philip and James. Their feast in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is celebrated on May 3.

The feast of the Queen of Apostles was established on the first Saturday after the Ascension by the Sacred Congregation of Rites at the request of the Pallottine Fathers. Mary initiated her mission as Queen of Apostles in the Cenacle. She gathered the apostles together, comforted them, and assisted them in prayer. Together with them she hoped, desired and prayed; with them her petitions were heeded and she received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.

Today we begin the Novena to the Holy Spirit.

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Mary, Queen of Apostles
Mary is Queen of Apostles because she was chosen to be the Mother of Jesus Christ and to give him to the world; she was made the apostles' Mother and our own by our Savior on the cross. She was with the apostles while awaiting the descent of the Holy Spirit, obtaining for them the abundance of supernatural graces they received on Pentecost. The most holy Virgin was and always will be the wellspring for every apostolate.

She exercised a universal apostolate, one so vast that it embraced all others. The apostolate of prayer, the apostolate of good example, the apostolate of suffering--Mary fulfilled them all. Other people have practiced certain teachings of the Gospel; Mary lived them all. Mary is full of grace, and we draw from her abundance.

Mary attracts the zealous to the various apostolates, then protects and defends all these works. She sheds on each the warmth of her love and the light of her countenance. She presented Jesus in a manner unparalleled throughout the ages. Her apostolate is of the highest degree--never to be equaled, much less surpassed.

Mary gave Jesus to the world and with Jesus came every other blessing. Thus, because of Mary we have the Church: "Mary is the Mother of the Church not only because she is the Mother of Christ and his most intimate associate in 'the new economy when the Son of God took a human nature from her, that he might in the mysteries of his flesh free man from sin,' but also because 'she shines forth to the whole community of the elect as a model of the virtues' (Lumen Gentium. 55, 65). She now continues to fulfill from heaven her maternal function as the cooperator in the birth and development of the divine life in the individual souls of the redeemed" (The Great Sign, by Paul VI). What do we have of value that we have not received through Mary? It is God's will that every blessing should come to us through her.

Because the Blessed Mother occupies a most important position in God's plan of salvation, all humanity should pay homage to her. Whoever spreads devotion to the Queen of Apostles is an apostolic benefactor of the human race, because devotion to Mary is a treasure. Blessed is the person who possesses this treasure! Mary's devotees will never be without grace; in any danger, in every circumstance they will always have the means to obtain every grace from God.

Several religious congregations practice devotion to Mary under the title of Queen of Apostles, including the Pallotines, the Marianists, and the congregations founded by Bl. James Alberione (the Society of St. Paul, the Daughters of St. Paul, and several others). In the twentieth century, Bl. Alberione promoted this devotion in a particular way.

— Excerpted from Favorite Prayers and Novenas, copyright 1997 Pauline Books & Media

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St. Francis di Girolamo
St. Francis di Girolamo was the famous Jesuit pulpit orator of Naples: a volume would hardly suffice to record the wonderful effect of his eloquence. "His voice" says Butler "was loud and sonorous, . . . and the style of his preaching simple and impressive. . . . His descriptions forcible and graphic and his pathetic appeals were sure to draw tears while his energy astounded and terrified," yet there must have been much of the magnetism of the popular orator in his manner for whenever he spoke whether in the streets of Naples — a constant habit of his — or in the church great crowds followed him and not a few of the sudden conversion made by him of hardened sinners sound like the records of some modern "Revivalist" preachers.

He was an earnest untiring faithful worker to the very last. Born in 1642, at a very early age he became a prefect in the "College of Nobles of the Society of Jesus" and soon after his novitiate was completed took high rank in the society. It was as a preacher and evangelist that he excelled. He died May 11th, 1716 and was beatified by Pius VII, on the feast of St. Joseph in 1806, and canonized by Gregory XVI, on Trinity Sunday 1839.

— Excerpted from Saints and Festivals of the Christian Church, by H. Pomeroy Brewster

Patron: Grottaglie, Italy

Things to Do:

• Read more about St. Francis in the Catholic Encyclopedia and in Butler's Lives of the Saints.

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Acts 18:23-28

6th Week of Easter

“With ardent spirit, Apollos spoke and taught accurately about Jesus.” (Acts 18:25)

A young man who had recently been baptized into the Catholic faith was asked by his mother, “Why did you join the Church?” The young man responded, “Because I believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead to give us eternal life!” Taken aback by her son’s conviction and confidence, she realized that something more than just another religious “phase” was going on. Something real had happened, and she wanted to learn more about it.

Looking at today’s reading, we can imagine that Apollos’ friends were just as intrigued. We don’t know for sure how they reacted, but we do know that Priscilla and Aquila were impressed enough to coach Apollos and make him an even more effective evangelist. Although he didn’t have all the fine points down, Apollos had the right attitude. He wanted to get the gospel out, and that was what mattered most.

We can learn a lot from Apollos. Even though he wasn’t fully trained, he had the courage and determination to introduce other people to Jesus and the Church. It’s true that a lot of other things go into evangelization: not just the words we say but the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the witness of our lives. However, as Pope Paul VI said, even the most authentic witness is not effective without “a clear and unequivocal proclamation of the Lord Jesus.” At some point, we need to tell people what and who it is that we’re excited about!

Many of us are already good witnesses. We’re trying to grow in virtue, raise our families, and be of service to others. Others can see that, too. But they also need to know who is behind it all. Are you ready to tell them? Like Apollos, you don’t have to have the perfect package. You just have to find a way to share about the most important person in your life—Jesus. So pray for the right words and the right moment. And when it comes, don’t be afraid. Christ is with you, and he’s giving you this opportunity to be his messenger of grace and peace.

“Lord, strengthen my desire to show people the way to your kingdom. Help me to remember that I was once like them, just waiting for someone to introduce me to you.”

Psalm 47:2-3, 8-10; John 16:23-28

[Salvation]

 

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for May 11, 2013:

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. Great! Treat your own mother if she is still alive. For husbands: Help your children decide how to honor their mother, but don’t do it for them. Your wife is your best friend, not your mother.

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

Confidence in the Father’s Love

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter

Father John Doyle, LC

 

John 16:23b-28

Jesus said to his disciples: "Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. I have told you this in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures but I will tell you clearly about the Father. On that day you will ask in my name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you. For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father."

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

Petition: Father, help me to confide in you.

1. Ask and You Shall Receive: As a child I was often bashful to the extreme when dealing with strangers. I remember once my dad asked me to leave a food package at the rectory office as a contribution to the parish food drive for the poor. I was scared stiff. Finally after I got up the courage, I rang the doorbell, dropped the box and ran. At times we can feel the same apprehension and uncertainty before prayer. We are not sure if God will take kindly to “being disturbed” in his care for the universe to listen to our request. Ultimately, we need to remember how much God likes to be asked and to trust that, if what we are asking for is for our good or that of another, God will certainly grant it.

2. God’s Self-Revelation: Language is a vehicle of communication, and like every means of expressing ideas, it is limited. Speech, however, is really pushed to its limits when it tries to express realities about which humans have no clear conceptualizations. God’s power, his awesome majesty and his very being are far beyond our limited scope of comprehension. Jesus, as true God and true man, becomes the bridge between our human language and God, whom he knows intimately. Jesus uses the most adequate expressions possible for God –– such as Father ––, but he also reminds us that he is speaking in figures. One day he promises to tell us clearly and even introduce us to him. Is this my greatest hope? Would I be ready right now to be introduced to God the Father?

3. “The Father Himself Loves You”: Our Holy Father, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, reminds us of the Father’s love: “True, no one has ever seen God as he is. And yet God is not totally invisible to us; he does not remain completely inaccessible. God loved us first, says theLetter of St John, and this love of God has appeared in our midst. He has become visible in as much as he ‘has sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him’ (1 John 4:9). God has made himself visible: in Jesus we are able to see the Father (cf.John 14:9). Indeed, God is visible in a number of ways. In the love-story recounted by the Bible, he comes towards us, he seeks to win our hearts, all the way to the Last Supper, to the piercing of his heart on the cross, to his appearances after the Resurrection and to the great deeds by which, through the activity of the apostles, he guided the nascent Church along its path” (Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est [God Is Love], December 25, 2005).

Conversation with Christ: Jesus, you have revealed the immense love the Father has for all people by the ultimate self-giving of your life. Help me never to doubt your love for me. Help me to respond to your love though fidelity to your will and the practice of exquisite charity.

Resolution: I will say a decade of the rosary for missionaries who are preaching God’s love to others.

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

 

<< Saturday, May 11, 2013 >>

Pentecost Novena - Day 2

Acts 18:23-28
View Readings

Psalm 47:2-3, 8-10

John 16:23-28

OPEN-HEART SURGERY

Apollos established "from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah." —Acts 18:28

 

While in the city of Ephesus, Apollos unpacked the Old Testament Scriptures that referred to Jesus and established that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah (Acts 18:28). In so doing, Apollos imitated Jesus, Who while walking on the road to Emmaus, unpacked the Old Testament Scriptures "beginning with Moses and all the prophets" and "interpreted for them every passage of Scripture which referred to Him" (Lk 24:27).

As we progress through the Pentecost Novena, we increase our thirst to receive the Holy Spirit. A great way to open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit is to review the Scriptures which reveal Jesus' identity. The Church has been doing this throughout the daily and Sunday Eucharistic readings during the seasons of Lent and Easter. To help us receive the Holy Spirit more deeply this Pentecost, take some time today and next week to look back over the key Scriptures of Lent and Easter. Focus especially on the readings of Holy Week, which summarize the Scriptures that prove that Jesus is the Messiah. May the Word of God open your heart to receive the Holy Spirit in a new and life-changing way (see Lk 24:32) this Pentecost.

 

Prayer: Father, stir into flame the Holy Spirit in my life today and next week (2 Tm 1:6).

Promise: "The Father already loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God." —Jn 16:27

Praise: After meeting at midday Mass, Sarah and Mary continued to nurture their faith by sharing it with one another over lunch.

[Salvation]

The Partial Birth Abortion Procedure

Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby's leg with forceps.

	The baby's leg is pulled out into the birth canal.
	The abortionist delivers the baby's entire body, except for the head.
	The abortionist jams scissors into the baby's skull. The scissors are then opened to enlarge the hole...
	The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted. The child's brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The dead baby is then removed.

[Tammy8]

I wonder how many women who get these abortions have any idea this is how it is going to be done? Or even know after it is over how it was done? I suppose they truly believe it is still just a mass of cells or just don’t care- but really who could have any understanding of it and still have an abortion?