He is Risen! Truly Risen!
A blessed Eastertide to all!
Posted on 05/24/2014 7:55:17 PM PDT by Salvation
May 25, 2014
Reading 1 Acts 8:5-8, 14-17
Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed or crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.
Now when the apostles in Jerusalem
heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God,
they sent them Peter and John,
who went down and prayed for them,
that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
for it had not yet fallen upon any of them;
they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then they laid hands on them
and they received the Holy Spirit.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
R/ (1) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R/ Alleluia.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R/ Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R/ Alleluia.
“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R/ Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R/ Alleluia.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R/ Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R/ Alleluia.
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!
R/ Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R/ Alleluia.
reading 2 1 Pt 3:15-18
Beloved:
Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.
Always be ready to give an explanation
to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope,
but do it with gentleness and reverence,
keeping your conscience clear,
so that, when you are maligned,
those who defame your good conduct in Christ
may themselves be put to shame.
For it is better to suffer for doing good,
if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.
For Christ also suffered for sins once,
the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,
that he might lead you to God.
Put to death in the flesh,
he was brought to life in the Spirit.
Gospel Jn 14:15-21
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows him.
But you know him, because he remains with you,
and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me,
but you will see me, because I live and you will live.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father
and you are in me and I in you.
Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
Please FReepmail me to get on/off the Alleluia Ping List.
From: Acts 8:5-8, 14-17
Philip’s Preaching in Samaria
Peter and John in Samaria
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
5. This is not Philip the Apostle (1:13) but one of the seven deacons appointed
to look after Christians in need (6:5). The Gospel is proclaimed to the Samaritans
— who also were awaiting the Messiah. This means that it now spreads beyond
the borders of Judea once and for all, and our Lord’s promise (Acts 1:8) is fulfilled:
“You shall by My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria.”
The despised Samaritans became the first to benefit from the Gospel’s determi-
nation to spread all over the world. We can sense St. Luke’s pleasure in reporting
its proclamation to the Samaritans; earlier he had already showed them in a favo-
rable light: he is the only Evangelist to recount the parable of the Good Samaritan
(cf. Luke 10:30-37) and to mention that the leper who came back to thank Jesus
after being cured was a Samaritan (cf. Luke 17:16). On the Samaritans in general,
see the note on John 4:20.
14-17. Here we see the Apostles exercising through Peter and John the authority
they have over the entire Church. The two Apostles proceed to confirm the dis-
ciples recently baptized by Philip: we may presume that in addition to laying their
hands on them to communicate the Holy Spirit, the Apostles made sure that they
had a correct grasp of the central points of the Gospel message. At this time the
Apostles constituted the spiritual center of the Church and took an active interest
in ensuring that the new communities were conscious of the links — doctrinal and
affective — that united them to the mother community in Jerusalem.
This passage bears witness to the existence of Baptism and the gift of the Holy
Spirit (or Confirmation) as two distinct sacramental rites. The most important ef-
fects Christian Baptism has are the infusion of initial grace and the remission of
Original Sin and any personal sin; it is the first sacrament a person receives,
which is why it is called the “door of the Church”.
There is a close connection between Baptism and Confirmation, so much so that
in the early centuries of Christianity, Confirmation was administered immediately
after Baptism. There is a clear distinction between these two sacraments of
Christian initiation, which helps us understand the different effects they have. A
useful comparison is the difference, in natural life, between conception and later
growth (cf. “St. Pius V Catechism”, II, 3, 5). “As nature intends that all her chil-
dren should grow and attain full maturity [...], so the Catholic Church, the com-
mon mother of all, earnestly wishes that, in those whom she has regenerated
by Baptism, the perfection of Christian manhood be completed” (”ibid.”, II, 3, 7).
“The nature of the Sacrament of Confirmation,” John Paul II explains, “grows out
of this endowment of strength which the Holy Spirit communicates to each bap-
tized person, to make him or her—as the well-known language of the Catechism
puts it—a perfect Christian and soldier of Christ, ready to witness boldly to His
resurrection and its redemptive power: ‘You shall be My witnesses’ (Acts 1:8)”
(”Homily”, 25 May 1980). “All Christians, incorporated into Christ and His Church
by Baptism, are consecrated to God. They are called to profess the faith which
they have received. By the Sacrament of Confirmation they are further endowed
by the Holy Spirit with special strength to be witnesses of Christ and sharers in
His mission of salvation” (”Homily in Limerick”, 1 October 1979). “This is a sa-
crament which in a special way associates us with the mission of the Apostles,
in that it inserts each baptized person into the apostolate of the Church” (”Homi-
ly in Cracow”, 10 June 1979). In the Sacrament of Confirmation divine grace anti-
cipates the aggressive and demoralizing temptations a young Christian man or
woman is likely to experience, and reminds them of the fact that they have a vo-
cation to holiness; it makes them feel more identified with the Church, their Mo-
ther, and helps them live in accordance with their Catholic beliefs and convic-
tions. From their formative years Christ makes them defenders of the faith.
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: Acts 8:5-8, 14-17
Philip’s Preaching in Samaria
Peter and John in Samaria
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
5. This is not Philip the Apostle (1:13) but one of the seven deacons appointed
to look after Christians in need (6:5). The Gospel is proclaimed to the Samaritans
— who also were awaiting the Messiah. This means that it now spreads beyond
the borders of Judea once and for all, and our Lord’s promise (Acts 1:8) is fulfilled:
“You shall by My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria.”
The despised Samaritans became the first to benefit from the Gospel’s determi-
nation to spread all over the world. We can sense St. Luke’s pleasure in reporting
its proclamation to the Samaritans; earlier he had already showed them in a favo-
rable light: he is the only Evangelist to recount the parable of the Good Samaritan
(cf. Luke 10:30-37) and to mention that the leper who came back to thank Jesus
after being cured was a Samaritan (cf. Luke 17:16). On the Samaritans in general,
see the note on John 4:20.
14-17. Here we see the Apostles exercising through Peter and John the authority
they have over the entire Church. The two Apostles proceed to confirm the dis-
ciples recently baptized by Philip: we may presume that in addition to laying their
hands on them to communicate the Holy Spirit, the Apostles made sure that they
had a correct grasp of the central points of the Gospel message. At this time the
Apostles constituted the spiritual center of the Church and took an active interest
in ensuring that the new communities were conscious of the links — doctrinal and
affective — that united them to the mother community in Jerusalem.
This passage bears witness to the existence of Baptism and the gift of the Holy
Spirit (or Confirmation) as two distinct sacramental rites. The most important ef-
fects Christian Baptism has are the infusion of initial grace and the remission of
Original Sin and any personal sin; it is the first sacrament a person receives,
which is why it is called the “door of the Church”.
There is a close connection between Baptism and Confirmation, so much so that
in the early centuries of Christianity, Confirmation was administered immediately
after Baptism. There is a clear distinction between these two sacraments of
Christian initiation, which helps us understand the different effects they have. A
useful comparison is the difference, in natural life, between conception and later
growth (cf. “St. Pius V Catechism”, II, 3, 5). “As nature intends that all her chil-
dren should grow and attain full maturity [...], so the Catholic Church, the com-
mon mother of all, earnestly wishes that, in those whom she has regenerated
by Baptism, the perfection of Christian manhood be completed” (”ibid.”, II, 3, 7).
“The nature of the Sacrament of Confirmation,” John Paul II explains, “grows out
of this endowment of strength which the Holy Spirit communicates to each bap-
tized person, to make him or her—as the well-known language of the Catechism
puts it—a perfect Christian and soldier of Christ, ready to witness boldly to His
resurrection and its redemptive power: ‘You shall be My witnesses’ (Acts 1:8)”
(”Homily”, 25 May 1980). “All Christians, incorporated into Christ and His Church
by Baptism, are consecrated to God. They are called to profess the faith which
they have received. By the Sacrament of Confirmation they are further endowed
by the Holy Spirit with special strength to be witnesses of Christ and sharers in
His mission of salvation” (”Homily in Limerick”, 1 October 1979). “This is a sa-
crament which in a special way associates us with the mission of the Apostles,
in that it inserts each baptized person into the apostolate of the Church” (”Homi-
ly in Cracow”, 10 June 1979). In the Sacrament of Confirmation divine grace anti-
cipates the aggressive and demoralizing temptations a young Christian man or
woman is likely to experience, and reminds them of the fact that they have a vo-
cation to holiness; it makes them feel more identified with the Church, their Mo-
ther, and helps them live in accordance with their Catholic beliefs and convic-
tions. From their formative years Christ makes them defenders of the faith.
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: John 14:15-21
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
[18] “I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you. [19] Yet a little while, and
the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live
also. [20] In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in
you. [21] He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me;
and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and manifest
Myself to him.”
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
15. Genuine love must express itself in deeds. “This indeed is love: obeying and
believing in the loved one” (St. John Chrysostom, “Hom. on St. John”, 74). There-
fore, Jesus wants us to understand that love of God, if it is to be authentic, must
be reflected in a life of generous and faithful self-giving obedient to the Will of God:
he who accepts God’s commandments and obeys them, he it is who loves Him (cf.
John 14:21). St. John himself exhorts us in another passage not to “love in word
or speech but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18), and he teaches us that “this is
the love of God, that we keep His commandments” (1 John 5:3).
16-17. On a number of occasions the Lord promises the Apostles that He will send
them the Holy Spirit (cf. 14:26; 15:36; 16:7-14; Matthew 10:20). Here He tells them
that one result of His mediation with the Father will be the coming of the Paraclete.
The Holy Spirit in fact does come down on the disciples after our Lord’s ascension
(cf. Acts 2:1-13), sent by the Father and by the Son. In promising here that through
Him the father will send them the Holy Spirit, Jesus is revealing the mystery of the
Blessed Trinity.
“Consoler”: the Greek word sometimes anglicized as “paraclete” means etymologi-
cally “called to be beside one” to accompany, to console, protect, defend. Hence
the word is translated as Consoler, Advocate, etc. Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit
as “another Consoler”, because He will be given them in Christ’s place as Advo-
cate or Defender to help them, since Jesus is going to ascend to Heaven. In 1
John 2:1 Jesus Christ is described as a Paraclete: “We have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous”. Jesus Christ, then, also is our Advocate and
Mediator in Heaven where He is with the Father (cf. Hebrews 7:25). It is now the
role of the Holy Spirit to guide, protect and vivify the Church, “for there are, as we
know, two factors which Christ has promised and arranged in different ways to
continue His mission [...]: the apostolate and the Spirit. The apostolate is the ex-
ternal and objective factor, it forms the material body, so to speak, of the Church
and is the source of her visible and social structures. The Holy Spirit acts inter-
nally within each person, as well as on the whole community, animating, vivifying,
sanctifying” (Paul VI, “Opening Address at the Third Session of Vatican II”, 14
September 1964).
The Holy Spirit is our Consoler as we make our way in this world amid difficulties
and the temptation to feel depressed. “In spite of our great limitations, we can look
up to Heaven with confidence and joy: God loves us and frees us from our sins.
The presence and the action of the Holy Spirit in the Church are a foretaste of
eternal happiness, of the joy and peace for which we are destined by God” (St.
J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 128).
18-20. At various points in the Supper we can see the Apostles growing sad when
the Lord bid them farewell (cf. John 15:16; 16:22). Jesus speaks to them with
great tenderness, calling them “little children” (John 13:33) and “friends” (John 15:
15), and He promises that He will not leave them alone, for He will send the Holy
Spirit, and He Himself will return to be with them again. And in fact He will see
them again after the Resurrection when He appears to them over a period of forty
days to tell them about the Kingdom of God (cf. Acts 1:3). When He ascends into
Heaven they will see Him no longer; yet Jesus still continues to be in the midst of
His disciples as He promised He would (cf. Matthew 28:20), and we will see Him
face to face in Heaven. “Then it shall be that we will be able to see that which we
believe. For even now He is with us, and we in Him [...]; but now we know by be-
lieving, whereas then we shall know by beholding.
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
If the Ascension of the Lord is going to be celebrated next Sunday, the alternative Second Reading and Gospel shown here (which would otherwise have been read on that Sunday) may be used today.
|
First reading |
|
Acts 8:5-8,14-17 © |
Philip went to a Samaritan town and proclaimed the Christ to them. The people united in welcoming the message Philip preached, either because they had heard of the miracles he worked or because they saw them for themselves. There were, for example, unclean spirits that came shrieking out of many who were possessed, and several paralytics and cripples were cured. As a result there was great rejoicing in that town.
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, and they went down there, and prayed for the Samaritans to receive the Holy Spirit, for as yet he had not come down on any of them: they had only been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
|
Psalm |
|
Psalm 65:1-7,16,20 © |
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Cry out with joy to God all the earth,
O sing to the glory of his name.
O render him glorious praise.
Say to God: ‘How tremendous your deeds!
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
‘Before you all the earth shall bow;
shall sing to you, sing to your name!’
Come and see the works of God,
tremendous his deeds among men.
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
He turned the sea into dry land,
they passed through the river dry-shod.
Let our joy then be in him;
he rules for ever by his might.
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Come and hear, all who fear God.
I will tell what he did for my soul:
Blessed be God who did not reject my prayer
nor withhold his love from me.
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
EITHER:
|
Second reading |
1 Peter 3:15-18 © |
Reverence the Lord Christ in your hearts, and always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you all have. But give it with courtesy and respect and with a clear conscience, so that those who slander you when you are living a good life in Christ may be proved wrong in the accusations that they bring. And if it is the will of God that you should suffer, it is better to suffer for doing right than for doing wrong.
Why, Christ himself, innocent though he was, had died once for sins, died for the guilty, to lead us to God. In the body he was put to death, in the spirit he was raised to life.
OR:
|
Second reading |
1 Peter 4:13-16 © |
If you can have some share in the sufferings of Christ, be glad, because you will enjoy a much greater gladness when his glory is revealed. It is a blessing for you when they insult you for bearing the name of Christ, because it means that you have the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God resting on you. None of you should ever deserve to suffer for being a murderer, a thief, a criminal or an informer; but if anyone of you should suffer for being a Christian, then he is not to be ashamed of it; he should thank God that he has been called one.
EITHER:
|
Gospel Acclamation |
Jn14:23 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus said: ‘If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him.’
Alleluia!
|
Gospel |
John 14:15-21 © |
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘If you love me you will keep my commandments.
I shall ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you for ever,
that Spirit of truth
whom the world can never receive
since it neither sees nor knows him;
but you know him,
because he is with you, he is in you.
I will not leave you orphans;
I will come back to you.
In a short time the world will no longer see me;
but you will see me,
because I live and you will live.
On that day you will understand that I am in my Father
and you in me and I in you.
Anybody who receives my commandments and keeps them
will be one who loves me;
and anybody who loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I shall love him and show myself to him.’
OR:
|
Gospel Acclamation |
cf.Jn14:18 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord;
I will come back to you,
and your hearts will be full of joy.
Alleluia!
|
Gospel |
John 17:1-11 © |
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:
‘Father, the hour has come:
glorify your Son
so that your Son may glorify you;
and, through the power over all mankind that you have given him,
let him give eternal life to all those you have entrusted to him.
And eternal life is this:
to know you,
the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
I have glorified you on earth
and finished the work that you gave me to do.
Now, Father, it is time for you to glorify me
with that glory I had with you
before ever the world was.
I have made your name known
to the men you took from the world to give me.
They were yours and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
Now at last they know
that all you have given me comes indeed from you;
for I have given them the teaching you gave to me,
and they have truly accepted this, that I came from you,
and have believed that it was you who sent me.
I pray for them;
I am not praying for the world
but for those you have given me,
because they belong to you:
all I have is yours
and all you have is mine,
and in them I am glorified.
I am not in the world any longer,
but they are in the world,
and I am coming to you.’
He is Risen! Truly Risen!
A blessed Eastertide to all!
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We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.
Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.
Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.
Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.
Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.
Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.
O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.
Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests
This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.
The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.
The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.
Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem. He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.
St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.
1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)
5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.
Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.
End with the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Final step -- The Sign of the Cross
The Mysteries of the Rosary
By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary.
The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.
The Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]
St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
Cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
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From an Obama bumper sticker on a car:
"Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8"
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May Devotion: Blessed Virgin Mary
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Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. Toward the end of the eighteenth century a zealous Jesuit priest, Father Lalomia, started among the students of the Roman college of his Society the practice of dedicating May to Our Lady. The devotion, which others had promoted in a small way, soon spread to other Jesuit Colleges and to the entire Latin church and since that time it has been a regular feature of Catholic life.
INVOCATIONS
Thou who wast a virgin before thy delivery, pray for us. Hail Mary, etc.
Thou who wast a virgin in thy delivery, pray for us. Hail Mary, etc.
Thou who wast a virgin after thy delivery, pray for us. Hail Mary, etc.
My Mother, deliver me from mortal sin.
Hail Mary (three times).
Mother of love, of sorrow and of mercy, pray for us.
Remember, O Virgin Mother of God, when thou shalt stand before the face of the Lord, that thou speak favorable things in our behalf and that He may turn away His indignation from us.
Roman Missal
Thou art my Mother, O Virgin Mary: keep me safe lest I ever offend thy dear Son, and obtain for me the grace to please Him always and in all things.
FOR THE HELP OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
May we be assisted, we beseech Thee, 0 Lord, by the worshipful intercession of Thy glorious Mother, the ever-Virgin Mary; that we, who have been enriched by her perpetual blessings, may be delivered from all dangers, and through her loving kindness made to be of one heart and mind: who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.
Roman Missal
THE SALVE REGINA
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus! O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
Roman Breviary
PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
O blessed Virgin Mary, who can worthily repay thee thy just dues of praise and thanksgiving, thou who by the wondrous assent of thy will didst rescue a fallen world? What songs of praise can our weak human nature recite in thy honor, since it is by thy intervention alone that it has found
the way to restoration? Accept, then, such poor thanks as we have here to offer, though they be unequal to thy merits; and, receiving our vows, obtain by thy prayers the remission of our offenses. Carry thou our prayers within the sanctuary of the heavenly audience, and bring forth from it the antidote of our reconciliation. May the sins we bring before Almighty God through thee, become pardonable through thee; may what we ask for with sure confidence, through thee be granted. Take our offering, grant us our requests, obtain pardon for what we fear, for thou art the sole hope of sinners. Through thee we hope for the remission of our sins, and in thee, 0 blessed Lady, is our hope of reward. Holy Mary, succour the miserable, help the fainthearted, comfort the sorrowful, pray for thy people, plead for the clergy, intercede for all women consecrated to God; may all who keep thy holy commemoration feel now thy help and protection. Be thou ever ready to assist us when we pray, and bring back to us the answers to our prayers. Make it thy continual care to pray for the people of God, thou who, blessed by God, didst merit to bear the Redeemer of the world, who liveth and reigneth, world without end. Amen.
Saint Augustine
PETITION TO MARY
Most holy Virgin Immaculate, my Mother Mary, to thee who art the Mother of my Lord, the queen of the universe, the advocate, the hope, the refuge of sinners, I who am the most miserable of all sinners, have recourse this day. I venerate thee, great queen, and I thank thee for the many graces thou hast bestowed upon me even unto this day; in particular for having delivered me from the hell which I have so often deserved by my sins. I love thee, most dear Lady; and for the love I bear thee, I promise to serve thee willingly for ever and to do what I can to make thee loved by others also. I place in thee all my hopes for salvation; accept me as thy servant and shelter me under thy mantle, thou who art the Mother of mercy. And since thou art so powerful with God, deliver me from all temptations, or at least obtain for me the strength to overcome them until death. From thee I implore a true love for Jesus Christ. Through thee I hope to die a holy death. My dear Mother, by the love thou bearest to Almighty God, I pray thee to assist me always, but most of all at the last moment of my life. Forsake me not then, until thou shalt see me safe in heaven, there to bless thee and sing of thy mercies through all eternity. Such is my hope. Amen.
Saint Alphonsus Liguori
Magnificat Prayer
My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my savior,
For he has looked upon his servant in her lowliness; all ages to come shall call me blessed.
God who is mighty has done great things for me,
holy is his name; His mercy is from age to age on those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm; he has confused the proud in their inmost thoughts. He has deposed the mighty from their thrones and raised the lowly to high places. The hungry he has given every good thing, while the rich he has sent empty away. He has upheld Israel his servant, ever mindful of his mercy; Even as he promised our fathers, promised Abraham and his descendants forever.
(Lk 1:46-55)
TO MARY, REFUGE OF SINNERS
Hail, most gracious Mother of mercy, hail, Mary, for whom we fondly yearn, through whom we obtain forgiveness! Who would not love thee? Thou art our light in uncertainty, our comfort in sorrow, our solace in the time of trial, our refuge from every peril and temptation. Thou art our sure hope of salvation, second only to thy only-begotten Son; blessed are they who love thee, our Lady! Incline, I beseech thee, thy ears of pity to the entreaties of this thy servant, a miserable sinner; dissipate the darkness of my sins by the bright beams of thy holiness, in order that I may be acceptable in thy sight.
FOR THE GRACE OF LOVE
O Mary, my dear Mother, how much I love thee! And yet in reality how little! Thou dost teach me what I ought to know, for thou teachest me what Jesus is to me and what I ought to be for Jesus. Dearly beloved Mother, how close to God thou art, and how utterly filled with Him! In the measure that we know God, we remind ourselves of thee. Mother of God, obtain for me the grace of loving my Jesus; obtain for me the grace of loving thee!
Cardinal Merry del Val
TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY FOR MAY
O most august and blessed Virgin Mary! Holy Mother of God! glorious Queen of heaven and earth! powerful protectress of those who love thee, and unfailing advocate of all who invoke thee! look down, I beseech thee, from thy throne of glory on thy devoted child; accept the solemn offering I present thee of this month, specially dedicated to thee, and receive my ardent, humble desire, that by my love and fervor I could worthily honor thee, who, next to God, art deserving of all honor. Receive me, 0 Mother of Mercy, among thy best beloved children; extend to me thy maternal tenderness and solicitude; obtain for me a place in the Heart of Jesus, and a special share in the gifts of His grace. 0 deign, I beseech thee, to recognize my claims on thy protection, to watch over my spiritual and temporal interests, as well as those of all who are dear to me; to infuse into my soul the spirit of Christ, and to teach me thyself to become meek, humble, charitable, patient, and submissive to the will of God.
May my heart bum with the love of thy Divine Son, and of thee, His blessed Mother, not for a month alone, but for time and eternity; may I thirst for the promotion of His honor and thine, and contribute, as far as I can, to its extension. Receive me, 0 Mary, the refuge of sinners! Grant me a Mother's blessing and a Mother's care, now, and at the hour of my death. Amen.
TO OUR LADY
Saint John Vianney, better known as the Cure of Ars, when asked how long he had loved Mary, said: "I loved her almost before I could know her." In this prayer he expresses that love.
O thou most holy virgin Mary, who dost evermore stand before the most holy Trinity, and to whom it is granted at all times to pray for us to thy most beloved Son; pray for me in all my necessities; help me, combat for me, and obtain for me the pardon of all my sins. Help me especially at my last hour; and when I can no longer give any sign of the use of reason, then do thou encourage me, make the sign of the cross for me, and fight for me against the enemy. Make in my name a profession of faith; favor me with a testimony of my salvation, and never let me despair of the mercy of God. Help me to overthrow the wicked enemy. When I can no longer say: "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I place my soul in your hands," do thou say it for me; when I can no longer hear human words of consolation, do thou comfort me. Leave me not before I have been judged; and if I have to expiate my sins in purgatory, oh! pray for me earnestly; and admonish my friends to procure for me a speedy enjoyment of the blessed sight of God. Lessen my sufferings, deliver me speedily, and lead my soul into heaven with thee: that, united with all the elect, I may there bless and praise my God and thee for all eternity. Amen.
Saint John Vianney
ACT OF REPARATION
O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous
tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever virgin, conceived without stain of sin, co-redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity, who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. 0 Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.
Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954
| Memorare of the Blessed Virgin Mary |
Remember O Most Gracious Virgin Mary!
That never was it known
That anyone who fled to thy protection,
Implored thy help or sought thy intercession
Was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto Thee!
O Virgin of virgins, My Mother!
To Thee I come before Thee I stand,
Sinful and Sorrowful,
Oh Mother of the Word Incarnate,
Despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy,
Hear and answer me.
Amen
Who Is Our Lady of Laus? “My name is Mary” (CATHOLIC CAUCUS)
What Happened to the Virgin Mary After Pentecost? [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
Saint Thomas Aquinas on the Hail Mary (Catholic Caucus)
Yes, Mary DOES Know
How Can Mary Hear Thousands Simultaneously?
Fr Paul Schenck: Immaculate Conception Tells us Who Mary Is and Who We Are (Catholic Caucus)
Mary,Our Lady of Quatlasupe,She who crushes the head of the serpent, is leading...(Catholic Caucus)
MARY, MOTHER OF EVANGELIZATION [Cath-Orth caucus]
On Mary, Model of Faith, Charity and Union with Christ [Weekly Audience]
Why Don’t You honor Mary?
Columbus and the Virgin Mary [Catholic Caucus]
Pope Francis: Mary’s faith unties the knot of sin
Pope consecrates world to immaculate heart of Mary
Mary, Mother of God
Mary 'can only bring us to God,' expert says as entrustment nears
Pope Francis: "Mary, look upon us" (Mass in Cagliari)
Devotion to the Most Holy Name of Mary [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Pope Francis: contemplate the “suffering humanity” of Jesus and the sweetness of Mary
Mary's Nativity Draws Tens of Thousands to Indian Basilica
Veneration of Mary in Luke 11:27-28
Pope at Mass: Learning from Mary to keep the Word of God
Pope: Mary is always in a hurry to help us (first pastoral visit to a diocese in Rome)
Catholic Word of the Day: MARY'S SINLESSNESS, 04-01-13
Letter #47: To Mary (Pope Francis prays at (tomb of Pope St. Pius V) [Catholic Caucus]
Catholic Word of the Day: MARY'S VIRGINITY, 02-26-13
Mariaphobic Response Syndrome: Part Two
Mariaphobic Response Syndrome: Part One
A Mother’s Love, The Blessed Virgin Mary Saying YES To God
Chesterton on devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary [Ecumenical]
The Perpetual Virginity of Blessed Mary
A Comparison is Instituted Between the Disobedient and Sinning Eve and the Virgin Mary..
Magnificat: The Hymn of the Blessed Virgin Mary [Catholic Caucus]
The Blessed Virgin Mary's Role in the Celibate Priest's Spousal... (Pt 2) (CATHOLIC CAUCUS)
The Blessed Virgin Mary's Role in the Celibate Priest's Spousal and Paternal Love (CATHOLIC CAUCUS)
Discovering Mary [Excellent New Book For Converts]
Beginning Our Lady's Month [Catholic Caucus]
Give it all to Mary [Catholic Caucus]
JESUS LIVING IN MARY: HANDBOOK, SPIRITUALITY OF ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT, ROSARY [Ecumenical]
Mary, Tabernacle of the Lord By Archbishop Fulton Sheen(Catholic Caucus)
A Protestant Discovers Mary
Mary is our Mother and Queen of the New Davidic Kingdom (Scriptures Agree With Catholic Church)
Hail Mary
Holy Water Silhouette (Virgin Mary -video))
How could Mary be the Mother of God?
Mary, the Mother of God (a defense)
Calling Mary “Mother of God” Tells Us Who Jesus Is
The Holy Spirit And Mary (Catholic Caucus)
Mary, Our Cause of Rejoicing
Mary in Byzantine Doctrine and Devotion (Catholic / Orthodox Caucus)
Radio Replies First Volume - Devotion to Mary
The Blessed Virgin Mary and the Catholic Discovery of America(Catholic Caucus)
Mary is the star that guides us to holiness, says Holy Father during Angelus [Catholic Caucus]
The Efficacy and Power of One Hail Mary [Ecumenical]
When Did Belief in the Virgin Birth Begin?
Mary, Motherhood, and the Home BY Archbishop Fulton Sheen
On Mary, Mother of Priests
Benedict reflects on Mary and the priesthood [Catholic Caucus]
Radio Replies First Volume - Mary
Scholar says Baptists neglect lessons from Virgin Mary
Mary and the Sword Continued Part #2 by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
Mary and the Sword by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen(Catholic Caucus)
Why Did Mary Offer a Sin Offering? [Ecumenical]
Mary and Intercessory Prayer
Mary: Holy Mother
Mary not just for Catholics anymore
Pope concludes Month of Mary in the Vatican Gardens
Consecration to Mary(Catholic Caucus)
Mary’s Marching Orders
Praying the Hail Mary Like Never Before [Ecumenical]
Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament [Catholic Caucus]
Catholic Caucus: The Catechism of St. Thomas Aquinas - THE HAIL MARY
Our Jewish Roots: The Immaculate Conception [Ecumenical]
The Blessed Virgin in the History of Christianity [Ecumenical]
Archbishop Sheen Today! -- Mary and the Moslems
Mary Immaculate: Patroness of the United States [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
"The Woman He Loved": Fulton Sheen and the Blessed Mother(Catholic Caucus)
September 12: The Most Holy Name of Mary and Militant Islam
Catholic Devotional: Feast of the Holy Name of Mary
A Homily on the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary
May Devotion: Blessed Virgin Mary
Catholic Caucus: Mary, The Power of Her Name [The Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary]
Pope's Intentions
Universal: That the media may be instruments in the service of truth and peace.
For Evangelization: That Mary, Star of Evangelization, may guide the Church in proclaiming Christ to all nations.
th Sunday of Easter - Year A
Commentary of the day
Paul VI, Pope from 1963-1978
General Audience of 17/05/1972
"The world cannot accept it, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you"
“The Spirit blows where he wills,” said Jesus in his conversation with Nicodemus (Jn 3,8). Therefore, on a doctrinal and practical level, we are not able to draw up any exclusive norms concerning the Holy Spirit's interventions in people's lives. He can manifest himself under the most unrestricted and unexpected forms: “He plays on the surface of the earth” (Prv 8,31)... But for anyone who wants to seize the supernatural waves of the Holy Spirit there is one rule, one requirement that commonly stands out: the interior life. It is within the soul that the encounter with this inexpressible guest takes place: “of the soul the sweetest guest” as the marvellous liturgical hymn for Pentecost says. Man becomes a “temple of the Holy Spirit”, repeats Saint Paul (1Cor 3,16; 6,19).
People today, and christians too, very often, even those consecrated to God, tend to become more and more secular. But they cannot and must not ever forget this fundamental requirement of interior life if they want their lives to remain christian and animated by the Holy Spirit. Pentecost has been preceded by eight days of recollection and prayer. Interior silence is necessary in order to hear God's word, feel his presence, hear the call of God.
Our minds today are far too turned outwards...; we do not know how to meditate, how to pray. We do not know how to silence all the noise made inside us by outside interests, images, feelings. There is no peaceful, dedicated space in our hearts for the flame of Pentecost... The conclusion is obvious: we need to give the interior life its place in the ordering of our tumultuous lives; a place that is special, silent, pure. We need to recollect ourselves again that the lifegiving and sanctifying Spirit may dwell within us.
GOSPEL COMMENTARY JN 14: 15-21
Newness of life in Christ
Fr. Jack Peterson, YA
As we proceed through the magnificent season of Easter, there is a progression in the focus of the readings from recalling the various resurrection appearances of Jesus to His disciples to looking intently at the life of the early church and the absolutely critical role of the Holy Spirit in that church and in the lives of the first disciples of Jesus.
The Holy Spirit needs to receive more attention in our lives as Christians. Newness of life in Christ is the direct result of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In our Gospel today, Jesus states “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth …”
The Holy Spirit is the advocate who comes from the Father and the Son to dwell in our hearts. He delivers God’s boundless mercy and healing. He enables us to say in faith, “Jesus is Lord.” He leads us to all truth so that we can have confidence in our understanding of the deep truths of our faith along with the path that Jesus has marked out for His brothers and sisters. He infuses us with gifts that enable us to live and witness authentically to the great faith we profess. He sets our hearts on fire with burning love for the God who extended His arms on the cross to redeem every person ever conceived on this earth. He enters the depths of our being and makes a home for Himself there so that each of us becomes a living tabernacle, not unlike Mary, bringing Christ into every corner of the world.
The Acts of the Apostles speaks regularly about this awesome Advocate. In today’s reading from Chapter 8, we hear, “Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen on any of them.” The sending and reception of the Holy Spirit was a critical part of coming to the fullness of faith in Jesus Christ. Before Pentecost, there was confusion and fear. After Pentecost, there was clarity and boldness of faith in Jesus.
By the grace of the Holy Spirit, Christians are capable of discovering the enormous love that God has for them. This love enables them to be obedient to what Acts calls “the way,” the way of life modeled by Jesus and the new pattern for our own lives. Once again, Jesus taught his disciples, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Love for Jesus leads to obedience. The Holy Spirit empowers us to come humbly before our Lord, truly sorry for our sins, open to His healing grace, confident in the power of His grace to transform our lives, and willing to follow the shepherd even when the path is hard, filled with scary passages, and exhausting. Genuine love for Christ leads to what St. Paul describes as the “obedience of faith.”
The promised advocate is also manifest in our efforts to serve our neighbor in the name of Christ. In fact, the Holy Spirit makes our ministry resemble the ministry of our Lord. Listen to St. Luke’s description of the life of St. Philip: “Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them. With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing. For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice, came out of many possessed people, and many paralyzed or crippled people were cured. There was great joy in that city.” Powerful preaching, miraculous healing and great joy marked the life of the first Christian communities.
As a church, we are progressing rapidly towards our celebration of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out in abundance upon God’s fledgling flock some 50 days following the Resurrection. Most of us, through baptism and confirmation, have already received this great Advocate in a very real way. Let’s pray for God’s grace to open our hearts and unleash the grace and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling therein and send us out into our broken and hurting world with tremendous zeal for building a culture of life and love in imitation of Jesus and the early Christians.
Fr. Peterson is assistant chaplain at Marymount University in Arlington and director of the Youth Apostles Institute in McLean.
Year A - Sixth Sunday of Easter
If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
John 14:15-21
15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.
17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
18 "I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.
19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.
20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
21 They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them." (NRSV)
Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus
My dear child, I am preparing a place for you in Heaven. Before you can be with me, you must follow my instructions:
Love me with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul and with all your strength.
Open your heart and let me fill you with my spirit of love, peace, joy and truth.
Allow me to be the king of your life.
Make humility the foundation of your temple; decorate your walls with virtues.
Praise me and thank me for all that I do for you.
Acknowledge me all the time.
See me in my creation, see me in everyone and rejoice. Accept me in others; remember my presence in them.
Come into my presence with reverence, bring an offering of thanksgiving, enter my courts with praise.
Remember your nothingness, acknowledge your sins and accept me as your Savior.
Delight in my presence, do my will joyfully.
Open your ears to my word; open your eyes to my greatness.
See through my spirit.
Open your mouth to praise me. Use your tongue to bless; bless me and bless your brothers.
Allow your hands to be my hands, your feet to be my feet, your mind to be my mind. Let your heart be my heart, my place of rest, my heaven.
Invite me often to be with you, welcome me without fear.
Open your physical and spiritual wounds to my healing.
Pray for the conversion of sinners. Pray for others.
Unite yourself to me and become an instrument of reparation for your sins and the sins of others.
Unite yourself strongly to my mystical body the church, to my heart: the holy Eucharist the blood and life of your soul, to my soul: the Holy Spirit.
Be generous as I am generous; imitate my holiness and my perfection.
Pray from the heart, pray to my mother and she will shine the light of our grace on you.
Make your life an act of praise and thanksgiving. Let me be your praise, your love and your adoration.
Be my docile instrument of peace, love, joy, mercy, and healing.
I am all yours... Be all mine...
Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary
In the Gospel for today’s Mass, Jesus gives us three lessons on love, which are meant to prepare us for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. They also go a long way towards describing the normal Christian life.
Too many Christians see the Christian Faith more as a set of rules to keep than as a love that transforms—if we accept it. Let’s take a look at the revolutionary life of love and grace that the Lord is offering us in three stages: the POWER of love, the PERSON of love, and the PROOF of love.
1. THE POWER OF LOVE – In the text Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments … Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me.”
We must be very careful how we hear this. For it is possible to hear the Lord say, in effect, “If you love me, prove it by keeping my commandments.” And this is how many hear it. And thus the text and the Christian faith are reduced to a kind of moral maxim: do good, avoid evil, and thus prove you love God. Loving God, then, becomes a kind of human achievement.
But understanding this text from the standpoint of grace yields a different—and I would argue more proper—understanding. For loving God is not a human work, but rather the gift of God. So the text should be read to say, in effect, “If you love me, you will by this love I have given you, keep my commandments.” Thus, the keeping of the commandments is the fruit of the love, not the cause of it. Love comes first. And when love is received and experienced, we begin, by the power of that love, to keep the commandments. Love is the power by which we keep the commandments.
It is possible to keep the commandments to some extent out of fear and by the flesh. But obedience based on fear tends not to last and brings with it many resentments. Further, attempting to keep the commandments through our own power brings not only exhaustion and frustration, but also the prideful delusion that somehow we have placed God in our debt because we obey.
It is far better to keep the commandments by the grace of God’s love at work within us. Consider the following qualities of love:
A. Love is extravagant - The flesh is minimalist and asks, “Do I really have to do this?” But love is extravagant and wants to do more than the minimum. Consider a young man who loves a young woman. It is unlikely that he would say, “Your birthday is coming soon and I must engage in the wearisome tradition of buying you a gift. So, what is the cheapest and quickest gift I can get you?” Of course he would not say this! Love does not ask questions like this. Love is extravagant; it goes beyond the minimal requirements and even lavishes gifts on the beloved, eagerly. Love has the power to overrule the selfishness of the flesh. No young man would say to his beloved, “What is the least amount of time I have to spend with you?” Love doesn’t talk or think like this. Love wants to spend time with the beloved. Love has the power to transform our desires from our own selfish ends, toward the beloved.
Now while these examples might seem obvious, it is apparently not so obvious to many Christians who say they love God but then ask such things as, “Do I have to go to church?”, “Do I have pray? And if so, how often, and for how long?”, “Do I have to go to confession? And if so, how frequently?”, “What’s the least amount I can put in the collection plate or give to the poor to be in compliance?” Asking for guidelines may not be wrong, but too often the question amounts to a version of “What’s the least I can do? What’s the bare minimum?”
Love is extravagant and excited to do and to give, to please the beloved. Love is its own answer, its own power.
B. Love Expands - When we really love someone we also learn to love whom and what he or she loves.
During high school, I dated a girl who liked square dancing. At first I thought it was hokey. But since she liked it, I started to like it. Over time, I even came to enjoy it a great deal. Love expanded my horizons.
I have lived, served, and loved in the Black community for most of my priesthood. In those years, I have come to love and respect Gospel music and the spirituals. I have also come to respect and learn from the Black experience of spirituality, and have done extensive study on the history of the African-American experience. This is all because I love the people I serve. And when you love people, you begin to love and appreciate what they do. Love expands our horizons.
And what if we really begin to love God? The more His love takes root in us, the more we love the things and the people He loves. We begin to have God’s priorities. We start to love justice, mercy, chastity, and all the people He loves—even our enemies. Love expands our hearts.
The saints say, “If God wants it, I want it. If God doesn’t want it, I don’t want it.” Too many Christians say, “How come I can’t have it? It’s not so bad. Everyone else is doing it … ” But love does not speak this way.
And as God’s love grows in us, it has the power to change our hearts, our minds, our desires, and our vision. The more we love God, the more we love His commands and share the vision He offers for our lives. Love expands our hearts and minds.
C. Love excites - Imagine again a young man who loves a young woman. Now suppose she asks him to drive her to work one day because her car is in the shop. He does this gladly and sees it as an opportunity to be with her and to help her. He is excited to do so and is glad she asked. This is true even if he has to go miles out of his way. Love stirs us to fulfill the wishes and desires of the beloved.
In the first Letter of John we read, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). Yes, love lightens every load. And as we grow in love for God, we are excited to please Him. We keep His commandments, not because we have to, but because we want to. And even if His commandments involve significant changes, we do it with the same kind of gladness that fills a young man driving miles out of his way to take his beloved to work. Love excites in us a desire to keep God’s law, to fulfill His wishes for us.
2. THE PERSON OF LOVE - The text says, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows him. But you know him, because he remains with you, and will be in you.”
In this text, Jesus tells us that the power to change us is not just an impersonal power, like “The Force” in Star Wars. Rather, what changes us is not a “what” but “who.” The Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, living in us as in a temple, will change us and stir us to love. He who is Love will love God in us. Love is not our work; it is the work of God. “We love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:10). God the Holy Spirit enables us to love God the Father and God the Son. And this love is the power in us that equips, empowers, and enables us to keep God’s law. He, the Holy Spirit, is the one who enables us to love extravagantly and in a way that expands and excites.
The Lord says that He, the Holy Spirit, remains in us. Are you aware of His presence? Too often our minds and hearts are dulled and distracted by the world and we are unaware of the power of love available to us. The Holy Spirit of Jesus and the Father is gentle and awaits the open doors we provide (cf Rev 3:20). As we open them, a power from His Person becomes more and more available to us, and we see our lives being transformed. We keep the commandments; we become more loving, confident, joyful, chaste, forgiving, merciful, and holy. I am a witness! Are you? This leads us to the final point.
3. THE PROOF OF GOD’s LOVE – The text says, “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you.”
The key phrases here are, “You will live,” and “You will realize.” For the Lord says that he will not leave us as orphans, that he will come to us and remain with us.
How do you know that these are more than just slogans? Simply put, you and I know this because of the new life we are receiving, which causes us to realize that Jesus lives, is in the Father, and is in us.
To “know” in the Bible is more than intellectual knowing. To “know” in the Bible is to “have intimate and personal experience of the thing or person known.” I know Jesus is alive and in me through His Holy Spirit because I am experiencing my life changing. I am seeing sins put to death and graces coming alive! I am a new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). This is what Jesus means when He says, “You will realize that I am in the Father and in you.” To “realize” means to experience something as real.
The proof of God’s love and its power to transform is me! It is my life. In the laboratory of my own life I have tested God’s word and His promises. And I can report to you that they are true! I have come to experience as real (i.e., “realized”) that Jesus lives, that through His Holy Spirit I have a power available to me to keep the commandments and to embrace the new life, the new creation they both describe and offer to me.
I am a witness, are you?
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