Responsorial Psalm Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

Amen.

Thank you for these prayers and images, Salvation.

21 posted on 05/17/2014 10:38:25 AM PDT by TEXOKIE (We must surrender only to our Holy God and never to the evil that has befallen us.)

John
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	John 14
7.	If you had known me, you would without doubt have known my Father also: and from henceforth you shall know him, and you have seen him.	Si cognovissetis me, et Patrem meum utique cognovissetis : et amodo cognoscetis eum, et vidistis eum.	ει εγνωκειτε με και τον πατερα μου εγνωκειτε αν και απ αρτι γινωσκετε αυτον και εωρακατε αυτον
8.	Philip saith to him: Lord, shew us the Father, and it is enough for us.	Dicit ei Philippus : Domine, ostende nobis Patrem, et sufficit nobis.	λεγει αυτω φιλιππος κυριε δειξον ημιν τον πατερα και αρκει ημιν
9.	Jesus saith to him: Have I been so long a time with you; and have you not known me? Philip, he that seeth me seeth the Father also. How sayest thou, Shew us the Father?	Dicit ei Jesus : Tanto tempore vobiscum sum, et non cognovistis me ? Philippe, qui videt me, videt et Patrem. Quomodo tu dicis : Ostende nobis Patrem ?	λεγει αυτω ο ιησους τοσουτον χρονον μεθ υμων ειμι και ουκ εγνωκας με φιλιππε ο εωρακως εμε εωρακεν τον πατερα και πως συ λεγεις δειξον ημιν τον πατερα
10.	Do you not believe, that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak to you, I speak not of myself. But the Father who abideth in me, he doth the works.	Non creditis quia ego in Patre, et Pater in me est ? Verba quæ ego loquor vobis, a meipso non loquor. Pater autem in me manens, ipse fecit opera.	ου πιστευεις οτι εγω εν τω πατρι και ο πατηρ εν εμοι εστιν τα ρηματα α εγω λαλω υμιν απ εμαυτου ου λαλω ο δε πατηρ ο εν εμοι μενων αυτος ποιει τα εργα
11.	Believe you not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?	Non creditis quia ego in Patre, et Pater in me est ?	πιστευετε μοι οτι εγω εν τω πατρι και ο πατηρ εν εμοι ει δε μη δια τα εργα αυτα πιστευετε μοι
12.	Otherwise believe for the very works' sake. Amen, amen I say to you, he that believeth in me, the works that I do, he also shall do; and greater than these shall he do.	alioquin propter opera ipsa credite. Amen, amen dico vobis, qui credit in me, opera quæ ego facio, et ipse faciet, et majora horum faciet : quia ego ad Patrem vado.	αμην αμην λεγω υμιν ο πιστευων εις εμε τα εργα α εγω ποιω κακεινος ποιησει και μειζονα τουτων ποιησει οτι εγω προς τον πατερα μου πορευομαι
13.	Because I go to the Father: and whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, that will I do: that the Father may be glorified in the Son.	Et quodcumque petieritis Patrem in nomine meo, hoc faciam : ut glorificetur Pater in Filio.	και ο τι αν αιτησητε εν τω ονοματι μου τουτο ποιησω ινα δοξασθη ο πατηρ εν τω υιω
14.	If you shall ask me any thing in my name, that I will do.	Si quid petieritis me in nomine meo, hoc faciam.	εαν τι αιτησητε [με] εν τω ονοματι μου εγω ποιησω

22 posted on 05/17/2014 6:27:14 PM PDT by annalex (fear them not)

7. If you had known me, you should have known My Father also; and from henceforth you know him, and have seen him.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AUG. Philip alone was reproved before.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Catena Aurea John 14

23 posted on 05/17/2014 6:27:48 PM PDT by annalex (fear them not)

Adoration of the Trinity

Vicente López y Portaña

1791-92
Oil on canvas, 112 x 80 cm
Private collection

24 posted on 05/17/2014 6:28:23 PM PDT by annalex (fear them not)

Information: St. Paschal Baylon

Feast Day: May 17

Born: 1540, Torrehermosa, Aragon

Died: 17 May 1592

Canonized: October 16, 1690 by Alexander VIII

Major Shrine: Royal Chapel in Villareal

Patron of: Patron of Eucharistic congresses and Eucharistic associations

25 posted on 05/17/2014 7:48:04 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Paschal Baylon

Feast Day: May 17
Born: 1540 :: Died: 1592

Paschal was born at Torre Hermosa, in Aragon (which today is Spain). His pious parents Martin Baylon and Elizabeth Jubera were peasants. From the time he was seven, he worked as a shepherd. His parents could not afford to send him to school but he taught himself to read and write by asking everyone he met to help him. He did this so that he could read from holy books and he often whispered prayers during the day as he took care of the sheep.

When he was twenty-four, Paschal became a Franciscan brother. The other friars liked him. Paschal was easy to get along with and kind. They noticed that he often did the most unpleasant and hardest jobs that no one wanted to do.

He did hard penances that were even stricter than their rules. Yet he was a happy person. When he was a shepherd, he had wished he could be in church praying to Jesus. Now his wish had come true. He loved to keep Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament company. He was also very happy to serve at Mass.

St. Paschal's two great loves were the Holy Eucharist and the Blessed Mother. Every day Paschal prayed the Rosary with great love. He also wrote beautiful prayers to our Heavenly Mother.

Out of some scraps of paper, St. Paschal made himself a little notebook. In it, he wrote down some beautiful thoughts and prayers. After he died, his superior showed the little book to the local archbishop who reading it said, "These simple souls are stealing heaven from us!"

Paschal died in 1592 at the age of fifty-two.

Reflection: How can we grow closer to Jesus in the Eucharist and to Mary? We can make a special visit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and ask Mary to help us be faithful to her Son.

26 posted on 05/17/2014 7:51:14 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Saturday, May 17

Liturgical Color: White

Blessed Giulia Salzano died on this day in
1929. She founded the Congregation of the
Catechetical Sisters of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus, attracting many followers because of
her great love for the Sacred Heart and the
Blessed Virgin Mary.

27 posted on 05/17/2014 8:13:33 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for:May 17, 2014
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who in the celebration of Easter graciously give to the world the healing of heavenly remedies, show benevolence to your Church, that our present observance may benefit us for eternal life. 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

o Coffee Bread-and-Butter Pudding

ACTIVITIES

o Marian Hymn: Bring Flowers of the Fairest

o Mary Garden

o May, the Month of Mary

PRAYERS

o Regina Coeli (Queen of Heaven)

o Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Litany of Loretto)

o Litany of St. Paschal Baylon, Patron of Eucharistic Congresses

o Novena to St. Rita

· Easter: May 17th

· Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Old Calendar: St. Paschal Baylon, confessor

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Paschal Baylon, who lived and died in the kingdom of Aragon, Spain. He spent his early years as a shepherd and often gave religious instruction to the shepherds on the hills of Aragon. At the age of twenty-four he entered the Franciscan Order and embraced the humble, austere life of a lay brother. He was noted for his devotion to the Holy Eucharist. Pope Leo XIII declared him protector or all Eucharistic Congresses and works. His feast is no longer on the calendar in the United States.

St. Paschal Baylon

Paschal Baylon (named after the day of his birth and death: Pentecost Sunday—Pascha Pentekostes) was a simple, pious shepherd boy who later became an ardent spiritual son of St. Francis and the heavenly patron of adorers of the Most Blessed Sacrament. He belongs to that illustrious circle of saints who, by heroic holiness of life, refurbished the Church's crown that had been desecrated by the heretics of the sixteenth century. He hailed from the Spanish section of Valencia and died at the age of 52. As he lay dead upon the bier, he opened and closed his eyes twice when the sacred species were elevated at the consecration. Leo XIII declared him the heavenly patron of all Eucharistic leagues and societies.

One day Paschal heard the bells of a convent announce the approaching consecration at Mass. Such an ardent longing for God overcame him that, prompted by yearning and love, he involuntarily cried out: "O God, most worthy of all adoration, please let me see You!" Hardly had he uttered the prayer when a glowing star appeared in the sky. As he watched, the heavens opened; the star disappeared and was replaced by a chalice with the Host, flanked by two adoring angels. Christian art has selected this vision to show his chief virtue, viz., love for the most holy Eucharist.

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

Patron: Cooks; Eucharistic congresses and organizations (proclaimed by Pope Leo XIII); Obado, Bulacan, Phillipines.

Symbols: In adoration before a vision of the Host.

Things to Do:

Whoever intends to live with the Church must make the holy Eucharist the primary concern of his life. But he can accomplish this only by participating as actively as possible with the priest in offering the Sacrifice and by receiving holy Communion as part of the sacrificial banquet. Receive the Blessed Sacrament today with the desire to fully appreciate this great gift.

28 posted on 05/17/2014 8:30:23 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Acts 13:44-52

4th Week of Easter

We now turn to the Gentiles. (Acts 13:46)

If we can just get past a couple of misunderstandings, the reaction of “the Jews” that is described in today’s first reading can give us food for thought (Acts 13:45).

One misunderstanding has to do with what actually happened. At first, it sounds as if Paul decided that he would no longer preach to any Jews at all (Acts 13:46-47). But a closer look shows that he meant that he was not going to preach to Jews in Antioch. The very next episode makes this clear: in the city of Iconium, Paul once more began his ministry by preaching in the synagogue (14:1). In fact, throughout his missionary journeys, Paul continued to preach to both Jews and non-Jews, and in both groups, some accepted his message while others did not.

A second misunderstanding concerns what the term “the Jews” in this reading means for us. It is easy for us to write off the whole Jewish race as being enemies of Christ. But if we do that, we miss out on a valuable lesson God wants to teach us. Through Paul, God sent his chosen people a message of salvation, but many of them found it hard to accept. Perhaps they didn’t understand it. Perhaps it would have required a change in their lives that they were unwilling to make. Perhaps they sensed that they would have to start relating with a whole new group of people—Gentiles—and that was too much for them (Acts 13:45). Maybe it was for all three reasons. Whatever the case, many of the Jews decided not to embrace the salvation that Paul was proclaiming to them.

Each of us can probably recall situations when we did something like this. A parent, a teacher, a co-worker, a friend—even a stranger—might have told us something uncomfortable, and we closed our ears. But this passage tells us that God uses many means to speak to us so that we can take the next step in our journey toward him.

So keep your eyes open today. Who might God use to speak to you? Are you willing to receive his word humbly and with an open heart?

“Holy Spirit, help me to keep my eyes open and my heart softened. I want to embrace your word today, whoever the messenger may be.”

Psalm 98:1-4; John 14:7-14

29 posted on 05/17/2014 8:31:28 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Marriage=One Man and One Woman 'Til Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for May 17, 2014:

Save time at the end of each day to share the highs and lows of your day with each other. Go beyond “just the facts” to how it made you feel.

30 posted on 05/17/2014 8:51:05 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Regnum Christi

Supernatural Secrets

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter

John 14:7-14

Jesus said to his disciples: "If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him." Philip said to him, "Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ´Show us the Father´? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it."

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

Petition:Father, help me to be aware of your presence in my soul.

1. The Father and Jesus Are One: The liturgy gives us a second look at this Gospel passage. The great truth that Jesus is sharing with Philip is that as the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, Jesus and the Father are one – they are inseparable. We worship Christ. We don’t merely honor him as the best of men; he is the God-man whom we adore. What Jesus is by nature we are empowered to be by grace. With our baptism, we became adopted children of God. Brought into the family of the Trinity, the divine persons dwell in our soul as in a temple. Do we realize the dignity we have been given?

2. Doing the Same Works As Jesus: Herein lies the possibility of doing the works of Jesus. If he lives in us, he can work through us. What an opportunity to cooperate with grace! When we are loving, kind and disciplined, we aren’t merely being good. These good deeds are more than just good; they have an eternal value. After all, they are the “works of Jesus.” We receive the reward for his works. Such is the generosity of the Master whom we serve!

3. Ask and You Shall Receive: The name of Jesus is powerful. He commands us to ask in his name for the things we need so that in granting them to us, the Father may be glorified. When we kneel before the tabernacle, we must approach the Lord with total and absolute confidence. He knows that our faith will grow when we experience his power in action: “Ask and you shall receive!” (Matthew 7:7-9).

Conversation with Christ: Lord, what a consoling thought is it that the Holy Trinity dwells in my soul. I am a child of God! Help me to do the works of God! I ask this in your name.

Resolution: Because God dwells in my soul I will try to treat others as he would treat them.

31 posted on 05/17/2014 8:55:06 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

One Bread, One Body

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All Issues > Volume 30, Issue 3

<< Saturday, May 17, 2014 >>

Acts 13:44-52
View Readings

Psalm 98:1-4

John 14:7-14
Similar Reflections

SPITTIN' IMAGE

"Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father." —John 14:9

I have an adult son who looks like me, has my height, build, and a similar personality, though he doesn't yet have my gray hair! We are both involved in the same ministry. As a father, I rejoice that my children carry my image. It is a joy beyond description to minister side-by-side with my son.

Jesus "is the Reflection of the Father's glory, the exact Representation of the Father's being" (Heb 1:3). Jesus so conformed Himself to His Father's will that to see Jesus was to see the Father (Jn 14:9). Likewise, we humans are made in the image of our Father (Gn 1:27). In Baptism, we received "a spirit of adoption through which we cry out, 'Abba!' (that is 'Father')" (Rm 8:15). "We are God's children now" (1 Jn 3:2). Like Jesus, we strive to conform our wills to the Father's will. As Jesus prayed, we pray constantly to our Father: "Not my will but Yours be done" (Lk 22:42; see also Mt 6:10).

My son has grown to maturity, and looks like his father now. We also can grow and mature so that we "look like" and reflect our heavenly Father. Jesus said: "My command to you is: love your enemies, pray for your persecutors. This will prove that you are" children "of your heavenly Father" (Mt 5:44-45).

Children of God, let us love our enemies, surrender ourselves to our Father's will, and thereby reflect our Father's glory. May we, His children, always give our Father cause to rejoice over us (Zep 3:17).

Prayer: Father, may I live in such a way that Your name is hallowed (Mt 6:9) by all who meet me.

Promise: "I have made you a light to the nations, a means of salvation to the ends of the earth." —Acts 13:47

Praise: Sally put aside her fears and trusted that God was speaking to her through her husband's strong desire to have a fourth child. After a rough pregnancy, God blessed her with a son.

32 posted on 05/17/2014 8:58:02 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

FOR THE ELDERLY

Dear Lord,

as my life declines

and my energies decrease,

more than ever hold me by Your Power,

that I may not offend You,

but daily increase in Your Love.

Give me strength to work in Your Service

till the last day of my life.

Help me to ever have

an increasing dread of venial sin,

or whatever would cause

the slightest withdrawal of Your love,

all day long,

and at night keep me close to Your Heart;

and should I die, ere the morning breaks,

may I go rejoicing in that vision

of Your entrancing beauty,

never to be separated from You.

Amen.

33 posted on 05/17/2014 9:00:04 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Day 153 - How often should I participate in the the celebration of the Eucharist? // How do I prepare?// How does it change me?

How often must a Catholic Christian participate in the celebration of the Eucharist?

A Catholic Christian is obliged to attend Holy Mass on all Sundays and holy days of obligation. Anyone who is really seeking Jesus' friendship responds as often as possible to Jesus' personal invitation to the feast.

Actually, for a genuine Christian, "Sunday duty" is just as inappropriate an expression as "kiss duty" would be for someone who was truly in love. No one can have a living relationship with Christ without going to the place where he is waiting for us. Therefore, from ancient times the celebration of Mass has been the "heart of Sunday" and the most important appointment in the week.

What sort of preparation do I need in order to be able to receive Holy Eucharist?

Someone who would like to receive Holy Eucharist must be Catholic. If he has a serious sin on his conscience, he must first make a confession. Before approaching the altar, one should be reconciled with his neighbors.

Until a few years ago, the practice was to eat nothing for at least three hours before Mass; that was how people prepared to encounter Christ in Holy Communion. Today the Church requires at least one hour of fasting. Another sign of reverence is to wear one's finest clothing - after all, we have a rendezvous with the Lord of the world.

How does Holy Communion change me?

Every Holy Communion unites me more deeply with Christ, makes me a living member of the Body of Christ, renews the graces that I received in Baptism and Confirmation, and fortifies me for the battle against sin. (YOUCAT questions 219, 220 & 221)

Dig Deeper: CCC section (1389-1397) and other references here.

34 posted on 05/17/2014 9:40:23 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Part 2: The Celebration of the Christian Mystery (1066 - 1690)

Section 2: The Seven Sacraments of the Church (1210 - 1690)

Chapter 1: The Sacraments of Christian Initiation (1212 - 1419)

Article 3: The Sacrament of the Eucharist (1322 - 1419)

VI. THE PASCHAL BANQUET ⇡

"Take this and eat it, all of you": communion ⇡

2042
2837
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1389

The Church obliges the faithful to take part in the Divine Liturgy on Sundays and feast days and, prepared by the sacrament of Reconciliation, to receive the Eucharist at least once a year, if possible during the Easter season.²²⁴ But the Church strongly encourages the faithful to receive the holy Eucharist on Sundays and feast days, or more often still, even daily.

224.

OE 15; CIC, can. 920.

1390

Since Christ is sacramentally present under each of the species, communion under the species of bread alone makes it possible to receive all the fruit of Eucharistic grace. For pastoral reasons this manner of receiving communion has been legitimately established as the most common form in the Latin rite. But "the sign of communion is more complete when given under both kinds, since in that form the sign of the Eucharistic meal appears more clearly."²²⁵ This is the usual form of receiving communion in the Eastern rites.

225.

GIRM 240.

The fruits of Holy Communion ⇡

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Holy Communion augments our union with Christ. The principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist in Holy Communion is an intimate union with Christ Jesus. Indeed, the Lord said: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him."²²⁶ Life in Christ has its foundation in the Eucharistic banquet: "As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me."²²⁷ On the feasts of the Lord, when the faithful receive the Body of the Son, they proclaim to one another the Good News that the first fruits of life have been given, as when the angel said to Mary Magdalene, "Christ is risen!" Now too are life and resurrection conferred on whoever receives Christ.²²⁸

226.

Jn 6:56.

227.

Jn 6:57.

228.

Fanqith, Syriac Office of Antioch, Vol. I, Commun., 237a-b.

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1524
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1392

What material food produces in our bodily life, Holy Communion wonderfully achieves in our spiritual life. Communion with the flesh of the risen Christ, a flesh "given life and giving life through the Holy Spirit,"²²⁹ preserves, increases, and renews the life of grace received at Baptism. This growth in Christian life needs the nourishment of Eucharistic Communion, the bread for our pilgrimage until the moment of death, when it will be given to us as viaticum.

229.

PO 5.

613
(all)

1393

Holy Communion separates us from sin. The body of Christ we receive in Holy Communion is "given up for us," and the blood we drink "shed for the many for the forgiveness of sins." For this reason the Eucharist cannot unite us to Christ without at the same time cleansing us from past sins and preserving us from future sins: For as often as we eat this bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the death of the Lord. If we proclaim the Lord's death, we proclaim the forgiveness of sins. If, as often as his blood is poured out, it is poured for the forgiveness of sins, I should always receive it, so that it may always forgive my sins. Because I always sin, I should always have a remedy.²³⁰

230.

St. Ambrose, De Sacr. 4,6,28:PL 16,446; cf. 1 Cor 11:26.

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1394

As bodily nourishment restores lost strength, so the Eucharist strengthens our charity, which tends to be weakened in daily life; and this living charity wipes away venial sins.²³¹ By giving himself to us Christ revives our love and enables us to break our disordered attachments to creatures and root ourselves in him: Since Christ died for us out of love, when we celebrate the memorial of his death at the moment of sacrifice we ask that love may be granted to us by the coming of the Holy Spirit. We humbly pray that in the strength of this love by which Christ willed to die for us, we, by receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, may be able to consider the world as crucified for us, and to be ourselves as crucified to the world. ... Having received the gift of love, let us die to sin and live for God.²³²

231.

Cf. Council of Trent (1551): DS 1638.

232.

St. Fulgentius of Ruspe, Contra Fab. 28,16-19: CCL 19A,813-814.

1446
1855
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1395

By the same charity that it enkindles in us, the Eucharist preserves us from future mortal sins. The more we share the life of Christ and progress in his friendship, the more difficult it is to break away from him by mortal sin. The Eucharist is not ordered to the forgiveness of mortal sins — that is proper to the sacrament of Reconciliation. The Eucharist is properly the sacrament of those who are in full communion with the Church.

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The unity of the Mystical Body: the Eucharist makes the Church. Those who receive the Eucharist are united more closely to Christ. Through it Christ unites them to all the faithful in one body — the Church. Communion renews, strengthens, and deepens this incorporation into the Church, already achieved by Baptism. In Baptism we have been called to form but one body.²³³ The Eucharist fulfills this call: "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread:"²³⁴ If you are the body and members of Christ, then it is your sacrament that is placed on the table of the Lord; it is your sacrament that you receive. To that which you are you respond "Amen" ("yes, it is true!") and by responding to it you assent to it. For you hear the words, "the Body of Christ" and respond "Amen." Be then a member of the Body of Christ that your Amen may be true.²³⁵

233.

Cf. 1 Cor 12:13.

234.

1 Cor 10:16-17.

235.

St. Augustine, Sermo 272:PL 38,1247.

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(all)

1397

The Eucharist commits us to the poor. To receive in truth the Body and Blood of Christ given up for us, we must recognize Christ in the poorest, his brethren: You have tasted the Blood of the Lord, yet you do not recognize your brother,. ... You dishonor this table when you do not judge worthy of sharing your food someone judged worthy to take part in this meal. ... God freed you from all your sins and invited you here, but you have not become more merciful.²³⁶

236.

St. John Chrysostom, Hom. in 1 Cor. 27,4:PG 61,229-230; cf. Mt 25:40.

35 posted on 05/17/2014 9:42:53 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

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