Posted on 06/06/2014 9:15:04 PM PDT by Salvation
June 7, 2014
Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Reading 1 Acts 28:16-20, 30-31
When he entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself,
with the soldier who was guarding him.
Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews.
When they had gathered he said to them, “My brothers,
although I had done nothing against our people
or our ancestral customs,
I was handed over to the Romans as a prisoner from Jerusalem.
After trying my case the Romans wanted to release me,
because they found nothing against me deserving the death penalty.
But when the Jews objected, I was obliged to appeal to Caesar,
even though I had no accusation to make against my own nation.
This is the reason, then, I have requested to see you
and to speak with you, for it is on account of the hope of Israel
that I wear these chains.”
He remained for two full years in his lodgings.
He received all who came to him, and with complete assurance
and without hindrance he proclaimed the Kingdom of God
and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 11:4, 5 and 7
R. (see 7b) The just will gaze on your face, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is in his holy temple;
the LORD’s throne is in heaven.
His eyes behold,
his searching glance is on mankind.
R. The just will gaze on your face, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD searches the just and the wicked;
the lover of violence he hates.
For the LORD is just, he loves just deeds;
the upright shall see his face.
R. The just will gaze on your face, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel Jn 21:20-25
Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved,
the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper
and had said, “Master, who is the one who will betray you?”
When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”
Jesus said to him, “What if I want him to remain until I come?
What concern is it of yours?
You follow me.”
So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple would not die.
But Jesus had not told him that he would not die,
just “What if I want him to remain until I come?
What concern is it of yours?”
It is this disciple who testifies to these things
and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true.
There are also many other things that Jesus did,
but if these were to be described individually,
I do not think the whole world would contain the books
that would be written.
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From: Acts 28:16-20, 30-31
Arrival in Rome (Continuation)
Paul and the Roman Jews
Paul’s Ministry in Rome
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
16. Paul must have arrived in Rome around the year 61. He was allowed to stay
in a private house; in other words he was under “custodia militaris”, which meant
that the only restriction was that he was guarded by a soldier at all times.
This is the last verse where St Luke uses the first person plural.
17. In keeping with his missionary custom, Paul immediately addresses the
Jews of Rome; in fact there is no further mention of his contact with the Christians
in the city. The Apostle wants to give his fellow Jews a kind of last opportunity to
hear and understand the Gospel. He presents himself as a member of the Jewish
community who wants to take a normal part in the life of that community and
feels he has to explain his own position.
19. The use of Roman privileges by a Jew might have been regarded by Jews as
a sign of disrespect towards their own beliefs and customs. Therefore, Paul tries
to explain why he took the exceptional step of invoking his Roman citizenship
and appealing to Caesar.
30-31. “Not only was he not forbidden to preach in Rome”, St Bede writes, “but
despite the enormous power of Nero and all his crimes which history reports, he
remained free to proclaim the Gospel of Christ to the furthest parts of the West,
as he himself writes to the Romans: ‘At present, however, I am going to Jerusa-
lem with aid for the saints’ (Rom 15:25); and a little later: ‘When therefore I have
completed this, and have delivered to them what has been raised, I shall go on
by way of you to Spain’ (v. 28). Finally he was crowned with martyrdom in the
last years of Nero” (”Super Act Expositio, ad loc.”).
We do not know exactly what happened at the end of the two years. It may be
that Paul’s Jewish accusers did not appear, or they may have argued their case
before the imperial tribunal and Paul was found not guilty. At any event, he was
set free and Luke considers his task done—the work God gave him to do when
he inspired him to write his book.
“If you ask me”, St John Chrysostom observes, “why St Luke, who stayed with
the Apostle up to his martyrdom, did not bring his narrative up to that point, I will
reply that the Book of the Acts, in the form that has come down to us, perfectly
fulfills its author’s purpose. For the evangelists’ only aim was to write down the
most essential things” (”Hom. on Acts”, 1).
The kind of conventional way the book concludes has led many commentators
(from early times up to the present day) to think that it had already been finished
before Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome came to an end. Christian tradition has
nothing very concrete to say about exactly when the Acts of the Apostles was
written.
*********************************************************************************************
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 21:20-25
Peter’s Primacy (Continuation)
Conclusion
[25] But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them
to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would
be written.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
20-23. According to St. Irenaeus (”Against Heresies”, II, 22, 5; III, 3, 4) St. John
outlived all the other Apostles, into the reign of Trajan (98-117 A.D.). Possibly the
evangelist wrote these verses to dispel the idea that he would not die. According
to the text, Jesus does not reply to Peter’s question. The important thing is not
to be curious about what the future will bring but to serve the Lord faithfully, kee-
ping to the way He has marked out for one.
24. This is an appeal to the testimony of the disciple “whom Jesus loved” as a
guarantee of the veracity of everything contained in the book: everything which
this Gospel says should be accepted by its readers as being absolutely true.
Many modern commentators think that verses 24 and 25 were added by disci-
ples of the Apostle, as a conclusion to the Gospel, when it began to be circula-
ted, a short time after St. John completed it. Be that as it may, the fact is that
both verses are to be found in all extant manuscripts of the Fourth Gospel.
25. St. John’s account, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has as its
purpose the strengthening of our faith in Jesus Christ through reflecting on what
our Lord said and did. Like the Fourth Gospel, we shall never be able to capture
the full richness and depth of our Lord’s personality. “Once one begins to be inte-
rested in Christ, one’s interest can never cease. There is always something more
to be known, to be said—infinitely more. St. John the Evangelist ends his Gospel
making this very point (John 21:25). Everything to do with Christ is so rich, there
are such depths for us to explore; such light, strength, joy, desire have their
source in Him. [...] His coming to the world, His presence in history and culture
and [...] His vital relationship with our conscience: everything suggests that it is
unseemly, unscientific and irreverent ever to think that we need not and cannot
advance further in contemplation of Jesus Christ” (Paul VI, “General Audience”,
20 February 1974).
*********************************************************************************************
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.
First reading |
Acts 28:16-20,30-31 © |
On our arrival in Rome Paul was allowed to stay in lodgings of his own with the soldier who guarded him.
After three days he called together the leading Jews. When they had assembled, he said to them, ‘Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. They examined me and would have set me free, since they found me guilty of nothing involving the death penalty; but the Jews lodged an objection, and I was forced to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation to make against my own nation. That is why I have asked to see you and talk to you, for it is on account of the hope of Israel that I wear this chain.’
Paul spent the whole of the two years in his own rented lodging. He welcomed all who came to visit him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ with complete freedom and without hindrance from anyone.
Psalm |
Psalm 10:4-5,7 © |
The upright shall see your face, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord is in his holy temple,
the Lord, whose throne is in heaven.
His eyes look down on the world;
his gaze tests mortal men.
The upright shall see your face, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord tests the just and the wicked;
the lover of violence he hates.
The Lord is just and loves justice;
the upright shall see his face.
The upright shall see your face, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation |
Col3:1 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ,
you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is,
sitting at God’s right hand.
Alleluia!
Or |
cf.Jn16:7,13 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I will send you the Spirit of truth, says the Lord;
he will lead you to the complete truth.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
John 21:20-25 © |
Peter turned and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them – the one who had leaned on his breast at the supper and had said to him, ‘Lord, who is it that will betray you?’ Seeing him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘What about him, Lord?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to stay behind till I come, what does it matter to you? You are to follow me.’ The rumour then went out among the brothers that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus had not said to Peter, ‘He will not die’, but, ‘If I want him to stay behind till I come.’
This disciple is the one who vouches for these things and has written them down, and we know that his testimony is true.
There were many other things that Jesus did; if all were written down, the world itself, I suppose, would not hold all the books that would have to be written.
Ascension Sunday(Sigh)
New Roman">Ascension Thursday Sermons
Today's the Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord
Ascension reveals the 'ultimate vocation' of all human beings, says Pope during prayer today
Extinguish the Paschal Candle on the Feast of Ascension . . . or Else!
HOMILIES PREACHED BY FATHER ALTIER ON THE SOLEMNITY OF THE ASCENSION
Ascension Thursday
Thursday of the Ascension of Our Lord
Feast of the Ascension - Catholic Holy Day of Obligation
The Ascension of Christ and His Glorified Existence
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.
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
+
From an Obama bumper sticker on a car:
"Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8"
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The devotion consists in the divine worship of the human heart of Christ, which is united to His divinity and which is a symbol of His love for us. The aim of the devotion is to make our Lord king over our hearts by prompting them to return love to Him (especially through an act of consecration by which we offer to the Heart of Jesus both ourselves and all that belongs to us) and to make reparation for our ingratitude to God.
INVOCATION
O Heart of love, I put all my trust in Thee; for I fear all things from my own weakness, but I hope for all things from Thy goodness.
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
Devotion to the Sacred Heart was the characteristic note of the piety of Saint Gertrude the Great (1256-1302), Benedictine nun and renowned mystic. She was, in fact, the first great exponent of devotion to the Sacred Heart. In our efforts to honor the Heart of Jesus we have this prayer as a model for our own:
Hail! O Sacred Heart of Jesus, living and quickening source of eternal life, infinite treasure of the Divinity, and burning furnace of divine love. Thou art my refuge and my sanctuary, 0 my amiable Savior. Consume my heart with that burning fire with which Thine is ever inflamed. Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Thy love, and let my heart be so united with Thine, that our wills may be one, and mine in all things be conformed to Thine. May Thy divine will be equally the standard and rule of all my desires and of all my actions. Amen.
Saint Gertrude
FOR THE CHURCH
O most holy Heart of Jesus, shower Thy blessings in abundant measure upon Thy holy Church, upon the Supreme Pontiff and upon all the clergy; to the just grant perseverance; convert sinners; enlighten unbelievers; bless our relations, friends and benefactors; assist the dying; deliver the holy souls in purgatory; and extend over all hearts the sweet empire of Thy love. Amen.
A PRAYER OF TRUST
O God, who didst in wondrous manner reveal to the virgin, Margaret Mary, the unsearchable riches of Thy Heart, grant that loving Thee, after her example, in all things and above all things, we may in Thy Heart find our abiding home.
Roman Missal
ACT OF LOVE
Reveal Thy Sacred Heart to me, O Jesus, and show me Its attractions. Unite me to It for ever. Grant that all my aspirations and all the beats of my heart, which cease not even while I sleep, may be a testimonial to Thee of my love for Thee and may say to Thee: Yes, Lord, I am all Thine;
pledge of my allegiance to Thee rests ever in my heart will never cease to be there. Do Thou accept the slight amount of good that I do and be graciously pleased to repair all m] wrong-doing; so that I may be able to bless Thee in time and in eternity. Amen.
Cardinal Merry del Val
MEMORARE TO THE SACRED HEART
Remember, O most sweet Jesus, that no one who has had recourse to Thy Sacred Heart, implored its help, or sought its mercy was ever abandoned. Encouraged with confidence, O tenderest of hearts, we present ourselves before Thee, crushed beneath the weight of our sins. In our misery, O Sacred Heart of Jesus, despise not our simple prayers, but mercifully grant our requests. 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
Only for Love: The Sacred Heart and the Priesthood [Catholic Caucus]
Catholic Word of the Day: LITANY OF THE SACRED HEART, 10-19-09
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Devotion to the Sacred Heart Today
The Biblical Foundation of Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus [Ecumenical]
Heart to Heart (Sacred Heart of Jesus Devotion) [St. Margaret Mary Alacoque]
(June) The Month of the Sacred Heart {Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus [St. Margaret Mary Alacoque]
The Heart of the World (On the Sacred Heart of Jesus) (Catholic Caucus)
The Sacred Heart Is The Holy Eucharist(Catholic Caucus)
The Origin of the Sacred Heart Badge
Importance of Devotion to the Sacred Heart
An Awesome Homily on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Father Edmond Kline
Catholic Prayer and Devotion: June the Month of the Sacred Heart
Catholic Devotions: Sacred Heart of Jesus
Pope Urges Jesuits to Spread Sacred Heart Devotion
Homilies preached by Father Altier on the Feast of the Sacred Heart
Catholic Meditation and Devotion: The Sacred Heart of Jesus
Daily Recomendation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus powerful prayer!
The Sacred Heart and the Eucharist
The Love of the Sacred Heart
On the Sacred Heart - "We Adore God's Love of Humanity"
HAURIETIS AQUAS (On Devotion To The Sacred Heart) - Encyclical by Pope Pius XII
Solemnity Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary
Sacred Heart a Feast of God's Love, Says John Paul II
The Sacred Heart of Jesus: Symbol of Combativity and the Restoration of Christendom
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus-The Early Church, Middle Ages up to St. Margaret Mary
See this Heart
God Will Act and Will Reign
About Devotion To The Sacred Heart:The Story Of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
Rediscover Feast of Sacred Heart, John Paul II Tells Youth
"Behold this Heart which has loved men so much, and yet men do not want to love Me in return. Through you My divine Heart wishes to spread its love everywhere on earth."
- Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary
Our Lord also made 12 promises to St. Margaret Mary for those that are devoted to His Sacred Heart.
Pope's Intentions
Universal: That the unemployed may receive support and find the work they need to live in dignity.
For Evangelization: That Europe may rediscover its Christian roots through the witness of believers.
Saturday of the Seventh week of Easter
Commentary of the day
Jean-Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751), Jesuit
Self-abandonment to divine providence, ch. 11, § 191f. (trans. ©Kitty Muggeridge)
"The whole world would contain the books that would be written"
Jesus lives and works among us, throughout our lives, from the beginning of time to the end... The life he began continues in his saints for ever... When “the world itself cannot contain everything that could be written about Jesus,” about what he did and said, about his own life; when the gospels have only sketched in a few details; when the first hour is so unknown and yet so fateful - what an infinite number of gospels would be required to record the history of every moment of that mystical life of Jesus Christ whose miracles continually multiply! They will continue till the end of time, since, in fact, time is but .the history of divine action! The Holy Spirit has picked out in clear and unmistakable characters a few moments of that. vast duration of time, preserved in the scriptures a few drops of that ocean, revealed the secret and mysterious way in which Jesus appeared on earth...
So the rest of the story, which consists of the whole mystical life of Jesus in the souls of saints, remains a matter of our faith... The Holy Spirit no longer writes gospels, except in our hearts; saintly souls are the pages, suffering and action the ink. The Holy Spirit is writing a living gospel with the pen of action, which we will only be able to read on the day of glory when, fresh from the presses of life, it will be published.
O what a beautiful story! What a beautiful book the Holy Spirit is now writing! It is in the press, not a day passes when the type is not being set, the ink not applied, the pages not being printed. But we remain in the night of faith, the paper is darker than the ink..., it is in the language of another world which we cannot understand; it is a gospel we will only be able to read in heaven.
-- Saint John Chrysostom
Just A Minute (Listen) Some of EWTN's most popular hosts and guests in a collection of one minute inspirational messages. A different message each time you click. |
This prayer, which dates from the twelfth century, is substituted for the Angelus during Easter Season.
In Latin |
In English |
Regina coeli, laetare, alleluia: Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia. Resurrexit sicut dixit, alleluia. Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.
V. Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, Alleluia, R. Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.
Oremus: Deus qui per resurrectionem Filii tui, Domini nostri Iesu Christi, mundum laetificare dignatus es: praesta, quaesumus, ut per eius Genetricem Virginem Mariam, perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. R. Amen. |
Queen of Heaven rejoice, alleluia: For He whom you merited to bear, alleluia, Has risen as He said, alleluia. Pray for us to God, alleluia.
V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia. R. Because the Lord is truly risen, alleluia.
Let us pray: O God, who by the Resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, granted joy to the whole world: grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may lay hold of the joys of eternal life. Through the same Christ our Lord. R. Amen. |
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