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Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 05-15-20, OM, St. Isidore the Farmer
USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 05-15-20 | Revised New American Bible

Posted on 05/14/2020 10:48:50 PM PDT by Salvation

May 15 2020

Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter

Reading 1 Acts 15:22-31

The Apostles and presbyters, in agreement with the whole Church,
decided to choose representatives
and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas,
and Silas, leaders among the brothers.
This is the letter delivered by them:
“The Apostles and the presbyters, your brothers,
to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
of Gentile origin: greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our number
who went out without any mandate from us
have upset you with their teachings
and disturbed your peace of mind,
we have with one accord decided to choose representatives
and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So we are sending Judas and Silas
who will also convey this same message by word of mouth:
‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,
namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols,
from blood, from meats of strangled animals,
and from unlawful marriage.
If you keep free of these,
you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’“

And so they were sent on their journey.
Upon their arrival in Antioch
they called the assembly together and delivered the letter.
When the people read it, they were delighted with the exhortation.

Responsorial Psalm 57:8-9, 10 and 12

R. (10a) I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
My heart is steadfast, O God; my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and chant praise.
Awake, O my soul; awake, lyre and harp!
I will wake the dawn.
R. I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to you among the peoples, O LORD,
I will chant your praise among the nations.
For your mercy towers to the heavens,
and your faithfulness to the skies.
Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
above all the earth be your glory!
R. I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia Jn 15:15b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I call you my friends, says the Lord,
for I have made known to you all that the Father has told me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 15:12-17

Jesus said to his disciples:
“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”

For the readings of the Optional Memorial of Saint Isidore, please go here.



TOPICS: Catholic; General Discusssion; Prayer; Worship
KEYWORDS: catholic; easter; jn15; prayer; saints
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To: All

Pope’s Intention for May

For Deacons

We pray that deacons, faithful in their service to the Word and the poor, may be an invigorating symbol for the entire Church.


21 posted on 05/15/2020 9:52:17 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
"That we may not be deceived by self-love, in considering matters that concern us, we ought to look at them as if they belonged to others, and our only business with them was to give our judgement - not from interest, but in the cause of truth; and in the same way we should look on others' affairs as our own."

--St. Ignatius Loyola

22 posted on 05/15/2020 9:53:57 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: 
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen. 

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word. 

Hail Mary . . . 

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us. 

Hail Mary . . . 


Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray: 

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen. 


"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28) 

 "Blessed are you among women,
 and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42). 


23 posted on 05/15/2020 9:54:52 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
The Word Among Us

Today's Meditation: John 15:12-17

This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. (John 15:12)

It’s difficult to imagine how we could ever love one another the way Jesus loves us. How could divine love compare to the way we humans try to love one another? But Jesus was both human and divine. He showed us in concrete, very human ways how to love. So if we want to follow this commandment, let’s look at what love looked like in his life.

Jesus’ love is unconditional. Think of the Samaritan woman at the well or the chief tax collector Zacchaeus (John 4:1-12; Luke 19:1-10). Jesus didn’t withhold his love until they reformed their lives. He knew that it was an encounter with his love that would spur them to change. So to love as Jesus loves means loving people as they are, even as we try to gently lead them to the Lord.

Jesus’ love is merciful. Look at how he treated the woman caught in adultery or the woman with the alabaster jar who anointed him (John 8:3-11; Luke 7:36-50). Look at how he forgave Peter’s threefold denial of him (John 21:15-17). Jesus even forgave his persecutors from the cross (Luke 23:34). Loving other people means being merciful toward them, just as we hope they will be merciful to us. It means letting Jesus’ mercy soften our hearts so that we are ready to forgive the hurts and sins that may come our way.

Jesus’ love is sacrificial. He traveled from place to place with nowhere to lay his head (Luke 9:58). He endured the opposition of the religious leaders. He “resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,” knowing that he was going there to lay down his life on the cross to save us (9:51). Jesus shows us that love will involve sacrifice. It means putting other people’s needs ahead of our own, even—and especially—when it hurts to do so.

Loving the way Jesus loves us isn’t always easy. Fortunately, we not only have Jesus’ human example to show us what divine love looks like; we also have his presence in our hearts. As we daily open ourselves to his grace, we will find ourselves ever more willing and able to follow his way of love.

“Jesus, help me to love other people the way you love me.”

Acts 15:22-31
Psalm 57:8-10, 12

24 posted on 05/15/2020 9:57:50 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for May 15, 2020:

The Church remembers St. Isidore today, a farmer. Growing food together can be a meaningful activity for a family – shared labor, shared rewards. Start small, with a potted herb or a few plants in the backyard.

25 posted on 05/15/2020 10:02:57 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Homily of the Day
May 15, 2020

Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter

John’s Gospel narrates the conversation Jesus had with his apostles at the Last Supper. He was aware of the plotting of Judas and the Jewish leaders. He would leave the supper room and enter into the hours of his passion and death. He realized he would be abandoned and denied by his own disciples. Yet there is no pleading with them “to please support me in my trials, to stay at my side, to give me of your strength in the hour of my weakness.” Through Chapter 15 of St. John’s Gospel we read that Jesus has a lack of interest for himself; his concern is only for his disciples and for others.

It’s true that while he was in the Garden of Gethsemane a few moments later, he did ask Peter, James and John to remain awake and to assist him with their prayers. However, this was the moment at which the devil’s temptation was strongest. For Satan was tempting Jesus to abandon his values, to refuse his Father’s bidding, to turn away from the path of suffering and death. At that moment Jesus needed the strength the apostles could win for him through their prayers. He begged the apostles therefore to remain awake and to pray. Yet even at that moment, when they failed him and slept while he was being buffeted by Satan’s temptations, his concern for them compelled him to excuse them. “The spirit is willing,” he reflected, “but the flesh is weak.”

Throughout the whole of Chapter 15 Jesus is concerned only about these men, his disciples. Listen to Jesus’ words and see where his concern lay. “Remain in me and let my words remain in you and anything you ask will be given to you.” “Go out and bear much fruit, fruit that will last and then the Father will give you anything you ask in my name.” “What I command you is to love one another.”

If only we could have this total disregard for self and this fullness of love for one another, what a happy world we could create!


26 posted on 05/15/2020 10:05:36 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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One Bread, One Body

< <  

Friday, May 15, 2020

  > >

St. Isidore the Farmer


Acts 15:22-31
Psalm 57:8-10, 12
John 15:12-17

View Readings
Similar Reflections

the god of lifestyle

"It is the decision of the Holy Spirit, and ours too, not to lay on you any burden beyond that which is strictly necessary." —Acts 15:28

The elders of the church of Jerusalem and the Holy Spirit decided Gentile Christians did not need to be circumcised, but rather had to change their lifestyle, "namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from illicit sexual union" (Acts 15:29). Meat sacrificed to idols was a major item in the marketplace. Therefore, to abstain from this was, in part, an economic decision. The Gentiles were also told to change their eating habits and their attitude toward sexual relations. In other words, the Gentiles were required to make lifestyle changes in the areas of money, food, and sex. This is comparable to telling a modern person, even a Christian, to stop buying certain foods, to quit eating meat or drinking caffeine, and to quit watching prime time TV with its pornographic innuendoes.

When the letter containing these rules was read, "there was great delight at the encouragement it gave" (Acts 15:31). If a similar letter requiring lifestyle changes was read at your church, would the people be delighted or defiant? Lifestyle is the false god of the modern American church. Our comforts, pleasure, and entertainment mean more to us than loving God. That's where our time and money goes, and God gets the leftovers, if there are any. Repent!

Prayer:  Risen Jesus, may I repent of living for selfish pleasure.

Promise:  "This is My commandment: love one another as I have loved you." —Jn 15:12

Praise:  St. Isidore was canonized in 1622. He's in good company: St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Francis Xavier, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Philip Neri were declared saints at the same time.

27 posted on 05/15/2020 10:08:32 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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28 posted on 05/15/2020 10:10:07 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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