One Minute Reflection – 25 April – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter and the Feast of St Mark the Evangelist
Jesus said to the Eleven, “go out to the whole world and the proclaim the gospel to all creation.”…Mark 16:15
REFLECTION – So that this call should resound throughout the world, Christ sent forth the apostles he had chosen, commissioning them to proclaim the gospel: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” Strengthened by this mission, the apostles “went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it.”
Those, who with God’s help, have welcomed Christ’s call and freely responded to it, are urged on, by love of Christ, to proclaim the Good News, everywhere in the world. This treasure, received from the apostles, has been faithfully guarded by their successors. All Christ’s faithful are called to hand it on, from generation to generation, by professing the faith, by living it in fraternal sharing and by celebrating it, in liturgy and prayer…CCC 2-3
PRAYER – Almighty God, You chose the Evangelist St Mark and ennobled him with grace, to preach the Gospel. Let his teaching so improve our lives and his prayers so support us, that we may walk faithfully in his footsteps, which are the footsteps of Christ our Lord. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Thought for the Day – The Fourth Sunday of Easter Year B – “Good Shepherd/Vocations Sunday” – Todays Readings: Acts 4:8-12, Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28-29, 1 John 3:1-2, John 10:11-18
“The Good Shepherd gives his life for the sheep”
Despite Jesus’ realistic word-picture, the parable of the Good Shepherd only fully comes alive in Jesus Himself, God’s appointed “Shepherd” of men. He names two characteristics of such a shepherd: first the shepherd’s commitment to the flock even to the point of death; and second, the reciprocal recognition between sheep and shepherd, which is anchored in the innermost mystery of God.
The theme of self-giving to the point of death, is found at both the beginning and the end of the Gospel. This devotion, contrasts sharply with the flight of the “hired hand”, who, when facing danger, has the excuse that the life of a man is more valuable than the life of a dumb animal. This argument loses its force, however, when the shepherd cares so much for his sheep, that he prefers them to his own life. That is scarcely conceivable in purely natural terms but it becomes a central truth in the realm of grace. It only makes sense with the aid of the second theme of the parable – the shepherd knows his sheep and the animals likewise instinctively recognise him. For Jesus, this is merely the point of comparison for a completely different recognition: “as the Father knows me and I know the Father.” This has nothing to do with instinct but with the most profound mutual recognition, as it is found in absolute trinitarian love. When Jesus applies this utterly sublime trinitarian love recognition to the inward mutuality between Himself and His own, He elevates this knowledge far above that which is hinted at by the parable.
And thus, it becomes clear, that the first motif of the parable (giving one’s life for the sheep) and the second motif (mutual recognition) coincide rather than merely parallel each other. The Father’s and the Son’s knowledge of each other is identical with their mutual and perfect selfgiving and therefore, the knowledge exchanged between Jesus and His own, is one with the perfect selfgiving of Jesus for and to His own and it implicitly includes the unity of the Christian’s knowledge and loving dedication to his Lord.
At the end, both themes are expressly joined together: the Father (also) loves the Son for His perfect selfgiving for the sake of men, a selfgiving which is both freely chosen by the Son and commissioned by the Father. This unmitigated surrender to mankind because it is Divine Love, is at the same time the power that achieves victory over death (“the power to take up life again”).
“No other name under heaven” in the First Reading,Peter gives the Lord all glory for the miracle he has effected. The point is not that, Jesus excepted, all who care for sheep are “hired hands” for the Lord Himself installed Peter to pasture His flock – precisely Jesus’ Flock, not Peter’s. Thus everything effective and appropriate ultimately is accomplished by the “chief Shepherd alone” (1 Pet 5:4), even if through the activity of His assistants.
One Minute Reflection – 22 April – The Fourth Sunday of Easter Year B – “Good Shepherd/Vocations Sunday” and the Memorial of St Pope Soter (died C 174)
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep...John 10:11
REFLECTION – “What a blessing it is to know Christ, the Good Shepherd, to know Him as the Redeemer who laid down His life for the sheep, to know Him as the Risen Lord, the source of everlasting joy and life. What a blessing it is to know the Good Shepherd and to believe in Him. This gift of faith is the greatest blessing we could ever receive in life.”…St Pope John Paul (1920-2005)
PRAYER – Almighty, ever-living God, bring us to the joy of Your heavenly city, so that we, Your little flock, may follow where Christ, our Good Shepherd, has gone before us, by the power of His Resurrection. St Pope Soter, please pray for us that we may always follow our Shepherd, as you did and thus reach our heavenly home, to praise Him with you, forever. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 21 April – Saturday of the Third Week of Eastertide and the Memorial of St Conrad of Parzham (1818-1894) Today’s Readings: Acts 9:31-42, Psalm 116:12-17, John 6:60-69
What shall I render to the Lord for all his bounty to me?…Psalm 116:12
REFLECTION – “It was God’s will that I should leave everything that was near and dear to me. I thank Him for having called me to religious life where I have found such peace and joy as I could never have found in the world. My plan of life is chiefly this: to love and suffer, always meditating upon, adoring and admiring God’s unspeakable love for His lowliest creatures.” – St Conrad of Parzham (1818-1894) (from a letter of Saint Conrad)
PRAYER – Lord God, our Father, in You is our hope and our life. You have made us and be belong to You. Give us Your grace and Your help to constantly render to You, our love and gratitude and to suffer for that great love, by which You sent your only Son to save us. St Conrad, pray for us that we may grow in holiness and soon meet you in heaven, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 20 April – Friday of the Third Week of Eastertide
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed and my blood is drink indeed.”...John 6:53-55
REFLECTION – “About these words I observe, first, that they evidently declare on the face of them some very great mystery. How can they be otherwise taken? If they do not, they must be a figurative way of declaring something which is not mysterious but plain and intelligible. But is it conceivable, that He who is the Truth and Love itself, should have used difficult words, when plain words would do? Why should He have used words, the sole effect of which, in that case, would be to perplex, to startle us needlessly? Does His mercy delight in creating difficulties? Does He put stumbling-blocks in our way without cause? Does He excite hopes and then disappoint them? It is possible; He may have some deep purpose in so doing but which is more likely, that His meaning is beyond us, or His words beyond His meaning?
All who read such awful words as those in question will be led by the first impression of them, either with the disciples to go back, as at a hard saying, or with St Peter to welcome what is promised: they will be excited in one way or the other, with incredulous surprise or with believing hope? And are the feelings of these opposite witnesses, discordant indeed, yet all of them deep, after all unfounded? Are they to go for nothing? Are they no token of our Saviour’s real meaning? This desire and again this aversion, so naturally raised, are they without a real object and the mere consequence of a general mistake on all hands, of what Christ meant as imagery, for literal truth? Surely this is very improbable!”…Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
PRAYER – Lord God, source of our freedom and our salvation, listen to our humble prayer. We stand with St Peter and welcome what our divine Saviour, Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ has promised. Help us to grow in love and faith at each Holy Sacrifice we attend. Help us to accept with total commitment this great Mystery and as He gives Himself to and for us, help us to give ourselves to and for the glory of Your Kingdom. Through our Lord Jesus, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever, amen. Peter, the spokesman for the apostles, proclaims, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life and we have believed and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (Jn 6:67-69).
One Minute Reflection – 19 April – Thursday of the Third Week of Eastertide – Today’s Gospel John 6:44–51
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Every one who has heard and learnt from the Father comes to me.”….John 6:44-45
REFLECTION – “What delights we will find in forgetting self and seeking God! The Saints renounced themselves in order to seek God and to look for Him alone. It is in this that we attain heaven.”…St John Vianney
PRAYER – Infinite Lord, You are greater than anything we can imagine. Help us to forget self and seek only You in Your divine Son, who You sent to teach us and save us. May we follow Your Son and live in You in all our thoughts, words and actions. St Pope Leo IX, you sought by your life to follow the Lord, please pray for us. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever amen.
Thought for the Day – 18 April – Wednesday of the Third Week of Eastertide – Acts 8:1-8, Psalm 66:1-7, John 6:35-40
St John Chrysostom (347-407) – Sermon 45 on the Gospel of John – John 6:40
And I will raise him up at the last day. Why does He continually dwell upon the Resurrection? Is it that men may not judge of God’s providence by present things alone; that if they enjoy not results here, they become not on that account desponding but wait for the things that are to come and that they may not, because their sins are not punished for the present, despise Him, but look for another life.
Now those men gained nothing but let us take pains to gain by having the Resurrection continually sounded in our ears; and if we desire to be grasping, or to steal, or to do any wrong thing, let us straightway take into our thoughts that Day, let us picture to ourselves the Judgment-seat, for such reflections will check the evil impulse more strongly than any bit. Let us continually say to others and to ourselves, There is a resurrection, and a fearful tribunal awaits us.
If we see any man insolent and puffed up with the good things of his world, let us make the same remark to him and show him that all those things abide here: and if we observe another grieving and impatient, let us say the same to him and point out to him that his sorrows shall have an end; if we see one careless and dissipated, let us say the same charm over him and show that for his carelessness he must render account.
This saying is able more than any other remedy to heal our souls. For there is a Resurrection and that Resurrection is at our doors, not afar off, nor at a distance. For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come and will not tarry. Hebrews 10:37 And again, We must all appear before the judgement-seat of Christ 2 Corinthians 5:10; that is, both bad and good, the one to be shamed in sight of all, the other in sight of all to be made more glorious. For as they who judge here, punish the wicked and honour the good publicly, so too will it be there, that the one sort may have the greater shame and the other more conspicuous glory.
Let us picture these things to ourselves every day. If we are ever revolving them, no care for present things will be able to sting us. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18 Continually let us say to ourselves and to others, There is a Resurrection, and a Judgement and a scrutiny of our actions; and let as many as deem that there is such a thing as fate repeat this and they shall straightway be delivered from the rottenness of their malady; for if there is a Resurrection, and a Judgement, there is no fate, though they bring ten thousand arguments and choke themselves to prove it.
But I am ashamed to be teaching Christians concerning the Resurrection: for he that needs to learn that there is a Resurrection and who has not firmly persuaded himself that the affairs of this world go not on by fate and without design and as chance will have them, can be no Christian.
Wherefore, I exhort and beseech you, that we cleanse ourselves from all wickedness and do all in our power to obtain pardon and excuse in that Day….For a man cannot possibly live a pure life without believing in the Resurrection!
One Minute Reflection – Tuesday of the Third Week of Eastertide – Today’s Gospel: John 6:30–35 & the memorial of Bl Andrés Hibernón Real O.F.M. (1534-1602)
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst…John 6:35
REFLECTION – “When I stand up to talk, people listen to me; they will follow what I have to say. Is it any power of mine? Of course not. St Paul says, ‘What have you that you have not received and you who have received, why do you glory as if you had not?’ But the secret of my power is that I have never, in fifty-five years, missed spending an hour in the presence of our Lord, in the Blessed Sacrament. That’s where the power comes from. That’s where sermons are born. That’s where every good thought is conceived.” …Venerable Archbishop Fulton J Sheen (1895-1979)
PRAYER – Lord Jesus, present for me in the Holy Eucharist, everyday, everywhere. Lord Jesus, the life of my soul, the food of my life, the quenching of my thirst. Let me love You in the Holy Eucharist. May Your Sacred Heart become my heart. Blessed Andrés Hibernón Real, you who loved to spend time with the Lord, who never missed a day being with Him, please pray for us, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 16 April – Monday of the Third Week of Eastertide and the Memorial of St Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879)
For to you has been granted, for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him...Philippians 1:29
REFLECTION – “The more I am crucified, the more I rejoice.”…St Bernadette Soubirous
PRAYER – Let the crucifix be not only in my eyes and on my breast but in my heart. O Jesus! Release all my affections and draw them upwards. Let my crucified heart sink forever into Thine and bury itself in the mysterious wound made by the entry of the lance…By St Bernadette Soubirous, of whom we request, your prayers!
One Minute Reflection – 15 April – The Third Sunday of Easter Year B
Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”... Luke 24:45-48
REFLECTION – “This very experience of repentance and forgiveness is relived in every community in the Eucharistic celebration, especially on Sundays. The Eucharist, the privileged place in which the Church recognises “the Author of life” (Acts 3: 15) is “the breaking of the bread”, as it is called in the Acts of the Apostles. In it, through faith, we enter into communion with Christ, who is “the priest, the altar and the lamb of sacrifice” (see Preface for Easter, 5) and is among us. Let us gather round Him to cherish the memory of His words and of the events contained in Scripture; let us relive His Passion, death and Resurrection. In celebrating the Eucharist, we communicate with Christ, the victim of expiation and from Him we draw forgiveness and life. What would our lives as Christians be without the Eucharist? The Eucharist is the perpetual, living inheritance which the Lord has bequeathed to us in the Sacrament of His Body and His Blood and which we must constantly rethink and deepen so that, as venerable Pope Paul VI said, it may “impress its inexhaustible effectiveness on all the days of our earthly life” (Insegnamenti, V [1967], p. 779).”…Pope Benedict XVI
PRAYER – Lord God, grant Your people constant joy in the renewed vigour of their souls. Grant them sorrow for their sins and gratitude for the suffering of Your Son. Grant them forgiveness and life in the Holy Eucharist, through which we meet Him, who saved us. Grant, we pray, that we may grow in our love for the saving banquet to which we are called so that we may one day rejoice eternally, with You, in union with our Lord, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever amen. “O Lord, let the light of your countenance shine upon us”!
One Minute Reflection – 14 April – Saturday of the Second Week of Eastertide and the Memorial of Bl Lucien Botovasoa O.F.S. (1908-1947) Martyr
When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat. They were frightened but he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they were glad to take him into the boat and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going...John 6:19-21
REFLECTION – “When the disciples are facing danger and difficulty in the agitated lake at the time of nightfall, Jesus comes to their rescue. His presence puts heart into them and enables them to cross the lake, instantly and without any further danger. He is in our midst as one who serves and saves. His presence saves His apostles in the trials and troubles they face on the way. When they – and we – feel frightened and helpless, the Lord comes and says “It is I, do not be afraid.” We get frightened because we fail to recognise His presence in our difficult experiences. But His voice is effective, it removes fear. The tempest calms down and the other shore is reached without fear and trial. When everything seems to turn against us and we live the experience of the Cross of Christ, He comes to console and strengthen and carry our tired bodes, minds and souls.”…Fr George Kaiholil SSP
PRAYER – Father of wisdom, help us to accept all earthly misfortunes with the sure knowledge that good will come from them. Let us never despair but trust in Your Providence that governs all things. Let us know and trust that Your divine Son walks with us, that He is our faithful help in all things, that He will carry us on and carry our Crosses for us. Blessed Lucien Botovasoa, today you join the halls of the saints, please pray that we may have the courage that you did, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 13 April – Friday of the Second Week of Eastertide
…”for if this plan or this undertaking is of men, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!”… Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name. And every day in the temple and at home they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ…Acts 5:38,40-42
REFLECTION – “We cannot keep ourselves shut up in parishes, in our communities, when so many people are waiting for the Gospel! We cannot be Christians part-time. If Christ is at the centre of our lives, He is present in all that we do.”…Pope Francis
PRAYER – Almighty, ever-living God, grant us the grace to bear the hardships of this life with a steadfast mind, even as You strengthened the Apostles and all the Saints after them, whom no threats could daunt, no pains or penalties break. Dear sweet St Margaret of Castello, you who disregarded your own sufferings to help those who suffer more, pray for us! Through Jesus our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 12 April – Thursday of the Second Week of Eastertide
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men…. we are witnesses to these things and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”…Acts 5:29,32
REFLECTION – “The will of God will never take you to where the grace of God will not protect you. Put your creed in your deed.”…Fr Mike Schmitz
PRAYER – God of mercy, let the mystery we celebrate at Eastertide, bear fruit for us in every season. Let us all be Your beacons to the world around us as St Zeno was, teaching by his life. Grant we pray, that his prayers may assist us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 11 April – Wednesday of the Second Week of Eastertide and the memorial of St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903)
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”…John 6:35
REFLECTION – “Jesus, Food of strong souls, strengthen me, purify me, make me godlike.”…St Gemma Galgani
PRAYER – Oh my Lord, Food of my soul, Food of my life, teach us to fully grow in our love and understanding of the great Mystery of the Holy Eucharist. Help us to participate more fully at each Holy Mass. St Gemma pray for us that we may love the food of our souls and one day join you in our heavenly home. Through our Lord Jesus in unity with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 9 April – Low Monday of Eastertide & the Memorial of St Liborius of le Mans (early 4th century – 397)
By his ‘will’ we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ....Hebrews 10:10
REFLECTION – “God’s infinite power, His profound wisdom and the reign of His justice were known. However, the dimensions of His clemency were not yet known. Jesus came as interpreter of the Divinity.”…St Bernard (1090-1153) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Merciful Father, let us not turn from Your mercy and clemency. In Jesus Your Son, You sent us all Your loving kindness. Grant that Christ’s complete sacrifice may bear fruit in me in accord with Your Will for me. St Liborius, faithfully sought Your will in all things and lovingly gave himself to fulfil it to the best of his ability, grant that by his prayers, we may understand and complete Your will in our lives. Through Jesus our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Quote of the Day – 8 April – Low Sunday the Octave Day of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday
“You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God, Who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people at all and now you are the people of God: once you were outside the mercy and now you have been given mercy.”
One Minute Reflection – 7 April – Easter Saturday and the Memorial of St John Baptiste de La Salle (1651-1719)
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.…Matthew 6:34
REFLECTION – “Do not have any anxiety about the future. Leave everything in God’s hands, for He will take care of you.” …St John Baptiste de La Salle (1651-1719)
PRAYER – In Your providence, Lord God, You chose St John Baptiste de la Salle, to educate the young in the Christian faith and way of life. Raise up, Lord, in the Church today, teachers who will devote themselves wholeheartedly to the human and Christian education of our youth. May the prayers of St John, help us all to seek and do Your holy will in all things, amen.
Thought for the Day – 5 April – Easter Thursday Fifth Day in the Easter Octave
Christ’s Resurrection – Our Sure Hope
St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father & Doctor of the Church
“And he said to them, “Why are you troubled and why do questionings rise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish and he took it and ate before them..”..Luke 24:36-43
“Those who have a sure hope, guaranteed by the Spirit, that they will rise again lay hold of what lies in the future as though it were already present.
They say: “Outward appearances will no longer be our standard in judging other men. Our lives are all controlled by the Spirit now and are not confined to this physical world that is subject to corruption. The light of the Only-begotten has shone on us and we have been transformed into the Word, the source of all life. While sin was still our master, the bonds of death had a firm hold on us but now, that the righteousness of Christ has found a place in our hearts, we have freed ourselves from our former condition of corruptibility”.
This means that none of us lives in the flesh anymore, at least not in so far as living in the flesh means being subject to the weaknesses of the flesh, which include corruptibility. Once we thought of Christ as being in the flesh but we do not do so any longer, says Saint Paul [2 Corinthians 5:16]. By this he meant that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us; He suffered death in the flesh in order to give all men life.
It was in this flesh that we knew Him before but we do so no longer. Even though He remains in the flesh, since He came to life again on the third day and is now with His Father in heaven, we know that He has passed beyond the life of the flesh, for having died once, He will never die again, death has no power over Him any more. His death was a death to sin, which He died once for all; His life is life with God [Romans 6:9].
Since Christ has in this way become the source of life for us, we who follow in His footsteps must not think of ourselves as living in the flesh any longer but as having passed beyond it. Saint Paul’s saying is absolutely true that when anyone is in Christ he becomes a completely different person: his old life is over and a new life has begun [2 Cor. 5:17].
We have been justified by our faith in Christ and the power of the curse has been broken. Christ’s coming to life again for our sake has put an end to the sovereignty of death. We have come to know the true God and to worship Him in spirit and in truth, through the Son, our mediator, who sends down upon the world the Father’s blessings.
And so Saint Paul shows deep insight when He says: This is all God’s doing: it is He who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ. For the mystery of the incarnation and the renewal it accomplished could not have taken place without the Father’s will. Through Christ we have gained access to the Father, for as Christ himself says, no one comes to the Father except through Him. This is all God’s doing, then. It is He who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ and who has given us, the ministry of reconciliation.”
“The One who from nothingness had called the world into existence, only He could break the seals of the tomb, only He could become the source of New Life for us, who are subject to the universal law of death. “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” (Mk 16:3), the women were asking one another, when very early they were going to the tomb where the Lord had been laid. To this question, asked by the people of every age, of every country, culture and continent, the Bishop of Rome replies, this year too, with the message “Urbi et Orbi”:
“Scimus Christum surrexisse a mortuis vere…” Yes, we know for certain that Christ is truly risen from the dead. You, victorious King, have mercy on us. Amen! Alleluia!”
One Minute Reflection – 5 April – Easter Thursday and the Memorial of St Vincent Ferrer (1350-1419)
Nothing is to be done out of jealousy or vanity; instead, out of humility of mind everyone should give preference to others, everyone pursuing not selfish interests but those of others...Philippians 2:3-4
REFLECTION – “Once humility is acquired, charity will come to life like a burning flame devouring the corruption of vice and filling the heart so full, that there is no place for vanity.”…
PRAYER – Lord God, who sent St Vincent Ferrer to preach the Gospel of Christ, grant that we may see the Son of Man reigning in heaven, whom he proclaimed as Judge of Mankind. Grant that by the prayers of St Vincent, we may attain true humility and charity to all we meet. We make our prayer through our Lord, Jesus in unity with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever amen.
Second Thoughts for the Day – 4 April – Easter Wednesday, the Fourth day in the Octave of Easter
“He is not here, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him” (Mk 16:6)
“There is another important aspect (in the Resurrection): Jesus show Himself in the act of departure.
This is clearest in the event of Emmaus and in His meeting with Mary Magdalen. He summons us to go with Him.
Resurrection is not an indulgence of curiosity – it is MISSION. It’s intention is to transform the world! It calls for an active joy, the joy of those who are themselves going along the path of the Risen One.
That is true today too – He only shows Himself to those who walk with Him. The angel’s first word to the women was “He is not here, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him” (Mk 16:6). So once and for all, we are told where the Risen One is to be found and how we are to meet Him – HE GOES BEFORE YOU. He is present in preceding us.
By following Him, we can see Him!”
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)
The Word of the Witnesses – Seek that Which is Above
“They alone are able truly, to enjoy this world, who begin with the world unseen. They alone enjoy it, who have first abstained from it. They alone can truly feast, who have first fasted. They alone are able, to use the world, who have learned not to abuse it. They alone inherit it, who take it as a shadow, of the world to come and who for that world to come relinquish it.”
Look at the cross of Christ – Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
One Minute Reflection – 4 April – Easter Wednesday and the Memorial of St Isidore of Seville (560-636) Father & Doctor of the Church
I know how to live modestly and I know how to live luxuriously too: in every way now I have mastered the secret of all conditions: full stomach and empty stomach, plenty and poverty. There is nothing I cannot do in the One who strengthens me…Philippians 4:12-13
REFLECTION – “The suffering of adversity does not degrade you but exalts you. Human tribulation teaches you, it does not destroy you. The more we are afflicted in this world, the greater is our assurance for the next. The more we sorrow in the present, ..the greater will be our joy in the future.”…St Isidore of Seville (560-636) Father & Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Graciously hear the prayers, O Lord, which we make in commemoration of Saint Isidore, that we and Your Church may be aided by his intercession, just as she has been instructed by his heavenly teaching. 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. Amen.
One Minute Reflection – 3 April – Easter Tuesday and The Memorial of St Richard of Chichester (1197-1253)
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptised every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit...Acts 2:36-38
REFLECTION – “Satisfaction consists in the cutting off of the causes of the sin. Thus, fasting is the proper antidote to lust; prayer to pride, to envy, anger and sloth; alms to covetousness.”…St Richard of Chichester
PRAYER – Grant us O God, our Father, Your grace, that we may constantly work to repair the damage caused by our sin that we may seek forgiveness and then go forth to sin no more, always amending what earthly damage we have caused. St Richard of Chichester, may your prayers, assist us on our journey to our heavenly home. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, in unity with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.
Thought for the Day – Easter Monday of the Easter Octave – 2 April 2018
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the Figure of our spiritual resurrection.
“So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Hail!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”… Matthew 28:8-10
Let us represent to ourselves anew, the glory of the Sepulchre of Jesus.
“In this way we enter the depths of the Paschal mystery. The astonishing event of the resurrection of Jesus is essentially an event of love: the Father’s love in handing over His Son for the salvation of the world; the Son’s love in abandoning Himself to the Father’s will for us all; the Spirit’s love in raising Jesus from the dead in His transfigured body. And there is more: the Father’s love which “newly embraces” the Son, enfolding Him in glory; the Son’s love returning to the Father in the power of the Spirit, robed in our transfigured humanity. From today’s solemnity, in which we relive the absolute, once-and-for-all experience of Jesus’s Resurrection, we receive an appeal to be converted to Love; we receive an invitation to live by rejecting hatred and selfishness and to follow with docility in the footsteps of the Lamb that was slain for our salvation, to imitate the Redeemer who is “gentle and lowly in heart”, who is “rest for our souls” (cf. Mt 11:29).”
Pope Benedict 23 March 2008
Adorable Lord, bestow on us grace to rise spiritually, by leaving the tomb of indifference, to lead a life of fervour.
At Easter we recall the words God spoke to Moses concerning the Paschal solemnity: For it is the Phase – that is, the Passage – of the Lord. Now we celebrate the Passage of our Lord from Death to Life and think upon our own passage from a life of tepidity to one of fervour, from an imperfect to a holy life. Jesus, in leaving the Tomb, disengaged Himself from the winding-sheet in which His Sacred Body had been wrapped; this should make us understand that we must extricate ourselves from the imperfections and bad habits, which for so long a time have kept out souls bound and motionless for good. If we rise with Jesus and set ourselves free from the paralysed state in which our evil inclinations have retained us, they will infallibly disappear. Our Risen Lord was clothed with the power of agility to teach us to despise all resistance of nature, to pass quickly out of its reach, to triumph over every obstacle and that our souls should tend upwards to Him alone. If we are indeed risen with Christ we shall seek the things that are above and our whole being will be spiritualised, responding with agility to the promptings not of nature, but of grace. May we be enabled fully to enter into the Mystery of the Resurrection-Life of Jesus and to receive the plenitude of His favours, offered to us at this time especially.
Jesus, in rising from the Sepulchre, clothed in light, wills that we should understand what is the beauty of a soul disengaged from the ties of nature and renewed in the spiritual life. The soul, like Jesus, becomes luminous, the Holy Spirit enlightens it interiorly, by filling it with the knowledge of divine things; it is possessed of a lustrous beauty and its virtues shine visibly, contributing to the edification of others. By the impassibility of the Body of Jesus, we comprehend that grace raises the soul, by means of holy courage, above temptations; it renders it invulnerable against the darts of the enemies of its salvation and gives it the power of mastering its downward tendencies. Such are the happy privileges granted to His faithful ones, who lovingly enter into the spirit of the Mystery of Easter. Sufferings indeed we must still endure, for we are still on this side of the grave but if they serve only to raise us near to Jesus, we may be said to share already in the effects of His impassibility. We range ourselves therefore around Him, to rejoice at the sight of the glory He received in His Resurrection and to honour the marvellous capabilities of His Adorable Body, by rendering ourselves worthy, by our fervour, to participate in them spiritually.
O my Saviour, I thank You for the favour You accord me, permitting me to partake in the glorious privileges of the new life You began. Make me to be entirely renewed in the spirit of my mind so that, freed from the servitude of sense and natural affections, I may rise constantly towards You, with a pure and generous heart.
Aided by the grace Jesus bestows, I will endeavour to reproduce spiritually in myself, the capabilities observable in His Sacred Humanity after the Resurrection.
If by the Spirit, you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you shall live.
Father de Brant, Growth in the Knowledge of Our Lord volume 2, 1882
One Minute Reflection – – 31 March – Holy Saturday 2018
The man who loves his life loses it, while the man who hates his life in this world, preserves it to life eternal...John 12:25
REFLECTION – “Sursum corda”– lift up your hearts, high above the tangled web of our concerns, desires, anxieties and thoughtlessness – “Lift up your hearts, your inner selves!” In both exclamations we are summoned, as it were, to a renewal of our Baptism: “Conversi ad Dominum” – we must distance ourselves ever anew from taking false paths, onto which we stray so often in our thoughts and actions. We must turn ever anew towards Him who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We must be converted ever anew, turning with our whole life towards the Lord. And ever anew we must allow our hearts to be withdrawn from the force of gravity, which pulls them down and inwardly we must raise them high,in truth and love. At this hour, let us thank the Lord, because through the power of His word and of the holy Sacraments, He points us in the right direction and draws our heart upwards.”…Pope Benedict 22 March 2008
PRAYER – Yes, Lord, make us Easter people, men and women of light, filled with the fire of Your love. Amen.
Thought for the Day – 29 March – Holy Thursday – The Mass of the Lord’s Supper 2018
When the Lord tells Peter that without the washing of his feet he would never be able to have any part in Him, Peter immediately and impetuously asks to have his head and hands washed as well. This is followed by the mysterious words of Jesus: “Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed” (John 13:10). Jesus alludes to a bath that the disciples, according to ritual prescriptions, had already taken; in order to participate in the meal, they now needed only to have their feet washed. But naturally, a deeper meaning is hidden in this. To what does it allude? We do not know for sure. In any case, we should keep in mind that the washing of the feet, according to the meaning of the entire chapter, does not indicate a single specific Sacrament but the “sacramentum Christi” in its entirety – His service of salvation, His descent even to the cross, His love to the end, which purifies us and makes us capable of God.
Here, with the distinction between the bath and the washing of feet, nevertheless, there also appears an allusion to life in the community of the disciples, to life in the community of the Church – an allusion that John may have intentionally transmitted to the community of his time. It then seems clear that the bath that purifies us definitively and does not need to be repeated is Baptism – immersion in the death and resurrection of Christ, a fact that changes our lives profoundly, giving us something like a new a identity that endures, if we do not throw it away as Judas did. But even in the endurance of this new identity, for convivial communion with Jesus we need the “washing of the feet.” What does this mean? It seems to me that the first letter of Saint John gives us the key for understanding this. There we read: “If we say, ‘We are without sin,’ we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing” (1:8ff.).
We need the “washing of the feet,” the washing of our everyday sins and for this we need the confession of sins. We do not know exactly how this was carried out in the Johannine community. But the direction indicated by the words of Jesus to Peter is obvious: in order to be capable of participating in the convivial community with Jesus Christ, we must be sincere. One must recognise that even in our own identity as baptised persons, we sin. We need confession as this has taken form in the Sacrament of reconciliation. In it, the Lord continually rewashes our dirty feet and we are able to sit at table with Him.
But in this way, the word takes on yet another meaning, in which the Lord extends the “sacramentum” by making it the “exemplum,” a gift, a service for our brother: “If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14).We must wash each other’s feet in the daily mutual service of love. But we must also wash our feet, in the sense, of constantly forgiving one another. The debt that the Lord has forgiven us is always infinitely greater than all of the debts that others could owe to us (cf. Mt. 18:21-35). It is to this that Holy Thursday exhorts us: not to allow rancour toward others to become, in its depths, a poisoning of the soul. It exhorts us to constantly purify our memory, forgiving one another from the heart, washing each other’s feet, thus being able to join together in the banquet of God.
Holy Thursday is a day of gratitude and of joy for the great gift of love to the end that the Lord has given to us. We want to pray to the Lord at this time, so that gratitude and joy may become in us the power of loving together with His love. Amen.
Pope Benedict XVI 20 March 2008 Holy Thursday – Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Quote/s of the Day – 29 March – Holy Thursday 2018
“Christianity is above all a gift: God gives himself to us – He does not give some thing but Himself. And this takes place not only at the beginning, at the moment of our conversion. He continually remains the One who gives. He always offers us His gifts anew. He always precedes us. For this reason, the central action of being Christians is the Eucharist: gratitude for having been gratified, the joy for the new life that He gives us.
In spite of all this, we do not remain passive recipients of the divine goodness. God gratifies us as personal and living partners. The love that is given is the dynamic of “loving together,” it is intended to be a new life within us, beginning from God. We thus understand the words that, at the end of the account of the washing of the feet, Jesus speaks to His disciples and to all of us: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (John 13:34). The “new commandment” does not consist in a new and difficult norm, one that did not exist before. The new commandment consists in a loving together with Him who loved us first.”
Pope Benedict XVI – 20 March 2008 Holy Thursday – Mass of the Lord’s Supper
One Minute Reflection – 29 March – Holy Thursday 2018
...And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”..1 Corinthians 11:24-25
REFLECTION – “In the Mass the blood of Christ flows anew for sinners.”….St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Lord God, since for Your glory and our salvation, You willed Christ Your Son, to be the eternal High Priest, grant that the people He gained for You by His blood, may be strengthened by His cross and Resurrection, when they take part in His memorial service, through Christ in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 28 March – Wednesday of Holy Week 2018 & The Memorial of St Stephen Harding (1050-1134)
Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him…Matthew 26:14-16
REFLECTION – “Judas is neither a master of evil nor the figure of a demoniacal power of darkness but rather a sycophant who bows before the anonymous power of changing moods and current fashions. But it is precisely this anonymous power that crucified Jesus, for it was anonymous voices that cried ‘away with him! Crucify him!'”…Pope Benedict XVI
PRAYER – Father of mercy, hear the prayers of Your repentant children, who call on You in love. Englighten our minds, sanctify our hearts, grant us right judgement and lead us away from the idols of the world. St Stephen Harding, as you abandoned the world and helped many to follow you, intercede for us. Through Jesus Christ our Saviour, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 27 March – Tuesday of Holy Week 2018
Peter said to him, “Lord, why cannot I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the cock will not crow, till you have denied me three times…John 13:37-38
REFLECTION – “We too often forget that maxim of the Saints which warns us to consider ourselves as each day recommencing our progress towards perfection. If we consider it frequently we shall not be surprised at the poverty of our spirit, nor how much we have to refuse ourselves. The work is never finished, we have continually to begin again and that courageously. What we have done so far is good but what we are going to commence will be better and when we have finished that, we shall begin something else that will be better still and then another – until we leave this world to begin a new life that will have no end because it is the best that can happen to us.
It is not then a case for tears that we have so much work to do for our souls, for we need great courage to go ever onwards (since we must never stop) and much resolution to restrain our desires. Observe carefully this precept that all the Saints have given to those who would emulate them: to speak little, or not at all, of yourself and your own interests.”…St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – All-powerful, everliving God, may our sacramental celebration of the Lord’s passion bring us Your forgiveness, Your love and Your help. Grant that through the prayers of Blessed Louis-Edouard Cestac, Your servant, we may constantly grow in sanctity, zeal and fortitude. T hrough our Lord Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
One Minute Reflection – – 24 March – The Memorial of Bl ÓSCAR ROMERO (1917-1980) Martyr
“anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant and anyone who wants to be first among you, must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.”… Matthew 20:26-28
REFLECTION – “Archbishop Romero invites us to good sense and reflection, to respect for life and harmony. It is necessary to renounce “the violence of the sword, of hate” and to live “the violence of love, that left Christ nailed to the Cross, that makes each one of us overcome selfishness and so that there be no more such cruel inequality between us”. He knew how to see and experienced in his own flesh “the selfishness that hides itself in those who do not wish to give up what is theirs for the benefit of others”. And, with the heart of a father, he would worry about the “poor majority”, asking the powerful to convert “weapons into sickles for work”.
May those who hold Archbishop Romero as a friend of faith, those who invoke him as protector and intercessor, those who admire his image, find in him the strength and courage to build the Kingdom of God, to commit to a more equal and dignified social order.”…Pope Francis 23 May 2015 (Letter of Pope Francis on the Beatification of Bl Óscar Romero)
PRAYER – Almighty and everlasting God, You gave Blessed Óscar Romero, grace to fight to the death for the true faith. Let his prayer enable us to endure every trial for love of You and to make all haste on our way to You, in whom alone is life. We make our prayer, through our Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen.
AnaStpaul 
You must be logged in to post a comment.