'Tis the Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle (died circa 80).
'Tis the Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter (Latin: Pascha, meaning "Passover"): Pascha-link & Wikipedia-link Paschaltide.
Mass Readings—Feast of Saint Matthias
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter one, verses fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, & twenty thru twenty-six;
Psalm One Hundred Thirteen (R/. eight; or, "Alleluia"), verses one & two, three & four, five & six, & seven & eight;
The Gospel according to John, chapter fifteen, verses nine thru seventeen.
Commentary: Daily Readings.
Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus announces to his disciples: “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.”Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M. (U.S.C. of Catholic Bishops): Paschal Reflection.
Many mysticisms and philosophies of the ancient world—Platonism and Gnosticism come readily to mind—spoke of God or the sacred, but they spoke of it as a force or a value or an ontological source. It was impersonal and at an infinite remove from the world of ordinary experience. These ancient schools find an echo in many modern and contemporary theologies. Think of deism, which was so influential on the founders of the United States, or even the New Age philosophy of our time. These speak of a “divine” principle or power, but one would never dream of addressing such a force as “thou” or of engaging with it in intimate conversation.
Then there is the Bible. The Scriptures obviously present God as the overwhelming, transcendent, uncontrollable, inscrutable Creator of the heavens and the earth, but they insist that this sublime and frightening power is a person who deigns to speak to us, to guide us, and to invite us into his life.
In making that utterance—“I no longer call you slaves, but friends”—Jesus turned all of religious philosophy and mysticism on its head.
Video reflection by Doctor Tim Gray (Augustine Institute/Formed.org): Paschal Reflection.
Papal Quote o' the Day
"Today the Church is alive. Despite all contrary appearances, the Church is united. The Church is & remains the yeast in the dough, the signal among nations."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope Saint Paul VI (1897-1978, r. 1963-1978; feast: 29 May)
"If I do not become a saint I am doing nothing."Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day
—Saint Dominic Savio (1842-1857, feast: 6 May)
"Don't allow anything to interfere with your love for Jesus. You belong to Him. Nothing can separate you from Him. That one sentence is important to remember. He will be your joy, your strength. If you hold onto that sentence, temptations & difficulties will come, but nothing will break you. Remember, you have been created for great things."Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day
—Saint Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)
"Joy is not the same as pleasure or happiness. A wicked & evil man may have pleasure, while any ordinary mortalis capable of being happy. Pleasure generally comes from things, & always through the senses; happiness comes from humans through fellowship. Joy comes from loving God & neighbor. Pleasure is quick & violent, like a flash of lightning. Joy is steady & abiding, like a fixed star. Pleasure depends on external circumstances, such as money, food, travel, etc. Joy is independent of them, for it comes from a good conscience & love of God."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
No comments:
Post a Comment