The wealth of His love...

 In Christ who is the source of my strength

I have strength for everything.  - Phil 4:13

"Love makes the heart leap and dance.

Love makes it exult and be festive.

Love makes it sing and be silent as it pleases.

Love grants it rest and enables it to act.

Love possesses it and gives it everything.

Love takes it over completely and dwells in it.

And Holy Communion is the mansion of love."

St. Veronica Giuliani

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Day 5
Novena to St Joseph

 

Feast Day:  May 1 (Patron of Workers)

St Joseph, pray for us!

Consecrating the ordinary...

 "Our life must reach out toward the Infinite,

and from that source we must draw whatever 

we can expect of merit and dignity." - Bl Contardo Ferrini

"Then the sacred moment arrives when we receive our Lord

and are united with Him.  The moment itself is fleeting;

it takes just a quick swallow, a short turn, and we walk back to our seats.

To transform this ordinary routine... At the moment 

of communion, we could use some mental or vocal aspiration

such as that of St Francis de Sales:

Who am I, Lord, and who are you?

 or perhaps that of St Elizabeth: 

Where does this blessing come from -

that my Lord should come to me? (Luke 1:43)

or that of St John the Evangelist: 

Yes, come, Lord Jesus. (Rev 22:20)

...the actual thought or saying can be anything that helps us

to focus on the moment immediately before us."

Fr Thomas F Dailey, O.S.F.S.

Excerpt from book: Live Today Well,

St Francis de Sales's Simple Approach to Holiness (2015)

_______________________

Day 4
Novena to St Joseph

 

Feast Day:  May 1 (Patron of Workers)

St Joseph, pray for us!

Good Shepherd: nourishes, guards, guides..

4th Sunday of Easter
GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY

“For He hears the lamb’s innocent call,

And He hears the ewe’s tender reply.

He is watchful while they are in peace.

For they know when their Shepherd is nigh.”

- William Blake

"We adore You, Jesus,

eternal Shepherd of the human race.

You are present in the Eucharist

to dwell continually 

in the midst of Your people.

You nourish us,

You guard us,

You guide us to the heavenly fold."

Ven. James Alberione

Painting above: Good Shepherd - Yongsung Kim

____________________________

The King of Love My Shepherd Is - A Homily for the 4th Sunday of Easter - Community in Mission

(Msgr Charles Pope)

_____________________

Also ... today...

58th WORLD DAY of

PRAYER for VOCATIONS

 
 Good Shepherd Sister, Sr Rose Vu, rejoices with Fr Spencer Howe 

on his day of Ordination 05/25/13 

"I like to think, then, of Saint Joseph, the protector of Jesus 

and of the Church, as the protector of vocations. ... 

Joseph is the "righteous man" (Mt 1:19) who daily perseveres 

in quietly serving God and his plans." - Pope Francis

Full text: 

Message for the 58th World Day of Prayer for Vocations 2021 | Francis

________________

Pray TODAY - and EVERYDAY - for vocations

Father, hear the prayers of your people 

and bring to maturity the seeds you have sown

in the field of your Church. 

____________

Day 3
Novena to St Joseph

 

Feast Day:  May 1 (Patron of Workers)

St Joseph, pray for us!

Worth remembering ...

"May your heart be an altar, from which 

the bright flame of unending thanksgiving 

ascends to heaven." ~ St Mary Euphrasia

“Draw near to our Lord,
thoroughly aware of your own nothingness,

and you may hope all things

from His Goodness and Mercy.

Never forget

that Jesus Christ is no less generous

in the Blessed Sacrament

than He was during His mortal life on earth.”

St Mary Euphrasia Pelletier

France ~ 1796-1868

Foundress ~ Sisters of the Good Shepherd

Motto: "One person is of more value

 than a world." 

Feast Day - April 24

 

"Go after the lost sheep without 
other rest than the cross,

other consolation than work,

other thirst than for justice." 

 St Mary Euphrasia

Click here: Life of St.Mary Euphrasia Pelletier - YouTube (4:41 mins)

Click here: Prayer of St.Mary Euphrasia Pelletier - YouTube

St Mary Euphrasia, pray for us!
___________________

Day 2
Novena to St Joseph

Feast Day:  May 1 (Patron of Workers)

Life: heart-whole, mind-whole...

Jesus said to him:  Thou shalt love the Lord thy God 

with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, 

and with thy whole mind.  - Matt 22:37

"There is something to be done on our side.  

The wheat must be ground into bread, 

the wine must be pressed out of the grape, 

before we can give our Lord the opportunity 

to work His miracle of Transubstantiation.  

The offertory first, 

man stretching out his hands to God; 

then the consecration, 

God accepting and transforming man's gift. 

We must come to meet Him, 

come to meet Him early in the morning, 

when sleep has smoothed away for us the 

memories of yesterday, and no cares have yet 

assailed us to disturb the equilibrium of our lives.  

We must hand over the direction of our lives to Him, 

if we are to know what it means to live an ordered life, 

heart-whole and mind-whole in a world like ours.  

Then we can go to Communion."

From The Window in the Wall, Reflections on the Holy Eucharist

by Ronald Knox (Sheed & Ward: 1956) - pg 51-52.

_________________________

Today also remembering...

Feast Days

April 23

St George, pray for us!

(one of the 14 Holy Helpers)

St Adalbert, pray for us!

ALSO:  Begin Novena to St Joseph TODAY

Feast Day:  May 1 (Patron of Workers)