Saturday within the Octave of Easter

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Saints: Saint George, Martyr (-c.303); Saint Adalbert of Prague (956-997); Blessed Teresa Maria of the Cross (1846-1910)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 65:11-22 The Prior of the Monastery

Mass: Acts 4:13-21; Resp Ps 118; Mk 16:9-15

Alleluia.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

PRAY FOR US.

We find our friend who was healed on Wednesday still hanging around in today's account from the Acts of the Apostles. We find him standing there, beside Peter and John. He seems to have left the opposition speechless. Never without something to say, though, and perhaps intimidated by the boldness of Peter and John (Acts 4:13), the naysayers decide to warn Peter and John, and command them not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:18). Yeah, right. I don't expect Peter and John were shaking in their boots. Meanwhile, nearly everybody else was praising God for what had happened. And this is a great line left out of the lectionary, "for the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old" (Act 4:22). I admire the courage of the man who was healed. He stuck with the program. I don't imagine him just standing there; this man was standing tall. In fact, his witness is strong: Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature (Mk 16:15). Alleluia.

Saint George was a man who abandoned one army for another: he gave up the rank of tribune to enlist as a soldier for Christ. Eager to encounter the enemy, he first stripped away his worldly wealth by giving all he had to the poor. Then, free and unencumbered, bearing the shield of faith, he plunged into the thick of the battle, an ardent soldier for Christ.

Clearly what he did serves to teach us a valuable lesson: if we are afraid to strip ourselves of our worldly possessions, then we are unfit to make a strong defense of the faith.

(From a sermon by Saint Peter Damian, bishop, in Office of Readings, April 23)

SAINT GEORGE,

SAINT ADALBERT OF PRAGUE,

BLESSED TERESA MARIA OF THE CROSS,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: I don't think you've seen this particular arrangement before. Even so, it doesn't hurt to see it again. From our garden.

© Gertrude Feick 2022