Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter

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

Saint: The English Martyrs (16th-17th century); Blessed Marie-Leonie Paradis (1840-1912); Saint Conleth (-519); The Beatified Martyrs of England and Wales (16th-17th century); Saint Jose Maria Rubio, Apostle of Madrid, Father of the Poor (1864-1929); Blessed Angel Prat Hostench and Companions (d.1936); Blessed Emily Bicchieri OP (1238-1314)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Prologue 14-20

Mass: Acts 8:1b-8; Resp Ps 66; Jn 6:35-40

Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

PRAY FOR US.

Let peace be your quest and aim.

(Rule of Saint Benedict, Prologue 17/Ps 33)

Today's account from the Acts of the Apostles begins with persecution and lamentations while Saul is trying to destroy the Church. Others who managed to scatter, persevered, preached the word, and proclaimed Christ. Crowds paid attention to Philip and watched the good being done. Unclean spirits came out of possessed people; the paralyzed and crippled were cured. And today's account ends: "There was great joy in that city" (Acts 8:8). Whew. United in faith and prayer, we must keep going, no matter what. 

Let us love. Let our souls and our lives be a perpetual song of love for God first of all and for all human beings who suffer, love, and mourn.

Let profound joy live in us, Let us be like the lark, enemy of the night, who always announces the dawn and awakens in each creature the love of light and life. Let us awaken souls.

(Elisabeth Leseur, The Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur: The Woman Whose Goodness Changed Her Husband from Atheist to Priest, p. 150)

The first duty now for every soul of good will is perpetual preaching, by word and by example, of the divine law of Charity.

Every Christian should be the voice crying in the desert: "Let us love!" Perhaps some heavenly breeze will carry these words farther than we suspect.

(ibid. p. 156)

THE ENGLISH MARTYRS,

BLESSED MARIE-LEONIE PARADIS,

SAINT CONLETH,

THE BEATIFIED MARTRYS OF ENGLAND AND WALES,

SAINT JOSE MARIA RUBIO,

BLESSED ANGEL PRAT HOSTENCH AND COMPANIONS,

BLESSED EMILY BICCHIERI OP,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: With blossoms a bit out of my reach, this one required a long arm stretch. 😊

© Gertrude Feick 2022