Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

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

Saints:Pope Saint John I, Martyr (-526)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 3:7-13 Summoning the Brothers for Counsel

Mass: Acts 15:1-6; Resp Ps 122; Jn 15:1-8

Within your gates, O Jerusalem.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

PRAY FOR US.

Bear much fruit and become my disciples.

(Jn 15:8)

I am the vine, Jesus tells us, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing (Jn 15:5). Nothing. Cling to the Vine, for nourishment, for strength, for comfort. Without Him we do nothing. "By God's grace I am what I am" (1 Cor 15:10). United in faith and prayer, we go forth.

The Lord calls Himself the vine and those united to Him the branches in order to teach us how much we shall benefit from our union with Him, and how important it is for us to remain in His love. By receiving the Holy Spirit, who is bond of union between us and Christ our Savior, those who are joined to Him, as branches are to a vine, share in His own nature ...

From Christ and in Christ, we have been reborn through the Spirit in order to bear the fruit of life; not the fruit of our old, sinful life but the fruit of a new life founded upon our faith in Him and our love for Him ... 

By bestowing on them the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, the only begotten Son of the Father, gives Christians a certain kinship with Himself and with God the Father because they have been united to Him by faith and by determination to do His will in all things. He helps them to grow in love and reverence for God, and teaches them to discern right from wrong and to act with integrity.

(From a commentary on the Gospel of John by Saint Cyril of Alexandria, bishop, in Office of Readings, Fifth Week of Easter, Tuesday).

POPE SAINT JOHN I,

SAINT TITUS BRANDSMA,

SAINT MARIE RIVIER,

SAINT CAROLINA SANTOCANALE,

SAINT CHARLES DE FOUCAULD,

SAINT DEVASAHAYAM PILLAI,

SAINT CESAR DE BUS,

SAINT LUIGI MARIA PALAZZOLA,

SAINT JUSTIN RUSSOLILLO,

SAINT ANNA MARIA RUBATTO,

SAINT MARIA DOMENICA MANTOVANI,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: Give thanks to the name of the Lord.

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Year of Saint Joseph

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

In other years: Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor (295-373)

Readings of the Day

RB: Prologue 1-7

Mass: Acts 9:26-31; Resp Ps 22; 1 Jn 3:18-24; Jn 15:1-8

You, Lord, are my praise in the great assembly.

CHILDREN, LET US LOVE NOT IN WORD OR SPEECH BUT IN DEED AND TRUTH.

(1 Jn 3:18)

In today's Regina Caeli Address, the Holy Father asked the faithful to ask themselves, "in what sense does Jesus need us?" As Pope Francis said, it may be an audacious concept to think that Jesus needs us. But He does. Jesus "needs our witness," said the Holy Father. Still Saul not yet Paul was a witness as he moved about freely in Jerusalem and "spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord" (Acts 9:29). Saint John encourages us to be witnesses of God's love in deed and truth (1 Jn 3:18). We witness by keeping the commandments and doing what pleases the Lord. We believe in the name of Jesus Christ, and love one another as He commanded us (1 Jn 3:22-23). We must also keep it all in perspective. If we are to witness to our faith we remain in Jesus, the true vine. As Jesus tells us: Remain in me, as I remain in you. Why? Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, says the Lord, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing (Jn 15:4-5). Put another way, without Jesus we are merely resounding gongs or clashing symbols (1 Cor 13:1). 

All that we do, we should do in God; let us stop for a moment before beginning an activity, so that it may always flow from our union with God. Let us love our sisters and brothers, for they are also Christ, and we love them with God's love. May all our judgements be those of Christ, let us look at everything through His eyes. May it be His prayer that wells up from our heart, His praise that sings in our voices.

(A Carthusian, from Advent to Pentecost: Carthusian Novice Conferences)

First of all, every time you begin a good work, you must pray to God to bring it to perfection.

(Rule of Saint Benedict, Prologue 4)

We begin today, and continue in the coming days, to invoke Saint Joseph by one of seven new invocations to be included in the Litany to Saint Joseph. Just yesterday, on the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments presented the new invocations to Pope Francis, who approved their integration into the Litany. 

SAINT JOSEPH, GUARDIAN OF THE REDEEMER,

SAINT ANTHANASIUS,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: More beauty in the cloister.

© Gertrude Feick 2021