Saturday, February 04, 2012 {St. Joseph of Leonessa, Capuchin, Priest (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR SATURDAY
Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth.
-- Dei Filius

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: 1 Kings 3:4-13
4 The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer on that altar.
5 In Gibeon Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, Ask what I shall give you.
6 Solomon said, You have shown to your servant David my father great loving kindness, according as he walked before you in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with you; and you have kept for him this great loving kindness, that you have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011 {St. Felix Porri of Cantalice, Capuchin, Religious (Feast)}

READINGS FOR THE DAY
First Reading: Acts 2:44-47 or Colossians 3:12-17
Acts 2:44-47
44     And all who believed were together and had all things in common;
45     and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need.
46     And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts,
47     praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
OR
Colossians 3:12-17
12     Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience,
13     forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
14     And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
15     And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.
16     Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
17     And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Psalms: Psalm 131:1-3
1     O LORD, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
2     But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a child quieted at its mother's breast; like a child that is quieted is my soul.
3     O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and for evermore.

Gospel: Luke 12:22-31
22     And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on.
23     For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.
24     Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!
25     And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his span of life?
26     If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?
27     Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28     But if God so clothes the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O men of little faith!
29     And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind.
30     For all the nations of the world seek these things; and your Father knows that you need them.
31     Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things shall be yours as well.

REFLECTION OF THE DAY
When anyone reposes all his confidence in God, God continually exercises a special protection over him, and in this state of things he can be assured that no evil will happen to him.

-- St. Vincent de Paul

Thursday, May 12, 2011 {St. Leopold Mandic, Capuchin, Priest (Memorial)}

READINGS FOR THE DAY
First Reading: Acts 8:26-40
26     But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is a desert road.
27     And he rose and went. And behold, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a minister of the Can'dace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of all her treasure, had come to Jerusalem to worship
28     and was returning; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
29     And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot."
30     So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
31     And he said, "How can I, unless some one guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32     Now the passage of the scripture which he was reading was this: "As a sheep led to the slaughter or a lamb before its shearer is dumb, so he opens not his mouth.
33     In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken up from the earth."
34     And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, pray, does the prophet say this, about himself or about some one else?"
35     Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture he told him the good news of Jesus.
36     And as they went along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What is to prevent my being baptized?"
38     And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.
39     And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.
40     But Philip was found at Azo'tus, and passing on he preached the gospel to all the towns till he came to Caesare'a.

Psalms: Psalm 66:8-9, 16-17, 20
8     Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard,
9     who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.
16     Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me.
17     I cried aloud to him, and he was extolled with my tongue.
20     Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!

Gospel: John 6:44-51
44     No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
45     It is written in the prophets, `And they shall all be taught by God.' Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.
46     Not that any one has seen the Father except him who is from God; he has seen the Father.
47     Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.
48     I am the bread of life.
49     Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
50     This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die.
51     I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."    

REFLECTION OF THE DAY
The soul who is in love with God is a gentle, humble and patient soul.

-- St. John of the Cross