Week 49 - Divine Mercy Sunday. Do you believe?



Week 49 - Divine Mercy Sunday   Do you believe?

"On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. [Jesus] said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." Thomas. Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." Conclusion. Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of [his] disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may [come to] believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name."  ‭‭John‬ ‭20:19-31‬

I Believe.   It is low Sunday, the second Sunday in the Easter season.  It wasn't until Thomas saw Jesus at Church the following Sunday did he believe in the Risen Christ.   Even in his doubt Thomas sought Jesus out.  I looked around mass this morning at looked at the faithful who were there seeking out the Risen Christ.  He was there and so were we.  

After the celebration of Easter is over and everyone has gone home, life settles back in.  I have a question for you.  Was it the good feeling of Easter you were searching for on Easter Sunday or was it the Risen Christ you came to celebrate.   Your answer will be found in what you did today, in your worship of the Risen Christ in His presence with community.  It is the community of believers that bring about the signs and wonders 

1. I am the Lord your God: You shall not have strange Gods before me.
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.
4. Honor your father and mother.

The commandments given to us by God a very long time ago are still true and active today.  He has not changed nor will He, it is us that will change as we continue journeying closer to Christ.  

I have been quiet of late not because of my lack of faith but because of my faith.  It is something that I have yet to put to words but even in the silence, God speaks ever more clearly.  Happy Sunday, my prayer Continues, my lamentation continues and I will continue to believe in my actions whether spoken or unspoken.  

What is God saying to me?

Dear Father, I love You more today that I did yesterday, my prayer

Is that I will love You more tomorrow than today.  I know I am heard and I pray You are heard.  In the training of our ear does Wisdom begin to enter in.  Thank You for this beautiful weather, Thank You for the blessings of rain and Thank You for this Easter season.  Your brother in Christ, Your Son, Jesus.  

Mary, Queen of Peace, Pray for us. 

St Joesph, Most Faithful, Pray for us. 

Viva Cristo Rey 

https://youtu.be/o7FIX2GrSgg

Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.  1 John 4:4b

Easter Sunday - The Glorified Body



Easter Sunday - The Glorified Body 

Live the life God has given you.  Listen and glorify Your Father in Heaven in the body of Christ.   Happy Easter.  

"If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory."  Colossians‬ ‭3:1-4‬

What is God saying to me?  You asked and I answered.   

Dear Father, it is a glorious day to sit in Your presence and listen to You.   Thank You for another beautiful day in Your presence.  Prayers of thanksgiving for all that You are doing, seen and unseen.   May we continue to live out our faith in ways that glorify You.   In Jesus name, Amen.  

Mary, Queen of Heaven, Pray for us. 

St Joesph, Glory of Domestic Life, Pray for us. 

Viva Cristo Rey.

https://youtu.be/JSHRThrP1O0

Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.  1 John 4:4b

Good Friday - Freedom upon the cross.



The price of sin.  Do we recognize the scourging at the pillar, the cross that is being carried, the sin within that He gave all for, so we may live within the Body of Christ?

"He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, knowing pain, Like one from whom you turn your face, spurned, and we held him in no esteem. Yet it was our pain that he bore, our sufferings he endured. We thought of him as stricken, struck down by God and afflicted, But he was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, all following our own way; But the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all. Though harshly treated, he submitted and did not open his mouth; Like a lamb led to slaughter or a sheep silent before shearers, he did not open his mouth. Seized and condemned, he was taken away. Who would have thought any more of his destiny? For he was cut off from the land of the living, struck for the sins of his people."  ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53:3-8‬

What is God saying to me?

Dear Father, we are witnesses to the reality of sin within Your body, we see the pain that it brings , we feel the pain that it brings and You carried it all so we may chose to live in the presence of Peace.  Prayers on this Good Friday for all that fail to realize the sacrifice that was paid for "my" sin.  Thank You Father for loving us that much that You gave us Your Son as "my" sacrificial offering.  May "I" repent and believe in the Truth presented each day.  I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer, Amen.  

Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us. 

St Joesph, watchful Defender of Christ, Pray for us. 

Viva Cristo Rey 

Day 1 - The Divine Mercy Novena

https://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/novena/firstday 

https://youtu.be/e_4I5FkmjwE

Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.  1 John 4:4b

Holy Thursday - The Lord’s Supper.





Am I in communion with all of God's teachings or do I pick and choose the savior morsel's?  Jesus said: "Do this in remembrance of me."  1 Corinthians 11:24b.  He chose all of the teachings. 

Holy Thursday - The Lord's Supper. 

Exodus 12:1-8,11-14

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
"This month shall stand at the head of your calendar;
you shall reckon it the first month of the year.
Tell the whole community of Israel:
On the tenth of this month every one of your families
must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household.
If a family is too small for a whole lamb,
it shall join the nearest household in procuring one
and shall share in the lamb
in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it.
The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish.
You may take it from either the sheep or the goats.
You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month,
and then, with the whole assembly of Israel present,
it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight.
They shall take some of its blood
and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel
of every house in which they partake of the lamb.
That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh
with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

"This is how you are to eat it:
with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand,
you shall eat like those who are in flight.
It is the Passover of the LORD.
For on this same night I will go through Egypt,
striking down every firstborn of the land, both man and beast,
and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt—I, the LORD!
But the blood will mark the houses where you are.
Seeing the blood, I will pass over you;
thus, when I strike the land of Egypt,
no destructive blow will come upon you.

"This day shall be a memorial feast for you,
which all your generations shall celebrate
with pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution."

What is God saying to me?

Dear Father, help us slow down and recognize the Lord's Supper.  May we take time out of our daily lives and devote time to You so You can write Your word upon our hearts.  It is in communion with You where peace reigns and life comes alive even in the tribulations of daily life.  I ask this in Jesus name, who's name is written on my heart, Amen.  

Mary, Mother of Christ, Pray for us. 

St Joesph, Protector of Holy Family, Pray for us. 

Viva Cristo Rey 

https://youtu.be/pmiTkVD4ET

Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.  1 John 4:4b

Wednesday of Holy Week.



Wednesday of Holy Week. 

Do I hear God speak to me or am I too self consumed to really listen?

Gospel Mt 26:14-25

One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot,

went to the chief priests and said,

"What are you willing to give me

if I hand him over to you?"

They paid him thirty pieces of silver,

and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,

the disciples approached Jesus and said,

"Where do you want us to prepare

for you to eat the Passover?"

He said,

"Go into the city to a certain man and tell him,

'The teacher says, AMy appointed time draws near;

in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples."'"

The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered,

and prepared the Passover.

When it was evening,

he reclined at table with the Twelve.

And while they were eating, he said,

"Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me."

Deeply distressed at this,

they began to say to him one after another,

"Surely it is not I, Lord?"

He said in reply,

"He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me

is the one who will betray me.

The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him,

but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.

It would be better for that man if he had never been born."

Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply,

"Surely it is not I, Rabbi?"

He answered, "You have said so."

What is God saying to me?  I feel what you feel, the pain He felt when Judas denied the Truth was the hardest part of the journey. 

Dear Father, we begin again another day, leaving the comfort of familiar surroundings to go into the day not knowing the outcome but knowing it is You directing my steps and my heart.  Prayers for the Judas's of this world, denying the reality of You.  Continue speaking God, Truth conquers sin as long as we are listening.  I ask this in Jesus name, Amen.  

Mary, Queen of Peace, Pray for us. 

St Joesph, Most Ardent, Pray for us. 

Viva Cristo Rey 

https://youtu.be/nD9L4p6rT_w

Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.  1 John 4:4b

Tuesday of Holy Week

Tuesday of Holy Week. 

Reading I Is 49:1-6

Hear me, O islands,
            listen, O distant peoples.
The Lord called me from birth,
            from my mother's womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword
            and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
He made me a polished arrow,
            in his quiver he hid me.
You are my servant, he said to me,
            Israel, through whom I show my glory.

Though I thought I had toiled in vain,
            and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,
Yet my reward is with the Lord,
            my recompense is with my God.
For now the Lord has spoken
            who formed me as his servant from the womb,
That Jacob may be brought back to him
            and Israel gathered to him;
And I am made glorious in the sight of the Lord,
            and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant,
            to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
            and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
            that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

What is God saying to me?  Listen

Question?  In what ways does God speak to you and how do you apply it to your life?

Dear Father, I hear You, I see You in action and I trust You.  May Your will be done this day through Your faithful servants.  In Jesus name, Amen.  

Mary, Queen of Peace, Pray for us. 

St Joesph, Terror of Demons, Pray for us.  

Viva Cristo Rey 

https://youtu.be/QdTNRoGVlD4

Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.  1 John 4:4b

Monday of Easter Week



Monday of Easter Week

Gospel Jn 12:1-11

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany,
where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served,
while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him.
Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil
made from genuine aromatic nard
and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair;
the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples,
and the one who would betray him, said,
"Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days' wages
and given to the poor?"
He said this not because he cared about the poor
but because he was a thief and held the money bag
and used to steal the contributions.
So Jesus said, "Leave her alone.
Let her keep this for the day of my burial.
You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came,
not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus,
whom he had raised from the dead.
And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too,
because many of the Jews were turning away
and believing in Jesus because of him.

What is God saying to me?  Just be.  

Listen to the voice of God, these verses speak loudly before Jesus dies for our sin.  

Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us. 

St. Joesph, Foster-Father of the Son of God, Pray for us. 

Viva Cristo Rey 

https://youtu.be/fGNwBZ73Z4A

Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.  1 John 4:4b

Week 47 - The Journey of Saint Photina



Week 47 - The Journey of Saint Photina

"A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, "How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." [The woman] said to him, "Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the well is deep; where then can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water."  ‭‭John‬ ‭4:7-15‬

The encounter and the invitation.   It is hot and Jesus is tired from His travels.  He waits in Samaria at the well knowing He would encounter someone at this time of day.  Jesus does not avoid conflict or the effects of sin, He encounters it and offers the free gift of life.

Jewish people and Samaritans did not mix, they did not like each other.  There was another path Jesus could of taken but He chose to encounter these people and share the good news.  

The woman was doing her normal routine going about her day as usual when this Jew asked for water.  He should not talk to her, it isn't customary, yet He does.  There is a peace about Him, He doesn't look down on her, just asks for a drink as He is physically thirsty.  She on the other hand is spiritually thirsty.  She too is tired, life has become monotonous, nothing seems to satisfy.  She has tried many things, part of the reason she is fetching water in the middle of the day.  

Jesus engages in conversation with a purpose.  He knows the effects of sin, He knows a weary traveler when He sees one.  The invitation is appealing, it is different than anything she has been asked before and her spirit says yes, give me this living water, I am tired.  

The well spring of life is available to each of us and we become, over time, the vessel that carries Jesus who is the living water.  

What is God saying to me?  There is more to come, do not avoid conflict, engage it in peace, My peace and drink.  

Dear Father, I sit at the well, drinking in the Peace of Christ.  We all encounter situations, You give us the living water that we can respond with purpose.  Help us understand the purpose is to be the vessel that carries the water not the vessel that carries the sin.  Bless this day Lord, bless our words and our actions.  Prayers for the blessings of living water to rain down upon us.  I ask this in Jesus name, Amen.  

Mary, Queen of Heaven, Pray for us.

St Joesph, Terror of Demons, Pray for us. 

Viva Cristo Rey 

https://youtu.be/pOMyNSMISOY

Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.  1 John 4:4b

Week 46 - The Journey with the Canaanite woman.



Week 46 - The Journey with the Canaanite woman. 

"Then Jesus went from that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, "Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon." But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, "Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us." He said in reply, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But the woman came and did him homage, saying, "Lord, help me." He said in reply, "It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters." Then Jesus said to her in reply, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed from that hour."  ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭15:21-28‬

Knowing/Strength.  Our words that we speak do not deceive us.  As I listen this morning, the strength of this woman speaks louder than anything else.  She is not rejected by Jesus, she knows that this is God.  The God whom she has encountered before and now she is in His physical presence.  

The Son of David also knows that this women has been drawn by the Father to Him.  He listens as He teaches His disciples that all are His creation.  They are still learning to listen and to hear the Father speak through another.  

You know that you know, this strength comes from above.  You know that all is well even when it seems the opposite.  Even when your daughter is tormented by a demon.  Are we not all tormented in some way with the imperfections of life?  Yet it was her faith, her relationship with the Master that she gained her strength to be persistent.  To continue to ask for what she knows God can do and will do. 

Jesus confirms it,  "as you wish", we get what we desire.  Be sure it is God that you desire as the Canaanite women shows us.  

What is God saying to me?  Listen with the heart as My Son does, you will hear what is being said.  

Dear Father, I see her strength, we have traveled far from when I first read this scripture.  You continually draw us into deeper relationship so we may become what we are called to be, Your sons and daughters.  Prayers for friends traveling, prayers for friends lost, prayers for Your will to be done in our lives.  Thank You Father for the gift of peace.  To You be the glory, now and forever, Amen. 

Mary, Queen of Peace, Pray for us. 

St Joesph, Most Strong, Pray for us. 

Viva Cristo Rey 

https://youtu.be/VSO4V5egkGw

Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.  1 John 4:4b

Week 46 - The Journey with the women afflicted with hemorrhages.



Week 46 - The Journey with the women afflicted with hemorrhages.

"As he went, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years, who [had spent her whole livelihood on doctors and] was unable to be cured by anyone, came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. Immediately her bleeding stopped. Jesus then asked, "Who touched me?" While all were denying it, Peter said, "Master, the crowds are pushing and pressing in upon you." But Jesus said, "Someone has touched me; for I know that power has gone out from me." When the woman realized that she had not escaped notice, she came forward trembling. Falling down before him, she explained in the presence of all the people why she had touched him and how she had been healed immediately. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace.""  ‭‭Luke‬ ‭8:42-48‬

Set free.   Twelve years is a long time to suffer in silence.  To avoid the touch of another, to stay within one's self  and avoid others for fear of making them unclean.  The pain this women must of felt, all alone.  And now the solution was to touch Jesus.  "She said to herself, "If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.""  ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭9:21‬

From her own self imposed prison, she would be set free.  Jesus called her out in the crowd, He purposely identified her.  Was it her faith of touching Jesus that healed her or her faith of not wanting to hurt others that saved her.  It was knowing that Jesus was the answer and she had to touch Him.  It was God drawing her to His Son and it was her response going against all that she knew to do. 

God sets us free into a new world, He doesn't want us to go back to a former way of life but He wants us to experience new life.  He calls us out and sets us free to share the good news.  Journey with the hemorrhaging women and she enters the world made new again.  What is hidden that God sees, bring it to Him and be set free.  

What is God saying to me?  I hear You, your faith will set you free.  

Dear Father, there is beauty within these stories, within the lives of the saints as they journey to you and into freedom.  I pray for all the hidden things that people hold within in fear, may they see the faith of this women as they bring them to You.   Prayers for a friend who has a daughter with cancer, You are the great Healer, may they experience the freedom the women did.   Bless this day Father and all it has to offer.   I ask this in Jesus name, Amen. 

Mary, Mother of Love, Pray for us. 

St Joesph, Terror of Demons, Pray for us. 

Viva Cristo Rey 

https://youtu.be/QqPlKVvjadQ

Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.  1 John 4:4b

Week 46 - The Journey with Joanna.



Week 46 - The Journey with Joanna. 

"Afterward he journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources."  ‭‭Luke‬ ‭8:1-3‬

"The Way".   We know little about Joanna, other than she is a woman of means, has a certain amount of influence and her encounter with Christ has transformed her life.  She is the wife of Chuza, the steward(CFO) of Herod the tetrarch.  She has left this lofty position and is one of Jesus's ardent disciples.  I am sure this came at some risk but her love of God outweighs the risk.  

When we encounter truth it changes us, we see the falsehoods in the path we have chosen.  Truth changes us and draws us into a deep relationship of love.  We recognize the gifts we have been given are from above and we give what we have been given.  Her presence within the group of disciples sends a clear message to others.  I had all that life can offer but now I have found "the Way", I have found Truth that enables freedom within to place my faith and trust in God.  Listening within scripture reveals His truth, our actions is our response back to this truth.  Forsaken all, we leave it behind and follow Jesus.  

What is God saying to me?  Listen with eyes of faith, even in the simplest of ways, My Truth is revealed.  

Dear Father, we know very little about Joanna other than her deep commitment to You.  You call each of us out of darkness in unique ways that allows us to see Truth in action.  Prayers for others to be drawn into a life of service in everyday life that stands against the ways of the world and speaks without saying a word.  Bless this day Father and all it has to offer, I ask this in Jesus name, Amen.  

Mary, Queen of Peace, Pray for us. 

St Joesph, Spouse of Mary, Pray for us. 

Viva Cristo Rey 

https://youtu.be/7ga5wTxF6Tc

Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.  1 John 4:4b

Week 46 - The Journey with Mary Magadalene



Week 46 - The Journey with Mary Magadalene 

"When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him. Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb. They were saying to one another, "Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back; it was very large. On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed. He said to them, "Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold, the place where they laid him. But go and tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.'""  ‭‭Mark‬ ‭16:1-7‬

Living in the presence of God.  Mary Magadalene had entered the kingdom here on earth.  The circumstances of her day were for God and guided by God.  The situations that came up did not phase her for she knew that with God all things were possible.  

She went to complete the burial ritual, not knowing how the stone would be moved away but also not concerned just knowing that it would not be a problem.  She is living in the presence of God, filled with His joy in all her circumstances.  Mary Magadalene had accepted Jesus and all His teachings whole heartedly, her life was His.  

Living in the presence of God does not make the challenges go away, it is peace knowing that you are never alone.  You have come to know the living God, God who walks with you, even along the Villa DeLaRosa.  Mary Magadalene lived hell on earth with seven demons, now she lives with Christ.  Practice living in the presence of God, hold His hand and walk, knowing that the stone will not stop you from seeing Jesus.  

What is God saying to you?  Live in the moment, always prepared with prayer.  

Dear Father, it is a beautiful journey living in Your presence.  Your constant reminder that all is well even when the future is unknown.  Thank You Father for this beautiful morning, for the calm cool breezes, for the peace that resides within.  Prayers for a friend burying a son this morning, You know his journey.   Help us to continue walking in faith with You in all that we do.  I ask this in Jesus name, Amen.  

Mary, Queen of Heaven, Pray for us. 

St Joesph, Terror of Demons, Pray for us. 

Viva Cristo Rey 

https://youtu.be/kZzpq1c-ceo

Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.  1 John 4:4b