Wednesday in the Octave of Easter
Isaiah, Chapter 50, verse 10
Who among you fears
the LORD, heeds his servant’s voice? Whoever walks in darkness, without any
light, yet trust in the name of the LORD and rely upon their God!
The
English Standard version of the bible states this verse accordingly, “Who
among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no
light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.”
It has
been said the body is an excellent servant but a poor master. When we obey the
voice of our servant the body it ultimately leads to our destruction and eventually,
we walk in darkness. Yet, when we trust in the Lord and master our bodies from
addiction and or lusts of the flesh we thrive. God’s ultimate wish is for us to
thrive. The Lord offers a choice to those who walk in darkness: either trust in
the true light, or walk in their false light and suffer the consequences.
James 1:12-15 “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he
shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love
him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be
tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when
he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived,
it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
Read
more: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/15-bible-verses-to-help-with-addiction/#ixzz3PFN0cxd2
So, let our sacrifice be in your
presence today as we follow you unreservedly; for those who trust in you cannot
be put to shame. And now we follow you with our whole heart, we fear you and we pray to you. Do not let
us be put to shame, but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy. (Dn. 3:40-42)
FOLLOW ONE MASTER ONLY
What
a sad life does he lead who wants both to please the world and to serve God! It
is a great mistake to make, my friends. Apart from the fact that you are going
to be unhappy all the time, you can never attain the stage at which you will be
able to please the world and please God. It is as impossible a feat as trying
to put an end to eternity. Take the advice that I am going to give you now and
you will be less unhappy: give yourselves wholly to God or else wholly to the
world. Do not look for and do not serve more than one master, and once you have
chosen the one you are going to follow, do not leave him. You surely remember
what Jesus Christ said to you in the Gospel: you cannot serve God and Mammon;
that is to say, you cannot follow the world and the pleasures of the world and
Jesus Christ with His Cross. Of course, you would be quite willing to follow
God just so far and the world just so far! Let me put it even more clearly: you
would like it if your conscience, if your heart, would allow you to go to the
altar in the morning and the dance in the evening; to spend part of the day in
church and the remainder in the cabarets or other places of amusement; to talk
of God at one moment and the next to tell obscene stories or utter calumnies
about your neighbor; to do a good turn for your next-door neighbor on one
occasion and on some other to do him harm; in other words, to do good and speak
well when you are with good people and to do wrong when you are in bad company.[1]
"Come and breakfast!" That is the invitation Christ gave to Peter and John when they landed their great catch of fish, so mysteriously bestowed. They were elated and humbled and weary. It must have been a comfort to find a fire waiting on shore, a fish on it, and bread ready. To commemorate this Gospel of Easter Wednesday, why not a picnic breakfast in our home, or, better, out of it?
A party at this hour can be more fun than the usual afternoon-evening spreads, so hard on tired babies and so short on mothers' nerves. By now you can smell and feel spring throughout the land, even under the crusty layer of leftover snow. The voice of the turtle may not be heard, but all the mittens are lost, and nobody cares. In those sections of our country where spring has really arrived and the violets are lying in wait to be discovered, this can be a picnic of sudden beautiful surprises for everyone. Children who might never have noticed will be amazed that mother isn't as old as they thought. She even knows how to turn a jump rope. If you live where winter hasn't yet given up the ghost, or if the little ones are really too little to do more than curdle the atmosphere, a picnic on the back porch (or basement, if you have that kind of basement) will be just as exciting to the children. Scrambled eggs with hot ham or bacon in buns wrapped in aluminum foil, individual boxes of dry cereal with companion boxes of raisins, thermoses of cocoa or orange juice — whatever it is in your house that makes a special breakfast should be on the menu. If we mothers are to be catchers of (little) men, we must look to our lures! City families might breakfast in a nearby park, even if it does shock the squirrels and pigeons. They just have to learn we humans can be carefree too. And our explanations to passers-by, openly curious at our cavorting, may be, for all we know, a chance for spiritual seed-sowing. For apartment-dwellers, patio-less and too far from a park, breakfast on the rooftop can be just as exhilarating as a penthouse cocktail party. More so, since Christ is the Host and the small talk is never boring.
Sixth Day - Today Bring Me The Meek and Humble Souls and the Souls of
Little Children.
Most Merciful
Jesus, You Yourself have said, "Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of
heart." Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek
and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven
into ecstasy, and they are the heavenly Father's favorites. They are a
sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God Himself takes delight in
their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate
Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.
Eternal Father turn Your merciful gaze
upon meek and humble souls, and upon the souls of little children, who are
enfolded in the abode of the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls
bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth
and reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by
the love You bear these souls and by the delight you take in them: bless the
whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for
endless ages. Amen.
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