A FAITHFUL GOD
“If we are unfaithful He will still remain faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” –2 Timothy 2:13
Which of us can honestly claim that we have been perfectly faithful to all the Lord’s commands? We all fall short; we are all sinners in some way (see Rm 3:23). The Good News is that God remains faithful to us, despite our sins and failings. Faithfulness is at the core of God’s very self.

God loves us unconditionally, even if we have completely turned our back on Him. “God is Love” (1 Jn 4:8, 16). Even should a mother forget her child (see Is 49:15), or a father disown his children, St. Paul tells us that God is faithful because it is impossible for God to deny what lies at the center of His heart: faithful love.

“There is no chaining the word of God” (2 Tm 2:9), and there is no chaining the love of God. Have you ever known a person who cannot seem to accept love? As impossible as it might seem for that person to receive any love, nothing is impossible for God. The stoniest heart is no match for the avalanche of God’s love. Jesus hung on a cross and accepted death out of a heart of unimaginable love for each human being. Therefore, have great confidence in the infinite power of the love of God. God’s Word breaks open hard hearts, and His faithful love melts them. “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever” (Ps 136:1).

PRAYER: “Sacred Heart of Jesus, we Thee implore, that we may love Thee more and more.”
PROMISE: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” –Mk 12:30
PRAISE: Seeing Christ on the crucifix opened Mark to loving as Jesus loved.

LIGHT MY FIRE
“I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God…” –2 Timothy 1:6
In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus speaks of flame when He references the burning bush (Mk 12:26). Moses saw an angel of the Lord appear to him “in fire flaming out of a bush” (Ex 3:2). That experience stirred into flame a blazing fire for God in Moses’ heart.

In our Baptism and Confirmation, we have been given gifts of the Spirit (Rm 12:6; Eph 4:8). Hundreds of millions of people on this earth have received incredible gifts from the Holy Spirit. Why then is the world in such a mess when the Spirit has given us so much help? Many have stifled (1 Thes 5:19) and saddened (Eph 4:30) the Spirit by living “at the level of the flesh” (Eph 2:3), and the flesh fights against the Spirit (Gal 5:17). However, the Holy Spirit also fights against the flesh (Gal 5:17), if only we give the Spirit permission.

Jesus came to light a fire on the earth (Lk 12:49), but many are afraid they’ll get burnt. When you’re tempted to douse the fire of the Spirit, God wants you to throw gasoline on it. When you’re tempted to put a damper on the Spirit’s fire burning in your life, God wants you to put a blowtorch on it.

Fr. Al Lauer, founder and longtime author of One Bread, One Body, once said: “The more I say ‘No’ to myself, the more I say ‘Yes’ to the Holy Spirit.” “My point is that you should live in accord with the Spirit and you will not yield to the cravings of the flesh” (Gal 5:16).

PRAYER: Father, may I not be so afraid of getting burnt that I fail to catch fire. Consuming Fire (Heb 12:29), melt my heart in Your love.
PROMISE: “God has saved us and has called us to a holy life.” –2 Tm 1:9
PRAISE: St. Charles Lwanga and his fellow Ugandan martyrs endured cruel and sinister punishment imposed by the vicious King Mwanga. Pope St. Paul VI canonized them in 1964.

IMAGE-CONSCIOUS
“Whose head is this and whose inscription is it?” –Mark 12:16
The Pharisees and Herodians were able to identify the owner of the Roman coin because of what was stamped on it. The seal on the coin marked it as belonging to Caesar.

When we were baptised  into Christ, we too were stamped with an image, “sealed” with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13; 2 Cor 1:22). We were “formed anew in the image of [our] Creator” (Col 3:10), and now we “share the image of His Son,” Jesus (Rm 8:29). God marked us with His own seal to identify us as His property (Rm 14:8). Isn’t this amazing? The same God Who forbade the making of any graven images out of concern for our falling into idol worship (see Ex 20:4) has now engraved His very own seal upon us (Eph 4:30).

Are you aware that you are marked with the seal of God? Can others tell to Whom you belong merely by looking at you? You can polish up your image. Concentrate on your Owner and gaze “on the Lord’s glory.” Then you will be “transformed from glory to glory into His very image by the Lord Who is the Spirit” (2 Cor 3:18).

PRAYER: Father, may all who see me think of You.
PROMISE: “What we await are new heavens and a new earth where, according to His promise, the justice of God will reside.” –2 Pt 3:13
PRAISE: Emperor Constantine had great respect for Sts. Marcellinus and Peter. He buried his mother, St. Helena, in the basilica that had been erected over their burial crypt. These two saints were such powerful witnesses that they converted other prisoners and their jailer before their deaths.

MOTHERS
“The man replied, ‘The woman whom You put here with me — she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it.'” –Genesis 3:12
Most of us are very familiar with the story of the fall. Adam and Eve succumbed to temptation and thwarted God’s plan. Because our first parents were disobedient, we suffer the wounds of original sin. Shortsightedly, we could label Adam and Eve the ultimate scapegoats. But we and they are family! “The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living” (Gn 3:20). Have you pondered your lineage? Eve gave birth to us in the natural order — she is truly our ancestor. The trickery of the serpent, although frustrating, merely exposes human frailty. Are we any better than Eve? Jesus reminds us, “Let the man among you who has no sin be the first to cast a stone at her” (Jn 8:7).

Providentially, God the Father instituted a new master plan. He desired to restore us to His grace and love, for He wants all “to be saved and come to know the truth” (1 Tm 2:4). He chose a young virgin from Nazareth to help complete the plan. “The virgin’s name was Mary” (Lk 1:27). This new “woman” (see Gn 3:15) was destined to become the “new Eve.” In the spiritual order, Mary has given birth to “those who keep God’s commandments and give witness to Jesus”; we, as members of the Church, represent “the rest of her offspring” (see Rv 12:17).

Focus on Mary’s obedience, not Eve’s disobedience. Echo Mary and tell the Lord, “May it be done to me according to Your word” (see Lk 1:38, RNAB).

PRAYER: Father, give me the grace to accept Mary as my mother (Jn 19:27) and always act so as to honor her (Ex 20:12).
PROMISE: “When Jesus took the wine, He said, ‘Now it is finished.’ Then He bowed His head, and delivered over His spirit.” (Jn 19:30)
PRAISE: Mother Mary, you “gather your children, as a mother bird gathers her young under her wings” (see Mt 23:37).

IN THE SPIRIT OF BOLDNESS
“Do not be afraid.” —Acts 18:9
It’s likely God wouldn’t have told St. Paul to not be afraid unless Paul was actually afraid of something. The city of Corinth must have been a rough place, for by this time in Paul’s life, he had already been stoned, apparently to death, at Lystra (Acts 14:19ff), and then stood back up and returned to town. He’d been jailed and beaten at Philippi, but miraculously freed by an earthquake. You’d think Paul would not fear anything at this point. But fear is a strong temptation, even to veteran disciples.

The Pentecost Novena begins today. We beg the Lord for nine days to send us the Holy Spirit in a new way at Pentecost. One of the primary effects of the Holy Spirit biblically is bold speech and bold actions. The fear of the apostles locked in the upper room was driven out by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The perfect love of the Spirit casts out all fear (see 1 Jn 4:18). The Spirit-filled apostles burst out of the locked room and into the public squares. They boldly proclaimed Jesus and brought three thousand people to the Lord in one day.

Jesus tells St. Paul and us: “Do not be afraid” (Acts 18:9). The Outreach Leader for Presentation Ministries is fond of saying: “Fear is merely False Evidence Appearing Real.” Receive the Holy Spirit. Be delivered of fear.

PRAYER: Father, send the Holy Spirit to turn any cowardice we may have into boldness (2 Tm 1:7-8).
PROMISE: “Your grief will be turned to joy.” –16:20
PRAISE: St. Rita was a wife and mother. After she became a widow and her two sons died, Rita joined the Augustinian nuns in Cascia. Together with Saint Jude, she is a patron saint of impossible cases.

St Rita

“PERFECT STORM”

“They opposed him and insulted him.” —Acts 18:6

As I write this, a storm has just blown in. There’s a strong, driving wind outside (cf Acts 2:2). Lightning is darting throughout the sky and powerful blasts of thunder shake the windows. I hear sirens from fire trucks, police cars, and a tornado warning. It seems like this storm is turning the town upside down.

Tomorrow we begin praying the Pentecost Novena, nine days of fervent prayer to prepare for receiving a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. What storm will result if you receive the Holy Spirit during or after this Novena? It may mean that:

you must leave your job, as did St. Joseph (Mt 2:14),

you start a new job, which becomes the launching pad for a new ministry (Acts 18:3, 5),

you pack up and move where the Spirit leads (Acts 18:1),

you lose your spiritual mentor (Jn 16:17) and have to step out and take leadership, as did the apostles,

you will weep, mourn, and grieve (Jn 16:20),

you step out in bold obedience to the Holy Spirit, and because of that, your church is instantly divided (Acts 18:4ff),

talented leaders are converted and raised up (Acts 18:8),

many hear the Word of God and come to believe in Jesus (Acts 18:8), or

you “shake” off the spiritual and physical debris left by the storm (Acts 18:6), and, undaunted, continue bearing fruit in the power of the Spirit (see Mt 7:24-25).

“Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 20:22), and let Him “stir” up your world (2 Tm 1:6).

PRAYER:               Father, may I be more concerned with being separated from the Holy Spirit than I am with having to endure upheaval.

PROMISE:            “Your grief will be turned into joy.” –Jn 16:20

PRAISE:                 St. Christopher continued to spread the Good News despite government persecution. In the end, it cost him his life.

LOVE IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH
“When He comes, however, being the Spirit of truth He will guide you to all truth.” —John 16:13
Life in Christ is a life of love, for Jesus is Love (see 1 Jn 4:8, 16). Love requires freedom. We cannot force people to love us. Freedom requires knowledge. Without some knowledge, we cannot freely decide to love. Therefore, knowledge of the truth is very important because truth is an absolute prerequisite for love. The Lord “wants all men to be saved and come to know the truth” (1 Tm 2:4).

The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love (Gal 5:22) because the Spirit gives us freedom, which requires the Spirit to guide us to all truth (Jn 16:13). The Holy Spirit will open us to all the truth we need for the freedom to love the Lord with all our hearts, to love our neighbors as ourselves, to love even our enemies, and to actually live in love (see Jn 15:9). The Holy Spirit, by being the Spirit of truth (Jn 16:13), produces the fruit of love in our lives.

The Lord says: “My people perish for want of knowledge!” (Hos 4:6) It is not that we are saved by knowledge but that knowledge of the truth makes it possible to have faith in and love for the Lord. This is what saves us. Consequently, we need the Holy Spirit of truth and love to be as active as possible in our lives. Come, Holy Spirit!

PRAYER: Father, show me the relationship between truth, freedom, and love.
PROMISE: “He has set the day on which He is going to ‘judge the world with justice’ through a Man He has appointed — One Whom He has endorsed in the sight of all by raising Him from the dead.” –Acts 17:31
PRAISE: An orphan, St. Bernardine was raised by a godly aunt. He became a Franciscan and was ordained a priest. He preached the loving mercy of God. Bernardine devised a symbol, IHS, the first three letters of Jesus name in Greek, in Gothic letters, on a blazing sun, to promote devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus.