Bishop of Trier, Germany, from 332, and a worker. He was probably born at Silly, France, and succeeded St. Agritus as of Trier, giving refuge to in 336. St. Paul, the of Constantinople, was also given Maximinus’ protection. Maximinus was an ardent enemy of the Arian heretics, opposing them i...

Reading 1, First Peter 1:10-16

¹⁰ This was the subject of the search and investigation of the prophets who spoke of the you were to receive,

¹¹ searching out the and circumstances for which the of Christ, bearing in them, was revealing the sufferings of and the glories to follow them.

¹² It was revealed to them that it was for your sake and not their own that they were acting as servants ...

“As he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct.” (1 Peter 1:15)

At any other time in the church year, we might find this exhortation intimidating. There’s no way I can be as holy as Jesus, certainly not in every single thing I do! It’s just not humanly possible, no matter how pure my inten­tions and strong my willpower. I can’t possibly eliminate selfishness from my nature. I can’t love the way God loves.

True enough. This...

Bl. Margaret Pole

Martyr of England. She was born Margaret Plantagenet, the niece of Edward IV and Rich­ard III. She married Sir Reginald Pole about 1491 and bore five sons, including Reginald Pole. Margaret was widowed, named countess of Salisbury, and appointed governess to Princess Mary, daughter of Hemy VIII and Queen Catherine of Aragon, Spain. She opposed Henry’s mar­riage to Anne Boleyn, and the king exiled her from court, although he call...

Reading 1, Acts 2:1-11

¹ When day came round, they had all met together,

² when suddenly there came from a sound as of a violent wind which filled the entire house in which they were sitting;

³ and there appeared to them tongues as of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them.

⁴ They were all filled with the and began to speak different languages as the gave the...

Reading 1, First Peter 1:3-9

³ Blessed be the Father of our Christ, who in his great mercy has given us a new birth into a living through the resurrection of from the dead

⁴ and into a heritage that can never be spoilt or soiled and never fade away. It is reserved in for you

⁵ who are being kept safe by God's power through until the which has been prepared is revealed at the f...

Pentecost

Scholars tell us that the first Pentecost took place during the Jewish Feast of Weeks. This was a festival at which the first fruits of the harvest were offered to God in thanksgiving. But on this particular day, instead of giving our first fruits to God, he gave his first fruit—the Holy Spirit—to us.

And what an amazing gift the Spirit has been! It is his power that has kept the church on track, despite human sinfulness, for two millennia. It is his grac...

“… A new birth to a living hope.” (1 Peter 1:3)

“Yes,” your doctor says. “The test results confirm it. You are preg­nant.” The excitement you feel on hearing these words is indescribable. You’re having your first child!

As the months progress, you find yourself focusing less on yourself and more on the little person you are carrying. It’s all about the baby now. At fleeting moments you may think about the pain of childbirth or the nighttime feedings...

St. Philip Neri

If one had to choose one saint who showed the humorous side of that would Philip Neri.

Born in 1515 in Florence, he showed the impulsiveness and spontaneity of his from the he was a boy. In fact one incident almost cost him his life. Seeing a donkey loaded with fruit for market, the little boy had barely formed the thought of jumping on the donkey's back before he had done it. The donkey, surprised, lost his footing...

Reading 1, Acts 28:16-20, 30-31

¹⁶ On our arrival in Paul was allowed to stay in lodgings of his own with the soldier who guarded him.

¹⁷ After three days he called together the leading Jews. When they had assembled, he said to them, 'Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in and handed over to the Romans.

¹⁸ They examined me and would have set me ...

Reading 1, Acts 25:13-21

¹³ Some days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea and paid their respects to Festus.

¹⁴ Their visit lasted several days, and Festus put Paul's case before the king, saying, 'There is a here whom Felix left behind in custody,

¹⁵ and while I was in the chief priests and elders of the laid information against him, demanding his condemnation.

¹⁶ But I told them that

“With complete assurance and without hindrance he proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 28:31)

Imagine being the soldier guard­ing Paul during his house arrest in Rome! He would have seen this great apostle and evangelist toward the end of his life. He has been tested by trials and proved faith­ful through all his journeys. Now Paul could take advantage of two years of relative peace to wrap up his affairs. He wrote many ...

“There is a man here left in custody by Felix.” (Acts 25:14)

If you were talking about the apos­tle Paul, is it likely that you’d refer to him simply as “a man”? Probably not. To us, Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, an ardent ambassador for Christ, an eminent teacher, and a glorious hero of the faith. But to Festus, the Rome-appointed official who was holding him in prison, Paul is just a jailbird with odd ideas of no special interest.

As Festus discu...

St. David I of Scotland

Reading 1, Acts 22:30; 23:6-11

³⁰ The next day, since he wanted to know for sure what charge the were bringing, he freed Paul and gave orders for a meeting of the chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin; then he brought Paul down and set him in front of them.

⁶ Now Paul was well aware that one party was made up of and the other of Pharisees, so he called out in the Sanhedrin, 'Brothers, I am a Pharisee and the son of Phari...

I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.” (John 17:20)

When we enter into a time of intercessory prayer, it’s not uncom­mon to bring our own priorities to the forefront of our minds. We bring to God the issues that concern us and challenge us on a regular basis. How will I pay these bills? Can I trust my teenager to drive? How can I maintain a happy marriage? But if we look at Jesus’ prayer on the night before he d...

St. John Baptist Rossi

This holy was born in 1698 at the village of Voltaggio in the of and was one of the four of an excellent and highly respected couple. When he ws ten a nobleman and his wifre who were spending the summer at Voltaggio obtained permission from his to take him back with them to to be trained in their house. He remained with them three years, winning golden opinions from all, notably from two Capuchi...

Reading 1, Acts 20:28-38

²⁸ 'Be on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the has made you the guardians, to feed the Church of which he bought with the blood of his own Son.

²⁹ 'I know quite well that when I have gone fierce wolves invade you and have no mercy on the flock.

³⁰ Even from your own ranks there be men coming forward with a travesty of the on their lips to induce t...

“I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely.” (John 17:13)

What would you pray for if you were facing a brutally painful, lin­gering death? Strength? Peace? The grace to endure it faithfully? Jesus prayed for his friends. He was con­cerned for what he had begun in their hearts. He wanted it to con­tinue and bear fruit until the day they were reunited with him. And guess what? He included us in his prayer. Us! With love and compas­sion, ...

St. Rita

St. Rita was born at Spoleto, in 1381. At an early age, she begged her to allow her to enter a convent. Instead they arranged a marriage for her. Rita became a wife and mother, but her husband was a of violent temper. In he often mistreated his wife. He taught their his own ways.

Rita tried to perform her duties faithfully and to pray and receive the frequently. After nearly twe...

Reading 1, Acts 20:17-27

¹⁷ From he sent for the elders of the church of Ephesus.

¹⁸ When they arrived he addressed these words to them: 'You know what my way of has been ever since the first day I set foot among you in Asia,

¹⁹ how I have served the in all humility, with all the sorrows and trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews.

²⁰ I have not hesitated to do anything that would be helpfu...

"This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.” (John 17:3)

In this wonderful prayer of Jesus, we get a glimpse of eternity: not harps and jewels but intimacy with God. Nor do we have to wait until we die to experience this. Jesus knows us inside and out, and he longs for us to know him too, to let his love begin to transform us here and now.

“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me,” he says t...

St. Eugene de Mazenod

Eugene de Mazenod was born on August 1, 1782, at Aix-en-Provence in France. Early in he experienced the upheaval of the French Revolution. the less, he entered the seminary, and following ordination he returned to labor in Aix-en-Provence. That area had suffered greatly during the Revolution and was not really a safe place for a priest. Eugene directed his minist...

Reading 1, Acts 19:1-8

¹ It happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul made his way overland as far as Ephesus, where he found a number of disciples.

² When he asked, 'Did you receive the when you became believers?' they answered, 'No, we were never even told there was such a thing as a Holy Spirit.'

³ He asked, 'Then how were you baptised?' They replied, 'With John's baptism.'

⁴ Paul said, 'John's

“We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” (Acts 19:2)

These Ephesians were almost completely in the dark! But while they were innocently unaware of the Holy Spirit, he was, of course, well aware of them. You could even say that the Spirit sent Paul as a spokes­man to “introduce” himself. And the new friends quickly made up for lost time.

Think about your best friend. Do you remember when you met? Would you say that you’re better friends now ...

St. Bernardine of Siena

In the year 1400, a young came to the door of the largest hospital in Siena. A plague was raging through the city so horrible that as many as twenty people died each day just in the hospital alone. And many of the people who died were those who were needed to tend the ill. It was a desperate situation -- more and more people were falling ill and fewer and fewer people were there to help them.

The twenty-year-old who stood there had no...

Reading 1, Acts 1:15-17, 20-26

¹⁵ One day Peter stood up to speak to the brothers -- there were about a hundred and twenty people in the congregation,

¹⁶ 'Brothers,' he said, 'the passage of had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit, speaking through David, foretells the of Judas, who acted as guide to the men who arrested Jesus-

¹⁷ after being one of our number and sharing our ministry.

²⁰ Now in the Bo...

The Ascension of the Lord

Go into the whole world and pro­claim the gospel. (Mark 16:15)

What a simple, but immense, charge Jesus gave to his disciples! He even told them that those who accepted their message would be saved, while those who didn’t would be condemned.

Imagine their reaction: Really, Lord? We’re just fishermen. You can’t expect us to go out and save the whole human race! But Jesus made this a win-win situation. He did send his apostles out to pr...

St. Celestine

When the father of this Italian saint died, his mother brought up her twelve well, even though they were very poor. "Oh, if I could only have the joy of seeing one of you become a saint!" she use to say. Once when she asked as usual, "which one of you is going to become a saint?" little Peter (who was to become Pope Celestine) answered with all his heart, "Me, mama! I'll become a saint!" And he did.

When he was twenty, Peter became a hermi...

Reading 1, Acts 18:23-28

²³ where he spent a short before continuing his journey through the Galatian country and then through Phrygia, encouraging all the followers.

²⁴ An Alexandrian Jew named Apollos now arrived in Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, with a sound of the scriptures, and yet,

²⁵ though he had been given instruction in the Way of the and preached with great spiritual fervour and was accurate in al...

“All you peoples, clap your hands; shout to God with joyful cries.” (Psalm 47:2)

Have you ever given the Lord a rousing round of applause? When we’ve enjoyed a great concert, we clap exuberantly to show our appreciation. Sometimes we cheer. We may even give the performers a standing ovation and keep on applauding until they give us an encore. So let’s take the advice of the psalmist today and join him in a round of applause and loud shouts of acclamation for t...

Reading 1, Acts 18:9-18

⁹ One night the spoke to Paul in a vision, 'Be fearless; speak out and do not keep silence:

¹⁰ I am with you. I have so many people that belong to me in this city that no one attempt to hurt you.'

¹¹ So Paul stayed there preaching the word of among them for eighteen months.

¹² But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the made a concerted attack on Paul and brought him before the...

“No one will take your joy away from you.” (John 16:22)

Suppose you were to find a very old locket that was engraved inside. The words on the inscription may not mean much to you, but they were probably very special to the original owner of the locket. That is, after all, the nature of an engrav­ing: to convey a lasting message to a loved one.

Do you know that God has been engraving your heart with words of love since the day he created you? These declarations a...

St. Paschal Baylon

Franciscan lay brother and mystic. Born to a peasant at Torre Hermosa, in Aragon, on Whitsunday, he was christened Pascua in honor of the feast. According to accounts of his early life, Paschal labored as a shepherd for his father, performed miracles, and was distinguished for his austerity. He also taught himself to read. Receiving a vision which told him to enter a nearby F...

Reading 1, Acts 1:1-11

¹ In my earlier work, Theophilus, I dealt with everything had done and taught from the beginning

² until the day he gave his instructions to the he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven.

³ He had shown himself alive to them after his Passion by many demonstrations: for forty days he had continued to appear to them and tell them about the kingdom of God.

⁴ Wh...

“Greet Prisca and Aquila.” (Romans 16:3)

With all of its sermons, conver­sions, miracles, and travels, the Book of Acts gives us a bird’s eye view of the early church. It doesn’t give us the full stories of all the heroes and heroines of that first generation of Christians. To paraphrase what John said about his Gospel, “there wouldn’t be enough books in the entire world” to write down all those stories (John 21:25)!

Think, for example, about Barnabas....

St. Simon Stock

Although little is known about Simon Stock's early life, legend has it that the name Stock, meaning "tree trunk," derives from the fact that, beginning at age twelve, he lived as a hermit in a hollow tree trunk of an oak tree. It is also believed that, as a young man, he went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land where he joined a group of Carmelites with whom he later returned to Europe. Simon Stock founded many Carmelite Communities, especially in Universit...

Reading 1, Acts 17:15, 22--18:1

¹⁵ Paul's escort took him as far as Athens, and went back with instructions for Silas and Timothy to rejoin Paul as soon as they could.

²² So Paul stood before the whole council of the Areopagus and made this speech: 'Men of Athens, I have seen for myself how extremely scrupulous you are in all religious matters,

²³ because, as I strolled round looking at your sacred monuments, I noticed among o...

“What … you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.” (Acts 17:23)

Athens: one of the great cities of the classical world. It was a cultural center and home to the philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, as well as many renowned dramatists and artists. Athens was one of the first known democracies in history, and inspired the foundation of democ­racies in our own time. Above all, Athenians were an intellectually curi­ous people. As St. Luke tells us, they ...

St. Dymphna

Dymphna was fourteen when her mother died. Damon is said to have been afflicted with a mental illness, brought on by his grief. He sent messengers throughout his town and other lands to find some of noble birth, resembling his wife, who would be willing to marry him. When could be found, his advisers told him to marry his own daughter. Dymphna fled from her castle together with St. Gerebr...

Reading 1, Acts 16:22-34

²² The crowd joined in and showed its hostility to them, so the magistrates had them stripped and ordered them to be flogged.

²³ They were given many lashes and then thrown into prison, and the gaoler was told to keep a close watch on them.

²⁴ So, following such instructions, he threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

²⁵ In the middle of the night Paul and Silas wer...

"About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened, there was suddenly such a severe earth­quake that the foundations of the jail shook; all the doors flew open.” (Acts 16:25-26)

Paul and Silas had no idea what God was up to. They were pretty sure God didn’t want them to languish in prison for the rest of their lives, but they didn’t know whether to pray for a miraculous release, dismissal of the charges again...

St. Matthias - Apostle

How does one qualify to be an apostle?

The first act of the after the of was to find a replacement for Judas. With all the questions, doubts, and dangers facing them, they chose to focus their attention on finding a twelfth apostle. Why was this important? Twelve was a very important number to the Chosen People: twelve was the number of the twelve tribes of Israel. If the new Israel was to come from the disciples of Jesu...

Reading 1, Acts 1:15-17, 20-26

¹⁵ One day Peter stood up to speak to the brothers -- there were about a hundred and twenty people in the congregation,

¹⁶ 'Brothers,' he said, 'the passage of had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit, speaking through David, foretells the of Judas, who acted as guide to the men who arrested Jesus-

¹⁷ after being one of our number and sharing our ministry.

²⁰ Now in the Bo...

St. Matthias

It is necessary that one of the men who accompanied us … become with us a witness to his resurrection. (Acts 1:21,22)

Peter, new head of the infant church, was thinking long-term. His concern, St. John Chrysostom tells us, “was to have eyewitnesses, even though the Spirit was to come upon all. It had to be someone who had lived with Jesus, not simply some­one who was a disciple.” It had to be someone who could look people in the eye and declare wit...

St. John the Silent

Bishop of in Palestine and a hermit. Born in Nicopolis, Armenia, he established a monastery at the age of eighteen. Appointed a at the age of twenty-eight, he spent nine years in his office before retiring to to embrace the eremitical life. Through a vision, he found his way to the monastery, or laura, of St. Sabas, asking to be walled up and living for seventy-five years as a silent recluse

Reading 1, Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48

²⁵ and as Peter reached the house went out to meet him, fell at his feet and did him reverence.

²⁶ But Peter helped him up. 'Stand up,' he said, ' after all, I am only a man!'

³⁴ Then Peter addressed them, 'I now really understand', he said, 'that has no favourites,

³⁵ but that anybody of any nationality who fears him and does what is is acceptable to him.

...

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11)

It was one o’clock in the morning when the couple received news that their two sons would be returning home from the war in two months’ time. They were so excited that they stayed awake all the rest of the night reminiscing about their boys and making plans for their eventual reunion. They knew their sons were still in harm’s way, but there was no room for doubt an...

Sts. Nereus & Achilleus

So often we hear people or even ourselves excuse an action by saying "I was only following orders." But for Nereus and Achilleus this excuse could not stand in the face of the cross.

Everything we know from authority about the two first- century martyrs comes from a testimony written by Pope in the fourth century and inscribed on a memorial tablet that commemorates their lives. But even this commentary comes 300 years after they d...

Reading 1, Acts 16:1-10

¹ From there he went to Derbe, and then on to Lystra, where there was a called Timothy, whose mother was and had become a believer; but his father was a Greek.

² The brothers at and spoke well of him,

³ and Paul, who wanted to have him as a travelling companion, had him circumcised. This was on account of the in the locality where everyone knew his father was a Greek.

“The Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.” (Acts 16:7)

Have you ever planned a trip? Maybe you’ve arranged transporta­tion, lodging, even meal plans. You’re packed and ready to go, tickets in hand, itinerary ready. Imagine what would happen if, at the last min­ute, everything falls through. Your transportation is canceled, the hotel is full, or your money is stolen. It’s hard to overcome your aggravation to see how it might be for the best. Paul’s second...

St. Ignatius of Laconi

Reading 1, Acts 15:22-31

²² Then the and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose delegates from among themselves to send to with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas, known as Barsabbas, and Silas, both leading men in the brotherhood,

²³ and gave them this letter to take with them: 'The and elders, your brothers, send greetings to the brothers of gentile birth in Antioch, and Cilicia.

²⁴ We h...

“Some … have upset you … and disturbed your peace of mind.” (Acts 15:24)

It’s a common frustration. You buy something on eBay or an online retailer, or even at the local hardware store. Then when you begin to use the item, you discover that it’s defec­tive—nicked, outdated, or missing a crucial bolt. The product can’t do the job you thought it could do.

In a way, this is why the new Christians of Antioch were upset. However, their disappointment cen­...

St. Solange

St. Solange d. 880, Born of a poor of vineyard workers near Bourges, France, she became a shepherdess whose beauty attracted the lustful attention of a noble in Poitiers. He kidnapped her, but when she leaped from the horse on which he was carrying her off, he pursued and killed her. The sources of the story are questionable, however.  is May 10.   

Reading 1, Acts 15:7-21

⁷ and after a long discussion, Peter stood up and addressed them. 'My brothers,' he said, 'you know perfectly well that in the early days made his choice among you: the were to learn the news from me and so become believers.

⁸ And God, who can read everyone's heart, showed his approval of them by giving the to them just as he had to us.

⁹ God made no distinction between them a...

“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.” (John 15:9)

How many times have we heard these words, felt warmed by them, and yet not really grasped the radi­cal truth behind them? Let’s take a look, for instance, at what Jesus means when he says, “As the Father has loved me.” Let’s consider a few instances in Jesus’ life where we get a glimpse into how much the Father loves his Son.

When Jesus was baptized by John, the heavens opened, the Holy Spirit d...

St. Pachomius

St. Pachomius was born about 292 in the Upeer in and was inducted into the Emperor's army as a twenty-year-old. The great kindness of Christians at toward the soldiers became embedded in his and led to his after his discharge. After being baptized, he became a of an anchorite, Palemon, and took the habit. The two of them led a of extreme austerity and total to God; they combined manual labor wi...

Reading 1, Acts 15:1-6

¹ Then some men came down from Judaea and taught the brothers, 'Unless you have yourselves circumcised in the tradition of you cannot be saved.'

² This led to disagreement, and after Paul and Barnabas had had a long argument with these men it was decided that Paul and Barnabas and others of the church should go up to and discuss the question with the and elders.

³ The members of the...

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.” (John 15:1)

In Japanese culture, the art of growing a Bonsai tree is a lifelong and rewarding experience for the grower. The spectator is also greatly rewarded by the beauty of the tree’s appearance and shape. Each tree is carefully trimmed, pruned, clamped, defoliated, and grafted for the grower’s purpose and delight. The grower carefully removes unnecessary leaves, branches, or needles that hinder its beau...

St. Peter of Tarantaise

Cistercian archbishop. Peter was born near Vienne, in Dauphine, France, and joined the Cistercian Order at Bonneveaux at the age of twenty with his two brothers and father. Known for his piety, at age thirty he was sent to serve as the first of Tamie, in the Tarantaise Mountains, between Geneva and Savoy. There he built a for travelers. In 1142, he was named the of Tarantaise against his wishes, and he devoted muc...

Reading 1, Acts 14:19-28

¹⁹ Then some arrived from and and turned the people against them. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the town, thinking he was dead.

²⁰ The disciples came crowding round him but, as they did so, he stood up and went back to the town. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.

²¹ Having preached the news in that town and made a considerable number of disciples, they went b...

“Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27)

If you’ve ever watched a scary movie, you know how easy it is to let frightening images get stuck in your imagination. A movie, with its spe­cial effects and dramatic music, can make you forget you’re in the safety of your living room. Suddenly, you’re transported to a dangerous and scary place where everything seems malevolent.

The example may sound trite, but spiritually, there are always things ...

Blessed Rose was born at Viterbo in 1656, the daughter of Godfrey Venerini, a physician. Upon the death of a young who had been paying court to her, she entered a convent, but after a few months had to return home to look after her widowed mother. Rose use to gather the women and girls of the neighborhood to say the together in the evenings,...

Reading 1, Acts 14:5-18

⁵ but eventually with the connivance of the authorities a move was made by as well as to make attacks on them and to stone them.

⁶ When they came to hear of this, they went off for safety to Lycaonia where, in the towns of and and in the surrounding country,

⁷ they preached the news.

⁸ There was a sitting there who had never walked in his life, because his feet w...

“When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they cried out.” (Acts 14:11)

A man who had never walked before in his life had jumped up and was standing right in front of the crowd. What an amazing miracle! It’s no wonder that the people couldn’t contain their excitement. So Barnabas and Paul seized this oppor­tunity to tell them about the One who healed this man.

Even in the midst of our own uncertainties and unresolved ques­tions, today should be a day of rej...

“They shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.” (Acts 13:51)

When Paul and Barnabas arrived in Pisidian Antioch, they followed their usual custom and went first to the town’s synagogue. There, the “children of the family of Abraham” listened attentively to Paul’s preach­ing about Jesus. Some became believers, while others invited him back to explain further. However, some of the Jewish leaders managed to turn many of their...

Reading 1, Acts 9:26-31

²⁶ When he got to he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him: they could not believe he was really a disciple.

²⁷ Barnabas, however, took charge of him, introduced him to the apostles, and explained how the had appeared to him and spoken to him on his journey, and how he had preached fearlessly at in the name of Jesus.

²⁸ Saul now started to go round with them in ...

“Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit.” (John 15:5)

How comforting it is to know that we do not walk alone through this life! No matter how isolated or weak we may feel, the truth is that Jesus is with us and will never abandon us. With Jesus as “the vine,” we can be assured that we will receive every­thing we need to nourish and sustain us. With the Father as the “vine grower,” all the circumstances of our lives—both pleasant and difficult— becom...

St. Florian

The commemorated in the Roman on May 4th, was an officer of the Roman army, who occupied a high administrative post in Noricum, now part of Austria, and who suffered death for the in the days of Diocletian. His legendary "Acts" state that he gave himself up at Lorch to the soldiers of Aquilinus, the governor, when they were rounding up the Christians, and after making a bold confession, he was twice scourged, half-flayed alive, s...

Reading 1, Acts 13:26-33

²⁶ 'My brothers, sons of Abraham's race, and all you godfearers, this message of is meant for you.

²⁷ What the people of and their rulers did, though they did not realise it, was in fact to fulfil the prophecies read on every Sabbath.

²⁸ Though they found nothing to justify his execution, they condemned him and asked Pilate to have him put to death.

²⁹ When they had carried out...

“We ourselves are proclaiming this good news to you.” (Acts 13:32)

Do you recognize this story? Most likely, you do. In these few verses, through his account of St. Paul’s preaching, Luke has penned the heart of the gospel message. He managed to cram years of Jesus’ ministry into a few short sentenc­es—along with a backdrop, a plot, and a climax!

Let’s see… . Jesus came to the people he and his Father created, but we didn’t recognize him. And though he was an inno...

St. James the Lesser

St. the Less, the author of the first Epistle, was the son of Alphaeus of Cleophas. His mother was either a sister or a close relative of the Blessed Virgin, and for that reason, according to custom, he was sometimes called the brother of the Lord. The held a distinguished position in the early community of Jerusalem. tells us he was a of the Resurrection of Christ; he is also...

Reading 1, First Corinthians 15:1-8

¹ I want to make quite clear to you, brothers, what the message of the gospel that I preached to you is; you accepted it and took your stand on it,

² and you are saved by it, if you keep to the message I preached to you; otherwise your coming to believe was in vain.

³ The tradition I handed on to you in the first place, a tradition which I had myself received, was that died for our sins,...

Sts. Philip and James

Show us the Father. (John 14:8)

Philip and James, whose mem­ory we are honoring today, were among those Jesus had specially chosen as his apostles. So they had been with him for a few years already when Jesus told them and the rest of the twelve: “If you know me, then you will also know my Father” (John 14:7). But despite all their time together, they didn’t understand what he was talking about. So Philip asked: “Master, show us the Father” (14:8).

St. Athanasius

St. Athanasius, the great champion of the was born at Alexandria, about the year 296, of parents. Educated under the eye of Alexander, later of his native city, he made great progress in learning and virtue. In 313, Alexander succeeded Achillas in the Patriarchal See, and two years later went to the to spend some in retreat with St. Anthony.

In 319, he became a deacon, and even in this capacity...

Reading 1, Acts 12:24--13:5

²⁴ The word of continued to spread and to gain followers.

²⁵ Barnabas and completed their task at and came back, bringing with them.

¹ In the church at the following were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, who had been brought up with the tetrarch, and Saul.

² One day while they were offering worship to ...

“I came into the world as light.” (John 12:46)

My brothers and sisters, I came to earth so that everyone who believes in me may not remain in the dark­ness. So come! Come into my light!

Come into my light so that you can see the path you should follow. Many of you are facing important decisions right now. You don’t have to make these decisions all on your own. Come into my light so I can help you find the way. Let me show you my hopes, plans, and dreams for you. So often, ...

St. Marculf

Marculf is also known as Marcoul. He was born at Bayeux, Gaul, at noble parents. He was ordained when he was thirty, and did missionary work at Coutances. Desirous of living as a hermit, he was granted land by king Childebert at Nanteuil. He attracted numerous disciples, and built a monastery, of which he was abbot. It became a great pilgrimage center after his death on May 1. was regarded as a patron who cured skin diseases, and as late as 168...

Reading 1, Acts 11:19-26

¹⁹ Those who had scattered because of the that arose over Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia and and Antioch, but they proclaimed the message only to Jews.

²⁰ Some of them, however, who came from and Cyrene, went to where they started preaching also to the Greeks, proclaiming the news of the to them.

²¹ The helped them, and a great number believed an...

“How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” (John 10:24)

The Jews gathered around Jesus, demanding to know, once and for all, whether he really was the Messiah. That kind of plea surfaces in every­one at times. We all want assurances from God—both about who he is and about our own lives. What job should I take? Whom should I marry? How should I manage my finances? We all want to do the right thing, to please him, and to trust him w...

St. Pius V, Pope

Pope from 1566-1572 and one of the foremost leaders of the Reformation. Born Antonio Ghislieri in Bosco, Italy, to a poor family, he labored as a shepherd until the age of fourteen and then joined the Dominicans, being ordained in 1528. Called Brother Michele, he studied at and Genoa, and then taught theology and for sixteen years before holding the posts of master of novices and for several Dominican ho...

Reading 1, Acts 11:1-18

¹ The and the brothers in Judaea heard that too had accepted the word of God,

² and when Peter came up to the circumcised believers protested to him

³ and said, 'So you have been visiting the uncircumcised and eating with them!'

⁴ Peter in reply gave them the details point by point,

⁵ 'One day, when I was in the town of Jaffa,' he began, 'I fell into a trance ...

“Peter began and explained it to them step by step.” (Acts 11:4)

This is an interesting reading to have for a Mass! Rather than read the actual story of the conversion of Cornelius, the first Gentile (a power­fully dramatic account in Acts 10), the church asks us to meditate on Peter’s re-telling of the story to the believers in Jerusalem. Why should we ponder only a second-hand ver­sion of one of the most historic events in the church’s life?

Perhaps the answer is because...