ST. ATHANASIUS, BISHOP, DOCTOR - THURSDAY OF THE 5TH WEEK OF EASTERTIDE - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me. JN 10:27

ACTS 15:7-21 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Knowing the human heart so well being like us Yourself, You established the Church with Peter as its head. Questions, discussions, and debates will always arise when the members of Your Body seek to understand and act on Your teaching as You meant it to be understood and acted on. Without an infallible head, there can be neither order nor certainty as people will rely on their own interpretation of what they believe the Holy Spirit is saying. This is why we see Protestant denominations splintering endlessly.

All division is the work of Satan unity is the work of the Holy Spirit. You prayed that we may all be one and Your prayer, Beloved, is heard and answered by the Father. We will be one at the time that God has ordained. Meanwhile, as we wait, we pray daily that we may be one just as You and the Father are one. 

This was the First Council held with Peter and the Apostles and disciples and they listened to all that Paul and Barnabas had to say regarding the pagan believers. The Holy Spirit, which You promised will guide Your Church into all Truth was present and Peter with the Apostles decreed the rules necessary for pagans baptized into the Church should follow. James, the Apostle summed it up saying:

‘I rule, then, that instead of making things more difficult for pagans who turn to God, we send them a letter telling them merely to abstain from anything polluted by idols, from fornication, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood. For Moses has always had his preachers in every town, and is read aloud in the synagogues every sabbath.’

To this day Peter speaks through the mouth of his successors in an unbroken line. 

Thank You, Lord, for the Pope and the Magisterium.

PSALM 95(96):1-3,10 ©

O sing a new song to the Lord,
sing to the Lord all the earth.
O sing to the Lord, bless his name.

Proclaim his help day by day,
tell among the nations his glory
and his wonders among all the peoples.

Proclaim to the nations: ‘God is king.’
The world he made firm in its place;
he will judge the peoples in fairness.

Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.

JOHN 15:9-11 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The vast majority of Christians pay lip service to loving You. If anyone says they love You but does not keep Your commandments they are liars and Your love is not in them. Catholics can be labeled under many categories - there are the cafeteria Catholics, the lukewarm Catholics, baptized by non-practicing Catholics, ignorant, and abysmally ignorant Catholics. Catholics in name only. Catholics who are unaware that they even were baptized as infants because their parents or parent were lapsed Catholics.

O Lord, my God, there is hope. There is always hope. Many catechumens around the world were baptized into the Church this Easter vigil and throughout the year. This amazing phenomenon continues as many protestants who love You seek the Truth.  

So many men and women converted to the Catholic faith now make it their mission to preach and teach and they make the most ardent teachers of the Good News. They put many of us cradle Catholics to shame for we are ignorant of the Beauty, Truth, and Goodness of the faith we were privileged to be born it. Kindle a fire in us O Lord that we too may be zealous in first learning about the faith we received as infants and to be witnesses to it by our lives.

Jesus said to his disciples:
‘As the Father has loved me,
so I have loved you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments
you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
I have told you this
so that my own joy may be in you
and your joy be complete.’