The devil uses the broken pieces of our lives as an entry point into our hearts, relationships and families and as soon as he succeeds, he further pulls us apart that it makes it almost impossible to join back the broken pieces of our lives. The harder we try to mend back our broken relationships, the harder he tries to dissect us further. He truly knows there is power in unity, he knows once mankind join and team up together in prayer then all his adverse will be in vain. Jesus willed that we stay together and be united as a whole but apparatrntly the devil’s main aim is to bring division amidst us; we ought to fight hard with prayer to defeat the devil. Lord Jesus, just as you and the Father are one, make us too be one in you, the Holy Spirit and in God. Amen
Divine Mercy
divine mercy by boni acaca
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Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter
Reading 1 Acts 7:51—8:1a
Stephen said to the people, the elders, and the scribes:
“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears,
you always oppose the Holy Spirit;
you are just like your ancestors.
Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute?
They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one,
whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.
You received the law as transmitted by angels,
but you did not observe it.”
When they heard this, they were infuriated,
and they ground their teeth at him.
But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God
and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
and Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
But they cried out in a loud voice,
covered their ears, and rushed upon him together.
They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him.
The witnesses laid down their cloaks
at the feet of a young man named Saul.
As they were stoning Stephen, he called out,
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice,
“Lord, do not hold this sin against them”;
and when he said this, he fell asleep.
Now Saul was consenting to his execution.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 31:3cd-4, 6 and 7b and 8a, 17 and 21ab
R. (6a) Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety.
You are my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake you will lead and guide me.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
My trust is in the LORD;
I will rejoice and be glad of your mercy.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your kindness.
You hide them in the shelter of your presence
from the plottings of men.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia Jn 6:35ab
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the bread of life, says the Lord;
whoever comes to me will never hunger.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Jn 6:30-35
The crowd said to Jesus:
“What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?
What can you do?
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:
He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
So Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven;
my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.”
So they said to Jesus,
“Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” The Gospel of the Lord. -
I see that God never tries us beyond what we are able to suffer. Oh, I fear nothing; if God sends such great suffering to a soul. He upholds it with an even greater grace, although we are not aware of it. One act of trust at such moments gives greater glory to God than whole hours passed in prayer filled with consolations (Diary 78). -
Prayer is love, the more the love, the better or purer the prayer. For this you have to dedicate some time exclusively to pray. God stops doing many miracles in the world because many do not have enough faith to ask for a miracle.
Prayer is more necessary to the soul than food is to the body because the body can fast and the soul cannot.
Prayer is like opening the bottle of perfume so that it’s fragrance extends throughout the day, the whole day should be perfumed by morning prayer, therefore, daily prayer is essential, it’s effects are not only benefit the soul but also for the body.
Some go to pray and do not pray because they do not do their part and simply let themselves be carried away by their mental distractions or sleep and it is like going to eat and not eating and not taking advantage of the food.
Prayer requires attention on our part because a prayer without loving communication with God is no a good prayer.
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Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inbriate me
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within thy wounds, hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee
From the malignant enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me and bid me come unto thee that with thy saints I may praise thee forever and ever. Amen.
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If God is for us who can be against us? Dear children of God, we have nothing and totally nothing to be afraid of if God is by our side. He forbids us from being afraid.
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An Old Man and Jesus
An old man, about 70 years of age, a good friend to Jesus made an appointment with Jesus. He invited Jesus for a dinner at his home at 9pm. 9pm reaches and no one appears, waits for more 30mins, an old man in rugs came knocking at the door, well knowing that it was Jesus Himself, he went joyfully to open the door and when he set his eyes on the poor old man, he sent him away saying, “can’t you see, I’m expecting my God to visit and have dinner with me, not someone like you” and shut the door at him. 15mins later the same man knocks at the door again, “please offer me something to eat or drink, it’s been long since I had something to eat or drink” the poor old man said. The house owner once again chased him away and offered nothing to him. An hour later the same man knocks at the door again, the house owner frustrated and angered by the old man’s persistence, he angrily sent him away hungry and shut the door, well knowing that Jesus might not be coming that night, he turned off the lights and went off to bed. The following morning, he goes to meet Jesus again and he said, “Jesus, you disappointed me, how can you keep me waiting the whole night and you don’t turn up?” Jesus replied to him, “I came to your home and you sent me away, you didn’t offer either a drink or even something to eat. You expected me to come dressed in expensive garments and not as shubby as I came, you shut the door at me three times and angrily sent me away hungry” At this moment he remembered the old man he sent away, he then realised he sent Jesus away and he suddenly broke down into tears. Moral of the story, many times Jesus comes to us in unexpected ways and in people we least expect and we angrily drive Him away, we expect Him to come as a rich person not as someone in need,let us always be open to welcoming those who come to us for help, it might be Christ Himself coming to visit us. How many times have you shut the door for those in need? Reflect on this and make a genuine answer in your heart. God bless you all.
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My brothers and sisters, our faith comes to us as a gift and as a calling given to each of us by God. Our faith is a call to action — Jesus sends us out to bear witness in our lives that he is truly the Son of God.
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To err is human, to forgive is Divine. Without God’s grace, man is incapable of forgiving those who hurt him.
Divine Mercy 