April 30, 2016

April 30

April 30, 2016:  Saturday, 5th week, Easter




  • 'Holy Spirit' chain:  "The Holy Spirit prevented them from preaching in Asia and Bithynia" (1st reading); "Because you don't belong to the world, the world hates you." (gospel)
  • 'Children around the world' tie:  "Let all the earth cry out to God with joy." (psalm); "You don't belong to the world....  I've chosen you out of the world." (gospel)
  • 'Eyeball' pin:  Paul had a vision of a Macedonian inviting him (1st reading)
  • 'Sheep' tie bar:  "We're the flock he tends" (psalm)
  • White in shirt, socks:  Easter season


 Listen

For the psalm
Pope Francis jubilee audience
"Be reconciled to God."  God constantly offers us his forgiveness; our sins can never keep us from his mercy.  Often we believe our sins push God away, but actually by sinning we push ourselves away.  He, seeing us in danger, keeps searching for us, never accepting the possibility that we could remain estranged from him, as long as he finds a sign of contrition.  We can only return to God by accepting his grace.  For this, he gave us his Son, whose cross leads us back to the Father.

The sinner sees only himself and so pretends to be self-sufficient; this distances us from God and can become a barrier.  But Jesus looks for us like a good shepherd, not content till he's found the lost sheep.  He rebuilds the bridge that connects us to the Father and allows us to rediscover our dignity as his children. With his life, he reconciled us to the Father and gave us eternal life.  Now is the time to accept this offer of reconciliation and bring it to the world.  Reconciliation with God brings healing and peace and also impels us to work for reconciliation within society and contribute to the building of a culture of peace, justice, and solidarity.  Accept the invitation to be reconciled to God, become new creatures, and radiate his mercy.

Read
  • Acts 16:1-10  Paul reached Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy of whom the brothers spoke highly; Paul wanted him to come along.  The churches grew stronger in faith and larger in number.  They passed through Asia and Bithynia because the Spirit prevented them from preaching there.  After Paul had a vision of a Macedonian imploring him to come to Macedonia, they concluded God was calling them to proclaim the Good News there and so went.
  • Ps 100:1b-3, 5  "Let all the earth cry out to God with joy."  Know the Lord is God.  We're his people, the flock he tends.  The Lord is good, kind, and faithful forever. 
  • Jn 15:18-21  “I've chosen you out of the world.  You don't belong to the world, and so the world hates you; it hated me first.  ‘No slave is greater than his master.’  If they persecuted me, they'll persecute you too; they'll do all this to you on account of me because they don't know the one who sent me.”
Reflect

    • Creighton:  Hate, like love, is a strong emotion.  Some view it as the opposite of love, but Wiesel considers indifference as love's opposite.  Hate, like love, is hot and active, but indifference is cold and insensitive.  Hate can turn into love (as with Saul), and love into hate (as possible for a terminated employee or failed relationship).  Hate of another also could be recognition of what we don't have or a realization that they have characteristics or shortcomings we subconsciously know we have, and so we hate them for the common attribute.  If Wiesel is right, indifference might be worse than hate, because if someone remains uncaring and so is unaware of the other's needs and humanity, there's no connection at all, and love is even harder to arise.
    Did the world hate Jesus, or was it indifferent?  Likely hate:  he challenged the status quo, reminded people that their life is a temporary loan and gift from God, called for justice and so threatened the powerful.  He was sensitive in the face of their insensitivity.  He loved those the world was indifferent to.  He was a threat to the established order of things. He reminded them that all life is precious, and that God passionately loves both the "greatest" and the "least."
    Are we hated, haters, or indifferent?  Do we try to preserve our privilege or good life even if it harms others?  Are we comfortable that we have so much while others have so little?  Do our possessions own us, or do we use them to help others?  Are we sensitive to cries for help?  Lord, help me challenge my attitudes, reduce my insensitivities, decrease my hatefulness, and so increase my love of others.
    • One Bread, One Body:  "Daily bread":  The early Church grew daily because they went to the temple area together daily and broke bread in their homes, kept teaching and proclaiming the good news, kept studying Scripture, kept encouraging each other, kept denying themselves and taking up their crosses, and kept facing death for love of Jesus.  May we live in the Lord daily.
    • Passionist:  "Keeping the Word":  A frequent exhortation in the Gospels is “to keep the word”.   'The word'  (Gk. 'terao') connotes 'guard' or 'treasure.'  We should prize God’s words to us.   Mary treasured the angel's words in her heart.  God's word is powerful, living, and active; it's an extension of his very self.  The closest we can get to someone is by communication.  God shares his heart and mind with us and enables us to respond from our minds and hearts.  “My mother and brothers are those who hear and do God's word.”  “If you love me, keep my word, and my Father will love you, and we'll come to you and make our home with you.”
    • DailyScripture.net:  "You are not of the world":  "The world" refers to people hostile towards God and his will.  The world rejected Jesus, and we can expect the same treatment.  We're either for him or against him.  May we love and obey God, even if the world is opposed to his way of justice, love, and truth.
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    April 29, 2016

    Catherine of Siena

    April 29, 2016:  St. Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor

    • 'Letter' tie bar:  Apostles and presbyters chose reps to go with Paul and Barnabas and to send them to Antioch to deliver a 'letter.' (1st reading)
    • 'Hearts' suspenders:  "My heart is steadfast" (psalm); "Love one another as I love you" (gospel)
    • 'Apple' pin:  "I chose you and appointed you to go bear fruit."  (gospel)
    • 'Holy Spirit' chain:  Holy Spirit and we decided not to put extra burdens on you (1st reading)
    • 'Blood drop' pin:  Abstain from... blood... (1st reading)
    • 'Doctor office' tie:  St. Catherine of Siena, "doctor" of the Church
    • White shirt and socks:  Easter season; St. Catherine of Siena, virgin
    Listen

    Pope Francis homily
    If you say you're in communion with the Lord, walk in the light.  No to double lives, the lie we're used to seeing and where we sometimes fall.  To say one thing and do another is the never-ending temptation, a lie from the devil, ‘father of lies.’  Don’t be a liar!  Do works of light.
    The affectionate beginning of John's letter, "Children," has the tender tone of a grandfather towards his young grandchildren; it also recalls Jesus’ promise of rest to all “who labor and are overburdened.”  John urges his readers not to sin, but if somebody does, not to be discouraged.  We have an advocate, a defender at the Father’s side; it’s Jesus Christ, the Upright One, who pardons us.  A sin is a bad thing, but if you've sinned, look at who's waiting to pardon you.  Always!  Our Lord is greater than our sins.  This is God’s mercy and greatness.  We must walk in the light because God is Light.  Don’t walk with one foot in the light and the other in darkness.  If you sin, he's waiting and pardons you because he's merciful.  May the joy of this Letter carry us forward in the simplicity and transparency of the Christian life.
    Read
    • Acts 5:22-31  The Apostles and presbyters sent representatives to Antioch with this letter:  "Since some went out without a mandate from us and upset you, we chose and sent you representatives with Barnabas and Paul.  The Holy Spirit and we decided not to place on you any burden beyond the necessities:  abstain from unlawful marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, meats of strangled animals, and blood.  If you do, you'll be doing right."  When they arrived, they called the assembly together and delivered the letter, and the people were delighted.
    • Ps 57:8-10, 12  "I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord."  I'll sing praise for your mercy and faithfulness.  Be exalted, O God!
    • Jn 15:12-17  “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.  No one has greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  You're my friends if you do what I command.  I chose you and appointed you to bear lasting fruit.”
    Reflect
      • Creighton:  St. Catherine of Siena shows us what it looks like to love as Jesus does.  She served others humbly, helping the poor and sick in hospitals and homes.  She was also called to intervene in social and political tensions.  She told people that renewal could come through love for God.  May we focus on how Jesus loves and bring that to the world.
      • One Bread, One Body:  "Obedience school":  Early church leaders commanded Gentile Christians to change their eating habits and sexual practices; the Gentile Christians were delighted and encouraged.  For those in love, obedience, in when difficult, is a delight.  "To do Your will is my delight."  Obeying God is fulfilling:  "My food is to do the will of him who sent Me and complete his work."  "You will live in my love if you keep my commandments."  "You are my friends if you do what I command you."  "His commandments are not burdensome."  We're privileged the Lord has given us the opportunity and grace to obey him.  Out of love of us, Jesus obeyed even to death on the cross.  May we learn obedience from what he suffered and let him perfect us in obedience.
        The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Siena
        di Paolo (about/more)
      • Passionist:  “If you are what you should be, you'll set all of Italy ablaze!” (Catherine of Siena, Letter T368)  St. Catherine's influence on the Church during the Great Schism was divine intervention because she listened to God and lived out that quote.  In the 1st reading, the Apostles were listening to the Spirit for guidance for a solution to a problem.  They didn't understand Jesus till after his Resurrection. They were the first examples of how to open your heart to the Spirit, listen to God, and take action. They listened to God with love, became the Apostles God created them to be, and “set the world ablaze” fueled by their love for and friendship with Jesus.  After the Resurrection and Pentecost, they began to understand what was being asked of them as they learned to listen to the Spirit and form their lives in the model Jesus had given them.  He told them that because of their friendship they were chosen to “bear fruit that will last.”  They needed to love as they had been loved.
        Becoming the person God created us to be is a lifelong journey, and important part of which is reflecting on our relationship with God and what God is calling us to be.  Is God calling you to set your family, friends, workplace ablaze with the love of Christ?  “If you are what you should be, you will set all of... ablaze!”
        • DailyScripture.net:  "I have called you friends":  Jesus defines friendship as willingness to give of oneself, even to the point of laying down one's life.  God, who is Love, made us in love for love.  We have hope and joy because God poured his love into us through the Spirit, an unlimited, enduring love that can transform us to be merciful, gracious, kind, loving, and forgiving like him.  Jesus' love was directed toward others' good.  Our love for God and willingness to lay down our life for others is a response to God's love in Christ.  Jesus calls his disciples his friends.  He cared for them, sought their welfare, enjoyed their company, ate with them, shared what he had with them, spending himself doing good for them.  To know Jesus is to know God and the love and friendship he offers each one of us.  Abraham is called God's friend. God spoke with Moses as one with his friend.  Jesus calls the disciples friends, not servants.  Friendship with God entails love that goes beyond obedience.  "A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity."  Jesus loved his own to the end.  The essence of Jesus' new commandment is love to the death, purifying love that overcomes selfishness, fear, and pride, total self-giving for others' sake, selfless love oriented towards others' welfare ahead of mine.  We prove our love for God and others when we embrace the way of the cross.  What is my cross today?  Jesus wants us to love one another as he loves us, unreservedly.  His love frees us to give ourselves in loving service to others.  If do, we'll bear much fruit.
        "Teach us to serve You as You deserve, to give and not count the cost, to fight and not heed the wounds, to toil and not seek for rest, to labor and not ask for any reward, save that of knowing that we do your will."  (Ignatius Loyola?)
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        April 28, 2016

        April 28

        April 28, 2016:  Thursday, 5th week, Easter

        See ten connections with today?
        Legend below

        Listen
        For the psalm
        Pope Francis homily
        The Holy Spirit gave the apostles strength to proclaim the Gospel and carries the Church forward despite our problems.  Even when we're persecuted, the Spirit gives us strength to stand firm.  In the 1st reading, both those who believed Jesus came only for the Jews, and those who wanted to impose the law of Moses, including circumcision, on all converts, resisted the Spirit.  But the Spirit led them through the confusion, surprising them. Much debate took place, likely heated since the Spirit was pushing them on but they were facing situations they'd never seen or imagined, such as pagans receiving the Spirit.
        The disciples didn't know what to do with the "hot potato," so they met and recounted their experiences of how the Gentiles had received the Spirit.  They came to an agreement, but first the assembly fell silent and listened to Paul and Barnabas describing how God had worked among the Gentiles.  Never be afraid to listen with humility, or else you don’t have the Spirit in your heart.  When they had listened, they decided to send disciples to reassure the pagan communities that had become Christians.
        They wrote a letter saying “The Holy Spirit and we have decided….” not to require circumcision.  This is the way of the Church when faced with novelties of the Spirit.  The Church resolves these problems through synodality, meeting, discussing, listening, praying, then deciding.  The resistance we experienced around Vatican II continues, but the Spirit moves ahead.  The Spirit is the protagonist; the Lord asks us not to fear when the Spirit calls us.  Just as the Spirit stopped Saul and set him on the right road, so the Spirit will give us courage and patience to win over adversity and stand firm in the face of martyrdom.  Ask the Lord for grace to understand how the Church can face the surprises of the Spirit, be docile, and follow the path Christ wants for us.
        Read
        • Acts 15:7-21  Peter:  “From early days God chose that through me the Gentiles would hear the Gospel and believe.  God made no distinction between us and them, purifying them and granting them the Spirit, so why are you placing on them a yoke neither we nor our ancestors could bear?  We're all saved through God's grace.”  The assembly fell silent while Paul and Barnabas described the wonders God had worked among the Gentiles.
        James:  “Symeon has described how God first concerned himself with acquiring from among the Gentiles a people for his name, and the prophets agree.  We ought to stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God but tell them to avoid idols, unlawful marriage, meat of strangled animals, and blood.”
        • Ps 96:1-3, 10  "Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations."  Sing to the Lord a new song; tell his glory and wondrous deeds to all...
        • Jn 15:9-11  “As the Father loves me, so I also love you.  If you keep my commandments, you'll remain in my love, my joy will be in you, and your joy will be complete.”
        Reflect
          • Creighton:  “The whole assembly fell silent and listened”:  In the 1st reading, the church meets about the Jewish and Greek Christians.  As Paul and Barnabas speak, the assembly listened.  They discerned the Spirit saying they're no longer Gentile or Jew, but one in Christ.  Discernment is a path for clarity, a process, and a way of living aware of the Spirit active in us, and in life.  We need to be attentive.  At meetings may we stop, pray, and listen....
          • One Bread, One Body:  "Meeting(s) of the minds":  At the meeting recounted in the 1st reading, church leaders removed an obstacle to world evangelization.  Do our meetings further evangelization?  The Church "exists in order to evangelize" (Evangelii Nuntiandi 14).
          • Passionist:  Paul and Barnabas presented a case whereby Gentiles should be deemed worthy to enjoy church membership:  aren’t we all invited to be saved through faith in Christ?  It was agreed that the Gentiles who observed certain stipulations were to be welcomed.  How can we be more welcoming?
          The gospel reminds us of the commandment to love.  How can we love as Jesus taught us?   How can we love those who feel unloved, who haven’t felt compassion and care?  We're challenged to live out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.  May we find ways to show others the hands, feet, eyes, and heart of Jesus.
          • DailyScripture.net:  "Abide in my love":  God's love is creative, life-giving, and joy-producing for all who accept it.  Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment, a new way of love going beyond what's required or "deserved":  self-giving love to the death for the sake of others, overcoming selfishness, fear, and pride.  Jesus proved his love by giving his life for us; we prove our love for God and one another when we embrace the way of the cross.  What is the cross in my life?
          Dress legend
          • 'Holy Spirit' chain:  God granted the Gentiles the Holy Spirit (1st reading)
          • OneLife LA 'sign':  Paul and Barnabas described the 'signs' God worked... (1st reading)
          • 'Blood drop' pin:  "Let's stop troubling Gentiles who turn to God, just telling them to avoid pollution from...  blood" (1st reading)
          • 'Crown' tie bar:  "Say among the nations, The Lord is King" (psalm)
          • 'Hearts' suspenders:  God, who knows the heart, purified the Gentiles' hearts. (1st reading); "As the Father loves me, so I also love you.  Remain in my love."  (gospel)
          • 'Jubilee year' pin:  "So that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete" (gospel)
          • 'Children around the world' tie:  "He has made the world firm, not to be moved." (psalm)
          • Red and white shirt:  red for Holy Spirit (1st reading) and Peter Chanel's martyrdom, white for Easter season
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          April 27, 2016

          April 27

          April 27, 2016:  Wednesday, 5th week, Easter
          • Tie with grapes, other fruit:  "I am the true vine"; bear fruit (gospel)
          • 'Castle' button:  "Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord" (psalm)
          • 'Precious feet' pin:  "We have set foot within your gates" (psalm)
          • Red and white shirt, white socks:  Red for fire ("Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch, wither, and be thrown into a fire and burned") (gospel), white for Easter season
          • 'Sailboat' tie bar:  disciples go to Jerusalem about the question about circumcision and salvation (1st reading)
          Listen

          We can just look on when we see people worn out by hunger, violence, and injustice, but ignoring suffering is ignoring God.  In the Good Samaritan parable, the priest and Levite's inaction was contrary to the Law of the Lord.  The Law obliges us to help anyone in distress.  Their religiosity was inauthentic; it didn't find expression in service.  True love sees and responds.  Those who frequent the house of God and are aware of his mercy don't necessarily love others.
          Samaritans, schismatic Jews, were despised as impure pagan outsiders.  This one had other things to do, but when he saw the wounded man, he stopped and personally took care of him with compassion, an image of the mercy God encounters us with.  God recognizes our pain, knows when we need help and consolation, comes close, and never abandons us.  By the end of the parable, we see the “neighbor” is not so much the one in need, but the one who responded with compassion.
          The command to love God and neighbor is practical:  care for others to the point of sacrifice.  If we have compassionate hearts, like Jesus we can be close to anyone in need.
          I am the vine...
          (animate)
          Read

          • Acts 15:1-6  Because much dissension followed the instruction of some that you needed to be circumcised to be saved, they decided to go to the Apostles and presbyters about the matter.  When they arrived, they were welcomed, they reported what God had done, and the Apostles and presbyters met to see about the matter.
          • Ps 122:1-5  "Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord."  We've set foot within Jerusalem.
          • Jn 15:1-8  "I am the vine; my Father the vine grower who prunes branches so they bear more fruit; you, the branches.  Remain in me, as I in you, and bear fruit."
          Reflect
            • Creighton:  The 1st reading recounts an early Church debate:  do Christians need to be circumcised?  They ultimately admitted uncircumcised gentiles.  As we debate today's issues, we must continue to love and understand each other. / Jesus' listeners knew about vineyards:  they needed tending and pruning, the vine is necessary for the branches to live, healthy vines yield more grapes....  We branches must remain in the Vine.  May we glorify the Father by bearing much fruit and becoming his disciples.  It's not enough to be supported by the vine; we need to carry out God’s plan for us by loving God and one another.
            • One Bread, One Body:  "Spring cleaning":  We must let the Lord clean us so that we may bear fruit abundantly.  The upcoming preparation for Pentecost is a great time for cleansing....

            • Passionist:  “Remain in me” means more than "pray."  I am one with God and one with the other “branches.”  How will I let Christ live in me today?
            • DailyScripture.net:  "Abide in me, and I in you":  The house of Israel is "the Lord's vineyard."  God planted Israel "as his choice vine."  But the vine was also a sign of degeneration:  Israel "yielded wild grapes"; it became a "degenerate and wild vine."  When Jesus calls himself the true vine he makes clear that no one can claim their spiritual inheritance through association with a particular people; only through him can we be grafted onto the Vine.  The vine becomes fruitful through careful pruning so non-fruit-bearing branches don't sap strength from the fruit-bearing ones.  There can be no fruit in our lives apart from Jesus.  May we abide in him and let him purify us....
              • Maughold, pirate turned bishop?
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            April 26, 2016

            April 26

            April 26, 2016:  Tuesday, 5th week, Easter

            • 'Stone' tie pin:  "They stoned Paul and dragged him out" (1st reading)
            • 'Sailboats' tie:  travel from Antioch/Iconium to Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, Antioch, Pisidia, Pamphylia, Attalia, and back to Antioch (1st reading)
            • 'Crown' tie bar:  Your friends make known your kingdom's splendor  (psalm)
            • 'Peace sign' tie bar: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you." (gospel)
            • 'Girl with heart' pin: "Don't let your hearts be troubled or afraid." (gospel)
            • 'Ruler' suspenders:  "I won't speak much with you for the world's 'ruler' is coming" (gospel)
            • White shirt and socks:  Easter season
            • Red in shirt:  "Path of suffering and blood" (Amoris Laetitia capsule)
            Listen

            For gospel
            For psalm
            Pope Francis Amoris Laetitia capsule:  I, 19-22
            A path of suffering and blood
            The idyllic picture in Psalm 128 is not at odds with the family-breaking pain, evil, and violence found in Scripture. Christ’s teaching on marriage is inside a dispute about divorce.  God's word testifies to the somber dimension present at the beginning, when sin turns the love and purity between man and woman into domination:  “Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”
            Suffering and bloodshed run through much of the Bible:  Cain’s murder of his brother; disputes between the sons and the wives of the Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; tragedies and violence marking David's family, family problems in the story of Tobias; and Job's complaint:  “He put my brethren far from me…  my kinsfolk and close friends have failed me…  I am repulsive to my wife, loathsome to the sons of my own mother.”
            Jesus was born into a modest family that had to flee.  He visits the home of Peter, whose mother-in-law is ill and shows sympathy at the homes of Jairus and Lazarus.  He hears the wailing of the widow of Nain and heeds the plea of the father of an epileptic child.  He goes to the homes of tax collectors like Matthew and Zacchaeus and speaks to sinners.  He knows family anxiety and tension and weaves it into his parables:  children who leave home to seek adventure, prove troublesome, or fall prey to violence.  He's sensitive to the embarrassment caused by the lack of wine at a feast, the failure of guests to come to a banquet, and the anxiety of a poor family over the loss of a coin.
            God's word gives comfort and companionship to every family experiencing difficulties or suffering; it shows them the goal, when God “will wipe away every tear, and death, mourning, crying, and pain shall be no more.”
            Read
              Peace I bequeath to you
              (animate)
            • Acts 14:19-28  Some Jews stoned Paul and assumed him dead, but when disciples gathered around him, he got up and left to proclaim the good news elsewhere.  They returned and exhorted the disciples to persevere in the faith:  “It is necessary to undergo hardships to enter the Kingdom.”  They appointed presbyters, commended them to God, proclaimed the word on the road, then called the Church together to spend time with the disciples and report on what God had done and how he opened faith's door to the Gentiles.
            • Ps 145:10-13ab, 21  "Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom."  Let your works give you thanks and your faithful ones bless you.
            • Jn 14:27-31a  “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you, not as the world gives.  Don't let your hearts be troubled or afraid.  Rejoice that I'm going to the Father.  The ruler of the world is coming, but he has no power over me.  The world must know I love the Father and do as he has commanded.”
              Reflect
                • Creighton:  In his farewell discourse, Jesus provides us with two comforting about the present and future:  "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you, not as the world gives”:  It's the peace that passes understanding, not just peace of mind, peace and quiet, or keeping the peace.  His peace allows us to conquer all fear because we know God’s love is with us, helping, guiding, and supporting us.  “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.  I'm going away and will come back to you.”  Jesus reassured his disciples he'd return.  We're enveloped in God's constant love and peace!
                • One Bread, One Body:  "Opening the door of faith":  As we share in Christ's sufferings, hard hearts and bolted doors are opened to the Lord's mercy.  Paul and Barnabas "gave their disciples reassurances, and encouraged them to persevere in the faith:  'We must undergo many trials if we're to enter God's kingdom.'"  If we accept God's love, we rejoice to share Christ's sufferings, for the cross is the key to the door of faith.
                • Passionist:  We're still in the Easter Season, considering what Jesus' Resurrection means for us today.  I can ask myself as the angel did at the empty tomb, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?”  Why do I hang out at the empty tombs of my life?  Where is the new life?  What do I read?  What do I watch?  With whom do I spend time?  How do I use my time?  As the angel told the women to look for Jesus in Galilee, I need to look for Jesus:  in life, work, family, not lifeless places....
                • DailyScripture.net:  "My peace I give to you":  The peace of Christ is more than the absence of trouble; it includes everything that makes for our highest good.  The world wants to avoid conflict and facing unpleasant things, but Jesus offers peace that conquers our fear and anxiety.  We can receive the peace the Lord offers through, inspired by the Spirit dwelling in us, yielding our anger, fear, and pride to God.  The Spirit helps us in our weakness and strengthens us so we can live as Christ's disciples. 
                  "Peace is serenity of mind, tranquility of soul, simplicity of heart, the bond of love, the fellowship of charity. It removes hatred, settles wars, restrains wrath, tramples on pride, loves the humble, pacifies the discordant, and makes enemies agree....  It doesn't seek what belongs to another or consider anything as its own.  It teaches people to love because it doesn't know how to get angry, extol itself, or become inflated with pride.  It's meek and humble to everyone, possessing rest and tranquility.  When a Christian exercises Christ's peace, Christ brings it to perfection.  All who love it will be God's heirs, while anyone who despises it rebels against Christ.  When our Lord was returning to the Father, he left his followers peace as their inherited good....  If you've received this peace, keep it; if you've destroyed it, look for it; if you've lost it, seek it...." (Caesarius of Arles, Sermon 174.1)
                  • Universalis:  Bl. Robert Anderton and William Marsden, priests and martyrs
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