Apr
Tuesday, April 18 – A New Way Of Life
18 Apr – Easter TuesdayPRACTICAL CHARITY
A crowd had gathered around a farmer who had gone to town with his horse and wagon, and in the middle of town his wagon fell apart. Among the onlookers was an old Quaker. All sorts of expressions of sympathy went out to the wagon owner.Amid all these words the Quaker stepped forward and, handing a note to the farmer, said, "I am sorry I only have five pounds."
Then he turned to the crowd and asked each one, "How much are you sorry?"
(1000 Stories You Can Use, Volume One by Frank Mihalic, SVD)How much are you celebrating Easter?
____________________John 20:11-18
Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken my Lord, and I don't know where they laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" She thought it was the gardener and said to him, "Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni" which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, "I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." Mary went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord" and then reported what he had told her.
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The resurrection of our Lord was for many at that time a life-changing event. The lives of Mary Magdalene, the apostles and followers took a drastic shift when they encountered the Risen Lord. They went from fear and grief to empowerment and joy, from cowardly followers to fearless martyrs. This fact alone bears enormous testimony to the truth of the Lord's resurrection from the dead.
There are countless instances that obliterate God from my sight. When I am very tired, when I am feeling annoyed with people, when I am too caught up with appearances and material things, when I get too pleased with myself…the list goes on. Yet He is always there, waiting. This Easter, I made a pledge to be more committed to making a visible effort to change for the better, and battle the ills and demons which have been plaguing me for the past year or so. It is only then that I can truly rejoice in the Risen Lord.
(Today's OXYGEN by Koh Hsing Dee)
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We pray for: A firm effort to clear the obstacles that obliterate God in our lives.We give thanks for: The hope He gives us.
Upcoming Readings:
Wed, 19 Apr – Acts 3:1-10; Luke 24:13-35; Easter Wednesday
Thu, 20 Apr – Acts 3:11-26; Luke 24:35-48; Easter Thursday
Fri, 21 Apr – Acts 4:1-12; John 21:1-14; Easter Friday
Sat, 22 Apr – Acts 4:13-21; Mark 16:9-15; Easter Saturday
Sun, 23 Apr – Acts 4:32-35; 1 John 5:1-6; John 20:19-31; Divine Mercy Sunday
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Disclaimer: The reflections expressed in this e-mail are the writer's own. They may not necessarily reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church. Nonetheless we should all be able to learn something from it.
