Fuel for the Fire

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Pope Benedict XVI's Apostolic Journey to the United States - 2008

The Holy Father's Schedule Today:

10:00 a.m. - The pope will offer Mass at the new Nationals Park in Washington.

5 p.m. - Pope Benedict XVI will give an address on the importance of Catholic education on the campus of The Catholic University of America.

6:30 p.m. - Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Jews and representatives of other religions will meet the Holy Father at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, next door to Catholic University.

For complete information see: Christ Our Hope and USCCB’s Papal Visit Blog.


Today's Mass Readings

Saint of the Day: St. Stephen Harding, Abbott

Gospel Meditation of the Day : Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897), Carmelite, Doctor of the Church Manuscript B, 2vo-3vo

"Whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me."To be your Spouse, O Jesus, to be a Carmelite, and by my union with you to be a Mother of souls, should not this suffice me? And yet it is not so. No doubt these three privileges sum up my true vocation: Carmelite, spouse, mother, and yet I feel within me other vocations… I feel the need and the desire of carrying out the most heroic deeds for you, O Jesus… In spite of my littleness, I would like to enlighten souls as did the Prophets and Doctors. I have the vocation of the Apostle. I would like to travel over the whole earth to preach your name and to plant your glorious Cross on infidel soil. But, O my Beloved, one mission alone would not be sufficient for me. I would want to preach the Gospel on all the five continents simultaneously and even to the most remote isles. I would be a missionary, not for a few years only but from the beginning of creation until the consummation of the ages…

O my Jesus! What is your answer to all my follies? Is there a soul more little, more powerless than mine? Nevertheless, even because of my weakness, it has pleased you, O Lord, to grant my little, childish desires and you desire, today, to grant other desires that are greater than the universe… I understood that love comprised all vocations, that love was everything, that it embraced all times and places… in a word, that it was eternal!… My vocation, at last I have found it… my vocation is Love!

Via Daily Gospel.

Birthdays:

1620 - St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame (d. 1700)

1865 - St. Ursula Julia Ledochowska, Polish-Austrian Catholic saint (d. 1939)

1897 - Thornton Niven Wilder, American playwright and novelist. His best known work is his play Our Town. (d. 1975)

Today Prayer Intentions:

For the Holy Father's successful apostolic journey in the USA.
For Carol, who has been diagnosed with cervical cancer.
For an the conversion of abortionists and the closing of all abortion mills.
For all the intentions mentioned at One Came Back.
For all previous intentions mentioned here.
-

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