THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK FROM ST. AUGUSTINE SPIRITUALITY CENTER
Laredo, Texas April 21-27, 2024
Sister Rosemarie Goins, a Felician Franciscan Sister
Fourth Sunday of Easter. Good Shepherd Sunday. Acts of the Apostles 4:8-12. Psalm 118. First Letter of St. John 3:1-2. John 10:14.
“See what love the Father has bestowed on us, that we may be called the children of God,” announces the Apostle, John. The disciples complained that John kept harping on the love of God and the love we should have for one another. John responded that this love is the key to everything – every problem, every need, every circumstance. We belong to God’s family, where love should abound. As children we are heirs of the Kingdom of God. This relationship bonds us to God and one another. It is not one of bickering and selfish children but lovemates, who have each other’s backs. We come from the one womb of God’s love and have the commission to act like true “children,” mature in the love of God and one another.
To illustrate the redeeming love of Jesus we have image of the Good Shepherd. This good one will lay down his life for the other. We see this beautiful act of love on the Cross of Jesus. In many a parent and even in friends we have seen this kind of sacrificial love. We are capable of heroic actions, which makes living so valuable. We see the tragedy, when one is bullied and unloved. Out comes the gun, the revenge.
We see the bullying not just by individuals but by nations. Once, when working with gang members, we were told that the violence would only end, when one group would be willing not to revenge a violent action and take steps of forgiveness. It seems sometimes, it is impossible for us to forgive and let go. Righting an injustice takes great merciful actions. Can we do it? Can we be the “Good Shepherd?”
Another kind of love that is so important is the love of the earth. We have this treasure all around us. Once someone told me that we have lost contact with Mother Earth, because we do not walk barefoot in the dirt. Most of our walking, if not all of it, is on cement. That’s probably why parks are so popular; there is something about romping on the grass and dirt. Kids love it. Just give them a pile of dirt or sand and they have hours of fun. It’s one of my fond memories of childhood – hours of playing with rocks as cars and making tunnels and mudpies. It’s sad children today spent more time indoors on computers and not outdoors in nature. There is the story of the little girl, who was constantly sick, so her mother kept her indoors and in isolation. Her grandmother took her for a summer. The parents and doctors were amazed how healthy the child was at the end of summer. When the grandmother was asked what she did. She said, “I let her play outdoors in the dirt.” They say that our immunity is improved by outdoor experiences. It’s important to eat a little “dirt,” when growing up, to improve our health. Old wife’s tales???
Little known saints this week are Sts. Epipodius and Alexander in the 2nd century. They were devout young men, who were childhood friends. During the persecution of Marcus Aurelius, they cared for and supported other Christians. Alexander was a physician by profession. They were both martyred – one by beheading and the other by beating and crucifixion. Epipodius is the patron saint of bachelors, victims of betrayal and victims of torture. Many miracles were attributed to the location of their burial.
Mark the Evangelist is reputed to have written his Gospel during his travels with St. Paul. He founded the church in Alexandria, one of the five most important Sees in the early Church. He is celebrated on April 25.
Our Lady Good Counsel is honored on April 26. A small church called Santa Maria in Genazzano, Italy was a popular place of pilgrimage. Numerous cures took place there. According to tradition, the story is said to have begun in 1467. By then the church was in dire need of repair. A local widow, Petruccia, was dedicated to the restoration project, but ran out of funds before the task was completed.
In the midst of the festivities for the feast of St Mark, the townsfolk suddenly heard “heavenly music.” A mysterious cloud was then said to have descended on the unfinished wall of the parish church. In front of the people, the cloud dissipated and a beautiful fresco, no thicker than an eggshell and no more than eighteen inches square, of the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child was revealed. It was widely believed that it had been miraculously transported from a church in Scutari, Albania just prior to its invasion by the Ottomans. The picture of Our Lady was at first called “La Madonna del Paradiso” and now better known as “Madonna del Buon Consiglio” (Our Lady of Good Counsel). Such was the holy image’s reputation that Pope Urban VIII made a “glittering” pilgrimage there in 1630, invoking the protection of the Queen of Heaven, as did Pope Pius IX in 1864. On 17 November 1682, Pope Innocent XI had the picture solemnly crowned.[4] Among her noted clients have been St Aloysius Gonzaga, St Alphonsus Liguori, St John Bosco, and Blessed Stephen Bellesini. Wikipedia
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever,” Psalm 118