April 15, 2007: Second Sunday of Easter

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April 15, 2007: Second Sunday of Easter
April 13, 2007

My Prayer Box

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Divine Mercy
(Second Sunday of Easter)

Opening Prayer

You expired, Jesus,
But the source of life gushed forth for souls,
And the ocean of mercy
Opened up for the whole world.

O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy,
Envelop the whole world
And empty Yourself out upon us.

O Blood and Water, which gushed forth
From the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of mercy for us,
I trust in you!

Begin the chaplet:
Our Father ...
Hail Mary ...
Apostles Creed ...

Then on the large bead before each decade:

Eternal Father,
I offer You the Body and Blood,
Soul and Divinity
Of Your Dearly Beloved Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ,
In atonement for our sins
And those of the whole world.

On the ten small beads of each decade of the Rosary, say:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
Have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Conclude with:
Holy God, Holy Mighty One,
Holy Immortal One, Have mercy on us
And on the whole world. (three times)

Closing Prayer

Eternal Father,
in whom mercy is endless,
And the treasury of compassion – inexhaustible,
Look kindly upon us
and increase Your mercy on us,
That in difficult moments
we might not despair
Nor become despondent,
But with great confidence
Submit ourselves to your Holy Will,
Which is Love and Mercy itself.

To read about the
Divine Mercy and St. Faustina please use this link

Cain and Abel

Introduction

In Chapter 4 of Genesis is the short story of Cain and Abel. In this story the LORD gives Cain a warning to master his anger and resentment. Cain chooses not to and commits the first murder by killing his brother after God rejects his sacrifice, but accepts Abel's. Genesis puts some emphasis on the occupations of the brothers; Abel tends flocks while Cain is a farmer.

Abel is not mentioned in the Old Testament except in Genesis 4. St. Augustine makes him as one who loves ideas of justification, and Cain a man of nature. Cain, he tells us, gave God a part of his goods, but he did not give Him his heart (De Civitate Dei, XV, vii), alluding to the evil disposition of Cain's heart. St. John says that Cain slew Abel because his works were evil, while those of his brother were just (1 John 3:12), and we read in Hebrews that "by faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain" (Hebrews 11:4).

The descendants of Cain were wicked, but, as nothing is said about those of Abel, it is supposed that he had none; or at least that no son was alive at the birth of Seth, "whom God has given me for Abel", as Eve expressed it (Genesis 4:25).

Cain and Abel

The man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceives and bears Cain, saying, "I have produced a man with the help of the LORD."

Next she bears his brother Abel. Abel becomes a keeper of flocks, and Cain a tiller of the soil. In the course of time Cain brings an offering to the LORD from the fruit of the soil, while Abel, for his part, brings one of the best firstlings of his flock. The LORD looks with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he does not. Cain greatly resents this and is crestfallen.

So the LORD says to Cain: "Why are you so resentful and crestfallen? If you do well, you can hold up your head; but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master."

The First Murder

Cain says to his brother Abel, "Let us go out in the field." When they are in the field, Cain attacks his brother Abel and kills him.

Then the LORD asks Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" He answers, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"

The LORD then says: "What have you done! Listen: your brother's blood cries out to me from the soil! Therefore you shall be banned from the soil that opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. If you till the soil, it shall no longer give you its produce. You shall become a restless wanderer on the earth."

Cain Leadeth Abel to Death, Tissot

The Mark of Cain

Cain says to the LORD: "My punishment is too great to bear. Since you have now banished me from the soil, and I must avoid your presence and become a restless wanderer on the earth, anyone may kill me at sight."

Not so!" the LORD says to him. "If anyone kills Cain, Cain shall be avenged sevenfold." So the LORD puts a mark on Cain, lest anyone should kill him at sight. Cain then leaves the LORD'S presence and settles in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Cain has relations with his wife, and she conceives and bears Enoch. Cain also becomes the founder of a city, which he names after his son Enoch. Cain also has other children.

Adam again has relations with his wife, and she gives birth to a son whom she calls Seth. "God has granted me more offspring in place of Abel," she says, "because Cain slew him."

To Seth, in turn, a son is born, and he names him Enosh. At that time men begins to invoke the LORD by name.

The Sunday Readings

April 15, 2007: The Second Sunday of Easter

	First Reading From the Acts of the Apostles:
	Acts 5:12-16
	Many signs and wonders were done among the people at the hands of the apostles. They were all together in Solomon’s portico. None of the others dared to join them, but the people esteemed them. Yet more than ever, believers in the Lord, great numbers of men and women, were added to them. Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them. A large number of people from the towns in the vicinity of Jerusalem also gathered, bringing the sick and those disturbed by unclean spirits, and they were all cured.


	Responsorial From the Book of Psalms:
	Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
	R. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting. or: R. Alleluia. Let the house of Israel say, “His mercy endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say, “His mercy endures forever.” Let those who fear the LORD say, “His mercy endures forever.” R. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting. or: R. Alleluia. I was hard pressed and was falling, but the LORD helped me. My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. The joyful shout of victory in the tents of the just: R. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting. or: R. Alleluia. The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it. R. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting. or: R. Alleluia.



	Second Reading From the Book of Revelations
	Rev 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19
	I, John, your brother, who share with you the distress, the kingdom, and the endurance we have in Jesus, found myself on the island called Patmos because I proclaimed God’s word and gave testimony to Jesus. I was caught up in spirit on the Lord’s day and heard behind me a voice as loud as a trumpet, which said, “Write on a scroll what you see.” Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and when I turned, I saw seven gold lampstands and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, wearing an ankle-length robe, with a gold sash around his chest. When I caught sight of him, I fell down at his feet as though dead. He touched me with his right hand and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last, the one who lives. Once I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I hold the keys to death and the netherworld. Write down, therefore, what you have seen, and what is happening, and what will happen afterwards.”


	Reading From the Gospel of John:
	Jn 20:19-31
	On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

Note:
	The Council of Trent defined that this power to forgive sins is exercised in the sacrament of penance. See Matthew 16:19; Matthew 18:18.

References

Read more about the Liturgical Year

	The Origins of the Liturgical Year (Pueblo Books) by Thomas J. Talley (Author) The Rev. Dr. Thomas J. Talley, Professor of Liturgics at the General Theological Seminary in New York, is one of the leading liturgists in the country. He gives us a fresh examination of the complex history of the Liturgical Year.

	The Cultural World of Jesus: Sunday by Sunday, Cycle C. (Bestseller! the Cultural World of Jesus: Sunday by Sunday) by John J. Pilch (Author) Reader Review: The book by Pilch provides those who not only fill the pulpits across this country but also all interested in the cultural world in which Jesus lived with a lot of pertinent information that sheds light on a lot of areas that have been "muddled" in the past. Yes, I highly recommend this book. - James Mauldin

Learn more and read the Old Testament.
	Preaching from the Old Testament by Elizabeth Achtemeier (Author) Reader Review: The author of these thirty-two short chapters begins and ends with the assumption that problems we experience with the Old Testament are our problem, not the Bible's. This subordinating of the Bible reader to the well-weathered book he holds in his hand opens doors, not to forced harmonisations of problematic passages, but to fresh reappraisal of difficult texts on their own terms. - David A. Baer

	The Navarre Bible: Pentateuch (The Navarre Bible: Old Testament) This volume helps you make the first five books of the Old Testament a vital part of your spiritual reading and practical growth in the Christian life. It contains the full English and Latin texts of these books, along with extensive and faithfully Catholic commentaries. Like other volumes in the world-renowned Navarre Bible series, these commentaries draw on Church
documents, the exegesis of Fathers and Doctors of the Church, and the works of contemporary spiritual writers — particularly St. Josemaría Escrivá, who initiated the Navarre Bible project.

Readers' Corner

A Note from Edwina Ngiraikelau, Palau:

I just want to share with you that our country was very fortunate to receive the traveling Cross and Icon of Mary on March 14th 2007.

Our country observed March 15 as holiday for [the] Youth. And this Cross and Icon of Mary came at the right time for the celebration. I believe it was a blessing from our Almighty Father and His son, Our Lord Jesus.

The Traveling Cross was a gift of our late Pope John Paul II to the youth of the world. It is still traveling and will be in Australia next year in June for the World Youth Day in Sidney.

Comments and Suggestions are Most Welcome.

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