Monday of the Second week of Easter

Acts of the Apostles

After their release Peter and John went back to their own people and reported what the chief priests and elders had told them.
And when they heard it, they raised their voices to God with one accord and said, "Sovereign Lord, maker of heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them,
you said by the holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David, your servant: 'Why did the Gentiles rage and the peoples entertain folly?
The kings of the earth took their stand and the princes gathered together against the Lord and against his anointed.'
Indeed they gathered in this city against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed, Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
to do what your hand and (your) will had long ago planned to take place.
And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and enable your servants to speak your word with all boldness,
as you stretch forth (your) hand to heal, and signs and wonders are done through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook, and they were all filled with the holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

Psalms

Why do the nations rage
and the peoples utter folly?
The kings of the earth rise up,
and the princes conspire together
against the LORD and against his anointed:
"Let us break their fetters and cast their bonds from us!"
He who is throned in heaven laughs;
the LORD derides them.
Then in anger he speaks to them;
he terrifies them in his wrath:
"I myself have set up my king on Zion, my holy mountain."
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD:
The LORD said to me, "You are my Son;
this day I have begotten you."
"Ask of me and I will give you the nations for an inheritance
and the ends of the earth for your possession.
You shall rule them with an iron rod;
you shall shatter them like an earthen dish."

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John

There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
He came to Jesus at night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him."
Jesus answered and said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."
Nicodemus said to him, "How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother's womb and be born again, can he?"
Jesus answered, "Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.
What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit.
Do not be amazed that I told you, 'You must be born from above.'
The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

St. Louis de Montfort(Priest (1673-1716))

St. Louis de MontfortPriest (1673 - 1716)Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort (31 January 1673 – 28 April 1716) was a French Roman Catholic priest and confessor. He was known in his time as a preacher and was made a missionary apostolic by Pope Clement XI. He was born in Montfort-sur-Meu, the eldest surviving child of eighteen born to Jean-Baptiste and Jeanne Robert Grignion. His father was a notary.Louis-Marie passed most of his infancy and early childhood in Iffendic, a few kilometers from Montfort, where his father had bought a farm. At the age of 12, he entered the Jesuit College of St. Thomas Becket in Rennes, where his uncle was a parish priest. He was then given the opportunity, through a benefactor, to go to Paris to study at the renowned Seminary of Saint-Sulpice. When he arrived in Paris, it was to find that his benefactor had not provided enough money for him, so he lodged in a succession of boarding houses, living among the very poor, in the meantime attending lectures in theology. After less than two years, he became very ill and had to be hospitalized.He was ordained a priest in June 1700, and assigned to Nantes. His letters of this period show that he felt frustrated from the lack of opportunity to preach as he felt he was called to do. He considered various options, even that of becoming a hermit, but the conviction that he was called to "preach missions to the poor" increased. In November 1700, he joined the Third Order of the Dominicans and asked permission not only to preach the rosary, but to also form rosary confraternities. The same month, he wrote: "I am continually asking in my prayers for a poor and small company of good priests to preach missions and retreats under the standard and protection of the Blessed Virgin." This initial thought eventually led to the formation of the Company of Mary.The bishop of La Rochelle invited him to open a school in his diocese. Montfort enlisted the help of his follower Marie Louise Trichet who was then running the General Hospital in Poitiers. In 1715, Marie Louise and Catherine Brunet left Poitiers for La Rochelle to open the school there; and in a short time it had 400 students. On August 22, 1715, Blessed Marie Louise Trichet and Catherine Brunet, along with Marie Valleau and Marie Régnier from La Rochelle, received the approbation of Bishop de Champflour of La Rochelle to perform their religious profession under the direction of Montfort. At the ceremony, Montfort told them: "Call yourselves the Daughters of Wisdom, for the teaching of children and the care of the poor." The Daughters of Wisdom grew into an international organization and the placing of Montfort's founders statue in Saint Peter's Basilica was based on that organization.As well as preaching, Montfort found time to write a number of books that became classic Catholic titles and influenced several popes. Montfort is known for his particular devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the practice of praying the Rosary. Montfort is considered as one of the early writers in the field of Mariology. His most notable works regarding Marian devotions are contained in The Secret of Mary andTrue Devotion to Mary.Pope Pius XII canonized Louis de Montfort on July 20, 1947. He intercedes for causes related to his life, love and works. Like St. Joseph, he is an unfailing intercessor; and will enkindle love and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

St. Gianna Beretta Molla(Layperson (1922-1962))

Saint Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962) Gianna Beretta was born in Magenta (Milan) on October 4, 1922. She received the gift of faith and was educated by her parents. She experienced life as a marvelous gift from God, had a strong faith in Providence and was convinced of the necessity and effectiveness of prayer. Gianna was an exemplary student during secondary and university education. She participated in the apostolate of Catholic Action and served the elderly as a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. She earned degrees in medicine and surgery from the University of Pavia in 1949. She then opened a medical clinic in Mesero (near Magenta) in 1950. She specialized in pediatrics at the University of Milan in 1952, and there afterward gave special attention to mothers, babies, the elderly and the poor. While working in the field of medicine, which she considered a mission and practiced as such, she increased her generous service to Catholic Action, especially among the very young. At the same time, she expressed her joie de vivre and love of creation through skiing and mountaineering. Through her prayers and those of others, she reflected upon her vocation, which she also considered a gift from God. Having chosen the vocation of marriage, she embraced it with complete enthusiasm and wholly dedicated herself to forming a truly Christian family. She became engaged to Pietro Molla and was radiant with joy and happiness during the time of their engagement, for which she thanked and praised the Lord. They were married on September 24, 1955, in the Basilica of St. Martin in Magenta. In November 1956, to her great joy, she became the mother of Pierluigi; in December 1957, of Mariolina; and in July 1959 of Laura. With simplicity and equilibrium, she harmonized the demands of mother, wife, doctor and her passion for life. In September 1961, toward the end of the second month of pregnancy, Gianna was struck by pain: She had developed a fibroma in her uterus. Before the required surgical operation and conscious of the risk that her continued pregnancy brought, she pleaded with the surgeon to save the child's life. The baby was saved, and she spent the next seven months attending to her duties as mother and doctor. All the while, she prayed asking God to let the baby in her womb be born without complications. A few days before the child's birth, Gianna said, "If you must decide between me and the child, do not hesitate: choose the child - I insist on it. Save him". On the morning of April 21, 1962, Gianna Emanuela was born. Despite all efforts and treatments to save the both of them, Gianna passed away. She died on the morning of April 28, after repeatedly saying, "Jesus, I love you. Jesus, I love you." She was 39 years old. She was laid to rest at the cemetery of Mesero, 4 kilometers from Magenta. At the Sunday Angelus of September 23, 1973, Pope Paul VI described Gianna's sacrifice as "conscious immolation." He said, "A young mother from the diocese of Milan, who, to give life to her daughter, sacrificed her own, with conscious immolation." In these words, he connected Gianna's sacrifice to that of Christ's on Calvary and in the Eucharist. Gianna was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 24, 1994. She was officially canonized on May 16, 2004. Her husband, Pietro and their last child, Gianna, were present at the ceremony. St. Gianna intercedes in causes related to her life for those who beseech her with faith.

St. Peter Chanel(Martyr (1803-1841))

St. Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr (1803 - April 28, 1841) The protomartyr of the South Seas, St. Peter Chanel was born in Clet, in the diocese of Belley, France. His intelligence and simple piety were noticed by the parish priest, Fr. Trompier, who facilitated his elementary education. Peter eventually entered the diocesan seminary and won the affection and esteem of both students and professors. After his ordination, Fr. Peter completely revitalized a rundown country parish in the three years he was there. However, his mind was set on missionary work. In 1831, he joined the newly formed Society of Mary (Marists) that concentrated on missionary work at home and abroad. To his surprise, he was appointed to teach at the seminary in Belley, and remained there for the next five years, diligently performing his duties. In 1836, Fr. Peter's Marists were given the New Hebrides in the Pacific for evangelization. Fr. Peter was appointed Superior of a little band of missionaries sent to proclaim the Faith. They reached their destination after a ten-month journey and set to work. Fr. Peter went to the island of Futuna accompanied by a laybrother and an English layman, Thomas Boog. Fr. Peter and the laymen were well-received by the locals and their king, Niuliki, who had recently forbidden cannibalism. However, the king's jealousy and fear were aroused when the missionaries learned the language and gained the people's confidence. Niuliki saw that Christianity would abolish some of the prerogatives he enjoyed as high priest and sovereign. When Niuliki's son desired to be baptized, the king's hatred erupted. He dispatched a group of warriors to set upon the missionaries. On April 28, 1841, three years after arriving, Fr. Peter was seized and clubbed to death by those whom he loved. St. Peter's death brought his work to completion - because within five months the entire populace converted to Christianity.

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