Feast of St Pius V, Pope.

THE ROSARY IS THE WEAPON. (ST PADRE PIO).

"When it was evening, the disciples of Jesus went down to the sea, embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum...... When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid. But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading." (John 6: 16....21).

Saturday 30th April 2022, in the 2nd Week of Easter. 
30th April is the feast of Pope St Pius V. (1504 - 1572). Italian. Dominican Friar. Pius had tremendous impact in the post Tridentine Church of the 16th century. Some of his accomplishments are: implementing forcefully the decrees of the Council of Trent, building seminaries, publishing the Roman Catechism and revising the Missal and the Breviary. 

Pius V is credited for saving Europe from Islamic domination in 1571 in the Battle of Lepanto. That victory was attributed to the power of the Holy Rosary which was recited continuously by soldiers, lay people and clergy. This is the origin of the Feast of the Holy Rosary celebrated on October 7th.

Jesus said to the Apostles who panicked on seeing Him walking on the sea towards their boat in the dark of the night: “It is I. Do not be afraid.” Jesus puts them at ease by identifying Himself: "It is I." This expression could mean "I AM." His word, the self identification of Yahweh was enough to calm their nerves.

St Hildegard of Bingen, Doctor of the Church says that the word of God is Divine Command. A single word from God is enough to bring light, courage, peace and joy to our hearts.

Once upon a time, I spent a night alone in a house in the countryside. The house had a wall round it with a gate. There were fruit trees in the backyard. About 1 am in the morning, I heard a large thud that sounded like some heavy person had jumped into the yard. I was deeply frightened. I sat on the bed in cold sweat wondering what to do. "Look for a heavy object like metal or wood to defend yourself." At that moment, I heard these words in my heart:
"If the Lord does not watch over the city, in vain do the sentries defend it."

The full Verse of the Psalm is this:
"Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain." (Psalm 127: 1).
This is one of my favorite verses in the Scriptures. The Lord used the same Scripture I repeat so often to bring me peace that dark night.

Jesus used the Scripture I know to identify Himself." "I AM here. Do not be afraid." I went back to sleep and slept till about 7 am. When I checked the backyard to see what happened, I saw that it was a large breadfruit that had fallen down.

Jesus says to us:
"It is I. Do not be afraid!" God is in His word. And His word is Divine Command. All things obey God. (Psalm 119: 11). The word of God accomplishes everything it is sent to. (Cf Isaiah 55: 7-8).

Memorize your favorite Scriptures. You do not know when they will come handy.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com