Saint Stanislaus Born 1550, died April 11, 1079, Kraków.

Canonized 1253; was the patron saint of Poland, and the first Pole to be canonized.

After his parents died, Stanislaus received a huge inheritance, which he immediately gave to the poor.

He was ordained to the priesthood by the Bishop of Krakow, he was ordained a bishop around the age of forty-two.

During that time, King Bolesław manifestly indulge in immoralities, Tensions continued to grow between the bishop and the king.

Ventually, Bolesław himself slew the bishop with his sword.

The legend continues that after Stanislaus’ death, the soldiers were ordered to dismember the bishop’s body

and scatter the pieces on the land to be devoured by wild beasts.

Miraculously, eagles guarded the pieces until the canons of the cathedral were able to gather them and bury them properly.

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊    

Acts 5:27-33

So they brought them in and

Made them stand before the Council; and the High Priest questioned them, "We gave you strict orders not to preach such a Savior; but you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching; and you intend charging us with the killing of this man." To this, Peter and the apostles replied, "Better for us to obey God, rather than any human authority!

 

The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a wooden post. God set him at his right hand, as Leader and Savior, to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses to all these things, as well as the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."

When the Council heard this, they became very angry and wanted to kill them.

 

Ps 34:2, 9, 17-18, 19-20 The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

John 3:31-36

He who comes from above is above all; he who comes from the earth belong to the earth. He who comes from heaven speaks of the things he has seen and heard; he bears witness to these things, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever does receive his testimony acknowledges the truthfulness of God.

 

The one sent by God speaks God's words, and gives the Spirit unstintingly. The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything into his hands. Whoever believes in the Son lives with eternal life; but he who will not believe in the Son will never know life, and always faces the justice of God."

 

Gospel Reflection ：

"God as the Loving Father."

To believe or not to believe – that is the question. John's Gospel always highlights the challenge to believe in Jesus as the one sent by God. Moreover, in the Gospel of John, Jesus is the Revealer. He reveals who the Father is. He speaks only of what he heard from the Father. Furthermore, believing in Jesus is tantamount to having eternal life.

 

We may ask: Is there really life amidst the many problems we are now facing? Yes, there is. There is life for those who believe in Jesus. Thus, the grace of Easter enables us to focus our attention on Jesus. It is through Jesus that we can grow in our knowledge of God. Jesus revealed God as a loving Father. We often ignore this basic truth revealed by Jesus.

 

If we would only focus our attention on Jesus who keeps on telling us that God is our loving Father, our lives will definitely never be the same again. Believing in Jesus, we would begin seeing each other as brothers and sisters under the one Fatherhood of an all-loving God. Pope Francis, in his Encyclical Fratelli Tutti challenges us to participate in the promotion of social love in our world today.