Hello everyone! Heyo! Welcome back to Scattering Flowers with Elise and Miles, a podcast where you read the daily gospels and the saint of the day.
Let’s get started! Today is Tuesday, March 31st, and the gospel reading is John 13, 21-33 and 36-38, and the scripture to reflect on is John 13, 30.
And it was night.
Judas and Peter were both Jesus' friends.
Judas betrayed Jesus.
He went into the darkness and let it take him away from Jesus forever.
Peter went into some darkness too, but he was scared.
But Peter turned to Jesus in tears over what he had done.
Jesus knew that both Peter and Judas were going to betray him.
He also knew that he was ready to forgive them and bring them back into the light.
Today’s saint of the day is Blessed Maria de Jose.
She was born in 1875 and died in 1967.
She is the patron saint of nurses.
When Laura received Jesus in her first holy communion at the age of 13, she expressed her desire to belong totally to him and made a private vow for chastity.
Forever after, she considered herself a bride of Christ and immediately set about doing his work, especially among the poor children of Venezuela.
Laura desired to enter a cloistered convent, but most of the religious orders had been suppressed by the government.
When an epidemic broke out, Laura worked to set up a little hospital.
Laura drew in many other young women to volunteer.
The group became known as the Sumerians.
Her death at the age of 92, she had founded 37 homes for the elderly and orphans.
She is the first native of Venezuela to be beatified.
What about us?
Will we stay in the darkness of night, or will we return to Jesus?
Remember that no matter what you do, Jesus will always welcome you into the light of his brand new day.
Mother Maria knew something much greater.
She knew God’s love.
This love led her to desire that all outcasts experience God’s love as well.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Dear Jesus, thank you for always forgiving me.
You are my light.
Help me to not wander into the darkness, but to stay by you.
And help me to believe more deeply in your love for me, and to be moved to love others more like you.
Blessed Maria de San Jose, pray for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
We’ll be back tomorrow scattering more flowers.
See ya!