Connect!
God Is Love
  • Newsletters
  • Homilies
  • Helpful Hints for Life
  • Catholic Terms
  • Website Links
  • Contact

Catholic Good News - First Fridays - 6/26/2021

6/26/2021

0 Comments

 
In this e-weekly:
​
- The 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ("Helpful Hints of Life")
- Things You Will Probably Never Hear Catholics Say… (Smiling Cat Section)
- "We Want to Light a Fire" USCCB Plans "Revival" (News Section)
Picture
The Adorable and Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

 Catholic Good News

Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor


FIRST FRIDAYS

"But one of the soldiers with a spear opened his side, 

and immediately there came out blood and water."  

-John 19:34
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

 
      Friday, July 3rd marked the continuing of 9 consecutive FIRST FRIDAYS which our Lord asked through St.Margaret Mary that can be offered to His Sacred Heart for special graces and benefit to humanity, especially individuals.


12. The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at the last hour. –Jesus Christ
 
        The month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  God's love has been enfleshed in the human heart of Jesus, which we call His Sacred Heart because from it gushed "immediately blood and water. (John 19:34)"   Holy Water in Baptism for the washing away of Original Sin and forgiveness of your sins and mine.  Precious Blood to be drunk to eternal life or for us to be drenched in the Sacrament of Confession for the return to Baptismal innocence after personal sin. 
 
        Look at the website sections for more on the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Look to "Helpful Hints of Life" for Jesus 12 Promises to those who have Devotion to His Sacred Heart.  Receive Him, Who is only Love and Mercy, in the Sacraments of His Church!
 
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert


P.S.  This coming Sunday is 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time-Time ordered for Christian Living.  >> Readings



P.S.S.  Sunday Readings with Reflections and Questions at end of e-mail

Homily from Most Holy Body and Blood of Our Lord is found below (7 minutes length): 


Listen

Picture
devotion  (Latin devotio "piety, zeal, devotion")
​

- act or disposition of the will to do promptly what concerns the worship and love of God
[Essential to devotion is readiness to do whatever gives honor to God, whether in public or private prayer (worship) or in doing the will of God (service).  A person who is thus disposed is said to be devoted.  His or her devotedness is ultimately rooted in a great love for God, which in spiritual theology is often called devotion.]

Picture
"Helpful Hints of Life"

​
The Twelve Promises of Jesus

to those who honor His Sacred Heart

given to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state in life.

2. I will give peace in their families.

3. I will console them in all their troubles.

4. They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of death.

5. I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.

6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.

7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.

8. Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.

9. I will bless the homes in which the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honored.

10. I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.

11. Those who propagate this devotion shall have their name written in My Heart, and it shall never be effaced.

12. The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at the last hour.
 
"Jesus knew and loved us each and all during his life, his agony and his Passion, and gave himself up for each one of us: "The Son of God. . . loved me and gave himself for me." He has loved us all with a human heart. For this reason, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation, "is quite rightly considered the chief sign and symbol of that. . . love with which the divine Redeemer continually loves the eternal Father and all human beings" without exception.
-
Catechism of the Catholic Church #478

 
 ​

Picture
For those traveling this summer and needing to get to the Holy Mass.
​

MASS TIMES AND CATHOLIC CHURCHES throughout the US

http://www.masstimes.org/


Simply type in the town you will be in.  It also gives you the nearest church to you with the closest Mass Time.


https://thecatholictravelguide.com/
​

Great advice for Catholic travelers

Picture
In Catholic theology, a person is justified by faith and works acting together, which comes solely from God’s divine grace. Faith alone never obtains the grace of justification (Council of Trent, chapter 8, canon 9).  Here and elsewhere, the Scriptures teach that justification is achieved only when “faith and works” act together.  Faith is faith and works are works (James 2:18). They are distinct (mind and action), and yet must act together in order to receive God’s unmerited gift of justification.  Further Reading: James 2

Picture

'We Want to Light a Fire'
- USCCB plans Eucharistic 'Revival'A Pillar interview
JD Flynn - Jun 16 14

​
During the USCCB’s spring virtual assembly this week, Bishop Andrew Cozzens will give a presentation to U.S. bishops on a proposed “Eucharistic revival” project that would aim to increase devotion, love, and belief in the Eucharist, through collaboration with parishes, dioceses, schools and universities, religious institutes, and ecclesial movements.
Cozzens, auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis and chair of the USCCB’s evangelization and catechesis committee, talked with The Pillar June 15 about the project.
Picture
Pope Francis offers a Eucharistic blessing March 27, 2020. Credit: Vatican News/youtube
​Subscribe now
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Bishop, thank you for talking with us about this project. To start things off, I’m struck by the name of this project. “Revival” is not an ordinary part of our Catholic lexicon. It’s more often a Protestant word, or perceived that way. Why is it the right word here? What does it convey?
Revival conveys the bringing back to life of our Catholic expression of the Eucharist. 
The theme of the revival is from John 6:51, “my flesh for the life of the world.”
We’re experiencing the world pandemic, where life is precious, and the real answer is the life of Jesus, which he shares with us through the Eucharist. So the revival aims at bringing something back to life. 
And I think that's actually the sense — it’s like we have this real concern that because of a lot of things, but also because of COVID, that some people have forgotten that Eucharist is our life, or never knew it. And we need to bring that back to life, you know?
I like the idea of a revival because it brings to mind a fire. And that’s the way I see this: We want to light a fire. The scripture passage that keeps coming to me is: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”  [John 12:32]
Share The Pillar
What is the model of this project? Is there one program or liturgy at the center of this, or is the aim to encourage different kinds of Eucharistic projects organized by different groups and parishes, and dioceses?
The latter. We want everyone to do their part, and we want there to be a sense of participating in this large movement, which is a revival the bishops are organizing. But we don't intend at all to try to control it, because seeing different expressions of faith —  that's kind of the beauty of the Eucharistic faith of the Church. 
So, for example, we're working with the charismatic renewal, and we want them to do Eucharistic holy hours and have healing Masses and all kinds of things. And we're also going to be working with liturgical musicians, who we hope will revive the beauty of our liturgical music tradition. So we expect that everybody will bring their part, in their charism and identity, and it doesn't have to be one way in one in every diocese. 
So the basics of the project are to look at a three-year period of revival. We’re looking at the possibility of a national event, for which we’d have to get approval from the bishops in November. But we’re hoping to affect the Church at every level: the diocesan level, the parish level and the national level.
What we're going to do is propose activities and invite participation and therefore try to create a movement that happens at all levels. 
I have been struck, over and over again, by the image of Pope Francis offering his Urbi et orbi blessing last March, at St. Peter’s Square, in the wind and the rain, holding a monstrance and asking for God’s intercession. What does that moment say about the Eucharist and the Church?
That moment shows that understanding that Eucharist is not just a matter of catechesis.
And one of the things we want to encourage is to make sure that we have good catechesis. Because we know we haven't always had that. But we want to encourage what we would call experiential encounters with Jesus in the Eucharist.
And in particular, anyone who's been a part of youth ministry in the past 10 years understands the power of Eucharistic adoration for young people, and for their conversion, and their experience of Jesus.
That moment was a great example of the Holy Father providing a Eucharistic encounter for the whole Church, you know?

​
And this is why I love national events, because I think they can provide those kinds of encounters in ways that others events can’t.
I was at World Youth Day in Panama [in 2019] and they had adoration in a field, and there were several hundred thousand people there. There were moments — long moments, 15 minutes sometimes — where everybody was silent.
300,000 people silent before the Lord.
And then there were other moments where they had people from different vocations come out, and sing a song to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament: They had families do this, consecrated women do that, their priests do that. And it was a very moving encounter with Jesus and Eucharist to be together in that way before the Lord.
Those are the sort of things we want to help use as part of the revival.
So how did the idea for a “Eucharistic revival” project begin to take shape at the conference?
So it started when the Pew numbers came out in 2019, which showed a record low belief in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist amongst Catholics.
I think it was around 30% [of surveyed Catholics who said they believe Catholic doctrine on the Eucharist].
The bishops were disturbed by that. And there was a lot of conversation at the November 2019 meeting about doing something about that. And Bishop [Robert] Barron [then chair of the USCCB committee on evangelization and catechesis] had proposed the idea of a Eucharistic revival, and he got about 10 committee chairs together in January of 2020 —  before COVID — to talk about this.
Bishop Barron was scheduled to present on this at the June 2020 meeting, which got cancelled because of COVID. And then he was not able to present at the November 2020 meeting because it took place over Zoom and most of the scheduled presentations weren’t able to be put on the agenda, and so we instead held regional discussions about in November 2020, and there was a lot of support among the bishops. 
A lot of bishops said that especially now, in light of COVID, and this great concern about whether people would come back to the Eucharist, that it was Providential that we were already planning this. 
I became chair of the evangelization committee, and I started doing a lot of work on the project this spring. We have a bishop’s advisory committee that’s been meeting every month, and then I’ve been meeting with thought leaders and others. 
The exciting thing is that almost everybody I talk with gets it immediately, and sees the importance of this movement to help revive Eucharistic faith. And to me it’s a sign that the bishops see the idea of Eucharistic coherence in a much larger context, which is that we know we actually have to renew faith in the Eucharist among all of our Catholic people. So there's a desire to have a movement that would affect the church at every level in order to do that. 
The beautiful thing has been the partnerships. You might have seen that last week, both Archbishop Lori and Patrick Kelly, the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, spoke to state deputies of the Knights, and they said this Eucharistic revival will be a major priority for the Knights of Columbus over the next three years. So that’s just one example of a very large national organization that sees the gift of this. And I’m getting the same response from youth movements in the Church, whether it’s NCYC, or FOCUS, or St. Paul’s Outreach, or whatever it is.
And it’s a beautiful thing because Christ is actually the thing that unites us sacramentally and existentially. And so it’s a great opportunity for us as a Church in the United States to be united around what’s the most important.
Can you speak to the connection between Eucharistic devotion, even Eucharistic adoration, and the Mass itself?
So, of course, the source and the summit of our life is the celebration of the Eucharist, where we participate in Jesus's perfect act of worship to the Father, which he did on the Cross. 
And as everything in the Christian life there is this responsive giving and receiving. So when we participate in the Mass, he gives us back resurrected life. It gives us back the resurrected Jesus. And for people to fully receive the love of the Lord, they need to come to understand that. 
And as Saint John Paul II often said, and others, the Mass itself is not enough time to fully receive the gift of the Eucharist. That's why we need times of adoration.   
But we also want to show in this that a life lived in service and a life lived in self-gift is essential to a Eucharistic life. 
When Mother Teresa said that you can't love Jesus in the Eucharist if you don't love him in the poor, she was expressing a theological truth about encountering Jesus. When I really encounter Jesus in the Eucharist, then I encounter him in my neighbor and I encounter him in the people around me, and I encounter him in the unborn child. And I encounter him in the poor person, and the homeless person, and in the person who disagrees with me. 
And so Eucharistic faith, when it's really lived, can and should, as Pope Francis has made clear, flourish in a life of service.
We’re in a period in which people are experiencing the fruit of Eucharistic devotion: how it increases my love, and then how that changes me, and then how that changes the world.
Spending time in adoration has an effect on my soul. A profound effect. Mother Theresa insisted that the most important thing she did in her community was to establish a daily Eucharistic holy hour of adoration every afternoon. And that was centrally important to giving the sisters the strength they needed to go out and serve the poor in radical ways, you know?
What would success look like for this project?
Our goal is to create Eucharistic missionaries. We need to remember the gift, and reverence the gift, and we need to recall what a great gift it is. And so if the Church in the United States over the next three years could say that we actually focused on this and recalled this great gift and we've come to understand our need to be missionaries of this message.
If all practicing Catholics were somehow affected by this, or strengthened in Eucharistic faith and then had a sense of the missionary conversion that's needed, that would be success. 
It sounds like some of this is sowing seeds, and waiting to see how God’s providence will bring them to fruition. Is that a fair approach to this project?
Absolutely. It seems to be Jesus’ method. So if we plant a few seeds and we don’t get to see all of them grow, we can trust. But of course that doesn’t mean that we won’t talk to data analysis people, and marketing people, and be thoughtful about how best to do this wisely and well.
I know that you consulted with many Catholics — and in the interest of full disclosure, I was one of them. But you consulted with many people wiser than I am. What did you hear consistently from those consultations?
One- “This is really needed.”
Two — “I want to be a part of it” — It was amazing to hear that.
Three — “If you rely simply on parish and diocesan structures, it will fail. Because they’re just overtaxed.” And so we want to work with movements and involve a very broad network of people at every level. 
And one of the other things we heard is that this is a privileged moment for the Church. Coming out of the COVID, there’s a unique moment here, and let’s seize that moment.
Of course, the Eucharistic discussion that will garner most of the attention at this week’s USCCB meeting is not this one, but the discussion about the notion of “Eucharistic coherence.” How does this Eucharistic revival project relate to that discussion?
The revival is going after the deeper issue of Eucharistic coherence. That means we need to make sure that our teaching on the Eucharist and all that means — including “Eucharistic coherence” —  is clearly understood by our people. 
Nobody wants to be in the situation where we have prominent Catholics who aren't living Eucharistically coherent lives. And so what we want to do is a broad-based movement of Eucharistic renewal and revival. 
The bishops I talk with know that renewal always begins with self-examination. So each of us —  starting with the bishops —  need to revive our own faith in the Eucharist and make sure that we're living Eucharistically coherent lives. Because the Eucharist makes demands on all of us. It has to begin with us. It has to begin with Catholics in the pew. And from there, we can go out to help bring forth this renewal. 
What role does the Eucharist play in your own spiritual life, and your own formation and growth as a Christian?
Even as a young kid, serving Mass, the source of my vocation was kneeling close to the altar and recognizing Jesus's presence on the altar and realizing I wanted to be close to him. 
I wanted to be close, and I wanted to be close to him for my whole life. And I began to realize that that was the essence of a priestly vocation. 
Picture
Bishop Andrew Cozzens. Credit: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
And so at a certain point that blossomed into participation at daily Mass. And then of course the great privilege to celebrate the Mass every day, which every priest comes to realize —  or should come to realize — is the central moment of his day. 
I try to live that way, so that the Mass is the central moment of my day. 
I've always loved the line from Cardinal Ratzinger, who preached a homily at an ordination where he talked about the great privilege a priest has to hold the Eucharist in his hands every day. And he said that if you will entrust yourself to Jesus in the Eucharist every day, if you will celebrate Mass with reverence every day, then the Eucharist will transform you. It will change you because it's too powerful not to. 
And he said that either we shake off the Eucharist with all of its demands it makes upon us, or we cling to it with everything that we are, and it gradually pulls us along with him. And that's certainly become the heart of my own spirituality. It's why I spend a daily holy hour in adoration as well — I know that by being with him, he's going to more and more transform me into himself.  
Picture
Picture
And so at a certain point that blossomed into participation at daily Mass. And then of course the great privilege to celebrate the Mass every day, which every priest comes to realize —  or should come to realize — is the central moment of his day. 
I try to live that way, so that the Mass is the central moment of my day. 
I've always loved the line from Cardinal Ratzinger, who preached a homily at an ordination where he talked about the great privilege a priest has to hold the Eucharist in his hands every day. And he said that if you will entrust yourself to Jesus in the Eucharist every day, if you will celebrate Mass with reverence every day, then the Eucharist will transform you. It will change you because it's too powerful not to. 
And he said that either we shake off the Eucharist with all of its demands it makes upon us, or we cling to it with everything that we are, and it gradually pulls us along with him. And that's certainly become the heart of my own spirituality. It's why I spend a daily holy hour in adoration as well — I know that by being with him, he's going to more and more transform me into himself.  
Polish President Andrzej Duda visited the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland after winning the his second presidential term on July 13. The monastery contains a shrine and a miraculous image of Our Lady of Częstochowa.
​

The president participated in Evening Prayer and dedicated Poland to Our Lady.

​
Picture
Did you know the Catholic Church started both the hospital and university systems?
In this week’s episode of The Catholic Talk Show, Ryan Scheel, Fr. Rich Pagano, and Ryan DellaCross discuss “7 Reasons the Dark Ages Weren’t Actually That Dark.”
​

In this portion of the podcast, the group explains the Catholic Church’s deep involvement in founding the hospital and university systems we know today.
Listen to the full story below:

https://youtu.be/e94k_v5q5w0
Picture
THIS 95-YEAR-OLD CATHOLIC COUPLE DIED IN EACH OTHER'S ARMS...

San Diego, Calif. (EWTN News/CNA) - Few love stories can say that they began at the age of eight. But for Jeanette and Alexander Toczko, they couldn't have imagined life any other way. 
 
What began as a childhood crush later bloomed into a deep, committed love – a love that would last throughout a war, five children, and seventy-five years of marriage.
“Their hearts beat as one from as long as I can remember,” said Aimee Toczko-Cushman, one of the couple's five children, according to the Daily Mail.
 
After meeting his future wife at the age of eight, Alexander Toczko married Jeanette in 1940 while he was enrolled in the U.S. Navy as a telegraph operator. Alexander was a devoted husband to his wife Jeanette, and as Catholics, he fondly carried a snapshot of Jeanette's First Holy Communion in his wallet. 
 
The Toczko's settled in San Diego, California in 1971 where Alexander and Jeanette worked together, establishing their own fashion photography and advertising firm. Alexander had a passion for golf and sketching, and the couple loved to travel with each other. 
 
They raised their five children in the San Diego area, and over the years became the proud grandparents of ten grandchildren.
 
This past June, the couple celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary. Alexander, a WWII veteran, was 95 and Jeanette was 96. 
 
The couple's health had been declining over the months, especially after Alexander had taken a recent fall, breaking his hip. 
 
“He was going fast,” their son, Richard Toczko, remembered.
 
Hospice care was brought to Jeanette and Alexander's home, so that they could share their own bed and stay close to each other in their final moments.
 
Remarkably, the inseparable couple had a dying wish that they often told their children – they both wanted to pass away together, in each other's arms and in their own bed.
Alexander was the first to go on June 17. Once Jeanette had been informed that her husband had died, she said, “See this is what you wanted. You died in my arms and I love you. I love you, wait for me, I'll be there soon.”
 
Jeanette died only hours after her husband on June 18.
 
“Even the hospice nurse said it was the most incredible thing to see the two of them taking those last breaths together,” Aimee Toczko-Cushman said.
 
“They both entered the pearly gates holding hands,” reflected their son, Richard Toczko.
A funeral mass was held for Alexander and Jeanette on June 29, a ceremony which commemorated both their lives and their 75th wedding anniversary. They were buried at the Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego.

 ​



" 1. Be especially attentive "to the content and unity of the whole Scripture". Different as the books which compose it may be, Scripture is a unity by reason of the unity of God's plan, of which Christ Jesus is the center and heart, open since his Passover.
The phrase "heart of Christ" can refer to Sacred Scripture, which makes known his heart, closed before the Passion, as the Scripture was obscure. But the Scripture has been opened since the Passion; since those who from then on have understood it, consider and discern in what way the prophecies must be interpreted."   -Catechism of the Catholic Church #112
Picture
A bit of humor…

 Some Thoughts:
-“What's the name of your new dog?” “I don’t know. He won’t tell.”


-Daddy reads some bedtime stories to make little Jonny fall asleep.  Half an hour later mommy opens quietly the door and asks: “And, is he asleep?”  Little Jonny answers: “Yes, finally.”



50 Things You'll (probably) Never Hear Catholics Say

16)  Go ahead and ask me all your questions about Catholicism.  I feel pretty confident that I can answer all of them.


17)  There are too many people in the front pews at Mass.


18)  I had my conversion through Religious Ed.


19)  Birth Control or Natural Family Planning (NFP)?  I haven’t really heard any strong opinions one way or the other.


20)  Donuts after Mass AGAIN?!?!


21)  The Catechism of the Catholic Church, that 2600 page book? Yeah, it's a pretty quick read. Totally beach material.


22)  All that exorcism stuff doesn’t freak me out at all. 


23)  You're interested in celibacy, too?!!


24)  G.K. Chesterton… He was Anglican, right?


25)  I don't know who to pray to when I lose my stuff!


26)  I never really get distracted during the Rosary either.


27)  Latin Tridentine Mass and Novus Ordo are practically the same thing.


28)  I, too, have a devotion to St. Willibald.


29)  How ‘bout them Crusades?!


30)  Mary who?


31)  I just wish the Sisters of Life were more joyful.


32)  I’m not at all self-conscious after Ash Wednesday Mass.  Let’s go to the disco.


33)  What marriage controversy?


34)  I think St. Patrick would be proud of how we celebrate him.


35)  I miss Limbo.


 


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Several days ago as I left a meeting at our church, I desperately gave myself a personal TSA pat down. 
I was looking for my keys.  They were not in my pockets.  A quick search in the meeting room revealed nothing.


Suddenly I realized, I must have left them in the car.  

Frantically, I headed for the parking lot.  My wife, Diane, has scolded me many times for leaving the keys in the ignition.  My theory is the ignition is the best place not to lose them.  Her theory is that the car will be stolen.  

As I burst through the doors of the church, I came to a terrifying conclusion.  Her theory was right. The parking lot was empty.

 
I immediately called the police, gave them my location, confessed that I had left my keys in the car and that it had been stolen.  

Then I made the most difficult call of all, “Honey,” I stammered.  I always call her “honey”in times like these.  “I left my keys in the car, and it has been stolen.”
 
There was a period of silence.  I thought the call had been dropped, but then I heard Diane’s voice. “Ken” she barked, “I dropped you off!” 

Now it was my turn to be silent.  Embarrassed, I said, “Well, can you please come and get me.”  

Diane retorted, “I will, as soon as I can convince this policeman I have not stolen your car!”
​


Picture
0 Jesus!  divine Savior, from whose Heart comes forth this bitter complaint, "I looked for one that would comfort me, and I found none," graciously accept the feeble consolation we offer You, and aid us so powerfully by your grace, that we may, for the time to come, shun more and more all that can displease You, and prove ourselves in everything, and everywhere, and forever Your most faithful and devoted servants.  We ask it through Your Sacred Heart, O Lord, who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit one God, world without end.  Amen.
"Christ is the light of humanity; and it is, accordingly, the heart-felt desire of this sacred Council, being gathered together in the Holy Spirit, that, by proclaiming his Gospel to every creature, it may bring to all men that light of Christ which shines out visibly from the Church." These words open the Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church. By choosing this starting point, the Council demonstrates that the article of faith about the Church depends entirely on the articles concerning Christ Jesus. The Church has no other light than Christ's; according to a favorite image of the Church Fathers, the Church is like the moon, all its light reflected from the sun."  -Catechism of the Catholic Church #748
+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
13th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sunday, June 27th, 2021

The First Reading- Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24        
God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. For he fashioned all things that they might have being; and the creatures of the world are wholesome, and there is not a destructive drug among them nor any domain of the netherworld on earth, for justice is undying. For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it.
Reflection 
 It is mentioned several times in Scripture that death is the enemy of God. In today’s first reading, we hear that death is not part of the created order — that God did not create it, but that we invited it into the world through our cooperation with the devil, and that “they who belong to his company experience it.” Of course, we all experience it because we all sin at times in our life.
Adults -How can you actively fight against sin in your life?
Teens - What do you think the Wisdom reading means when it says, “they who belong to his [the devil’s] company experience it [death]”? If we are Christians and we reject the devil, why do we still suffer?
Kids - What does it mean to have eternal life?

Responsorial- Psalm 30: 2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Reflection 
-Get to know the book of Psalms a little better this week, and recite a Psalm of praise as a prayer of thanksgiving for the blessings in your life.

The Second Reading- 2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15
Brothers and sisters: As you excel in every respect, in faith, discourse, knowledge, all earnestness, and in the love we have for you, may you excel in this gracious act also.  For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.
Not that others should have relief while you are burdened, but that as a matter of equality your abundance at the present time should supply their needs, so that their abundance may also supply your needs, that there may be equality. As it is written: Whoever had much did not have more, and whoever had little did not have less.
Reflection
The second reading speaks to Jesus’ great charity in becoming poor like us; vulnerable like us, so that we can be rich in grace and the Spirit. Jesus also looks to our material needs, and through our charitable efforts, continues to minister to the poor. We are called to share what we have so that no one should be without.
Try to increase your charitable giving this week - donate clothes or food to a local shelter.

The Holy Gospel according to Mark 5:21-43
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea. One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, "My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her
that she may get well and live." He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.
There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured." Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who has touched my clothes?" But his disciples said to Jesus, "You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, 'Who touched me?'" And he looked around to see who had done it. The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction." While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official's house arrived and said, "Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?" Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, "Do not be afraid; just have faith." He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. So he went in and said to them, "Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep." And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out. He took along the child's father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!" The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. At that they were utterly astounded. He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.
Reflection
The Gospel invites us to experience healings on several different levels through two stories sandwiched together. First we meet Jairus whose young daughter had died. He was very worried, and his household was grieving as only people who have lost a child can. While Jesus was on his way to their house, a woman who had become desperate in her suffering, touches his cloak fully expecting to be healed. She was! When Jesus questioned her, she fessed up, and he commended her for her faith. Jesus got to Jairus’ house and healed the young girl. From these two events, a woman with chronic illness was healed, a little girl was healed from death, her parents and their community were healed from grief. Wherever Jesus is, death has no power. He took death on himself and conquered it in the resurrection so that when that enemy shows up on our door, Jesus stands right with us to take our hands and say, “Arise.”
Adults -What has been your experience of death? What has been your experience of the Resurrection in times of suffering, illness, or grief?
Teens  -The woman who had been ill for a long time had the gumption to touch Jesus — which was absolutely against the Jewish law — because she couldn’t take the pain anymore. What do you feel so strongly about that it makes you take action, even if you’re afraid to do it?
Kids - How does Jesus help us make the right choices in our lives?

LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! – “If Today, let us say a fervent prayer of thanksgiving to God for the gift of active faith which he has given us and beg of him to keep that faith ever alive in our breasts. Let us think, too, of our fellowmen, our brothers in Christ, who are so busy with their worldly occupations and pleasures that they cannot find time to listen to his message. They are spiritually anemic and almost spiritually dead, but cannot push their way toward Christ through the throngs of earthly, worldly barricades which they have built about themselves. Our sincere prayers can help them to overcome these obstacles; frequently and fervently let us ask God to send them his efficacious grace so that these brothers in Christ will also be with him in heaven.  -Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.

​
0 Comments

Catholic Good News - The Immaculate Heart of Mary: Our Comfort and Our Strength - 6/19/2021

6/19/2021

0 Comments

 
In this e-weekly:

- Two special prayers to the Immaculate Heart  (the praying hands at the very last)
- Pope Francis: The Humble Service of a Deacon Tells of the Greatness of God  (Diocesan News and BEYOND)
- (New Series on COMMUNICATION) Devotion of the First Five Saturdays (Helpful Hints for Life)

Picture
Catholic Good News


Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor
 
The Immaculate Heart of Mary


“Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,

… and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”  

Luke 2:34,35
 
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
 
      She that, “kept all things, reflecting on them in her heart (Luke 2:51),” is the source of Jesus' Sacred Heart.  For if Mary did not first conceive Jesus in her Immaculate Heart, she would have never said yes to the Angel Gabriel and conceived Jesus Christ in her womb. 

      Mary has a heart that is for all men.  She who received our Lord Jesus with unimaginable love in her heart and body, she who raised Him and treasured the moments she shared with Him, she who saw Him go forth from her side into a world that loved and despised Him, she whose heart was pierced when she saw Him so cruelly treated by men and pierced in His own Sacred Heart with a lance as He hung on the Cross, is the same woman and the same Immaculate Heart that loves you and I more than we can ever conceive.   And that Heart is the one shelter we most desire to dwell in (whether we recognize it or not) for it there where Jesus and His Sacred Heart dwells! 

       Let us turn toward and love the Heart of Blessed Mary Immaculate because she was conceived without sin in the womb of her mother, St. Anne; sorrowful because she beheld the death of her beloved Son and beholds your sinfulness and mine, but this is your Heart and mine to dwell in forever because she loves and is completely united to Jesus Christ, and Jesus and Mary are our true comfort and our true strength!

 Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert


P.S.  This coming Sunday is the 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time.  >> Readings

P.S.S.  At the end of E-weekly is this week's readings with reflections and questions for self or family.


​
Picture
Picture
Immaculate Heart (from Latin immaculatus; “without stain” + from Latin cord-, cor “heart”)
- the physical Heart of Mary which first received Jesus in faith and love and the heart that holds us being given to her from the Cross
[Just as devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is only a form of devotion to the adorable Person of Jesus, so also is devotion to the Holy Heart of Mary but a special form of devotion to Mary.  In order that, properly speaking, there may be devotion to the Heart of Mary, the attention and the homage of the faithful must be directed to the physical heart itself.  However, this in itself is not sufficient; the faithful must read therein all that the human heart of Mary suggests, all of which it is the expressive symbol and the living reminder: Mary's interior life, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for her God, her maternal love for her Divine Son, and her motherly and compassionate love for her sinful and struggling children here below. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute our devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the Heart of Mary merely as a part of her virginal body. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.]
Picture
Helpful Hints of Life
Communication


Communication in today’s world is expected to be brief, quick, “close the deal” communication.  However, we as human beings need deep, heartfelt communication - the kind that causes us to take risks and let our guard down.  This type of communication is difficult.  We have all been wounded and have reasons to censor ourselves.  But God has created us to be in communion with each other, and therefore in communication with each other. 



Devotion of the Five First Saturdays
 
Given by Our Lady of Fatima and the Infant Jesus to Sister Lucia, a devotion to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin
in reparation for the 5 sins against her Heart.
 The Virgin of Fatima speaks to the three children at Famita Portugal in 1918:
"You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart.  If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace... I shall come to ask for... the Communion of reparation on the first Saturdays..."



The devotion involves the following practices on five consecutive first Saturdays of the month, with the specific intention of making reparation for the five gravest offenses of man against the Blessed Virgin. 

1. Go to Confession (within 8 days before or 8 days after the first Saturday) 

2. Receive the Holy Eucharist 

3. Pray five decades of the Rosary 

4."Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on fifteen mysteries of the Rosary."

 
On December 10, 1925, the Most Holy Virgin appeared to Lucy of Fatima, and by her side, elevated on a luminous cloud, was the Child Jesus. The Most Holy Virgin rested her hand on Lucy's shoulder, and as she did so, she showed her a Heart surrounded with thorns, which she was holding in her other hand. At the same time, the Child Jesus said:
 
"Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother, covered with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them."
Then the Most Holy Virgin said:
 "Look, my daughter, at my Heart, surrounded with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, try to console me, and say that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for fifteen minutes, while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me."
 
“Mary's role in the Church is inseparable from her union with Christ and flows directly from it. "This union of the mother with the Son in the work of salvation is made manifest from the time of Christ's virginal conception up to his death"; it is made manifest above all at the hour of his Passion:
Thus the Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross. There she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, enduring with her only begotten Son the intensity of his suffering, joining herself with his sacrifice in her mother's heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this victim, born of her: to be given, by the same Christ Jesus dying on the cross, as a mother to his disciple, with these words: "Woman, behold your son."        -Catechism of the Catholic Church #964
 ​

Picture
​All About the Immaculate Heart of Mary

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07168a.htm
​

 
This is from the Catholic Encyclopedia on the Immaculate Heart of Mary


All Things Connected with the Immaculate Heart of Mary


https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/i/immaculate-heart-of-mary-index.php
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Pope Francis met with deacons and their families Saturday at the Vatican and encouraged them to help their parishes to recognize Jesus in the poor.
“Deacons remind the Church that what Saint Thérèse discovered is true: the Church has a heart inflamed by love. Yes, a humble heart beating with service,” the pope said June 19.
“The generosity of a deacon, who gives of himself without seeking the front ranks, has about him the perfume of the Gospel. He tells of the greatness of God's humility in taking the first step … to meet even those who have turned their backs on him,” he said.
The pope welcomed deacons from the diocese of Rome to the Vatican’s Hall of Blessings, where he expressed to each of them the importance of their distinct ministry in the life of the Church.
“The decrease in the number of priests has led to a prevailing engagement of deacons to substitute them in tasks which, however important, do not constitute the specific nature of the diaconate. They are substitute tasks,” he said.
Pope Francis cited the dogmatic constitution, Lumen Gentium, which describes the diaconate a ministry in which “hands are imposed not unto the priesthood, but unto a ministry of service.”
He said: “The Council, after speaking of service to the People of God ‘in the diaconate of the liturgy, of the word and of charity”, emphasises that deacons are above all - above all - “dedicated to duties of charity and of administration (Lumen Gentium, 29).’”
“The phrase recalls the early centuries, when deacons looked after the needs of the faithful, especially the poor and the sick, in the name and on behalf of the bishop. We can also draw on the roots of the Church of Rome.”


The pope encouraged the deacons to follow Christ by embracing his “logic” of lowering oneself.
“We are all called to lower ourselves, because Jesus stooped to us, He made himself the servant of all. If there is one great person in the Church, it is the one who made him- or herself the smallest, and servant of all,” Pope Francis said.
“I expect you to be humble. It is sad to see a bishop and a priest showing off, but it is even sadder to see a deacon wanting to put himself at the centre of the world, or at the centre of the liturgy, or at the centre of the Church. Be humble. Let all the good you do be a secret between you and God. And so it will bear fruit,” he said.
Deacons can also serve the community through their witness as good spouses, fathers, and grandfathers.
“This will give hope and consolation to couples who are going through difficult times and who will find in your genuine simplicity an outstretched hand,” he said.


The pope added: “Doing everything with joy, without complaining; this is a testimony that is worth more than many sermons.”
Deacons can act as “sentinels” for their parish, he said, by helping “to help the Christian community to recognize Jesus in the poor and the distant, as He knocks on our doors through them.”
“Whatever the need, see the Lord. So you, too, recognize the Lord when, in so many of his little brothers and sisters, He asks to be fed, to be welcomed and loved. I would like this to be the profile of the deacons of Rome and of the whole world,” Pope Francis said.
Picture
Picture
@jamesrgoodman, Twitter
Praised be to God!
The Vatican announced that the Ven. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen will be beatified after the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints approved a miracle attributed to his intercession.
The Congregation approved the miracle on July 6. Official beatification dates have not yet been announced.
The MiracleCatholic News Agency reported that the miracle involves the “unexplained recovery of James Fulton Engstrom, a boy born apparently stillborn in September 2010 to Bonnie and Travis Engstrom of the Peoria-area town of Goodfield.
“He showed no signs of life as medical professionals tried to revive him. The child’s mother and father prayed to Archbishop Sheen to heal their son.”
Seven medical experts advising the Vatican Congregation unanimously approved the miracle. The archbishop needs one more approved miracle attributed to his intercession for his canonization.
Sheen’s cause for canonization was postponed for many years due to a legal battle over his burial place.
The remains were recently transferred to the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois (where Sheen also received his priestly ordination), allowing the cause to continue.
Archbishop Sheen was especially recognized for his work in radio and television.From 1930-1950, Sheen hosted The Catholic Hour on NBC night-time radio, which after 20 years, had a weekly listenership of four million viewers.
His show, “Life is Worth Living,” aired on DuMont Television Network (1952-55) and ABC (1955-57), reaching millions of viewers.
His show also won two Emmy Awards for “Most Outstanding Television Personality.”
His competitors for the 1952 award were Lucille Ball, Edward R. Murrow, Arthur Godfrey and Jimmy Durante.
Listen to one of Ven. Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s showsbelow:
https://youtu.be/tAW2I0pTlsw?list=RDtAW2I0pTlsw



His Mother Rejected an Abortion – Now, This Priest Helped Her Meet the PopeBy Elise Harrishttp://www.ewtnnewsonline.com/images/Pope_Francis_Figueridos.jpg


Rome, Italy (EWTN News/CNA) - It was during the thalidomide sleeping pill craze that Sarah Figueiredo became pregnant with her fourth and last child, Anthony.
Developed after the Second World War and found not only to help with sleeplessness but also to alleviate morning sickness for expectant mothers, thalidomide was widely prescribed by doctors across the world to their pregnant patients as a safe drug to use.


Sarah, who was raising her young family in Nairobi at the time, was one of the expectant mothers prescribed the drug.
It wasn’t until 1961 that thalidomide was discovered to cause severe birth defects in babies born to mothers using it. Many of the children were born with a condition called “phocomelia,” which results in shortened, absent or flipper-like limbs. It was taken off the market in 1962.


When the doctors found out that Sarah’s unborn son would be among the children with this disability, they advised her to have an abortion. However, Sarah and her husband,  both devout Catholics,  refused. Sarah believed her son had “a special mission.”


According to her son – now Msgr. Anthony Figueiredo – what his parents told the doctors was that “if God has allowed us to conceive a child, that child will not be wasted. On the contrary, God will have a mission for that child, which they believe very strongly is that I would be a priest.”


Despite his crippled arm, Msgr.  Figueiredo was ordained in 1994 and has vast experience in missionary work and a hefty academic background in theology. He currently  serves as a spiritual director to hundreds of seminarians studying at Rome’s Pontifical North American College, advises cardinals on their writing and speeches, and works closely with the Pope.


He has also met Mother Theresa and was able to work as a personal assistant to St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI for several years.


The priest largely credits his parents and their faith for encouraging his vocation, telling EWTN News that they “never discouraged me from being a priest.”
“With great sacrifice they sent all of us to Catholic schools and now with old age my mother is the happiest woman in the world, one would say, because she has a son who is a priest.”


Sarah, 84, told EWTN News that she and her husband had prayed that one of their three sons would become a priest, and that she knew this prayer would be answered in Tony, as she calls him, because “I dreamt that one day. I had a dream that one of my sons, the last one,” would be ordained. “I (knew) he had mission.”


While there are “a lot of blessings” in having a son who is a priest, one of the biggest came during a trip Sarah made to Rome to visit her son during the June 1-3 Jubilee for Priests.


Msgr. Figueiredo said he had been walking in the Vatican Gardens one day in April when he got a phone call from the Pope himself.


The Pope said that he knew the priest’s mother would be coming to Rome for the Jubilee of Priests, and wanted to meet her. Since he was busy throughout the three-day event, which concluded with a Mass June 3, Francis told Msgr.  Figueiredo that  “I would really like her to come to my home prior to that Mass.”


It was Pope Francis himself, then, who “completely organized everything,” and welcomed both the priest and his mother into his residence at the Vatican’s St. Martha Guesthouse the morning of June 3.


“It was very, very beautiful. He was just like an ordinary parish priest the way he made my mother welcome,” Msgr. Figueiredo said, recalling how Francis spoke about the number of children in their families and the biblical roots of some of their names.


One particularly touching moment for Msgr. Figueiredo was when the Pope told him that he recognized the priest’s mother from a photo he had given him.


“I gave him the photo three years ago,” Msgr. Figueiredo said,  saying it’s  “quite extraordinary that this Pope, who is probably the most photographed man in the world, remembers each person. It’s as if he has them in his heart.”


Pope Francis also administered the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick to Sarah, who has suffered from two strokes in recent years and in 2010 was diagnosed with aggressive, stage 4 breast cancer, but today is cancer-free.


The Pope “took his time, there was no rush, and he was particularly compassionate,” the priest said, noting how when his mother attempted to stand up for the anointing, Francis told her sit down and himself got up.


“I think that’s amazing from a Pope. There’s really no sense of being in authority, he’s really a servant, a servant of the servants of God. We touched that that day in his residence.”


Sarah, who carried the chalice up to the altar during the Mass after their meeting, said to visit the Pope was “a gift from God…I felt very proud that God had chosen me to come to this special occasion.”


After bringing the chalice to the Pope, “he pressed my hand, and he recognized me and he held me tight,” she said, explaining that the experience is something “I will remember all my life and I thank God for that.”


She also thanked her son for helping give her the opportunity to meet the Pope and to receive his blessing. Giving advice to parents who are hoping for a religious vocation among their children, she counselled that “the more you pray the better it is.”


“We need more priests in this world,” she said, noting how she “always prayed” for her son’s vocation. Even at 84, Sarah continues to pray a daily rosary, keeping one under her pillow so that should she wake up during the night, she can pray a decade before going back to sleep.


Msgr. Figueiredo said that to celebrate the Jubilee of Priests alongside his mother “was an enormous sign to me that God is faithful,” especially when someone gives something of their life to him, whether it’s a parent, a child, a type of suffering, or a vocation.


In regards to the “special mission” his mother believed he had, the priest said for him, this mission has entailed showing a special compassion and solidarity with those who suffer.


“I truly believe what St. Paul said: that God’s power is made perfect in weakness,” he said,  voicing his belief that priests “who particularly have a cross can show a certain kind of compassion and mercy to those who are suffering.”


While as a priest “I can preach until the cows come home,” people really start paying attention when they see “that you yourself suffer in your flesh…one immediately connects.”


For Msgr. Figueiredo, this is what Christ did on the Cross: “he suffered on the cross for us, and so when I am going through suffering myself I see that he’s gone there before me and has faith, believing that the Father will bring good even from tragedy.”


“That’s really helped me to stay close to the smell of the sheep, as Pope Francis exhorts us as priests and as every Christian,” he said.



" The Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life. "Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church."
"Also to be observed are the day of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension of Christ, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christi, the feast of Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, the feast of Saint Joseph, the feast of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, and the feast of All Saints."
Catechism of the Catholic Church #2177


 ​
Picture
A bit of humor…
50 Things You'll (probably) Never Hear Catholics Say

1)  Man, I wish this confession line were longer.


2)  Is there really anything to do in Rome?


3)  It's so nice that we are all on the same page about liturgy and music.


4)  Discernment of life and one's vocation is just so easy!


5)  I hope we learn a new version of the Gloria at this Sunday Mass.


6)  Yesterday, while I was doing some Lectio on the Book of Revelation…


7)  Your parents aren’t Catholic?  I think a relic would be the perfect gift.


8)  I don’t have any worries about the future of our medical system conflicting with my personal beliefs.


9)  I’m really confident that I’m using this Breviary correctly. 


10)  Good thing we got to Mass with so much time to spare. 


11)  My prayer time is much more fruitful when I pray on my bed… lying down… with my eyes closed.


12)  Being young and single really helps me blend in at Daily Mass.


13)  Let's study Latin to see what it was like when our grandparents went to Mass. 


14)  I never people-watch during the communion line.


15)  Pope Francis… yeah, I guess he’s okay.

Picture
Novena Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
 
O Most Blessed Mother, heart of love, heart of mercy, ever listening, caring, consoling, hear our prayer. As your children, we implore your intercession with Jesus your Son. Receive with understanding and compassion the petitions we place before you today, especially ...(special intention).
We are comforted in knowing your heart is ever open to those who ask for your prayer. We trust to your gentle care and intercession, those whom we love and who are sick or lonely or hurting. Help all of us, Holy Mother, to bear our burdens in this life until we may share eternal life and peace with God forever.
Amen. (said for 9 days in a row)

 
 SPECIAL PRAYER OF INTERCESSION
TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
O Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Heavenly beauty and splendor of the Father,
You are the most valued Heavenly treasure.
 
New Eve, immaculate in soul, spirit and body,
Created of the godly seed by the Spirit of God,
You are the spiritual Mother of mankind.
 
Pure Virgin, full of grace then and now,
Your whole being was raised Heavenly in full glory,
To be elevated above all the hosts within the Kingdom of God.
 
O Heavenly Mother, Queen of Heaven and earth,
I recognize the glory of your highest title,
The Immaculate Heart of Mary!
 
Loving Mother, dispenser of endless blessings,
You who continuously intercedes on our behalf,
Please present my need before your loving Son Jesus.(In your own words, make your special request here. Do not just mention a word. Speak to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as you would speak to another person, begging your Heavenly Mother to plea to Jesus on your behalf, that you be granted this special request.)
 
O Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I know that you are now presenting my need before Jesus,
For you have never turned away those in dire need.
 
Mother dearest, I await your favorable answer,
Submitting myself to the Divine will of the Lord,
For all glories are His forever and ever. 
 ​
“The finding of Jesus in the temple is the only event that breaks the silence of the Gospels about the hidden years of Jesus. Here Jesus lets us catch a glimpse of the mystery of his total consecration to a mission that flows from his divine sonship: "Did you not know that I must be about my Father's work?" Mary and Joseph did not understand these words, but they accepted them in faith. Mary "kept all these things in her heart" during the years Jesus remained hidden in the silence of an ordinary life.
Catechism of the Catholic Church #534

​
+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sunday, June 20, 2021

The First Reading - Job 38:1, 8-11
The Lord addressed Job out of the storm and said: Who shut within doors the sea, when it burst forth from the womb; when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling bands? When I set limits for it and fastened the bar of its door, and said: Thus far shall you come but no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stilled!
Reflection 
God’s intervention here reflects and emphasizes his role as Creator and sustainer of all things. This reading is a great prelude to our Gospel, reminding us that it is only the Lord that can control nature.
Adults - Do you set aside time in your day to listen for the voice of the Lord? Do you practice intentional silence?
Teens -How can you be more intentional about cultivating silence into your life?
Kids - Spend five minutes each day this week sitting in silence with the Lord.  

Responsorial- Psalm 107:23-24, 25.26, 28-29, 30-31
R.Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting.
They who sailed the sea in ships,
    trading on the deep waters,
These saw the works of the LORD
    and his wonders in the abyss.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting.
His command raised up a storm wind
    which tossed its waves on high.
They mounted up to heaven; they sank to the depths;
    their hearts melted away in their plight.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting.
They cried to the LORD in their distress;
    from their straits he rescued them,
He hushed the storm to a gentle breeze,
    and the billows of the sea were stilled.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting.
They rejoiced that they were calmed,
    and he brought them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his kindness
    and his wondrous deeds to the children of men.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting.
Reflection 
Like the first reading, this Psalm alludes to the power of God as Creator. This Psalm read in light of the Gospel today - the Calming of the Storm - makes it clear that it finds its fulfillment in Christ.  Consider God’s mighty works throughout Salvation History, and throughout your own life. Give thanks for them!

The Second Reading- 2 Corinthians 5:14-17
Brothers and sisters: The love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all;
therefore, all have died. He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves
but for him who for their sake died and was raised. Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer. So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.
Reflection - Saint Paul is describing briefly the effects of Christ’s death; a death which He underwent because of His love for mankind. By its nature, love is mutual; there must be a movement from within and without: that is, of each of the lovers toward each other. The love that Christ has for us works on us interiorly by grace.  -Where have you seen, or do you currently see, grace working in your life?

The Holy Gospel according to Mark 4:35-41
On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us cross to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet!  Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”  
Reflection
In today’s Gospel we find Jesus sleeping amidst the storm. The cry of the Apostles suggests that they think Jesus can help them but is indifferent to their needs. God’s people had approached Him this way at times in the Old Testament too (Ex. 14:10-11, Num. 14:3). Jesus awakens and rebukes the storm, with His own power. He does not pray to God to rebuke it - He does it. In the Old Testament the sea was often viewed as a symbol of chaos and the habitation of evil powers. They also knew that only God could calm it, so Jesus calming the sea is an implicit reference to His divinity. Similarly, the word for “rebuked” used here in the Greek is the same word Jesus uses to exorcise demons. Jesus calls them to a higher faith with His question about their faith, we see that the Apostles are in awe of Him, who can perform the acts of God.  
Adults - Do you feel like Jesus is sleeping amid the storms of your life?  Ask Him, like the Apostles, to make Himself known to you, and to help and guide you.
Teens - Reflect on how God has worked at different times in your life. Cultivating this attitude of awareness and gratitude can help strengthen our faith!
Kids - Repeat this simple prayer each day: Jesus, I Trust in You!

LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! – “If we use these storms or trials of life to come closer to Jesus, to throw ourselves on his mercy, they will serve the purpose for which he permits them. Unfortunately, there are Christians who question not only the goodness of God, but his very existence, when some heavy seas break across their life's barque. "How could God, if he be good," they ask, "allow me to suffer like this, I who have been so faithful? Why should he let me bear all this poverty, all these pains, all this dishonesty of my fellowmen, when a small act of his will could remove it all and make me healthy, happy and prosperous?"
What such a Christian forgets is that God's purpose in creating him was not to make him healthy, happy and prosperous in this life, but to give him a share in his own eternal happiness in heaven. If this life were the end and sum-total of man, if all ended with death, then certainly that complaint would have some foundation. However, our human intelligence, and divine revelation, prove to us conclusively that this life is not an end for man but a means with which to attain his real end, perfect happiness.
Therefore, we must not expect to get from life what it cannot give. Instead, we must use what it gives us, the unpleasant as well as the pleasant, the rain as well as the sunshine, the pain as well as the pleasure, as means which will help us to reach our perfect ending, our eternal dwelling-place in heaven. Too often like the disciples that night in the storm, we think that God has forgotten us, that he is not interested in us when storms break around us. In fact, it is then that he is nearest to us. We think he is sleeping and that all is lost, when he is but using this storm to rekindle our faith, and make us realize that we are pilgrims on our way across this earth and not permanent residents here. -Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.
​
0 Comments

Catholic Good News - The Sacred Heart of Jesus - 6/12/2021

6/12/2021

0 Comments

 
In this e-weekly:

- What are you going to do?  (A bit of humor… [the smiling cat])
- Servants of God: Meet the Two Possible Saints on the USCCB Agenda   (Diocesan News and BEYOND)
- 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Helpful Hints for Life)

Picture
Catholic Good News
​


Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor
 
The Sacred Heart of Jesus


“I also have a heart as well as you.”  Job 12:3
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,


      We recently celebrated the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Here are some of its origins and rich blessings:


 
"And He showed me that it was His great desire of being loved by men and of withdrawing them from the path of ruin into which Satan hurls such crowds of them, that made Him form the design of manifesting His Heart to men, with all the treasures of love, of mercy, of grace, of sanctification and salvation which it contains, in order that those who desire to render Him and procure for Him all the honor and love possible, might themselves be abundantly enriched with those divine treasures of which this Heart is the source.”


 
        These words were spoken by Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque on December 27, 1673, as He appeared to her to make known in a clearer way His immense love of humanity and his desire to save them.  Jesus made known to her and through her to all of humanity His Sacred Heart.  Her own religious superior and fellow nuns were skeptical, but through a cure of a bad illness she had many came to believe.  When her revelations were submitted to theologians for analysis, they were dismissed as delusions.  Jesus sent Blessed Claude de la Colombiere, a holy and experienced Jesuit Priest, as a confessor to the nuns.  Seeing the work of the Lord in St. Margaret Mary he studied, submitted, and distributed the revelations given by Jesus.  As Devotion to the Sacred Heart spread, Pope Clement XIII officially recognized it and approved the Devotion in 1765.
 
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque further wrote:
“He should be honored under the figure of this Heart of flesh, and its image should be exposed...He promised me that wherever this image should be exposed with a view to showing it special honor, He would pour forth His blessings and graces. This devotion was the last effort of His love that He would grant to men in these latter ages, in order to withdraw them from the empire of Satan which He desired to destroy, and thus to introduce them into the sweet liberty of the rule of His love, which He wished to restore in the hearts of all those who should embrace this devotion."..... "The devotion is so pleasing to Him that He can refuse nothing to those who practice it."           


 
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert


P.S.  This coming Sunday is the 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time.  > Readings



P.S.S. Sunday Readings with reflections and questions can be found at end of e-weekly.


Picture
Picture
Picture
Of the many promises Our Lord Jesus Christ did reveal to Saint Margaret Mary in favor of souls devoted to His Sacred Heart the principal ones are as follows:
1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
2. I will give peace in their families.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.
5. I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.
9. I will bless those places wherein the image of 
My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.
10. I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.
11. Persons who propagate this devotion shall 
have their names eternally written in my Heart.
12. In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; 
and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour. 




“Jesus knew and loved us each and all during his life, his agony and his Passion, and gave himself up for each one of us: "The Son of God. . . loved me and gave himself for me." He has loved us all with a human heart. For this reason, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation, "is quite rightly considered the chief sign and symbol of that. . . love with which the divine Redeemer continually loves the eternal Father and all human beings" without exception.”                                 Catechism of the Catholic Church #478

​

Picture
USCCB Website for Your Marriage

http://www.foryourmarriage.org


The U.S. bishops’ conference has set up a website to help prepare, live, heal, and bring your Marriage to heaven.  Full of resources, tools, and encouraging stories.  Is this what God wants to be of help to you?

Picture
Picture

Servants of God: Meet the Two Potential Saints on the USCCB Agenda
Jun 9, 2021

At their virtual meeting next week, the U.S. bishops will vote on the causes for canonization of two Servants of God, both military personnel who risked their own safety to protect the lives of others.
Father Joseph Lafleur and Leonard LaRue - later known as Brother Marinus - have been honored by both civil and religious authorities for their acts of self-sacrifice during wartime. Lafleur sacrificed his life to help other prisoners of war evacuate a sinking ship during World War II. LaRue volunteered his cargo ship to conduct one of the largest single refugee evacuations in history during the Korean War. 
The lives of the two men will be discussed at the June 16-18 meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

Picture
Servant of God Fr. Joseph Lafleur. Official US Army Photo. Public Domain.
Father Joseph Lafleur
Father Joseph Verbis Lafleur was born in Ville Platte, Louisiana on Jan. 24, 1912. He was ordained a priest in 1938 and became a military chaplain a few years later.
Stationed at Clark Field in the Philippines during a Dec. 8, 1941 attack, Lafleur helped rescue those who were wounded and assist the dying. He later became a Japanese prisoner of war (POW) for more than two years. He was known for ministering to those imprisoned with him, both spiritually and materially. He would often give his own food or medicine to those in need.
Lafleur was killed on Sept. 7, 1944 while aboard a Japanese POW vessel that was torpedoed by a U.S. submarine. According to survivors, he was seen helping other prisoners on board evacuate the sinking ship, forgoing his own opportunity to escape.
He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Service Cross. During the award ceremony, U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham praised Lafleur as “the epitome of a good American and a godly man.”
Lafleur’s cause for canonization was opened by Bishop Douglas Deshotel of Lafayette on Sept. 5, 2020.
In his 2017 address at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, Archbishop for the Military Services Timothy Broglio recalled Lafluer as “a man for others right to the end.” 
“He drew on his virtue to care for, protect, and fortify the men imprisoned with him,” Broglio said. “Many survived because he was a man of virtue who gave unstintingly of himself. To speak of the greatness of our Country is to speak of men and women of virtue who gave of themselves for the benefit of all. We build for a new tomorrow when we draw from that wellspring of virtue.”
​
Brother Marinus (Leonard) LaRue
Leonard LaRue was born Jan. 14, 1914 in Philadelphia. He became a U.S. Merchant Marine Captain on the S.S. Meredith Victory, a small freighter bringing supplies to American soldiers in Korea during the Korean War.
While delivering supplies to the port of Hungnam in December 1950, LaRue discovered tens of thousands of frightened Korean refugees packing the city’s docks, seeking to flee the invading Communist troops.
Moved with pity by the sight, LaRue welcomed 14,000 refugees into the cargo holds of the small ship, which was designed to hold only about 60 people. He transported them all safely through enemy waters to a South Korean island, where they arrived on Christmas Day after a nearly 500-mile voyage.
The crew of the S.S. Meredith Victory were given awards by both the South Korean and U.S. governments for the rescue.
In 1954, LaRue entered a Benedictine monastery in Newton, N.J., taking the name Brother Marinus. He lived there until his death in 2001.
LaRue’s cause for canonization was opened by Bishop Arthur Serratelli of Paterson, N.J. on March 25, 2019.

​
Picture
​'Fastest Nun in the West' on path for sainthood
By RUSSELL CONTRERAS


This undated photo provided by the Palace of the Governors shows Sister Blandina Segale, who co-founded the first hospitals and schools in New Mexico and reportedly challenged Billy the Kid. The Archdiocese of Santa Fe is exploring sainthood for the Italian-born nun for her work with the poor, immigrants and Hispanics and Native Americans during the frontier days. (AP Photo/Palace of the Governors)


       
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Archdiocese of Santa Fe announced Wednesday it is exploring sainthood for an Italian-born nun who challenged Billy the Kid, calmed angry mobs and helped open New Mexico territory hospitals and schools.
 
Archbishop Michael Sheehan said he has received permission from the Vatican to open the "Sainthood Cause" for Sister Blandina Segale, an educator and social worker who worked in Ohio, Colorado and New Mexico.
 
It's the first time in New Mexico's 400-year history with the Roman Catholic Church that a decree opening the cause of beatification and canonization has been declared, church officials said.
 
"There are other holy people who have worked here," said Allen Sanchez, president and CEO for CHI St. Joseph's Children in Albuquerque, a social service agency Segale founded. "But this would be a saint (who) started institutions in New Mexico that are still in operation."
 
Segale, a nun with the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, came to Trinidad, Colorado, in 1877 to teach poor children and was later transferred to Santa Fe, where she co-founded public and Catholic schools. During her time in New Mexico, she worked with the poor, the sick and immigrants. She also advocated on behalf of Hispanics and Native Americans who were losing their land to swindlers.
 
Her encounters with Old West outlaws later became the stuff of legend and were the subject of an episode of the CBS series "Death Valley Days." The episode, called "The Fastest Nun in the West," focused on her efforts to save a man from a lynch mob.
 
But her encounters with Billy the Kid remain among her most popular and well-known Western frontier adventures.
 
According to one story, she received a tip that The Kid was coming to her town to scalp the four doctors who had refused to treat his friend's gunshot wound. Segale nursed the friend to health, and when Billy came to Trinidad, Colorado, to thank her, she asked him to abandon his violent plan. He agreed.
 
Another story says The Kid and his gang attempted to rob a covered wagon traveling on the frontier. But when the famous outlaw looked inside, he saw Segale.
 
"He just tipped his hat," said Sheehan, the archbishop. "And left."
 
Many of the tales she wrote in letters to her sister later became the book, "At the End of the Santa Fe Trail."
 
"She was just amazing," said Victoria Marie Forde of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. "It's tough to live up to her example."
 
Segale found St. Joseph's Hospital in Albuquerque before returning to Cincinnati in 1897 to start Santa Maria Institute, which served recent immigrants.
 
Her work resonates today, with poverty, immigration and child care still high-profile issues, Sanchez said.
 
Officials say it could take years — possibly a century — before Segale becomes a saint. The Vatican has to investigate her work and monitor for any related "miracles."
 
Those miracles could come in the form of healings, assistance to recent Central American immigrant children detained at the U.S. border or some other unexplained occurrences after devotees pray to her, Sanchez said.
 
"She's going to have to keep working," Sanchez said. "She's not done."

Pope Francis: To have a dialogue with God we need to make ourselves like a small child.
Pope Francis celebrating Mass at Santa Marta residence

27/06
 
(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis said God is like a gentle father who holds us by the hand and we need to become like a small child to have a dialogue with Him.  This was the focus of his homily during the Mass he celebrated on Friday in the Santa Marta residence.
 
June 27th is the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Pope’s  homily was a reflection on the nature of the love between God and his people.  He described this feast as a celebration of God’s love in Jesus Christ. 
 
“There are two aspects to this love.  First, love is more about giving than receiving.  Second, love is more about actions than words.  When we say it’s more about giving than receiving, that’s because love communicates, it always communicates.  And it’s received by the one who is loved.  And when we say that it’s more about actions than words, that’s because love always generates life and makes us grow.”
 
Pope Francis said that in order to understand  God’s love we need to become small like a child and what God seeks from us is a relationship  like that between a father and child. God gives us a caress and tells us: I’m by your side.
 
“This is the tenderness of our Lord and of His love; this is what He tells us and this gives us the strength to be tender.  But if we feel we’re strong, we’ll never experience those caresses from the Lord, those caresses from Him that are so wonderful.   ‘Don’t be afraid, for I am with you and I’ll hold your hand’… These are all words spoken  by the Lord that help us to understand that mysterious love He has for us.  And when Jesus speaks about Himself, he says: ‘ I am meek and humble of heart.’ Even He, the Son of God, lowers himself to receive his Father’s love.”
 
Pope Francis concluded by homily by noting that God is always there in front of us, waiting for us and urges God to give us the grace to enter into the mysterious world of his love.
 
“When we arrive, He’s there.  When we look for Him, He has already been looking for us.   He is always in front of us, waiting to receive us in His heart, in His love.  And these two things can help us to understand the mystery of God’s love for us.  In order to communicate  this, He needs us to be like small children, to lower ourselves.  And at the same time, He needs our astonishment when we look for Him and find Him there, waiting for us."

 



" The priests, prudent cooperators of the episcopal college and its support and instrument, called to the service of the People of God, constitute, together with their bishop, a unique sacerdotal college (presbyterium) dedicated, it is, true to a variety of distinct duties. In each local assembly of the faithful they represent, in a certain sense, the bishop, with whom they are associated in all trust and generosity; in part they take upon themselves his duties and solicitude and in their daily toils discharge them." priests can exercise their ministry only in dependence on the bishop and in communion with him. The promise of obedience they make to the bishop at the moment of ordination and the kiss of peace from him at the end of the ordination liturgy mean that the bishop considers them his co-workers, his sons, his brothers and his friends, and that they in return owe him love and obedience.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church #1576

​
Picture
A bit of humor…

What are you going to do?


I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.   
I like work. It fascinates me. I sit and look at it for hours.


Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
The sole purpose of a child's middle name, is so he can tell when he's really in trouble.




There was a very gracious lady who was mailing an old family Bible to her brother in another part of the country.  "Is there anything breakable in here?" asked the postal clerk.  "Only the Ten Commandments." answered the lady.
==================================================================
"Somebody has said there are only two kinds of people in the world.
There are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good morning, Lord," and there are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good Lord, it's morning."
==================================================================
A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and couldn't find a space with a meter.  Then he put a note under the windshield wiper that read: "I have circled the block 10 times.  If I don't park here, I'll miss my appointment.  Forgive us our trespasses." When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note "I've circled this block for 10 years.  If I don't give you a ticket I'll lose my job.  Lead us not into temptation."
==================================================================
While driving in Pennsylvania , a family caught up to an Amish carriage.  The owner of the carriage obviously had a sense of humor, because attached to the back of the carriage was a hand printed sign...
"Energy efficient vehicle: Runs on oats and grass.  Caution: Do not step in exhaust."
 ​
Picture
Prayer for Priests

by St. Catherine of Siena
 
I beseech You, direct the hearts and wills of the servants of Your Bride, the Holy Church, unto Yourself so that they may follow the poor, bleeding, humble, and gentle Lamb of God on the way of the Cross.  Make them angels in the shape of men; for after all, they have to administer and distribute the Body and Blood of Your Only Begotten Son!  Amen.

 
  
“Only validly ordained priests can preside at the Eucharist and consecrate the bread and the wine so that they become the Body and Blood of the Lord.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church #1411
 
 ​
+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
11th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Sunday, June 13th, 2021

The First Reading- Ezekiel 17: 22-24          
Thus says the Lord GOD: I, too, will take from the crest of the cedar, from its topmost branches tear off a tender shoot, and plant it on a high and lofty mountain; on the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it. It shall put forth branches and bear fruit, and become a majestic cedar. Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it, every winged thing in the shade of its boughs. And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the LORD, bring low the high tree, lift high the lowly tree, wither up the green tree, and make the withered tree bloom. As I, the LORD, have spoken, so will I do.
Reflection 
 In the first reading, the Prophet Ezekiel speaks for God saying that God will take a tree—a cedar, which is highly valued wood—and from it make a little shoot that will be placed high up on a mountain where it will flourish. High mountains symbolize closeness to God. God will plant his people (us)—who are highly valued by him—close to him, and when they respond by living in deliberate closeness to God, they will flourish and become a refuge for living things. We are called to do the same.
Adults -How has the Lord protected you this week?
Teen - Do you understand yourself to be a valued like the cedar in the first reading? How has God planted you where you can flourish and become a refuge for others?
Kids - Sit quietly and watch a tree. What animals come and go? How does the tree help them? Does it give them food? Shelter? A place to hide from danger? How is the tree similar to the way God takes care of us?

Responsorial- Psalm 92: 2-3, 13-14, 15-16
R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praise to your name, Most High,
To proclaim your kindness at dawn
and your faithfulness throughout the night.
R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
The just one shall flourish like the palm tree,
like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow.
They that are planted in the house of the LORD
shall flourish in the courts of our God.
R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
They shall bear fruit even in old age;
vigorous and sturdy shall they be,
Declaring how just is the LORD,
my rock, in whom there is no wrong.
R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
Reflection 
-Look at what parts of your life our currently flourishing and give thanks to God.  

The Second Reading- 2 Corinthians 5: 6-10
Brothers and sisters: We are always courageous, although we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yet we are courageous, and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord. Therefore, we aspire to please him, whether we are at home or away. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.
Reflection
Paul reminds us that we must walk by faith and not by sight.  To the eye the Eucharist appears to be bread and wine. It is our faith that tells us that we are looking at the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord.  
Take special care at Mass and Adoration to remember that you are standing on holy ground, eye to eye with the Creator of the universe.  

The Holy Gospel according to Mark 4: 26-34
Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and through it all the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.” He said, “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.
Reflection
In the Gospel Jesus tells his disciples about the Kingdom of God. First he talks about a farmer scattering seed and the yield that is produced by the grace of God. This is how we should be—planting seeds of faith, love and charity, and letting God’s Holy Spirit do the growing. The second parable is the familiar mustard seed story. It was the smallest known seed at the time, but grows into a huge plant. It, like the cedar in the first reading, gives refuge to nature, supplies seasoning and even medicine to those who harvest it. This is a reminder to us that even our smallest efforts at sharing the Gospel are multiplied by God. All the good that we do God takes, perfects, and makes more fruitful than we could ever have imagined.
 Adults -Do you plant seeds for God? If so, how and where? How do you see God multiplying your efforts?
Teens  - How does the mustard seed relate to the growth of the Church throughout history?
Kids - Even though you are small, you can do God’s work!  How can you spread God’s love?
LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! – “The tiny mustard seed has grown into a tree but it has yet to gather many more under the shelter of its branches. Christ asks every one of his followers to help him to bring all men into the safety of his kingdom on earth, so that they may be enabled to enjoy happiness forever in his heavenly kingdom. Realizing all that God and his divine Son have done for us, would we be so mean and ungrateful as to refuse to lend a helping hand? God forbid! God has already put us on the right road to heaven; we will help him to get in the stragglers, the lazy, the "couldn't-care-less" ones on that same road, by every means available to us.”  -Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.
​
0 Comments

Catholic Good News - MARIAN CONSECRATION: Mother of the Holy Eucharist - 6/5/2021

6/5/2021

0 Comments

 
In this e-weekly:

-  Link to Worldwide Eucharistic Miracles (Catholic Website of the week-by the laptop computer)
- Dead Sea Scrolls Shed Light on Baptism, the Eucharist, Priesthood, and More (Diocesan News and BEYOND)
- Read the totality of John 6 ("eat my flesh and drink my blood...") of the Holy Bible (Praying Hands)
Picture
Catholic Good News

Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor


MARIAN CONSECRATION
​

[FINAL MATERIAL is at the end]
Mother of the Eucharist
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

      Every person whether they would admit it or not, or recognize it or not, has as their deepest need and desire to be truly loved.  This is not as the world loves, but as God is Love.
 
       The Son, Jesus, left His Father in heaven so that He could come to earth to die for your sins and mine. And then He left His Mother on earth so that He could give us Himself fully Present in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, HIS BODY, HIS BLOOD, HIS SOUL, AND HIS DIVINITY, His whole self in the Holy Eucharist.
 
        And the love at the Holy Mass should not only be coming from one place, namely Jesus.  He, Who is only Love and Mercy, must be able to dwell in us fully as He does in the tabernacle.  He must do this so that you and I are not rushing from the Holy Mass cutting each other off in the parking lot, but that you and I are most desiring to lay down our lives for one another in our families (to our kids and parents, brothers and sisters), in our friendships (those old and those new friends), in our work place (the one we don’t like) and in our schools (to all our classmates).


         Love starts in God’s House with you and me.  So let it begin in our immediate families and our parish families.  Talk to and invite over that family you do not know well in the parish, especially if they sit by you at everyMass.  Visit the sick and home-bound of the parish.  Ask how you can help some family in the parish that is in need or suffering in any way.


   Go now to MARY, Mother of the Eucharist, MARY, who gave us Jesus in the BODY, go to Mary and THANK (Eucharist means “thanksgiving”) God for the gift of the Holy Eucharist and starting living that gift of selfless love in the here and now!!!


Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert



P.S.  This coming Sunday is the Corpus Christi-Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
​>> Readings 



P.S.S.  A past Sunday’s homily can be found in written form below.

For the homily from this past Sunday (it may take a while to load, please be patient): 

>> Listen

Picture
Holy Eucharist (from Old English halig  “whole” + from Latin eucharistia  from the Greek eucharístia  “gratefulness, thanksgiving”= “whole thanksgiving”)
 
-the ritual, sacramental action of thanksgiving to God which constitutes the principal Christian liturgical celebration of and communion in the paschal mystery of Christ [His Passion, Death, and Resurrection]. 
[The liturgical action called the Eucharist is also traditionally known as the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  It is the heart of the seven sacraments of the Church; the Holy Eucharist completes Christian initiation. The Sunday celebration of the Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life.]

The Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life. "Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church." 

"Also to be observed are the day of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension of Christ, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christi, the feast of Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, the feast of Saint Joseph, the feast of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, and the feast of All Saints." Catechism of the Catholic Church #2177
Picture
“Helpful Hints of Life”
​
 CONSECRATION
Recognize Jesus, fully Present in the Holy Eucharist by being Consecrated to Jesus through Mary!

Picture

Eucharistic Miracles

http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/a3.html
 

Having trouble believing that Jesus is fully Present: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Holy Eucharist?  You are not alone.  When someone has doubted, often a Priest, God has often sent a miracle where the Consecrated Host turns into human Flesh or Blood.  Check out this site for more!
Picture
Picture
more_horiz
Picture
By Jonah McKeown
New York City, N.Y., Jun 5, 2021 / 06:01 am
A perpetual adoration chapel slated to open next spring will bring spiritual healing and revitalization to Manhattan, according to a Dominican priest overseeing the project. 
"This is really a project of the Holy Spirit. There's so many times when it's seemed like we're running into snags and they just work themselves out," Fr. Boniface Endorf, a Dominican friar and pastor of St. Joseph's parish in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, told CNA. 
"It's clear the Holy Spirit is a driving force, and I think this will be a spiritual gamechanger for Greenwich Village and the city of New York, to have a place where you can encounter Jesus Christ." 
Manhattan, one of the most densely populated and influential areas of the entire U.S., currently lacks a perpetual adoration chapel. Last year, Timothy Cardinal Dolan of New York asked Fr. Endorf if his parish would be willing to take on the challenge of opening one. 
The new chapel will be constructed in a basement space that the parish is currently using for storage. At present the project is in its last stage of fundraising, with construction set to begin in early fall. The goal is to have the chapel open by Easter 2022. 
Fr. Endorf's catchphrase for the project is "The city that never sleeps deserves a chapel that never closes." 
The location is ideal, Fr. Endorf said, because the area is well-served by public transit. He said St. Joseph parishioners and students from the nearby universities are very excited about the project. 
The neighborhood needs the graces that will come from the chapel, Fr. Endorf said. Greenwich Village is a quieter, more residential neighborhood of Manhattan, but also is known for being artistic and bohemian, and also as a haven for LGBT culture. 
Fr. Endorf said he fully expects the adoration chapel to be a source of grace for vocations among those to visit; to help ordinary Catholics to grow in holiness; to aid in the strengthening of marriages in the neighborhood; and to provide spiritual healing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit New York City early, and especially hard. 
In terms of aesthetics, the parish church itself is neoclassical, and the design of the chapel is somewhat romanesque. The theme for the chapel is Divine Mercy, and it will feature a mosaic of the Divine Mercy image above the monstrance.
The main design element is a large wooden rood screen, a feature born partly out of necessity— the screen protects the monstrance from theft— but which will also serve as a large, visible surface on which to place additional artistry and symbolism. 
The chapel will also have choir stalls to allow the faithful to join in with the Dominicans as they pray the liturgy of the hours throughout the day. To keep worshippers safe, the chapel will be secured through a PIN-based or biometric security system, according to the project website. 
Fr. Endorf said that when the chapel opens they plan to pursue locals who can sign up for an adoration slot. But he also hopes that people from across New York, as well as tourists, will take advantage of the chapel as well.

​
BOOKS |  JUN. 27
Picture

Thomas L. McDonaldJesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls
Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity
By John Bergsma
Image, 2019
272 pages, $25
To order: amazon.com


The mystique of the Dead Sea Scrolls — from their discovery in the Judean desert in the 1940s to the long delay in publishing — has led to outlandish theories that can obscure the genuine reasons for their fascination. They provide the oldest surviving manuscripts of the Old Testament, proving the continuity and stability of the texts, as well as containing some manuscripts created during the lifetime of Jesus. They also illustrate the beliefs and practices of a community of Jews that developed shortly before the birth of Christ, casting new light on Judaism and the early Church. Most intriguingly, particularly for author and Scripture scholar John Bergsma, are the parallels between the Qumran community of Essenes and the ministries of John the Baptist, Jesus and the Church, and the tantalizing suggestions of contact among them.
Bergsma, a professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, lays out all of these issues carefully and cautiously in Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity. He doesn’t make any outrageous or extraordinary claims, nor engage in the flights of fancy that characterize a certain kind of writing on the Scrolls. Instead, he explores the evidence by focusing on five areas where the world of the Essenes can cast light on the roots of Christianity: baptism, the Eucharist, marriage and celibacy, the priesthood, and the Church.
Who exactly were the Essenes? Josephus counts them among the Pharisees and Sadducees as one of the sects of Judaism, known for their more rigorous lifestyles and interpretation of the Law. Like the Pharisees, they believed in the resurrection of the dead, heaven, hell, angels, demons and other aspects of first-century Judaism that would become part of the Jesus movement. To the Essenes, however, the Pharisees were slackers. They objected to the way the Temple was run, practiced demanding ascetics, engaged in more frequent ritual washings, and lived in communities with common goods.
The movement had two levels of followers: those who married and lived according to the Law in various places, and those who remained celibate and followed a proto-monastic lifestyle of work, prayer, study and copying of Scriptures. In a small settlement at Qumran on the Dead Sea, a group of Essenes awaited the coming of two messiahs — one priestly, one kingly — while they collected and produced a diverse library of documents, including copies of Hebrew scripture (both canonical and non-canonical), community rules, prophecy, apocalyptic writings, law, prayers and interpretations. This library, discovered over a span of 10 years, is what comprises the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The value to Christians of these discoveries should be obvious, since they add greatly to our understanding of religion in the period immediately before and after the Incarnation. They show that certain beliefs about the messiah, celibacy, ritual washing, communal memorial meals, and the kingdom of God were not as alien to first-century Judaism as some have suggested.
Bergsma begins with John the Baptist, who seems as though he could spring out of some of the texts found among the scrolls. Writers less cautious than Bergsma have suggested that, in fact, he is directly referenced in the Scrolls. Like the Essenes, his ministry was prophetic, ascetic and celibate, which made it distinct in the milieu of first-century Judaism. John’s ministry in the Judean wilderness was a half-day’s walk from Qumran, and his use of ritual washing done with repentance and humility echoes particular practices of the community. John’s language of repentance finds parallels in scrolls such as the Damascus Documents, where the Essenes are called the “repentant ones of Israel.”
John identifies himself with Isaiah as a “voice crying out in the wilderness,” which is similarly cited in the Community Rule of Qumran. The passage, in fact, drew both John and the Essenes to choose the wild areas as the locus of their work. Both were preparing for the coming of messiahs. Part of joining the Qumran community was a pledge not to take food prepared outside of the community, except for things found in the wild, which may explain John’s peculiar diet of locusts and honey. The scrolls even detail how to prepare locusts for eating. None of this proves that John was an Essene, but it’s certainly suggestive.
Bergsma also explores a kind of sacred meal of bread and wine practiced by the Essenes. We already knew of these second hand from Josephus, but now the scrolls provide primary evidence that men in priestly garments (white linen) performed ritual immersions and then took a meal in which bread and wine was blessed, prayers were said, and lessons read from scripture or community documents. Interestingly, the Scrolls state that the men are to take their seats according to rank, which evokes Luke 22:24, in which the apostles argue over rank.
These points are just a sample of the connections Bergsma outlines as he views the New Testament through the lens of the Scrolls, casting light on issues such as the Eucharist, the date and location of the Last Supper, celibacy and marriage, the organization of the Church, and the priesthood. These are not all new observations, but they’ve never be synthesized this well for a general readership in such a clear and engaging way.
The subtitle is the key to understanding Bergsma’s project: Christianity grew in Jewish soil and has Jewish roots. By illuminating the beliefs and practices found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, we understand that soil and those roots far better. Even if there were no direct connections between Qumran and early Christianity, we can still learn an immense amount about how Christianity took shape, its concerns and forms, from analyzing the scrolls. And while Bergsma doesn’t prove the link between Qumran and Christianity, he amply and convincingly illustrates its plausibility.
Thomas L. McDonald writes from New Jersey.


Picture
Philip Kosloski | Jun 02
Their beliefs were rooted in Jesus' words and the traditions passed down to them from the Apostles.

After almost 2,000 years of Catholic teaching, the Church boldly proclaims in the Catechism, “The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’ ‘The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it'” (CCC 1324).
It is a striking statement, one that shows how much the Church values the Eucharist in the present age. Yet, is this belief something new, introduced during the last few centuries? Or has it been part of the Church’s teachings since the very beginning?

​
As with all essential teachings of the Catholic Church, it is simply a reechoing of the Church’s beliefs throughout the centuries. This is clearly revealed when delving into the writings of the early Christians who lived in the first few centuries after Christ’s death and resurrection.
To help illustrate that point, here is a small selection of quotes from these Christians that detail their beliefs about the Holy Eucharist. After reading these, it becomes clear how the Church has passed on this teaching over the years virtually unchanged.
On the Lord’s own day, assemble in common to break bread and offer thanks; but first confess your sins, so that your sacrifice may be pure. However, no one quarreling with his brother may join your meeting until they are reconciled; your sacrifice must not be defiled. For here we have the saying of the Lord: “In every place and time offer me a pure sacrifice; for I am a mighty King, says the Lord; and my name spreads terror among the nations.” (Didache, c. 90)
For we do not receive these things as common bread or common drink; but as Jesus Christ our Savior being incarnate by God’s Word took flesh and blood for our salvation, so also we have been taught that the food consecrated by the Word of prayer which comes from him, from which our flesh and blood are nourished by transformation, is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus. (St. Justin Martyr, c. 100)
They [Gnostics] abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not admit that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, the flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in His graciousness, raised from the dead. (St. Ignatius of Antioch, c. 110)
[Christ] has declared the cup, a part of creation, to be his own Blood, from which he causes our blood to flow; and the bread, a part of creation, he has established as his own Body, from which he gives increase to our bodies. (St. Irenaeus of Lyons, c. 140)
The Word is everything to a child: both Father and Mother, both Instructor and Nurse. “Eat My Flesh,” He says, “and drink My Blood.” The Lord supplies us with these intimate nutrients. He delivers over His Flesh, and pours out His Blood; and nothing is lacking for the growth of His children. O incredible mystery! (St. Clement of Alexandria, c. 150)

​
Picture
Vatican City, Jun 10 / 11:13 am (EWTN News/CNA) - During his weekly general audience, Pope Francis lauded families for the “hidden heroism” of caring for a sick loved one.

“These are the heroes. This is heroism of the family!” the pontiff said during his Jun. 6 catechesis.

The Pope spoke of men and women who come to work, sleep-deprived after having cared for a sick family member.

“This hidden heroism is done with tenderness and with courage when someone is sick at home,” he said.

The Pope's address, delivered Wednesday to pilgrims in Saint Peter's Square, was the latest in a series of catechesis dedicated to the family. Since late year, the pontiff has been centering his Wednesday addresses on this theme as part of the lead-up to the World Day of Families in September, as well as October’s Synod of Bishops on the Family.

Pope Francis focused his latest address on the particular sufferings experienced when a family member falls ill.

“It is an experience of our fragility which we live mostly in the family, from children, and above all the elderly,” he said.

He added that because of the love we feel for family members and loved ones, we feel their sufferings even more.

This is particularly the case when parents suffer from the illness of a son or daughter, he said.

In many parts of the world, families do not have ready access to hospitals, the pontiff noted. In these cases, the family becomes the “closest hospital,” in that caring for the sick person falls to the parents, grandparents, and siblings.

Pope Francis observed how, in general, families grow in times of sickness. For this reason, he stressed the importance of teaching children from a young age with a sense of solidarity during such times.

“We must educate children to solidarity with the sick so that they are not anesthetized to the sufferings of others, but rather are capable of helping the ill and of living fully each human experience,” the Pope said.

Throughout his catechesis, the Holy Father recounted several scenes from the Gospel in which Jesus heals the sick.

“(Jesus) publicly demonstrates himself as one who fights against illness, and who has come to heal man of every evil: The evil of the spirit and the evil of the body,” he said.

Pope Francis recalled a scene from the Gospel of Mark in which the people brought sick and possessed people to Jesus.

Recalling how the doctors of the law reproved Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, the Pope said: “But the love of Jesus was to give health, and do good.”

The pontiff cited particularly the scene of the man born blind, and the debate over whether he had been deprived of sight because of his sins or his parents' sins. “The Lord clearly said: neither him nor his parents; and thus he manifested in him the work of God, and healed him.”

This is God's glory, and the Church's task, the Pope said: “to always help, console, to lift up, and be close to the sick.”

Pope Francis also emphasized the Church's invitation to continuously pray for those “struck by disease.”

“And we must pray more, be it personally or in community.”

Pope Francis said that the Christian community knows that the family, in times of sickness, is never alone.

“We must thank the Lord for the beautiful experiences of fraternity in the Church which help families through difficult moments of pain and suffering,” he said.

“This Christian closeness, from family to family, is a real treasure for the parish: a treasure of wisdom, which helps families during difficult times and makes them better understand the Kingdom of God.”

“These are God's caresses,” he said. 


Holy Communion augments our union with Christ. The principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist in Holy Communion is an intimate union with Christ Jesus. Indeed, the Lord said: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him." Life in Christ has its foundation in the Eucharistic banquet: "As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me." 
​


On the feasts of the Lord, when the faithful receive the Body of the Son, they proclaim to one another the Good News that the first fruits of life have been given, as when the angel said to Mary Magdalene, "Christ is risen!" Now too are life and resurrection conferred on whoever receives Christ. -Catechism of the Catholic Church #1391

Picture
A bit of humor…


The Point of A Conference Call
A conference call is the best way for a dozen people to say “bye” 300 times.
Liz Hackett On What The ’80s Taught Her
If growing up in the ’80s taught me one thing, it’s that my friends and I should have found a treasure map by now.
 
Some Thoughts
When there's a will, I want to be in it. 
When you don't know what you are doing, do it neatly. 
Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard drive on my computer? 
Who stopped payment on my reality check? 
Why is abbreviation such a long word? 
Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?
You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted then used against you. 
You're just jealous because the voices are talking to me and not you!

​
Picture
1 
After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee (of Tiberias). 
2 
A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. 
3 
Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 
4 
The Jewish feast of Passover was near. 
5 
When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" 
6 
He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. 
7 
Philip answered him, "Two hundred days' wages  worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little (bit)." 
8 
One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, 
9 
"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves  and two fish; but what good are these for so many?" 
10 
Jesus said, "Have the people recline." Now there was a great deal of grass  in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. 
11 
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. 
12 
When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, "Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted." 
13 
So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets  with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. 
14 
When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, "This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world." 
15 
Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone. 
16 
When it was evening, his disciples went down to the sea, 
17 
embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 
18 
The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. 
19 
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. 
20 
But he said to them, "It is I.  Do not be afraid." 
21 
They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading. 
22 
The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat, but only his disciples had left. 
23 
Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread when the Lord gave thanks. 
24 
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 
25 
And when they found him across the sea they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" 
26 
Jesus answered them and said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 
27 
Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal." 
28 
So they said to him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?" 
29 
Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent." 
30 
So they said to him, "What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? 
31 
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" 
32 
So Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 
33 
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 
34 
So they said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always." 
35 
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. 
36 
But I told you that although you have seen (me), you do not believe. 
37 
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, 
38 
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. 
39 
And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it (on) the last day. 
40 
For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him (on) the last day." 
41 
The Jews murmured about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven," 
42 
and they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, 'I have come down from heaven'?" 
43 
Jesus answered and said to them, "Stop murmuring among yourselves. 
44 
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. 
45 
It is written in the prophets: 'They shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. 
46 
Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 
47 
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 
48 
I am the bread of life. 
49 
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; 
50 
this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. 
51 
I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." 
52 
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?" 
53 
Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. 
54 
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. 
55 
For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 
56 
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. 
57 
Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. 
58 
This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever." 
59 
These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. 
60 
Then many of his disciples who were listening said, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?" 
61 
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, "Does this shock you? 
62 
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 
63 
It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 
64 
But there are some of you who do not believe." Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him. 
65 
And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father." 
66 
As a result of this, many (of) his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. [perhaps the saddest line in Sacred Scripture]
67 
Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?" 
68 
Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 
69 
We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God." 
70 
Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you twelve? Yet is not one of you a devil?" 
71 
He was referring to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot; it was he who would betray him, one of the Twelve. 


+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
Solemnity of Corpus Christi-the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ – Sunday, June 6th, 2021
The First Reading- Exodus 24: 3-8          
When Moses came to the people and related all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all answered with one voice, "We will do everything that the LORD has told us." Moses then wrote down all the words of the LORD and, rising early the next day, he erected at the foot of the mountain an altar and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. Then, having sent certain young men of the Israelites to offer holocausts and sacrifice young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD, Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls; the other half he splashed on the altar. Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people, who answered, "All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do." Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words of his."
Reflection 
 In our first reading, we see the Covenant between God and the Israelites being sealed in blood.  There’s a lot of talk about blood in today’s readings! That’s because, from humanity’s earliest days, they knew that life depended on blood. People began to sacrifice animals to try and give some of that gift back to God, and to show our sorrow when we sinned. We don’t sacrifice animals anymore. God told us not to and also made Jesus the sacrifice to end all sacrifices. His blood took away all of our sins and was the perfect gift to God in response to the gift of life that God gives us.
Adults - Reflect this week on the enormity of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, and be especially thankful for that gift this week.  
Teens - Our relationship with God is a covenant. Research the difference between contract and covenant, and reflect on what you find out.
Kids - In this reading Moses built an altar for worship.  Where do you see an altar?
Responsorial- Psalm 116: 12-13, 15-16,  17-18
R.I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
Reflection 
-Pray the name of Jesus as a prayer when you are troubled this week.
The Second Reading- Hebrews 9:11-15
Brothers and sisters: When Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be, passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation, he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer's ashes can sanctify those who are defiled so that their flesh is cleansed, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.  For this reason he is mediator of a new covenant: since a death has taken place for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant, those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.
Reflection
St. Paul tells us in the second reading that Jesus’ sacrifice would “cleanse our consciences from dead works.” That means that Jesus gives us an opportunity to turn away from the things that keep us from living fully, and begin to only do things that bring true life. So, we should remember that God gives us all good things, be grateful for them, and act in ways that show our gratitude.
What actions can you do that will show your gratitude to God?
The Holy Gospel according to Mark 14: 12-16, 22-26
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples said to him, "Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?" He sent two of his disciples and said to them, "Go into the city and a man will meet you, carrying a jar of water. Follow him. Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"' Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there." The disciples then went off, entered the city, and found it just as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover. While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God." Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Reflection
Today we celebrate the gift of Jesus’ body and blood offered to us in the Eucharist. In fact, “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving.” So, we recognize the gift of life that God gives us in general, and the gift of spiritual life that Jesus gives us in the Eucharist, and we are thankful. St. Augustine said that we should “become what we eat.” When we keep the gift of Jesus in our hearts always, we do become Jesus’ presence to other people. After the Last Supper, as we hear in today’s Gospel, Jesus and the Apostles went to the Mount of Olives where Jesus would get arrested. Like the Apostles, we’re supposed to go out into all of the difficult situations in the world, taking Jesus with us.
 Adults - How does the Eucharist help you to take Jesus with you into the difficult situations in your life?
Teens  - Catholics believe that the Eucharist is truly the body and blood (soul and divinity) of Christ. Some of our non-Catholic, Christian friends believe it to be a symbol. How would you explain to your friends what you believe?
Kids - Have you received your first Communion yet? If you did, how does receiving Jesus make you feel? If  you didn’t what are you most looking forward to about it?
LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! – “In the Most Holy Eucharist, Mother Church with steadfast faith acknowledges the Sacrament of redemption, joyfully takes it to herself, celebrates it and reveres it in adoration, proclaiming the death of Christ Jesus and confessing his Resurrection until he comes in glory[2] to hand over, as unconquered Lord and Ruler, eternal Priest and King of the Universe, a kingdom of truth and life to the immense majesty of the Almighty Father.  The Church’s doctrine regarding the Most Holy Eucharist, in which the whole spiritual wealth of the Church is contained - namely Christ, our Paschal Lamb[4] - the Eucharist which is the source and summit of the whole of Christian life, and which lies as a causative force behind the very origins of the Church, has been expounded with thoughtful care and with great authority over the course of the centuries in the writings of the Councils and the Supreme Pontiffs. Most recently, in fact, the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II, in the Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia, set forth afresh certain elements of great importance on this subject in view of the ecclesial circumstances of our times.”




Diane Tomas





 
 
Heavenly Trinity-earthly trinity – Homily outline for Most Holy Trinity Sunday 2007
 
Tremendous Joy to be with you around the altar-table of the Lord on the great Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity!!!
 
The Central Mystery of our Faith. God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; Three Person, One God.   God is a Communion of Persons, a family.  More than this, He is only Love and Mercy.
 
Without God there would be no world, no earthly family, no St. Michael (Barbara).
God is Father so He wants us to be His sons and daughters.
God the Son had a Mother so that we might be His sisters and brothers.
The Holy Spirit remains with us so that He can “guide us to all truth” as Jesus told you and me this morning in the holy Gospel.
 
We cannot fathom this.  Judaism knows of God as merciful, but seemingly distant.  Islam calls God “Master” and would never dare or dream to call Him “Father,” saying that is not of God, but of lowly earth.
 
But God is Father, because the Son Jesus Christ, Eternal Wisdom, the one we heard about in the first reading, has “delight in the human race,” and revealed His Father as OUR FATHER.  More than this, the Holy Spirit has shown God as the heavenly Trinity so that we may have an earthly trinity: Father, Mother, Child.  The family on earth is made in the ‘image and likeness’ of the God of Love.  You are “very good” says Sacred Scripture.
 
And our families are meant to be very good, places to be loved and learn to give life, but some are not and if our family is ever not a reflection of the heavenly Trinity.  Know that you have afamily to which you belong God, your Father, Jesus, your brother, the Holy Spirit your Consoler and Advocate.  
Who will lead us into and help us become part of this heavenly family?  She who is the heart of this family, Mary, Mary!
 
God’s love poured forth from the Father in that He made Mary, His daughter.  The Holy Spirit took Mary as His spouse so that Jesus Christ could be her Son and Mary could be His Mother.  Daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son, Spouse of the Holy Spirit. mary, Mary, MARY!
 
This Holy Mass, this morning we go to Mary, so that we get to know well now, the family with whom we want to spend all eternity: God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!

 
 
MARIAN CONSECRATION
FINAL HANDOUT
 
This is the final installment of Marian Consecration.  The day of Consecration is Saturday June 16th, the feast of Immaculate Heart of Mary.  The below act of Consecration may be made anytime that day. If possible, it should be made at the Holy Mass as will happen at St. Michael at the 5pm.  But if not, it quite suffices to recite the Consecration at any convenient time of day, prepared for by prayer.
 
Please read below for instructions from St. Louis Marie Gringion de Montfort himself:
“231. At the end of these three weeks (we did 5 weeks) they should go to confession and Holy Communion with the intention of consecrating themselves to Jesus through Mary as slaves of love. When receiving Holy Communion they could follow the method given later on. They then recite the act of consecration which is given at the end of this book. If they do not have a printed copy of the act, they should write it out or have it copied and then sign it on the very day they make it. 
232. It would be very becoming if on that day they offered some tribute to Jesus and his Mother, either as a penance for past unfaithfulness to the promises made in baptism or as a sign of their submission to the sovereignty of Jesus and Mary. Such a tribute would be in accordance with each one's ability and fervour and may take the form of fasting, an act of self-denial, the gift of an alms or the offering of a votive candle. If they gave only a pin as a token of their homage, provided it were given with a good heart, it would satisfy Jesus who considers only the good intention.”
So this week:
1) Try to get to Confession. (Examination at end)
2) Try to receive Holy Communion on Profession Day
3) Totally entrust all that you are and have to Mary!
4) Offer Prayer of Consecration on a feast of Mary (Sat) (you may choose either version at end of this)
5) Daily renew this consecration with the words:
“I am all yours and all I have is yours, O dear Jesus, through Mary, your holy Mother."   
(or)
“O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee and all who do not have recourse to thee, especially the enemies of the Church and those recommended to thee. Amen.”
True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort
http://www.ewtn.com/library/Montfort/TRUEDEVO.HTM
 
[Both of the above will be given below in their entirety in the next 5 weeks.]

Final part of True Devotion to Mary
CHAPTER SEVEN - PARTICULAR PRACTICES OF THIS DEVOTION
 1. Exterior Practices 
226. Although this devotion is essentially an interior one, this does not prevent it from having exterior practices which should not be neglected. "These must be done but those not omitted." If properly performed, exterior acts help to foster interior ones. Man is always guided by his senses and such practices remind him of what he has done or should do. Let no worldling or critic intervene to assert that true devotion is essentially in the heart and therefore externals should be avoided as inspiring vanity, or that real devotion should be hidden and private. I answer in the words of our Lord, "Let men see your good works that they may glorify your Father who is in heaven." As St. Gregory says, this does not mean that they should perform external actions to please men or seek praise; that certainly would be vanity. It simply means that we do these things before men only to please and glorify God without worrying about either the contempt or the approval of men.
I shall briefly mention some practices which I call exterior, not because they are performed without inner attention but because they have an exterior element as distinct from those which are purely interior. 
1. Preparation and Consecration 
227. Those who desire to take up this special devotion, (which has not been erected into a confraternity, although this would be desirable), should spend at least twelve days in emptying themselves of the spirit of the world, which is opposed to the spirit of Jesus, as I have recommended in the first part of this preparation for the reign of Jesus Christ. They should then spend three weeks imbuing themselves with the spirit of Jesus through the most Blessed Virgin. Here is a programme they might follow: 
228. During the first week they should offer up all their prayers and acts of devotion to acquire knowledge of themselves and sorrow for their sins.
Let them perform all their actions in a spirit of humility. With this end in view they may, if they wish, meditate on what I have said concerning our corrupted nature, and consider themselves during six days of the week as nothing but sails, slugs, toads, swine, snakes and goats. Or else they may meditate on the following three considerations of St. Bernard: "Remember what you were - corrupted seed; what you are - a body destined for decay; what you will be -food for worms."
They will ask our Lord and the Holy Spirit to enlighten them saying, "Lord, that I may see," or "Lord, let me know myself," or the "Come, Holy Spirit". Every day they should say the Litany of the Holy Spirit, with the prayer that follows, as indicated in the first part of this work. They will turn to our Blessed Lady and beg her to obtain for them that great grace which is the foundation of all others, the grace of self-knowledge. For this intention they will say each day the Ave Maris Stella  and the Litany of the Blessed Virgin. 
229. Each day of the second week they should endeavour in all their prayers and works to acquire an understanding of the Blessed Virgin and ask the Holy Spirit for this grace. They may read and meditate upon what we have already said about her. They should recite daily the Litany of the Holy Spirit and the Ave Maris Stella  as during the first week. In addition they will say at least five decades of the Rosary for greater understanding of Mary. 
230. During the third week they should seek to understand Jesus Christ better. They may read and meditate on what we have already said about him. They may say the prayer of St. Augustine which they will find at the beginning of the second part of this book. Again with St. Augustine, they may pray repeatedly, "Lord, that I may know you," or "Lord, that I may see." As during the previous week, they should recite the Litany of the Holy Spirit and the Ave Maris Stella, adding every day the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus. 
231. At the end of these three weeks they should go to confession and Holy Communion with the intention of consecrating themselves to Jesus through Mary as slaves of love. When receiving Holy Communion they could follow the method given later on. They then recite the act of consecration which is given at the end of this book. If they do not have a printed copy of the act, they should write it out or have it copied and then sign it on the very day they make it. 
232. It would be very becoming if on that day they offered some tribute to Jesus and his Mother, either as a penance for past unfaithfulness to the promises made in baptism or as a sign of their submission to the sovereignty of Jesus and Mary. Such a tribute would be in accordance with each one's ability and fervour and may take the form of fasting, an act of self-denial, the gift of an alms or the offering of a votive candle. If they gave only a pin as a token of their homage, provided it were given with a good heart, it would satisfy Jesus who considers only the good intention. 
233. Every year at least, on the same date, they should renew the consecration following the same exercises for three weeks. They might also renew it every month or even every day by saying this short prayer: "I am all yours and all I have is yours, O dear Jesus, through Mary, your holy Mother." 
2. The Little Crown of the Blessed Virgin 
234. If it is not too inconvenient, they should recite every day of their lives the Little Crown of the Blessed Virgin, which is composed of three Our Fathers and twelve Hail Marys in honour of the twelve glorious privileges of Mary. This prayer is very old and is based on Holy Scripture. St. John saw in a vision a woman crowned with twelve stars, clothed with the sun and standing upon the moon. According to biblical commentators, this woman is the Blessed Virgin. 
235. There are several ways of saying the Little Crown but it would take too long to explain them here. The Holy Spirit will teach them to those who live this devotion conscientiously. However, here is a simple way to recite it. As an introduction say:" Virgin most holy, accept my praise; give me strength to fight your foes", then say the Creed. Next, say the following sequence of prayers three times: one Our Father, four Hail Marys and one Glory be to the Father. In conclusion say the prayer Sub tuum - "We fly to thy patronage".  
3. The Wearing of Little Chains 
236. It is very praiseworthy and helpful for those who have become slaves of Jesus in Mary to wear, in token of their slavery of love, a little chain blessed with a special blessing.
It is perfectly true, these external tokens are not essential and may very well be dispensed with by those who have made this consecration. Nevertheless, I cannot help but give the warmest approval to those who wear them. They show they have shaken off the shameful chains of the slavery of the devil, in which original sin and perhaps actual sin had bound them, and have willingly taken upon themselves the glorious slavery of Jesus Christ. Like St. Paul, they glory in the chains they wear for Christ. For though these chains are made only of iron they are far more glorious and precious than all the gold ornaments worn by monarchs. 
237. At one time, nothing was considered more contemptible than the Cross. Now this sacred wood has become the most glorious symbol of the 
Christian faith. Similarly, nothing was more ignoble in the sight of the ancients, and even today nothing is more degrading among unbelievers than the chains of Jesus Christ. But among Christians nothing is more glorious than these chains, because by them Christians are liberated and kept free from the ignoble shackles of sin and the devil. Thus set free, we are bound to Jesus and Mary not by compulsion and force like galley-slaves, but by charity and love as children are to their parents. "I shall draw them to me by chains of love" said God Most High speaking through the prophet. Consequently, these chains are as strong as death, and in a way stronger than death, for those who wear them faithfully till the end of their life. For though death destroys and corrupts their body, it will not destroy the chains of their slavery, since these, being of metal, will not easily corrupt. It may be that on the day of their resurrection, that momentous day of final judgment, these chains, still clinging to their bones, will contribute to their glorification and be transformed into chains of light and splendour. Happy then, a thousand times happy, are the illustrious slaves of Jesus in Mary who bear their chains even to the grave. 
238. Here are the reasons for wearing these chains:
  (a) They remind a Christian of the promises of his baptism and the perfect renewal of these commitments made in his consecration. They remind him of his strict obligation to adhere faithfully to them. A man's actions are prompted more frequently by his senses than by pure faith and so he can easily forget his duties towards God if he has no external reminder of them. These little chains are a wonderful aid in recalling the bonds of sin and the slavery of the devil from which baptism has freed him. At the same time, they remind him of the dependence on Jesus promised at baptism and ratified when by consecration he renewed these promises. Why is it that so many Christians do not think of their baptismal vows and behave with as much licence as unbelievers who have promised nothing to God? One explanation is that they do not wear external sign to remind them of these vows. 
239. (b) These chains prove they are not ashamed of being the servants and slaves of Jesus and that they reject the deadly bondage of the world, of sin and of the devil.
  (c) They are a guarantee and protection against enslavement by sin and the devil. For we must of necessity choose to wear either the chains of sin and damnation or the chains of love and salvation. 
240. Dear friend, break the chains of sin and of sinners, of the world and the worldly, of the devil and his satellites. "Cast their yoke of death far from us." To use the words of the Holy Spirit, let us put our feet into his glorious shackles and our neck into his chains. Let us bow down our shoulders in submission to the yoke of Wisdom incarnate, Jesus Christ, and let us not be upset by the burden of his chains. Notice how before saying these words the Holy Spirit prepares us to accept his serious advice, "Hearken, my son," he says, "receive a counsel of understanding and do not spurn this counsel of mine." 
241. Allow me here, my dear friend, to join the Holy Spirit in giving you the same counsel, "These chains are the chains of salvation". As our Lord on the cross draws all men to himself, whether they will it or not, he will draw sinners by the fetters of their sins and submit them like galley-slaves and devils to his eternal anger and avenging justice. But he will draw the just, especially in these latter days, by the chains of love. 
242. These loving slaves of Christ may wear their chains around the neck, on their arms, round the waist or round the ankles. Fr. Vincent Caraffa, seventh General of the Society of Jesus, who died a holy death in 1643, carried an iron band round his ankles as a symbol of his holy servitude and he used to say that his greatest regret was that he could not drag a chain around in public. Mother Agnes of Jesus, of whom we have already spoken, wore a chain around her waist. Others have worn it round the neck, in atonement for the pearl necklaces they wore in the world. Others have worn chains round their arms to remind them, as they worked with their hands, that they are the slaves of Jesus. 
4. Honouring the mystery of the Incarnation 
243. Loving slaves of Jesus in Mary should hold in high esteem devotion to Jesus, the Word of God, in the great mystery of the Incarnation, March 25th, which is the mystery proper to this devotion, because it was inspired by the Holy Spirit for the following reasons:
  (a) That we might honour and imitate the wondrous dependence which God the Son chose to have on Mary, for the glory of his Father and for the redemption of man. This dependence is revealed especially in this mystery where Jesus becomes a captive and slave in the womb of his Blessed Mother, depending on her for everything.
  (b) That we might thank God for the incomparable graces he has conferred upon Mary and especially that of choosing her to be his most worthy Mother. This choice was made in the mystery of the Incarnation. These are the two principal ends of the slavery of Jesus in Mary.  
244. Please note that I usually say "slave of Jesus in Mary", "slavery of Jesus in Mary". We might indeed say, as some have already been saying, "slave of Mary", "slavery of Mary". But I think it preferable to say, "slave of Jesus in Mary". This is the opinion of Fr. Tronson, Superior General of the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice, a man renowned for his exceptional prudence and remarkable holiness. He gave this advice when consulted upon this subject by a priest. 
Here are the reasons for it: 
245. (a) Since we live in an age of pride when a great number of haughty scholars, with proud and critical minds, find fault even with long-established and sound devotions, it is better to speak of "slavery of Jesus in Mary" and to call oneself "slave of Jesus" rather than "slave of Mary". We then avoid giving any pretext for criticism. In this way, we name this devotion after its ultimate end which is Jesus, rather than after the way and the means to arrive there, which is Mary. However, we can very well use either term without any scruple, as I myself do. If a man goes from Orleans to Tours, by way of Amboise, he can quite truthfully say that he is going to Amboise and equally truthfully say that he is going to Tours. The only difference is that Amboise is simply a place on the direct road to Tours, and Tours alone is his final destination. 
246. (b) Since the principal mystery celebrated and honoured in this devotion is the mystery of the Incarnation where we find Jesus only in Mary, having become incarnate in her womb, it is appropriate for us to say, "slavery of Jesus in Mary", of Jesus dwelling enthroned in Mary, according to the beautiful, prayer, recited by so many great souls, "O Jesus living in Mary". 
247. (c) These expressions show more clearly the intimate union existing between Jesus and Mary.  So closely are they united that one is wholly the other. Jesus is all in Mary and Mary is all in Jesus. Or rather, it is no longer she who lives, but Jesus alone who lives in her. It would be easier to separate light from the sun than Mary from Jesus. So united are they that our Lord may be called, "Jesus of Mary", and his Mother "Mary of Jesus". 
248. Time does not permit me to linger here and elaborate on the perfections and wonders of the mystery of Jesus living and reigning in Mary, or the Incarnation of the Word. I shall confine myself to the following brief remarks. The Incarnation is the first mystery of Jesus Christ; it is the most hidden; and it is the most exalted and the least known.
It was in this mystery that Jesus, in the womb of Mary and with her co- operation, chose all the elect. For this reason the saints called her womb, the throne-room of God's mysteries.
It was in this mystery that Jesus anticipated all subsequent mysteries of his life by his willing acceptance of them. Consequently, this mystery is a summary of all his mysteries since it contains the intention and the grace of them all.
Lastly, this mystery is the seat of the mercy, the liberality, and the glory of God. It is the seat of his mercy for us, since we can approach and speak to Jesus through Mary. We need her intervention to see or speak to him. Here, ever responsive to the prayer of his Mother, Jesus unfailingly grants grace and mercy to all poor sinners. "Let us come boldly before the throne of grace."
It is the seat of liberality for Mary, because while the new Adam dwelt in this truly earthly paradise God performed there so many hidden marvels beyond the understanding of men and angels. For this reason, the saints call Mary "the magnificence of God", as if God showed his magnificence only in Mary.
It is the seat of glory for his Father, because it was in Mary that Jesus perfectly atoned to his Father on behalf of mankind. It was here that he perfectly restored the glory that sin had taken from his Father. It was here again that our Lord, by the sacrifice of himself and of his will, gave more glory to God than he would have given had he offered all the sacrifices of the Old Law. Finally, in Mary he gave his Father infinite glory, such as his Father had never received from man. 
5. Saying the Hail Mary and the Rosary 
249. Those who accept this devotion should have a great love for the Hail Mary, or, as it is called, the Angelic Salutation.
Few Christians, however enlightened, understand the value, merit, excellence and necessity of the Hail Mary. Our Blessed Lady herself had to appear on several occasions to men of great holiness and insight, such as St. Dominic, St. John Capistran and Blessed Alan de Rupe, to convince them of the richness of this prayer.
They composed whole books on the wonders it had worked and its efficacy in converting sinners. They earnestly proclaimed and publicly preached that just as the salvation of the world began with the Hail Mary, so the salvation of each individual is bound up with it. This prayer, they said, brought to a dry and barren world the Fruit of Life, and if well said, will cause the Word of God to take root in the soul and bring forth Jesus, the Fruit of Life. They also tell us that the Hail Mary is a heavenly dew which waters the earth of our soul and makes it bear fruit in due season. The soul which is not watered by this heavenly dew bears no fruit but only thorns and briars, and merits only God's condemnation. 
250. Here is what our Blessed Lady revealed to Blessed Alan de Rupe as recorded in his book, The Dignity of the Rosary,  and as told again by Cartagena: "Know, my son, and make it known to all, that lukewarmness or negligence in saying the Hail Mary, or a distaste for it, is a probable and proximate sign of eternal damnation, for by this prayer the whole world was restored."
These are terrible words but at the same time they are consoling. We should find it hard to believe them, were we not assured of their truth by Blessed Alan and by St. Dominic before him, and by so many great men since his time. The experience of many centuries is there to prove it, for it has always been common knowledge that those who bear the sign of reprobation, as all formal heretics, evil-doers, the proud and the worldly, hate and spurn the Hail Mary and the Rosary. True, heretics learn to say the Our Father but they will not countenance the Hail Mary and the Rosary and they would rather carry a snake around with them than a rosary. And there are even Catholics who, sharing the proud tendencies of their father Lucifer, despise the Hail Mary or look upon it with indifference. The Rosary, they say, is a devotion suitable only for ignorant and illiterate people.
On the other hand, we know from experience that those who show positive signs of being among the elect, appreciate and love the Hail Mary and are always glad to say it. The closer they are to God, the more they love this prayer, as our Blessed Lady went on to tell Blessed Alan. 
251. I do not know how this should be, but it is perfectly true; and I know no surer way of discovering whether a person belongs to God than by finding out if he loves the Hail Mary and the Rosary. I say, "if he loves", for it can happen that a person for some reason may be unable to say the Rosary, but this does not prevent him from loving it and inspiring others to say it. 
252. Chosen souls, slaves of Jesus in Mary, understand that after the Our Father, the Hail Mary is the most beautiful of all prayers. It is the perfect compliment the most High God paid to Mary through his archangel in order to win her heart. So powerful was the effect of this greeting upon her, on account of its hidden delights, that despite her great humility, she gave her consent to the incarnation of the Word. If you say the Hail Mary properly, this compliment will infallibly earn you Mary's good will. 
253. When the Hail Mary is well said, that is, with attention, devotion and humility, it is, according to the saints, the enemy of Satan, putting him to flight; it is the hammer that crushes him, a source of holiness for souls, a joy to the angels and a sweet melody for the devout. It is the Canticle of the New Testament, a delight for Mary and glory for the most Blessed Trinity. The Hail Mary is dew falling from heaven to make the soul fruitful. It is a pure kiss of love we give to Mary. It is a crimson rose, a precious pearl that we offer to her. It is a cup of ambrosia, a divine nectar that we offer her. These are comparisons made by the saints. 
254. I earnestly beg of you, then, by the love I bear you in Jesus and Mary, not to be content with saying the Little Crown of the Blessed Virgin, but say the Rosary too, and if time permits, all its fifteen decades, every day. Then when death draws near, you will bless the day and hour when you took to heart what I told you, for having sown the blessings of Jesus and Mary, you will reap the eternal blessings in heaven. 
6. Praying the Magnificat 
255. To thank God for the graces he has given to our Lady, her consecrated ones will frequently say the Magnificat, following the example of Blessed Marie d'Oignies and several other saints. The Magnificat  is the only prayer we have which was composed by our Lady, or rather, composed by Jesus in her, for it was he who spoke through her lips. It is the greatest offering of praise that God ever received under the law of grace. On the one hand, it is the most humble hymn of thanksgiving and, on the other, it is the most sublime and exalted. Contained in it are mysteries so great and so hidden that even the angels do not understand them.
Gerson, a pious and learned scholar, spent the greater part of his life writing tracts full of erudition and love on the most profound subjects. Even so, it was with apprehension that he undertook towards the end of his life to write a commentary on the Magnificat  which was the crowning point of all his works. In a large volume on the subject he says many wonderful things about this beautiful and divine canticle. Among other things he tells us that Mary herself frequently recited it, especially at thanksgiving after Holy Communion.  The learned Benzonius, in his commentary on the Magnificat, cites several miracles worked through the power of this prayer. The devils, he declare, take to flight when they hear these words, "He puts forth his arm in strength and scatters the proud-hearted". 
7. Contempt of the world 
256. Mary's faithful servants despise this corrupted world. They should hate and shun its allurements, and follow the exercises of the contempt of the world which we have given in the first part of this treatise. 
8.  Special interior practices for those who wish to be perfect 
257. The exterior practices of this devotion which I have just dealt with should be observed as far as one's circumstances and state of life permit. They should not be omitted through negligence or deliberate disregard. In addition to them, here are some very sanctifying interior practices for those souls who feel called by the Holy Spirit to a high degree of perfection. They may be expressed in four words, doing everything through Mary, with Mary, in Mary, and for Mary, in order to do it more perfectly through Jesus, with Jesus, in Jesus, and for Jesus. 
Through Mary 
258. We must do everything through Mary, that is, we must obey her always and be led in all things by her spirit, which is the Holy Spirit of God.  "Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God," says St. Paul. Those who are led by the spirit of Mary are children of Mary, and, consequently children of God, as we have already shown. Among the many servants of Mary only those who are truly and faithfully devoted to her are led by her spirit.
I have said that the spirit of Mary is the spirit of God because she was never led by her own spirit,, but always by the spirit of God, who made himself master of her to such an extent that he became her very spirit. That is why St. Ambrose says, "May the soul of Mary be in each one of us to glorify the Lord. May the spirit of Mary be in each one of us to rejoice in God." Happy is the man who follows the example of the good Jesuit Brother Rodriguez, who died a holy death, because he will be completely possessed and governed by the spirit of Mary, a spirit which is gentle yet strong, zealous yet prudent, humble yet courageous, pure yet fruitful. 
259. The person who wishes to be led by this spirit of Mary:
  1) Should renounce his own spirit, his own views and his own will before doing anything, for example, before making meditation, celebrating or attending Mass, before Communion. For the darkness of our own spirit and the evil tendencies of our own will and actions, good as they may seem to us, would hinder the holy spirit of Mary were we to follow them.
  2) We should give ourselves up to the spirit of Mary to be moved and directed as she wishes. We should place and leave ourselves in her virginal hands, like a tool in the hands of a craftsman or a lute in the hands of a good musician. We should cast ourselves into her like a stone thrown into the sea. This is done easily and quickly by a mere thought, a slight movement of the will or just a few words as, "I renounce myself and give myself to you, my dear Mother." And even if we do not experience any emotional fervour in this spiritual encounter it is none the less real. It is just as if a person with equal sincerity were to say - which God forbid! - "I give myself to the devil." Even though this were said without feeling any emotion, he would no less really belong to the devil.    
  3) From time to time during an action and after it, we should renew this same act of offering and of union. The more we do so, the quicker we shall grow in holiness and the sooner we shall reach union with Christ, which necessarily follows upon union with Mary, since the spirit of Mary is the spirit of Jesus. 
With Mary 
260. We must do everything with Mary, that is to say, in all our actions we must look upon Mary, although a simple human being, as the perfect model of every virtue and perfection, fashioned by the Holy Spirit for us to imitate, as far as our limited capacity allows. In every action then we should consider how Mary performed it or how she would perform it if she were in our place. For this reason, we must examine and meditate on the great virtues she practised during her life, especially:
  1) Her lively faith, by which she believed the angel's word without the least hesitation, and believed faithfully and constantly even to the foot of the Cross on Calvary.
2) Her deep humility, which made her prefer seclusion, maintain silence, submit to every eventuality and put herself in the last place.
  3) Her truly divine purity, which never had and never will have its equal on this side of heaven.
And so on for her other virtues.
Remember what I told you before, that Mary is the great, unique mould of God, designed to make living images of God at little expense and in a short time. Anyone who finds this mould and casts himself into it, is soon transformed into our Lord because it is the true likeness of him. 
In Mary 
261. We must do everything in Mary. To understand this we must realise that the Blessed Virgin is the true earthly paradise of the new Adam and that the ancient paradise was only a symbol of her. There are in this earthly paradise untold riches, beauties, rarities and delights, which the new Adam, Jesus Christ, has left there. It is in this paradise that he "took his delights" for nine months, worked his wonders and displayed his riches with the magnificence of God himself. This most holy place consists of only virgin and immaculate soil from which the new Adam was formed with neither spot nor stain by the operation of the Holy Spirit who dwells there. In this earthly paradise grows the real Tree of Life which bore our Lord, the fruit of Life, the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which bore the Light of the world.
In this divine place there are trees planted by the hand of God and watered by his divine unction which have borne and continue to bear fruit that is pleasing to him. There are flower-beds studded with a variety of beautiful flowers of virtue, diffusing a fragrance which delights even the angels. Here there are meadows verdant with hope, impregnable towers of fortitude, enchanting mansions of confidence and many other delights.
Only the Holy Spirit can teach us the truths that these material objects symbolise. In this place the air is perfectly pure. There is no night but only the brilliant day of the sacred humanity, the resplendent, spotless sun of the Divinity, the blazing furnace of love, melting all the base metal thrown into it and changing it into gold. There the river of humility gushes forth from the soil, divides into four branches and irrigates the whole of this enchanted place. These branches are the four cardinal virtues. 
262. The Holy Spirit speaking through the Fathers of the Church, also calls our Lady the Eastern Gate, through which the High Priest, Jesus Christ, enters and goes out into the world. Through this gate he entered the world the first time and through this same gate he will come the second time.
The Holy Spirit also calls her the Sanctuary of the Divinity, the Resting-Place of the Holy Spirit, the Throne of God, the City of God, the Altar of God, the Temple of God, the World of God. All these titles and expressions of praise are very real when related to the different wonders the Almighty worked in her and the graces which he bestowed on her. What wealth and what glory! What a joy and a privilege for us to enter and dwell in Mary, in whom almighty God has set up the throne of his supreme glory! 
263. But how difficult it is for us to have the freedom, the ability and the light to enter such an exalted and holy place. This place is guarded not by a cherub, like the first earthly paradise, but by the Holy Spirit himself who has become its absolute Master. Referring to her, he says: "You are an enclosed garden, my sister, my bride, an enclosed garden and a sealed fountain." Mary is enclosed. Mary is sealed. The unfortunate children of Adam and Eve driven from the earthly paradise, can enter this new paradise only by a special grace of the Holy Spirit which they have to merit. 
264. When we have obtained this remarkable grace by our fidelity, we should be delighted to remain in Mary. We should rest there peacefully, rely on her confidently, hide ourselves there with safety, and abandon ourselves unconditionally to her, so that within her virginal bosom:
  1) We may be nourished with the milk of her grace and her motherly compassion.
  2) We may be delivered from all anxiety, fear and scruples.
  3) We may be safeguarded from all our enemies, the devil, the world and sin which have never gained admittance there. That is why our Lady says that those who work in her will not sin, that is, those who dwell spiritually in our Lady will never commit serious sin.
  4) We may be formed in our Lord and our Lord formed in us, because her womb is, as the early Fathers call it, the house of the divine secrets where Jesus and all the elect have been conceived. "This one and that one were born in her." 
For Mary 265. Finally, we must do everything for Mary. Since we have given ourselves completely to her service, it is only right that we should do everything for her as if we were her personal servant and slave. This does not mean that we take her for the ultimate end of our service for Jesus alone is our ultimate end. But we take Mary for our proximate end, our mysterious intermediary and the easiest way of reaching him.
Like every good servant and slave we must not remain idle, but, relying on her protection, we should undertake and carry out great things for our noble Queen. We must defend her privileges when they are questioned and uphold her good name when it is under attack. We must attract everyone, if possible, to her service and to this true and sound devotion. We must speak up and denounce those who distort devotion to her by outraging her Son, and at the same time we must apply ourselves to spreading this true devotion. As a reward for these little services, we should expect nothing in return save the honour of belonging to such a lovable Queen and the joy of being united through her to Jesus, her Son, by a bond that is indissoluble in time and in eternity. Glory to Jesus in Mary! Glory to Mary in Jesus! Glory to God alone! 
SUPPLEMENT - THIS DEVOTION AT HOLY COMMUNION
Before Holy Communion266. 1) Place yourself humbly in the presence of God.
  2) Renounce your corrupt nature and dispositions, no matter how good self-love makes them appear to you.
  3) Renew your consecration saying, "I belong entirely to you, dear Mother, and all that I have is yours."
  4) Implore Mary to lend you her heart so that you may receive her Son with her dispositions. Remind her that her Son's glory requires that he should not come into a heart so sullied and fickle as your own, which could not fail to diminish his glory and might cause him to leave. Tell her that if she will take up her abode in you to receive her Son - which she can do because of the sovereignty she has over all hearts - he will be received by her in a perfect manner without danger of being affronted or being forced to depart.  "God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved."  
Tell her with confidence that all you have given her of your possessions is little enough to honour her, but that in Holy Communion you wish to give her the same gifts as the eternal Father gave her. Thus she will feel more honoured than if you gave her all the wealth in the world. Tell her, finally, that Jesus, whose love for her is unique, still wishes to take his delight and his repose in her even in your soul, even though it is poorer and less clean than the stable which he readily entered because she was there. Beg her to lend you her heart, saying, "O Mary, I take you for my all; give me your heart." 
During Holy Communion 267. After the Our Father, when you are about to receive our Lord, say to him three times the prayer, "Lord, I am not worthy." Say it the first time as if you were telling the eternal Father that because of your evil thoughts and your ingratitude to such a good Father, you are unworthy to receive his only-begotten Son, but that here is Mary, his handmaid, who acts for you and whose presence gives you a special confidence and hope in him. 
268. Say to God the Son, "Lord, I am not worthy", meaning that you are not worthy to receive him because of your useless and evil words and your carelessness in his service, but nevertheless you ask him to have pity on you because you are going to usher him into the house of his Mother and yours, and you will not let him go until he has made it his home. Implore him to rise and come to the place of his repose and the ark of his sanctification. Tell him that you have no faith in your own merits, strength and preparedness, like Esau, but only in Mary, your Mother, just as Jacob had trust in Rebecca his mother. Tell him that although you are a great sinner you still presume to approach him, supported by his holy Mother and adorned with her merits and virtues. 
269. Say to the Holy Spirit, "Lord, I am not worthy". Tell him that you are not worthy to receive the masterpiece of his love because of your luke-warmness, wickedness and resistance to his inspirations. But, nonetheless, you put all your confidence in Mary, his faithful Spouse, and say with St. Bernard, "She is my greatest safeguard, the whole foundation of my hope." Beg him to overshadow Mary, his inseparable Spouse, once again. Her womb is as pure and her heart as ardent as ever. Tell him that if he does not enter your soul neither Jesus nor Mary will be formed there nor will it be a worthy dwelling for them. 
After Holy Communion 270. After Holy Communion, close your eyes and recollect yourself. Then usher Jesus into the heart of Mary: you are giving him to his Mother who will receive him with great love and give him the place of honour, adore him profoundly, show him perfect love, embrace him intimately in spirit and in truth, and perform many offices for him of which we, in our ignorance, would know nothing. 
271. Or, maintain a profoundly humble heart in the presence of Jesus dwelling in Mary. Or be in attendance like a slave at the gate of the royal palace, where the King is speaking with the Queen. While they are talking to each other, with no need of you, go in spirit to heaven and to the whole world, and call upon all creatures to thank, adore and love Jesus and Mary for you. "Come, let us adore." 
272. Or, ask Jesus living in Mary that his kingdom may come upon earth through his holy Mother. Ask for divine Wisdom, divine love, the forgiveness of your sins, or any other grace, but always through Mary and in Mary. Cast a look of reproach upon yourself and say, "Lord, do not look at my sins, let your eyes see nothing in me but the virtues and merits of Mary.  "Remembering your sins, you may add, "I am my own worst enemy and I am guilty of all these sins." Or, "Deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man." Or again, "Dear Jesus, you must increase in my soul and I must decrease." "Mary, you must increase in me and I must always go on decreasing."  "O Jesus and Mary, increase in me and increase in others around me." 
273. There are innumerable other thoughts with which the Holy Spirit will inspire you, which he will make yours if you are thoroughly recollected and mortified, and constantly faithful to the great and sublime devotion which I have been teaching you. But remember, the more you let Mary act in your Communion the more Jesus will be glorified. The more you humble yourself and listen to Jesus and Mary in peace and silence - with no desire to see, taste or feel - then the more freedom you will give to Mary to act in Jesus' name and the more Jesus will act in Mary. For the just man lives everywhere by faith, but especially in Holy Communion, which is an action of faith.
 

Guide for Examination of Conscience for Confession of Sins FOR ADULTS
 
6 STEPS FOR A GOOD CONFESSION
1)  Examine your conscience - what sins have you committed since your last good confession.
2)  Be sincerely sorry for your sins.
3)  Confess your sins to the priest.
4)  Make certain that you confess all your mortal sins and the number of them.
5)  After your confession, do the penance the priest gives to you.
6)  Pray daily for the strength to avoid the occasion of sin, especially for those sins you were just absolved from.
 

ACT OF CONTRITION
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell, but most of all because they offend You, my God, Who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.
Amen. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FIRST COMMANDMENT
"I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before Me." (Ex 20:2,3)
 
Did I doubt or deny that God exists? 
Did I refuse to believe what God as revealed to us? 
Did I believe in fortune telling, horoscopes, dreams, the occult, good-luck charms, tarot cards, palmistry, Ouija boards, seances, reincarnation? 
Did I deny that I was Catholic? 
Did I leave the Catholic Faith? 
Did I give time to God each day in prayer? 
Did I love God with my whole heart? 
Did I despair of or presume on God's mercy? 
Did I have false gods in my life that I gave greater attention to than God, like money, profession, drugs, TV, fame, pleasure, property, etc.? 
---------------------------------------------------------------
SECOND COMMANDMENT
"You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain." (Ex 20:7)
 
Did I blaspheme or insult God? 
Did I take God's name carelessly or uselessly? 
Did I curse, or break an oath or vow? 
Did I get angry with God? 
---------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD COMMANDMENT
"Remember that you keep holy the Sabbath Day." (Ex 20:8)
 
Did I miss Mass Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation through my own fault? 
Did I come to Mass on time? Leave early? 
Did I do work on Sunday that was not necessary? 
Did I set aside Sunday as a day of rest and a family day? 
Did I show reverence in the presence of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament? 
---------------------------------------------------------------
FOURTH COMMANDMENT
"Honor your father and your mother." (Ex 20:12)
 
Did I disobey or disrespect my parents or legitimate superiors? 
Did I neglect my duties to my husband, wife, children or parents? 
Did I neglect to give good religious example to my family? 
Did I fail to actively take an interest in the religious education and formation of my children? 
Did I fail to educate myself on the true teachings of the Church? 
Did I give scandal by what I said or did, especially to the young? 
Did I cause anyone to leave the faith? 
Did I cause tension and fights in my family? 
Did I care for my aged and infirm relatives? 
Did I give a full day's work for a full day's pay? 
Did I give a fair wage to my employees? 
---------------------------------------------------------------
FIFTH COMMANDMENT
"You shall not kill." (Ex 20:13)
 
Did I kill or physically injure anyone? 
Did I have an abortion, or advise someone else to have an abortion? (One who procures and abortion is automatically excommunicated, as is anyone who is involved in an abortion, Canon 1398. The excommunication will be lifted in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.) 
Did I use or cause my spouse to use birth control pills (whether or not realizing that birth control pills do abort the fetus if and when conceived)? 
Did I attempt suicide? 
Did I take part in or approve of "mercy killing" (euthanasia)? 
Did I get angry, impatient, envious, unkind, proud, revengeful, jealous, hateful toward another, lazy? 
Did I give bad example by drug abuse, drinking alcohol to excess, fighting, quarreling? 
Did I abuse my children? 
---------------------------------------------------------------
SIXTH AND NINTH COMMANDMENT
"You shall not commit adultery." (Ex 20:14) "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife." (Ex 20:17)
Note: In the area of deliberate sexual sins listed below, all are mortal sins if there is sufficient reflection and full consent of the will. "No fornicators, idolaters, or adulterers, no sodomites,... will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Cor 6:9-10) "Anyone who looks lustfully at a woman has already committed adultery with her in his thoughts." (Mt 5:28) 
 
Did I willfully entertain impure thoughts or desires? 
Did I use impure or suggestive words? Tell impure stories? Listen to them? 
Did I deliberately look at impure TV, videos, plays, pictures or movies? Or deliberately read impure materials? 
Did I commit impure acts by myself (masturbation)? 
Did I commit impure acts with another - fornication (premarital sex), adultery (sex with a married person)? 
Did I practice artificial birth control (by pills, device, withdrawal)? 
Did I marry or advise anyone to marry outside the Church? 
Did I avoid the occasions of impurity? 
Did I try to control my thoughts? 
Did I engage in homosexual activity? 
Did I respect all members of the opposite sex, or have I thought of other people as objects? 
Did I or my spouse have sterilization done? 
Did I abuse my marriage rights? 
---------------------------------------------------------------
 
SEVENTH & TENTH COMMANDMENTS
"You shall not steal." (Ex 20:15) "You shall not covet your neighbor's goods." (Ex 20:17)
 
Did I steal, cheat, help or encourage others to steal or keep stolen goods? Have I made restitution for stolen goods? 
Did I fulfill my contracts; give or accept bribes; pay my bills; rashly gamble or speculate; deprive my family of the necessities of life? 
Did I waste time at work, school or at home? 
Did I envy other people's families or possessions? 
Did I make material possessions the purpose of my life? 
---------------------------------------------------------------
EIGHTH COMMANDMENT
"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." (Ex 20:16)
 
Did I lie? 
Did I deliberately deceive others, or injure others by lies? 
Did I commit perjury? 
Did I gossip or reveal others' faults or sins? 
Did I fail to keep secret what should be confidential? 
---------------------------------------------------------------
OTHER SINS
 
Did I fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday? 
Did I eat meat on the Fridays of Lent or Ash Wednesday? 
Did I fail to receive Holy Communion during Eastertime? 
Did I go to Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin? Without fasting (water and medicine permitted) for one hour from food and drink? 
Did I make a bad confession? 
Did I fail to contribute to the support of the Church? 
---------------------------------------------------------------
"Whoever eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily sins against the Body and Blood of the Lord. ... He who eats and drinks without recognizing the Body eats and drinks judgement on himself." (1 Cor 11:27-29) 
 
So, to receive Holy Communion while in the state of mortal sin (having committed a mortal sin which has not been confessed and forgiven in the Sacrament of Confession) is itself a mortal sin - a mortal sin of sacrilege. 

 
Act of Consecration to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, 
through the Blessed Virgin Mary

O ETERNAL and Incarnate Wisdom! O sweetest and most adorable Jesus! True God and true Man, only Son of the Eternal Father and of Mary ever virgin! I adore You profoundly in the bosom and splendors of Your Father during eternity, and I adore You also in the virginal bosom of Mary, Your most worthy Mother, in the time of Your Incarnation.
   I give You thanks for You have annihilated Yourself, taking the form of a slave, in order to rescue me from the cruel slavery of the devil. I praise and glorify You because You have been pleased to submit Yourself to Mary, Your holy Mother, in all things, in order to make me Your faithful slave through her. But, alas! Ungrateful and faithless as I have been, I have not kept the promises which I made so solemnly to You in my Baptism; I have not fulfilled my obligations; I do not deserve to be called Your child, nor yet Your slave; and as there is nothing in me which does not merit Your anger and Your repulse, I dare not come by myself before Your most holy and august Majesty.  It is on this account that I have recourse to the intercession of Your most holy Mother, whom You have given me for a mediatrix with You.  It is through her that I hope to obtain of You contrition, the pardon of my sins, and the acquisition and preservation of wisdom.
   Hail, then, O Immaculate Mary, living tabernacle of the Divinity, where the Eternal Wisdom willed to be hidden and to be adored by Angels and by men!  Hail, O Queen of Heaven and earth, to whose empire everything is subject which is under God.  Hail, O sure refuge of sinners, whose mercy fails no one.  Hear the desires which I have of the Divine Wisdom; and for that end receive the vows and offerings which in my lowliness I present to you.
   I, (name), a faithless sinner, renew and ratify today in thy hands the vows of my Baptism; I renounce forever Satan, his pomps and works; and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, to carry my cross after Him all the days of my life and to be more faithful to Him than I have ever been before.
   In the presence of all the Heavenly Court, I choose you this day for my Mother and mistress. I deliver and consecrate to you, as thy slave, my body and soul, my goods, both interior and exterior, and even the value of all my good actions-----past, present and future-----leaving to you the entire and full right of disposing of me and all that belongs to me, without exception, according to your good pleasure, for the greater glory of God, in time and in eternity.
   Receive, O benignant Virgin, this little offering of my slavery, in honor of and in union with that subjection which the Eternal Wisdom deigned to have to your maternity, in homage to the power which both of you have over this poor sinner and in thanksgiving for the privileges with which the Holy Trinity has favored you. I declare that I wish hereafter, as your true slave, to seek your honor and to obey you in all things.
   O admirable Mother, present me to your dear Son as His eternal slave, so that as He has redeemed me by you, by you He may receive me! O Mother of Mercy, grant me the grace to obtain the true Wisdom of God, arid for that end receive me among those whom you do love and teach, whom you do lead, nourish and protect as your children and your slaves.
   O faithful Virgin, make me in all things so perfect a disciple, imitator and slave of the Incarnate Wisdom, Jesus Christ your Son, that I may attain, by your intercession and by your example, to the fullness of His age on earth and of His glory in Heaven. Amen.
Another Consecration Prayer
 (Composed by St. Maximilian Kolbe)
 
O Immaculata, Queen of Heaven and earth, refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother, God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to you. I, (name), a repentant sinner, cast myself at your feet, humbly imploring you to take me with all that I am and have, wholly to yourself as your possession and property. Please make of me, of all my powers of soul and body, of my whole life, death and eternity, whatever most pleases you.
 
If it pleases you, use all that I am and have without reserve, wholly to accomplish what was said of you: "She will crush your head," and "You alone have destroyed all heresies in the whole world. " Let me be a fit instrument in your immaculate and merciful hands for introducing and increasing your glory to the maximum in all the many strayed and indifferent souls, and thus help extend as far as possible the blessed kingdom of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For wherever you enter you obtain the grace of conversion and growth in holiness, since it is through your hands that all graces come to us from the most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
 
V. Allow me to praise you, O sacred Virgin
R. Give me strength against your enemies




Having passed from this world to the Father, Christ gives us in the Eucharist the pledge of glory with him. Participation in the Holy Sacrifice identifies us with his Heart, sustains our strength along the pilgrimage of this life, makes us long for eternal life, and unites us even now to the Church in heaven, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the saints. Catechism of the Catholic Church #1419


0 Comments

    Archives

    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Copyright © 2014-2021. God Is Love. All Rights Reserved. Designed and Maintained by Robyn McLean.