We belong to Jesus

Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just;
for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.  Psalm 33:1

 

"Jesus, for You I live.  Jesus, for You I die. 

Jesus, I am Yours in life and death."

From Reflections and Prayers

for Visits with our Eucharistic Lord,

by John J. Cardinal Carberry

 

 

FEAST of the First Roman Martyrs ~ JUNE 30

 The First Martyrs of the Church of Rome were Christians martyred 

in Rome during Nero's persecution in the year 64.

“This dreadful conflagration continued nine days; when Nero, finding that his conduct was greatly blamed, and a severe odium cast upon him, determined to lay the whole upon the Christians, at once to excuse himself and have an opportunity of glutting his sight with new cruelties. This was the occasion of the first persecution ...

Nero even refined upon cruelty, and contrived all manner of punishments for them that the most infernal imagination could design.  In particular, he had some sewed up in the skins of wild beasts, and then worried by dogs till they expired; and others dressed in shirts made stiff with wax, fixed to axle-trees, and set on fire in his gardens in order to illuminate them.  This persecution was general throughout the whole Roman empire; but it rather increased than diminished the spirit of Christianity."

A. Wright

A History of the Principal

and Most Distinguished Martyrs

 

Torches of Nero ~ Henryk Siemiradzki

Holy Martyrs of Rome, ora pro nobis!

Keep close!

 FEAST of Sts PETER and PAUL
June 29

St. Augustine (Sermon 295):  "Both apostles share the same feast day, for these two were one; and even though they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went first, and Paul followed. And so we celebrate this day made holy for us by the apostles' blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life, their labors, their sufferings, their preaching, and their confession of faith."

 

“Keep close to the Catholic Church at all times,

for the Church alone can give you true peace,

since she alone possesses Jesus, the

true Prince of Peace, in the Blessed Sacrament.”

St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

 Sts Peter and Paul, ora pro nobis!

Sts Peter and Paul are the principle pillars of the Church founded by Christ.  

St Peter was chosen by Christ to be his first Vicar on earth; he was endowed with powers of the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Mt 16:13-19) and charged with the role of Shepherd of Christ's flock (Jn 21:15-17). In St. Peter and his successors, we have a visible sign of unity and communion in faith and charity. Divine grace led St. Peter to profess Christ's divinity.  St. Peter suffered martyrdom by crucifixion under Nero, in about the year 64 AD. He was buried at the hill of the Vatican; recent excavations have revealed his tomb on the very site of St. Peter's Basilica.

St Paul was chosen to form part of the apostolic college by Christ himself on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-16). Selected to bring Christ's name to all peoples (Acts 9:15), he is the greatest missionary of all time, the advocate of pagans, the Apostle of the Gentiles. St. Paul was beheaded in the Tre Fontane along the Via Ostiense and buried nearby, on the site where the Basilica bearing his name now stands.

Source: Daily Roman Missal, Edited by Rev. James Socías, Midwest Theological Forum, Chicago, Illinois ©2003

Hope of resurrection

“How can anyone say that our bodies,

which are nourished on the flesh and blood of Christ,

are brought to perdition?

Our bodies, tasting of the Eucharist,

are no longer corruptible,

but have the hope of resurrection.”

St. Irenaeus

Nee Smyrna ~ 125-202 AD

Disciple of Polycarp (disciple of St John the Apostle)

Bishop of Lyons, Father of the Church

Theologian, prolific writer

Masterpiece - Adversus Haereses (Against Heresies)*

*(Detailed refute on teachings of Gnosticism)

FEAST DAY - June 28

 

Prayer of St Irenaeus of Lyons: “Father, give perfection to beginners, understanding to the little ones, and help to those who are running their course.  Give sorrow to the negligent, fervor to the lukewarm, and a good consummation to the perfect.”  

St Irenaeus, ora pro nobis!

Pride's remedy

Coming before the Most Blessed Sacrament in Eucharistic Adoration enlightens us to our many faults and heals them.  Speaking specifically of the sin of pride St. Cyril of Alexandria stated:

"If the power of pride is swelling up in you, turn to the Eucharist; and that Bread, Which is your God humbling and disguising Himself, will teach you humility."

St Cyril of Alexandria

370-444

Bishop, Doctor of the Church

Preeminent role at Council of Ephesus

This Council defined the inseparable unity

of the divine and human natures of Christ,

and thus the appropriateness of invoking the Blessed Virgin Mary

under the title of "Theotokos" or Mother of God.

FEAST DAY - June 27

 

"In Cana of Galilee Christ changed water into wine,

and shall we think Him less worthy of credit

when He changes wine into His Blood?” ~ St Cyril of Alexandria

St Cyril of Alexandria, ora pro nobis!

Truth speaks truly

Servants of the Lord and our Lady of Matara

 

"What I am in the sight of God,

that I am and no more."

 

St Francis of Assisi

For me, for you

 But God demonstrates His own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:8 

"You are mine … You came into the world for me;

for me You underwent severe trials;

for me You suffered many lashes;

for me You remain

in the most Blessed Sacrament."

St. Teresa of Avila

But where is the Lamb?

Solemnity of the Birth of St John the Baptist

June 24

"Happy birthday of John the Baptist. His birth is the culmination of an age, an era, a Covenant. He is the last of the Old Testament Prophets. His birth signals an end and a beginning. The Book of Hebrews says By calling this covenant “new,” [God] has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear (Hebrews 8:13). Hence John would later say, “The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must increase; I must decrease. (Jn 3:29-30).

Today John the Baptist is born who will usher in the new by answering the most significant question ever posed: “But where is the Lamb?”" ~ Msgr Charles Pope

"Behold the Lamb of God 
who takes away the sins of the world."

(St John the Baptist is quoted at every Mass)

“We do well also to invoke the intercession of the

Lord’s great precursor [St. John the Baptist],

now adoring Him perpetually in this Sacrament. 

We should ask him to win for us a share in the joy

that filled him even while still in Elizabeth’s womb.”

Fr. Richard Foley, SJ (+ 2003)

Our Lady of Walsingham Church, England

St John the Baptist, ora pro nobis!

The treasure of Your courts...

Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere...
no good thing does He withhold... O Lord Almighty,
blessed is the man who trusts in You. ~ Psalm 84: 10a,11b,12

“Prayer is helplessness casting itself on Power,

infirmity leaning on Strength,

misery reaching to Mercy,

and a prisoner clamoring for Relief.”

Archbishop Fulton J Sheen 


 

ORDAINED to the Holy Priesthood of Jesus Christ TODAY

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Oh, day of Love Divine, all loves excelling! 

Rev. Mr. Thomas Gallagher ~ Diocese of Wheeling-Charlston (W Virginia)

Cathedral of St Joseph, Wheeling, W Va ~ 11 AM

Rev. Mr. Greg Haman ~ Diocese of Fargo (North Dakota)   

 Rev. Mr. Matthew Kraemer ~ Diocese of Fargo

Rev. Mr. Dan Musgrave ~ Diocese of Fargo

Rev. Mr. Reese Weber ~ Diocese of Fargo

Cathedral of St Mary, Fargo ~ 10 AM

Let us hold them in prayer and offer thanksgiving for their 'YES'!   

Holy courage

"When Thomas More was Chancellor of England some of his friends reproached him for going to Communion so often.  With all his duties and responsibilities they thought that this piety took up too much of his time. 

He answered their objections with these words: 'Your reasons for wanting me to stay away from Holy Communion are exactly the ones which cause me to go so often.  My distractions are great, but it is in Communion that I recollect myself.  I have temptations many times a day; by daily Communion I get the strength to overcome them.  I have much very important business to handle and I need light and wisdom; it is for this very reason that I go to Holy Communion every day to consult Jesus about them.' " 

Excerpt from John M Haffert

The World's Greatest Saints

St Thomas More

Husband, Father, Lawyer, Knight,

Lord Chancellor of England, Author, Martyr
Patron of Lawyers
England ~ 1478 -1535
FEAST DAY - June 22

  

 On July 7, 1535, the 57-year-old More came before the executioner to be beheaded. 
"I die the king's good servant, " he told the onlookers, "but God's first."

St Thomas More, ora pro nobis!

ANOTHER FEAST CELEBRATED TODAY:

Of all the English bishops, only Bishop John Fisher of Rochester publicly opposed Henry VIII's mandatory Oath of Allegiance, which unlawfully declared King Henry the head of the Church of England. The bishop's stand ultimately cost him his life. May his example inspire all Catholics today, especially the bishops on whose courageous leadership the Church depends.

On the scaffold he said to the people assembled:

"Christian people, I am come hither to die for the faith of Christ's Holy Catholic Church, and I thank God hitherto my stomach hath served me very well thereunto, so that yet I have not feared death. Wherefore I do desire you all to help and assist me with your prayers, that at the very point and instant of death's stroke, I may in that very moment stand steadfast without fainting in any one point of the Catholic faith free from any fear; and I beseech Almighty God of His infinite goodness to save the king and this Realm, and that it may please Him to hold His holy hand over it, and send the king good Counsel."

He then knelt, said the Te Deum and submitted to the axe.

Erasmus said: "He is the one man at this time who is incomparable for uprightness of life, for learning and for greatness of soul."

St. John Fisher

Bishop, Martyr

England ~ 1469-1535

FEAST DAY - June 22

 

 St. John wrote to someone who left the Church: “Had you but tasted one

drop of the sweetness which inebriates the souls of those religious from

their worship of this Sacrament, you would never have written as you have,

nor have apostatized from the faith that you formerly professed.”

St John Fisher, ora pro nobis!



ORDAINED to the Holy Priesthood of Jesus Christ TODAY

Friday, June 22, 2012

Oh, day of Love Divine, all loves excelling! 

Rev. Mr. Drew Braun ~ Diocese of Duluth (Minnesota)

Rev. Mr. Seth Gogolin ~ Diocese of Duluth

Rev. Mr. Ben Hadrich ~ Diocese of Duluth

Rev. Mr. Brian Lederer ~ Diocese of Duluth

Rev. Mr. Brandon Moravitz ~ Diocese of Duluth

Rev. Mr. Dan Weiske ~ Diocese of Duluth

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary, Duluth ~ 4 PM

Let us hold them in prayer and offer thanksgiving for their 'YES'!   

Purity of heart

 

"It is said of St Aloysius Gonzaga that he used to receive Communion once a week and that he was accustomed to spend three days in preparation before it and three days in thanksgiving after it.  ... By this means, the angelic youth was enabled to walk continually with God; one Communion was the preparation for another; thus, he constantly advanced in purity of heart and in love for Jesus Christ."

Fr Michael Muller, CSSR

The Blessed Eucharist, Our Greatest Treasure

St Aloysius Gonzaga

Italy ~ 1568-1591

Jesuit seminarian, Patron of Youth

FEAST DAY - June 21 

"I confess that I am bewildered and lose myself at the thought of Divine Goodness, a sea without shore and fathomless, of God who calls me to an eternal rest after such short and tiny labors - summons and calls me to heaven, to that supreme Good..."  St Aloysius

St. Aloysius spent a lot of time in prayer especially before the

Blessed Sacrament.  So much so that when it came time to make a

painting of him it was decided to make it of him kneeling in adoration

before of our Lord Jesus since this reflected best of who he was.

St Aloysius, ora pro nobis!

Like a flame

 

"Be the apostle of the divine Eucharist, like a flame

which enlightens and warms, like the Angel of His heart

who will go to proclaim Him to those who don’t know Him

and will encourage those who love Him and are suffering."

Saint Peter Julian Eymard

Holy imprint

 

Viaticum ~ Alexey Venetsianov (19c)

On her deathbed, St Juliana...

    "...begged that the Sacred Host might be laid upon her breast, in order that her heart might feel some refreshment from being near to Jesus; and when the priest, in compliance with her request, spread the corporal (cloth) on her breast and laid Our Lord upon it, she exclaimed with the greatest delight:  'O my sweet Jesus!'

    As she drew her last breath, the Sacred Host disappeared, and as it was not to be found, the bystanders were sure that our Saviour, in the Blessed Sacrament, had united Himself to her heart, to strengthen her in her passage and accompany her to Heaven.

    

     After her death the form of the Host was found stamped upon her chest in the exact spot over her heart over which the Blessed Sacrament had been placed."

Excerpt from Fr Michael Muller, CSSR

The Blessed Eucharist, Our Greatest Treasure

 

St Juliana Falconieri

Florence, Italy ~ 1270-1341

Foundress - Sisters of the Third Order of Servites

Handmaid of the Holy Eucharist
Incorrupt

FEAST DAY - June 19

 

St Juliana Falconieri, ora pro nobis!

Seeking God's plan

“Offer yourself frequently to God

and ask what God wants you to do. 

Do not worry about your strength. 

Rest assured that you will receive

all that is necessary from the goodness of God.”

St Louise de Marillac

One with Jesus

"In ...communion, we are invited to become one with Jesus, to become ourselves, a 'Eucharist.' When we receive the Body of Christ in faith, we begin to walk with Him and in Him. St. Irenaeus wrote, "Our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking" (St. Irenaeus Adv. Haeres).

 As Jesus gave Himself to humanity, we too have to give our time and talents to the service of others, by our charity, collaboration and solidarity. Be proud of our Catholic Church, the pioneer in serving the poor, the needy and the sick, with institutions, hospitals, clinics and social services spread across continents throughout the world, even before the creation of states."

Archbishop Fouad Twal

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

Excerpt from Homily -

Feast of the Sacred Heart, 6/15/12

International Eucharistic Congress, Dublin

BLESSED FATHER'S DAY to all FATHERS!

Blessed John Paul II, in a March 19, 1981 homily, asked, “Where, dear father, will you be able to draw the energy necessary to assume in various circumstances the right attitude that your children, even without knowing it, expect from you?”  He strongly advised against smothering their spontaneity or abandoning them to a state of insecurity or loneliness. “St. Joseph is the answer to this,” he proclaimed.

Mary: not as goal, but guide

 FEAST of the IMMACULATE HEART of MARY

 "In Mary Immaculate we contemplate the reflection

of the Beauty that saves the world: 

the beauty of God resplendent on the Face of Christ. 

In Mary this beauty is totally pure,

humble, free of all pride and presumption."

~ Pope Benedict XVI

 

"Everything in Mary leads us toward her Son,

our only Savior, by whose foreseen merits she was preserved

immaculate and full of grace;

everything in Mary lifts up our hearts

to the praise of the Holy Trinity.

The Church sees Mary, then,

not as the goal, but as the guide,

who always leads souls who honor her

with true devotion – to her Son,

especially to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament."

Fr Paul Duffner, O.P.

 

Immaculate Heart of Mary,

cause of our joy, lead us and pray for us!



ORDAINED to the Holy Priesthood of Jesus Christ TODAY

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Oh, day of Love Divine, all loves excelling! 

Rev. Mr. Ivan Barus ~ Bratislava, Slovakia

Brother Anthony Baker ~ Assumption Abbey, Richardton, North Dakota
.  

Let us hold them in prayer and offer thanksgiving for their 'YES'!