Tuesday, September 30, 2014

He provides, we trust

"Catch, then, O catch the transient hour;
Improve each moment as it flies!" - St. Jerome
 
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"If Christ did not want to dismiss the Jews
without food in the desert for fear
that they would collapse on the way,
it was to teach us that it is
dangerous to try to get to heaven
without the Bread of Heaven." ~ St Jerome
 
 
 
St Jerome
c. 331- 420
Early Church Father, Doctor of the Church
Brilliant and thorough scholar and writer
Translated Scripture into Latin (Vulgate)
Consultant to Popes and Bishops
FEAST DAY - September 30
 
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Cavarozzi
 
 "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." - St Jerome

St Jerome, pray for us!

Monday, September 29, 2014

Guardians of power and love

Feast of Archangels
St Michael~St Gabriel~St Raphael
September 29
 
 
 
"O, angelic spirits, who guard our tabernacles, wherein
lies the adorable treasure of the Holy Eucharist,
defend it from profanation and preserve it for our love."
 
St Josemaria Escriva 
 

   
"Michael and his Angels battled against the dragon...
Satan, the seducer of the whole world, was driven out."
Revelation 12:7, 9
 
 
A Sermon of Pope Saint Gregory
From the Third Nocturne of Matins of the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel

We speak of nine orders of Angels, because we know, by the testimony of Holy Scripture, that there are the following: Angels, Archangels, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Dominations, Thrones, Cherubim and Seraphim. It must be realized that "Angel" is the name of their office, not of their nature. For the holy Spirits of the heavenly homeland are always Spirits, but they cannot always be called Angels; they are Angels only when they are announcing something. Those who announce less important things are called Angels, and those who announce the highest things are called Archangels. And so not any Angel but the Archangel Gabriel was sent to Mary; for this ministry, it was fitting to have the highest Angel, since he was to announce the greatest news of all. These Archangels are also given special names to describe their particular virtue. For Michael means "Who is like to God?" Gabriel means "Strength of God," and Raphael "Medicine of God."
Whenever something is to be done needing great power, Michael is sent forth so that from his action and his name we may understand that no one can do what God can do. Hence that old enemy who through pride desired to be like God is shown at the end of the world, left to his own strength and about to undergo the final punishment, as destined to fight with Michael the Archangel, as John says, "There was a battle with Michael the Archangel." Similarly, Gabriel was sent to Mary; he who is called "Strength of God" came to announce Him who deigned to appear in humility to conquer the powers of the air. And Raphael is interpreted, as we said, "Medicine of God," for when he touched the eyes of Tobias to do the work of healing, he dispelled the "night of his blindness."

 
 
St Michael, St Gabriel, St Raphael, pray for us
and defend us in battle!

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Confession Before the Blessed Sacrament

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Confession Before the Blessed Sacrament

Grain of God,
I was the stone that ground You.
Holocaust of Heaven,
I was the flame that consumed You.
Lamb on the altar,
I was the knife across Your throat.
Crucified One,
I was the nail in Your hand.

Have mercy, Jesus.
Reshape this guilty soul to make
a stone in your altar,
a flame in Your lamp,
a knife for Your bread,
a nail in Your table
where the world sits down
to feast.


Paul Thigpen
From Jesus, We Adore You
Prayers Before the Blessed Sacrament

IMAGE: Adoration, National Shrine of Maximilian Kolbe, Marytown, IL ~ USA

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Going to Jesus from Jesus

St Vincent de Paul was praying before the Eucharist one time and,
after a man told him about a poor person on the street needing help,
Vincent said:
 
"I am going to Jesus from Jesus."
 
 
St Vincent de Paul
1580-1660 ~ France
Priest, Co-Founder of Daughters of Charity
Founder - Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians)
Patron - Charitable societies*
*Society of St. Vincent de Paul, founded 1833
by a devotee, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam
Incorrupt
FEAST DAY - September 27

 

"We should take as a maxim never to be surprised at current difficulties, 
no more than at a passing breeze, because with a little patience 
we shall see them disappear. Time changes everything." -  St. Vincent de Paul

 
St Vincent de Paul, pray for us!

Friday, September 26, 2014

The King Of Love My Shepherd Is

The King Of Love My Shepherd Is 
(St. Columba)

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The King of Love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness fails me never;
I nothing lack if I am His,
and He is mine forever.

Where streams of living water flow
With gentle care He leads me,
And where the verdant pastures grow
With Heav'nly food He feeds me.

Perverse and foolish I have strayed
But yet in love He sought me,
and on His shoulder gently laid,
and home, rejoicing brought me.

In death's dark vale I fear no ill
With You, dear Lord, beside me, 
Your rod and staff my comfort still,
Your Cross before to guide me.

You spread a table in my sight,
Your saving grace bestowing;
And O what joy and true delight
From Your pure chalice flowing!

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And so through all the length of days
Your goodness fails me never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Your praise
Within Your house forever.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Participating fully!

 "Speak for your servant is listening." - I Samuel 3:10b

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"Above all, we must get to church early in order to 'tidy up' inwardly.  We must have no illusions about our condition when we enter the church; we must frankly face our restlessness, confusion, disorder. To be exact, we do not yet really exist as persons - at least not as persons God can address, expecting a fitting response.  We are bundles of feelings, fancies, thoughts, and plans all at cross-purposes with each other. 

The first thing to do, then, is to quiet and collect ourselves.  We must be able to say honestly: "Now I am here.  I have only one thing to do - participate with my whole being in the only thing that counts, the sacred celebration. I am entirely ready."

Romano Guardini
Preparing Yourself for Mass, pg 24


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Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Fruitful remedy

"God did not tell us to follow Him because He needed our help, but because He knew that loving Him would make us whole."
Irenaeus of Lyons  
    
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"When the Sisters are exhausted,
up to their eyes in work;
when all seems to go awry,
they spend an hour in prayer
before the Blessed Sacrament.
 
This practice has never failed to bear fruit.
They experience peace and strength."
 
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
 

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Perfumes of Strength

  "Protected, covered and defended by the Presence of this dear Lord,
let us stand before Him in the Holy Eucharist
and pray with the humility of the creature
and the confidence and freedom of the child." - St Padre Pio


"We must always have courage,
and if some spiritual languor comes upon us,
let us run to the feet of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament,
and let us place ourselves
in the midst of the heavenly perfumes,
and we will undoubtedly regain our strength."



St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina
Priest, Stigmatist, Mystic
Italy  ~ 1887-1968
Patron of Eucharistic Adorers
Feast Day - Sept. 23

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When I am close to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament,
I feel as if my heart is bursting out of my chest.” ~ St Padre Pio

Monday, September 22, 2014

Savoring sweetness...

To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;
in you I trust, O my God. - Psalm 25:1, 2a

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"What great sweetness there is,
O Jesus,
in Holy Communion. 
I want to live in Thy embrace 
and die in Thy embrace!"

St Gemma Galgani (+1903)

IMAGE: Woman giving thanks after Communion ~ Alphonse Legros

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Redemption: in mystery, in manner of life!

The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth. - Psalm 145:18
 
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Prayer after Communion (Today’s Liturgy)

Graciously raise up, O Lord,
those you renew with this Sacrament,
that we may come to possess your redemption
both in mystery and in the manner of our life. 
Through Christ our Lord.
 
Remembering... St Matthew
Nee - Capernaum
"And he got up and followed Him" (Mt 9:9b) ...
"leaving everything behind" (Lk 5:28)
Apostle and Evangelist
"the son of Alphaeus" (Mk 2:14)
FEAST DAY - September 21
 
 
 
Imitate St Matthew - get up and follow Jesus.
Then invite sinners to meet Him.
"What reason can the Teacher have for eating with tax collectors
and those who disregard the law?" —Matthew 9:11
Cause heaven to rejoice (Luke 15:7).
 
 
 
His life is somewhat shrouded, and  ... There are not many facts ... But Matthew was a publican ... Who gathered in the tax ... Until that wondrous moment in ... His native Galilee ... When Jesus came upon him, and ... He told him, "Follow me" ... And Matthew followed Jesus then  ... Wherever Jesus went ... Ignoring Pharisees and all ... The Roman government ... With eloquent sincerity ... This good apostle preached ... In distant lands wherever there ... Were souls that could be reached ... And he composed the gospel that ... Inspires us today ... To follow Jesus Christ and live ... According to His way.
 
From Poem Portraits of the Saints - James J Metcalfe (1956), pg 6
 
 St Matthew, pray for us!

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Bound gently to God - les petits moyens

"We begin to pray, believing that it is our own initiative that compels us to do so.  Instead, we learn that it is always God’s initiative within us …"

St John Paul II

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The Humble Prayer of Repetition

Dom Mark Kirby, O.S.B. (12/06) - http://vultus.stblogs.org/


Chaplet of the Eucharistic Face of Christ.

Pray it on ordinary rosary beads. Apart from the opening antiphon, which was composed by Saint Thomas Aquinas for the Office of Corpus Christi, it is entirely drawn from Sacred Scripture. It incorporates all four steps of lectio divina: lectio (the Word heard); meditatio (the Word repeated); oratio (the Word prayed), and contemplatio (the Word's embrace).


O Sacred Banquet in which Christ is received, the memory of His passion is renewed, the soul is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given us, (alleluia).

Before each decade:

My soul is thirsting for God, the strong and living God;
when shall I enter and see the Face of God? (Ps 41:3).

On the Hail Mary beads:

It is Thy Eucharistic Face, O Lord, that I seek;
hide not Thy Face from me (cf. Ps 26:8-9).

After each decade:

Behold, O God our protector,
and look upon the Face of Thy Christ (Ps 83:10).

In conclusion, three times:

Father, glorify the Eucharistic Face of Thy Son, that Thy Son may glorify Thee (cf. Jn 17:1).

Friday, September 19, 2014

Strike one and two...

  
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.  - Matthew 16:18
 
 
 
"Wherever heresy has arisen it has first attacked
the worship of the Blessed Sacrament
and devotion to our Blessed Lady,
wishing to begin its work of destruction
by closing these two sources of divine grace."
 
St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier
Co-foundress Sisters of the Good Shepherd
 
 
IMAGE:  Dream of two pillars - St John Bosco

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Preparation par excellence

 For you, LORD, have never foresaken those who seek you. - Psalm 9:10 b
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How do I prepare myself to receive the Host?  I draw near with my soul, from the moment when I wake up.  I call out for it with my lips, I attract it with my sighs, I long for it, I love it, and with a thousand acts of discipline, I prepare… for it.

My chalice is full to the brim with this lowly blood, drawn and extracted out of love to mingle with His blood on the altar, my Immaculate Lamb, and together they are offered up to God’s throne, asking for grace.

Is it not an undeserved happiness and favor to have an altar within and the freedom to be able to do this for my Jesus without anybody knowing?  My soul’s blood, its life fluid, is also for Jesus.  Power, feelings, and my life, I place them all at the foot of the tabernacle.”


Venerable Conception Cabrera de Armida (+1937)

Excerpt:  Irresistibly Drawn to the Eucharist:  Conchita Cabrera de Armida’s 
Most Beautiful Writings on the Eucharist, Fr Juan Gonzalez Gutierrez, M.Sp.S., 
Society of St Paul, Staten Island, New York, 2002, pg. 12

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Food for the journey...

 "Come, my soul, and think over within you, if the created sun makes
all things so happy at its rising, what will the uncreated sun do,
which is incomparably brighter and more beautiful,
when it rises in pure hearts to be seen and contemplated,
not for a short time but forever?" - St Robert Bellarmine
 
 
 
"The Holy Eucharist is offered to us on our pilgrimage as food so that we do not faint
on the path to the fatherland,
especially at the time when, tired by a long journey,
our forces are apt to wane…
The Lord left His Body in the Eucharist
as a pledge of heavenly beatitude."
 
 St Robert Bellearmine, “Comments on Aquinas’ O Sacrum Convivum
 
 
St Robert Bellarmine
 Italy ~ 1542-1621
Jesuit theologian, writer, and cardinal
Key voice and action in Counter-Reformation
"Prince of the Apologists"
Doctor of the Church
Patron of Canon lawyers, catechists,
students, those with Down's syndrome
FEAST DAY - September 17
 
 
 
From St Robert Bellarmine's treatise On the Ascent of the Mind to God:
  "May you consider truly good whatever leads to your goal
and truly evil whatever makes you fall away from it."
 
 
St Robert Bellarmine, pray for us!

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

One - by Our Lord's voice!

It is you who have stood by me in my trials;
and I confer a kingdom on you, says the Lord,
that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom. 
- Luke 22:28-30 (Today's Communion Antiphon)
 
 Photo Credit:  Lawrence Lew, OP

"There is one God, and one Christ, and one Church,
and one chair, by our Lord's voice founded upon Peter.
To set up another altar, or to constitute another priesthood,
besides the one altar and the one priesthood, is impossible.
 
Whosever gathereth elsewhere scattereth.
It is adulterous, it is impious, it is sacrilegious,
whatsoever is instituted by man to the breach of God's disposition.
 
Get ye far from such men:
they are blind, and leaders of the blind..."
 
 St. Cyprian, The Unity of the Catholic Church
 
 
 Sts Cornelius (Pope, Martyr +253)
and Cyprian (Bishop of Carthage, Martyr +258)
FEAST DAY - September 16
 
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“You cannot have God for your Father if you do not have the Church for your mother.... God is one and Christ is one, and his Church is one; one is the faith, and one is the people cemented together by harmony into the strong unity of a body.... If we are the heirs of Christ, let us abide in the peace of Christ; if we are the sons of God, let us be lovers of peace.” ~ St. Cyprian, The Unity of the Catholic Church
 

 Sts Cornelius and Cyprian, pray for us!

Monday, September 15, 2014

Gift of the Queen of Sorrows

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“Eucharistic Heart of Jesus,
reign over the afflicted;
become their consolation
through this consecrated Bread,
the gift of the Queen of Sorrows.”

Fr. Mateo Crawley-Boevey 


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 Remembering...
Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows
September 15
 
 "In martyrs, the intensity of their love mitigated their sufferings,
but with Mary it was different; the more she loved, the more she suffered,
and the greater was her martyrdom." - Richard of Saint Victor (+1173)
 
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The Seven Sorrows of Mary:
* at the prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:35);
* at the flight into Egypt (Matt 2:13);
* having lost the Holy Child at Jerusalem (Luke 2:48);
* meeting Jesus on His way to Calvary;
* standing at the foot of the Cross (John 19:25);
* Jesus being taken from the Cross;
* at the burial of Christ.
 


O thou Mother! fount of love!
Touch my spirit from above;
Make my heart with thine accord.

Make me feel as thou hast felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ our Lord.

(Excerpt: Sabat Mater sequence)