Grace upon grace

“He who goes about to reform the world must begin with himself,

or he loses his labor.” - St Ignatius of Loyola

 

If we confess our sins, He who is upright can be depended upon to forgive sins, 
and to cleanse us from every wrong. - I John 1:9

"Of the gifts of grace which

the soul receives in the Eucharist,

one must be counted among the highest;

the Eucharist does not allow the soul

to remain long in sin

or to persist in it obstinately."

St. Ignatius of Loyola

Spain ~ 1491-1556

Priest, Founder of Society of Jesus (Jesuits)

The Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius - Classic - a MUST READ! 

Jesuit motto:  Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (A.M.D.G.)

"For the greater glory of God"

FEAST DAY - July 31

"Some of us would be surprised if they knew what God

could make of them if, in the decisive moments of their lives,

they gave ear to the voice of grace!"  - St Ignatius of Loyola

Click here: St. Ignatius of Loyola - YouTube (2 mins)

Click here: St. Ignatius from "Who Cares About The Saints?" with Fr. James Martin, S.J. - YouTube (9:30 mins)

Click here: Saint Ignatius Loyola - YouTube (Slideshow - 3:30 mins)

St Ignatius, pray for us!

Jesus is...

 And behold I am with you all through the days that are coming,

until the consummation of the world. - Matthew 28:20

 

PHOTO CREDIT: Debbie Scalise

“He is the Bread sown in the virgin,

leavened in the flesh,

molded in His passion,

baked in the furnace of the sepulchre,

placed in the churches,

and set upon the altars,

which daily supplies 

Heavenly Food to the faithful."

 

St Peter Chrysologus

Archbishop, Doctor of the Church

Adult convert

Italy - c. 380-450

"Golden-worded"

FEAST DAY - July 30

 

"Anyone who wishes to frolic with the devil
 cannot rejoice with Christ." ~ St Peter Chrysologus   

Click here: St. Peter Chrysologus and the Priesthood of the Christian - YouTube 

(2 mins)

St Peter Chrysologus, pray for us!

Saint Peter Chrysologus is the Doctor of Homilies. His words helped to defeat the attack on Christ's humanity. No doctor said so much in his homilies in fewer words. To hear his sermons after nearly 1500 years is a blessing, each and every time.

Peter was a stalwart witness to the faith. He had a short life but it was long and full of accomplishments. He was the archbishop of Ravenna, Italy, as a young priest and he expended his energies neutralizing the last forces of paganism of his day.

Chrysologus means "The Golden-Worded".  His prayer when he spoke (from Sermon 96):  May our God deign to give me the grace of speaking and you the desire of hearing.  To really benefit fruitfully from any conversation or homily, one's heart and mind must be open to receive the communication.

Peter was filled with all the gifts and fruits of the Spirit but even his best efforts to impart his wisdom and knowledge would not benefit anyone unless his listeners were truly docile to grace through their hearts and attentive with their eyes and minds, both exteriorly and interiorly. Our souls have eyes and powerful perceptions that are drawn to God's message when we are open, sincere and desire to learn.

Homilies can be like sweet music to the ear and joy to the heart. The homily during the Catholic Mass is a vital part of the Liturgy of the Word. It follows the reading of the gospel and is the explanation and elaboration on the celebration of the Word. This part of the liturgical service, offered immediately before the celebration of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, prepares its members to fully enter into the worship of God. It also prepares us to be empowered and enlighten to fully partake of the holy meal. Each liturgical celebration of the Mass is an extension of the "Last Supper" that the Lord shared with His dear friends. He changed Himself during this meal into precious food that fortifies us and enables us to proceed on our spiritual journey. More importantly, this meal strengthens us and enables us by transforming us into Himself. That's right! Imagine being changed into another Christ? When this happens we'll be able to do and say what Christ would do or say Himself. Is that possible? Believe it! It's Catholic theology. (http://www.doctorsofthecatholicchurch.com)

Holy echo...

 

"The words of Martha, ‘I know that he will rise

again in the resurrection at the last day’ (John 11:24),

echo in our souls as we pray and grieve
for our beloved dead…

In what better place could we pray for the dead

than before the Eucharist, where we can

experience Our Blessed Savior Present?”

S. Tassone

St Martha

Bethany

Sister to Mary and Lazarus,

Friend of Jesus

Patroness of servants, innkeepers,

homemakers and cooks

FEAST DAY - July 29 

Jesus entered a village, where a woman named Martha

welcomed him into her home. - Luke 10:38

 

In St Martha's footsteps...

Dorothy Day said: "If everyone were holy and handsome, it would be easy to see Christ in everyone. But it was not Christ's way for Himself.

Ask honestly what you would do when a beggar asked at your house for food. Would you give it on an old cracked plate, thinking that was good enough? Do you think that Martha and Mary thought that the old and chipped dish was good enough for their guest? It is not a duty to help Christ -- it is a privilege."

Click here: St. Martha - YouTube (2 mins)

St Martha, pray for us!

St Martha, say a prayer for me ... To help my heart decide ...

The task I ought to undertake ... With confidence and pride ...

Preserve me from all jealousy ... And help me persevere ...

With love for every neighbor and ... For our Lord Jesus dear. 

 (Composed by James J Metcalfe - Poem Portraits of the Saints - 1956)

Unchangeable Beauty

"Through all things, by day and by night, in clear light or in darkness, 

let us live like the Magdelen, always under the eyes 

of Unchangeable Beauty... - Bl Elizabeth of the Trinity

"In the Eucharist there is a beauty, a hidden loveliness, beyond the beauty of all art.  The Lamb of God comes to the altar of His Bride in the glory of the Father and the Holy Spirit, invisibly escorted by the angels.  Only humble accidents veil the radiance of His flesh. 

Christ is beauty, and He becomes present to make us beautiful.  ...Christ in all His matchless beauty is substantially present in the Eucharist, and His Church strives to worship that beauty with all the accidental beauty of her sacred art - by vestments and vessels, by chant and icons, by the consecrated space of her temples.  The bride knows that no human art can be worthy of her Spouse, who is the eternal Son and Splendour of the Father.  ... the hidden beauty is always greater than the visible forms."

John Saward

From The Beauty of Holiness and the Holiness of Beauty

Two hearts, one

 "A Mass said by Padre Pio is as effective as a missionary journey,"

said Pope Bl Paul VI, because of Padre's great love for Jesus

in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

 

 

"My heart feels as if it were being drawn by a superior force each morning just before uniting with Him in the Blessed Sacrament.

I have such a thirst and hunger before receiving Him that it's a wonder I don't die of anxiety. I was hardly able to reach the Divine Prisoner in order to celebrate Mass. When Mass ended I remained with Jesus to render Him thanks. My thirst and hunger do not diminish after I have received Him in the Blessed Sacrament, but rather, increase steadily.

Oh, how sweet was the conversation I held with Paradise this morning. The Heart of Jesus and my own, if you will pardon my expression, fused. They were no longer two hearts beating but only one. My heart disappeared as if it were a drop in the ocean."

St Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, OFM

Nothing is wasted

When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,

"Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted."

- John 6:12 (Today's Gospel)

 

 

"Of all the sacraments 

none is more health-giving,

for by It sins are washed away,

virtues are increased,

and the soul is fed with an abundance of all spiritual gifts.

 

It is offered in the Church 

for the living and the dead,

that all may profit by that which was instituted

for the salvation of all. ...

 

Lastly, no words suffice to describe

the sweetness of this Sacrament,

in which spiritual delights are tasted at their very source,

and the exceeding charity of Christ in His Passion is called to mind."

 

St Thomas Aquinas

Ever present, as He said...

Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee

and his brother John.  They were in a boat with their father Zebedee,

preparing their nets.  Jesus called them, and immediately 
they left the boat and their father and followed him. - Matthew 4:21, 22

 

Christ calling the Apostles James and John ~ Edward Armitage

"And just as He appeared before the holy Apostles in true flesh, so now He has us see Him in the Sacred Bread. Looking at Him with the eyes of their flesh, they saw only His Flesh, but regarding Him with the eyes of the spirit, they believed that He was God.

In like manner, as we see bread and wine with our bodily eyes, let us see and believe firmly that it is His Most Holy Body and Blood, True and Living.  

For in this way our Lord is ever present among those who believe in Him, according to what He said: "Behold, I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world" (Mt. 28, 20).

 St. Francis of Assisi

  

Saint JAMES (the Greater)

Apostle and Martyr

Son of Zebedee and Salome

Brother of apostle John

Dubbed 'Son of Thunder'

Patron of Spain and laborers

+42 AD 

FEAST DAY - July 25

 

"Accept the help that the Virgin and the saints offer you.

Promise that you will press forward

on your way to join them."  ~  St Francis de Sales

Click here: St. James the Greater - YouTube (2 mins)

St James, pray for us!

Joyfully consumed!

 "Nothing created has ever been able to fill the heart of man.

God alone can fill it infinitely." - St. Thomas Aquinas

In 1875 Fr Sharbel was granted permission to live as a hermit nearby his monastery at St. Peter and Paul hermitage. His 23 years of solitary life were lived in a spirit of total abandonment to God.

Sharbel's companions in the hermitage were the Sons of God, as encountered in the Scriptures and in the Eucharist, and the Blessed Mother. The Eucharist became the center of his life. He consumed the Bread of his Life and was consumed by it. Though this hermit did not have a place in the world, the world had a great place in his heart. Through prayer and penance he offered himself as a sacrifice so that the world would return to God. It is in this light that one sees the importance of the following Eucharistic prayer in his life: 

"Father of Truth, behold Your Son a sacrifice pleasing to You, accept this offering of Him who died for me..."  On December 16, 1898 while reciting the "Father of Truth" prayer at the Holy Liturgy Sharbel suffered a stroke. He died on Christmas Eve at the age of 70. Through faith this hermit received the Word of God and through love he continued the Ministry of Incarnation.

From www.catholicculture.org 

St Sharbel Makhluf

Lebanon ~ 1828-1898

Priest and Hermit

Perfume of Lebanon

Incorrupt

Feast Day - July 24

When Sharbel was canonized (1977), Bsp Francis Zayek, head of the U.S. Diocese of St. Maron,

wrote a pamphlet entitled “A New Star of the East.” Bishop Zayek wrote:

“St. Sharbel is called the second St. Anthony of the Desert, the Perfume of Lebanon, the first Confessor of the East to be raised to the Altars according to the actual procedure of the Catholic Church, the honor of our Aramaic Antiochian Church, and the model of spiritual values and renewal. Sharbel is like a Cedar of Lebanon standing in eternal prayer, on top of a mountain.”

Click here: St. Sharbel Makhlouf - YouTube (2mins)

St Sharbel, pray for us!

Artwork (top):  Michael Otteman -  www.ottemanarts.com

Remedy for our souls

 "Blessed may you be, my Lord Jesus Christ. For our salvation

you allowed your side and heart to be pierced with a lance

and from that side water and your precious blood flowed out

abundantly for our redemption.” - St. Bridget of Sweden

Artist: Peter Paul Rubens

"Oh Jesus! Sweetness of hearts,

delight of the spirit,

by the bitterness of the vinegar and gall which

Thou didst taste on the Cross of Love for us,

grant us the grace to receive worthily

Thy Precious Body and Blood during our life

and at the hour of our death,

that they may serve as a remedy

and consolation for our souls.  Amen.”

St Bridget (Birgitta) of Sweden

Wife, Widow, Religious, Foundress

Mystic and Visionary

1303-1373

Patroness: Sweden.  Co-patroness: Europe

Mother of eight, including St Catherine of Sweden

Founded religious order, Brigittines*

*distinctive skull cap over veil

FEAST DAY – July 23

 

 "Lord, show me the way and make me ready to follow it."

 ~ St. Bridget of Sweden

Click here: St. Bridget of Sweden - YouTube (2 mins)

St Bridget of Sweden, pray for us!

Perfume of prayer...

May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up

of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.  - Psalm 141:2

"Yes, I am happy, perfectly happy; and do you wish to know where I find true happiness? At the feet of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. …

I would strongly urge that, even as the Magdalene anointed the Lord’s feet with tears and perfumed oil, you too would pour out the perfume of constant prayer and contemplation at the foot of the tabernacle. I should like the Eucharist to become a burning flame for your soul, so that, immersed in that flame, it might emerge burning with love and great-heartedness.

I should like to see this Eucharistic altar, on which Jesus is sacrificed, accept your offering too, so that you may become a victim of love, whose perfume rises to the throne of the Eternal God!"

Fr Augustine Mary of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Carmelite priest  (1821 to 1871)

Remembering...  

St Mary Magdalene

Disciple of Jesus

"Apostle to the Apostles"

Feast Day – July 22

    

Mary Magdelene ~ Sandro Botticelli

“The story of Mary of Magdala reminds us all of a fundamental truth. A disciple of Christ is one who, in the experience of human weakness, has had the humility to ask for His help, has been healed by Him and has set out following closely after Him, becoming a witness of the power of His merciful love that is stronger than sin and death.” – Pope Benedict XVI

Click here: ST ANSELM's prayer to MARY MAGDALEN

St Mary Magdalene, pray for us!

A privilege indeed!

"The privilege of receiving the Holy Eucharist from the Hands of Jesus Himself was experienced by a number of saints, including St Laurence of Brindisi, a Capuchian, whose unusual talents and rare virtue were called upon by Pope Clement VIII for several unusual missions.  One of these was his chaplaincy to the Imperial army of Prague. ...

 With the Turks still menacing nearby Christian countries, the Imperial army of 18,000 men assembled to do battle with the Turks, who numbered 80,000.  Vastly outnumbered, the Christians appealed to St Laurence for advice and encouragement.  After delivering a rousing discourse, the saint, despite his mature years, mounted a horse and with the cross held high in his hands led the troops against the infidels.  The crushing defeat of the Turks was attributed by all to the prayers and inspiration of the saint. 

    It is told that on his return from the campaign he joined his brethren at Gorizia, where Our Lord appeared to them and gave them all Holy Communion with His own Hand."  

From Eucharistic Miracles

Joan Carroll Cruz

St Laurence of Brindisi

Capuchin priest
Preached in 8 languages fluently

1559-1619 ~ Italy

Doctor of the Church

FEAST DAY - July 21

"The Word of the Lord is light for the intellect and fire for the will, so that man can know and love God. For the interior man, who through grace lives from the Spirit of God, it is bread and water, but bread that is sweeter than honey and water that is better than wine and milk. ... It is a hammer against a hard heart obstinate in vices. It is a sword against the flesh, the world and the devil, to destroy every sin." ~ St Laurence of Brindisi

Click here: St. Lawrence of Brindisi - YouTube  (2 mins)

Click here: Feast of St Lawrence of Brindisi (13:49 mins)

St Laurence of Brindisi, pray for us!

To light, guard, rule, guide...

To My Guardian Angel, Before the Blessed Sacrament

By Paul Thigpen

 

 

My Guardian,

Hold my hand lest, over-timid,

     I should flee so great a Sovereignty.

Prick my heart lest, too familiar,

     I insult so great a Clemency.

Fix my eyes lest, too distracted,

     I grow blind to such a Majesty.

Move my tongue lest, too lethargic,

     I neglect such opportunity.

Secret of transformation in Christ

"The [Eucharistic] Visit is the practice which guides and influences our whole life…. 

It draws together the fruits of all other practices and brings them to fruition. 

It is the great means for living Jesus Christ. It is the great means for putting adolescence aside and forming a personality in Christ.  It is the secret for our transformation in Christ. It is experiencing the relationship of Jesus with His Father and with humanity. It is the guarantee of perseverance." - Bl James Alberione

 

 

The Eucharistic Visit

The Visit is a meeting of our soul

and of our whole being with Jesus.
It is the creature meeting the Creator;
the disciple before the Divine Master;
the patient with the Doctor of souls;
the poor one appealing to the Rich One;
the thirsty one drinking at the Font;
the weak before the Almighty;
the tempted seeking a sure Refuge;
the blind person searching for the Light;
the friend who goes to the True Friend;
the lost sheep sought by the Divine Shepherd;
the wayward heart who finds the Way;
the unenlightened one who finds Wisdom;
the bride who finds the Spouse of the soul;
the “nothing” who finds the All;
the afflicted who finds the Consoler;
the seeker who finds life’s meaning.

 

Bl Jame Alberione (+1971)