Heart aflame

 

"Your most loving Heart, O Jesus,

dwells in this Sacrament,

burning with love for us.

It is there continually performing

thousands of good deeds towards us."

 

St. John Eudes

 

The fruit of time with Jesus!

He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. 

Such is the generation of those who seek Him,

who seek your face, O God of Jacob.  ~ Psalm 24:5,6

 

 

During the food giveaways at Our Lady of Angels Mission (Chicago), volunteers and the

Franciscan Sisters take turns spending time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

 

 

"The Hour of Adoration prepares one

for Holy Mass and Holy Communion.

Frequent encounters

and familiar conversation with Jesus

produce friendship, resemblance, and identity

of thought, of feeling and of willing with Jesus."

 

Bl. James Alberione

Contentment of faith...

 

 

"... I think the sacramental system gives us Catholics an advantage.  We don't expect to feel much as the result of the grace which, we know, we are getting.  We are accustomed to the idea of supernatural transactions going on; affecting quite really the state of our souls; and yet nothing in the way of external feelings to show for it. 

We are content to go on in faith, knowing that we have received spiritual benefits without having the itch to take our spiritual temperatures all the time."

Excerpt from The Hidden Stream by Ronald Knox (Sheed & Ward, 1953)

The 'whole' secret...

 

The secret lies in a total offering of self, withholding nothing.  Jesus was a total oblation on the Cross.  There wasn't a cell of His body or sentiment of His heart that He didn't offer to the Father.  Anything we withhold for ourselves is lost, because we only possess what we give. 

St Francis of Assisi who, because of the elevated fervor of his devotion to the Eucharist can be considered a special guide on the topic, ends his wonderful discourse on the Eucharist with this exhortation:  "Look at God's humility, my brothers, and pour out your hearts before Him.  Humble yourselves, so that He who has given Himself wholly to you may receive you wholly."

In the Imitation of Christ, Jesus says:  "Look, I offered Myself wholly to the Father for you; I also gave My whole body and blood for food, that I might be wholly yours, and you should remain mine.  But if you stand upon yourself and do not offer yourself freely to My will, the offering is not fully made, nor will union between us be complete."

What we hold back for ourselves to keep a margin of freedom from God pollutes all the rest.  It is the little silk thread St John of the Cross speaks of, which prevents the bird from flying.

Fr Raniero Cantalamessa

The Eucharist, Our Sanctification

 

Inseparable devotions !

  "I am of the same family as Christ -

what more could I want?" ~ Bl Pope John XXIII

 

 

“Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament,

devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,

devotion to the Blessed Virgin –

 

these are three inseparable devotions

we should lovingly cultivate

and which will ensure the perfection

of the good works we have undertaken

as well as our eternal happiness.”

 

Saint Mary Euphrasia Pelletier

Co-Foundress of the Good Shepherd Sisters

 

 

 

Walking in His strength

 

 

"God is so good to me.  I (Columba Marmion) live now on my daily Communion.  All the morning I walk in the strength of that divine food, and from the afternoon I live on the thought of the following Communion, for It strengthens us according to our desires and preparations.  Our Lord has promised that 'he who eateth Me shall live by Me.' His life becomes ours, the source of all our activity. "

Excerpt from - Abbot Columba Marmion

by Fr Raymond Thibaut

Holy remedy

“Yours is the august work, O Christ, Yours whose power is without limits and who are faithful and kind. It is You who, recalling the memory of the former marvels, have, in this sacred food and supersubstantial bread, wonderfully found means and the way whereby, in the eating of the Lamb without spot or stain, they may be healed who, through the eating of the forbidden tree, had been made sick, and had lost the unfading and imperishable crown of everlasting glory.”

St. Thomas Aquinas

All for Jesus

But just as He who called you is holy,
so be holy in all you do. ~ I Peter 1:15

Central panel of triptych - photo credit - Lawrence, OP

"St Anthony of Claret had always been especially attracted by devotions honoring the Blessed Sacrament.  During his school days he had been so captivated by a book his father gave him, The Goodness of Our Sacramental Lord, that he had committed it to memory!

Kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament, he would pray:  "Oh, my God, grant me a place by the gates of hell, that I may stop those who enter there, saying:  'Where are you going, unhappy one?  Back, go back!  Make a good confession.  Save your soul!  Don't come back here to be lost forever.' "

From Hidden Treasure: The Riches of the Eucharist

(Louis Kaczmarek)

St Anthony Mary Claret 

Spain ~ 1807-1870

Missionary, Religious founder (Claretians),

Social reformer, Queen's (Spain) chaplain,

Writer and publisher, Excellent/renowned preacher

Great devotion to Eucharist and Immaculate Heart of Mary

Said of him... "never without a rosary in his hands"

Archbishop of Cuba 1850-57

"The spiritual father of Cuba"

FEAST DAY - October 24

"When I see the need for Divine teaching and how hungry people are to hear it, I am atremble to be off and running throughout the world, preaching the word of God. I have no rest, my soul finds no other relief, than to rush about and preach." ~ St. Anthony Mary Claret   St Anthony Mary Claret, ora pro nobis!
More on St Anthony Mary Claret: Click here: A Very Special Patron: Saint Anthony Mary Claret | Catholicism.org  

Abiding...

 As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. 

Now remain in My love.  ~ John 15:9

"May we dwell long and often in adoration

before Christ in the Eucharist.

May we sit at the 'school' of the Eucharist."

 

Pope Bl John Paul II

 

 

Pope Bl John Paul II, ora pro nobis!

 

Memorial of Blessed John Paul II Added To U.S. Liturgical Calendar

US Bishops Receives Approval from Congregation for Divine Worship

WASHINGTON, D.C., OCT. 22, 2012 (Zenit.org).- The Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship has approved insertion of the optional memorial of Blessed John Paul II in the proper calendar of the dioceses of the United States for Oct 22.  It also has provided the proper liturgical texts for observance of the Memorial in the Mass and Divine Office.

The U.S. bishops last November voted overwhelmingly to request the addition of the popular pope, who reigned for 27 years, into the U.S. liturgical calendar.

The Office of Readings includes an excerpt from Pope John Paul's homily at his inauguration as pope in 1978, when he stressed "Do not be afraid, Open, I say open wide the doors for Christ." The message became one of the signature statements of his papacy.

The biographical piece in the Divine Office highlights the pope's pastoral visits around the world, his participation in the Second Vatican Council, and his zeal for families, young people and the sick. It also noted his promotion of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the new Code of Canon Law.

--- --- ---

On the Net:

For the Liturgical prayers and readings for the Feast of Blessed John Paul II, go to http://www.usccb.org/about/leadership/holy-see/pope-john-paul-ii/memorial-of-blessed-john-paul-ii.cfm

Truth sets free

 Jesus said... But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, 

will draw all men to Myself.  ~ John 12:32

 

 

From a letter of Bl Niels Stensen (Danish) written prior to his conversion to Catholicism from Lutheranism, describing a Corpus Christi procession he witnessed in Leghorn, Italy, on June 24, 1666:

   “When I saw the host carried amid such pomp across the city, the thought came into my mind:  either this Host is a simple piece of bread and those who render it such are mad, or else It is truly the Body of Christ.  In that case, why should I too not honor It?  When this idea flashed across my mind…  I could not persuade myself that so great a part of the Christian world was mad - - thinking of the Roman Catholics, among whom there were so many intelligent and learned men …

… I spent much time in seeking the truth, trusting to God to open my soul to the knowledge I sought in all sincerity of heart.”

From: Neils Stensen, Scientist-Bishop by Raffaello Cioni (1962), pgs 70-71.

In the logic of love...

    "Jesus, help me to simplify my life by learning what you want me to be - and becoming that person."  ~ St Thérèse of Lisieux

 

 

“The fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council is an important occasion to return to God, to deepen and live with greater courage one's own faith, to strengthen membership of the Church, "the teacher of humanity," which, through the proclamation of the Word, the celebration of the Sacraments and the work of charity leads us to encounter and know Christ, true God and true man. This is not an encounter with an idea or a life plan, but a living Person who deeply transforms us, revealing to us our true identity as children of God. Our encounter with Christ renews our human relationships, guiding them, day by day, to greater solidarity and fraternity, in the logic of love. Having faith in the Lord is not something that affects only our intelligence, the area of ​​intellectual knowledge, but it is a change that involves life, all of our being: feelings, heart, intellect, will, body, emotions, human relationships. With faith everything really changes everything in us and for us, and our future destiny is clearly revealed, the truth of our vocation in history, the meaning of life, the joy of being a pilgrim towards the heavenly Kingdom.” 

Excerpt:  Holy Father's first catechesis in the Year of Faith, General Audience, Wednesday, 10/17/12

 

“The altar points our way to heaven.”  ~ St Louis Guanella

Click here: Pope to canonize seven new Saints in St. Peter's Square

 

~ Father Jacques Berthieu (French)

~ Peter Calungsod (Filipino)

~ Father Giovanni Battista Piamarta (Italian)

~ Carmen Salles y Barangueras (Spanish)

~ Anna Schaffer (German)

~ Mother Marianne Cope (American) 

~ Kateri Tekeckwitha  (Native American)

 

Click here: Pope's Homily on seven new saints

 

All you holy men and women, pray for us!

 

 

2012 theme:   Pray and Give Generously

 

Abandoning God's mysteries to God

 

"Let weak and frail man come here

in humble entreaty

to adore the Sacrament of Christ,

not to discuss high things,

or to wish to penetrate difficulties,

but to bow down

to secret things in humble veneration,

and to abandon God's mysteries to God,

for Truth deceives no man -

Almighty God can do all things."

St Paul of the Cross

Mystic, Founder - Passionist Order

Italy ~ 1694-1775

FEAST DAY - October 20

 

"It is an excellent and holy practice to call to mind and meditate on our

Lord's Passion, since it is by this path that we shall arrive at union with God. 

In this, the holiest of all schools, true wisdom is learned,

for it was there that all the saints became wise." ~ St. Paul of the Cross

St Paul of the Cross, ora pro nobis!

 

More on St Paul of the Cross, incl 10 min YouTube:  Click here: Catholic Fire

They have drunk His cup...

 “We multiply whenever we are mown down by you;

the blood of Christians is seed.”  ~  Tertullian, Apology, 50,13

 

 

 

“Let us honor the martyrs of the Lord chosen

out of every class, as soldiers of Christ who

have drunk His cup and were then baptized

with the baptism of His life-bringing death,

to be partakers of His passion and glory…”

St John Damascus

Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, 4, 15

 

 

Sts. Isaac Jogues,

John de Brebeuf and Companions

Jesuit Martyrs ~ +1642-1649*

FEAST DAY - Oct. 19

 

 

Fr Isaac Jogues gave the original European name to New York's Lake George,

calling it Lac du Saint Sacrement, Lake of the Blessed Sacrament.

 

*The North American Martyrs and their entrance into eternal life:

 

St Rene Goupil - Sept 29, 1642

St Isaac Jogues - Oct 18, 1646

St John de Lalande - October 19, 1646

St Anthony Daniel - July 4, 1648

St John de Brebeuf - March 16, 1649

St Gabriel Lalemant - March 17, 1649

St Charles Garnier - December 7, 1649

St Noel Chabanel - December 8, 1649

 

Prayer to the Eight North American Martyrs
(author unknown)

Let Us Pray

Protect our land, O heavenly patrons, which you have bedewed with the rich treasure of your blood. Watch over our Catholic Faith which you helped to establish in this new land. Bring all our fellow citizens to a knowledge and love of the truth. Make us zealous in spreading abroad a knowledge of Catholic teachings, so that we may continue and perfect the work which you have begun with so much labor and suffering. Pray for our homes, our schools, our missions; for vocations, for the conversion of sinners, the return of those who have wandered from the fold, and the perseverance of all the faithful. Amen.

More on the North American Martyrs... ( a must read!)

CLICK HERE:  http://catholicism.org/eight-na-martyrs.html

 

Sts. Isaac Jogues, 

John de Brebeuf and Companions,

ora pro nobis!

The Kingdom is at hand

 

Prayer over the gifts (Liturgy – Oct 18, 2012)

Grant through your heavenly gifts that we may

serve you in freedom of heart, we pray, O Lord,

so that the offerings we make on the feast day of

Saint Luke may bring us healing and give us glory.

Through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Communion Antiphon

The Lord sent out disciples to proclaim throughout

the towns: The kingdom of God is at hand for you.

(See Lk 10:1,9)

Prayer after Communion

Grant, we pray, almighty God,

that what we have received from your holy altar

may sanctify us and make us strong in the faith

of the Gospel which Saint Luke proclaimed.

Through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

St Luke

Evangelist, Martyr

Fellow-worker of St Paul

Patron:  Artists, Physicians and Surgeons

Feast Day – October 18

St Luke, thank you for enlivening our love of Jesus as Friend

through the holy Gospel!

This is a Friend who will not terrify you, who will not abandon you.

Hope in Him, and Heaven is yours! ~ St Joseph Cafasso

St Luke, ora pro nobis!

Wheat of God

  

 

Born in Syria, Ignatius converted to Christianity and eventually became bishop of Antioch. In the year 107, Emperor Trajan visited Antioch and forced the Christians there to choose between death and apostasy. Ignatius would not deny Christ and thus was condemned to be put to death in Rome.

Ignatius is well known for the seven letters he wrote on the long journey from Antioch to Rome. Five of these letters are to Churches in Asia Minor; they urge the Christians there to remain faithful to God and to obey their superiors. He warns them against heretical doctrines, providing them with the solid truths of the Christian faith.

The sixth letter was to Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, who was later martyred for the faith. The final letter begs the Christians in Rome not to try to stop his martyrdom. Ignatius bravely met the lions in the Circus Maximus.

"I am writing to all the Churches and I enjoin all,that I am dying willingly for God's sake,

if only you do not prevent it. I beg you, do not do me an untimely kindness.  The only thing I ask of you is to allow me to offer the libation of my blood to God. I am the wheat of the Lord; may I be ground by the teeth of the beasts to become the immaculate bread of Christ."  

~ St Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Romans

St Ignatius of Antioch

Bishop and Martyr

First Century

Disciple of St John the Evangelist

FEAST DAY - October 17

"Faith is the beginning, and love is the end,

and the union of the two together is God." ~ St Ignatius of Antioch

St Ignatius of Antioch, ora pro nobis!

Vivifying visits

  

 

"What great strength souls receive who lovingly

visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. 

Let’s all go see Jesus, Our Prisoner of Love. 

Suffer only for God and your sufferings

will bring you heaven on earth."

 

St Gerard Majella 

Italy ~ 1726-1755

Lay Brother of the Congregation

of the Most Holy Redeemer

Wonder-worker and Patron of expectant mothers

FEAST DAY - Oct 16

 

 

“Who except God can give you peace? 

Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart?” ~ St Gerard

 

 St Gerard, patron of expectant mothers, ora pro nobis!

 

 

 

The wealth of generosity

   

Holy communion of St Teresa of Avila ~ Artist Unknown

"I am quite sure that if we could but once

approach the Most Holy Sacrament

with great faith and love,

it would suffice to make us rich.

How much more so if we approach it often."

 St Teresa of Avila

 Spain ~ 1515-1582

Carmelite Contemplative, Reformer, Author

DOCTOR of the CHURCH

FEAST DAY - October 15

  St. Teresa’s most popularly known writing is a brief poem

known as her “Bookmark”,

because it was found in her prayer book after her death in 1582.

 

Original Spanish:

Nada te turbe,
nada te espante;
todo se pasa,
Dios no se muda.
La pacientia todo lo alcanza.
Quien a Dios tiene nada la falta:
solo Dios basta.

Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.

St Teresa of Avila, ora pro nobis!

Always love knows...

  

 

What a comfort it is, this way of love!

You may stumble on it,

you may fail to correspond with grace given,

but always love knows

how to make the best of everything. . .

 

St Therese of Lisieux

Only God

 

 

"It is only God that can fill the soul."

 

St. John Vianney,

speaking of the Holy Eucharist

Preach it!

 

Pope Leo XIII  (Pope from 1878 to 1903), said:

"The present and future tribulations

of the church and of nations

is greater than any other period.

The devotion that God gives us

for the succor of the Church and of nations

is devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.

Preach it always; preach it everywhere."  

 

Tristram Paul Hillier