The First Tabernacle

FEAST of the VISITATION

May 31

Blessed is she who believed that what the Lord

has said would be fulfilled. ~ Luke 1:45

"O noble Virgin, truly you are greater than any other greatness. For who is your equal in greatness, O dwelling place of God the Word? To whom among all creatures shall I compare you, O Virgin? You are greater than them all, O Ark of the Covenant, clothed with purity instead of gold! You are the Ark in which is found the golden vessel containing the true manna, that is, the flesh in which Divinity resides." ~ St Athanasius

 

 Visitation ~ Mariotto Albertinelli (1503) ~ Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

 “Mary also anticipated, in the mystery of the Incarnation,

the Church’s Eucharistic faith.  When, at the Visitation, she bore

in her womb the Word made flesh, she became in some way

a ‘tabernacle’ – the first ‘tabernacle’ in history –

in which the Son of God, still invisible to our human gaze,

allowed Himself to be adored by Elizabeth radiating His light

as it were through the eyes and the voice of Mary.

And is not the enraptured gaze of Mary …

that unparalleled model of love which should inspire us

every time we receive Eucharistic communion?”

Pope St John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 55

“Is it not this also the joy of the Church, which receives Christ

incessantly in the holy Eucharist and takes Him to the world

with the testimony of active charity, full of faith and hope?

Yes, to receive Jesus and to take Him to others is the true joy of the Christian! Let us follow and imitate Mary’s profoundly Eucharistic

soul, and our whole life will become a Magnificat.”

Pope Benedict XVI

May 31, 2005

Blessed Mother Mary and St Elizabeth, pray for us!

 



ORDAINED to the Holy Priesthood of Jesus Christ TODAY

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Oh, day of Love Divine, all loves excelling! 

An Old German saying:

It is worth wearing out a pair of shoes to walk

to receive a priest's First Blessing!

Rev. Mr. Michael Barsness ~ Diocese of Minneapolis-St Paul (Minnesota)
Rev. Mr. Joseph Kuharski ~ Diocese of Minneapolis-St Paul

Rev. Mr. Kevin Manthey ~ Diocese of Minneapolis-St Paul

Rev. Mr. Marcus Milless ~ Diocese of Minneapolis-St Paul

Rev. Mr. Marc Paveglio ~ Diocese of Minneapolis-St Paul

Rev. Mr. Paul Shovelain ~ Diocese of Minneapolis-St Paul
Cathedral of St Paul - 10 AM

Rev. Mr. William Thompson ~ Diocese of Owensboro (Kentucky)

Rev. Mr. Emmanuel Udoh ~ Diocese of Owensboro

St Stephen's Cathedral - 10 AM

Rev. Mr. David Bayardo ~ Diocese of Corpus Christi (Texas)

Rev. Mr. Luis Villarreal~ Diocese of Corpus Christi

Rev. Mr. Tristan Abbott, SOLT ~ Diocese of Corpus Christi

Rev. Mr. Michael Slovak, SOLT ~ Diocese of Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi Cathedral - 10 AM

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

"How happy I was today. 

My heart was on fire with love for Jesus...

I have begun to taste paradise !"

(St Padre Pio, speaking of his first Mass)

Keeping vigil...

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide

and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love

that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled

to the measure of all the fullness of God. – Eph 3: 17b-19

  

St Josemaria Escriva recommended priests to keep the Blessed Sacrament company as much as they could. He wanted all of them to increase their devotion to the Eucharist, pointing out to them:

“Don’t do it for your parishioners to see, but don’t worry if they do see you. If you are centered on our Lord, and people notice how you love Him, they’ll ask you why, and then you can tell them about this love that should fill your whole life.”

Ascension Thursday

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord*

 

*All worldwide and ecclesiastical U.S. provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Philadelphia and the state of Nebraska have retained this celebration on Thursday, while all other U.S. provinces have transferred this Solemnity to the Seventh Sunday of Easter, June 1.

 

...the fortieth day after Easter Sunday, commemorating the Ascension of Christ

into heaven, according to Mark 16:19, Luke 24:51, and Acts 1:2. 

In the liturgies the day is meant to celebrate the completion of the work

of our salvation, the pledge of our glorification with Christ,

and His entry into heaven with our human nature glorified.

  

"...Christ's Ascension is our uplifting, and the hope of the Body is raised, whither the glory of the Head has gone before, let us exult, dearly-beloved, with worthy joy and delight in the loyal paying of thanks.

For today not only are we confirmed as possessors of paradise, but have also in Christ penetrated the heights of heaven, and have gained still greater things through Christ's unspeakable grace than we had lost through the devil's malice."- Pope St Gregory the Great - Sermon LXXIII

  

“Ascending once again to the Inaccessible Light…

You remain still in the ‘valley of tears,’

hidden beneath the appearances of a white host.” 

St. Thérèse of Lisieux

 

Fr Antoine Thomas, CSJ, celebrating Holy Mass

 

Click here: Fr. Robert Barron-Why the Ascension of the Lord Matters (8 mins)

 

 

 

The Feast of the Ascension marks the beginning of the first novena, or nine days of prayer.  Today, Catholics recall that first novena by praying the Novena to the Holy Ghost between Ascension and Pentecost, asking for the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  BEGIN the NOVENA FRIDAY!

  

 "Let our hearts ascend with Christ."  ~ St Augustine

 

Click here: PENTECOST Novena of Seven Gifts

 

OR simply pray each day ...

 

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful,

and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.

V. Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created,

R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.

O God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of Your faithful, grant that by that same Holy Spirit, we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sweet fact: Real Presence!

 Then you will know the truth, 

and the truth will set you free.- John 8:32 

 

"The Blessed Sacrament is God.

Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament is simply divine worship.

Turn it which way we will, throw the light of love and knowledge

now on one side of it, now on another, still the result is the same,

the one inexhaustible sweet fact of the Real Presence. 

In the hands of the priest, behind the crystal of the monstrance,

on the tongue of the communicant, now, and for a thousand times,

and almost at our will and pleasure, there are the Hands and Feet,

the Eyes and Mouth, the swift Blood and living Heart of Him

whom Thomas touched and Magdalen was fain to touch,

the Soul that ... set the prisoners free."

Fr Frederick Faber

Christ: whole inheritance

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

surely I have a delightful inheritance. - Psalm 16:6

 

Artist: Jed Gibbons

 

"God, in His promises to hear our prayers, is desirous to bestow Himself upon us; if you find anything better than Him, ask it; but if you ask anything beneath Him, you put an affront upon Him, and hurt yourself by preferring to Him a creature which He framed: Pray in the spirit and sentiment of love, in which the royal prophet said to Him, 'Thou, O Lord, are my portion.' Let others choose to themselves portions among creatures, for my part, You are my portion, You alone I have chosen for my whole inheritance."

St Augustine of Canterbury*

Not to be confused with St Augustine of Hippo

Italian Benedictine monk

sent by Pope Gregory the Great as missionary to England

First Archbishop of Canterbury

+605

Patron of England

Click here: St. Augustine of Canterbury - YouTube (2 mins)

Click here: Life of St Augustine of Canterbury - YouTube (6mins)

 

In a letter to Augustine, Pope Gregory the Great wrote:

"He who would climb to a lofty height must go by steps, not leaps."

St Augustine of Canterbury, pray for us!

Ready remedy

"God makes all His own the soul 

that is wholly given to Him." - St Philip Neri

 "At Communion we ought to

ask for the remedy of the vice

to which we feel ourselves most inclined."

 

St Philip Neri

Italy ~ 1515 - 1595

Priest, bears title "Second Apostle of Rome"

Founder ~ Congregation of the Oratory

Counter-reformer

FEAST DAY - May 26

 

 

Click here: Maxims of St Philip Neri (excellent!)

Click here: St. Philip Neri - YouTube (2 mins)

Click here: Saint Philip Neri May 26 - YouTube (6 mins)

 

 

"The true servant of God acknowledges

no other country but heaven." - St Philip Neri

Guardians: attentive and fervent

O my priest, how can you dare to make an offering of Me 
truly and totally complete, if you haven't first made the 
offering of yourself, totally complete. - Mgr Vladimir Ghika

 

Prayer of Pope Benedict XVI

O Father, give us holy ministers

for Your altar,

Who shall be attentive and

fervent guardians of the Eucharist,

the Sacrament of the supreme

gift of Christ for the redemption

of the world."

 

Let us join Pope Emeritus in this prayer!

Joyously remembering the Ordination of

Fr Spencer J Howe - 25 May 2013
and in gratitude for all men Our Lord has called to the altar as priests.

 

Transformed!

 "If you could only understand the value of one Holy Communion! 

A single Communion should make us other Christs!"

- St Madeleine Sophie Barat

 

 "I am espoused to Him Whom the Angels serve,

at Whose beauty the sun and the moon wonder.

Already is His Flesh united to mine

and His Blood glows in my cheeks."

Saint Agnes 

ORDAINED to the Holy Priesthood of Jesus Christ TODAY

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Oh, day of Love Divine, all loves excelling!
An Old German saying:

It is worth wearing out a pair of shoes to walk
to receive a priest's First Blessing!

Rev Mr David Rider, Jr ~ Archdiocese of New York (New York)
Rev Mr Michael Achanyi ~ Archdiocese of New York
Rev Mr Matthew MacDonald ~ Archdiocese of New York
Rev Mr Richard Marrano ~ Archdiocese of New York
Rev Mr Robert Rodriguez ~ Archdiocese of New York
Rev Mr Gabriel Kyte ~ C.F.R. (Franciscan Friars of the Renewal)
Cardinal Dolan - St Patrick's Cathedral ~ 9 AM

Rev Mr Zachary Swantek ~ Archdiocese of Newark (New Jersey) 
Rev Mr Emmanuel Agu ~ Archdiocese of Newark
Rev Mr Elvio Batista ~ Archdiocese of Newark
Rev Mr Eugenio Palileo de al Rama ~ Archdiocese of Newark
Rev Mr Nelson Garcia ~ Archdiocese of Newark
Rev Mr Dearly Gonzalez ~ Archdiocese of Newark
Rev Mr Sung Hong ~ Archdiocese of Newark
Rev Mr Jong Kim ~ Archdiocese of Newark
Rev Mr Doroteo Layosa ~ Archdiocese of Newark
Rev Mr Archibald Mabini ~ Archdiocese of Newark
Rev Mr Pedro Repollet ~ Archdiocese of Newark

Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart

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

 

"Your thumb and your forefinger 
have received the unction of the Holy Chrism. 

It is between thethumb and the forefinger very delicately

that you must take the wounded souls."  ~ Pere Lamy

One follows the other...

Before a word is on my tongue 

you know it completely, O LORD. -  Psalm 139:4

  

 

 

"The stillness of prayer

is the most essential condition

for fruitful action.

Before all else, the disciple kneels down."

St. Gianna Molla

Christ made her heart His!

   ...the LORD is my portion ...He is good to those 
 whose hope is in Him... Lamentations 3:24, 25

 

"Christ Jesus had stolen the heart of Rita –

He alone possessed it. He made her heart His heart;

and under the white veils of the Eucharist He was for her soul,

as He is for all loving hearts, heaven upon earth.

 

 How sweet is the moment

in which poor humanity, wearied and afflicted,

may remain alone, with Jesus alone, in the Sacrament of Love;

for there the Lord, with His flaming heart open, calls unto all,

'You that are burdened and heavy laden,

come unto Me and I will refresh you.' "

Fr M.J. Corcoran, OSA
Our Own St Rita:  A Life of the Saint of the Impossible

St Rita of Cascia

Italy ~ 1381-1457

Wife, Mother, Augustinian Nun

Stigmatist, Incorrupt

Patron of Impossible Cases*

*especially matrimonial difficulties

FEAST DAY - May 22

 

The saint of Cascia belongs to the great host of Christian women who "have had a significant impact on the life of the Church as well as of society" (Apostolic Letter Mulieris dignitatem, n. 27). Rita well interpreted the "feminine genius" by living it intensely in both physical and spiritual motherhood. " ~ Saint John Paul II

Click here: Saint of the Impossible - YouTube

MORE ABOUT ST RITA:

From an early age Rita desired to become a nun, but her parents thought it best for her to marry. She suffered through a difficult marriage for 18 years, with an abusive, ill tempered husband. He converted shortly before his political murder. Their twin sons wanted to avenge his death.  When St. Rita learned that her sons planned to avenge their father's murder, she prayed to God to save them from committing such a grievous sin.  Almost immediately, both boys fell ill. She nursed them lovingly, and they both died, reconciled with God.

Now a widow and childless, St. Rita applied for admission to the Augustinian convent in Cascia, but was refused because its rule only permitted virgins. After much prayer and entreaty, an exception was finally granted to her and she was allowed to enter in 1413. The story is told that St. Rita was miraculously transported into the monastery itself, despite its locked doors; when the nuns found her there in the morning, they allowed her to stay, taking it as the will of God.

St Rita had a deep devotion to the passion of Christ and the Holy Eucharist. She spent many hours in Eucharistic Adoration daily. Confined to her bed the last four years of her life, she consumed little more than the Eucharist.  Near the end of her life, she had a visitor from her home town who asked if she'd like anything.  Rita's only request was a rose from her family's estate. The visitor went to the home, but it being January, knew there was no hope of finding a flower; but there, sprouted on an otherwise bare bush, was a single rose blossom.

St Rita was a stigmatist who suffered a wound of Christ on her forehead.  When St. Rita died her face became beautifully radiant and her cell was aglow with heavenly light, while the great bell of the monastery rang of itself. Her incorrupt body, which for several centuries gave off a sweet fragrance, is preserved in a shrine in Italy.  It is said that at her beatification, the body of the saint raised itself up and opened its eyes. St. Rita is called "The Saint of the Impossible" and is particularly invoked in cases of matrimonial difficulties.

St. Rita of Cascia was the first woman to be canonized in the Great Jubilee at the beginning of the 20th century, on May 24, 1900.
 

St Rita of Cascia, pray for us!