Sunday, April 30, 2017

Encountering Christ... learning from the Mass on the Move...

Taste, and see, the goodness of the Lord. - Psalm 34:8

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"The liturgy and the sacraments are not mere rituals;
they are encounters with Jesus Christ.  Through our repeated celebration
of the holy mysteries, our eyes are increasingly opened, if we are faithful. 
We learn to see and hear Christ in the liturgy, to experience His ministry to us.

The fact that Jesus vanishes from their sight teaches us
that He is no longer seen with the eyes of the flesh, but with the eyes of faith
and the eyes of the heart.  Although He is gone from our earthly, fleshly, carnal sight, He is now to be seen in the sacrament of the altar and experienced in the Liturgy 
and in the other sacraments.  The Mass has reached its pinnacle
for these two disciples and for us.  They have tasted and now they see."

Msgr Charles Pope
Excerpt of today's homily
Full text of this excellent-must-read homily:
Oil painting above: The Supper at Emmaus ~ Giuseppe Vermiglio (1585-1635)


"The Lord's Day is the lord of days" (4th c homily)
yet today also remembering.... 

Feast Day - April 30
Pope St. Pius V
Italy  ~ 1504-1572
Dominican*, Church Reformer
Leadership at time of Battle of Lepanto
"Pope of the Rosary"
*His decision to keep wearing his Dominican habit
led to the custom of the pope wearing a white cassock.

 

St Pius V, pray for us!
   

Saturday, April 29, 2017

Each drop, precious...

  "Love does not stay idle."
- St Catherine of Siena, Letter T82

http://maldart.tumblr.com/

Precious Blood,
Ocean of Divine Mercy:
Flow upon us! 

Precious Blood,
Most pure Offering:
Procure us every Grace! 

Precious Blood,
Hope and Refuge of sinners:
Atone for us! 

Precious Blood,
Delight of holy souls:
Draw us! Amen.

Prayer of
St Catherine of Siena
Italy  ~ 1347 -1380
Doctor of the Church
Reformer, mystic, writer
Third Order Dominican
Incorrupt
FEAST DAY - April 29

  
 "I treasure your knowing how to
give the world a kick." ~  St Catherine of Siena

"Be who God meant you to be and you 
will set the world on fire." - St Catherine of Siena

"Proclaim the truth and do not be 
silent through fear." - St Catherine of Siena

St Catherine of Siena, pray for us!

Friday, April 28, 2017

This is the Way... walk in it...

"When we work hard, we must eat well.
What a joy, that you can receive Holy Communion often!
It’s our life and support in this life.  Receive Communion often, and 
Jesus will change you into Himself." - St Peter Julian Eymard

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Eucharistic thoughts from three
'family members' on their FEAST DAY today...

St Louis de Montfort used to remain after Holy Mass for thanksgiving
at least a half hour, and he would not permit any need or assignment
to serve as a reason for omitting it.  He said, 
 "I would not give up this hour of thanksgiving
even for an hour of Paradise." 

St Louis de Montfort
France ~ 1673-1716
Priest, Marian devotee
Author: Secret of MaryTrue Devotion to Mary
Founder ~ Sisters of Divine Wisdom
FEAST DAY - April 28

 

"She (Mother Mary) is an echo of God, speaking and repeating only God.
If you say 'Mary' she says 'God'." ~ St Louis de Montfort

St Louis de Montfort, pray for us!   



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"Our body is a cenacle,
a monstrance:
through its crystal the world should see God."

St Gianna Beretta Molla
Wife, Mother, Doctor, Martyr
Italy (1922-1962)
FEAST DAY - April 28


 

“The life of Mamma was an act and a perennial action of faith and charity; it was a non-stop search for the will of God for every decision and for every work, with prayer and meditation, Holy Mass and the Eucharist,” explained St. Gianna’s husband to their children after her death.

St Gianna Molla, pray for us!

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 When called upon to justify his conversion, 
one of Chanel's catechumens had said of him,
"He loves us. He does what he teaches.
He forgives his enemies. His teaching is good."


St Peter Chanel
Nee France ~ 1803-1841
Priest, Missionary, Protomartyr of Oceania
  Within two years after his death,
the whole island became Catholic and has remained so.
FEAST DAY - April 28

   
   
"No one is a martyr for a conclusion, no one is a martyr for an opinion;
it is faith that makes martyrs."  Bl John Cardinal Newman

St Peter Chanel, pray for us!

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Thursday, April 27, 2017

Consecrating the ordinary...

"Our life must reach out toward the Infinite,
and from that source we must draw whatever we can expect
of merit and dignity." - Bl Contardo Ferrini

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"Then the sacred moment arrives when we receive our Lord
and are united with Him.  The moment itself is fleeting;
it takes just a quick swallow, a short turn, and we walk back to our seats.

To transform this ordinary routine... At the moment 
of communion, we could use some mental or vocal aspiration
such as that of St Francis de Sales:
Who am I, Lord, and who are you?

 or perhaps that of St Elizabeth: 
Where does this blessing come from -
that my Lord should come to me? (Luke 1:43)

or that of St John the Evangelist: 
Yes, come, Lord Jesus. (Rev 22:20)

...the actual thought or saying can be anything that helps us
to focus on the moment immediately before us."

Fr Thomas F Dailey, O.S.F.S.
Excerpt from book: Live Today Well,
St Francis de Sales's Simple Approach to Holiness (2015)

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Uniting voice with voice with voice...

 “The heavens shall praise Thy wonders, O Lord;
Thy faithfulness also 
in the congregation of the saints. - Psalm 89:5

 

“All the powers of the universe bow down
in (Eucharistic) adoration and praise, and with
a thousand voices exalt Thine infinite Majesty,
which fills both Heaven and earth. 
Christian people, 
let us unite our voices with theirs."

St Hilary of Poitiers
Doctor of the Church (+368) 

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Really live! ...

"Live on Him that you 
may live for Him."- St John Vianney


And as they were eating, He took bread,
and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them, and said,
"Take; this is My Body."
And He took a chalice, and when He had given thanks
He gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 
And He said to them,
"This is My Blood of the covenant,
which is poured out for many."

Gospel of Mark 14:22-24

St Mark the Evangelist
Evangelist, Martyr (+68 AD)
Disciple of St Peter, Cousin of Barnabus
Symbol:  lion, often winged*
*The Gospel of St Mark begins with St John the Baptist,
"the voice of one crying in the wilderness,"
a voice that St Jerome compared to the roar of a lion.
FEAST DAY - April 25


Image above:  The Last Supper ~ Frans Pourbus

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 Go out into the whole world and 
proclaim the Gospel to every creature.  ~ Mark 16:15
  
Prayer over the Offerings (Today's Liturgy)

As we venerate the glory of Saint Mark,
we offer you, Lord, the sacrifice of praise
and humbly beseech you,
that your Church may always persevere
in the preaching of the Gospel.
Through Christ our Lord.

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Basilica San Marco ~ Venice, Italy
Contains the reliquary of St Mark's body


St Mark the Evangelist, pray for us!

Monday, April 24, 2017

Hoping all things! ...

"May your heart be an altar, from which the bright flame 
of unending thanksgiving ascends to heaven." ~ St Mary Euphrasia


“Draw near to our Lord,
thoroughly aware of your own nothingness,
and you may hope all things
from His Goodness and Mercy.
Never forget
that Jesus Christ is no less generous
in the Blessed Sacrament
than He was during His mortal life on earth.


St Mary Euphrasia Pelletier
France ~ 1796-1868
Her "three inseparable devotions":
Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Eucharist, Mary
Foundress ~ Sisters of the Good Shepherd
By time of death:  established 110 convents in 35 countries
Motto: "One person is of more value than a world." 
FEAST DAY - April 24

 

"Go after the lost sheep without other rest than the cross,
other consolation than work,
other thirst than for justice." ~ St Mary Euphrasia

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Sunday, April 23, 2017

Jesus, I trust in You! ...

“Let your heart ever belong to God through purity of intention,
attachment to His love, and confidence in His divine mercy. 
… You must reach the point where Jesus is sufficient to you.”
 - St. Peter Julian Eymard

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY

"Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again; 
for forgiveness has risen from the grave." - St John Chrysostom



Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (#10):

"Especially from the Eucharist,
grace is poured forth upon us
as from a fountain."

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First Mass of St John of Malta

 "O what awesome mysteries take place during Mass! ... One day we will know what God is doing for us in each Mass, and what sort of gift He is preparing in it for us.  Only His divine love could permit that such a gift be provided for us ... this fountain of life gushing forth with such sweetness and power (914) ...

"O living Host, my one and only strength, fountain of  love and mercy, embrace the whole world, fortify faint souls.  Oh, blessed be the instant and the moment when Jesus left us His most merciful Heart!" (223).

St Maria Faustina Kowalska
Diary: Divine Mercy in my Soul

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Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint;
O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony. - Psalm 6:2


   "No traveling soul can worthily love its God, but when this soul
does everything it possibly can, and trusts in divine mercy, why
should Jesus reject it?  Didn't He command us to love God in
accordance with our strength?  When you have given and
consecrated everything to God, why do you fear?" - St Pio (1916) 

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“Trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to His Love
and the future to His Providence. ”- St. Augustine

 "Pray with great confidence, with confidence based upon the
goodness and infinite generosity of God and upon the promises of
Jesus Christ. God is a spring of living water which flows unceasingly 
into the hearts of those who pray."- St. Louis de Montfort
Jesus, I trust in You!

Saturday, April 22, 2017

A truth worth echoing ... (Easter Saturday)

 "Him whom the heavens cannot contain, the womb of one woman bore. 
She ruled our Ruler.  She carried Him in whom we all are. 
She gave milk to our Bread." - St Augustine, Sermon 184



"When we go before Jesus on the altar,
we always find Him with Mary His Mother,
as the magi did at Bethlehem (Mt 2:11). 

And Jesus in the sacred Host,
from the altar of our hearts,
can repeat to each one of us what He said to
St John the Evangelist from the altar of Calvary,
Behold thy Mother (Jn 19:27). "


Fr Stefano Manelli, O.F.M.

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