Dedicated emissaries....

"I propose to have no other purpose in all my activities,

either interior or exterior, than the motive of Love alone...
St Teresa Margaret Redi of the Sacred Heart

"When devotion to the Sacred Heart 

is recommended, what is being recommended to us is 

the gift of our entire self to Jesus - 

soul and body, thoughts, feelings, words, actions, joys and sorrows.

 Jesus came to light a fire on earth.

Fire purifies, gives light, communicates, unites.  Such is the blaze of 

Divine Love devotion to the Sacred Heart enkindles in our hearts.

The Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament

feeds the flame of our love for the Lord, burning from us the dross of self.  

Thus afire we thirst for souls as He does, 

becoming His dedicated emissaries among the men and women of our day, 

to many of whom neither know Him nor love Him."

Fr Richard Neilson

Set my heart on fire!...

"My God, take my heart.  Set it on fire!" - St Bernadette Soubirous

 

 

"Hovering over creation, the Holy Spirit made the universe.

Hovering over the Virgin Mary, the Spirit gave flesh to the Word.

This same Spirit, hovering over bread and wine,

transforms them into the sacramental Body and Blood of Christ.

And this Spirit hovers over me!"

 

Msgr Lawrence F Corcoran, SJ

"the never-ceasing silent appeal of the Tabernacle"...

In him and through faith in him we may approach God

with freedom and confidence. – Ephesians 3:12

J.R.R. Tolkien's personal piety was simple: Confession before Mass, Mass every day and Rosary before bed. The sole ultimate focus of his devotion was the Blessed Sacrament.

Here is the conclusion of a very moving letter he wrote to his son, Michael, in 1941:

''Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament... There you will find romance, glory, honour, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves upon earth..." (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, no. 43)

In another moving letter, written 22 years later to the same son, Tolkien writes:

''But I fell in love with the Blessed Sacrament from the beginning - and by the mercy of God never have fallen out again: but alas! I indeed did not live up to it...Out of wickedness and sloth I almost ceased to practice my religion - especially at Leeds, and at 22 Northmoor Road. Not for me the Hound of Heaven, but the never-ceasing silent appeal of the Tabernacle, and the sense of starving hunger. I regret those days bitterly (and suffer for them with such patience as I can be given); most of all because I failed as a father.

Now I pray for you all, unceasingly, that the Healer (the Hælend as the Saviour was usually called in Old English) shall heal my defects, and that none of you shall  ever cease to cry Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.'' (Ibid. no. 250).

JRR Tolkien

God gives His ALL...

 "To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances; 
to seek Him, the greatest adventure;
to find Him, the greatest human achievement." - St Augustine 

"God in His omnipotence could not give more, 

in His wisdom knew not how to give more,

in His riches had not more to give, 
than the Eucharist."

St Augustine
North Africa ~ 354-430

Bishop, Doctor of the Church

Powerful intellect, stirring orator, prolific writer
FEAST DAY - August 28
 

“If you believe what you like in the gospel, 
and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel
you believe, but yourself.” - St. Augustine of Hippo 

Click here: St. Augustine - YouTube  (2 mins)
Click here: 50 Powerful Quotes by Saint Augustine

"In 397, or twelve years after his conversion, Augustine wrote his Confessions, the greatest spiritual autobiography ever written. It is the work of a teacher who  explains, a philosopher who thinks, and a theologian who instructs. It is the  work of a poet who achieves chaste beauty in the writing, and a mystic who pours out thanks for having found himself in peace. " - Ven Fulton J. Sheen in his biographical work,  St Augustine of Hippo

Confessions by Saint Augustine of Hippo (FULL Audio Book)

Excerpt (Confessions 10.27): "Too late have I loved You, O Beauty
so ancient and so new, too late have I loved You. You have called to me,
and have cried out, and have shattered my deafness. 
You have blazed forth with light and have put my blindness to flight!
You have sent forth fragrance, and I have drawn in my breath,
and I pant after You. I have tasted You, and I hunger and thirst after You.
You have touched me, and I have burned for Your peace." 

St Augustine, pray for us!

Knowing our place... in Him...

"Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.

We have come to believe and know that you are

the Holy One of God." - St Peter (Gospel of John 6:68,69)

 "Jesus transforms a white particle
into Himself
every day
in order to communicate His life to you. 
What's more,
with a love that is greater still,
He wants to transform you
into Himself."

St Therese of Lisieux


Today is Sunday.... and as a 4th century cleric reminds:
"The Lord's Day is the lord of days"...
nonetheless... also happily remembering...

St Monica: Feast Day, August 27
St Augustine has left us this praise of his mother, St Monica:

"She did not let a day pass without being present

at the Divine Sacrifice before Your altar, O Lord."

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

Prayer for St Monica's intercession

Exemplary mother of the great Augustine,
you perseveringly pursued your wayward son not
with wild threats but with prayerful cries to heaven.
Intercede for all mothers in our day so that they 
may learn to draw their children to God. Teach them
how to remain close to their children, even the prodigal
sons and daughters who have sadly gone astray. Amen.

St Monica, pray for us!

Seeking tenderness, living tenderness...

"We must pray to Jesus to give us that tenderness
of the Eucharist." -  St Teresa of Calcutta

 

"Each one of us is a co-worker
of Christ...

we must labor hard to carry Him to the hearts

where He has not yet been known and love...

But, unless we have Jesus, we cannot give Him;

that is why we need the Eucharist. 

Spend as much time as possible in front of the Blessed Sacrament

and He will fill you with His strength and His power."

St Teresa of Calcutta
Anniversary of day of birth (08/26/1910)

Christ's word, sufficient.......

... so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return

to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. - Isaiah 55:11 

"In the person of St Louis IX were the qualities which form a great king, a hero of romance, and a saint!  With his death, the century of knights ended.  

One day a messenger, breathless with haste, burst in upon the king with surprising and exciting news. "Your majesty," he cried, "hasten to the Church!  A great miracle is occurring there.  A priest is saying holy Mass, and after the consecration, instead of the host there is visible on the altar Jesus Himself in His human figure.  Everybody is marveling at it.  Hurry before it disappears."

To the astonishment of the messenger, the saintly monarch calmly replied:

Let them go to see the miracle who have any doubt regarding the Real Presence of our Lord in the Holy Sacrament.  As for me, even if I saw Jesus on the altar in His visible form, and touched Him with my hand, and heard His voice, I should not be more convinced than I now am, that He is present in the consecrated Host.  

The word of Christ is sufficient for me.  

I need no miracle."

Excerpt from Hidden Treasure, the Riches of the Eucharist, Louis Kaczmarek

King St Louis IX
France ~ 1214-1270

Good and generous king, model father
Wife: Margaret of Provence

Father of eleven children

FEAST DAY - August 25

 

From St Louis' mother...

"Never forget that sin is the only great evil in the world. No mother

could love her son more than I love you. But I would rather see you lying

dead at my feet than know that you had offended God by one mortal sin."

Click here: Last Words of Saint Louis IX, 1270 - YouTube (7:44 mins)

Click here: Louis IX - The Crusader King - YouTube (15:44 mins)

King St Louis IX, pray for us!

Home sweet home! ...

The LORD is near to all who call upon him, 
to all who call upon him in truth. - Psalm 145:18 

“It became obvious why Catholics had built such beautiful cathedrals and churches throughout the world. 

Not as gathering or meeting places for Christians. 

But as a home for Jesus Himself in the Blessed Sacrament. 

Cathedrals house Jesus. 

Christians merely come and visit Him. 

The cathedrals and churches architecturally 

prepare our souls
for the beauty of the Eucharist.”

Allen R. Hunt

Excerpt from: Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor: 
How I Discovered the Hidden Treasure of the Catholic Church (2010)

Click here: Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor - Free Book

Click here: Confessions of a Mega-Church Pastor - Lighthouse Catholic Media

Click here: The Journey Home | Global Catholic Network 

Photo above: Cathedral of St Paul (National Shrine of St Paul)  ~ St Paul, MN  - All are welcome!

Today is the FEAST DAY of St Bartholomew

Nee: Cana

Apostle and Martyr

"Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him."

-said of St Bartholomew by Jesus - Gospel of St John 1:47

 

Among the twelve apostles great…There was Bartholomew…Known also as Nathanael…Among Christ’s chosen few…He too received The Holy Ghost…And he preached everywhere…That every soul might turn to God…And no one might despair…St Philip introduced him to…The Master and The Lord…And thus he came to understand…The goal he struggled toward…Bartholomew proclaimed the faith…Through all the barbarous East…And in the truest Christian sense…He was a holy priest…His death was double martyrdom…As legend now abide…Condemned to death, Bartholomew…Was flayed and crucified.  ~ James Metcalfe, Poem Portraits of the Saints

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

Click here: Discovering our Saints - St. Bartholomew - YouTube (3 mins)

St Bartholomew, pray for us!

To pass entirely into God...

 Come and share your master's happiness! - Matthew 25: 21/23

“St Rose of Lima was so ardent in her love of God in the Blessed Sacrament that when she knelt in His presence the fire which sparkled in her eyes showed the flame which consumed her soul. At times she appeared like an angel.  

If anyone asked her what effects the Blessed Sacrament produced in her, she stammered and said she had no words to express them, but that she seemed to pass entirely into God, and was inundated with such happiness that nothing in common life could be compared to it" (pg 34, Hidden Treasure). ...  

"St Joseph Benedict LaBre, St Paschal Baylon and St Rose of Lima are three saints that we know of who spent forty straight hours in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament commemorating the forty hours Christ was in the tomb" (pg 39, Hidden Treasure).

Excerpts from: Hidden Treasure, The Riches of the Eucharist (Louis Kaczmarek)

St Rose of Lima

Peru ~ 1586-1617

Father: Spaniard ~ Mother: Indian

Third Order Dominican, Mystic

First Canonized Saint of the New World

Patroness of the Americas, Philippines

Feast Day - Aug 23

Painting above: Woman in prayer ~ John Phillip

"Apart from the cross there is no other ladder

by which we may get to heaven." ~ St Rose of Lima

Click here: Saint Rose of Lima - YouTube (2 mins)

Click here: St. Rose of Lima HD - YouTube (4 mins)

 St Rose of Lima, pray for us!

Queenship of Mary...

 "I shall sing a hymn to the mother, the Queen, whom I joyously 
approach in praise, gladly celebrating her wonders in song. . . 
Our tongue cannot worthily praise thee, O Lady; for thou who 
hast borne Christ the king art exalted above the seraphim. . .  
Hail, O Queen of the world; hail, O Mary, Queen of us all."

-  Axathistos (Byzantine hymn) 

Feast of Queenship of Mary
August 22*

*Octave of Feast of the Assumption (August 15)

 Feast established - Pope Pius XII - October 11, 1954

Encyclical Letter "Ad Caeli Reginam."

He points out that Mary deserves the title because she is Mother of God, 

because she is closely associated as the New Eve with Jesus’ redemptive work, 

because of her preeminent perfection and because of her intercessory power.

“When she became Mother of the Creator,

she truly became Queen of every creature.”~ St. John Damascene

"Every time the Son of God comes again to us in the “poverty” of the sacramental signs of bread and wine, the seeds of that new history wherein the mighty are “put down from their thrones” and “those of low degree are exalted” (cf. Lk 1:52), take root in the world. Mary sings of the “new heavens” and the “new earth” 
which find in the Eucharist their anticipation and in some sense their programme and plan. The Magnificat expresses Mary's spirituality, and there is nothing greater than this spirituality for helping us to experience the mystery of the Eucharist. 
The Eucharist has been given to us so that our life, like that of Mary, may become completely a Magnificat!   

Ecclesia de Eucharistia (58)

“Mary, then, is a Queen; but for our common consolation, be it known 
that she is a Queen so sweet, clement, and so ready to help us

that Holy Church wills that we salute her as Queen of Mercy.  

Mary is Queen of Mercy as Jesus is King of Justice.” 

St. Alphonsus de Liguori - Glories of Mary

Click here: The Queenship of Mary - YouTube (2 mins)

Click here: Fr. Barron comments on The Queenship of Mary (6:30 mins)

Click here: Scott Hahn on the Queenship of Mary and Novena  (4 mins)

Click here: Mary's Queenship

“It is true that Our Lady is Queen of Heaven and earth,
but at the same time she is more Mother than Queen.” - St. Therese of Lisieux

 Mary, our Mother, Queen of Heaven, 

pray for us!

Most noble, most profitable, sweetest...

The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; 

yea, I have a goodly heritage.

... in thy presence there is fullness of joy... - Psalm 16: 6,11b

"The devotion to the Eucharist

is the most noble

because it has God as its object;

it is the most profitable for salvation,

because it gives us the Author of Grace;

it is the sweetest,

because the Lord is Sweetness Itself."

St Pius X

"Pope of the Eucharist"

Italy~ 1835-1914

257th Pope - 1903 to 1914

Papal motto: "To renew all things in Christ"

To his credit: Extended age of First Communion to age seven.
Advocated frequent Communion, continual Catechesis for all, 
daily Scripture reading by all. 

Reformed the liturgy, promoted clear and simple homilies,

brought Gregorian chant back, condemned the Modernist heresy.

Feast Day - August 21

 

Describing St Pius X, an historian wrote that he was

“a man of God who knew the unhappiness of the world

and the hardships of life, and in the

greatness of his heart wanted to comfort everyone.”

Click here: St. Pius X - YouTube (2 mins)
Click here: TOP 25 QUOTES BY POPE PIUS X | A-Z Quotes

 St Pius X, pray for us!

The power to heal...

Of Eucharistic Adoration, Peter Kreeft wrote:

 

"Adoration will heal our Church

and thus our nation and thus our world... 

 

Adoration touches everyone and everything...

[because it touches the Creator, Who touches everything and everyone]...

 

When we adore, we plug into infinite dynamism and power. 

Adoration is more powerful for construction

than nuclear bombs are for destruction."