The worth of a moment...

"You may be sure that of all the moments of your life, the time

you spend before the divine Sacrament will be that which will

give you more strength during life and more consolation

at the hour of your death and during eternity."- St. Alphonsus

"Making my meditation before the picture of the Blessed John Vianney,

he seemed to say to me with an interior voice:

'The secret of my life was that I lived for the moment.

I did not say, I must pray here for the next hour, but only for this moment. 

I did not say, I have a hundred confessions to hear, I but looked upon this one as the first and last. I did not say, I must deny myself everything and always, but only just this once. By this means I was able always to do everything perfectly, quietly and in great peace. Try and live this life of the present moment. Pray as if you had nothing else whatever to do; say your Office slowly as if for the last time;do not look forward and think you must often repeat this act of self-denial. This will make all things much easier.' ”

Fr Willie Doyle

Diary entry: 08/13/1913

Click here: Remembering Fr Willie Doyle SJ

Strengthened by freshness...

And he who sat upon the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new."

Also he said, "Write this, for these words

are trustworthy and true." - Revelation 21:5,6 

"The Church, continuously straining to leave the mark of her examples,

offers her dowry - clearly the body and blood of the Word of God - 
with the deepest devotion, to the Creator of all things. 
She offers her dowry for all to look at with living and burning lights - 
clearly the celestial cities.  And she does this in humble obedience.  
What does this mean?

As the body of the Only-Begotten of God sprang up in purity in the womb 
of the Virgin Mary and then was handed over for the salvation of men, 
so even now this body has grown in the uncorrupted purity of the 
Church and is given for the sanctification of the faithful.  
... As a result, the Church 
is strengthened with the happiest freshness."

St Hildegard of Bingen

Source: Scivias by Hildegard of Bingen
Painting:  L'Elevation - Jean Beraud (1849-1935)

Ending well...

 But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom

and will possess it forever - yes, for ever and ever.  ~ Daniel 7:18 

Solemnity of All Saints*
November 1
We are called to remember all of the saints, known and unknown,

whose lives have served as holy examples for us.  

"To become saints means to fulfill completely what we already are, raised to the dignity of God's adopted children in Christ Jesus...” … “This, then, is the meaning of today’s Solemnity:  looking at the shining example of the Saints to reawaken within us the great longing to be like them:  happy to live near God, in His light, in the great family of God’s friends.  Being a Saint means living close to God, to live in His family…” Pope Benedict XVI

 

            "Saints of God, perfected in love and victorious over sin, who now enjoy the reward of adoring Our Lord face to face in everlasting JOY and GLORY: 

            Be gracious to remember us, flawed and failing, who still struggle on earth, who kneel here adoring Our Lord hidden in the tabernacle, who long for the day when we too will be made like Him and will see Him as He is.

              Gather around us here in His Eucharistic Presence to strengthen us with your prayers and to enrich our feeble worship with the mighty chorus of your praise.  Teach us by your example to love Him above all things, so that we too may become the pure in heart to see God, who enjoy with you the eternal blessed fellowship of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen." 

From Jesus, We Adore You,

Prayers Before the Blessed Sacrament 

Paul Thigpen

Image above: Christ Glorified in the Court of Heaven, Fra Angelico - 1428-30

"Make up your mind to become a saint." ~ St. Maria Mazarello 

"Never say, 'What great things the saints do,' but,

'What great things God does in His saints.'"~ St. Philip Neri

"The saints did not all begin well,
but they all ended well."~ St John Vianney

"The saints were as weak as we are; grace sustained them.  Why should 
we doubt that we, too, will be sustained by grace?" - Bl Clelia Merloni

 

 “O blessed souls, who knew so well how to profit by the gifts of God,

and to purchase with this precious ransom so delectable and enduring

a heritage, tell us how you won through Him such an eternal blessing!

Assist us, since you are so near the Fountainhead.

Draw water for those of us on earth who are perishing with thirst."

St Teresa of Jesus - Exclamations of the Soul to God,13

*Origin of All Saint's Day as a feast of the Church
Click here:  http://www.wf-f.org/AllSaints.html  

During the Octave of All Saints' Day (Nov 1 thru Nov 8) any of the faithful,

by devoutly visiting a cemetery and praying for the departed,

can obtain a plenary indulgence (each day this is done),

applicable to the poor souls in purgatory,

(under the usual conditions for obtaining indulgences).

Making our souls monstrances...

For Christ's love compels us... II Cor 5:14

“It would seem impossible, did we not know it to be true, that God could abide with us always, in littleness and humility even more extreme than infancy. …Yet this is so.  Every day, every hour, Christ is born on the altar in the hands of the priest.  Christ is lifted up and sacrificed;Christ is buried in the tomb of the human heart and Christ rises from the tomb to be the life of the world through His Communion with men. …

This is the Host-life. …In the Host He is our Life on earth today. … The Host-life is not something new or different from the Christ-life that we know already.  It is the very core of it … the life which Christ Himself is living in the world now.  It is His choice of how to live His life among us today. … It alone can restore humanity to happiness … one thing only … supernatural life, beginning secretly in each individual heart; just as Incarnate Love began secretly on earth in the heart of Mary.  It is one thing only, the birth of the Infant Christ in us, Incarnate Love. …

Carry Christ everywhere in your hearts.  Make your souls monstrances, and go into places where Our Lord has never been adored in the Host, where the monstrance has never been lifted up.”

Caryll Houselander

The Passion of the Infant Christ

(Chapter Ten – The Host Life)

We live the richest life! ...

TWO Feast Days today - 
St Peter Chrysologus and
the FIRST for Blessed Solanus Casey

 

"What does it matter where we go?
Wherever we go, won't we be serving God there?
And wherever we go, won't we have our Lord
in the Blessed Sacrament with us?
Isn't that enough to make us happy?

Bl Solanus Casey

11/25/1870-07/31/1957
Nee Wisconsin

Capuchian Friar

Generous heart toward sick and poor

Many miracles of healing attributed to his intercession

Known for "Attitude of Gratitude"

Book he authored: Thank God ahead of Time

Beatified 11/18/17, Detroit

 "Thank God ahead of time." - Bl Solanus Casey
Who is Blessed Fr Solanus Casey? - YouTube (10 mins)
Blessed Solanus Casey – Rite of Beatification on Vimeo

Bl Solanus, pray for us!

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

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

 

“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

PHOTO CREDIT of stained glass image: Debbie Scalise

"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)

Embracing the summit...

"Let us not be satisfied with a mediocre life." - Pope Francis

   

"The Eucharist is the summit of God's saving action: 
 the Lord Jesus, by becoming bread broken for us,

pours upon us all of His mercy and His love,

so as to renew our hearts, our lives,

and our way of relating with Him and with the brethren. 

It is for this reason that commonly, when we approach this Sacrament,

we speak of 'receiving Communion,' of 'taking Communion':

this means that by the power of the Holy Spirit, participation in

Holy Communion conforms us in a singular and profound way to Christ,

giving us a foretaste already now of the full communion with the Father

that characterizes the heavenly banquet, where together with all the Saints

we will have the joy of contemplating God face to face."

Pope Francis

Painting above: artist Nikolai Petrovich

A most blessed FATHER'S DAY 
to all FATHERS!

St John Paul II, in a March 19, 1981, homily, asked,“Where, dear father, will you be able to draw the energy necessary to assume in various circumstances the right attitude that your children, 
even without knowing it, expect from you?” 

He strongly advised against smothering their spontaneity or abandoning them to a state of insecurity or loneliness. 

“St. Joseph is the answer to this,” he proclaimed.

"St Joseph was an ordinary sort of man 

on whom God relied to do great things.  

He did exactly what the Lord wanted him to do, 

in each and every event that went to make up his life." 

- St Josemaria Escriva

Click here: 16 Father's Day Thoughts You'll Never Find in a Greeting Card 

St Joseph, pray for all fathers!

Encountering Jesus...

...at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy: 
I will sing and make music to the LORD.
...Your face, LORD, will I seek. - Psalm 27:6b, 8b

“Dear brothers and sisters,
Now let us remember the two phrases: 
every encounter with Jesus changes our life and 
every encounter with Jesus fills us with joy. 
Should we say them together?
Every encounter with Jesus changes our life.
 Every encounter with Jesus fills us with   joy. 
This is true.”
 

Pope Francis

Excerpt: 03/23/14, Angelus 

St Peter’s Square, Roma 

Remembering ...



Traditional Feast of St Gabriel the Archangel,
patron of telecommunications and diplomats
March 24

A day in history:  March 24, 2011
Adoration Chapel, Cathedral of St Paul (Minnesota)
Inspiration Day
Seven Sisters Apostolate...
committed to praying for priests.

A Seven Sister: one holy hour/one priest/
each week/one heart of prayer

Visit the Apostolate website… leave a comment!  www.sevensistersapostolate.org
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