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!

Curagio! ...

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you. 

Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because

you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. - I Cor 15:58

"When Thomas More was Chancellor of England some of his friends reproached him for going to Communion so often.  With all his duties and responsibilities they thought that this piety took up too much of his time.  He answered their objections with these words: 

'Your reasons for wanting me to stay away from Holy Communion are exactly the ones which cause me to go so often.  My distractions are great, but it is in Communion that I recollect myself.  I have temptations many times a day; by daily Communion I get the strength to overcome them.  I have much very important business to handle and I need light and wisdom; it is for this very reason that  I go to Holy Communion every day to consult Jesus about them.' " 

John M Haffert

Excerpt from The World's Greatest Saints

St Thomas More

Husband, Father, Lawyer, Knight,

Lord Chancellor of England, Author, Martyr 
Steadfastly refused to approve Henry VIII’s divorce/remarriage

and establishment of the Church of England
Patron of Lawyers
England ~ 1478-1535 

FEAST DAY - June 22

  

 On July 6, 1535, the 57-year-old More

came before the executioner to be beheaded.

“I die the king's good servant,” he told the onlookers, “but God's first.”

Click here: St. Thomas More - YouTube (2 mins)
Click here: Discovering our Saints - Saints John Fisher and Thomas More - YouTube

St Thomas More, pray for us!

ANOTHER FEAST CELEBRATED TODAY:

Of all the English bishops, only Bishop John Fisher of Rochester publicly opposed Henry VIII's mandatory Oath of Allegiance, which unlawfully declared King Henry the head of the Church of England. The bishop's stand ultimately cost him his life. May his example inspire all Catholics today, especially the bishops on whose courageous leadership the Church depends.

On the scaffold he said to the people assembled:

"Christian people, I am come hither to die for the faith of Christ's Holy Catholic Church, and I thank God hitherto my stomach hath served me very well thereunto, so that yet I have not feared death. Wherefore I do desire you all to help and assist me with your prayers, that at the very point and instant of death's stroke, I may in that very moment stand steadfast without fainting in any one point of the Catholic faith free from any fear; and I beseech Almighty God of His infinite goodness to save the king and this Realm, and that it may please Him to hold His holy hand over it, and send the king good Counsel."

He then knelt, said the Te Deum and submitted to the axe.

Erasmus said: "He is the one man at this time who is incomparable for uprightness of life, for learning and for greatness of soul."

St. John Fisher
Bishop, Martyr
England ~ 1469-1535
FEAST DAY - June 22

 St. John wrote to someone who left the Church: “Had you but tasted one

drop of the sweetness which inebriates the souls of those religious from

their worship of this Sacrament, you would never have written as you have,

nor have apostatized from the faith that you formerly professed.”

St John Fisher, pray for us!

His life: an Advent!

"The life of a priest is an Advent

 bringing forth the Incarnation of souls." 

- St Elizabeth of the Trinity

  

PRAYER FOR HOLY PRIESTS
(St Charles Borromeo)

O Holy Mother of God, 
pray for the priests
your Son has chosen to serve the Church.
Help them, by your intercession,
to be holy, zealous and chaste.
Make them models of virtue
in the service of God’s people.
Help them to be prayerful in meditations,
efficacious in preaching,
and zealous in the daily offering of
the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Help them administer the sacraments with joy.

Amen 

Let us generously remember our priests in daily prayer -

especially in this holy Advent season.

Happy St Nicholas Day!

December 6

Trusting you got a few goodies

in your shoes this morning!

Click here: St. Nicholas - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online

includes a short and sweet YouTube by Fr James Kubicki, SJ

"The giver of every good and perfect gift has called upon us to mimic 

God's giving, by grace, through faith, and this is not of ourselves." 

- St Nicholas of Myra (+343)

St Nicholas, pray for us! 

Sts G and G, pray for us!...

"All the blessed in heaven hold palms in their hands,

to tell us that every adult who is saved must be a martyr

either of blood or of patience." - St Alphonsus Ligouri 

"O God of love, my Savior,

eternally sweet and tender,

heart and soul I thirst for You! 
You fill my soul; and yet
the more I taste of You, the more I hunger.

The deeper I drink of You, the more I thirst. 

Come, Jesus!  Come, Lord!" 

St Gertrude the Great

Germany ~ 1256 – 1302

Benedictine nun, mystic

Patroness of West Indies

Advocate of devotion to the Sacred Heart

FEAST DAY – November 16

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, fountain of eternal life, Your Heart is a glowing furnace of Love. You are my refuge and my sanctuary. O my adorable and loving Savior, consume my heart with the burning fire with which Yours is aflamed. Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Your love. Let my heart be united with Yours. Let my will be conformed to Yours in all things. May Your Will be the rule of all my desires and actions. Amen. ~ Saint Gertrude the Great

Click here: St. Gertrude the Great - YouTube (6 mins)

St Gertrude, pray for us!

“I feel a great sweetness

when I receive Holy Communion

at the Virgin Mary’s feet;
it seems like I get younger and I tell her

the facts like they really are.”

St Giuseppe Moscati

Italy ~ 1880-1927

Physician, Medical Professor, Miracle Worker

Advocate of devotion to the Sacred Heart

Pioneer in field of biochemistry whose research 

led to the discovery of insulin as a cure for diabetes
Must see film: St Giuseppe Moscati: Doctor to the Poor (2007)

FEAST DAY - November 16

"And if for the truths's sake you should sacrifice yourself and your life,
be strong in your sacrifice." - St Giuseppe Moscati

The Jesuit Giovanni Aromatisi had been Prof. Moscati’s friend for several years. He had a good knowledge of his habits and was his spiritual counsellor. ...

“He was used to visiting our Gesù Nuovo Church. He heard and served my Mass many times. The cult of the Holy Sacrament was at the centre of his life. Each time he served my Mass, when he looked at the Eucharist, he had such a light in his glance, that my eyes could hardly bear it. At the moment of Holy Communion, I had to lower my eyes. He has often prescribed a ‘Eucharist cure’ to young boys suffering from physical weakness, as a source of every strength.”

Click here: St. Giuseppe Moscati - YouTube (5:30 mins)

My husband and I have a growing devotion to St Giuseppe 

and never tire of introducing him to others!

We heartily encourage you to get to know him and ask for his intercession!
Consider giving your Doctor a DVD of St Giuseppe's life for Christmas! - Janette

St Giuseppe, pray for us! 

Eucharist: life of the world!...

  “Society will again someday become Christian
won to Jesus Christ by the apostolate of
Eucharistic Prayer.”  -  St Peter Julian Eymard

“The spread of the Eucharistic Kingdom of Christ 
is necessary for the salvation of society. 
The Eucharist is the life not only of the individual Christian, but of nations as well. 
We know well that an age flourishes or degenerates
in accordance with its worship of the divine Eucharist. 
It is the life and measure of its faith, charity, and virtue. 

The Eucharist is not only for personal piety; 
it is essential to social life, for it is the very life of the world.
We must take Christ from the solitude of His tabernacle, so that He may
place Himself at the head of Christian society, to guide and save it. 
We must build stately palaces, royal thrones, organize a court of
faithful servants, a family of friends and a host of adorers and apostles. 
Such a public and solemn protestation of our faith in the kingship of Christ,
in the reality of His sacramental presence is a prime necessity of our day.”

St. Peter Julian Eymard

France ~ 1811-1868

Founder of Congregation of

Priests of the Blessed Sacrament (1856)

Apostle of the Eucharist
Check out the Eymard Library - 9 small volumes on Eucharistic piety

 Feast Day - August 2

Painting above: Eucharistic Procession - Walter Tyndale

  

To be possessed by Jesus and to possess Him -
that is the perfect reign of Love." - St Peter Julian Eymard

Click here: St. Peter Eymard - YouTube (2 mins)

St. Peter Julian Eymard (Eucharistic quotes)

St Peter Julian Eymard, pray for us!  

A privilege indeed! ...

"The privilege of receiving the Holy Eucharist from the Hands of Jesus Himself was experienced by a number of saints, including St Laurence of Brindisi, a Capuchian, whose unusual talents and rare virtue were called upon by Pope Clement VIII for several unusual missions.  One of these was his chaplaincy to the Imperial army of Prague. ...

 With the Turks still menacing nearby Christian countries, the Imperial army of 18,000 men assembled to do battle with the Turks, who numbered 80,000.  Vastly outnumbered, the Christians appealed to St Laurence for advice and encouragement.  After delivering a rousing discourse, the saint, despite his mature years, mounted a horse and with the cross held high in his hands led the troops against the infidels.  The crushing defeat of the Turks was attributed by all to the prayers and inspiration of the saint. 

    It is told that on his return from the campaign he joined his brethren at Gorizia, where Our Lord appeared to them and gave them all Holy Communion with His own Hand."  

From Eucharistic Miracles

Joan Carroll Cruz

St Laurence of Brindisi

1559-1619 ~ Italy
Capuchin priest
Preached in 8 languages fluently

Doctor of the Church

FEAST DAY - July 21

"The Word of the Lord is light for the intellect and fire for the will, so that man can know and love God. For the interior man, who through grace lives from the Spirit of God, it is bread and water, but bread that is sweeter than honey and water that is better than wine and milk. ... It is a hammer against a hard heart obstinate in vices. It is a sword against the flesh, the world and the devil, to destroy every sin." ~ St Laurence of Brindisi

Click here: St. Lawrence of Brindisi - YouTube  (2 mins)
Click here: Feast of St Lawrence of Brindisi (13:49 mins)

St Laurence of Brindisi, pray for us!

Prayer Before Reception of Holy Communion...

"May every heart love Thee, every spirit adore Thee

and every will be subject to Thee!" - St Margaret Mary Alacoque

 

Prayer Before Reception of Holy Communion

O God, charity without limit

and mercy without measure,

it is your love that causes you to come to me and it is my hope

that brings me to receive you. I give you my body as a temple,

my heart as an altar and my soul as a pyx.

O Lord, Innocent Lamb,
Redeemer of mercy, noble Child, Jesus,

cover me with your mantle; give me lodging in your Heart, 

envelop me in your kingdom; cure me with your fragrance and charity;

enliven me by your death; hide me in your wounds; 

cleanse me with your blood; bind me with your love and

make me utterly pleasing, according to your Holy Heart, Lord.

Prayer from a pamphlet regarding the Mass

Ireland, circa 1960s

Hat tip:  Kim Thoraldson

Image: Mass at a Connemara cabin ~ Aloysius O' Kelly 

Love envelops the soul...

 A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul...

Proverbs 13:19a

"When we have been to Holy Communion,

the balm of love envelops the soul

as the flower envelops the bee."

St John Vianney

O Blood of Jesus ...Irrigate the Church...

  "We must never forget that the Church is built around Christ and that, 
as Saint Augustine, Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Albert the Great 
have all said, following Saint Paul (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:17),
the Eucharist is the sacrament of the Church's unity, because 
we all form one single body of which the Lord is the head."

Benedict XVI, 49th Intern’l Eucharistic Congress, Quebec City, 6/22/08

 

 

THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT

HE OFFERED HIMSELF WITHOUT BLEMISH TO GOD

TO THE ONE WHO LOVED US
WHO  WASHED OUR SINS THROUGH HIS BLOOD  

AND MADE US KINGS AND PRIESTS OF GOD HIS FATHER  

TO HIM BE GLORY AND POWER. AMEN

 

"I adore You, O Precious Blood of Jesus, flower of creation, fruit of virginity, ineffable instrument of the Holy Spirit, and I rejoice at the thought that You came from the drop of virginal blood on which eternal Love impressed its movement; You were assumed by the Word and deified in His person. I am overcome with emotion when I think of Your passing from the Blessed Virgin's heart into the heart of the Word, and, being vivified by the breath of the Divinity, becoming adorable because You became the Blood of God.

I adore You enclosed in the veins of Jesus, preserved in His humanity like the manna in the golden urn, the memorial of the eternal Redemption which He accomplished during the days of His earthly life. I adore You, Blood of the new, eternal Testament, flowing from the veins of Jesus in Gethsemane, from the flesh torn by scourges in the Praetorium, from His pierced hands and feet and from His opened side on Golgotha. I adore You in the Sacraments, in the Eucharist, where I know You are substantially present....

I place my trust in You, O adorable Blood, our Redemption, our regeneration. Fall, drop by drop, into the hearts that have wandered from You and soften their hardness.

O adorable Blood of Jesus, wash our stains, save us from the anger of the avenging angel. Irrigate the Church; make her fruitful with Apostles and miracle-workers, enrich her with souls that are holy, pure and radiant with divine beauty."  - Meditations on the Precious Blood of Jesus from writings of St Albert

St Albert the Great (Albertus Magnus)

Dominican, Doctor of the Church

Teacher and Mentor of St Thomas Aquinas

Patron of scientists and philosophers

Motto:  "To want everything that I want for the glory of God,

to wish and do everything only and always for His glory."   

Germany ~ 1280 +

Incorruptible

FEAST DAY - November 15

    It has been said that St. Albert was a scientist by temperament,

a philosopher by deliberate choice and a theologian by mood.

 

“My soul, if you wish to be intimate with Mary, let yourself

be carried between her arms and nourished with her blood…

Let this ineffable, chaste thought accompany you

to the Banquet of God and you will find in the Blood of the Son

the nourishment of the Mother.”  ~ St Albert

Click here: Saint Albert The Great - November 15 - YouTube (6 mins)
Click here: St. Albert the Great - YouTube (2 Mins)

St Albert the Great, pray for us!