Winning way...

 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him...

Wait for the LORD and keep his way.  - Psalm 37: 5, 34a

"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

Remembering... 

St Charles Lwanga and Companions

Martyrs, Uganda
May 1885-1887

Feast Day: June 3

St Charles Lwanga and Companions, pray for us!

Transformation: it's possible! ...

3rd Sunday of Easter

 "Endeavor, if possible, to be present daily at the Holy Mass,

that, together with the priest, you may offer the Sacrifice

of your Redeemer to God His Father on your own behalf

and that of the whole Church." - St Francis de Sales

"The Eucharist is supremely effective

for transformation of the world

into a world of justice, holiness, and peace.”

Pope Bl. Paul VI
(Canonization happily anticipated this year)

May kindness and truth meet

Day of Penance* for Violations

to the Dignity of the Human Person

 

*In all the dioceses of the United States of America, January 22
(or January 23, when the 22nd falls on a Sunday) shall be
observed as a particular day of penance for violations to the
dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion,
and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the
right to life. --- General Instruction of the Roman Missal (U.S.), 2003, n. 373

 

 

Kindness and truth shall meet;

justice and peace shall kiss.

Truth shall spring out of the earth,

and justice shall look down from heaven. - Ps 85:10,11

 

Federico Barocci ~ Ultima Cena - The Last Supper

 

“Devotion to the Eucharist leads one to a devotion to life

and a devotion to life leads one to the Eucharist….

We receive our strength for our labors for life from the

Good News of Jesus Christ and from the Holy Eucharist.

 

This is the food that nourishes us for the tasks at hand….

The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith

and respect for life is our faith's first precept.”

 

Justin Cardinal Rigali

3 October 2004 

 

"In the Bread which came down from heaven, the family will 

be able to find the support that will keep it united in the face 

of today's threats and will preserve it as a bastion of life, 

steadfast against the culture of death." - St John Paul II

"If people spent one hour per week in Eucharistic Adoration,

abortion would be ended."~ Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

Fruitful remedy

"God did not tell us to follow Him because He needed our help, but because He knew that loving Him would make us whole."

Irenaeus of Lyons  

    

 

"When the Sisters are exhausted,

up to their eyes in work;

when all seems to go awry,

they spend an hour in prayer

before the Blessed Sacrament.

 

This practice has never failed to bear fruit.

They experience peace and strength."

 

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

 

Grant Thy eternal rest...

All Souls Day*

Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed

November 2

 

The commemoration of All Souls is rooted in the Church's

strong conviction that we, the living, have a serious responsibility

in love to accompany with prayer those who have died but who

must yet complete the purificatory preparation every human being

needs to be able to dwell in the all-encompassing love of God.

(From Magnificat, November 2010, Vol 12, No 9)

 

 

 

 

"Eternal Father, I offer You the most precious Blood

of Your Divine Son, Jesus, in union with

the Masses said throughout the world today,

for all the Holy Souls in purgatory.  Amen."

 

St Gertrude the Great

 

 

"I would go so far as to say that if there was no purgatory, then we would have to invent it, for who would dare say to himself that he was able to stand directly before God. .... (God) can cleanse us in such a way that we are able to be with Him and can stand there in the fullness of life.  Purgatory strips off from one person what is unbearable and from another the inability to bear certain things, so that in each of them a pure heart is revealed, and we can see that we all belong together in one enormous symphony of being."  ~ Pope Benedict XVI

 

LITTLE LITANY OF THE HOLY SOULS

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.

Holy Souls, Pray for us. For the souls of our families, We pray Thee, O God. For the souls of our friends, We pray Thee, O God. For the souls of our enemies, We pray Thee, O God. For the souls of all pagans, We pray Thee, O God. For the souls of all priests, We pray Thee, O God. For the souls of all religious, We pray Thee, O God. For the souls of the just, We pray Thee, O God. For the souls of all sinners, We pray Thee, O God. For the Holy Souls in Purgatory, We pray Thee, O God. For those who have none to pray for them, We pray Thee, O God. O almighty and eternal God, we beg Thee to have mercy on the Holy Souls in Purgatory, especially those for whom we are bound to pray; and we ask Thee also to listen to the prayers of the Blessed Souls in our behalf. Amen.

All Souls Day ~ Jakub Schikaneder (1888)

 

PRAYER FOR A HAPPY DEATH…written by Bl Cardinal Newman.

O my Lord and Savior, support me in my last hour by the strong arms of Thy sacraments, and the fragrance of Thy consolations. Let Thy absolving words be said over me, and the holy oil sign and seal me; and let your own body be my food, and Thy blood my sprinkling; and let Thy Mother Mary come to me, and my angel whisper peace to me, and Thy glorious saints and my own dear patrons smile on me, that in and through them all I may die as I desire to live, in Thy Church, in Thy faith, and in Thy love. Amen.   

My Jesus, mercy.

*MORE on All Souls Day...   Click here: All Souls Day

 

Remember those, O Lord,

Who in Your peace have died,

Yet may not gain love's high reward

Till love is purified

 

With You they faced death's night

Sealed with Your victory sign;

Soon may the splendor of Your light

On them forever shine!

 

It's a choice: your choice!

 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God... - John 1:12

"Our Divine Savior is ready to bestow innumerable graces through this Sacrament, which are lost in consequence of the ignorance and indifference of men. 

When the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar is not revered and loved, scandals will abound, faith will languish and the Church will mourn.  On the other hand, if this sacrament be worthily frequented, peace will reign in Christian hearts, the devil will lose power, and souls will be sanctified."

 

Fr Michael Muller, C.S.S.R.

The Blessed Sacrament, Our Greatest Treasure (1867)

SATURDAY - day of prayer and fasting

 

 

Day of FASTING and PRAYER for PEACE

Saturday, Sept 7, 2013

Vatican Radio’s translation of full text of Pope Francis’ appeal:

“This coming Saturday we will live together a special day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria, the Middle East, and throughout the world. I renew the invitation to the whole Church to live this day intensely, and even now I express gratitude to the other Christian brethren, to the brethren of other religions and to the men and women of good will who desire to join in this initiative, in places and ways of their own. I especially urge the Roman faithful and pilgrims to participate in the prayer vigil here in St. Peter's Square at 19.00, in order to ask the Lord for the great gift of peace. May a powerful cry for peace go up from every land!”

Content with grace...

 

"Realize above all that you are in God's presence.

Empty yourself completely and sit waiting,

content with the grace of God,

like a chick that tastes nothing and eats nothing

except what its mother gives it."

St. Romuald

Founder Camaldolese Order

 

St Isidore the Farmer

Spain ~ 1070-1130

Patron of farmers

Incorrupt

FEAST DAY - May 15

His wife is also a canonized Saint -

St Maria (Torribia) de la Cabeza

 

Isidore attended Holy Mass every morning which caused him to come to work late. Late, though he was, his plowing was nevertheless accomplished by angels that resulted in three times more productivity. His co-workers and his boss witnessed such miraculous events and showed him great respect. 

Click here: Saint Isidore The Farmer - May 15 - YouTube

St Isidore, ora pro nobis!

Source of comfort, light ...

  

6th Annual Eucharistic Congress ~ Boston - North End  ~ April 21, 2013

“In a world where there is so much noise,

so much bewilderment, there is a need

for silent adoration of Jesus concealed in the Host. 

Be assiduous in the prayer of adoration …

It is a source of comfort and light,

particularly to those who are suffering."

Pope Benedict XVI

February 22, 2007

Sacramentum Caritatis,

Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation

Happy to be His home!

 

American Marines receiving holy Communion.   Photo Credit:  Larry Burrows (Getty)

 

“If Christ dwells within us, what do we need?

What do we lack?

If we dwell in Christ, what more could we desire?

 

He is our host and our dwelling-place.

Happy are we to be His home!

What joy to be ourselves the dwelling-place

of such an inhabitant!”

 

 St Nicolas Cabasilas (+1391)

To be content always...

Holy Redeemer Adoration Chapel ~ Madison, WI - USA

 

"The only One necessary to have

to be content always

is to have our Lord."

 

 

 St Turibius de Mogovejo

Nee Spain ~ 1538 - 1606

Layman to ordained Archbishop of Lima! (see YouTube below)

Patron: Peru, Latin Am. Bishops, Native Rights

Incorrupt

Feast Day - March 23

 

 

When Turibius undertook the reform of the clergy as well as unjust officials, he naturally suffered opposition. Some tried, in human fashion, to explain God's law in such a way as to sanction their accustomed way of life.  He answered them in the words of Tertullian, "Christ said, 'I am the truth'; he did not say, 'I am the custom.'"

 

 Click here: St. Toribio of Mogrovejo - YouTube

 

St Turibius, ora pro nobis!

Renewing inner peace

 The LORD gives strength to His people;

the LORD blesses His people with peace. Psalm 29:11

 

 

"You can resolve all your difficulties

in front of the tabernacle.

Many times this will suffice

instead of trying to find the answer

to so many objections and difficulties.

This is all you need

to find inner peace once again."

 

Ven James Alberione

 

Contentment of faith...

 

 

"... I think the sacramental system gives us Catholics an advantage.  We don't expect to feel much as the result of the grace which, we know, we are getting.  We are accustomed to the idea of supernatural transactions going on; affecting quite really the state of our souls; and yet nothing in the way of external feelings to show for it. 

We are content to go on in faith, knowing that we have received spiritual benefits without having the itch to take our spiritual temperatures all the time."

Excerpt from The Hidden Stream by Ronald Knox (Sheed & Ward, 1953)

Fruitful practice

   

Still life of Flowers and Grapes Encircling a Monstrance in a Niche ~ Jan Van Kessel

"When the Sisters are exhausted,

up to their eyes in work;

when all seems to go awry,

they spend an hour in prayer

before the Blessed Sacrament.

This practice has never failed to bear fruit.

They experience peace and strength."

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Bl Mother Teresa's 15th Anniversary of entrance into Eternal Life

August 26, 1910 ~ September 5, 1997

 

“Just allow people to see Jesus in you to see how you pray, to see how you lead a pure life to see how you deal with your family to see how much peace there is in your family. Then you can look straight into their eyes and say, ‘This is the way.’ You speak from life, you speak from experience.” ~ Bl Mother Teresa of Calcutta

From Words to Love by... Mother Teresa (Ave Maria Press:  1983)

  

Bl Mother Teresa of Calcutta,

ora pro nobis!

Don't listen, laugh... go...

 

Jesus burns with the desire

to come into your heart...

don't listen to the demon, laugh at him,

and go without fear

to receive the Jesus of peace and love..."

 

St. Therese the Little Flower

Peace plan

"You see, I too find myself sometimes overwhelmed by the weight of trials; but after five minutes in front of the Blessed Sacrament, which is our all, I feel entirely invigorated.  Do the same when you are depressed and discouraged."

Blessed Clement Marchisio

Founder:  Institute of Daughters of Saint Joseph

Feeling at home in Adoration

“Jesus himself never gave any big meditation techniques.  He said, “This is how you pray,” and he gave us the Lord’s Prayer.  He didn't say you have to keep your back ramrod straight.  He didn't say you had to learn to observe your breathing.  Prayer was one area of my life that I instinctively and resolutely refrained from trying to make into a project, which is perhaps one reason the “guided meditations” in which I'd occasionally taken part over the years had left me fairly cold.

            I much preferred Adoration - sitting before the Blessed Sacrament in prayerful silence – at, say, Immaculate Heart of Mary, a relatively poor, largely Filipino parish in East Hollywood.  Here, folks would be snuffling, sneezing, hacking; some kneeling, some sitting.  Sweaters hung askew off shoulders, rosaries dangled from arthritic fingers.  Some eyes were closed, some were open, staring, stricken; people were doubled over, head in hands; people were crying.

            This seemed to me just the atmosphere in which the Son of Man would have felt at home.  I know I did. Here, I could imagine myself the “prodigal daughter” with my head buried in the Father’s breast.  Here I could imagine myself to be Job, saying, My God, though thou slayest me, yet will I put my trust in Thee.  Here I could hear my heart crying, Bind up my gaping, hemorrhaging wounds.  Tell me what I'm to do next, Father, where I belong.  Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Excerpt from Shirt of Flame –

A Year with Saint Therese of Lisieux (2011)

by Heather King (Pg 83-84)

In this Bread...

Day of Prayer* for the Legal Protection

of Unborn Children

*In all the dioceses of the United States of America, January 22
(or January 23, when the 22nd falls on a Sunday) shall be
observed as a particular day of penance for violations to the
dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion,
and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life.

---General Instruction of the Roman Missal (U.S.), 2003, n. 373

MARCH for LIFE DAY

Kindness and truth shall meet;

justice and peace shall kiss.

Truth shall spring out of the earth,

and justice shall look down from heaven. ~ Ps 85:10,11

“In the Bread which came down from heaven,

the family will be able to find the support that

will keep it united in the face of today’s threats

and will preserve it as a bastion of life,

steadfast against the culture of death."

Pope Blessed John Paul II

June 5, 1995

"If people spent one hour per week

in Eucharistic Adoration,

abortion would be ended."

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

Fourth Sunday of ADVENT

  

Fourth Sunday of ADVENT

May it be done to me according to Your word. Luke 1:38

“How to find Christmas peace in a world of unrest?  You cannot find peace on the outside but you can find peace on the inside, by letting God do to your soul what Mary let Him do to her body, namely, let Christ be formed in you.  As she cooked meals in her Nazarene home, as she nursed her aged cousin, as she drew water at the well, as she prepared the meals of the village carpenter, as she knitted the seamless garment, as she kneaded the dough and swept the floor, she was conscious that Christ was in her, that she was a living Ciborium, a monstrance of the Divine Eucharist, a Gate of Heaven through which a Creator would peer upon creation, a Tower of Ivory up whose chaste body He was to climb ‘to kiss upon her lips a mystical rose.’

As He was physically formed in her, so He wills to be spiritually formed in you. If you knew He was seeing through your eyes, you would see in every fellow man a child of God.  If you knew that He worked through your hands, they would bless all the day through. If you knew the He wants to use your mind, your will, your fingers, and your heart, how different you would be.  If half of the world did this there would be no war!”

Archbishop Fulton J Sheen

Happy are those...

"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.' Happy are those hearts that know how to satisfy the unquenchable hunger and thirst in this heavenly banquet!" 

 Fr. M.J. Corcoran, O.S.A.