Secure in the Father's justice...

First Sunday of Lent 

"Very few people believe in the devil these days, which suits the devil very well.  
He is always helping to circulate the news of his own death.  
The essence of God is existence, and He defines Himself as: 'I am Who am.'  
The essence of the devil is the lie, and he defines himself as:  'I am who am not.'  
Satan has very little trouble with those who do not believe in him; 
they are already on his side." - Ven Fulton J Sheen, Life of Christ

"What does Jesus Christ do in the Eucharist? 

It is God who, as our Savior, 

 offers Himself each day for us to His Father's justice.

If you are in difficulties and sorrows,

He will comfort and relieve you.

If you are sick,

He will either cure you

or give you strength to suffer so as to merit Heaven.

If the devil, the world, and the flesh

are making war upon you,

He will give you the weapons with which to fight,

to resist, and to win victory.

If you are poor,

He will enrich you with all sorts of riches

 for time and eternity.

Let us open the door of His sacred and adorable Heart, and be wrapped about for an instant by the flames of His love, and we shall see what a God who loves us can do. O my God, who shall be able to comprehend?"

St. John Vianney

"The Holy Eucharist is the perfect expression
of the love of Jesus Christ for man." - St. Maria Goretti

Love revived! ...

No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. 
No one who continues to sin has either seen him
or known him. - I John 3:6

"As bodily nourishment restores lost strength,

so the Eucharist strengthens our charity, 

which tends to be weakened in daily life; and this living charity 

wipes away venial sins (Cf. Council of Trent). 

By giving Himself to us Christ revives our love

and enables us to break our disordered

attachments to creatures and root ourselves in him (…).”

Catechism of the Catholic Church (#1394)*

*The Catechism is bounding with beauty, truth and goodness regarding the Eucharist.  Perhaps a fruitful exercise
during Lent would be to discover and meditate on these gems!


Painting above: Priest teaching Catechism ~ Jules Alexis Muenier


Daily segments of the Catechism via email:
http://flocknote.com/catechism

Consuming zeal for souls...

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor,

serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction,

faithful in prayer. - Romans 12:11-12

 

"The offspring of this intensity of love

for our Eucharistic Lord

should be a consuming zeal for the 
gathering of souls into the fold of Christ.”

St Katharine Drexel

American ~ 1858 - 1955
Heiress, educator, founder of schools
Entered religious life at age 31

Foundress - Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament

aka 'the anti-Margaret Sanger'

FEAST DAY - March 3

 

“And here is the passive way – to be filled unto the fullness of God. 
The passive way – I abandon myself to it, not in a multiplicity of trials, 
extraordinary penances accomplished, practices of great works – 
but in peaceful abandonment to the tenderness of Jesus, 
which I must try to imitate, and by being in constant union 
with His meek and humble heart."  - St Katharine Drexel

"Union with God alone gives us life and abundance of life.
We are not sufficient in ourselves." - St Katharine Drexel

"O Mary, make me endeavor, by all the means in my power,
to extend the kingdom of your Divine Son and offer incessantly 
my prayers for the conversion of those who are yet in darkness
or estranged from His fold."  - St Katharine Drexel 

"The patient and humble endurance of the cross - whatever nature 
it may be - is the highest work we have to do."- St Katherine Drexel  

Click here: St. Katharine Drexel - YouTube (2 mins)
Click here: Saint Katharine Drexel - YouTube (2 mins - CCTNtv)

Top painting: The Good Shepherd ~ Minerva Teichert

St Katharine Drexel, pray for us!

His glance follows us ...

"Lent comes providentially to reawaken us, to shake us 

from our lethargy." - Pope Francis

“Make use of devotion to the Blessed Sacrament

as a means of persevering in the practice of virtue. 

Let us go to Him toward evening

and tell Him about our shortcomings,

let us ask Him for help and forgiveness. 

Our Lord loves us, constantly, and His glance

follows us every moment of the day.”

Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val,

Servant of God

"... when the door starts closing a bit because of our weakness and sins, 

confession reopens it." - Pope Francis

 

 "Put aside your hatred and animosity. Take pains to refrain from sharp words.

If they escape your lips, do not be ashamed to let your lips produce the remedy,

since they have caused the wounds. Pardon one another so that later on

you will not remember the injury. The recollection of an injury is itself wrong.

It adds to our anger, nurtures our sin and hates what is good. It is a rusty arrow 

and poison for the soul. It puts all virtue to flight."— St. Francis of Paola

+ Ash Wednesday +

 "Jesus, I give You my whole heart and my whole will.  
They once rebelled against You, but now I dedicate them completely to you…

Receive me, and make me faithful until death.” - St. Alphonsus Liguori

ASH WEDNESDAY*

"Give me, good Lord, a full faith and a fervent charity, a love of You, good Lord, incomparably above the love of myself; and that I love nothing that displeases You but everything for the sake of You.

Take from me, good Lord, this lukewarm -- or rather cold-hearted -- way of meditation and this dullness in praying to You.  And give me warmth, delight, and life in thinking of You. 

 And give me grace to long for Your holy Sacraments, and specifically to rejoice in the presence of Your Blessed  Body, sweet Savior Christ, in the holy Sacrament of the altar, and duly to thank You for Your precious visitation through it; and at that high Memorial, may I have grace to remember and consider Your most bitter passion with tender compassion."

St. Thomas More

*ASH WEDNESDAY is solemnly observed by the Church to mark the beginning of the forty days of penance in the Lenten season. The faithful who attends the Mass on this day will be marked on the forehead with a CROSS of ASHES as a sign of conversion, penance, fasting and human mortality.

Ash Wednesday, Julian Falat (1853-1929, Poland)

The marking of the forehead with a cross made of ashes reminds each that (1) God  made the first human being by breathing life into dust, and without God, human beings are nothing more than dust and ashes, (2) the phrases often used when the  ashes are administered remind Christians of the doctrine of original sin and (3) the cross of ashes may symbolize the way Christ's sacrifice on the cross as atonement for sin replaces the Old Testament tradition of making burnt offerings to atone for sin.

As ashes are being administered, the priest utters one of the following phrases:

    "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel."

    "Remember (O man) that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return."

    "Repent, and hear the good news."

And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him;
and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. - Ecclesiastes 4;12

During Lent, we are called to prayer, fasting and almsgiving.They are the "three-fold cord" spoken of in Ecclesiastes 4:12. Satan will not prevail against us if we follow Christ's call to use this three-fold cord as a basis for our Christian walk.

"Act, and God will act. " -  St. Joan of Arc

 

Prayer is good when accompanied 

by fasting, almsgiving, and righteousness.

A little with righteousness is better than much with wrongdoing.
It is better to give alms than to treasure up gold. - Tobit 12:8

Click here: Ash Wednesday & Lent in Two Minutes - YouTube

Let us pray - one for the other -  

for perseverance and fidelity in this Lenten season!