Roe vs Wade Overturned!

 

Click Image to see Beating Heart of Baby

 Hey! This blob of tissue looks like a baby!

 

These companies had already said they would cover expenses for employees who have to travel for an abortion:

• Starbucks
• Tesla
• Yelp
• Airbnb
• Neflix
• Patagonia
• DoorDash
• JP Morgan Chase
• Levi Strauss & Co
• PayPal
• Reddit

Box came out in support of women's healthcare rights and the company said it was “disappointed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.”

On Friday after the Supreme Court decision was handed down to overturn Roe v. Wade these companies said they would cover travel costs:

• Disney
• Meta
• Dick's Sporting Goods
• Conde Nast
• Zillow
• Lyft
• Uber
• Buzzfeed

13th Sunday - "Follow Me"

 

 In the Gospel we have the advice given separately by Jesus to three individuals who wanted to follow Our Lord. Far from pressuring them to join His group, He even seemed to discourage them. The first was advised to count the cost before joining, as Christ had no fixed home.

His words to the second seem quite harsh: “Let the dead bury their dead,” meaning let the spiritually dead, bury their dead. Our Lord would have known the soul of his father was unrepentant before he died and the soul of the man who refused to follow Jesus was also spiritually dead. Because Jesus can read hearts, Our Divine Lord knew the man had no intentions of following Jesus. In another words, he lied saying that he wanted to first bury his father. So when Jesus said, “Let the dead bury the dead.” He wanted to bring the condition of the man’s soul to his attention for the purpose of attempting help him repent of his sins.

In another words, it was as though Jesus told the man, “Repent now and follow me. Otherwise, you will not repent at all and your soul will be lost.” The lesson is that if we are faced with a radical option and do not take it at once, it is less likely that we will do so later.

His reply to the third was also uncompromising: “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is the right kind of person for the kingdom of God.” The fragile wooden plows of that time were in danger of breaking if they struck stones in the fields. Therefore the plowman had to keep his eyes on the ground ahead at all times. The commitment to his task as a disciple of Christ should be total at all times as well.

We wonder whether Jesus was trying to attract or to discourage followers, He was so blunt and forthright in spelling out the hardships it would involve. Jesus has called each one of us to follow him. ‘Follow me’ is a frequently repeated invitation.

He calls us, as well, to a personal relationship with Himself. We are invited to share in His life and in His interests. Discipleship and mission go hand in hand. Precisely because it is His mission it has to be carried out in His way. James and John were zealous but they wanted to do things their way. A fire and brimstone approach even towards opponents was unacceptable to Jesus, so He rebuked them. He had come as Savior, not as the leader of a punishment squad. Sometimes followers of Christ appear to be more like followers of the ‘sons of thunder’. We need the guidance of the Spirit to help us to clarify and to refine our understanding of discipleship.

Disciples must try to break free from false forms of security. The apostles abandoned the security of an established lifestyle in order to be with Jesus.

At an earlier time, Elisha had to set aside his security as a well-off farmer in order to serve with Elijah the prophet. ‘I will follow you, sir, but first let me (etc.)’. How often could this person’s first response be our own? I will follow you but on my own terms. In other words, I will follow you, provided the cost is not too high. We can hardly criticize the would-be followers mentioned in the Gospel, since their response is often our own.

The fact is Jesus conveys a great sense of urgency. There is no time to haggle over terms and conditions. Consent must be unconditional. We need to repent, abandon our own ways of doing things and give a total ‘Yes,’ like Mary, our Blessed Mother. If we do that we can experience the fierce, inner joy of the Spirit which St Paul calls a “pledge,” a first installment of heavenly joy.

 

Immaculate Heart of Mary

 

 

Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. On December 10, 1925, The Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Child Jesus, appeared to Sr. Lucia in the Dorothean convent in Pontevedra, Spain, requesting the First Five Saturdays Devotion to make reparation for sins against Her Immaculate Heart.

Our Lady appeared holding Her Immaculate Heart, encircled with thorns. Then the Child Jesus said, "Have pity on the Heart of Your Most Holy Mother. It is covered with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to remove them with an act of reparation."

The Blessed Mother then spoke: "I promise to assist at the hour of death, with all the graces necessary for salvation, all those who on the First Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep Me company for 15 minutes, while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to Me."

Our Lady also desired that Russia be consecrated to Her Immaculate Heart, otherwise Russia would spread her errors throughout the world. Few people understood what that meant because at that point Russia was traditionally very Catholic.

But not much long after the apparitions, Russia would succumb to communism and would help spread communism throughout the world.

Various popes consecrated the world to Mary’s Immaculate Heart, but none fulfilled Our Lady’s request until Pope John Paul II. The other popes did the consecration themselves and not in union with the bishops of the world.

Pope John Paul II was shot on May 13^th, 1981 on the anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima. In 1984, Pope John Paul II in union with all the bishops of the world consecrated the world to Mary’s Immaculate Heart, which led to the collapse of the Soviet Union, as well as many other countries suffering from communism. Sister Lucia has affirmed that the consecration was accepted.

This year, Pope Francis in union with all the bishops of the world consecrated Russia, the Ukraine and the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on March 25th (Solemnity of the Annunciation).

Jesus told Sr. Lucia that He desired that Mary’s heart be honored alongside His Sacred Heart. This would come to fruition when Pope John Paul II established today’s memorial the Saturday after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The Virgin Mary also asked Lucia to promote world devotion to Her Immaculate Heart and Lucia did so behind the cloistered monastery of the Carmelites until her death.

Our Lady desires that every person be consecrated to Her Immaculate Heart. By consecrating ourselves to Her, we give Her permission to help us-- to do God’s will. She will do with us, as She did with Russia, She will protect us from evil and bring about peace within our hearts.

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary, be our refuge and may we consecrate ourselves to Her Immaculate Heart often, permitting Her motherly intercession to obtain every grace we need to allow the Sacred Heart of Jesus to live and reign in us.

Sacred Heart Solemnity

 

Today, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Because today is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart it is also World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests.

The devotion to the Sacred Heart consists in the veneration of the very Heart of God. Our Lord’s Heart is mentioned in scripture. St. John, the beloved apostle, rested his head against the Heart of Jesus at the Last Supper. He stood faithfully at the foot of the Cross and watched the Heart of Jesus pierced with a lance. When Jesus was about to feed the multitude by multiplying bread and fish, His Heart was moved with pity for the crowd. Our Lord described His Heart as being meek and humble.

While not explicitly in Sacred Scripture, we know Our Lord’s Heart began to beat for love us--while within Mary’s womb.

Devotion has existed from the early days of the Church, when Christians meditated on the pierced Heart of Jesus. And this devotion was spread by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, who had a vision of the Lord on June 16th, 1675, in which she saw His Heart surrounded by flames of love, crowned with thorns and pierced with an open wound in which blood flowed and inside which appeared a cross.

Jesus said to her, “Behold this Heart which has so loved men, that It has spared nothing even to exhausting and consuming itself in order to testify to its love. In return, I receive from the greater part only ingratitude by their irreverence and sacrileges by the coldness and contempt they have for me in this Sacrament of Love.” After Jesus said these words, he then told St. Margaret Mary, “What is most painful to Me," added the Savior, in a tone that went to the Sister's heart, "is that they are hearts consecrated to Me". What caused His Sacred Heart the most anguish was the ingratitude, irreverence and sacrilege from those consecrated to the Lord, meaning priests and religious. One of the main reasons Jesus established the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, was to make reparation to His Sacred Heart for those who should love Him in His true presence in the Eucharist.

Every Eucharistic miracle tested by which the Host turned to flesh has always concluded myocardium muscle from the Heart. The Eucharist is the Heart of Jesus.

Today, reparation needs to be made for the priest scandal, injuring so many children and their families. For bishops and cardinals who covered up the scandal. For priests who left the priesthood and the religious who left their orders, over the past 30 years. Reparation needs to be made for priests who fail to warn the laity of their obligation to confess their mortal sins prior to receiving Holy Communion, which results in sacrilegious Communions. Reparation needs to be made for churches with tabernacles no longer in the sanctuary of the church. Reparation needs to be made for priests who treat the liturgy as though it was their own, changing this and that-- at their every whim. Reparation needs to be made for priests and religious who no longer have any devotion to the Eucharist, but treat Him with ingratitude and irreverence.

On this day dedicated prayer for the sanctification of priests, I encourage you to pray a rosary today for all priests and another rosary for a particular priest. I would like to close with the prayer of St. Therese for Priests: O Jesus, I pray for your faithful and fervent priests; for your unfaithful and tepid priests; for your priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields. for your tempted priests; for your lonely and desolate priests;  For your young priests; for your dying priests; for the souls of your priests in Purgatory. But above all, I recommend to you the priests dearest to me: the priest who baptized me; the priests who absolved me from my sins; the priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion; the priests who taught and instructed me; all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way. O Jesus, keep them all close to your heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen.

Nativity of John the Baptist -- June 23rd (this year)

 

 Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist. The birth of John the Baptist causes us to reflect upon the deep meaning of God’s special concern and mission for each person.

With reference to the future coming of John the Baptist, the prophet Isaiah states, “The Lord called me from birth, from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.”

Before the John the Baptist was born, even while he was in his mother’s womb, God gave him a name and mission. We know this especially when we hear about the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah and said, “Your wife Elizabeth is to bear you a son and you must name him John.” The angel said, “Even from his mother’s womb he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. With the spirit of Elijah, he will go before him to turn the hearts of fathers toward their children and the disobedient back to the wisdom of the virtuous have, preparing for the Lord a people fit for him.”

However, despite the appearance of the angel, Zechariah did not believe. And because he failed to believe, he would be unable to speak.

And so it happened, when Elizabeth gave birth to John, the people asked Zechariah what was the name to be given to the child. Elizabeth said the child’s name was to be “John”, but they refused to believe her. Because he was unable to speak, Zechariah wrote the name, “John” on the writing tablet. He immediately began to speak and then was inspired to say the beautiful Benedictus.

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Zechariah then foretold the mission of his son, John the Baptist. He said, “You my child shall be called the prophet of the most High. For you will go before the Lord to prepare His way to give the people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins.”

St. Luke states that the Blessed Virgin Mary went in haste to Her cousin Elizabeth and was present when John the Baptist was born. Just before his birth, the unborn John, recognized the presence of Jesus in Mary’s womb and leapt with joy. Elizabeth also recognized that Mary was the Mother of the Lord.

John’s Nativity is significant, because Jesus and Mary were both present at his birth. John’s birth was significant because he received his name from God, through God’s messenger, the angel. John’s birth was significant because before he was born the Lord God gave him a mission.

Before we were born, God had a name and a mission for us. As the prophet Jeremiah said, “Before I formed you in your womb, I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations, I appointed you.”

Each one of us received a name when we were born. We also have the ability to receive another name at our Confirmation. And those who are religious received a new name when they became a novice.

A new name indicated God has a new mission for us. Those to whom we live with and the souls for whom we pray and offer our sacrifices-- belong to our mission in helping others to obtain their mission and receive the grace of salvation.

If each of us has a name and a mission before we are born, we can see how tender and loving God cares for each of us. We can come to understand that at the moment God created our soul, He desired that we be with Him forever in heaven.

How many unborn children die today, who never receive a name given by their parents, nor are they allowed to fulfill the mission for which they were created?

Every child conceived in his or her mother’s womb will be truly given a name and they will be able to fulfill their mission in which they were created to accomplish.

May Our Lady of Guadalupe, patron of the unborn pray for us.

Saints Thomas More & John Fischer - June 22nd

 

Today, we celebrate memorial of the martyrs Saint John Fisher, and St. Thomas More. These two men laid down their lives for the unity of the Church, and for the sanctity of marriage.

In early 1500’s, King Henry the VIII wanted to divorce his wife Catherine, so that he could marry Anne, because he wanted her to be the royal successor to the throne, as Queen. St. John Fisher opposed the divorce, which was not permitted by the Catholic Church. He also resisted King Henry VIII’s interference with the Catholic Church in England. Most all of the other bishops of England gave in to King Henry’s wishes, but Bishop John Fisher would not. He refused to sign an oath, which would have acknowledged Henry and Anne, as lawful heir to the throne. King Henry VIII, declared himself, head the Catholic Church in England, and therefore separated the church in England from the Pope and universal Church.

The Catholic Church teaches divorce is not permitted, and marriage lasts until death do they part. The Church also teaches that the Pope is the head of the Church, not a king. And so the Pope wanted to show his approval of the bishop’s defense of the Church’s teachings and therefore, made John Fisher, a cardinal. Henry the VIII became angry with the Pope. This angered King Henry, and so he imprisoned the bishop in a Tower. And within a month, he had Bishop John Fisher beheaded.

Jesus warned His disciples by stating, “Beware of false prophets, who come in sheep clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them.” King Henry acted like an innocent sheep, declaring his own marriage invalid, declaring himself head of the Catholic Church in England, and declared his unlawful wife Anne, as rightful successor to the throne as queen. He became a ravenous wolf, because he divorced his wife Catherine, and because he caused many to be separated from the Catholic Church, as he demanded loyalty to himself as king, rather than loyalty to the Pope. He bore such bad fruit that the entire Catholic Church in England fell away from the one True Church founded by Jesus Christ.

St. Thomas More, who became chancellor of King Henry the VIII, also defended the Pope, and the life-long vow of marriage until death, do you part. He spent the rest of his life defending the authority of the Pope and sanctity of marriage. He refused to declare his allegiance to King Henry as head of the Church in England, and he too, like that of Bishop Fisher was imprisoned in a Tower. After being in prison for 15 months, and 9 months after St. John Fisher was executed, he was tried and convicted of treason. He told the court he could not go against his conscience and wished his judges that “We may yet hereafter in heaven merrily all meet together to everlasting salvation.” Just before he died, while at the scaffold, he said, “He was the King’s good servant, but God’s (servant) first.” He was then beheaded.

In our day, when divorce is so widespread and when people openly desire same-sex marriage, and when many will not follow the pope or the Church’s teaching, by following their own morality, such as contraception, let us pray ask St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More to intercede for us, that our country and the world will be protected from ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing, and that all will have a change of heart, so that all of us may meet together in God’s heavenly kingdom, with Mary our Mother, and all the angels and saints.

St. Aloysius - June 21st

 

Today we celebrate the memorial of St. Aloysius, patron of Catholic youth. He is often pictured as a young man holding a crucifix, with an angelic face. Although artists make him appear wimpy, the young man was actually very strong willed.

His father wanted him to be a soldier, and so, as a child, Aloysius would roam about his father’s military camp, wearing soldier clothing. One day, he accidentally set off an explosion from ammunition, which caused many to think the castle was being attacked.

Though not old enough to know better, he began to speak the dirty language of the soldiers. However, at the age of 7, he had a conversion and wanted to give himself totally to God. At this young age, most of his time was spent in prayer, reading devotions from a prayer book, and disciplining his body. He caught malaria, which put an end to his playing soldier. And when his father returned from war, he noticed his son had changed, and now wanted to be religious brother, rather than a soldier.

During his time, murders and adultery were widespread. Immorality was the chief topic in conversations; like today, amusement games had impure and suggestive material.

Despite the immoral world around him, St. Aloysius vowed never to commit a mortal sin. And so, at the age of 10, he avoided silly and indecent games and kept his eyes cast down, as young women passed by. By disciplining his own innocent body, he made reparation for the impure sins of others.

At the age of 12, St. Aloysius received instruction on the Eucharist from his relative St. Charles Borremeo, and made his first Communion from him.

Determined to become a religious in the order of the Jesuits, one day, he went to receive Holy Communion in a Jesuit church, and knelt before an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He distinctly heard an inner voice tell him, it was God’s will, he become a religious.

However, his father was opposed to it causing years of turmoil until he was finally told to leave the house. He left and went to a house on the outskirts of town. Worried about his son, his father sent a man sent to check on him. As the man peered into his room, he noticed Aloysius scourging himself. When his father heard that his son was scourging himself, he came to see his boy, and began to weep, as he saw his son’s bleeding back. With a change of heart, his father wrote a letter to the Jesuits, asking that his boy be received into the order. After entering the order, he was told to do less penance, but practiced humility, obedience and poverty, by his self-denial. He used to say, “I am a twisted piece of iron, I have entered religious life to get twisted straight.”

He began to study to become a priest. However, a famine and a plague swept through the city. Consequently, he began to beg for food for the many who were starving, and helped the many who were sick in the hospitals from the plague. Eventually he caught the plague and after 3 months, he joyfully prayed that his death would come soon. Three days before his death, he stated, “Were off, were off!” The provincial asked “We are off where?”, and he replied, “We are off to heaven, if my sins do not stop me!” He died, during the octave of Corpus Christi, at the young age of 23. Today, in the Liturgy of Hours, the Office of Readings has his beautiful letter to his mother, stating his death is near, but not to worry.

St. Therese, the little flower, said this about, St. Aloysius, “Look at St. Aloysius. God could have made him live long, to evangelize the nations. But He did not choose to do so, because He destined him for a far more fruitful mission. This young saint did much more good through dying, before he was twenty-four, than he would otherwise have done, if he had lived to be eighty. He is doing an apostolic work in heaven.” We know that these words of St. Therese would prophetically speak of her role as patron of missionaries, as she said, she would do her work in heaven.

Today, let us ask St. Aloysius, patron of Catholic Youth, to pray for all our youth of today, that their souls may be kept pure.

And, as St. Aloysius made reparation for the many sins of impurity, which engulfed his world, may we too, imitate this strong willed saint, by making reparation for these sins, which so offend, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Virgin Most Pure!

12th Monday - Stop Judging

 

 Stop judging that you may not be judged.

In the Gospel today, Jesus condemns any rash judgments that we make maliciously or carelessly about our neighbor’s behavior. He is condemning condemnatory judgment. To condemn someone is to make a judgment with regard to the state of his or her soul.

Let us give an example. Let’s suppose we begin a conversation with a friend who is grumpy. He makes negative comments about the weather, his job, his family, and his neighbors. Our first thought may be: “This person is sinning”, “This person has no charity in his heart.” “He does not know how to love.” “What an evil person!”

Just because a person is making negative comments, we cannot judge that he is sinning, or that he has no charity in his heart, or that he does not know how to love, or that he is an evil person. All of these are condemnatory judgments. The truth is we really do not know what is going on in his heart, or in his life. God is the only judge. He is a just, and merciful judge, who truly knows the heart. We have no authority to judge our neighbor.

Our Blessed Lord said, “For as you judge, so you will be judged.” Aren’t these words frightening? Another way of saying what Jesus said could be, “Do not judge others, that you not be judged by God”. In other words, if we condemn others, God will condemn us.

So what are we to do, if we meet someone who is grumpy, and makes negative comments about others? First; begin to pray silently for them, as we listen to them. Second; gently, make positive comments about the persons, he or she is negatively speaking. Third; we do not know what he is going through in his life. For example, he may be suffering greatly due to headache, or perhaps he recently lost a loved one, or maybe he just received bad news, or perhaps the stress of old age has become overwhelming to him or her, and so, the person is not thinking clearly.

Therefore, we should never think badly of anyone, not even if the words or conduct of the person gives us grounds for doing so. Let us therefore be slow to judge. Each person sees things from his own point of view. Each mind has its limitations, and often one’s eyes may be dimmed by powerful emotions, fears, or pain.

St. Augustine gave advice with regard to judging others. He said, “Try to acquire those virtues which you think your brothers lack, and you will no longer see their defects, because you will not have the (virtues) yourself.” 

Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, "If you judge people, you have no time to love them."

May we turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary, who never once sinned, and ask Her to help us to overcome rash judgment, that we may not be judged, by our condemnatory judgments, on the day of our judgment, and so enter into the joys of heaven.

Corpus Christi - Body of Christ

 

Today is Corpus Christi Sunday, meaning Body of Christ. In many churches throughout the world parishes have Eucharistic Processions and we will too will process down the streets of Little River at the end of Mass. There have been at least 126 Eucharistic Miracles that have occurred in various parts of the world and throughout the Christian history and have been authenticated by the Church. Today, I will speak about 7 Church approved Eucharistic Miracles.

The Miracle of Santarem - A woman living in Santarém, Portugal in the 13th was distressed that her husband was unfaithful to her, and she decided to consult a sorceress for help. The sorceress told her the price of her services was a consecrated host. She went to Mass at the Church of St. Stephen and received the Eucharist on her tongue, removed the Eucharist from her mouth, wrapped it in her veil, and headed to the door of the church. But before she got out, the host began to bleed. When she got home, she put the bloodied host in a trunk. That night, a miraculous light emanated from the trunk. She repented of what she had done and the next morning confessed to her priest. Her priest came and retrieved the host and took it back to the church. After an investigation and approval of the miracle, the church was renamed Church of the Holy Miracle, and the bloodied host remains on display to this day. About 10 years ago, when I went on a pilgrimage to Fatima, I was able to see the miracle first hand. Truly Amazing!

Miracle of Bolsena - In the year 1263 a priest from Prague was on route to Rome making a pilgrimage asking God for help to strengthen his faith since he was having doubts about his vocation. Along the way he stopped in Bolsena 70 miles north of Rome. While celebrating Mass there, as he raised the host during the consecration, the bread turned into flesh and began to bleed. The drops of blood fell onto the small white cloth on the altar, called the corporal. The following year, 1264, Pope Urban IV instituted the feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus, today’s feast, Corpus Christi. The Pope asked St Thomas Aquinas, living at that time, to write hymns for the feast. He wrote the Tantum Ergo and O Salutaris. That blood-stained corporal may still be seen in the Basilica of Orvieto north of Rome.

Miracle of Lanciano - The Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano, Italy, is probably the most famous Eucharistic miracle, which took place many centuries earlier, in the year 700. A monk who feared he was losing his vocation was celebrating Mass, and during the consecration the Host turned into flesh and the wine turned into blood. Despite the fact that the miracle took place almost 1300 years ago, you may still see the flesh in a monstrance which is exposed every day and the blood in a glass chalice. (The glass chalice is beneath the monstrance on the right.) The blood has congealed and is now in five clots in the glass chalice. In 1971 and 1981 a hospital laboratory tested the flesh and blood and discovered that the flesh is myocardium, which is heart muscular tissue, so we could say it is the heart of Jesus, the Sacred Heart, and the blood is of the blood group AB. In 1978 NASA scientists tested the blood on the Shroud of Turin and interestingly also discovered that it is of the blood group AB. The Sudarium, Face Cloth of Christ, in John 20:6 is also of the blood group AB.) Despite the fact that human flesh and blood should not have remained preserved for 1300 years the hospital lab tests found no trace of any preservatives. One final interesting point about the five blood clots in the chalice is that when you weigh one of them, it is the same weight as all five together, two of them together weigh the same as all five. In fact no matter what way you combine the blood clots individually or in a group to weigh them, they always weigh the same.  (This shows that the full Jesus is present in a particle of the Eucharist no matter how small.)

Miracle of Chirattakonam, India - On April 28th, 2001, there was Eucharistic adoration at St. Mary’s parish in Chirattakonam, India, when suddenly three red stains materialize on the Host. The priest didn’t know what to do and placed the host back into the tabernacle. A few days later he retrieved the host to examine it again, and the red stains had arranged themselves to look like the face of a man (Jesus?). He quickly found a photographer and had pictures taken of the host.

Christmas Eucharistic Miracle in 2013, Poland - In 2013, a Eucharistic miracle was approved by the Vatican. The local bishop in Poland, who made the official declaration said, “As the Bishop of Legnica, I hereby announce to the public and inform about an event that took place in the parish of St. Jack in Legnica which has the signs of the Eucharistic miracle. On 25th December, 2013 during the distribution of the Holy Communion, a consecrated Host fell to the floor and then was picked up and placed in a water-filled container (vasculum). Soon after, stains of the red color appeared. In the histopathological image, the fragments of tissue have been found containing the fragmented parts of the cross striated muscle. …(it) is most similar to the heart muscle with alterations that often appear during ….agony. The genetic researches indicate the human origin of the tissue.”

Eucharistic Miracle of St. Clare - Once, during an enemy attack against Assisi, while the army was approaching the gates, the fierce Saracens invaded San Damiano, entered the confines of the monastery and even the very cloister of the virgins. In terror, the voices of the nuns trembling with fear cried to their Mother, Saint Clare. Saint Clare, with a fearless heart, commanded them to lead her, sick as she was, to the enemy, preceded by a silver and ivory case in which the Body of Christ was kept with great devotion. And prostrating herself before the Lord, she spoke tearfully to her Christ: ‘Behold, my Lord, is it possible You want to deliver into the hands of pagans Your defenseless handmaids, whom I have taught out of love for You? I pray You, Lord, protect these Your handmaids whom I cannot now save by myself.’ Suddenly a voice like that of a child resounded in her ears from the tabernacle: ‘I will always protect you!’ ‘My Lord,’ she added, ‘if it is Your wish, protect also this city which is sustained by Your love.’ Christ replied, ‘It will have to undergo trials, but it will be defended by My protection.’ St. Clare raising a face bathed in tears, comforted the sisters: ‘I assure you, daughters, that you will suffer no evil; only have faith in Christ.’ A great light shone from the Eucharist which caused the Saracens to take flight and fled back over the walls they had scaled. And Clare immediately admonished those who heard the voice I spoke of above, telling them severely: ‘Take care not to tell anyone about that voice while I am still alive, dearest daughters.’”

Miracle of St. Anthony of Padua - St. Anthony of Padua lived during the 13th century and possessed a great zeal for the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. One day Saint Anthony heard of a man in Rimini named named Bononillo who did not share the same belief. In fact, Bononillo openly mocked people who believed that Jesus was truly present under the appearances of bread and wine. St. Anthony tried his hardest to convince Bononillo with the proofs of scripture and argument, but discovered that the man was as stubborn as a mule. Then St. Anthony received an inspiration. He challenged the wealthy merchant, “If the mule you ride adored the Body of Christ in the Eucharist, would you believe in the truth of the Blessed Sacrament?” Bononillo agreed, but decided to raise the stakes. Bononillo would starve his mule for three days and then bring it to the town square. Saint Anthony would bring the Blessed Sacrament to that same square. The mule then would be put in front of a pile of hay and St. Anthony would stand a few yards away with the Blessed Sacrament. What happened next would decide the victor. Bononillo brought the mules favorite hay and and St. Anthony stood holding the Eucharistic Jesus in his hands. The mule walked up to St. Anthony and bowed down on bended knees before the Sacred Host, causing Bononillo to renounce the error of his ways and came back to the Church with a strengthened faith in the Holy Eucharist.

These Eucharistic Miracles point to the fact, that Jesus is really and truly present in the Sacred Host. We are so very fortunate to have continuous Eucharistic Adoration from Sunday after Mass until Tuesday just before Mass, which is a testament to the faith of the people of Holy Trinity in our Lord’s true presence in the Eucharist. How wonderful to see so many of you receive Jesus on the tongue out of reverence and love. No one from our parish leaves Mass early after receiving Communion, unlike many other parishes.

How beautiful it is to see parents who bring children during your Holy Hour. To adore Jesus as a family is powerful. And as the famous Fr. Peyton used to say, “The family that prays together, stays together.” One of the main reasons for having continuous Eucharistic Adoration is so that anyone during the day or night can come and be with Jesus. How many graces are flowing from our church and into the world, by your silent presence with Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Not only is your heart touched by grace, but so are the hearts of your family members, parishioners and the graces flow.

May Jesus in the Eucharist always be the very center and heart of our church, the center and heart of our faith, the center and heart of our parish, and the center and heart of the lives of each of us.

O Sacrament most holy,
O Sacrament divine,
All praise and all thanksgiving
Be every moment thine.

11th Friday - Where Your Treasure Is There Your Heart is Also

 

 In the Gospel today, Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.”

Today, many suffer from materialism. We desire so many things that we really don’t need. We see all the wonderful things on television and we notice our neighbors have things we wish we could have. We feel like we have to have the latest fashions, the newest cars or the largest television sets.

I am told, one of the fastest growing businesses in the United States today is storage facilities. If we don’t have room at our house, we will rent storage to store our extra stuff. Children today have so many toys, that they can’t decide which toy to play with.

Some of the people whose homes you have worked on this past week were poor, others recently lost spouses, some were depressed. One had medical problems. But you gave all of them hope, by your good deeds. I heard from several of the people whom you helped that the youth were wonderful. They said the youth were polite, spiritual, joyful and happy. They loved your enthusiasm. They said, you can tell they really enjoyed doing the work. You bore witness to Christ, not only by your good deeds, but also by your positive attitude. You made a tremendous impact in the communities you served. This has a ripple effect throughout the community. It was really an out pouring of love and mercy. Your deeds of mercy flowed from the love you have for God and for your neighbor.

You are storing up treasure in heaven. What are the treasures of heaven? Jesus made it clear that those who have given up everything to follow him will be rewarded for what they have done, and the repayment will come not only in the next life but in this one at an astonishing rate of interest: “a hundredfold now in this time . . . and in the age to come eternal life” (Mark 10:30). We know also that scriptures refer to doing good deeds as atonement for sin. Good deeds make up for our sins and so we could consider good deeds as our treasure because they will help us to avoid purgatory.

Perhaps another way to look at treasures in heaven could refer to our degree of glory. The greater the saint, the greater the sacrifices, the greater the love in this life, the greater the glory in heaven. We should not settle for mediocre glory. We should give our self, our life, all that we do totally for God. And in this way, we will receive the glory that God intended us to have from the moment He created us in our womb.

In this life, Jesus in the Eucharist is our greatest treasure. May we come to Jesus often in Holy Communion. Spend time with Him in adoration and delight in His presence, knowing He is the giver of all the treasures of heaven.

And let us turn to our Mother Mary, and ask Her to help us to have that zeal to seek the treasures of heaven and give our all to God. So that on our day of judgment, Jesus will see a heart of gold--- filled with charity towards or neighbor.

11th Thursday - The Lord's Prayer

 

When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, do we babble on, like the pagans by saying it fast and without paying attention to the meaning of what we are saying?

As we daily pray the Our Father, we may get into the habit of not thinking about what we are praying. Today, let us examine the meaning of the Lord’s Prayer.

When we begin the Lord’s Prayer, we say “Our Father”. As a child of God, we pray to God Our loving Father, who created us, watches over us, protects us, provides for us, and who loves each one of us-- as His own special child, since we are His adopted children, who cry out, “Abba” Father. Most of us pray to Jesus often, which is good, but we should also pray to God Our Father in heaven.

When we pray to God Our Father, we say “Hallowed be thy name”. This means we try to keep God’s name Holy. And we also make reparation for those, who cuss or take His name in vain.

We pray “Thy kingdom Come” knowing that the God is King and will rule in our hearts, in our community, in our lives, and in our nation, as king, as He rules, as King in heaven, if only we allow Him to do so.

We pray ”thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, and so we do the best we can to do God’s will by obeying our superiors, the pope, bishops, priests, and those who care for us every day, because those who have authority over us-- represent God here on earth. When we do God’s will on earth, we are imitating God’s creatures (angels and saints), who do His will perfectly in heaven.

When we ask God, Our Father, to “give us our daily bread”, we are asking God the Father to give us-- Jesus, who is the Bread of Life and our superstantial bread from heaven--- in the Eucharist. We should not take for granted the gift of being able to receive Jesus everyday in Holy Communion and to be able to come to daily Mass. We need to pray for that gift everyday, lest it be taken away from us.

Another meaning for “give us our daily bread”, is that we ask God to supply our every need, whether it’s our daily food, clothing, shelter, our health, or the grace to suffer well, and whatever we may need in our daily life, trusting in His divine providence.

We then ask God to “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us”. We should daily examine our conscience and seek God’s forgiveness for offending Him and for our offending our neighbor. We should also pray for those, who have hurt us, so that we may more easily forgive them. Otherwise, if we don’t forgive others, our heavenly Father, won’t forgive our trespasses.

When we pray, “Lead us not into temptation”, this does not mean that God can or would lead us into temptation. Rather, we are praying that His divine assistance will not depart from us, otherwise, we may be seduced, and consent to some temptation.

When we ask God to “deliver us from evil”, we ask God to deliver us from the snares of the devil, who prowls about the world, seeking the ruin of souls. It is a reminder that we need to turn to Our loving Father for help and protection, so as to be delivered from the Evil One.

And when we finish the Lord’s Prayer, we say, “Amen”. The word, “Amen” means “so be it”, or better translated means, “it is firm like a rock”. It’s kind of like saying, “What I believe stands on God Himself.” Or “Whatever God does or says is reliable and I trust in God my rock.”

Today, let us ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to help us pray the Lord’s Prayer with meaning. To pray it slowly, reverently, with love and attention, trusting God Our Father will hear and answer us. And may we come to appreciate the deep meaning of the prayer Jesus Himself taught us.

St. Anthony of Padua - June 13th

 

 Today is the feast of St. Anthony of Padua. Known as the wonder-worker, St. Anthony was from Lisbon, Portugal, but received his surname from Padua, Italy, where he resided converting many people. He was born in 1195, and baptized as Ferdinand. The clergy in the Cathedral of Lisbon educated him. At the age of 15, he became an Augustinian religious brother. When he was 17, he asked for a transfer to a more secluded monastery. For 8 years, he devoted himself to study and prayer. Due to his remarkable memory, he acquired a thorough knowledge of scripture.

In 1220, some Franciscans were martyred in Morocco and their relics were brought back to Portugal. St. Anthony longed to be martyred like the Franciscans. So he joined the Franciscan order, with the hope that he would be martyred. He changed his name to Anthony due to his devotion to the Anthony of the desert. With great zeal he received almost immediate permission to set out to Morocco to preach to the Moors, but had to return to Europe due to a severe illness.

While returning to Europe, he ended up in Assisi, where a general chapter was to be held. It was there he saw St. Francis. He then left the Augustinian brothers and joined the Franciscans.

As a sickly young brother, no one suspected him to have such intellectual gifts. If he wasn’t praying in the chapel, he was either serving the brothers washing their dishes and pots. At an ordination service, none of the Franciscans or Dominicans who came were prepared to give to deliver the sermon. His superior told him to go and speak whatever the Holy Spirit put into his mouth. All who heard his address were astonished, with his eloquence, fervor and learning. Due to this event, he was sent to preach in the province. He was an immediate success as a preacher. He was particularly effective in converting heretics.

St. Francis sent a letter to St. Anthony giving his approval to teach theology to the Franciscans provided “such study does not quench the spirit of holy prayer and devotion according to the rule.”

Due to his teaching at the university against Albigensians, he developed the title “hammer of heretics”. He had remarkable learning, eloquence, marked with logical analysis and reasoning, burning zeal for souls, a magnetic personality and a voice, which carried far.

The mere sight of him, brought sinners to their knees, for he appeared to radiate a spiritual force. Crowds flocked to hear him, hardened criminals, careless Catholics, heretics—all were converted and brought to confession. Men locked up their offices and shops in order to go and hear his sermons and women rose early in the morning or stayed overnight in the church to secure their places. Because the churches weren’t large enough to accommodate the crowds, he preached in public squares and market places. His sermons led to wide-spread reforming of many people in the city of Padua.

In the spring of 1231, after preaching a powerful course of sermons, St. Anthony’s strength gave out. He never got better and died at the age of 36 after receiving the last rites. He was canonized within one year after his death.

Due to the many miracles worked at his tomb, he became known as the “wonder-working saint”. He is often pictured holding the infant Jesus in his arm. It is believed a friend peered through a window and saw the infant Jesus in the arms of St. Anthony.

On another occasion, a heretic said he did not believe in the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. St. Anthony challenged the farmer to not feed his mule for three days and then come and bring the mule’s favorite grain. The man did as St. Anthony told him. With St. Anthony holding the Eucharist in one hand and the farmer holding a bucket with the mule’s favorite grain, the mule walked up to Saint Anthony and fell on its knees before the Blessed Sacrament. The mule’s owner was immediately converted and believed in the true presence.

St. Anthony is also invoked to help find lost articles, but is also an intercessor for the poor, infertile and pregnant women, and of travelers. People sometimes give bread to the poor, for the purpose of obtaining his intercession, which is often called “St. Anthony bread”.

If we do not have a devotion to St. Anthony, now is the time for us to begin praying to him. Though it is good to pray to him for lost articles, it is better to pray to him for lost souls and to ask him help for help in growing in virtue and holiness. St. Anthony, pray for us!

Clump of Cells? 20 Week Unborn Baby

 

 This is a 20 week Unborn Baby Pro-abortion people call a clump of cells.  Pray they to come to know the truth, to love unborn babies and pray they will ask Jesus for forgiveness for their support in the killing of little people.

CNN and Brain Death

 

Blessed Trinity - Year C

 

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Today is our parish feast day.  

The Trinity is the central truth of our faith. It is the source of all other mysteries, and the light, which enlightens them. This most grand mystery would never have been known, unless God Himself, revealed it.

The story is told of St. Augustine, a great philosopher and theologian was preoccupied with the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity. He wanted to understand the doctrine of one God-- in three persons-- and to be able to explain it.

One day, while Augustine was working on his book On the Trinity, he was walking by the seaside one day, meditating on the difficult problem of how God could be three Persons at once. He came upon a little child. The child had dug a little hole in the sand, and with a small seashell was scooping water from the sea into the small hole. Augustine watched him for a while and finally asked the child what he was doing. The child answered that he would scoop all the water from the sea and pour it into the little hole in the sand. ‘What?’ Augustine said. ‘That is impossible. Obviously, the sea is too large and the hole too small.’ ‘Indeed,’ said the child, ‘but I will sooner draw all the water from the sea and empty it into this hole than you will succeed in penetrating the mystery of the Holy Trinity with your limited understanding.’ Augustine turned away in amazement and when he looked back the child had disappeared.

The doctrine of the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is such that each person is fully and equally God, yet there are not three Gods--- but one God. The human mind can never fully comprehend this mystery.

God left traces of the mystery of the Trinity, in the Old Testament. But if the Father, had not sent the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit, mankind would never had come to understand, One God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And this Most Holy mystery is revealed today in the Mass, within the Eucharist.

The first revelation of the Trinity in the New Testament was when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, and told Her, She will conceive and bear the Son of the Most High. In Nazareth, the angel revealed that God has a Son, and Mary is to be His Mother. After Mary questioned how this could be, the angel said, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you.” Indicating her pregnancy will be brought about by the Third person of the Trinity. The angel continued and said, “the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” This revealed the Father’s gaze and love towards Mary, as His beloved daughter. The Father protects Her by His shadow, which is the Holy Spirit, Her spouse. The Trinity is revealed to the humble handmaid, and then to Her spouse, St. Joseph. The angel said to Joseph, “Have no fear about taking Mary as your wife. It is by the Holy Spirit, that She has conceived the Child. He is to name the Child, Jesus, who is the Savior and Emmanuel, God with us”. Joseph came to understand the mystery of the Trinity: Mary’s Son, is the Son of the Father, conceived, by the Holy Spirit, and is “God with us!”

At the baptism of Jesus, the Trinity was revealed when the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, and Father spoke, saying, “This is my beloved Son, listen to Him.”

The Father did not send the Son to condemn the world, but that the world may be saved through Him. But, after Jesus rose from the dead, He sent His apostles to preach to all nations baptizing them, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Through baptism we receive the divine indwelling of the Trinity, and so, the gates of heaven are open.

Where is the place in which we come in contact with the Trinity to worship God? Where can we see the face of God, where can we approach Him, who loves us?

We begin the Mass, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” and then immediately the priest says, the words of St. Paul. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” These words call to mind the mystery of the Trinity in the mystery of the Mass, whereby we come in contact with three fold persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

During the Mass, the Father sends His Son. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus, Our Lord, becomes present on the altar. It is here on the altar, we come in contact with the Trinity.

Because the Trinity dwells here in our church, in the tabernacle, and becomes present here on the altar, there is no greater place in the world. Our church is grander, and more glorious, than the highest skyscrapers, the largest coliseum, or gymnasium because our church and every Catholic Church contains almighty God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Mass is beautiful and glorious, because heaven is opened, and we participate in the heavenly liturgy with the angels and saints, worshiping the Trinity, as we sing, Holy Holy Holy, Lord God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. The Mass is God’s grandeur in the feeble eyes of man. The Mass is the action of the Holy Spirit, whereby the Father sends the Son, to come in contact with us, and the mysteries of salvation. The mystery of Calvary will become present on the altar, and the mystery of the resurrection, as we receive the resurrected Jesus in Holy Communion. We worship the Blessed Trinity, and kneel, in adoration at the Sacred Host, as it is elevated. The Sacred Host is God, and within the Host is the Blessed Trinity. The angel at Fatima, and the 3 children prostrated themselves, before the Sacred Host saying, “Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore thee profoundly.” And the children also said, “Most Holy Trinity, I adore thee, my God, my God, I love thee in the most Blessed Sacrament.”

Now, as we prepare to receive Holy Communion, let us ask Mary, the Daughter of the Father, the Mother of the Son, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, to help us to understand that we truly come in contact, with the adorable Trinity in the Eucharist, especially Her Son in Holy Communion.

And at the moment of consecration, gaze upon the presence of God, with faith, and cry out, “Most Holy Trinity, I adore thee, my God, my God, I love thee in the most Blessed Sacrament.”