24th Sunday - Accept Sufferings

 

 In the Gospel today, Our Lord first told His disciples, He must go to Jerusalem to suffer greatly, be killed and on the third day rise.

Peter rebuked Jesus because He didn’t want Him to suffer and die. At first, this sounds very noble. Nobody would want someone they love to suffer and die. However, Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind me Satan. You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God, but as human beings do.” He wanted Peter to know that to run from suffering, is the way of the world, not the way of God. Jesus called Peter, Satan, because only Satan would want Our Lord and us to avoid the Cross.

The Crucifixion was necessary to defeat the devil, to reveal God’s sacrificial love for us and to teach us to love. This is why Jesus said, “Whoever wishes to come after me, must deny Himself, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.”

Our Lord wanted to teach His apostles and His followers to not reject the cross, but embrace it. And they did. All but John were martyred, but they tried to kill him too.

The shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France has 70 officially approved medical miracles. But there has been thousands of unapproved miracles. Those who go to Lourdes, will bathe in the miraculous waters and ask the Virgin Mary for a physical healing.

But most of them receive a healing they don’t expect. They obtain a spiritual healing, by receiving the grace to carry the Cross of their illness, and they will peace in their hearts.

Millions of people go there every year for healing. It seems like most often, once people accept the cross of their suffering, it is then the Lord heals them.

When we accept sufferings, they can be used to atone for our sins and reduce our purgatory time. Sufferings when united to the Cross of Jesus can be offered up for the conversion of sinners and help bring about the salvation of souls. Sufferings keep us close to Jesus, because we become more dependent upon Him.

The Virgin Mary told the children of Fatima to embrace their crosses, She said, “Make sacrifices for sinners, and say often, especially while making a sacrifice: ‘O Jesus, this is for love of thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.’”

When we deny our self and carry our crosses, we sacrifice our self for love of Jesus, for the conversion of sinners and to console the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Saint Faustina in her diary (Diary #1804), wrote, “If the angels were capable of envy, they would envy us for two things: one is the receiving of Holy Communion, and the other is suffering.” And she said, “I united my sufferings with the sufferings of Jesus and offered them for myself and for the conversion of souls who do not trust in God...“ (Diary #323)

We should cherish our crosses because through them we gain eternal life. As St. Rose of Lima said, “Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.”

St. Teresa of Avila said, “I would always choose the path of suffering, if only to imitate Our Lord Jesus Christ, if there were no other gain. In order to bear our afflictions with patience it is very useful to read the lives of the saints who endured great torments for Jesus Christ.”

St Padre Pio said, “I do not love suffering itself; I ask it of God because I desire its fruits: it gives glory to God, saves my brothers in exile, and frees souls from the fires of purgatory. God neither wants, nor is able, to save and sanctify us without the Cross. The more He calls a soul to Himself, the more He sanctifies it by means of the Cross. By suffering we are able to give something to God. The gift of pain, of suffering is a big thing and cannot be accomplished in Paradise. Lean on the Cross as Mary did. She was as if paralyzed before Her crucified Son, but was not abandoned by Him.”

St. Louis de Montfort said, “To suffer is not enough: the evil one and the world have their martyrs. We must suffer and carry our cross in the footsteps of Christ. Take advantage of little sufferings even more than great ones. God considers not so much what we suffer as how we suffer…”

St. Margaret Mary said, “The Heart of Jesus is closer to you when you suffer than when you are full of joy.”

St. Anthony Mary Claret said, “To suffer contempt in silence is the key to Jesus’ Heart and the means of uniting with Him.”

Saint Madeline Sophie Barat said, “Let us go to the foot of the Cross, and there complain—if we have the courage.”

Saint John Vianney said, “You must either suffer in this life or give up the hope of seeing God in heaven. Sufferings and persecutions are of the greatest avail to us, because we can find therein a very efficient means to make atonement for our sins, since we are bound to suffer for them either in this world or in the next.”

Saint John Bosco said, “Accept afflictions with patience. Silently endure cold and heat, wind and rain, fatigue and all other discomforts that God may deign to send to you.”

Several weeks ago, the Faith Formation Class on Wednesday watched a documentary on Servant of God Rhoda Wise from Canton, Ohio at our parish hall.

She was born in 1888 and died in 1948. She was a Protestant, who converted to the Catholic faith. She had severe health problems, but the Lord miraculously healed her. Not much later, after she was healed, the Lord gave Rhoda the stigmata, the wounds of Christ.

Rhoda would suffer the Passion of Jesus including her head bleeding as though a crown of thorns was placed on her head.

The evening we watched the video on Rhoda Wise, I had a migraine caused by arthritis in my neck. That night, when I went to bed, my head was throbbing terribly and I prayed to Rhoda Wise. I said, “Rhoda, please help me to accept my suffering.” When I said that prayer, the migraine immediately disappeared and I fell asleep. The Lord just wanted me to embrace the sufferings of it and then He took it away. I didn’t ask Jesus to take it away, He just did, because I accepted it.

Let us ask the Virgin Mary to help us to carry our crosses manfully, keeping our eyes on Jesus, embrace them with love, uniting them to the sufferings of Jesus on the Cross, to make atonement for our sins and the sins of others, and offer them for the conversion of sinners. And in this way, we will not complain and will see them as precious gems to help us and others obtain heaven.

23rd Sunday, Be Opened (Baptism)

 

Ephphatha—“Be Opened”

In the first reading, in a moment of darkness the prophet Isaiah lifts up his voice to comfort the Chosen people, who were at the moment living in exile. The prophet announces to the people, that soon they would return to their homeland once again. The prophet Isaiah said, “Say to those whose hearts are frightened: be strong, fear not! Here is your God; He comes with vindication; the divine recompense He comes to save you!”

He also predicts great wonders which will have their complete fulfillment with the coming of the Messiah: “The eyes of the blind be opened, the ear of the deaf be unstopped; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the dumb will sing. Streams will burst forth in the desert, and rivers in the dry land. The burning sands will become pools, and the thirsty ground springs of water.”

Most Jews believed that when the Messiah would come, he would open the eyes of the blind; cause the paralyzed to walk; the deaf would be able to hear; and those who could not speak, would talk.

Some people brought a man to Jesus, who had a speech impediment, and begged Him to lay hands on the man. And so, “Our Divine Lord took him off-- away from the crowd. He then put His finger into the man’s ears, and spitting, touched his tongue; then He looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!”—that is, “Be opened!” And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.”

Our Lord’s healing of the deaf and dumb man, in the Gospel clearly indicates that Jesus is the Messiah, because He does what the Jews expected the Messiah to do, as the prophet Isaiah had foretold. But it also indicates that Jesus is God, who has come to save us.

Recall, also, that in the Gospel of Matthew, when John the Baptist was imprisoned, he questioned if Jesus was the Messiah or not. He sent word to Jesus, asking is He the one who is to come, or should we look for another? Our Lord’s response was “Go report to John the Baptist, “The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise, the poor have the gospel preached to them.” This response by Our Lord indicated that He is the long awaited Messiah, and fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah.

At very beginning of Christianity, the priest prayed over the one to be baptized using the Ephphatha Prayer. Most early Christians were adults, but little children were also baptized from the very beginning as well. The tradition of praying the Ephphatha prayer continues today. When a child is baptized, the priest touches the child’s mouth and ears, and says, “The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and dumb speak. May He soon touch ears to receive His word, and your mouth to proclaim His faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father.”

These words signify what the child will someday do. Because he is not yet baptized, and because he is just a child, he is unable to hear, and to speak, the word of God, like the deaf man, who could not hear nor speak.

However, once baptized, when the child is old enough, his ears will be touched by divine grace, to receive the Lord’s word, and the child’s mouth, will be able to speak His praises. As he begins to practice his Christian faith, he will proclaim his faith--- to the praise and glory of God the Father.

St. Augustine speaks of how this is put into practice. He said, “the tongue of someone united to God-- will speak of the Good,-- will bring to agreement those who are divided,--- will console those who weep. God will be praised--, Christ will be announced.”

Beginning Sunday, Sept. 8^th (today), those who are thinking about becoming Catholic will meet at 4pm begin the process of OCIA. Those who are not yet baptized, and who may later choose to become Catholic, will be given the ancient Ephphatha Rite, which occurs a few weeks before Easter.

And at the Easter Vigil, those to be baptized will be like the man in today’s Gospel, they will to receive the Word of the Lord by first hearing it, and they will open their mouth to proclaim their faith-- to the praise and glory of God the Father.

Do you know of someone who is not baptized? Do you want to help them to receive the most glorious gift of baptism, whereby God comes to dwell within their heart? Whereby God comes with vindication to defeat the devil by washing away all sin? Whereby God comes to save us? I encourage each and every person here in the church to ask one non-Catholic if they are interested in becoming Catholic or interested in learning about the Catholic faith.

The un-baptized, who choose to become Catholic, long for the day, when God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit will come to dwell in their heart at baptism. They long to hear His word, so that they may profess it, and proclaim it. And to those seeking baptism, the words of the prophet Isaiah can eloquently refer to our Lord’s coming into our hearts at baptism.

“Say to those whose hearts are frightened, be strong, fear not! Here is your God; He comes with vindication; the divine recompense He comes to save you!”

Pope St. Gregory, Sept 3rd

 

Today, we celebrate the memorial of Pope Gregory the Great. Pope Gregory is one the greatest popes in the history of the Church, but he is also the patron of teachers.

He was born in Rome about the year 540. After the death of his father, he built seven monasteries and then took the habit of a Benedictine monk at the age of 35. He was chosen pope and then later came to merit the title of Great. His predecessor, Pope Pelagius II died from a plague.

He had a great love for the poor and tried to do all that was possible to help them. Everyday he would invite 12 poor people to be guests at his table, and he himself was accustomed to pouring the water over their hands to wash them. Pope Gregory humbly served the Church and so took upon the title, “Servant of the Servants of God”.

As the servant of servants, tradition tells us that, once he elected, he organized a triumphal procession to the Basilica of the Blessed Virgin in order to serve the people, by calling upon the Blessed Virgin Mary to stop a plague. He himself carried a picture of Our Lady, painted by St. Luke. When the procession came to the mausoleum of Hadrian, Pope Gregory and all the people saw the Archangel Michael standing on its summit in the act of sheathing a flaming sword, symbolizing that the plague was over.

The Blessed Virgin Mary, in Her Magnificat said, “For He has looked upon His servant in Her lowliness and all ages shall call me blessed.” She is truly THE Servant of Servants, as She served the Lord like no other person could, because She served Him as His Mother.

Today let us call upon St. Gregory and especially the Blessed Virgin Mary, may we choose to serve Jesus in each other.

22nd Sunday, Cups, Kettles, Beds vs Clean Heart

 

In the Gospel today, St. Mark tells us that the Jews, and especially the Pharisees, do not eat unless they wash their hands, observing the tradition of the elders. The Pharisees and scribes question Jesus, they said, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders, but instead eat a meal without unclean hands.”

Our Blessed Lord responds stating, “You disregard God’s commandments, but cling to human tradition.” The traditions, which the Jews and Pharisees were following, were human traditions. These traditions invented by man were treated, as though they were doctrines. And if anyone didn’t follow the human traditions, it would be considered sinful.

The washing of the hands and purifications were not simply done to keep the body clean, but also symbolized moral purity. Purity of heart was a condition one needed before approaching God, and taking part in worshipping Him.

Back then, the Pharisees had not gotten beyond the external level, and even added more external things, while neglecting cleanness of heart of which all the external purifications were only a symbol. They were failing to keep God’s commandments, all the while, exteriorly making themselves clean, which was to be symbolic of a pure heart, which they did not have.

Jesus responds to their question stating, “You hypocrites, “You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” He states, “From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, un-chastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”

In another words, Jesus told the Pharisees, that even though the scribes and Pharisees washed their hands, cleaned bowls, and did the purifications, their hearts were unclean. It is more important to have a clean heart, than clean hands and cleans bowls.

An unclean heart is a heart filled with sin, such as, un-chastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, and folly.

Today, in order for us to have a pure heart, we need to keep God’s commandments, to avoid all sin, and to practice virtue. If we fail, which all of us do, we have the sacrament of confession to wash away our sins, which makes our heart pure.

We keep God’s commandments, when we honor our father and mother, keep the Lord’s Day Holy, don’t take the Lord’s name in vain, don’t commit adultery, don’t lie, don’t covet our neighbor’s goods or wife, don’t steal, don’t place false gods such as money and power before God, don’t miss Mass on Sunday, or don’t kill anyone.

Most can say, they do well keeping God’s commandments. But do we avoid other sins, such as looking lustfully at someone, gossiping, anger, un-forgiveness, judging others, being rude, or selfish, or impatient?

Do we practice virtue as well as we ought: eating and drinking moderately, denying our self excessive pleasure, practicing patience, or avoiding speech which offends others. Do we attempt to practice humility or detachment from worldly things? Do we try to grow in faith, in hope, and in love of God and neighbor?

All of us can easily fail, in so many ways, but that’s why Jesus gave us the sacrament of confession. As we approach confession the words of David’s psalm, can echo in our heart, “Have mercy on me O God in our goodness. In the greatness of your compassion, wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me of my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. Cleanse me with hyssop, that I may be purified; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. A clean heart, create for me O God! And a steadfast spirit renew within me.”

This psalm helps us to understand the power and the mercy of God in the sacrament of confession. Out of compassion- Our Lord wipes out our offense. He thoroughly washes our guilt away, and cleanses us of our sins, that we may be purified. We are washed in His blood that our souls may be whiter than snow. He creates within us a clean heart and renews a steadfast spirit within us.

If we bathed once or twice a year, we wouldn’t smell very good would we? The more often we go to confession, the more our soul is bathed and cleansed. Monthly confession or confession once a week is a good way for us to keep our heart and our soul nice and pure.

In addition to confession, every time we come into the church, we dip our fingers in Holy Water asking God to wash away our sins, to make our soul pure, like at our baptism. At the beginning of Mass, we call to mind our sins, and make an act of contrition, and ask the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the angels and saints to pray for us to the Lord Our God.

The Church especially desires the priest to have a pure heart. Before Mass, he puts on a white alb, to remind him of the purity he is to seek. When he places the alb on, he prays, “Purify me Lord, and cleanse my heart, so that, washed in the blood of the Lamb, I may enjoy eternal bliss,” And at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the priest washes his hands in a bowl of water, and prays to himself, “Lord, wash away my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. The priestly heart is to impeccable, because his hands offer the Most Pure Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the altar.

At the Mass, the priest is to prepare himself and the congregation to approach God and worship Him in the Eucharist with a pure heart. And the exterior practices we do are to symbolize the purity of heart, we hope to obtain.

As we now prepare to approach our Eucharistic Lord, let us resolve to imitate Our Blessed Mother, Virgin most pure. May we come to confession at least once month, or perhaps weekly, strive to keep God’s commandments, avoid sin, and practice virtue in order, that we may approach our Blessed Lord in Holy Communion, with a pure and humble heart, a heart He will not spurn.

21st Sunday, Eucharist & Confession

 

   

Our Lord had told His disciples, “I am the bread of life, he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, I will raise Him on the last day.”

His disciples took what He said literally and were murmuring saying, “This saying is hard, who can accept it?”

But Our Lord did not back down, He said, “My flesh is real food and blood real drink.”

He said, “It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some who do not believe.”

The flesh He is speaking of here is the worldly way of viewing things, whereas before, He was referring to the flesh of His body and blood.

Because they took Jesus literally, “many of His disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied Him.”

Jesus meant it literally, because He said, “Do you also want to leave?” Peter’s responds, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of everlasting life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

After the loaves were multiplied and given to the people, “they filled the wicker baskets with fragments from the five barely loaves…”

If Jesus was concerned about fragments left over from the multiplication of the loaves, how much more is He concerned about Particles from the Eucharist.

The Council of Trent states: “Nor should it be forgotten that Christ, whole and entire, is contained not only under either species, but also in each particle of either species.”

This is one of the reasons the ordinary manner, the Church desires we receive Communion is on the tongue. I will repeat. The ordinary manner the Church desires we receive Communion is on the tongue.

Particular bishops give an indult to receive on the hand. An indult is a permission. If we receive on the hand, after placing the Host in our mouth, we are to look for particles on the hand, and pick up the particles and consumes them. It’s a sin to knowingly allow particles to fall from our hands onto the floor.

You will notice today, the priest washes particles from his hands after giving Communion by pouring water over his fingers into the chalice. Linen purificators and corporals used during Mass are usually soaked overnight before washing to allow small particles of the Hosts to dissolve. Server patens are often used to catch small particles that may fall during the distribution of Holy Communion. We pay attention to every particle, no matter how small because each particle is whole and entire person of Jesus.

I humbly ask you to pray about receiving Communion on the tongue, to give Jesus the greatest possible reverence and respect. Ask Jesus, how He would like you to receive Holy Communion. According to scripture St. John the Apostle, took Mary into his home. He was a priest, he offered Mass, so the Virgin Mary would have received Communion from John. How do you think Mary received Jesus in Holy Communion? Most likely, on Her tongue.

When we receive Communion on the tongue, particles of the Sacred Host don’t fall to the ground. It’s a more humble way to receive the Eucharist, because we treat the Eucharist not as mere bread, but as to what it truly is, the real and true resurrected Jesus.

The Eucharist is a multiplication of the real physical presence of Jesus. It’s a miracle every person who comes to Mass is able to receive the real physical body of Christ in Holy Communion.

According to St. Alphonsus Liguori, Communion lasts at least 10 to 15 minutes before the Sacred Host is assimilated in the body. What a joy and consolation to have Jesus come to dwell within us.

In his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul makes it very clear, that we cannot receive the Eucharist, in the state of mortal sin. He said, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.” (1 Corn. 11:27-29)

These words are proof, we are not eating bread at Mass. No! We are receiving the true body and blood of Jesus in Holy Communion. When we receive the Eucharist, after committing a mortal sin, such as missing Mass on Sunday, viewing pornography, committing adultery or impure actions or having relations before marriage, etc…, not only do we commit a sacrilegious communion, we commit another mortal sin and do not receive any graces whatsoever, but rather deeply offend our Lord.

If we have committed a mortal sin, we are required to go to Confession before we receive Holy Communion.

Catholics, should go to confession at least once a month. St. Padre Pio said we should confess once a week. Pope John Paul II, confessed every day.

Years ago, before I was a priest, I heard a priest erroneously say, we don’t need to go to Confession unless we commit a mortal sin. This is very bad advice.

In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches the opposite. It states, CCC#1458 “Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church..” I will repeat it again, “confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church.”

The Catechism goes on to tell why we should confess venial sins regularly. It states, “Indeed the regular confession of our venial sins helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit. By receiving more frequently through this sacrament the gift of the Father's mercy, we are spurred to be merciful as he is merciful: 

So, if we don’t confess frequently, our conscience is not formed well, we don’t receive grace to fight against evil tendencies and we can’t be sacramentally healed by Christ in Confession. We should receive the Eucharist, only in the state of grace and with a pure heart.

Here at Mass, and at every Mass, we will find infinite love, contained in the beating Heart of Jesus, truly present in the Eucharist. O Lord, we give you our love and we receive your love, through Your Mother’s intercession, help us to grow in our faith, confess venial sins frequently and receive Your flesh and blood in the Eucharist as often as possible.

Queenship of Mary, August 22nd

 

"God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.” “A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars." (Revelations 11:19, 12:1)

The angel Gabriel requested that Mary become the Mother of Jesus and the moment She gave Her fiat (yes), She became the Queen of heaven and earth. If Jesus is the King of heaven and earth and of the whole universe, then Mary, as His Mother is the Queen of the Universe. Saint Athanasius said, “If the Son is a King, the Mother who begot Him is a Queen and Sovereign.”

Saint Alphonsus Liguori said, “As the glorious Virgin Mary has been raised to the dignity of Mother of the King of Kings, it is not without reason that the Church honors Her, and wishes Her to be honored by all, with the glorious title of Queen.

We can picture the event of Mary entering heaven. Upon entering the gates of heaven, Her body became suddenly glorified as She received a transformed and resurrected body. Her clothes became dazzling and with an immense glow, Her veil, Her mantle and Her dress are arrayed in gold, sparkling like the sun.

Though She knew the Trinity better than any human being, and perhaps, at times, had a tiny glimpse of heaven in one of Her ecstasies, She was immediately enamored and overcome by the beauty, the glory, the power and the majesty of God in heaven. Her eyes welled up in tears as She gazed upon the multitude of angels and saints, and, to Her shock and amazement, they all bow down in humble reverence to Her, the Queen.

There next to Our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of heaven, is Her faithful spouse St. Joseph, whose glory shines for all to see. He appears in bodily form. Just as St. Francis de Sales suspected, his body did not undergo corruption and was assumed body and soul into paradise.

Jesus takes Mary’s hand and walks Her to the throne of God the Father. Upon arrival, She kneels before Him and bows. He takes Her left hand and lifts Her up. There, before Her, are three large golden thrones. On the left is the throne of God the Father, next to His, is the throne of Jesus and to his left is the throne of Mary. The three take there seats and the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, hovers above the three thrones. There is total silence in heaven, as all know the Father is about to speak.

Jesus and God the Father stand. Between the two, a royal crown studded with gems suddenly appears and is placed on the head of the Virgin by Jesus. At the moment the crown is set, a burst of light comes forth from above and twelve stars appear and glisten like that of a giant halo.

The twelve stars above Her head apply to both the twelve patriarchs of the tribes of Israel (original people of God), and the twelve apostles (renewed people of God). The twelve stars also represent Her Queenly dignity and Her rule over angels and saints.

She is clothed with the sun, meaning She is surrounded by God’s power and protection and shines with grace as the Mother of God. The moon under Her feet represents Her Virginity, Immaculate Conception, and Her power over created things.

The Father speaks and says, “Behold, O creatures of heaven, is the handmaid of the Lord. The Queen of heaven and earth. She is my daughter, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Her and do whatever She says. In Her hand I place the scepter, in which I have bestowed my entire ocean of Mercy, from now unto eternity. Those who love, honor and ask for Her intercession will find a loving and caring Mother. She is the image and model of the Church founded by my Son. She is my daughter. She is the Mother of the Redeemer and the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. What I say, I decree, unto eternity.”

The host of angels and saints sing the most beautiful and elegant hymns praising and giving thanks to God and the Virgin Mary. Exceedingly high notes are mixed with tones that correspond in perfect harmony. To those on earth, if the singing could be heard, it would cause ecstasies of rapture. “Praise to the Virgin! Praise to the Queen! Praise to the Blessed Trinity for whom She was created and has exalted above heaven and earth!”

St. Bernard, Aug 19th, Memorare

 

Saint Bernard, whose feast day we celebrate today, had a tremendous devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

He composed the famous prayer known as the Memorare, which holds immense beauty and significance. Due to his numerous commitments and travels, Saint Bernard spent little time in his monastery. However, on the occasions he was there, he would pass a statue of the Virgin Mary in the corridor and greet her with a simple "Good morning, Maria."

One morning, overwhelmed by his thoughts and responsibilities, Saint Bernard absentmindedly walked past the statue without offering his customary greeting. To his surprise, he heard a woman's voice saying, "Good morning, Bernard." Confused, Saint Bernard searched for the source of the voice through the monastery, but found no one. Convinced that he had imagined it, he continued on his way and once again passed the statue, forgetting to greet it for the second time. Yet, once again, he heard the woman's voice wishing him a good morning.

Deeply moved and understanding the significance of these moments, Saint Bernard fell to his knees and, with tears in his eyes, spontaneously recited a prayer that has endured through the centuries as the Memorare. The Memorare is a prayer that Catholics still pray today, invoking the intercession and mercy of the Virgin Mary.

Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta had what she called an emergency novena. When she didn’t have 9 days to pray a novena and needed some help through Mary’s intercession, she would pray 9 Memorares in a row and said the Virgin Mary has never been known to not answer her prayer.

20th Sunday, Eucharist Alone for 13 years

                                       

In the Gospel today, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; He who believes in me will never thirst.”

Not far from Fatima, Portugal is the town of Balasar. It’s the little town in which Alexandrina Maria da Costa suffered the passion of Jesus and lived on the Eucharist alone for thirteen years. Alexandrina was born in April of 1904. When she was 14 years old something happened to her which left her life shattered. When she and her sister and another girl were in the house three men knocked at the door and broke into the house. Alexandrina wanting to preserve her chastity jumped from an upstairs window. The men fled, but Alexandrina’s spine had been irreparably injured. Six years later she had to remain in bed for the rest of her life. The slightest movement caused her intense pain. She began to grow closer and closer to the Lord and realized that she was suffering in a special way for the salvation of souls. She received Holy Communion every day and her thoughts frequently turned to Jesus in the tabernacle.

She went into her first ecstasy in 1931 when she heard Jesus say to her, “Love, suffer and make reparation.” She saw her vocation to be that of a victim soul, to make reparation for all of us. Under the order of her spiritual director she was dictating her life’s story to her sister but many times the devil threatened her not to write any more. In 1936 Our Lord asked her to spread the message of Fatima and to urge the consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart and she offered herself as a victim soul for this.

In one of her ecstasies Jesus said to her, “Keep me company in the Blessed Sacrament. I remain in the tabernacle night and day, waiting to give my love and grace to all who would visit me. But so few come. I am so abandoned, so lonely, so offended…. Many…do not believe in my existence; they do not believe that I live in the tabernacle. They curse me. Others believe, but do not love me and do not visit me; they live as if I were not there… You have chosen to love me in the tabernacles where you can contemplate me, not with the eyes of the body, but those of the soul. I am truly present there as in Heaven, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.”

From October 1938 Alexandrina began to suffer the passion of Jesus every Friday. She suffered the passion of Jesus 180 times. Until 1942 she was suffering in silence without fame but after a report appeared in a newspaper from then on she was besieged by pilgrims asking for prayer. During Holy Week the same year Jesus said to her, “You will not take food again on earth. Your food will be my Flesh; your drink will be my Divine Blood …”

So on Good Friday 1942 she began an absolute fast which lasted for more than thirteen years until her death. The only nourishment which her body filled with pain received was Jesus in Holy Communion every morning. News of her fast spread and the crowds became even bigger. Some people had doubts and suspicions about her fast and accused her, her sister and mother of fraud. Therefore she agreed to medical observation. The doctor asked her, “Why do you not eat?” She replied, “I do not eat because I cannot. I feel full. I do not need it. However, I have a longing for food.” It was decided that she should be admitted to a nearby hospital for a thirty day observation of her fast. While she was in the hospital some tried to persuade her to take food. The doctor in charge of the examination was nasty to her and at the end of the thirty days said the nurses watching her must have been deceived and decided she was to remain there for a further ten days. They even showed her tasty food to entice her to eat. When the test was finally over the doctor said to her he would visit her at home not as a doctor-spy but as a friend who esteems her. Part of the medical report reads as follows:

“Her abstinence from solids and liquids was absolute during all that time. We testify also that she retained her weight, and her temperature, breathing, blood pressure, pulse and blood were normal while her mental faculties were constant and lucid and she had not, during these forty days, any natural necessities…The laws of physiology and biochemistry cannot account for the survival of this sick woman…” While medical science could not explain, the explanation was simple. Jesus had said to Alexandrina, “You are living by the Eucharist alone because I want to prove to the world the power of the Eucharist and the power of my life in souls.”

She died on 13^th October 1955, having received nourishment only from Holy Communion for more than thirteen years. The miraculous life of Alexandrina, who was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II in 2004, reminds us of the words of today’s Gospel. “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; He who believes in me will never thirst.”

To the world it sounds irrational and stupid to think that bread changes to become the body of Jesus. It equally sounds irrational and stupid to think that a human can survive for thirteen years only being nourished by Holy Communion. But one is not more irrational than the other. Alexandrina is a sign given to the world by Jesus to remind us of his presence in the Eucharist.

May we like Alexandria, keep Jesus in the Eucharist company truly present in the tabernacle and during our time of Eucharistic Adoration, so that we can be like Alexandria “Love, Suffer and make reparation” for our sins, and the sins of others.

Taken from a homily by Fr. Tommy Lane

19th Sunday, Eucharist Gives Life

 

In the Gospel today, the Jews murmured because Jesus said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They wondered how He could come down from heaven. After all, they knew His parents, Mary and Joseph. They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know His father and mother?”

How could they have known that Jesus came down from heaven, especially if Jesus lived for 30 years in their home town of Nazareth? They couldn’t have witnessed the incarnation, when Jesus really did come down from heaven, in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Her home. It’s no wonder they did not understand Our Blessed Lord’s words, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.”

Although they could not comprehend, they took what Jesus said literally. How can what appears to be a mere man, give His flesh for the life of the world? It was not until the Last Supper, and then after His death on the Cross and His resurrection would they be able to understand.

We know that Jesus did give us His body and blood at the Last Supper and then gave us Body and Blood on the Cross, so that we may eat His flesh and drink His blood in the Eucharist, every time we come to Mass.

“..the bread I will give, is my Flesh for the life of the world.”

With these words of Our Lord today, we come to know the Eucharist is no ordinary bread and in fact is not bread at all, but rather truly gives life to the world. When we receive Holy Communion, we receive many spiritual gifts.

The most profound gift we receive when we receive Holy Communion is union with Jesus, that it is why it’s called Holy Communion. We become one with Our Lord in a deep and intimate way when we receive Him in the Eucharist. And in this one-ness, there is a great exchange of love. Our hearts are open to receive His love and His Heart is open to receive our love in the Eucharist. There is a true union of two hearts.

Another beautiful gift we receive from Holy Communion is the gift to endure ordinary sufferings of daily life, which at times can be overwhelming. As St. Ambrose said, “Communion is the remedy for our daily needs”.

St. Ignatius of Antioch said, “The Eucharist is the medicine of immortality, antidote against death, and food by which to live forever in Jesus Christ.” First, we can say, the Eucharist keeps the soul alive by preventing it from falling into mortal sin.

Second, the Eucharist continually heals the wounds of sin caused by original and personal sin. Third, the Eucharist also gives the soul the gift of eternal life, so that it may live forever with Jesus in heaven.

Besides the Eucharist being the manner in which each of us become one with Him, being a remedy for daily needs, for preventing the soul from dying, sustaining it by keeping it full of life, and giving it the gift of eternal life, it also gives us an incredible spiritual joy, when we receive Our Lord in Holy Communion.

The grace we receive in Holy Communion gives delight to the person, who receives it. There is a real spiritual delight, a hidden joy, which comes from receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion. And nothing can be compared to this joy, to the friendship, and nearness of Jesus, who comes to dwell within us. The peace of Christ gives us a true foretaste of eternal happiness. As St. John Vianney said, “all the happiness we can have in this life, consists in receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion.”

Hidden under what appears to be bread, Our Blessed Lord wants us to receive Him frequently, everyday if possible. Jesus is constantly calling us and patiently waiting for us,-- to come to Him-, He who is our greatest treasure, which our soul delights the most.

But the Eucharist is not only for us, Our Lord also wants us to go out and bring others to Him, so that His Heart may be united with each and every heart. He longs to come to dwell within each heart, and give everyone His life giving and sanctifying grace, so that all may be one with Him in heaven.

Today, Jesus is asking each of us to bring others to Him. He wants us to be real apostles of the Eucharist. Therefore, through the intercession of the Our Lady, the Mother of the Eucharist, may we have the zeal to invite others to become Catholic, that they may be filled with the love and the life of Jesus, truly present in the Eucharist, so that all may live with Jesus forever in heaven.

August 9th St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)

 

Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein). She was born on Yom Kipper, the Jewish Day of Atonement on October 12, 1891. The youngest of 11 children, she was born of Jewish parents, who lived in Germany. When she was not yet 2 yrs. old, her father died suddenly, causing her mother to raise the children by herself.

From her earliest years, she showed a great aptitude for learning, and by the time of the outbreak of World War I, she had studied philosophy at two different universities.

After the war, she resumed her higher studies at the University of Freiburg and was awarded her doctorate in philosophy Suma Cum Laude. She later became the assistant and collaborator of Professor Husserl, the famous founder of phenomenology, who greatly appreciated her brilliant mind.

Forsaking her Jewish faith, she became a self-proclaimed atheist. However, by way of philosophy, she came to know, love and embrace Christianity. In the midst of all her studies, Edith Stein was searching not only for the truth, but for Truth itself.

During the summer of 1921, at the age of twenty-nine, Stein was vacationing with friends, but ended up alone one evening. She picked up, seemingly by chance, the autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila. She read it in one sitting, decided that the Catholic faith was true, and went out the next day to buy a missal and a copy of the Catholic catechism. She was baptized on New Year’s Day, the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, in 1922.

After her conversion, Edith spent her days teaching, lecturing, writing and translating, and she soon became known as a celebrated philosopher and author, but her own great longing was for the solitude and contemplation of Carmel, in which she could offer herself to God for her people.

While on a trip during Holy Week of 1933, Edith stopped in Cologne at the Carmelite convent during the service for Holy Thursday. She attended it with a friend, and by her own account, the homily moved her very deeply. She wrote: “I told our Lord that I knew it was His cross that was now being placed upon the Jewish people; that most of them did not understand this, but that those who did would have to take it up willingly in the name of all. I would do that. At the end of the service, I was certain that I had been heard. But what this carrying of the cross was to consist in, that I did not yet know.”

Edith received the Habit of Carmel and the religious name of "Teresa Benedicta of the Cross," and on Easter Sunday, 21 April 1935, she made her Profession of Vows.

When the Jewish persecution increased in violence and fanaticism, Sister Teresa Benedicta soon realized the danger at the Cologne Carmel, and so she asked and received permission to transfer to a foreign monastery. On the night of December 31^st of 1938, she secretly crossed the border into Holland where she was warmly received in the Carmel of Echt. There she wrote her last work, The Science of the Cross.

Her own Cross was just ahead of her, for the Nazis had invaded neutral Holland. Sr. Teresa Benedicta and her blood sister, Rosa Stein, who also joined the Carmelites, were arrested on August 2, 1942. When Rosa, seemed disoriented as they were led away from the convent, Edith gently encouraged her, “Come, Rosa. We go for our people.” They were transported by cattle train to the death camp of Auschwitz. The conditions in the box cars were so inhuman-- that many died or went insane on the four day trip.

Although she did not seek death, Stein had often expressed her willingness to offer herself along with the sacrifice of Christ for the sake of her people, the Jews, and also for the sake of their persecutors. She died in the gas chambers at Auschwitz on August 9^th of 1942 at the age of 50.

God accepted her sacrifice and will give its fruit to the people for whom she prayed, suffered, and died. In her own words: "One can only learn the science of the Cross by feeling the Cross in one’s own person." We can say that in the fullest sense of the word, Sister Teresa was "Benedicta a Cruce" -- blessed by the Cross. Pope John Paul II beatified Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross on 1 May 1987, and canonized her on October 11^th, 1998.

Today, let us turn to St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross and ask her to help us to embrace our crosses, so that when its time to meet Jesus face to face at our judgment, our heart will be filled with joy because we were blessed by the Cross and because of it, we will share in glory of heaven.

Saint Cajetan, August 7th

 

Today is the memorial of St. Cajetan. He was born in 1480 at Vicenza of noble parents who dedicated him to the Blessed Virgin Mary. From childhood he was known as a saint and in his later years as “the hunter of souls.”

He went to Rome and was forced to accept office at the court of Pope Julius II. When the pope died, he returned to his hometown of Vicenza and started the Confraternity of St. Jerome, whose members were drawn from the lowest classes.

He spent his fortune on building hospitals and devoted himself to nursing the plague-stricken. To renew the lives of the clergy, he instituted the first community of Regular Clerics, known as the Theatines. They devoted themselves to preaching, administering the sacraments, and the careful performance of the Church’s rites and ceremonies.

He was the first to introduce the 40 hours devotion of the blessed sacrament as an antidote to the heresy of Calvin. Forty hours devotion is continuous adoration for 40 hours with special sermons on the Eucharist and also Mass each day.

He had a tender love of our Blessed Lady, and his piety was rewarded; for one Christmas Eve She placed the Infant Jesus in his arms.

When the Germans sacked Rome, St. Cajetan was barbarously scourged, to exhort from him riches which he had long before securely stored in heaven.

When he was on his death-bed, resigned to the will of God, eager for pain to satisfy his love, and for death to attain life, he beheld the Mother of God, radiant with splendor and surrounded by ministering seraphim. In profound veneration, he said, “Lady, bless me!” Mary replied, “Cajetan, receive the blessing of my Son, and know that I am here as a reward for the sincerity of your love, and to lead you to paradise.” She then exhorted him to patience in fighting an evil spirit who troubled him, and gave orders to the choirs of angels to escort his soul in triumph to heaven. Then, turning Her countenance full of majesty and sweetness upon him, She said, “Cajetan, my Son calls thee. Let us go in peace.” Worn out with toil and sickness, he went to his reward in 1547.

When speaking about attending Mass regularly and receiving Holy Communion, in a letter to a woman by the name of Elizabeth Porto, he said, “He (Jesus) has offered himself to be our food. How wretched is the man who knows nothing of such a gift! To us has been given the opportunity to receive Christ, son of the Virgin Mary, and we refuse him. Woe to the man who does not care enough to receive him. My daughter, I want what is good for myself; I beg the same for you. Now there is no other way to bring this about than to ask the Virgin Mary constantly to come to you with her glorious Son. Be bold! Ask her to give you her Son, who in the blessed sacrament of the altar is truly the food of your soul. Readily will she give him to you, still more readily will he come to you, giving you the strength to make your way fearlessly through this dark woods. In it large numbers of our enemies lie in wait, but they cannot reach us if they see us relying on such powerful help. Nor, my child, must you receive Jesus Christ simply as a means to further your own plans; I want you to surrender to him, that he may welcome you and, as your divine Savior, do to you and in you whatever he wills. This is what I want, this is what I beg of you, this, as far as I can, is what I compel you to do.”

18th Sunday, Come to Mass, Eucharist is the Bread from Heaven

             

Today’s readings are about grumbling and also about Jesus in the Eucharist, the “Bread of Life”.

The context of the first reading from Exodus is that the Israelites had escaped from Egypt and were wandering in the desert heading toward the Promised Land. They had been slaves in Egypt, and worked hard all day for their food and were treated terribly. Now that the Lord had freed them from the bondage of their slavery, they began to reminisce about the food they used to eat. The food in the desert was simple and bland, unlike the food they ate even while they were slaves. And so they began to grumble against Moses. They said, “Would that we had died at the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread. But you lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine.”

The Lord God heard their complaints and their grumbling and so God told Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you.” In the morning they will have bread to eat which will appear on the ground and in the evening quail would come to the camp for them to eat.

In the Gospel today, even though the people had just witnessed the miracle of Jesus multiplying the bread and fish, they grumbled because they wanted more than the sign of getting fed food to nurture their bodies. They said, “What sign can you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” They began to grumble and wanted another sign as proof that they should follow Jesus. The sign of food for the body was not enough. They wanted another sign, to give them the proof they needed to follow Jesus. Their hearts were searching for something more than ordinary food.

That’s why Jesus said, “Amen, Amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven and gives life to the world.” They then told Jesus, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Our Blessed Lord wanted to point out He Himself was the sign which is much greater than the multiplication of the bread and fish. He will multiply His presence in the Eucharist so that all who receive the Eucharist will have eternal life. The bread given to their ancestors through Moses-- kept them alive in this life, but the He Himself which is the Bread from Heaven, will give them something much greater, which is eternal life.

Jesus wanted them to know that He Himself is the sign. That is why He said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” If they come to Jesus and if they receive Jesus in Eucharist, they will have their sign and no longer look for the things of the world, but rather will look to the things of heaven.

Today, the more often we receive Jesus in Holy Communion, the less we will hunger and thirst for the things of the world and the more we hunger for the things of heaven. That is why we should do all we can to come to Mass every day in order to receive Jesus in Holy Communion.

In the Pieta Prayer book it quotes many people and gives reasons why we should come to Mass every day.

Here are some quotes from the book. Pope Paul VI said, “The Mass is the most perfect form of prayer.” St. Gertrude the Great said, “For each Mass we hear with devotion, Our Lord sends a saint to comfort us at death.” She also said, “Each time we look at the Most Blessed Sacrament our place in heaven is raised forever.” St. Padre Pio said, “Every Holy Mass, heard with devotion, produces in our souls marvelous effects, abundant spiritual and material graces which we, ourselves, do not know. It is easier for the earth to exist without the sun than without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.” St. John Vianney said, “if we knew the value of the Mass, we would die for joy.” Pope Benedict the XV said,“The Holy Mass would be of greater profit if people had it offered in their lifetime, rather than having it celebrated for the relief of their souls after death.” Once St. Teresa of Avila was overwhelmed with God’s goodness and asked Our Lord: “How can I thank you?” Our Lord replied, “Attend one Mass.” The Blessed Virgin Mary once told Her faithful servant, Blessed Alain, “My son so loves those who assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that, if it were necessary, He would die for them as many times as they have heard Masses.”

We are also taught our prayers are the strongest at the moment of the Consecration, when the chalice and the Host is elevated above the altar.

If we find our self grumbling--- like our ancestors in the desert--- or grumble like those who had just witnessed the miracle of the loaves--- and we continue to search for a sign that will satisfy our hunger, we only need to turn to Jesus in the Eucharist and to come to Mass every day.

The word Eucharist means “thanksgiving.” The remedy for grumbling and complaining is to be thankful.

After every time we receive Jesus in Holy Communion, we should thank Him for coming inside our heart and allowing us to be at Holy Mass in the presence of the Holy Sacrifice, as Calvary is re-presented on the altar.

Then our grumbling will cease because we will discover that only Jesus satisfies all our needs. Though we may have all sorts of problems, anxieties, fears and sufferings, and though we look to the world to satisfy our every desire, only Jesus in the Eucharist can quench our thirst and satisfy our hunger and longing---- and then we will no longer complain.

How can we complain if we have Jesus? Is there is anything greater than God Himself, who comes to dwell within our heart and promises spiritual food, the bread from heaven, that will give us eternal life.

Today, let us turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary and ask Her for the grace to come to Mass as often as we can throughout the week, to receive Jesus, Her Son and if we do, we will respond to the words of Jesus, who said, “I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”