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.”

17th Sunday, Multiplication of Loaves (Searching for Love)

 

How many semi-trucks of bread, do you think it would take to feed 5000 people not counting women and children?

According to a website, it would take 2 ½ semi loads of bread to feed 10,000 people and Jesus did it with just 5 loaves. Our Lord used the miraculous multiplication of loaves to feed the hungry crowd. They wanted something more than food to satisfy their hearts. What they were really searching for-- is love. Someone who cares for them.

In the Gospel, out of compassion for the hungry crowd, Jesus fed the people through the miracle of multiplying the loaves and fish and when the people had enough food to eat, there were 12 wicker baskets left over from the fragments.

Some theologians erroneously say the multiplication of loaves and fish wasn’t a miracle. But rather, all just shared the loaves and fish with each other. However, this is a false view of what the Church has always taught, that the multiplication of the loaves was a real miracle.

In fact, the Gospel says, “they filled the wicker baskets with fragments FROM the five barely loaves…” In other words, the loaves and the extra fragments came from the 5 five barely loaves. It also speaks about how they wanted to carry Jesus off to make Him a king. Why would they what to make Him King, if they just shared food with each other?

If Jesus was concerned about fragments left over from the multiplication of the loaves, how much more is He concerned about how the Eucharist, which is His real and true presence body, blood, soul and divinity? Each particle, no matter how small is the whole and entire person of Jesus.

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 why the ordinary manner, the Church desires that we receive Communion is on the tongue. I will repeat. The ordinary manner the Church desires we receive Communion is on the tongue.

Before we receive Holy Communion, the Church requires that we show some sign of reverence. The most common reverence shown as recommended by the US Bishops is to bow our head before we receive Communion. In some places people will genuflect or kneel or make the sign of the cross before receiving Communion.

We have 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 consume them. It’s a sin to allow particles to fall from our hands onto the floor, because by doing so, we are dropping Jesus on the ground.

You will notice today, the priest washes the 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 Him 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 humbler 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. Catholic who are dying in hospitals, nursing homes, or in their own home, have the joy of being able to receive Holy Communion one last time, called Viaticum, to prepare for their journey home to heaven before they die. With viaticum the dying person receives the Apostolic Pardon, which remits all punishment due to sin.

Although there is one Jesus, He multiplies His presence in the Eucharist to come to each patient’s heart and give them His love and graces to endure their suffering. 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 it is for us who believe 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 anyone 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 we do not receive any graces whatsoever, but rather deeply offend our Lord.

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

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 moral 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: 

Let’s go over that again: The Church strongly recommends that we confess our venial sins. By doing so, it forms our conscience, helps us to fight against evil tendencies, and we are healed by Christ. And by receiving frequently, through the sacrament of mercy, we are inspired to be merciful to others.

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.

The multiplication of the loaves and fish are a foreshadowing of the Mass. Jesus uses similar words that he would later use at the Last Supper. In this Gospel it states, “Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them….”

The Holy Eucharist is a double miracle. One miracle is the bread and wine changed into the body and blood of Jesus. The other miracle is the bread and wine continue to appear and taste like bread and wine, but are in fact the real body and blood of Jesus. At the Last Supper, Jesus took bread and said, “This is my body.” and took the wine and said, “This is my blood.” When He gave His Eucharistic discourse He told us to eat His flesh and drink His blood and if we do, we will have eternal life. And this what we do at Holy Mass. This is our faith. This is what we believe.

Have you heard the song, “Looking for Love in all the wrong places.” often times sung by Johnny Lee.

Part of the song goes like this:

I was lookin' for love in all the wrong places
Lookin' for love in too many faces
Searchin' their eyes
Lookin' for traces of what I'm dreaming of
Hoping to find a friend and a lover
I'll bless the day I discover another heart
Lookin' for love

You came knockin' on my heart's door
You're everything I've been looking for

No more lookin' for love in all the wrong places
Lookin' for love in too many faces
Searchin' their eyes
Lookin' for traces of what I'm dreaming of
Now that I found a friend and a lover
I bless the day I discover
You, oh you, (O Lord Jesus), lookin' for love.

God blessed the day I discovered a searching heart, searching for love.

Jesus is the one who knocks at the door of our heart. He has been searching for our love and we have been searching for His love. Are you searching for love? Searching for someone who will understand you? Looking for someone who listen to you? Looking for the one feels your loneliness and pain? Look no further. Come to Jesus in the Eucharist.

We may have all sorts of problems, anxieties, fears and sufferings, and because of our human nature, we can wrongly look to the world to satisfy our desires, but only Jesus in the Eucharist can quench our thirst and satisfy our hunger and longing. Is there anyone greater than God Himself, who comes to dwell within our heart and promises food that will give us eternal life in heaven? Only God has the answers to all our problems.

Oh, Jesus, we searched the world over and thought we found true love, but we were wrong, because we searched for worldly, a love and not everlasting love. But, here at Mass and at every Mass, we find your infinite love, contained in your beating Heart, truly present in the Eucharist. O Lord, we give you our love and we receive your love, grant us your salvation, through Your Mother’s intercession.

Johnny Lee - "Looking For Love in All the Wrong Places" (youtube.com)

St. James, the Greater July 25th

 

Today we celebrate the feast of St. James, the apostle, often called “James the Greater”. He was called by Jesus to be closely associated with Him throughout His public ministry. He was one of three, together with Peter and John, whom Jesus would take aside, as privilege witnesses. All three were present at the transfiguration on Mount Tabor, at the raising of the daughter of Jairus to life, and during the agony of Jesus in Garden of Gethsemane.

He and his brother John were called sons of thunder, because of their temper, as they wanted to call down fire on those who reject Jesus.

James and his brother John, most likely asked their mother, Mrs. Zebedee, to ask Jesus, if they could have places of honor in Our Lord’s kingdom.

The Apostles learned the lesson Jesus taught on this occasion: “Anyone among you who aspires to greatness, must serve the rest”.

There is a tradition, he preached the Gospel in Spain before he returned to Jerusalem. Santiago, Spain is named after him.

As noted in the Acts of the Apostles. He was the first apostle to share the cup of suffering and death, which the Lord spoke of in today’s Gospel.

According to tradition, James, brother of Saint John the Evangelist, traveled with great effort to Roman Hispania (modern-day Spain) to evangelize the local tribes. He not only confronted great difficulties but he also saw very little apostolic fruits of conversion. Tradition says that when he was at his lowest point of discouragement, in A.D. 40, while he was sitting by the banks of the Ebro river in Zaragoza, Mary appeared to him accompanied by thousands of angels, to console and encourage him. The Virgin Mary, with the Child Jesus in Her arms standing on a pillar, asked Saint James and his eight disciples to build a church on the site, promising that “it will stand from that moment until the end of time in order that God may work miracles and wonders through My intercession for all those who place themselves under My patronage.” “The church of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza, is the first church dedicated to Mary in history and it remains standing to this day, having survived invasions and wars.

When St. James returned from Spain in 42AD, he was brought before King Herod Agrippa, and his fearless confession of Jesus crucified, so moved the public procurator that he declared himself Christian on the spot. James and the procurator were carried off together for execution. The procurator turned to James asking for his forgiveness, but he hesitated since he had not yet been baptized. God quickly called to his mind the Church’s faith, that the blood of martyrdom supplies for the sacrament, he then embraced him with the words, “Peace be with you!” Together they knelt for the sword, and together received the crown of martyrdom.

In Santiago, the basilica of St. James is believed to hold his relics. The basilica also contains the world largest thurible, which is swung with incense, only on special occasions.

There is also a legend St. James, centuries later, appeared on a horse near the ocean to scare off attacking Muslims.

Today, let us ask Mary, the Queen of Apostles, to grant us that transformation, which changed James from seeking the greatest honor, to accept the chalice of suffering. Through our daily martyrdom, may we accept the chalice of suffering.

16th Sunday, Good & Bad Shepherds

 

 In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah pronounces doom to the Kings of Israel because they were serving themselves, rather than the people.

He said, “Doom to the shepherds who allow the flock of my pasture to be destroyed and scattered.” And he said, “Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture. You have scattered my sheep and driven them away. You have not cared for them.”

However, God promises-- He will send someone to reign as true king from the line of David. Jeremiah said, “I (the Lord) will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them so that they no longer fear and tremble and none shall be missing.” “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock.” “I will raise up a righteous shoot to David, as King he shall govern wisely…”

Jesus is the shepherd & king promised by God. He refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd. He said, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” Psalm 23 is fulfilled in Jesus: “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want”. 

In the Gospel today, Jesus saw the vast crowd and said, “My heart is moved with pity for them, for they are like sheep without a shepherd.”

Recall Jesus told Peter, He was to tend and feed His sheep. Peter and His successors, as popes are the “Chief Shepherd of the Church”.

Bishops are the successors of the Apostles, and called shepherds of the diocese, and that’s why they carry a crozier (the long rod with a hook), to remind the people, they are sheep. A priest as the leader of a particular parish, is called, a pastor, because he is a shepherd of the local sheep. Every priest has a duty to pasture the people. It’s important for priests to proclaim the truth and to help the people avoid sin, to prevent them from going to hell or spending time in purgatory, so they can go to heaven.

Unfortunately, there are bad shepherds, who don’t preach or teach the truth. Good shepherds feed their flock with the truth and are not silent in face of danger. They warn sheep to protect them. Bad shepherds are silent in face of danger and fail to feed the sheep, the fullness of truth.

Bishop Strickland said, “Have you noticed that we are in the time of the silent shepherds – for never a word do they speak. For many, their betrayal is in the form of silent apathy...”

In the past, you had many good pastors here at Holy Trinity. It is evident, by the number of you, who are faithful in your weekend Mass attendance, your spending an hour with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration every week, the many children who regularly attend PSR classes, and the great number, who receive Communion reverently. Our parish is blessed and an example for other parishes.

But, in many parishes, this not the case. A parishioner recently told me she attended Mass at another parish, and not a single person received Communion on the tongue.

Since I have been here, many of you know I preach on all sorts of topics, including abortion, contraception, apparitions, pornography, purgatory, hell, heaven, attire for Mass and Adoration, and topics like the Eucharist, the Virgin Mary and the saints.

Do you know why I do this? Because when I was growing up in LaCrosse, Kansas, I was deprived of these things. We had three taverns, 2 liquor stores, and there was lots of drunkenness. In high school underage drinking, promiscuity, smoking weed, was common. Some students would come to school drunk, others high. When going into the boy's restroom it was often filled with smoke and it was not cigarette smoke. When I was in 8^th grade, half of the senior class girls became pregnant. In my class two out 15 girls became pregnant before they graduated.

Gossip was rampant and would ruin the reputation of good people.

When I was a senior in high school, a sophomore friend and a Catholic girl conceived a child and scheduled an abortion. But, they didn’t have it, due to a miscarriage.

Vandalism was terrible. In fact, one day every year was called, “damage night”, where the whole town knew on that day, you better stay home, turn on outdoor lights and lock everything up. Windows were smashed, cars were damaged. I can remember seeing a car jacked up on main street with a barrel under the back of the car.

When I went to church with my family, I never heard a single homily on any of these topics. No homily mentioning abusing alcohol is a sin, or abortion is wrong, and there is help for pregnant girls. No homily on vandalism, or the promiscuity, or to take drugs is sinful.

I heard no homily on the Virgin Mary or the Eucharist. Never was I told, if you miss Mass on Sunday, it’s a mortal sin. Never did I hear a homily that said if you commit a mortal sin, you are not permitted to receive Holy Communion, until you first go to Confession, otherwise you commit a sacrilegious communion.

I had never heard of making a Holy Hour, nor Eucharistic Adoration. In fact, I had no idea why we genuflect when we come to church. The silence on Church teachings, on moral issues, on the Virgin Mary, on the Eucharist was deafening.

In the 1970’s, there were bad shepherds that needed a good shepherd.

As Jeremiah the prophet said, “Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture. You have scattered my sheep and driven them away. You have not cared for them.”

I do these things, because I was deprived of them. I do it out of love for you. I want to help you to get to heaven. I am not a silent shepherd. I want to protect you-- the sheep, to guide you-- the sheep, to the restful waters of heaven.

I am not just trying to prevent you from going to hell, I am also trying to prevent you from going to purgatory. Purgatory is very painful. St. Augustine said, “The pains of purgatory or worse than any pain you can suffer on earth.”

We will be held accountable for every sin and the punishment due to it. To be disrespectful to our parents is a sin. To be disrespectful to teachers is a sin. To show a lack of respect toward God in the Eucharist, is a sin.

Imagine being attacked by lions, like the early Christians, who were thrown to them and the horror of being bitten and crushed in their jaw, or being captured in a foreign country and tortured by an Islamic extremist, or being burned alive in a fire. Purgatory is worse than all these.

St. Augustine said, “The pains of purgatory or worse than any pain you can suffer on earth.”

As a priest shepherd, I’m trying to prevent you from spending time in purgatory.

If we fail to go to Confession monthly, there is no doubt one will spend more time in purgatory. The more often we go to Confession and come to Mass to receive Holy Communion, the greater the likelihood you will skip purgatory.

It's not just about not avoiding purgatory, it's about love. How much do we really love Jesus? If we love Him, we will come to Him often-- to have our sins forgiven. If we deeply love Him, we will receive Him in Holy Communion, not just on Sundays, but during the week. We will give reverence due to His real and true presence in the most Holy Eucharist.

The Eucharistic Congress just concluded. 50,000 people were in the arena adoring Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration. That is what heaven is like, a multitude adoring Jesus and gazing upon Him with love.

In the Gospel today, Jesus said, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest while.” When we adore Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration, we can come to an out of the way place and rest from the stresses of our life. We sit in silence and allow Him to speak to our heart. 

In Eucharistic adoration, we gaze upon the Lord God almighty. How many do “face time” to see and talk to someone you love? But, how much more precious it is, to be actually physically and personally with the one you love.

How glorious and joyful, to be in the presence of Jesus, adoring Him, speaking to Him from the heart. To ask Him to console you when you are sad. To give you courage when you are fearful. To help you to forgive those who hurt you. To allow Him to love you, as you love Him in return.

Jesus understands you better than anyone. He knows you better than you know yourself. He loves you and cares about you, infinitely. He wants you to come to Him and show your wounds to Him, so that, by His wounds in His resurrected body in the Eucharist, He can heal you.

Pope Paul VI said, “Perpetual Adoration extends its influence far beyond the individual adorers, touching their homes and families and reaching out to the parish community and beyond!” St. Padre Pio said, “A Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament is worth more than a thousand years of human glory!”  Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, “In order to convert America and save the World what we need is for every parish to come before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in Holy Hours of prayer!”

Let us rest with Jesus in the Eucharist and pray for the shepherds of the Church, asking the Lord to give them the grace to not be silent, but speak the truth to save souls.