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May 31 – Homily – Fr Ignatius: The Feast of The Visitation

apostolate — Sat, 31 May 2008 13:16:04 +0000

Homily #080531 ( 08min) Play – The visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St Elizabeth highlights Mary’s virtues of charity and humility. Fr Ignatius also notes the Marian Titles of the Visitation, ‘The Living Tabernacle of God’, ‘The Ark of the New Covenant’, ‘Virgin Made Church’, and the ‘Mediatrix of All Graces’. Ave Maria! Mass readings +++

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Franciscan Saint of the Confessional: St. Leopoldo Mandic

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:00:09 +0000

AVE MARIA MEDITATIONS

July 30^th: St. Leopoldo Mandic

A Saint of the Confessional and a Saint for the Cause of Unity

The august Mother of God is in truth co?redemptress of the human race and source of all grace. In fact on the one hand we have in her the most perfect obedience to God?s laws and, after her Son, the most perfect innocence: He impeccable by His nature, she impeccable by grace. On the other hand we see her as Our Lady of Sorrows, as He was the Man of Sorrows. If, therefore, by eternal decree of God, the Immaculate Virgin was the moral victim of sorrow as her Son was the physical victim, and if God?s avenging justice found no shadow of fault in them, it follows inevit?ably that they were paying the price of the sins of others, that is of mankind.

St. Leopoldo had a great love of Our Lady, a love that sustained him though his life of suffering, was light to his mind and warmth and comfort to his heart. Not even those who lived with him could describe accurately the extent and depth of this love. The tone of when he spoke of her, his expression when he looked at a picture or statue of her, cannot be described: one had to experience them to the ardor of his love

?Fr. Leopoldo,? someone once remarked to him, ?you have heard so much that noth?ing can surprise you now.? ?On the contrary, my son, I am con?stantly astonished by the way people put their immortal souls in jeopardy for the most frivolous and futile reasons,?

Fr. Leopoldo lived the Mass and always tried to instill into others a vivid faith in what he rightly considered to be the source of all grace and blessings. Probably every priest who came to him to confession was frequently exhorted to celebrate Mass well and to make central point of his spiritual life.

?I recommend daily Communion?, he wrote to a penitent, ?You?ll see what a marvelous effect it has.?

Jesus told the Jews that if they kept His commandments they would know the truth, and the truth would set them free. This truth is none other than the grace of the Holy Ghost, the grace promised by Christ to the Samaritan woman under the simile of the living water. Let us therefore approach God, Who is Truth and Light, and we shall be illuminated. Before the splendor of this Light, satan, who is darkness, will be put to flight, and the kingdom of Gad and the Gospel of Christ will be safe within us.

Great was the mystic joy with which Fr. Leopoldo held the Sacred Host in his hands and consumed It. But this did not last long. After Mass he folded his arms across his breast as though trying to retain the treasure of which he had partaken, but before long the Sacramental Species lost their identity and the Real Presence dissolved with them. Jesus, truly present in Body and Blood was, however, not far off: He was always still there in the tabernacle, and it was to the tabernacle that Fr. Leopoldo now turned his attention, never turning it away. Whatever he did during the day, wherever he might go, his heart remained in adoration before God. He was constantly aware of call of the tabernacle and the necessity of it in the spiritual life.

At any time when he was free of other duties, he went immediately to, the Blessed Sacrament altar and plunged into adoration. In spite of acute arthritic pains in his legs, he always knelt upright without the support of the bench, and very often on the bare floor. He remained completely immobile, like a statue, and his face, turned to the tabernacle

Even in his genuflections when passing before the altar, one could see that here was no routine gesture, no everyday acknowledgement of a belief however firmly held, but a genuine, almost spontaneous act of adoration. From his great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament stemmed a desire to ensure that, as far as he was concerned, everything to do with the tabernacle should be perfect.

Aware that in the Holy Eucharist was the inexhaustible source of all good, Fr. Leopoldo, moved .by his ardent charity, did everything in his power to persuade others to approach the Blessed Sacrament. He often included a visit to the Blessed Sacrament in the penances he gave, and was always recommending frequent Communion as a sov?ereign aid to perfection.

As Christ our Redeemer redeemed mankind through His sufferings and cross and death, so He wishes his followers to apply His merits to redeemed mankind by use of the same means of suffering, sorrow and sacrifice, united with and sanctified by His sufferings as priest and eternal victim. Every member of the faithful is called upon to cooperate with the divine plan in this manner for the benefit of mankind, for to all of them was given the command to pray one for another and to be a cause of salva?tion one to another.

Profile:

Physically malformed and delicate of health, Bogdan early showed signs of great spiritual strength and integrity. He entered the Capuchin Franciscan Order and was ordained on September 20th, 1884.

He wanted to be a missionary to in Eastern Europe, torn apart by much religious strife, but was denied by his superiors because of his frailty and general ill-health. Posted to Padua, Italy in 1906 where, except for a year spent in a prison camp in World War I because he would not renounce his Croat nationality, he remained for the rest of his life. He became a Confessor and Spiritual Director for almost forty years.

The life of Saint Leopold Mandic is a contrast between his physical frailty and his spiritual strength. Four foot five inches tall, and born physically weak, his health became worse as he grew older. He had a stammer, suffered abdominal pains, and was gradually deformed by chronic arthritis, making his frame stooped, his hands gnarled, and causing much pain. He offered his suffering for unity in the Church and for souls.

His strong faith was communicated to others when they came to Fr. Leopold for spiritual advice. He would exclaim: ?Have faith! Everything will be alright. Faith, Faith!?

He was truly an apostle; though he did not go to the mission territory, his long service in the confessional proved to be his own distinct apostolate. For nearly forty years, twelve hours a day, he received, counselled, and absolved thousands of penitents, working as a herald of God?s love and forgiveness. And his human weakness highlights the gift of spiritual strength which enabled him to carry out this untiring apostolate.

Early in his Capuchin life, Leopold Mandic was asked to surrender his missionary aspirations and personal preference, and to work as Confessor and Spiritual Advisor. Looking back on this decision, he once said: ?I am like a bird in a cage, but my heart is beyond the seas.?

St. Leopoldo was born Mary 12, 1866 at Castelnuovo, Dalmatia (Bosnia-Hercogovina) and died on July 30, 1942 at the Friary in Padua, Italy of esophogial cancer. He was beatified in 1976 and canonized in 1983.

We have in heaven the heart of a mother, The Virgin, our Mother, who at the foot of the Cross suffered as much as possible for a human creature, understands our troubles and consoles us.

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Divine Mercy in my Soul

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 14:37:04 +0000

Ave Maria Mediations

O Blood and Water,

which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus

as a fount of Mercy for us,

I trust in You!

O Blessed Host

O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the testament of God’s mercy for us,

and especially for poor sinners.

O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus

as proof of infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners.

O Blessed Host, in whom is contained life eternal and of infinite mercy,

dispensed in abundance to us and especially to poor sinners.

O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the mercy of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit towards us, and especially towards poor sinners.

O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the infinite price of mercy which will compensate for all our debts, and especially those of poor sinners.???

O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the fountain of living water which springs from infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners.
O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the fire of purest love which blazes forth from the bosom of the Eternal Father, as from an abyss of infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners.
O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the medicine for all our infirmities, flowing from infinite mercy, as from a fount, for us and especially for poor sinners.
O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the union between God and us through His infinite mercy for us and especially for poor sinners.
O Blessed Host, our only hope in all the sufferings and adversities of life.
O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of darkness and of storms within and without.
O Blessed Host, our only hope in life and at the hour of our death.
O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of adversities and floods of despair.
O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of falsehood and treason.
O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of the darkness and godlessness which inundate the earth.

O Blessed Host, our only hope in the longing and pain in which no one will understand us.
O Blessed Host, our only hope in the toil and monotony of everyday life.
O Blessed Host, our only hope amid the ruin of our hopes and endeavors.
O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of the ravages of the enemy

and the efforts of hell.

O Blessed Host, I trust in You when the burdens are beyond my strength and I find my efforts are fruitless.
O Blessed Host, I trust in You when storms toss my heart about and my fearful spirit tends to despair.
O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my heart is about to tremble and mortal sweat moistens my brow.
O Blessed Host, I trust in You when everything conspires against me and black despair creeps into my soul.
O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my eyes will begin to grow dim to all temporal things and, for the first time, my spirit will behold the unknown worlds.

O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my tasks will be beyond my strength and adversity will become my daily lot.
O Blessed Host, I trust in You when the practice of virtue will appear difficult for me and my nature will grow rebellious.

O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my hostile blows will be aimed against me.
O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my toils and efforts will be misjudged by others.
O Blessed Host, I trust in You when Your judgments will resound over me; it is then that I will trust in the sea of Your mercy.

The year 1937 General Exercises
O Most Holy Trinity! As many times as I breathe, as many times as my heart beats, as many times as my blood pulsates through my body, so many thousand times do I want to glorify Your mercy. I want to be completely transformed into Your mercy and to be Your living reflection, O Lord. May the greatness of all divine attributes, that of Your unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor.

Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbors’ souls and come to their rescue.

Help me, that my ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbors’ needs and not be indifferent to their pains and meanings.

Help me, O Lord, that my tongue maybe merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of my neighbor, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.

Help me, O Lord, that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do only good to my neighbors and take upon myself the more difficult and toilsome tasks.

Help me, that my feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor, overcoming my own fatigue and weariness. My true rest is in the service of my neighbor.

Help me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbor. I will refuse my heart to no one. I will be sincere even with those who, I know will abuse my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the most merciful Heart of Jesus. I will bear my own sufferings in silence. May Your mercy, O Lord, rest upon me. You yourself command me to exercise the three degrees of mercy. The first: the act of mercy, of whatever kind. The second: the word of mercy – if I cannot carry out a work of mercy, I assist by my words. The third: Prayer – if I cannot show mercy by deeds or words, I can always do so by prayer. My prayer reaches out even there where I cannot reach out physically.

O my Jesus, transform me into Yourself, for You can do all things.

Prayer of St. Faustina to Our Lady
O Mary, my Mother and my Lady, I offer you my soul, my body, my life and my death and all that will come after it. I place everything in your hands, O my Mother, cover my soul with your virginal mantle and grant me the grace of purity of heart, soul and body. Defend me with your power against all enemies and especially against those who hide their malice behind the mask of virtue. Fortify my soul that pain may not break it. Mother of grace, teach me to live by God?s power. O Mary, a terrible sword has pierced your holy soul. Except for God, no one knows of your suffering. Your soul does not break, it is brave, because it is with Jesus. Sweet Mother, unite my soul to Jesus, because it is only then that I will be able to endure all trials and tribulations and only in union with Jesus will my little sacrifices be pleasing to God. Sweetest Mother, continue to teach me about the interior life. May the sword of suffering never break me. O pure Virgin, pour courage into my heart and guard it. Amen.

“My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sinners. If only they could understand that I am the best of Fathers to them and that it is for them that the Blood and Water flowed from My Heart as from a fount overflowing with mercy. For them I dwell in the tabernacle as King of Mercy. I desire to bestow My graces upon souls, but they do not want to accept them. You, at least, come to Me as often as possible and take these graces they do not want to accept. In this way you will console My Heart. Oh, how indifferent are souls to so much goodness, to so many proofs of love! My Heart drinks only of the ingratitude and forgetfulness of souls living in the world. They have time for everything, but they have no time to come to Me for graces.”

Oh who will comprehend Your love and Your unfathomable mercy towards us! O Prisoner of Love, I lock up my poor heart in this tabernacle, that it may adore You without cease night and day. I know of no obstacle in this adoration, and even though I be physically distant, my heart is always with You. Nothing can put a stop to my love for You. No obstacles exist for me. O my Jesus, I will console You for all the ingratitude, the blasphemies, the coldness, the hatred of the wicked, the sacrileges. O Jesus, I want to burn as a pure offering and to be consumed before the throne of Your headiness. I plead with You unceasingly for poor dying sinners.

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The Christ Child: The Grace of Christmas

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 19:00:04 +0000

Ave Maria Meditations

The Grace of Christmas

Jesus speaks: I was born, born for you in a cave in December, in the cold, homeless, in the middle of a winter’s night, in the unheard-of poverty of the extremely poor, in solitude, in an abandonment unique in this world. What, my children, do I want you to learn from my birth? To believe in My love, to believe that I have loved you until now. To hope in Me, who have loved you so dearly. I want to teach you to despise the world, which was so unimportant to Me. I want to teach you poverty, lowliness, solitude, humility, penance. I want to teach you to love me, for I was not content with giving Myself to the world in the Incarnation, sanctifying it invisibly in the visitation; no, that did not satisfy My love. From the moment of My birth onward, I showed myself to you, giving myself wholly to you, putting myself in your hands. From then on, you could touch Me, hear Me, possess Me, serve Me, console Me.

Love Me now; I am so close to you. In My unimaginable goodness, I did not merely give Myself to you at My birth for a few hours or years: I am still in your hands, and shall be henceforth until the end of the world. Think of the unending good fortune I brought you in My birth: the ability to serve Me – to serve Me by serving the Church, to serve Me by serving your neighbor, to serve Me Myself, living there near you in the tabernacle. Not only can you serve Me, you can also console Me …

How happy you should be to be able to console Me at every moment of your lives! By becoming so small, so gentle a child, I was crying out to you: Have trust! Come close to Me! Do not be afraid of Me, come to Me, give Me what children need: loving embraces. Do not be afraid, do not be so frightened in the presence of such a gentle Baby, smiling at you and holding out His arms to you. He is your God, but He is all smiles and gentleness. Do not be afraid.

Bl. Charles de Foucauld

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Dominus Est

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:00:31 +0000

Ave Maria Meditations

http://airmaria.com/2009/06/14/dominus-est/

There, where my dear Jesus dwells,

where He is enthroned in the tabernacle,

there I wish to be kneeling continually.

There, I wish to pray unceasingly:

Jesus, I love You deeply.

Hidden Love, I adore You.

Abandoned Love, I adore You.

Despised Love, I adore You.

Love trampled underfoot, I adore You.

Infinite Love, dying on the Cross for us, I adore You.

My dear Lord and Savior,

make it be that I am all love and expiation

toward the Most Blessed Sacrament

in the heart of Your most loving Mother Mary.

Amen.

-by Maria Stang

(a woman who persevered in her faith under the cruel

Communist atheistic rule for many years and who taught and

brought the faith to many,

keeping the love of the Lord in the most Blessed Sacrament alive)

-the Most Reverend Athanasius Schneider: Dominus Est

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An Apostle of Eucharistic Adoration

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 22:00:59 +0000

Ave Maria Meditations

August 2nd: St. Peter Julian Eymard, Apostle of Eucharistic Adoration

St. Peter Julian Eymard was born in France in 1811. He was ordained in 1834 for the Society of Mary. Because of his extraordinary love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and realizing there was no Order of priests dedicated to perpetual adoration, he was permitted to found such an Order–the Congregation of theBlessed Sacrament. He also founded the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament. His written works on the Holy Eucharist are classics in that field. He died in 1868 and his feast day is August 2nd. The following are a few excerpts from his writings.

EXAMINE YOUR CONSCIENCE IN THE MORNING UNDER THE EYES OF JESUS IN THE HOST

On awakening, make the sign of the cross. On arising say: “0 Sacrament Most Holy, 0 Sacrament Divine! All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine! Blessed be the Holy and Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.

ADORE our Lord as your King who has called you today to work in his amiable service and for his honor and glory. Render him this day the homage of your mind, your heart, your body and your life for he deserves it all.

THANK our Lord for having kept you alive; thank him for all the graces received during your life (baptism, first communion, vocation). Rejoice at the honor and the happiness of spending this whole day in union with our Divine Lord in his Sacrament of love: such a day may be worth an entire life, the whole of Paradise.

ACKNOWLEDGE your weakness and your defects in your particular vocation. Confess your offenses of yester¬day. Detest the power of self-love, the feebleness of your will, the distractions of your mind.

PROMISE our Lord that you will correct your ruling passion; foresee the occasions of relapse and the opportunities of practicing opposite virtues. Remember your resolution for this month and determine for yourself a certain penance in case of failure to keep it. ASK our Lord for the grace of being more faithful today.

RECOMMEND yourself to the Blessed Virgin, to your Guardian Angel and begin work with the help of God’s grace. Consecrate the whole day to our Eucharistic Jesus. Place yourself in spirit, in his presence and humbly adore him on his nearest throne of Perpetual Exposition or in the nearest Tabernacle.

O sweet Jesus, your goodness and your might

Have brought me to this morning’s light.

Keep and preserve me every hour,

From sorrow, sin, temptation’s power.

Grant me your blessing, Lord, this day,

On all I think and do and say.

Jesus for your help I plead;

Mary for me please intercede.

After making this offering, form your intention to gain all the indulgences of the day. Then hasten to the church for your morning prayers, Holy Mass and Communion.

(from My Eucharistic Day)

The love of Jesus Christ reaches its highest perfection and produces the greatest harvest of graces in the ineffable union He contracts with the soul in Holy Communion. Therefore, by every desire for goodness, holiness, and perfection that piety, the virtues, and love can inspire in us, we are bound to direct our course toward this union, toward frequent and even daily Communion.

Since we have in Holy Communion the grace, the model, and the practice of all the virtues, all of them finding their exercise in this divine action, we shall profit more by Communion than by all other means of sanctification: But to that end, Holy Communion must become the thought that dominates mind and heart. It must be the aim of all study, of piety, of the virtues. The receiving of Jesus must be the goal as well as the law of life. All our works must converge toward Communion as toward their end and flow from it as from their source.

The manna that God sent down every morning into the camp of the Israelites had all sorts of flavors and virtues; it not only restored failing energies and gave vigor of body, but it was a bread of sweetness. The Holy Eucharist, which it prefigures, possesses likewise every virtue. It is a remedy for our spiritual infirmities, strength for our daily weaknesses, and a source of peace, joy, and happiness.

The Eucharist, according to the Council of Trent, is a divine antidote that delivers us from common faults and preserves us from mortal sin. It is a fire that, in an instant, consumes the chaff of our spiritual imperfections. Holy Communion is the war that God wages in us against our concupiscence and against the devil, whom our evil passions constantly invite and who, through his connivance with our unruly appetites, holds some part of us in thrall. Did not Jesus say, “Come to me, all you who labor beneath the burden of slavery of your past sins, and I will refresh and deliver you.”

The Holy Penance cleanses us from sin, yet, purified though we be, we are left with the marks of our chains, the tendency to fall again. The enemy, although driven out, still keeps his agents within the walls. So Jesus comes to us to destroy the vestiges of our sins, to counteract our evil tendencies, and to prevent the Devil from re-establishing his power over us. Holy Communion is more than a remedy; it is a force that gives us powerful assistance in attaining goodness, virtue, and holiness.

(from How to Get More out of Holy Communion)

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Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat!

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:00:01 +0000

Ave Maria Meditations encore:

THE TRIUMPH OF CHRIST THROUGH THE EUCHARIST

Christ Conquers, Christ Reigns, Christ Commands

Christus vincit, regnat, imperat; ab omni malo plemem suam defendat.

Christ conquers, He reigns, He commands. May He defend His people from all evil.

Pope Sixtus V had these words engraved on the obelisk which stands in the center of Saint Peter’s Square at Rome. These magnificent words are in the present tense, and not in the past, to indicate that Christ’s triumph is always actual, and that it is brought about in the Eucharist and by the Eucharist.

CHRISTUS vincit. Christ conquers.

Our Lord has fought; He has won control of the field of battle, on which He has planted His flag and pitched His tent: the Sacred Host and the Eucharistic tabernacle. He conquered the Jew and his temple, and He has a tabernacle on Calvary where all the nations come to adore Him beneath the sacramental Species. He conquered paganism and has chosen Rome, the city of the Caesars, for His capital.

He conquered the false wisdom of the sages; the divine Eucharist rose on the world and shed its: rays over the whole earth, darkness withdrew like the shades of night at the coming of day. The idols have been knocked down and the sacrifices abolished. Jesus Eucharistic is a conqueror Who never halts but ever marches onward; He wants to· subject the universe to His gentle sway.

Every time He takes possession of a country, He pitches therein His Eucharistic royal tent. The erection of a tabernacle is His official occupation of a country. In our own day He still goes out to uncivilized nations; and wherever the Eucharist is brought, the people are converted to Christianity. That is the secret of the triumph of our Catholic missionaries and of the failure of the Protestant preachers. In the latter case, man is battling alone, in the former, Jesus is battling, and He is sure to triumph.

CHRISTUS regnat. Christ reigns.

Jesus does not rule over earthly territories but over souls, and He does so through the Eucharist. A king must rule through his laws and through the love of his subjects for Him. The Eucharist is the law of the Christian: a law of charity and of love, which was promulgated in the Cenacle in the admirable discourse after the Supper: “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

This law is revealed in Communion; the eyes of the Christian are opened in Holy Communion as were those of the disciples of Emmaus, and he understands the fullness of the law. The “breaking of bread” is what made the first Christians so brave in the face of persecution and so faithful in practicing the law of Jesus Christ.

Christ’s law is one, holy, universal, and eternal. . It will never change or be impaired in any way; ‘Jesus Christ Himself, its divine Author, is defending it. He engraves it on our hearts through His love; the Legislator Himself promulgates His divine f law to each of our souls. His is a law of love. How many kings rule by love? Jesus is about the only one Whose yoke is not imposed by force; His rule is gentleness itself . .His true subjects are devoted to Him in life and death; they would rather die than be disloyal to Him.

CHRISTUS imperat. Christ commands.

No king has command over the whole universe; there are other kings equal to him in power. But God the Father has said to Jesus Christ: “I will give Thee all the nations for Thy inheritance.” And our Lord told His lieutenants when He sent them; throughout the world: “All power is given to Me in heaven and in earth. Go and teach ye all nations, teaching them to keep all that I have commanded you.”

He issued His commands from the Cenacle. The Eucharistic tabernacle, which is a prolongation or replica of the Cenacle, is the headquarters of the King of kings. All those who fight the good fight receive their orders from there.

In the presence of Jesus Eucharistic all men are subjects, all must obey, from the Pope, the Vicar of Jesus Christ, down to the least of the faithful.

CHRISTUS ab omni malo plebem suam defendat.

May Christ defend His people from all evil.

The Eucharist is the divine lightning-rod that wards off the thunderbolts of divine justice. As a tender and devoted mother presses her child to her bosom, puts her arms around it, and shields it with her body to save it from the wrath of an angry father, so Jesus multiplies His presence everywhere, covers the world and envelops it with His merciful presence. Divine Justice does not know then where to strike; it dares not.

And what a protection against the devil! The blood of Jesus which purples our lips makes us a

terror to Satan; we are sprinkled with the blood of the true Lamb, and the exterminating angel will not enter. The Eucharist protects the sinner until time for repentance is given him. Ah! Were it not for the Eucharist, for this perpetual Calvary, how often would not the wrath of God have come down upon us!

And how unhappy are the nations that no longer possess the Eucharist! What darkness! What a confusion in the minds! What a chill in the hearts! Satan alone rules supreme, and with him all the evil passions. As for us, the Eucharist delivers us from all evil. Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Chris us imperat; ab omni malo plcbem suam dcfendat!

St. Peter Julian Eymard: The Real Presence

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How close Jesus is to us in the Holy Eucharist

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:00:28 +0000

One Minute Meditations

Blessed Charles de Foucauld, priest and martyr

(1858-1916) Feast Day is December 1st

PRAYERS OF CHARLES DE FOUCAULD AT THE TABERNACLE:

Lord Jesus, You are in the Holy Eucharist. You are there a yard away in the tabernacle. Your Body, your Soul, your human nature, your divinity, your whole Being is there in its twofold nature. How close you are, my God, my Savior, my Spouse, my Beloved! You were not nearer to the Blessed Virgin during the nine months that she carried you than you are to me when you rest on my tongue in Holy Communion. You were no closer to the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph in the caves at Bethlehem or in the flight into Egypt or at any moment of that divine family life than you are to me at this moment – and so many others- in the tabernacle. Mary Magdalene was no closer to you when she sat at your feet at Bethany than I am here at the foot of this altar. You were no nearer to your apostles when you were sitting in the midst of them than you are to me now, my God. How blessed I am I!

Bl. Charles’ thoughts ON MARTYRDOM: To prepare oneself constantly for martyrdom, and accept it without a shadow of reluctance, like the Divine Lamb-in Jesus, through Jesus, for Jesus- I must try and live as if I were to die a martyr today. Every minute I must imagine I am going to be martyred this very evening.

OUR LORD’S RESPONSE ON HIS WISH TO BE A MARTYR: “This life will be followed by death. You wish for a martyr’s death. You know how cowardly you are, but you know too that you can do all things in Him who gives you strength, that I am all powerful in My creatures. Ask day and night for it but always with this condition, that it be My will, and for My glory and My pleasure which I know you desire and pray for above all things. And have confidence; I will grant what you ask, that which is for My greater glory. It is good to ask for this, for ‘there is no greater love than to give your life for the beloved,'” and it is right to wish to give Me this ‘greatest love of all’ “’

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Video – Conferences #194: Pope Benedict and Mary’s “Yes”, Part 3

apostolate — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 03:30:00 +0000

Conferences #194 – ( 52min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

Fr. Louis Maximilian from our friary in New Bedford, Mass. gives the second talk of his retreat “The woman of the Yes” on the words of Benedict XVI on Mary. Part three is on the “Yes” of Jesus taking up his residence on earth with Mary as His tabernacle.

Mary is the Star of hope, ark of the covenant, tabernacle of God as we will be when we enter and grow in grace.

He pitched his tent, tabernacle among us
- Mary is the tabernacle the ark of the new covenant.
- As Incarnate Lord he can be seen and touched.
- Concreteness, a definite place of his dwelling of a definite person
- That he is interested in me and I am him
- He reaches us through Mary and we reach him through her.
Mary is a living house
- a pure living being
- for a pure living God
- for a God of the living
- For living humans to come in contact with the living God
Hypostatic union of two natures heavenly and earthly
- corresponds to the living wills of Mary and Jesus who both said yes
- Dwelling place which is Mary corresponds to the Church where he also finds a dwelling
- And so too do we the members of the church receive Christ in the Eucharist
- And to the extent we are like mar will receive the Grace that this can give
In Mary we see what the Church should be, a living, pure tabernacle
- a dweling place for God in the world
- The more the Church is a person the more she is herself, like Mary
- We should pay some attention to making the buildings themselves beautiful to reflect this reality
- Presence of God should radiate in the buildings
- Like the magnificent tabernacles which are the Saints.
- All reflecting a living yes to God
This in turn reflects what is prepared for man in Heaven
- a pledge of future glory
- In Mary a dwelling place has been prepared for ever, looking forward to haven
- A great sign of hope for us
- Mary, our Churches, and the members of the cChurch must all be dwellings of God
- Where God dwels all shoud be at home
- faith and being open, saying yes, gives us a home on earth that will endure into heaven
- When we enter into her home she helps us open upto be home to God
- We must decide to do it by finding strength in grace
- a grace that we find in Mary

The other parts of this conference are as follows:

Audio (MP3)

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The post Video – Conferences #194: Pope Benedict and Mary’s “Yes”, Part 3 first appeared on AirMaria.com.

May 04 – Homily – Fr Joachim: TV vs Tabernacle

apostolate — Sun, 04 May 2014 14:55:53 +0000

Homily #140504n ( 11min) Play – Father Joachim comments on the homily, showing that it was not when the Lord opened explained the teaching of the scriptures to them that the disciples recognized Him, but in the “Breaking of the Bread.” Father asks us whether we have intellectually given assent to the truths of the Faith, but even more importantly, do they effect and change our lives? Do we spend more time with the Tabernacle or the Television? When we recognize Jesus in the Breaking of the Bread, and come to Him, He will change our hearts.
Ave Maria!
Mass: Sunday 3rd Week of Easter – Sunday – Form: OF
Readings:
1st: act 2:14, 22-28
Resp: psa 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
2nd: 1pe 1:17-21
Gsp: luk 24:13-35

Audio (MP3)

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The post May 04 – Homily – Fr Joachim: TV vs Tabernacle first appeared on AirMaria.com.