Their website for more information is Sisters of Adoration and Reparation Belfast
The Eucharist - Jesus is With us
While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." - Matthew 26:26
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Powerhouse of Prayer with Eucharistic Adoration in Belfast, Northern Ireland
Their website for more information is Sisters of Adoration and Reparation Belfast
Sunday, March 29, 2015
The Perfection of Love: The Example of Christ's Death - St. Augustine of Hippo
John 13:1 says that Jesus "loved his own to the
end." This excerpt from St. Augustine's Treatise on the Gospel of
John (Tractate 84, 1-2 CCL 36, 536-538) speaks of Christ's laying down of
his life, handed over to us in the Eucharist, as the perfection of love.
It is used in the Roman Catholic
Church's Divine Office of Readings
for Wednesday of Holy Week, with the accompanying biblical reading being
Hebrews12:14-29. Augustine's words, written in the early 5th
century, are also compelling evidence for the practice and meaning of
devotion to the martyrs in the early church.
Dear brethren, the Lord has marked
out for us the fullness of love that we ought to have for each other. He tells
us: No one has greater
love than the man who lays down his life for his friends. In these words, the Lord tells us what the perfect love we
should have for one another involves. John, the evangelist who recorded them,
draws the conclusion in one of his letters: As Christ laid down his life for us, so we too ought to lay
down our lives for our brothers. We should indeed love one another as he loved us, he who
laid down his life for us.
This is surely what we read in the Proverbs of Solomon: If you sit down to eat at the table of a ruler, observe carefully what is set before you; then stretch out your hand, knowing that you must provide the same kind of meal yourself. What is this ruler’s table if not the one at which we receive the body and blood of him who laid down his life for us? What does it mean to sit at this table if not to approach it with humility? What does it mean to observe carefully what is set before you if not to meditate devoutly on so great a gift? What does it mean to stretch out one’s hand, knowing that one must provide the same kind of meal oneself, if not what I have just said: as Christ laid down his life for us, so we in our turn ought to lay down our lives for our brothers? This is what the apostle Paul said: Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we might follow in his footsteps.
This is what is meant by providing “the same kind of meal”. This is what the blessed martyrs did with such burning love. If we are to give true meaning to our celebration of their memorials, to our approaching the Lord’s table in the very banquet at which they were fed, we must, like them, provide “the same kind of meal”.
At this table of the Lord we do not commemorate the martyrs in the same way as we commemorate others who rest in peace. We do not pray for the martyrs as we pray for those others, rather, they pray for us, that we may follow in his footsteps. They practised the perfect love of which the Lord said there could be none greater. They provided “the same kind of meal” as they had themselves received at the Lord’s table.
This must not be understood as saying that we can be the Lord’s equals by bearing witness to him to the extent of shedding our blood. He had the power of laying down his life; we by contrast cannot choose the length of our lives, and we die even if it is against our will. He, by dying, destroyed death in himself; we are freed from death only in his death. His body did not see corruption; our body will see corruption and only then be clothed through him in incorruption at the end of the world. He needed no help from us in saving us; without him we can do nothing. He gave himself to us as the vine to the branches; apart from him we cannot have life.
Finally, even if brothers die for brothers, yet no martyr by shedding his blood brings forgiveness for the sins of his brothers, as Christ brought forgiveness to us. In this he gave us, not an example to imitate but a reason for rejoicing. Inasmuch, then, as they shed their blood for their brothers, the martyrs provided “the same kind of meal” as they had received at the Lord’s table. Let us then love one another as Christ also loved us and gave himself up for us.
Labels:
St. Augustine
Friday, October 31, 2014
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Bl Jerzy Popieluszko (14th Sept 1947 - 19th Oct 1984)
Bl. Jerzy Popieluszko (1947-1984)
Priest and Martyr
The Eucharist sums up all the teaching, passion and death of Jesus. Luke's passion narrative is about the Lamb, who goes to his death rejecting violence, loving enemies, returning good for evil, praying for his persecutors. The Eucharist, therefore, is truly the sacrament of nonviolence. The way of Jesus to conquer evil and violence must be the Christian way: the way of nonviolence, of love and forgiveness. The nonviolent way of Jesus is historically at the heart of his teaching, and at the same time at the heart of his passion and death.
Man of the Eucharist and Martyr for the Truth
This Eucharistic reality was lived out in the life of a young Polish priest, Fr Jerzy Popieluszko (1947-1984) who will be beatified as a martyr on the feast of Corpus Christi, 6 June 2010, in Warsaw's Pilsudski Square. Jerzy Popieluszko was born on 14 September 1947 in the village of Okopy in Eastern Poland. He was from a strong Roman Catholic family. After secondary school, Jerzy entered the seminary in Warsaw, rather than the local seminary in Bialystok. His training was interrupted by two years of military service, during which he was beaten several times for living his Christian faith.
After ordination, the young priest, who never enjoyed good health, held several appointments before his final appointment to the parish of St Stanislas Kostka in Warsaw. He worked part-time in the parish, which enabled him to work as well with medical personnel. As a result of his close work with health care personnel, he was asked to organize the medical teams during Pope John Paul II's visits to Poland in 1979 and Warsaw in 1983.
Above article continued here: EWTN - Bl. Jerzy Popieluszko
Cardinal: Officials who support abortion should not receive Communion
From Catholic News Service in May 2014
ROME (CNS) -- Catholic politicians and judges who support laws in conflict with church teaching on abortion, euthanasia, marriage and related issues commit "sacrilege" and cause "grave scandal" if they receive Communion, said theU.S.
cardinal who heads the Vatican 's
highest court. "The church's discipline, from the time of St. Paul, has
admonished those who obstinately persevere in manifest grave sin not to present
themselves for Holy Communion," Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, prefect of the
Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature and a former archbishop of St. Louis,
said May 3. The cardinal explained that the "discipline is not a
punishment but the recognition of the objective condition of the soul of the
person involved in such sin. It prevents them from committing sacrilege by
violating the incomparable sanctity of the body, blood, soul and divinity of
Christ, and safeguards the Christian community at large from scandal, that is,
from being led to believe that the violation of the moral law, for example in what
pertains to the inviolable dignity of human life, the integrity of marriage and
the family, and the freedom of conscience, is not sinful, does not gravely
break communion with our Lord."
Cardinal Burke spoke at an international conference of pro-life organizations the day beforeItaly 's fourth annual March for
Life.
Above from: Catholic News Service - Cardinal: Officials who support abortion should not receive Communion
ROME (CNS) -- Catholic politicians and judges who support laws in conflict with church teaching on abortion, euthanasia, marriage and related issues commit "sacrilege" and cause "grave scandal" if they receive Communion, said the
Cardinal Burke spoke at an international conference of pro-life organizations the day before
Above from: Catholic News Service - Cardinal: Officials who support abortion should not receive Communion
Saturday, November 16, 2013
New Confraternity for Catholic Clergy in Ireland begins.......
I am delighted to hear that a Confraternity of Catholic Clergy (who wish to remain faithful to the Church and its teachings) has been set up in Ireland by Fr. Gerard Deighan. This was established during a meeting of Priests in Knock Shrine in October last. This Confraternity would offer mutual support and encouragement for Priests.
I do hope in the future that they would also consider a lay associate membership similar to the Confraternity in Australia, to help support and pray for Priests and not interfere with their Priestly ministry. We really have too much clericalisation of the laity in Ireland and it is destroying Parish life, interfering with the ministry of Priests and also discouraging Vocations.
Let us pray for Fr. Gerard Deighan and those Priests involved in the new Confraternity and ask Our Lord and Our Lady, the Mother of all Priests to bless and protect and to bring forth great fruit from this new apostolate.
Bishops, Priests and Deacons can join this Confraternity also. Any Priest or Deacon who wishes to join or if you wish to enquire more about the Confraternity you can email them at ccceire@gmail.com.
I do hope in the future that they would also consider a lay associate membership similar to the Confraternity in Australia, to help support and pray for Priests and not interfere with their Priestly ministry. We really have too much clericalisation of the laity in Ireland and it is destroying Parish life, interfering with the ministry of Priests and also discouraging Vocations.
Let us pray for Fr. Gerard Deighan and those Priests involved in the new Confraternity and ask Our Lord and Our Lady, the Mother of all Priests to bless and protect and to bring forth great fruit from this new apostolate.
Bishops, Priests and Deacons can join this Confraternity also. Any Priest or Deacon who wishes to join or if you wish to enquire more about the Confraternity you can email them at ccceire@gmail.com.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
From Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI to 49th Eucharistic Congress in Quebec - Part 1
The Eucharist Is Not a Meal Among Friends
POPE BENEDICT XVI
Here is a translation of the homily Benedict XVI gave via
satellite Sunday at the closing Mass of the 49th International Eucharistic
Congress. The congress was held in Quebec City .
While you are gathered for the 49th International
Eucharistic Congress, I am happy to join you through the medium of satellite
and thus unite myself to your prayer. I would like first of all to greet the
Lord Cardinal Marc Ouellet, archbishop of Quebec ,
and the Lord Cardinal Jozef Tomko, special envoy for the congress, as well as
all the cardinals and bishops present. I also address my cordial greetings to
the personalities of civil society who decided to take part in the liturgy. My
affectionate thought goes to the priests, deacons and all the faithful present, as well as to all Catholics of Quebec, of the whole of Canada
and of other continents. I do not forget that your country celebrates this year
the 400th anniversary of its foundation. It is an occasion for each one of you
to recall the values that animated the pioneers and missionaries in your
country.
"The Eucharist, gift of God for the Life of the World,"
this is the theme chosen for this latest International Eucharistic Congress.
The Eucharist is our most beautiful treasure. It is the sacrament par
excellence; it introduces us early into eternal life; it contains the whole
mystery of our salvation; it is the source and summit of the action and of the
life of the Church, as the Second Vatican Council recalled (Sacrosanctum
Concilium, No. 8).
It is, therefore, particularly important that pastors and
faithful dedicate themselves permanently to furthering their knowledge of this
great sacrament. Each one will thus be able to affirm his faith and fulfill
ever better his mission in the Church and in the world, recalling that there is
a fruitfulness of the Eucharist in his personal life, in the life of the Church
and of the world. The Spirit of truth gives witness in your hearts; you also
must give witness to Christ before men, as the antiphon states in the alleluia
of this Mass. Participation in the Eucharist, then, does not distance us from
our contemporaries; on the contrary, because it is the expression par
excellence of the love of God, it calls us to be involved with all our brothers
to address the present challenges and to make the planet a place where it is
good to live.
To accomplish this, it is necessary to struggle ceaselessly
so that every person will be respected from his conception until his natural
death; that our rich societies welcome the poorest and allow them their
dignity; that all persons be able to find nourishment and enable their families
to live; that peace and justice may shine in all continents. These are some of
the challenges that must mobilize all our contemporaries and for which
Christians must draw their strength in the Eucharistic mystery.
"The Mystery of Faith": this is what we proclaim
at every Mass. I would like
everyone to make a commitment to study this great mystery, especially by
revisiting and exploring, individually and in groups, the Council's text on the
Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, so as to bear witness courageously to the
mystery. In this way, each person will arrive at a better grasp of the meaning
of every aspect of the Eucharist, understanding its depth and living it with
greater intensity. Every sentence, every gesture has its own meaning and
conceals a mystery. I sincerely hope that this Congress will serve as an appeal
to all the faithful to make a similar commitment to a renewal of Eucharistic
catechesis, so that they themselves will gain a genuine Eucharistic awareness
and will in turn teach children and young people to recognize the central
mystery of faith and build their lives around it. I urge priests especially to
give due honor to the Eucharistic rite, and I ask all the faithful to respect
the role of each individual, both priest and lay, in the Eucharistic action.
The liturgy does not belong to us: it is the Church's treasure.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Pope Francis appoints New Secretary of State
Agnus Dei - Pastoral Work of our Papal Nuncio and Irish Bishops: Pope Francis appoints New Secretary of State: Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Pietro Parolin as his Secretary of State. The 58-year-old Italian archbishop replaces Cardinal...
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
No Holy Communion for Pro Abortion Politicians - Catholic Bishops Bolivia
La Paz, Bolivia, Aug 22, 2013 / 03:40 pm (CNA).- The adjunct secretary of the Bishops’ Conference of Bolivia, Archbishop José Fuentes, said that government officials who support abortion should not receive Holy Communion.
Such individuals, he said, are not acting consistent with their faith and with the teachings of the Gospel and the Church.
In July of this year, four government ministers announced their support for the legalization of abortion in Bolivia.
In an interview with the newspaper Pagina 7, Bishop Fuentes was asked about these ministers. He responded that “they can act in conscience, but they should not approach during communion to receive the Body of Christ.”
“The person who aborts or who encourages another to abort, as well as health care workers who participate in an abortion and lawmakers, commit a sin before God, because they make themselves the owners of life, and the only owner of life for us is God,” he said.
“For a Catholic, for a believer, that is something that is not at our disposal, and therefore if as a legislator, a judge or whatever, I support an abortion law, I am separating myself from the Church, I cannot receive Communion unless I show my repentance,” Bishop Fuentes continued, emphasizing the importance of the Sacrament of Reconciliation for those who have had an abortion.
He stressed that the Church’s position is not based on a desire to punish wrongdoers, but rather an effort to reach out to them in mercy to help them accept Catholic teaching.
Above from: Catholic News Agency - Bishop: Abortion-supporting stance should bar lawmakers from Eucharist
Monday, August 26, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
Catechesis on the Real Presence - St. John Vianney
CHAPTER 11 : Catechism on the Real Presence
OUR LORD is hidden there, waiting for us to come and visit
Him, and make our request to Him. See how good He is! He accommodates Himself
to our weakness. In Heaven, where we shall be glorious and triumphant, we shall
see him in all His glory. If He had presented Himself before us in that glory
now, we should not have dared to approach Him; but He hides Himself, like a
person in a prison, who might say to us, "You do not see me, but that is
no matter; ask of me all you wish and I will grant it. " He is there in
the Sacrament of His love, sighing and interceding incessantly with His Father
for sinners. To what outrages does He not expose Himself, that He may remain in
the midst of us! He is there to console us; and therefore we ought often to
visit Him. How pleasing to Him is the short quarter of an hour that we steal
from our occupations, from something of no use, to come and pray to Him, to
visit Him, to console Him for all the outrages He receives!
When He sees pure
souls coming eagerly to Him, He smiles upon them. They come with that
simplicity which pleases Him so much, to ask His pardon for all sinners, for
the outrages of so many ungrateful men. What happiness do we not feel in the
presence of God, when we find ourselves alone at His feet before the holy
tabernacles! "Come, my soul, redouble thy fervour; thou art alone adoring
thy God. His eyes rest upon thee alone. " This good Saviour is so full of
love for us that He seeks us out everywhere.
Ah! if we had the eyes of angels with which to see Our Lord
Jesus Christ, who is here present on this altar, and who is looking at us, how
we should love Him! We should never more wish to part from Him. We should wish
to remain always at His feet; it would be a foretaste of Heaven: all else would
become insipid to us. But see, it is faith we want. We are poor blind people;
we have a mist before our eyes. Faith alone can dispel this mist. Presently, my
children, when I shall hold Our Lord in my hands, when the good God blesses
you, ask Him then to open the eyes of your heart; say to Him like the blind man
of Jericho, "O Lord, make me to see!" If you say to Him sincerely,
"Make me to see!" you will certainly obtain what you desire, because
He wishes nothing but your happiness. He has His hands full of graces, seeking
to whom to distribute them; Alas! and no one will have them. . . . Oh,
indifference! Oh, ingratitude! My children, we are most unhappy that we do not
understand these things! We shall understand them well one day; but it will
then be too late!
Our Lord is there as a Victim; and a prayer that is very
pleasing to God is to ask the Blessed Virgin to offer to the Eternal Father her
Divine Son, all bleeding, all torn, for the conversion of sinners; it is the
best prayer we can make, since, indeed, all prayers are made in the name and
through the merits of Jesus Christ. We must also thank God for all those
indulgences that purify us from our sins. . . but we pay no attention to them.
We tread upon indulgences, one might say, as we tread upon the sheaves of corn
after the harvest. See, there are seven years and seven quarantines for hearing
the catechism, three hundred days for reciting the Litany of the Blessed
Virgin, the Salve Regina, the Angelus. In short, the good God multiplies His
graces upon us; and how sorry we shall be at the end of our lives that we did
not profit by them!
When we are before the Blessed Sacrament, instead of looking
about, let us shut our eyes and our mouth; let us open our heart: our good God
will open His; we shall go to Him, He will come to us, the one to ask, the
other to receive; it will be like a breath from one to the other. What
sweetness do we not find in forgetting ourselves in order to seek God! The
saints lost sight of themselves that they might see nothing but God, and labor
for Him alone; they forgot all created objects in order to find Him alone. This
is the way to reach Heaven.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Catechesis on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass - St. John Vianney
CHAPTER 10 :Catechism on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
ALL GOOD WORKS together are not of equal value with the
sacrifice of the Mass, because they are the works of men, and the holy Mass is
the work of God. Martyrdom is nothing in comparison; it is the sacrifice that
man makes of his life to God; the Mass is the sacrifice that God makes to man
of His Body and of His Blood. Oh, how great is a priest! if he understood
himself he would die. . . . God obeys him; he speaks two
words, and Our Lord
comes down from Heaven at his voice, and shuts Himself up in a little Host. God
looks upon the altar. "That is My well-beloved Son, " He says,
"in whom I am well-pleased. " He can refuse nothing to the merits of
the offering of this Victim. If we had faith, we should see God hidden in the
priest like a light behind a glass, like wine mingled with water.
After the Consecration, when I hold in my hands the most
holy Body of Our Lord, and when I am in discouragement, seeing myself worthy of
nothing but Hell, I say to myself, "Ah, if I could at least take Him with
me! Hell would be sweet with Him; I could be content to remain suffering there
for all eternity, if we were together. But then there would be no more Hell;
the flames of love would extinguish those of justice. " How beautiful it
is. After the Consecration, the good God is there as He is in Heaven. If man
well understood this mystery, he would die of love. God spares us because of
our weakness. A priest once, after the Consecration, had some little doubt
whether his few words could have made Our Lord descend upon the Altar; at the
same moment he saw the Host all red, and the corporal tinged with blood.
If someone said to us, "At such an hour a dead person
is to be raised to life, " we should run very quickly to see it. But is
not the Consecration, which changes bread and wine into the Body and Blood of
God, a much greater miracle than to raise a dead person to life? We ought
always to devote at least a quarter of an hour to preparing ourselves to hear
Mass well; we ought to annihilate ourselves before God, after the example of
His profound annihilation in the Sacrament of the Eucharist; and we should make
our examination of conscience, for we must be in a state of grace to be able to
assist properly at Mass. If we knew the value of the holy Sacrifice of the
Mass, or rather if we had faith, we should be much more zealous to assist at
it.
My children, you remember the story I have told you already
of that holy priest who was praying for his friend; God had, it appears, made
known to him that he was in Purgatory; it came into his mind that he could do
nothing better than to offer the holy Sacrifice of the Mass for his soul. When
he came to the moment of Consecration, he took the Host in his hands and said,
"O Holy and Eternal Father, let us make an exchange. Thou hast the soul of
my friend who is in Purgatory, and I have the Body of Thy Son, Who is in my
hands; well, do Thou deliver my friend, and I offer Thee Thy Son, with all the
merits of His Death and Passion. " In fact, at the moment of the
elevation, he saw the soul of his friend rising to Heaven, all radiant with
glory. Well, my children, when we want to obtain anything from the good God,
let us do the same; after Holy Communion, let us offer Him His well-beloved
Son, with all the merits of His death and His Passion. He will not be able to
refuse us anything.
Consecration of Ireland to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by the Bishops of Ireland on the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady next Thursday 15th August
Sunday, August 4, 2013
St. John Vianney - Catechesis on Holy Communion
CHAPTER 12 : Catechism on Holy Communion
TO SUSTAIN the soul in the pilgrimage of life, God looked
over creation, and found nothing that was worthy of it. He then turned to
Himself, and resolved to give Himself. O my soul, how great thou art, since
nothing less than God can satisfy thee! The food of the soul is the Body and
Blood of God! Oh, admirable Food! If we considered it, it would make us lose
ourselves in that abyss of love for all eternity! How happy are the pure souls
that have the happiness of being united to Our Lord by Communion! They will
shine like beautiful diamonds in Heaven, because God will be seen in them.
Our Lord has said, Whatever you shall ask the Father in My
name, He will give it you. We should never have thought of asking of God His own
Son. But God has done what man could not have imagined. What man cannot express
nor conceive, and what he never would have dared to desire, God in His love has
said,
has conceived, and has executed. Should we ever have dared to ask of God
to put His Son to death for us, to give us His Flesh to eat and His Blood to
drink? If all this were not true, then man might have imagined things that God
cannot do; he would have gone further than God in inventions of love! That is
impossible. Without the Holy Eucharist there would be no happiness in this
world; life would be insupportable. When we receive Holy Communion, we receive
our joy and our happiness. The good God, wishing to give Himself to us in the
Sacrament of His love, gave us a vast and great desire, which He alone can
satisfy. In the presence of this beautiful Sacrament, we are like a person
dying of thirst by the side of a river - he would only need to bend his head;
like a person still remaining poor, close to a great treasure - he need only
stretch out his hand. He who communicates loses himself in God like a drop of
water in the ocean. They can no more be separated.
At the Day of Judgment we shall see the Flesh of Our Lord
shine through the glorified body of those who have received Him worthily on
earth, as we see gold shine in copper, or silver in lead. When we have just
communicated, if we were asked, "What are you carrying away to your
home?" we might answer, "I am carrying away Heaven. " A saint
said that we were Christ-bearers. It is very true; but we have not enough
faith. We do not comprehend our dignity. When we leave the holy banquet, we are
as happy as the Wise Men would have been, if they could have carried away the
Infant Jesus. Take a vessel full of liquor, and cork it well - you will keep the
liquor as long as you please. So if you were to keep Our Lord well and
recollectedly, after Communion, you would long feel that devouring fire which
would inspire your heart with an inclination to good and a repugnance to evil.
When we have the good God in our heart, it ought to be very burning. The heart
of the disciples of Emmaus burnt within them from merely listening to His
voice. I do not like people to begin to read directly when they
come from the holy table. Oh no! what is the use of the words of men when God
is speaking? We must do as one who is very curious, and listens at the door. We
must listen to all that God says at the door of our heart. When you have
received Our Lord, you feel your soul purified, because it bathes itself in the
love of God. When we go to Holy Communion, we feel something extraordinary, a
comfort which pervades the whole body, and penetrates to the extremities. What
is this comfort? It is Our Lord, who communicates Himself to all parts of our
bodies, and makes them thrill. We are obliged to say, like St.
John , "It is the Lord!" Those who feel
absolutely nothing are very much to be pitied.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Celebrating the Lords Presence - The Body and Blood of Christ in the Holy Eucharist
Happy Feast of Corpus Christi and Give thanks to the Lord for this great Gift of His Presence
with us in The Most Holy Eucharist.
Also please make reparation for the ingratitude and lukewarmness towards the
Presence of Jesus
in the Holy Eucharist in our Churches throughout the World.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Worldwide Eucharistic Adoration - Let us Join together in Prayer to Jesus for the whole world
Join Pope Francis and Catholics throughout the world tomorrow 2nd June at 5pm (Time in Italy)
on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi
to Adore and Pray to Jesus Christ our Lord and God
For more details:
Annus Fidei Vatican - Worldwide Eucharistic Adoration
to Adore and Pray to Jesus Christ our Lord and God
For more details:
Annus Fidei Vatican - Worldwide Eucharistic Adoration
Friday, May 31, 2013
Pope Francis's Homily on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi
In the Gospel we have just heard, there is an expression of
Jesus that always strikes me: “Give you them to eat. (Lk 9:13 )” Starting from this sentence, I let myself be guided
by three words: discipleship, fellowship and sharing.
1. First of all: who are those to whom we are to give to
eat? The answer is found at the beginning of the
Gospel: it is the crowd, the
multitude. Jesus is in the midst of the people: He welcomes them, talks to
them, He cures them, He shows them the mercy of God. In their midst, he chooses
the twelve Apostles to be with Him, and like Him, to immerse themselves in the
concrete situations of the world. People follow Him, listen to Him, because
Jesus speaks and acts in a new way, with the authority of someone who is
authentic and consistent, who speaks and acts with truth, who gives the hope
that comes from God, who is revelation of the face of a God who is love - and
the people with joy, bless God.
This evening we are the crowd of [which] the Gospel [tells]:
let us also strive to follow Jesus to listen to him, to enter into communion
with Him in the Eucharist, to accompany Him and in order that He accompany us.
Let us ask ourselves: how do I follow Jesus? Jesus speaks in silence in the
Mystery of the Eucharist and every time reminds us that to follow Him means to
come out of ourselves and make of our own lives, not a possession, but a gift
to Him and to others.
For full homily go here: Catholic World Report - Homily of Pope Francis
Labels:
Corpus Christi,
Pope Francis
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Monday, May 27, 2013
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
St. Paschal Baylon - Patron of Eucharistic Confraternities and Congresses
The Saint for May 17th is St. Paschal Baylon.
Born in a small village in between Castille and Aragon in
One day Paschal heard the bells of a convent announce the approaching consecration at
Receiving a vision which told him to enter a nearby Franciscan community, he became a Franciscan lay brother. He became part of the community of St. Peter of Alcantara, who was very instrumental in the life and spirituality of St. Teresa of
Paschal spent many hours before the Holy Eucharist. During his lifetime he was known by all as "the Saint of the Holy Eucharist". He spent most of the night at the foot of the altar on his knees, or prostrate on the ground. In prayer, he was often favored with ecstasies and raptures. He died at Villa Reale, near Valentia, on
Patron: Cooks; Eucharistic congresses and organizations (proclaimed by Pope Leo XIII in 1897); Obado, Bulacan, Phillipines.
Quotes from St. Paschal Baylon
"Meditate well on this: Seek God above all things. It is right for you to seek God before and above everything else, because the majesty of God wishes you to receive what you ask for. This will also make you more ready to serve God and will enable you to love him more perfectly."
"God is as really present in the consecrated Host as He is in the glory of Heaven."
Monday, May 20, 2013
Saturday, May 18, 2013
HOLY MASS FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI, HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI Basilica of Saint John Lateran Thursday, 7 June 2012
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This evening I would like to meditate with you on two
interconnected aspects of the Eucharistic Mystery: worship of the Eucharist and
its sacred nature. It is important to reflect on them once again to preserve
them from incomplete visions of the Mystery itself, such as those encountered
in the recent past.
First of all, a reflection on the importance of Eucharistic
worship and, in particular, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. We shall
experience it this evening, after Mass, before the procession, during it and at
its conclusion. A unilateral interpretation of the Second
Vatican Council penalized this dimension, in practice
restricting the
Eucharist to the moment of its celebration. Indeed it was very important to
recognize the centrality of the celebration in which the Lord summons his
people, gathers it round the dual table of the Word and of the Bread of life,
nourishes and unites it with himself in the offering of the Sacrifice.
Of course, this evaluation of the liturgical assembly in
which the Lord works his mystery of communion and brings it about still
applies; but it must be put back into the proper balance. In fact — as often
happens — in order to emphasize one aspect one ends by sacrificing another. In
this case the correct accentuation of the celebration of the Eucharist has been
to the detriment of adoration as an act of faith and prayer addressed to the
Lord Jesus, really present in the Sacrament of the Altar.
This imbalance has also had repercussions on the spiritual
life of the faithful. In fact, by concentrating the entire relationship with
the Eucharistic Jesus in the sole moment of Holy Mass one risks emptying the
rest of existential time and space of his presence. This makes ever less
perceptible the meaning of Jesus’ constant presence in our midst and with us, a
presence that is tangible, close, in our homes, as the “beating Heart” of the
city, of the country, and of the area, with its various expressions and activities.
The sacrament of Christ’s Charity must permeate the whole of daily life.
Actually it is wrong to set celebration and adoration
against each other, as if they were competing. Exactly the opposite is true:
worship of the Blessed Sacrament is, as it were, the spiritual “context” in
which the community can celebrate the Eucharist well and in truth. Only if it
is preceded, accompanied and followed by this inner attitude of faith and
adoration can the liturgical action express its full meaning and value. The
encounter with Jesus in Holy Mass is truly and fully brought about when the
community can recognize that in the Sacrament he dwells in his house, waits for
us, invites us to his table, then, after the assembly is dismissed, stays with
us, with his discreet and silent presence, and accompanies us with his
intercession, continuing to gather our spiritual sacrifices and offer them to
the Father.
In this regard I am pleased to highlight the experience we
shall be having together this evening too. At the moment of Adoration, we are
all equal, kneeling before the Sacrament of Love. The common priesthood and the
ministerial priesthood are brought together in Eucharistic worship. It is a
very beautiful and significant experience which we have had several times in St
Peter’s Basilica, and also in the unforgettable Vigils with young people — I
recall, for example, those in Cologne, London, Zagreb and Madrid. It is clear
to all that these moments of Eucharistic Vigil prepare for the celebration of
the Holy Mass, they prepare hearts for the encounter so that it will be more
fruitful.
To be all together in prolonged silence before the Lord
present in his Sacrament is one of the most genuine experiences of our being
Church, which is accompanied complementarily by the celebration of the
Eucharist, by listening to the word of God, by singing and by approaching the
table of the Bread of Life together. Communion and contemplation cannot be
separated, they go hand in hand. If I am truly to communicate with another
person I must know him, I must be able to be in silence close to him, to listen
to him and look at him lovingly. True love and true friendship are always
nourished by the reciprocity of looks, of intense, eloquent silences full of
respect and veneration, so that the encounter may be lived profoundly and
personally rather than superficially. And, unfortunately, if this dimension is
lacking, sacramental communion itself may become a superficial gesture on our
part.
Instead, in true communion, prepared for by the conversation
of prayer and of life, we can address words of confidence to the Lord, such as
those which rang out just now in the Responsorial Psalm: “O Lord, I am your
servant; I am your servant, the son of your handmaid. / You have loosed my
bonds./ I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving /and call on the name
of the Lord” (Ps 116[115]:16-17).
I would now like to move on briefly to the second aspect:
the sacred nature of the Eucharist. Here too so we have heard in the recent
past of a certain misunderstanding of the authentic message of Sacred
Scripture. The Christian newness with regard to worship has been influenced by
a certain secularist mentality of the 1960s and 70s. It is true, and this is
still the case, that the centre of worship is now no longer in the ancient
rites and sacrifices, but in Christ himself, in his person, in his life, in his
Paschal Mystery. However it must not be concluded from this fundamental
innovation that the sacred no longer exists, but rather that it has found
fulfilment in Jesus Christ, divine Love incarnate.
The Letter to the Hebrews, which we heard this evening in
the Second Reading, speaks to us precisely of the newness of the priesthood of
Christ, “high priest of the good things that have come” (Heb 9:11), but does
not say that the priesthood is finished. Christ “is the mediator of a new
covenant” (Heb 9:15), established in his blood which purifies our “conscience
from dead works” (Heb 9:14). He did not abolish the sacred but brought it to
fulfillment, inaugurating a new form of worship, which is indeed fully
spiritual but which, however, as long as we are journeying in time, still makes
use of signs and rites, which will exist no longer only at the end, in the
heavenly Jerusalem, where there will no longer be any temple (cf. Rev 21:22).
Thanks to Christ, the sacred is truer, more intense and, as happens with the
Commandments, also more demanding! Ritual observance does not suffice but
purification of the heart and the involvement of life is required.
I would also like to stress that the sacred has an
educational function and its disappearance inevitably impoverishes culture and
especially the formation of the new generations. If, for example, in the name
of a faith that is secularized and no longer in need of sacred signs, these Corpus
Christiprocessions through the city were to be abolished, the spiritual profile
of Rome would be “flattened out”, and our personal and community awareness
would be weakened.
Or let us think of a mother or father who in the name of a
desacralized faith, deprived their children of all religious rituals: in
reality they would end by giving a free hand to the many substitutes that exist
in the consumer society, to other rites and other signs that could more easily
become idols.
God, our Father, did not do this with humanity: he sent his
Son into the world not to abolish, but to give fulfilment also to the sacred.
At the height of this mission, at the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the
Sacrament of his Body and his Blood, the Memorial of his Paschal Sacrifice. By
so doing he replaced the ancient sacrifices with himself, but he did so in a
rite which he commanded the Apostles to perpetuate, as a supreme sign of the
true Sacred One who is he himself. With this faith, dear brothers and sisters,
let us celebrate the Eucharistic Mystery today and every day and adore it as
the centre of our life and the heart of the world. Amen.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Corpus Christi 2nd June Worldwide Adoration
On the Solemnity of Corpus Christi (2nd Jun), the Holy Father will preside over a special Eucharistic adoration that will extend at the same time all over the world involving the cathedrals and parishes in each diocese.
For an hour, at 5pm (Rome time),
the whole world will be united
in Prayer and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
St. Gemma Galgani and the Holy Eucharist
St. Gemma Galgani
Born: March
12, 1878
Extraordinary Mystical Experiences begin: 1898
Miraculous Cure: Friday, March 3, 1899 -1st Friday of the month (Sacred Heart devotion)
Received Stigmata: June 8, 1899 -Vigil of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Died: Holy Saturday, April 11, 1903
Beatified: May 14, 1933 by Pope Pius XI
Canonized: May 2, 1940 by Pope Pius XII
Patron Saint of Students, Pharmacists, Paratroopers and Parachutists, loss of parents, those suffering back injury or back pain, those suffering with headaches/migraines, those struggling with temptations to impurity and those seeking purity of heart.
Feast Day: April 11th (or May 16th for those in the Passionist Congregation).
Miraculous Cure: Friday, March 3, 1899 -1st Friday of the month (Sacred Heart devotion)
Received Stigmata: June 8, 1899 -Vigil of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Died: Holy Saturday, April 11, 1903
Beatified: May 14, 1933 by Pope Pius XI
Canonized: May 2, 1940 by Pope Pius XII
Patron Saint of Students, Pharmacists, Paratroopers and Parachutists, loss of parents, those suffering back injury or back pain, those suffering with headaches/migraines, those struggling with temptations to impurity and those seeking purity of heart.
Feast Day: April 11th (or May 16th for those in the Passionist Congregation).
In a letter to Father Germanus she writes:
"Today I have recieved Jesus, and now I possess Him
entirely in my miserable soul. In such moments my heart and the Heart of Jesus
are one. Oh, if only I could make it remain so always! It would mean that I
would not commit any more sins. Oh, what precious moments are those at Holy
Communion! Communion is a happiness, Father, that seems to me cannot be
equalled even by the beatitude of the Saints and Angels. They admire the face
of Jesus, and are certain of not committing sin or of being lost; and I admire
those two things, and I should like to be of their company, but I too have
reason for exalting, for Jesus enters everyday into my heart. Jesus gives me
all of Himself, though I give Him nothing worthy in return. I always ask Him
for so many things, and to tell the truth, I am afraid of wearying Him, but He
says no and not to worry. Blessed be Jesus!"
___________
Writing to Father Germanus on another occasion Gemma states
"Every morning I go to Holy Communion: The greatest and only comfort I
have, although I in no way possess what is needed to worthily approach Jesus.
The loving treatment that Jesus gives me every morning in Holy Communion
inspires within me unutterable sweetness and draws to Himself all the weak
affections of my miserable heart."
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St. Gemma Galgani
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