If we truly understood the meaning of the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass, not only would we never miss Mass ever on Sundays, but
we would make it an effort to attend daily Mass as well as prepare ourselves
each day to enter more fully into this greatest of gifts of Jesus to us and the
greatest prayer that can be offered to the Eternal Father!

The Passion play, started in Europe
in the Middle Ages, extended to this very day beyond doubt it a true classic.
However, this play is nothing more than a recall and representation of what
happened the first Good Friday, when Jesus suffered His excruciating agony and
death for the salvation of the whole world.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass not
only represents what happened close to two thousand years ago, but it actually
is a reliving of the Passion, death, as well as the Resurrection of Our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ— what we call the Paschal Mystery.  After the Consecration of the Host into the Body
of Christ and the wine into the Blood of Christ, we acclaim: “Christ has died,
Christ is risen, Christ will come again.”

Even though every single Mass has
infinite value, the graces that flow from the Mass depend greatly on the
interior disposition of the individual.  
Today, while on my private annual Ignatian retreat, I celebrated Mass
alone.  Still, this Mass had infinite
value, even though it was celebrated privately and by one individual priest!

The theological principle is called
the “dispositive grace”.   This simply
means that the graces that flow from every Holy Mass are infinite because it is
Jesus Himself— the Incarnate Word, the second Person of the Blessed
Trinity—who offers Himself as Victim to the Father for the salvation of the
world.  However, the better the disposition
of the individual the more abundant the outpouring of graces.

A simple analogy to clarify the
concept of “dispositive grace”.    Take a
window pane in your home!   If that
window pane has not been washed and cleaned for two years, the pane can
actually become dirty, sullied, almost to the point of becoming opaque.  As such, the sunshine from outside the
window, even though its desire is to penetrate the window and inundate the room
to the fullest possible extent, is greatly blocked.  Why? 
For the simple reason that the pane itself—in its unwashed and unclean
state— prevents the abundance of the light to fill the room with its
radiance!   After “Windex” has been
applied to the window, a newspaper, and an abundant rubbing and cleaning—-
only then will the window allow the sun to enter to the fullest possible
degree!    In other words, the abundance
of the outpouring of the sun is proportionate to the cleanliness of the state
of the window pane.

This being said, by analogy, our soul
is the window pane and Jesus is the “Sun of God” who most ardently desires to
enter into the depths of our soul and pass through that window pane.   His “Light” is infinite because Jesus is God
Himself. Among the many Christological titles given to Jesus is “I am the Light
of the world.”  If my soul is totally black
due to mortal sin, then I should not even approach the Eucharist before
sacramental confession; if done, my soul will be plunged into deeper darkness!

If I come late to Mass, am harboring
some minor resentment, pay little attention in Mass, barely participate in the
prayers and allow my mind to wander, then in that case my soul is dirty,
sullied with a mediocre preparation at best.  
Jesus upon entering will communicate little light because the
disposition of such soul is anemic, weak, and lacking in fervor!

On the contrary, is the person who
sincerely desires to receive Jesus with the best of dispositions.  He loves the Lord, longs to receive Him, and
does all in his power to prepare for that most sublime moment of the reception
of Holy Communion in Mass.

A most powerful example of an
excellent disposition is a recently canonized saint, whose feast day is Jul 24th
, SAINT CHARBEL MAKLOUF!    This Lebanese
contemplative monk received permission to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass at 12:00 noon.   The reason for
this?   Simply this: Holy Mass was going
to be the very center of his life and existence!    This modern saint had a very simple
philosophy of life: THE EUCHARIST JESUS IN MASS WILL BE THE CENTER AND HEART OF
MY LIFE!

So what did Saint Charbel do to carry
out this simple but most noble proposal? The whole of the morning, leading up
to 12:00 noon when he would celebrate Mass was a preparation for Mass.
Everything he did in prayer and action was geared to prepare Charbel to
encounter the Eucharistic Lord.  Mass was
celebrated then at 12:00 noon.  Then
after the Mass Saint Charbel spent the rest of the day in its entirety in
rendering the Eucharistic Lord thanksgiving for such a sublime gift!

Dispositive grace at its best!   The whole of the life of Saint Charbel
Maklouf was focused on Jesus present in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.   For that simple but profound reason he is
indeed a modern saint!

According to your state of life maybe
you cannot imitate Saint Charbel Maklouf exactly! However, why not starting
today, starting right now, make a concerted effort to improve and upgrade your
own Holy Communions!  Why not strive to
improve your own disposition of soul!  
Why not attempt to purchase your own “Spiritual Windex” to cleanse and
purify your soul to receive better the Eucharistic Lord.

One suggestion and a closing promise
of blessing!   Arrive a few minutes early
before Mass has started. Calm yourself down. 
The priest celebrant will have his own specific
intention/intentions.  Why not place on
the altar your own specific intentions. Here are three: 1) Pray for the soul of
a deceased relative our friend so as to release him from Purgatory; 2) Pray for
the conversion of sinners, but specifically somebody you have in mind that you
love and are concerned about his/her salvation; 3) Pray for your own
conversion. Beg the Lord for a “Spiritual Heart transplant”.  May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, burning
for love for you, consume in your heart whatever is displeasing to Him.

THE PROMISE AND BLESSING!   Jesus promised that those who eat His Body
and drink His Blood will have Eternal life and that He will raise them up on
the last day. (Jn. 6:22-71,  The Bread of
Life discourse). Heaven is yours!  If
your receive Jesus with burning love on earth, then He will receive you into
Heaven!

                                                       

No better pursuit, enterprise, objective in life than to strive on a daily basis to grow in Friendship with Jesus the Lord. Many engage in worldly pursuit exerting time, effort, money as well as blood, sweat and tears for merely human enterprises which end up in disillusion, sadness and defeat.
Pursuing whole-heartedly friendship with Jesus fulfills all the most sublime desires of the human heart.   The great convert, who sought happiness in pleasure, sensuality and worldliness, finally after more than 30 years of life found true happiness in Jesus. In his Confessions he affirmed this: “O Lord you have made our hearts for thee and our hearts are restless until they rest in thee.”   What are specific and concrete ways to grow in Friendship with Jesus?                                                

Activism, Horizontalism, “Americanism”,  “Marthaism”, Workaholics—all of these words express the sign of the times—the tendency to
put ourselves, our work and our productiveness above God.  Of course, this can be termed a heresy, idolatry, and counterproductive to say the least.
The Psalmist poignantly points out, “If the Lord does not build the house in vain do the labors work.”   Jesus put it clearly with these words:” Seek first the Kingdom of God and everything else will be given to you beside.”  Also, Our Lord and Master asserted:  “What would it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul?”

Spiritual retreats are indispensable for the modern man so inclined to activism, horizontalism, to be a “Workaholic!”. 

There was a man who lived in the 15th and 16th century who lead an active life of page in the Spanish court and then soldier, battling for his country!  God intervened with a “Providential accident”, in the battle of Pamplona, which forced this very active many to stop. In silence, reflection, meditation, and examination of conscience, he recognized his need for God, call to prayer, call to conversion.

Then, while in prayer in Manresa, God sent Mary His Mother and gave him the blueprints to the most famous form of modern retreats— the Spiritual Exercises. The name of this former activist is  SAINT IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA!

The fruits of making a Spiritual Retreat—especially following the Ignatian scheme—are abounding!  Here are a few, to encourage all to seek time to make a retreat with the Lord!

First, SILENCE!   The modern world suffers from “Noise pollution”— meaning a bombardment of loud, constant and often disturbing
noise!   Interesting discovery!  Elijah did not discover God in the thunder, nor the earthquake, nor in the powerful wind, but he did find God in the gentle breeze.   Our retreat is time to feel the gentle breeze of God caressing the depths of your soul!

Second, PRAYER!  God calls all to a life of prayer and a deepening experience of prayer. God calls us but He gently and humble awaits our response.   Retreat time is a propitious and ripe time to enter into prayer. St. Ignatius encourages those doing the retreat to separate themselves from their normal environment, so as to eliminate distractions so that the soul can meet God and God can meet the soul in profound and intimate dialogue.   That is prayer: intimate dialogue and communication with God.  St.  Teresa of Avila defined prayer in simple terms:  “Prayer is nothing more than FRIENDSHIP with the Lord; it is spending long times of silence alone with the one I know loves me.                          

Third, EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE AND LIFE.   In sin were we conceived and
born, sinners we are by inheritance from our parents Adam and Eve, sinners we
are in fact and reality— retreat time also focuses on God’s infinite mercy.
However, mercy is related to our own misery— another name for the reality of
sin. Interesting  note on the word mercy from the Latin derivation, “Misericordia” (Latin, Spanish and Italian).  “Miseria”—means what it actually looks like, “misery”.  Sin is moral misery.  “Cordia” means heart.   This best is illustrated and exemplified in
the Parable of the Prodigal Son, or if you like, “The Parable of the Merciful
Father”.  The Father’s loving heart runs out to meet the moral misery of “The Prodigal” sinful son.  Retreat time paves the way for a serious and deep examination of conscience, repentance, confession and conversion of
heart.    The interior fruit in the heart is that of peace.  St. Augustine defined
peace as “The tranquility of order”.  St. Ignatius instructs us that one of the primary purposes of retreat is “to order
the disordered”. Sin is moral disorder. Examination, repentance, and confession
order the disorder in the soul and “Shalom”—peace be with you!

Fifth, FAMILY BLESSINGS!    When I officiate the Sacrament of
Matrimony, often during the homily, I stop to ask the Bride and then the Groom
what would be the best thing each one of the individually could do for the other
to form the best marriage and family? Shocked by the question and tongue-tied,
I give the response:  “Fall in love with Jesus Christ everyday of your life!”  
Archbishop Fulton Sheen wrote a classic on marriage, “It takes three to
get married”.  Those three are Mary, John, and most important JESUS!!!! If Jesus is in the center of the marriage, then
there will be peace, joy, harmony and many spiritual blessings.    Apply this concept to a retreat! A husband
or wife, priest or Religious that corresponds with open mind and generosity of
heart to the graces of a Retreat will undoubtedly sanctify his life and the
fruits of his life.  Jesus said that we are called to bring forth fruit and fruit in abundance. (Jn. 15, The Parable of
the Vine and the Branches).  Holiness is contagious, magnetic, attractive. 
Although it did not happen immediate nor overnight, St. Augustine
converted— through the grace of God, but secondarily, through the prayers and
the holiness of another saint, his mother Saint Monica.  Retreats fill the retreatant with the grace
of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit and this grace and Spirit of God is
meant not to be hidden in the closet nor under the bushel-basket but to be
shared with the whole world, starting with the family because charity begins at home!

In sum Jesus invites us to rest, to come apart for a time and to spend time with Him.  This is the essence of a retreat— to leave the world for a short time, to rest in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. With this to return renewed, fortified, strengthened, reinvigorated, spiritually reborn and bring this Good News to the whole world.  May Our Lady who in silence heard and meditated on the Word of God and then brought this Good News to her cousin Elizabeth, inspire us to seek rest in the Sacred Heart of her Son, the Lord Jesus!

Meister Eckhart, a great spiritual;
writer of the past stated blunt and to the point, with respect to a fundamental
attitude of prayer, with these consoling words: 
“If the only prayer we ever uttered were that of THANKSGIVING, then that
indeed would be enough.”

Shakespeare had sharp words to the
ungrateful!  “More painful than that of a
serpent’s toot is that of an ungrateful child.”

The Psalmist reminds us time and time
again of the call to thanksgiving:  “Give
thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His love endures forever.”   Count the number of times that the Psalmist
reminds us and encourages us to render God thanks giving! You will be amazed at
the number of times!

The Apostle Paul does not forget this
“Attitude of gratitude” that should characterize the life of the follower of
Christ.   The fiery apostle to the
Gentiles goes so far as to challenge us to “give thanks at all times.”   God indeed loves a heart that overflows with
gratitude and He is longing to pour an abundance of graces specifically on
those who are known for their gratitude.

In another passage Paul challenges to
be humble and grateful asserting:  “What
do you have that you have not received?”  
Humbling as this may sound, the only thing that we actually have that
has not been given as a gift from God are the SINS that we freely choose to
commit against God’s love and super-abundant bounty!

Of course our Model,  par-excellence, for gratitude is Jesus
Himself.   We see Jesus giving thanks to
the Heavenly Father before working the stupendous miracle of the multiplication
of the loaves and fishes.  Jesus
expressed both wonder and sorrow after accomplishing a miracle full of
compassion and love in which he healed the ten lepers of this terrible, incurable,
and isolating disease of leprosy.   Only
one of the ten who were cured came running back to Jesus, praising and thanking
Jesus for the gift of being healed.   The
other nine, went their happy way without even a word of thanks to Jesus!  By the way, the healed leper that did return
was a Samaritan— a class of people that the Jews despised!

The passage in the Gospel that best
manifests the “Attitude of gratitude” of Jesus toward the Father happened
precisely at the  Last Supper, a few
hours before He was to undergo His most bitter Passion.

At the Last Supper Jesus took bread
broke it and gave it to His disciples, saying “Do this in memory of me.”  Priests have been carrying out this mandate
of Jesus the past 2000 years every time they celebrate Holy Mass, which is
called, “The Eucharist”— Eucharist actually means thanksgiving!

Jesus was thankful to the Father to
be able to celebrate the First Mass on Holy Thursday and leave us a memorial of
His Passion, death and resurrection every time Holy Mass is celebrated. How
exceedingly grateful we should be every time we participate in Holy Mass!

Starting today, let us foster and
cultivate an “attitude of gratitude” towards God from whom comes every good
gift.  What do we have that we have not
received from Him, except our own sinfulness?  
Why not start with these five categories of “Gifts” that God has gratuitously
bestowed on us and teach others— especially parents their children—to do the
same!                                                                   

First, Life!  And on two planes: natural and
supernatural.  The fact that God, the
author, origin and sustainer of life has endowed us with human life and
supernatural life through grace should motivate us to sing a canticle of praise
as id the mystical and poetically sensitive heart of St. Francis of
Assisi!  Our life could have been
destroyed in the horrific act of abortion, snuffed out underneath a bomb, are
ended tragically in a head on collision. But no, God has given us life and
protected it. Even more worthy of gratitude is the gift of belief in God!

Second, NOURISHMENT!   Contemplating little children with bloated
stomachs, sunken eyes and toothpicks called arms, how can we not raise our
hearts in gratitude to God and make an effort to alleviate the plight of those
who practically have nothing! 
Spiritually, God nourishes us by His Word, and by Hos Sacrament, The
most Holy Eucharist, His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity! Eternal gratitude
towards you, O Lord!                                                       

Third, HEALING!  Thanks be to God for the dedication and
expertise of those in the Medical Profession, who have saved us from serious
illness and maybe death itself.  Still
more, abundant thanks to the Lord for the healing of our souls through the healing
and gentle touch of Jesus the Physician who anoints us, and heals us though the
priest in the Sacrament of  Confession
!  Jesus is the wounded healer who has
come to heal our wounds so that we also can be wounded healers in broken world!

Fourth, FRIENDSHIP!  Call to mind the many friends that Jesus has
sent.  Consolation, compassion, mere
presence, advice, at times fraternal correction, a timely smile and a fervent
prayer— all of these are hallmarks of the signs of an authentic friend.  But even more important Jesus clearly
expressed an intimate desire of His Sacred Heart to the Apostles, and to you
and me:  “I do not call you slaves
but  FRIENDS!    Most certainly Jesus is Friend and the most
faithful of friends. Even the best of friends fail at times. However, Jesus is
our true Friend and he will never fail us!  

Fifth, HOPE, TRUST, TRUE
HAPPINESS!  As followers of Jesus we can
start our day, end our day—despite trials, struggles and even failures—with
renewed hope!   Merciless are political
regimes, dictators, calculating money-makers! 
Not so with our Lord and God.   In
Him we can place all of our hope; He is worthy of total and limitless trust and
in Him can be found true happiness.  As
the sun rises tomorrow morning so does God’s love for each and every one of
us!  God is our Rock, Fortress, anchor,
Principle and Foundation and the source of our happiness here on earth and in
heaven for all eternity!  For this let us
“Give thanks to the Lord for he is good for His love endures forever.”

It is couched in between two Minor Prophets, Obadiah and Micah, it is composed of only 4 chapters, with only 48 verses in total, a small book, a minor prophet but with an extremely explosive message—it is the book and the person of JONAH!

God summoned Jonah to go to a place he did not want to go, to visit a people he did not particularly like, and to
give a message he literally detested—all this to the pagan city of Nineveh!

Jonah’s response to God’s call?  A flat and unequivocal “No!”   I will not go!  To prove it, Jonah jumped into a pagan ship
going in the exact opposite direction! Jonah reasoned that this would solve the problem.

God had other plans.  When God wants to carry out a mission, he finds the means and the wherewith to accomplish it! God sent two unexpected surprises to Jonah: a powerful storm and a huge fish.  Neither of these ever crossed the mind of Jonah!

The storm compelled the sailors to question who provoked it. Jonah pleads guilty! Then Jonah, cast into the depths
of the sea, surmising his life would be snuffed out, finds himself swallowed up
by a huge fish and remaining in the fish’s belly for three long days and three long nights!

After the duration of three days, the fish vomits Jonah out of his mouth and where does Jonah end up?  Guess where???  Exactly where Jonah had decided to escape and avoid at all costs— the huge city of Nineveh.  When God wants His way, He will carry it out and sometimes in the most surprising ways!

Now Jonah, the resistant prophet of
the Lord, starts out on his mission and preaching. The city of Nineveh was
enormous, filled with pagans, even more filled with sin and Jonah’s message
clear and to the point was that of conversion or else condemnation:  “In 40 days Nineveh and its entire people
will be destroyed!”

To his great surprise, the news of this “message of doom” arrived to the ears of the king and the result was
shocking: total call to conversion for the whole kingdom, nobody excluded, not even the animals!

Man and woman, young and old, even
the four-footed creatures had imposed upon them from the King himself both a rigorous
fast and outward display of penance—the donning on of sackcloth and ashes!

Peering down from heaven upon the
humble and repentant Ninevites, God points out to Jonah their attitude of
conversion, their change of heart. Consequently, God Himself decides to hold off
on chastising the Ninevites!

Irritated at God’s decision, Jonah
was expecting another Sodom and Gomorrah to be displayed to Nineveh!   Jonah wanted revenge and justice to be
requited and quickly. However God preferred mercy.   God is slow to anger and rich in mercy.   Man, on the contrary, is quick to anger and
slow to forgiveness. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, as high are the
heavens above the earth, so are God’s thoughts above ours!

The last verse and thought in the
Book of Jonah is very telling.  These
poor people do not know how to distinguish between their right hand and their
left!  In other words, ignorance is so
vast in this huge land.  Jesus said from
the cross similar words:  “Father forgive
them for they know not what they are doing.”

How many lessons can we glean from
this short but powerful book of the Prophet Jonah?   In how many ways might we be able to
identify with the person of Jonah?   Do
we suffer from the same “Jonah-complex?” 
Why not enter our own hearts and make a brief but sincere examination of
conscience.  Pray and respond interiorly
to these thought-provoking questions!