At that time, says the LORD,
I will be the God of all the tribes of Israel,
and they shall be my people.
Thus says the LORD:
The people that escaped the sword
have found favor in the desert.
As Israel comes forward to be given his rest,
the LORD appears to him from afar:
With age-old love I have loved you;
so I have kept my mercy toward you.
Again I will restore you, and you shall be rebuilt,
O virgin Israel;
Carrying your festive tambourines,
you shall go forth dancing with the merrymakers.
Again you shall plant vineyards
on the mountains of Samaria;
those who plant them shall enjoy the fruits.
Yes, a day will come when the watchmen
will call out on Mount Ephraim:
“Rise up, let us go to Zion,
to the LORD, our God.”

For thus says the LORD:
Shout with joy for Jacob,
exult at the head of the nations;
proclaim your praise and say:
The LORD has delivered his people,
the remnant of Israel.

R. (see 10d)  The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
proclaim it on distant isles, and say:
He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,
he guards them as a shepherd his flock.

R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
The LORD shall ransom Jacob,
he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.
Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,
they shall come streaming to the LORD’s blessings.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

Then the virgins shall make merry and dance,
and young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into joy.
I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
“Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is tormented by a demon.”
But he did not say a word in answer to her.
His disciples came and asked him,
“Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”
He said in reply,
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.”
He said in reply,
“It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters.”
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
“O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish.”
And her daughter was healed from that hour.

For the readings of the Optional Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major

Catechism of the Catholic Church

64 Through the prophets, God forms his people in the hope of salvation, in the expectation of a new and everlasting Covenant intended for all, to be written on their hearts.  The prophets proclaim a radical redemption of the People of God, purification from all their infidelities, a salvation which will include all the nations. Above all, the poor and humble of the Lord will bear this hope. Such holy women as Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Judith and Esther kept alive the hope of Israel’s salvation. the purest figure among them is Mary.

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5^TH Mt. 15:21-28   A Canaanite woman called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.”

• The Canaanite woman’s prayer is quite perfect. She acknowledges Jesus as the Messiah, in contrast to the disbelief of many Jews! She expresses her need simply, “Have pity on me, Lord. My daughter is tormented by a demon.” Refusing to be discouraged by either His silence or His objections, she perseveres, “Lord, help me.”
• Jesus finally points out, “It is not right to take the food of the children (those of the house of Israel) and throw it to the dogs.” He says this not to humiliate her, but to show the depth of her humility!
• “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Humility is the precursor of faith, she sees the infinite value of even the crumbs that fall from the hand of Jesus!
• We also bring our petitions to Jesus for our family members. Certainly health of mind and body is important and worthy of petition, especially in this time of the Pandemic. However, for the very same reason, isn’t our eternal salvation and theirs of the greatest importance. Thomas Kempis in The Imitation of Christ says, “It is not important to have a long life, but a holy life.”
• Knowing this, we too call out to Jesus, “Have pity on me, Lord, my spouse, or son, daughter or grandchild, or brother or sister is away from the Church.” We have prayed, maybe for many years, beseeching the Lord with tears and pleas, with sacrifices and sufferings, for their conversion.
• How often our spiritual sight dims and we become discouraged. We don’t realize that not a single prayer, tear or sigh is lost! No sacrifice or suffering overlooked. Jesus sees them all and the fullness of heart from which they flow. Only He knows the propitious time for a soul to turn to Him.
• It takes faith and humility to pray… but it takes even greater faith and greater humility to believe that we are heard! Didn’t Jesus say, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Mt. 7: 7-8) 
• St. Monica was disheartened and discouraged after years of praying for her wayward son. When she followed Augustine to Milan, she sought the counsel of Bishop Ambrose. His advice, “Talk less to Augustine about God, and more to God about Augustine!”
• As a result, the Church gained two great Saints! For the graces that flowed from the ardent prayers, sacrifices and sufferings of Monica were her salvation as well as Augustine’s. Less well known is that Monica’s prayers converted not only her son, but her pagan husband and gossipy mother-in-law too! Lesson? Our good God cannot be outdone in generosity!
• Let us beg for the grace to persevere in talking to God about those we love who have lost their way, offering our prayers, sacrifices and suffering with great confidence in His grace and infinite mercy! However, let us not stop there! Let us determine to save as many souls as possible! As our model let us take Saint Jacinta Marto!

EXCERPT: JACINTA MARTO: PEARL OF GREAT PRICE!  By Father Ed Broom, OMV

For the sake of brevity we would like to focus on what we believe to be the so called “Conversion” of Jacinta Marto. Indeed, we can now call her Saint Jacinta Marto, because she was canonized, with her older brother Francisco, on May 13, 2017 by Pope Francis—among the youngest saints in the Church Calendar!

By nature Jacinta was extroverted, joyful, exhilarant, expansive, playful as well as competitive, a lover of dance, and simply a lover of life! In a word, she was a typical good little girl, somewhat prayerful, a good daughter, and a good sister. However, there was nothing really extraordinary about her person and nature until something happened that radically transformed her life forever!

YEAR 1916.  In the year 1916, Jacinta, Francisco, and Lucia, all of them shepherds, had a visitation by an angel, actually three times. This angel taught them how to pray, what to say in prayer, and a posture in prayer—that of prostration!

YEAR 1917.  May 13 of the following year 1917, the three children were visited by the woman dressed in white; it was the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our Lady would actually appear to them six times in total, culminating in October with the great miracle of the sun witnessed by more than 70, 000 people!

CONVERSION.  One of the highlights and key notes of the preaching of Jesus, Saint John the Baptist, as well as Saint Peter in his Pentecost discourse, is the call to conversion. “Be converted, the Kingdom of God is at hand” (Mk 1:15) was actually the first words we have of Jesus in His Public ministry. There are two forms of conversion—the radical conversion of Saint Matthew who left all to follow Christ, as well as Saul of Tarsus who encountered Christ on the road to Damascus. Then there is the slow and painful process of conversion that we all have to work at on a daily basis.

RADICAL CONVERSION OF JACINTA MARTO.  Basically Jacinta was a good girl all of her life. However, there was a specific event that happened to her, as well as to her brother Francisco and cousin Lucia, that would leave an indelible mark on Jacinta’s soul and radically transform her total life. When and what happened to change this little girl’s life? It was during the third apparition of Our Lady on July 13, 1917. In this most powerful apparition, Our Lady revealed to these three little shepherd children a graphic vision of HELL. Our Lady opened up her hands and it was as if the earth opened its mouth. The children could see what appeared to be a lake or even sea of immense fire. In it they could see the damned souls—some were transparent, others bronze, still others brown, and finally some were pitch black. Many souls seemed to be floating without any equilibrium, like balloons blown by the wind with no anchoring. Also, the children perceived hideous animals that were transpiercing the souls; these were the devils. In addition to this, the children could hear the cries of despair of the damned souls. This graphic and Dantesque vision of hell seen by the children never left their memories and would move them to acts of heroic virtue in the realm of sacrifice. One more note: the children said they would have died of fear if the Blessed Virgin were not present there with them. However, the Blessed Virgin Mary wanted them to experience this vision, as well as the world at large! Why? From this came conversion!

JACINTA’S CONVERSION.  From that moment on Jacinta Marto would never be the same. Indeed, it was this graphic and unforgettable vision of hell on July 13, 1917 that would change her heart, her actions, and her life in its totality. Saint Pope John Paul II, in the beatification process of Jacinta and Francisco on May 13, 2000, gave them each a specific title which really exemplified the essence of their charisms, indeed the essence of their sanctity. The Pontiff called Francisco “A Little Mystic”. Whereas Jacinta he called “A Little Victim Soul”.  What then is this so called “victim soul”?  Such a soul offers themself to God in order to generously offer sacrifices, as well as to accept the sufferings sent by God, primarily for the purpose of souls: the conversion of poor sinners and the salvation of their immortal souls. Saint Padre Pio, Saint Therese, Josefa Menendez —all of these were victim souls. Therefore, after the vision of hell viewed by Jacinta with Francisco and Lucia, Jacinta was imbued and permeated with an insatiable desire to save souls, especially poor sinners from the horrendous but all too real place of hell.

The Catholic Church has always taught that any person who dies unrepentant in the state of mortal sin is condemned to the chastisement of hell and for all eternity. Indeed, the only one to blame is that soul himself for having chosen of his free will to commit mortal sin, live in mortal sin, and die unrepentant in mortal sin! Jacinta Marto could not forget the pain, the suffering, the anguish, the despair of those many souls that she saw in this apparent sea of fire, tortured at the same time by the many hideous devils. This graphic vision shown to her by the Blessed Virgin Mary would move Jacinta to the practice of heroic virtue in the realm of sacrifice. Let us now look into the many sacrifices undertaken by this “Little Victim Soul”, Saint Jacinta Marto.    

THE HEROIC SACRIFICES OF JACINTA: A MOTIVATION FOR ALL OF US!!!  Jacinta Marto had no formal education; she could neither read nor write. Her First Communion was given through the hands of an angel from heaven in 1916. She had no degree in theology and only knew the basics of her catechism. However, she had two excellent teachers who would lift her up to the heights of holiness in a very quick period of a little more than two years. Who were these teachers? The Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit. Let us summarily outline the sacrifices of this little shepherd girl.

1. One of the favorite past times of Jacinta was to dance; she simply loved to dance. For the sake of the salvation of souls, Jacinta willingly gave up dancing for the rest of her life!

2. Jacinta’s favorite food was the luscious and sweet grapes of the Portuguese hills and vineyards. Indeed, she loved to eat these grapes. Once again, like the dancing, she decided that she would give up these grapes, and in place of them, eat the bitter herbs and nuts from the field—a huge sacrifice. All of this done to save souls from the fires of hell!

3. She wore her normal, modest clothes. However, Jacinta, as well as Francisco and Lucia, made a hidden sacrifice that was seen by God alone and it was the ROPE. Beneath their clothes they fastened a rope around their waists. This caused them considerable discomfort during the course of the day. Our Lady told them to take it off at night so that they could at least have a good night’s repose.

4. Upon their way to the fields where they would tend their sheep, the three children would often bump into poorer children who had barely anything at all to eat. The three children would willingly offer their lunches to the poor children to eat, and thereby suffer hunger themselves during the course of the day. Why? For this simple reason, to bar the gates of hell for many poor sinners!

5. Climate: Heat! They would tend the sheep in the midst of the summer and offer up the heat. Hell, of course, is much worse, and it is forever and ever and ever!

6. On one occasion, in the middle of summer, the heat and humidity were so intense that the children were almost dying of thirst. Therefore, Lucia went to a nearby household and asked for water. She was given a pitcher of water to share with Francisco and Jacinta. When Lucia arrived with the water, the two decided that they would prefer to suffer the heat and humidity rather than drink the refreshing water. Why? Once again this sacrifice could be offered for the sake of the conversion of poor sinners, so that they would be saved from the eternal fires of hell. Consequently, Lucia poured the water onto the ground. All of them went thirsty. They had a greater thirst for the eternal salvation of immortal souls; like Jesus, who cried out on the cross: I THIRST!

7. In the same context, Jacinta could hear the crickets sounding and her head was pounding, and she started to complain. Francisco quickly intervened and reminded her that she could offer even her headache up as a sacrifice for the conversion and salvation of poor sinners. Jacinta quickly stopped complaining and did as her brother suggested!

8. Eventually the crowds would come and pester the children with interminable questions about what they saw and heard. Once again Jacinta would offer this suffering as a sacrifice for the salvation of souls.

9. Rosary in its totality. Early on the three children would obey their parents and pray the Rosary, however, in an abbreviated fashion, in which they would just say the first two words of the Our Father and the Hail Mary, so that they could proceed to their play as soon as possible. After the graphic and unforgettable vision of hell and the damned sinners, not only did the children pray the whole Rosary, but they prayed many Rosaries during the course of the day. Indeed, such was the love and thirst that the children had, but especially Jacinta, to collaborate with God in the salvation of immortal souls!

10. Sickness and Death. Our Lady asked the children if they would be willing to suffer and sacrifice for souls for God. The spokesperson, Lucia, responded with a generous YES for herself and in the name of the other two. This suffering and sacrifice would result in the early deaths of both Francisco, who died first, and then Jacinta. One of the most painful elements of the death of little Jacinta was the fact that she basically died alone. The hospital was distant from her parents’ home and they could not make it easily to this destination. Therefore, in the last days and the last hours of the death of this little Victim Soul, she died alone without the presence of any of her family members. This calls to mind one of the last words of Jesus as He hung upon the cross: “My God, My God, why hast thou abandoned me?” (Mt 27:46) To a limited degree, Jesus shared with this heroic child a part of His bitter passion. In a certain sense we can say that Jacinta went through the dark night of the soul as she suffered in the hospital, distant from all her loved ones. All to save immortal souls!

Copyright 2020 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA

The following message came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel:
Write all the words I have spoken to you in a book.

For thus says the LORD:
Incurable is your wound,
grievous your bruise;
There is none to plead your cause,
no remedy for your running sore,
no healing for you.
All your lovers have forgotten you,
they do not seek you.
I struck you as an enemy would strike,
punished you cruelly;
Why cry out over your wound?
your pain is without relief.
Because of your great guilt,
your numerous sins,
I have done this to you.

Thus says the LORD:
See!  I will restore the tents of Jacob,
his dwellings I will pity;
City shall be rebuilt upon hill,
and palace restored as it was.
From them will resound songs of praise,
the laughter of happy men.
I will make them not few, but many;
they will not be tiny, for I will glorify them.
His sons shall be as of old,
his assembly before me shall stand firm;
I will punish all his oppressors.
His leader shall be one of his own,
and his rulers shall come from his kin.
When I summon him, he shall approach me;
how else should one take the deadly risk
of approaching me? says the LORD.
You shall be my people,
and I will be your God.

R. (17)  The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.
The nations shall revere your name, O LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,
When the LORD has rebuilt Zion
and appeared in his glory;
When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
and not despised their prayer.
R. The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.
Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the LORD:
“The LORD looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die.”
R. The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.
The children of your servants shall abide,
and their posterity shall continue in your presence,
That the name of the LORD may be declared on Zion;
and his praise, in Jerusalem,
When the peoples gather together
and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.
R. The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rabbi, you are the Son of God;
you are the King of Israel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side of the sea,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.”

After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret.
When the men of that place recognized him,
they sent word to all the surrounding country.
People brought to him all those who were sick
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak,
and as many as touched it were healed.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

63 Israel is the priestly people of God, “called by the name of the LORD”, and “the first to hear the word of God”, The people of “elder brethren” in the faith of Abraham.

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

TUESDAY, AUGUST 4TH   Mt. 15: 1-2, 10-14   “Hear and understand. It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles the man; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one.”

“Out of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Mt. 12:34). Is my heart good or bad? In honesty, we have to say both! This is a good daily Examen Prayer for us. Add to this, not only what came out of my mouth, but what was I thinking that I did not say. We will be judged not only on our words and actions but on the thoughts we willfully entertained. We will also be judged on what we failed to say or do — sins of omission!

The Good News of the Gospel is that there is a Doctor in the house! “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ez. 26:36)  The Doctor most often works through His representatives on earth beginning with the Vicar of Christ on earth — our Holy Father, the Bishops, and our priests!

PART 1: Excerpt from a Homily on today’s Gospel by Pope Francis
PART 2: Excerpt from Pope Francis’x Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete Et Exsultate – On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World

PART 1:
Let the Vicar of Christ open our minds and hearts…

Excerpt from Sunday Homily by Pope Francis (From Inside the Vatican Staff 4.30.2015)

“You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” (Mk.7:8)

These are words that fill us with admiration for our Teacher: we feel that in Him is truth and that His wisdom liberates us from prejudice.

But, pay attention here. With these words Jesus wants to put us on guard today, don’t you think? Thinking that an exterior observance of the law is sufficient for being a good Christian. Just like back then for the Pharisees, there is also for us the danger of considering that all is well with us or that we’re better than the others because of the simple fact of observing certain rules or customs, even though we don’t love our neighbor, are hard of heart and proud.

The literal observance of precepts is sterile if it doesn’t change the heart and if it is not translated into concrete attitudes: opening oneself to the encounter with God and His word, seeking justice and peace, helping the poor, the weak and the oppressed.

In this way, He emphasizes the primacy of the interior of the “heart”: exterior things are not what make us holy or not holy, but rather the heart that expresses our intentions, our desires and the desire to do everything for love of God.

We can ask ourselves: Where is my heart? Jesus said, your treasure is where your heart is. What is my treasure? Is it Jesus and His doctrine? Or my treasure is another thing? Thus, it is the heart that we must purify and convert. Without a purified heart, we can never have truly clean hands and lips that speak sincere words of love, mercy and forgiveness.

Let us ask the Lord, through the intercession of the Most Holy Virgin, to give us a pure heart, free of all hypocrisy — that’s the adjective that Jesus used with the Pharisees: hypocrites, because they say one thing and do another. Free from all hypocrisy so that in this way we are able to live according to the spirit of the law and reach its goal, which is love.

End of Homily Excerpt.

The purpose and end of purifying our hearts is to become saints! Remember, everyone in heaven is a saint!

Again, let us be taught and encouraged by the Vicar of Christ… If we take these words to heart and live them, we WILL become saints!

PART 2: Excerpt from Pope Francis Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete Et Exsultate – On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World (3/19/2018)

 FOR YOU TOO…

14. To be holy does not require being a bishop, a priest or a religious. We are frequently tempted to think that holiness is only for those who can withdraw from ordinary affairs to spend much time in prayer. That is not the case. We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves.

Are you called to the consecrated life? Be holy by living out your commitment with joy. Are you married? Be holy by loving and caring for your husband or wife, as Christ does for the Church. Do you work for a living? Be holy by laboring with integrity and skill in the service of your brothers and sisters. Are you a parent or grandparent? Be holy by patiently teaching the little ones how to follow Jesus. Are you in a position of authority? Be holy by working for the common good and renouncing personal gain. [14]

15. Let the grace of your baptism bear fruit in a path of holiness. Let everything be open to God; turn to Him in every situation. Do not be dismayed, for the power of the Holy Spirit enables you to do this, and holiness, in the end, is the fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life (cf. Gal 5:22-23).

When you feel the temptation to dwell on your own weakness, raise your eyes to Christ crucified and say: “Lord, I am a poor sinner, but you can work the miracle of making me a little bit better”.

In the Church, holy yet made up of sinners, you will find everything you need to grow towards holiness. The Lord has bestowed on the Church the gifts of scripture, the sacraments, holy places, living communities, the witness of the saints and a multifaceted beauty that proceeds from God’s love, “like a bride bedecked with jewels” (Is 61:10).

This holiness to which the Lord calls you will grow through small gestures.

Here is an example: a woman goes shopping, she meets a neighbor and they begin to speak, and the gossip starts. But she says in her heart: “No, I will not speak badly of anyone”. This is a step forward in holiness.

Later, at home, one of her children wants to talk to her about his hopes and dreams, and even though she is tired, she sits down and listens with patience and love. That is another sacrifice that brings holiness.

Later she experiences some anxiety, but recalling the love of the Virgin Mary, she takes her rosary and prays with faith. Yet another path of holiness.

Later still, she goes out onto the street, encounters a poor person and stops to say a kind word to him. One more step.

17. At times, life presents great challenges. Through them, the Lord calls us anew to a conversion that can make His grace more evident in our lives, “in order that we may share His holiness” (Heb 12:10).

At other times, we need only find a more perfect way of doing what we are already doing: “There are inspirations that tend solely to perfect in an extraordinary way the ordinary things we do in life”. [15]

When Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyên van Thuân was imprisoned, he refused to waste time waiting for the day he would be set free. Instead, he chose “to live the present moment, filling it to the brim with love”. He decided: “I will seize the occasions that present themselves every day; I will accomplish ordinary actions in an extraordinary way”. [16]

18. In this way, led by God’s grace, we shape by many small gestures the holiness God has willed for us, not as men and women sufficient unto ourselves but rather “as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Pet 4:10).

The New Zealand bishops rightly teach us that we are capable of loving with the Lord’s unconditional love, because the risen Lord shares His powerful life with our fragile lives:

“His love set no limits and, once given, was never taken back. It was unconditional and remained faithful. To love like that is not easy because we are often so weak. But just to try to love as Christ loved us shows that Christ shares His own risen life with us. In this way, our lives demonstrate His power at work – even in the midst of human weakness”. [17]

YOUR MISSION IN CHRIST…

19. A Christian cannot think of his or her mission on earth without seeing it as a path of holiness, for “this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thess 4:3). Each saint is a mission, planned by the Father to reflect and embody, at a specific moment in history, a certain aspect of the Gospel.

20. That mission has its fullest meaning in Christ, and can only be understood through Him. At its core, holiness is experiencing, in union with Christ, the mysteries of His life. It consists in uniting ourselves to the Lord’s death and resurrection in a unique and personal way, constantly dying and rising anew with Him.

But it can also entail reproducing in our own lives various aspects of Jesus’ earthly life: His hidden life, His life in community, His closeness to the outcast, His poverty and other ways in which He showed His self-sacrificing love.

The contemplation of these mysteries, as Saint Ignatius of Loyola pointed out, leads us to incarnate them in our choices and attitudes. [18]

Because “everything in Jesus’ life was a sign of His mystery”, [19]

“Christ’s whole life is a revelation of the Father”, [20]

“Christ’s whole life is a mystery of redemption”, [21]

“Christ’s whole life is a mystery of recapitulation”. [22]   

“Christ enables us to live in Him all that He Himself lived, and He lives it in us”. [23]

21. The Father’s plan is Christ, and ourselves in Him. In the end, it is Christ who loves in us, for “holiness is nothing other than charity lived to the full”. [24] As a result, “the measure of our holiness stems from the stature that Christ achieves in us, to the extent that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we model our whole life on His”. [25] Every saint is a message which the Holy Spirit takes from the riches of Jesus Christ and gives to His people.

22. To recognize the word that the Lord wishes to speak to us through one of His saints, we do not need to get caught up in details, for there we might also encounter mistakes and failures. Not everything a saint says is completely faithful to the Gospel; not everything he or she does is authentic or perfect. What we need to contemplate is the totality of their life, their entire journey of growth in holiness, the reflection of Jesus Christ that emerges when we grasp their overall meaning as a person. [26]

23.This is a powerful summons to all of us. You too need to see the entirety of your life as a mission. Try to do so by listening to God in prayer and recognizing the signs that He gives you. Always ask the Spirit what Jesus expects from you at every moment of your life and in every decision you must make, so as to discern its place in the mission you have received. Allow the Spirit to forge in you the personal mystery that can reflect Jesus Christ in today’s world.

24. May you come to realize what that word is, the message of Jesus that God wants to speak to the world by your life. Let yourself be transformed. Let yourself be renewed by the Spirit, so that this can happen, lest you fail in your precious mission. The Lord will bring it to fulfilment despite your mistakes and missteps, provided that you do not abandon the path of love but remain ever open to His supernatural grace, which purifies and enlightens.

End of Excerpt from Pope Francis Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete Et Exsultate – On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World

LAST WORD: Pope Francis is a Jesuit, a son of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Please look at the last two pages which give the INDEX for Gaudette Et Exsultate – on the Call to Holiness in Today’s world. It is totally Ignatian! Prayerfully consider reading the whole document. It  is magnificent. It is available on-line!

APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION GAUDETE ET EXSULTATE OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS ON THE CALL TO HOLINESS IN TODAY’S WORLD

INDEX 

« Rejoice and be glad » [1-2]

Chapter One
THE CALL TO HOLINESS

The saints who encourage and accompany us [3-5]
The saints “next door” [6-9]
The Lord calls [10-13]
For you too [14-18]
Your mission in Christ [19-24]
Activity that sanctifies [25-31]
More alive, more human [32-34]

Chapter Two
TWO SUBTLE ENEMIES OF HOLINESS

Contemporary gnosticism [36]

An intellect without God and without flesh [37-39]
A doctrine without mystery [40-42]
The limits of reason [43-46]

Contemporary Pelagianism [47-48]

A will lacking humility [49-51]
An often overlooked Church teaching [52-56]
New pelagians [57-59]
The summation of the Law [60-62]

Chapter Three
IN THE LIGHT OF THE MASTER

Going against the flow [65-66]

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” [67-70]
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” [71-74]
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” [75-76]
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” [77-79]
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” [80-82]
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” [83-86]
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” [87-89]
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” [90-94]

The great criterion [95]

In fidelity to the Master [96-99]
Ideologies striking at the heart of the Gospel [100-103]
The worship most acceptable to God [104-109]

Chapter Four
SIGNS OF HOLINESS IN TODAY ’S WORLD

Perseverance, patience and meekness [112-121]
Joy and a sense of humour [122-128]
Boldness and passion [129-139]
In community [140-146]
In constant prayer [147-157]

Chapter Five
SPIRITUAL COMBAT, VIGILANCE AND DISCERNMENT

Combat and vigilance [159]

More than a myth [160-161]
Alert and trustful [162-163]
Spiritual corruption [164-165]

Discernment [166]

An urgent need [167-168]
Always in the light of the Lord [169]
A supernatural gift [170-171]
Speak, Lord [172-173]
The logic of the gift and of the cross [174-177]

Copyright 2020 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA

 

In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah,
in the fifth month of the fourth year,
the prophet Hananiah, son of Azzur, from Gibeon,
said to me in the house of the LORD
in the presence of the priests and all the people:
“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel:
‘I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.
Within two years I will restore to this place
all the vessels of the temple of the LORD which Nebuchadnezzar,
king of Babylon, took away from this place to Babylon.
And I will bring back to this place Jeconiah,
son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah,
and all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon,’ says the LORD,
‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”

The prophet Jeremiah answered the prophet Hananiah
in the presence of the priests and all the people assembled
in the house of the LORD, and said:
Amen! thus may the LORD do!
May he fulfill the things you have prophesied
by bringing the vessels of the house of the LORD
and all the exiles back from Babylon to this place!
But now, listen to what I am about to state in your hearing
and the hearing of all the people.
From of old, the prophets who were before you and me prophesied
war, woe, and pestilence against many lands and mighty kingdoms.
But the prophet who prophesies peace
is recognized as truly sent by the LORD
only when his prophetic prediction is fulfilled.

Thereupon the prophet Hananiah took the yoke
from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it,
and said in the presence of all the people:
“Thus says the LORD:  ‘Even so, within two years
I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
from off the neck of all the nations.’”
At that, the prophet Jeremiah went away.

Some time after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke
from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah,
The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah:
Go tell Hananiah this:  
Thus says the LORD:
By breaking a wooden yoke, you forge an iron yoke!
For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel:
A yoke of iron I will place on the necks
of all these nations serving Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
and they shall serve him; even the beasts of the field I give him.

To the prophet Hananiah the prophet Jeremiah said:
Hear this, Hananiah!
The LORD has not sent you,
and you have raised false confidence in this people.
For this, says the LORD, I will dispatch you from the face of the earth;
this very year you shall die,
because you have preached rebellion against the LORD.
That same year, in the seventh month, Hananiah the prophet died.

R. (68b) Lord, teach me your statutes.
Remove from me the way of falsehood,
 and favor me with your law.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Take not the word of truth from my mouth,
 for in your ordinances is my hope.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Let those turn to me who fear you
 and acknowledge your decrees.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Let my heart be perfect in your statutes,
 that I be not put to shame.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Sinners wait to destroy me,
but I pay heed to your decrees.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
From your ordinances I turn not away,
for you have instructed me.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rabbi, you are the Son of God;
you are the King of Israel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side of the sea,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.”

After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret.
When the men of that place recognized him,
they sent word to all the surrounding country.
People brought to him all those who were sick
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak,
and as many as touched it were healed.

Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

God forms his people Israel

62 After the patriarchs, God formed Israel as his people by freeing them from slavery in Egypt. He established with them the covenant of Mount Sinai and, through Moses, gave them his law so that they would recognize him and serve him as the one living and true God, the provident Father and just judge, and so that they would look for the promised Saviour.

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

MONDAY, AUGUST 3rd    Mt. 14: 22-36   “The boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.”

PART 1… Reflection: Jesus amidst the storms and tempests of life.

PART 2… Conquering Discouragement with the Word of God by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

• This event occurs on the evening of the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish. Jesus sends His disciples off in the boat to the other side of the sea while He dismisses the crowd. Alone at last, Jesus heads up the mountain to pray.
• Meanwhile the disciples are having a rough time of it. They’ve only progressed a few miles offshore. The wind is against them and their boat is being tossed about by the waves. Try as they might, they can’t seem to make any headway. Jesus, who is ever watchful and mindful of them, comes to them walking on the water.
• This is the famous passage where Peter actually walks on the water – until he takes his eyes off Jesus and focuses instead on the fearful winds and waves! Then he starts to sink! What an image for the troubled times in our lives!
• A few miles offshore… They only managed to get a few miles offshore; they couldn’t reach their destination. Haven’t we been far from safe harbor at times? Things were not going well? We couldn’t find the light in the darkness that enveloped us? We didn’t know where we were headed or what trials still awaited us?
• The boat was being tossed about… Times when we were being tossed about, feeling helpless and panicky as relentless waves of trouble washed over us?
• …for the wind was against it… When we were assailed by the winds of misfortune, beaten down by forces and events beyond our control, and all we could think was I am alone, abandoned, lost… there’s no help… no hope… no safe harbor!
• “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid…” Then we heard a still, small voice inside us and suddenly we knew we were not alone, and it was enough. Jesus was with us!
• It is not hard to imagine the apostles being frustrated and anxious in the boat that night. How comforted they were once they recognized that Jesus was with them!
• Peter is so encouraged that he tells Jesus, “Command me to come to you on the water.” Bold, audacious, wonderful Peter! Surely the other disciples thought Peter was crazy stepping out of that boat. Which one of us would be willing to do that? I’ll wager not many, maybe no one! It is true that Peter sank as soon as he took his eyes off Jesus. But let us not forget that Peter did indeed walk on the water! This is our first Pope! The first Vicar of Christ on earth!
• Next Peter does what we all have to do when we take our eyes off Jesus. “When he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him.”
• How many times are we like Peter – focusing more on our problems than on the problem solver! Like Peter, we have to cry out, “Lord, save me.” And as He grasps our hand to save us, Jesus says the same thing to us that He said to Peter, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt!”
• After Jesus got in the boat, the wind died down and they came to safe harbor. Jesus is our safe harbor in the storms and tempests of life! When we are with Jesus, we are safe, even when the storms are still raging around us, for with Jesus we are in the “eye of the storm”, the calm at the center of the storm or hurricane. When we entrust ourselves and our problems to Jesus, we experience peace and the joy of being with the One who loves us, and who asks only that we place our faith and trust in Him to work everything out for our greatest good, and love Him in return.
• The next time we are overwhelmed by the darkness, we are tossed about by the waves and the wind is against us, and we are filled with dread because we can’t see our way through the difficulties and sufferings deluging us, let us reflect on this passage. Let us recall God’s providence in our lives. Let us remember that His eyes are always upon us. Let us realize that in the midst of the storms, when we can’t see the shore, Jesus will come to us walking on the water!

PART 2… Let us find our courage and encouragement in the Word of God.

CONQUERING DISCOURAGEMENT WITH THE WORD OF GOD by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Our interior state can be compared to the weather changes that change, modify, and vary constantly. One day, you awake and there is sunshine streaming through your window pane; the birds are singing joyful songs of praise; the fragrance of spring flowers penetrates and permeates wherever you go; the blue sky and gentle breeze lift your heart; still more: everybody seems to have a winning smile radiating from their countenance. Seems to be the portal of Heaven.

Then the following day presents to you, in marked contrast, a gray, drizzly morning; the sun totally hidden behind the clouds. The cold and chilly winter air seems to penetrate your whole being to your very bones. Gray, dark, ominous clouds hover over you, ready to envelop and engulf you in their dreary chill. Crossing the street, a car honks loudly at you and the angry driver has his fist raised on high to let you know his feelings! Everybody hurries on to their daily activities, oblivious to the fact that you even exist. Everything is gray, dreary, cold, chilly, crude and cruel, sad and desolate; in the words of the English poet, T.S. Elliot, life seems to be a mere Waste Land and you are immersed in the midst of a dense fog!

Whether we like it or not, we are confronted with both of these realities, in one form or another constantly. Part of being human means being exposed to the constant reality of both consolation and desolation. One of the most clear manifestations of desolation is the temptation to give in to discouragement. What exactly is this so called state of desolation as defined by Saint Ignatius of Loyola in his classical text The Spiritual Exercises? This is Ignatius’ explanation:

“I call desolation what is entirely the opposite of what is described in the third rule, as darkness of soul, turmoil of spirit, inclination to what is low and earthly, restlessness rising from many disturbances and temptations which lead to want of faith, want of hope, want of love, the soul is wholly slothful, tepid, sad, and separated, as it were, from its Creator and Lord. For just as consolation is the opposite of desolation, so the thoughts that spring from consolation are the opposite of those that spring from desolation.” (Spiritual Exercises #317, Rule 4 of Rules for the Discernment of Spirits)

The thrust and purpose of this short essay is to help us to conquer the reality of desolation in our lives, most specifically, that of giving into discouragement. We would like to offer ten encouraging Biblical passages that we invite you to immerse yourself in especially when it seems as if the clouds are descending, the rain is beating against you, and you feel as if you are in a long, dark, and damp tunnel where there seems to be no way out! Never forget: with God’s help which is omnipotent—all-powerful, we can exit and escape from the most desolate, sad, and despairing of situations. May the Word of God be your light, support, strength, and Rock Foundation.

1. THE PSALM OF THE GOOD-SHEPHERD. (Psalm 23) Prayerfully and calmly read the most famous Psalm in the Bible, once, twice, or as many times as you like, starting with the words: “The Lord is my Shepherd; there is nothing I shall want…”  The Lord will shine light in your darkness!

2. “Behold I am with you always, even until the end of the world.” (Mt 28:20) These were the last words of the Lord Jesus on earth before He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father. In discouragement, all too often we feel lonely; that nobody is there for me; nobody really cares for me. Not so! The Lord promised to be with us always, even until the end of the world.

3. Do not be afraid! (Mt. 11:28-30). Time and time again Jesus reminds the Apostles and us not to be afraid, but rather to trust, to place all of our trust in Him. In addition to these four consoling words of Jesus are the five words that Jesus told Saint Faustina to paint on the Divine Mercy image: “Jesus, I trust in you.” May the Lord cast out your fears as you trust totally in His Love, Presence, and Friendship.

4. “Come to me, all of you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt. 11: 28-30) Prayerfully repeat these words and the burden of your sorrows, the weight of your cross, the darkness of your sadness and desolation will dissipate like a cloud evaporates in the sun-light.

5. “If God is with us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31) These ten short words contain the power to alleviate the heaviest of crosses due to the simple reason that we know that the Lord is in control and He can do whatever He wants. However, whatever the Lord does is always for our welfare, for our spiritual progress, and for the salvation of our immortal soul.

6. “For nothing will be impossible for God.” (Lk. 1:37) These short seven words actually were addressed to the Blessed Virgin Mary from the Messenger, the Archangel Gabriel, referring to the Virginal conception of Jesus in Mary’s womb. Immersed in the dense cloud of desolation, we feel as if we are lost and that nothing is possible to save us from this horrible interior state. Quite the contrary! The Word of God reminds us that absolutely nothing is impossible for God. He can move the highest mountains of our discouragement and desolation in a split-second if we trust in Him.

7. “Cast your cares upon the Lord because He cares for you.” (I Peter 5:7) Once again, just a few words—11 in total—offer us infinite consolation and strength. The Lord commands us to unload, to unpack, to release the burden of discouragement that weighs us down. Give all to the Lord Jesus and He will resolve the most intricate and complicated scenarios.

8. “I have come to set captives free.” (Isaiah 61:1/Lk. 4:18) If seven is one of those numbers of perfection, once again we have a seven-word Biblical passage gleaned from the Shakespeare of the Bible—the Prophet Isaiah. Jesus will quote the same passage in His early preaching! In a state of desolation and discouragement we might feel as if we are bound, as if we are chained, as if we are shackled, and as if we are a real slave of our interior state of darkness. Jesus, the Savior, the Redeemer, the Liberator, came to smash and destroy our interior slavery, and often that is our discouragement. We might even pray: “Lord free me; Lord liberate me; Lord shatter the bonds that enslave me!”

9. “So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything else will be given you besides. (Mt 6:31-33) A good part of our desolation and discouragement stems from a lack of trust in God and useless and needless worry. These comforting, consoling, and challenging words of Jesus can put you back on the right path of trusting in His loving Divine Providential Plan in your life.

10. “Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you.” (Lk.1:28) These words of the Hail Mary that come from the Archangel Gabriel can prove to be most powerful in the midst of the dark nights, the dark tunnels, the stormy interior tempests that we all experience. Pray slowly and with trust and confidence the HAIL MARY and Mary, who is truly “our life, our sweetness, and our hope” (Hail Holy Queen), will hurry to our rescue and place us in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, our true refuge in all our tribulations, afflictions, and the most profound desolations.

It is our firm hope and prayer that when you are passing through that painful and difficult time of desolation and discouragement, the quiet, peaceful, trusting, and prayerful reading of these Biblical passages will dissipate the dense clouds in your heart, so that you will experience and feel the sunshine and warmth of God’s infinite love and Mary’s tender embrace!

Copyright 2020 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA

Thus says the LORD:
All you who are thirsty,
come to the water!
You who have no money,
come, receive grain and eat;
Come, without paying and without cost,
drink wine and milk!
Why spend your money for what is not bread;
your wages for what fails to satisfy?
Heed me, and you shall eat well,
you shall delight in rich fare.
Come to me heedfully,
listen, that you may have life.
I will renew with you the everlasting covenant,
the benefits assured to David.

R. (cf. 16) The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
The eyes of all look hopefully to you,
and you give them their food in due season;
you open your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

Brothers and sisters:
What will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?
No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly
through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities,
nor present things, nor future things,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.  
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already late;
dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages
and buy food for themselves.”
Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”
Then he said, “Bring them here to me, ”
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,
who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over—
twelve wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about five thousand men,
not counting women and children.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

61 The patriarchs, prophets and certain other Old Testament figures have been and always will be honoured as saints in all the Church’s liturgical traditions.

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 2nd   Mt. 14: 13-21   “When he saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them.”

PART ONE… Reflection on the Miracle of the Loaves and Fish

PART TWO… GOD’S GREATEST GIFT… by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

• All the disciples had was five loaves and two fish to feed a vast crowd! “Being them to me” Jesus said. “Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over – twelve wicker baskets full. There were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.”
• He takes, He blesses, He breaks, and He gives. This miracle is a prefigurement of the Eucharist. Jesus said these words at the first Mass on Holy Thursday. He said these words at the second Mass with the two disciples He met on the road to Emmaus.
• Today, the priest says these words in persona Christi at every Mass. Eucharistic Prayer 1 : On the day before he was to suffer, he took bread in his holy and venerable hands, and with eyes raised to heaven to you, O God, his almighty Father, giving you thanks, he said the blessing, broke the bread and gave it to his disciples saying: “Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my Body, which will be given up for you.”  
• At every Mass an ordained priest, through the power of the Holy Spirit, changes bread and wine into Jesus’ Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity! This happens every day throughout the whole world, feeding far more than 5,000! Whether we receive a consecrated host or a particle of the consecrated host, or drink from the chalice, we receive the whole Christ – His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity! Jesus cannot be divided and He cannot be exhausted!
• In each Holy Communion we receive the entire Christ… the baby in Mary’s womb… the child helping Joseph in the carpenter shop… the young teacher of the elders in the temple… the guest at the wedding feast performing His first miracle… the iterant preacher teaching and healing with His words, with His touch… the savior of the world scourged and crowned with thorns… nailed to cross by His executioners and by our sins… already forgiving us, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing”… giving us His Mother as our Mother… and Christ triumphant, resurrected and sitting at the right hand of the Father, and at the same time present in all the tabernacles throughout the world!
• May we thank Jesus every day for this greatest of all miracles! May we receive Jesus in Holy Communion fervently and frequently! May we kneel before His Eucharistic Presence in adoration often! May we stop for a short visit to Him in the tabernacle when we pass by a Church! Finally, may we thank Jesus every day for the gift of the priesthood, praying earnestly for priests and for vocations! May we never forget that without the priest, we have no Eucharist!
• “I will ponder with great affection how much God our Lord has done for me.” (St. Ignatius of Loyola).

PART TWO… Delving deeper into the Holy Eucharist…

GOD’S GREATEST GIFT: THE HOLY EUCHARIST by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

I Kings 19: 3-8:
ELIJAH FLEES.  Filled with fear and dread of being murdered, the Prophet Elijah fled from the wicked Queen Jezebel who planned to murder him because Elijah killed the false Prophets of Baal. After a days’ journey on foot heading towards the Holy Mountain, the mountain of God, Elijah was consumed by the spirit of desolation and discouragement and fell into a deep slumber, not even close to arriving at his destination.

GOD’S ANGEL.  Concerned about the Prophet and his long journey, God sent an angel to comfort, encourage, and motivate Elijah and in this fashion. The angel woke Elijah from his deep slumber encouraging him to keep on his journey because it was a long one.

THE BREAD AND NOURISHMENT FOR THE JOURNEY.  With the words of encouragement, the angel offered Elijah some bread to eat because the journey indeed was going to be a long and grueling one. Elijah ate the bread, but instead of rising and undertaking his long trek, he returned to his slumber. Once again the angel woke Elijah insisting and encouraging him to eat more bread and to walk until he arrived at the holy mountain where he would find safety, security, and a sure haven in the presence of God.

ELIJAH OBEYS, EATS AND WALKS!  Obedient to the angel, Elijah once again, for the second time, eats the bread offered to him by the angel and from the strength that was derived from that bread—which he ate not once but two times—he walks. The distance was long: he walked forty days and forty nights from the energy and strength that came from the encouragement of the angel of God, but also from the bread that filled him with new life!

HOLY MOUNTAIN.  Elijah’s destination was the holy mountain of God. God spoke to him not in the hurricane, nor the fire, nor even in the strong impetuous wind. Rather, God spoke to Elijah in the gentle and sweet breeze. This holy mountain is symbolic of our eternal destiny: heaven! Once arrived at, we will be with God forever and be able to talk to Him as our best of friends, face to face. Like Elijah, we should all strive to undertake the long and grueling journey to arrive at the holy mountain where God awaits us, so as to be with Him for all eternity.

ELIJAH AND OUR OWN LIVES.  Like the Prophet Elijah, we all have our struggles, our battles, our dreary days, our temptations, our moments of desolation, and times in which we simply want to throw the towel in and give up! The key is that we must rise up and eat, not just a plain or ordinary bread, but we must nourish ourselves on the Bread of Life. Not once or twice but as often as possible. Indeed, if it is within our means to nourish ourselves on the Bread of Life even every day.

Let us enter into a topic that has a transcendental value and importance in our lives in the short time we have in this earthly pilgrimage to our eternal destiny. We will take the Biblical passage and person of Elijah as our model and example. If we really desire to arrive at our eternal destiny which is heaven, then we must nourish our minds, hearts, and souls on the Bread of Life as frequently as possible, but also as fervently as our heart and soul can exert.

Therefore, this short literary work will focus upon how we can upgrade, improve, and magnify the effects of the reception of Holy Communion in our lives. In a word, the most important action that we can carry out on this side of eternity is to receive Jesus, the Bread of Life, in the Sacrament of the most Holy Eucharist. No action of the human person can supersede it in importance. This being the case, let us set up action points and guidelines to receive Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in Holy Communion with increasing faith, devotion, fervor, and love.

1. FAITH IN THE REAL PRESENCE.  Over the past fifty-years, statistics have pointed out that huge numbers of Catholics either do not believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, or at least have a very unclear and foggy notion of WHO is truly present in the Consecrated Host! After the double consecration in the Mass, Jesus is truly and substantially present in His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. It is not merely a symbolic presence, as in the case of Protestant services, but rather it is JESUS’ REAL PRESENCE!!! Due to materialism and living in a neo-paganist and secular society, we must constantly remind ourselves of this most august and sublime reality!

2. THEOLOGICAL CONCEPT: DISPOSITIVE GRACE!  One of the most important theological concepts in living out Sacramental theology is that of Dispositive Grace. In brief, this means that the grace that comes to us, especially from the reception of the most Holy Eucharist, is commensurate with or in direct proportion to the disposition of our soul. In other words, the fault is not in the Sacrament, rather the fault is in the recipient of the Sacrament. Why? For the simple and unequivocal reason that your reception of the Holy Eucharist, your reception of Holy Communion, is the reception of Jesus Himself—the Son of God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, God of Gods, True-God and True-man! It has been said that one Holy Communion well-received could transform you into a saint!

3. PREPARE YOURSELF BETTER.  A natural follow-up to the concept of Dispositive Grace is that of our preparation before receiving Holy Communion. Indeed, it should be a constant task and goal in our life to work on making better preparations to receive Holy Communion. Being honest with ourselves, we must admit and confess with the utmost sincerity and humility that we all can make progress, and a lot of progress in our preparation for receiving the Lord Jesus in Holy Communion. 

4. HUMAN EXAMPLE: THE BRIDE AND HER WEDDING.  In the Diary of Saint Faustina on Divine Mercy, in the last book of the Diary—Book VI—she gives excellent guidelines on how to receive Jesus better in Holy Communion. (Diary of Divine Mercy in My Soul #’s 1804-1828) One of the comparisons or analogies that Saint Faustina brings forth is that of a Bride preparing to meet and marry her spouse. On a human level all of us understand this analogy. How many details, countless details does the future bride implement so as to make this the happiest day in her life. Just to name a few: the dress, its size and color and texture, the beauty parlor, the makeup, the manicure of her nails, the shoes, the crown. Not only her  physical appearance, but many other details: the guests, the Banquet Hall, the Church, the rug, the choir, the priest, the Readings and the homily, the altar servers. How much time, money, and energy is employed for the wedding day, which is hopefully the happiest day of her life!!! Building upon this analogy, Jesus is the Wedding Bridegroom of our soul every time we receive Him in Holy Communion. Should we not be more demanding upon ourselves in the time, the effort, the manner, and the details in which we receive Him into the inner bridal-chamber of our soul???

5. WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS: THE SAINTS!!!  The most famous musical group, the Beatles, composed a song titled With A Little Help From My Friends. Our true, faithful, and most authentic friends are the saints. They are bright luminaries that point us to Jesus, the Light of the world and to Heaven where the Face of Jesus will be our eternal lamp and light. The saints are the ones who really received Jesus with a fervent and loving disposition in Holy Communion. Consequently, upon dying, Jesus received them warmly, enthusiastically, and lovingly into Heaven. Their greatest desire on earth was to love God with all of their heart, mind, soul, and strength. Their whole life was centered around Holy Mass and reception of the most Holy Eucharist. Therefore, a most efficacious means to make better and more fervent Holy Communions is to humbly beg the saints in heaven to pray and intercede for you that your Communions will become fiery explosions of love for the Lord Jesus!

6. EXAMPLE PAR-EXCELLENCE OF PREPARATION AND THANKSGIVING.  One of the saints who can serve as a brilliant luminary and example in the reception of Holy Communion is SAINT CHARBEL MAKLOUF. This Lebanese, contemplative monk, who was canonized by Saint Pope Paul VI, spent most of his life as a Religious-priest in a monastery in silent prayer and work. However, what is pertinent to our theme is his celebration of Holy Mass and his reception of the most Holy Eucharist. In a nutshell, his whole life was focused on the celebration of Holy Mass and the reception of the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus the Lord. How, you might ask? Very simple! He was given permission to celebrate Mass at 12 noon every day. The whole of his morning was spent in preparation for Holy Mass and Holy Communion. Then after he finished celebrating his noon-day Mass, Saint Charbel would spend the rest of his day rendering constant thanks for Mass and Holy Communion. What an example for us! In a certain sense we should aim at this same objective and pursuit. Our life should be centered and focused on Jesus who is truly present in every Mass and every Holy Communion. May our lives be a constant preparation to receive Jesus with burning love, a most fervent reception, and then may the rest of our day be a living act of THANKSGIVING for this greatest of gifts. Incidentally, the word Eucharist actually means THANKSGIVING! With the Psalmist, let us lift our hearts in prayer: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever.” (136:1)

7. COMMON PRIESTHOOD OF THE FAITHFUL—LIVE OUT THE OFFERTORY!  If you have a chance, view the movie The Greatest Miracle (El Gran Milagro). This movie in a clear, appealing, and dynamic fashion explains the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in claymation. All done in 70 minutes. Among the themes, worthy of highest praise is the presentation of how the Guardian Angel teaches the importance of the Mass by participating, fully, actively, and consciously and living out to the full the OFFERTORY of the Mass. By this is meant that the priest offers the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, but the faithful who participate in the Mass are called to make their own offering in the Mass—called the OFFERTORY! This is done by making a spiritual offering of oneself and placing it on the altar, specifically placing it on the paten where the priest’s Host is deposited. Also each one is called to place their intentions in the chalice where the wine will be transformed into the Precious Blood of Jesus. If done seriously, your Communions will have infinite value and efficacy for you, for those for whom you pray, for the Church, and for the whole world, even the souls in Purgatory!

8. WHAT MIGHT BE ELEMENTS FOR MY OFFERING TO LIVE OUT THE OFFERTORY?  Actually you can offer anything that may occur to you. If offered with good will and purity of intention, God accepts all! The possibilities are infinite!!! However, there are three areas that might be employed to help you to live more fervently your Offertory and derive countless and untold blessings!

(1) THE SOULS IN PURGATORY.  The souls in Purgatory, these suffering souls, are already saved, but they must be purified by the fires of God’s loving justice. Remember the words of the last Book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation: “Nothing impure can enter the Kingdom of God.” (Rev. 21: 27) By far the most efficacious means to purify, to sanctify, and to liberate the souls detained in Purgatory is through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered for these poor souls and the worthy reception of Holy Communion received for them. Saint Nicolas of Tolentino, O.S.A. desired to be a priest primarily so that he could help to free souls from the fires of Purgatory by offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for them.

(2) THE CONVERSION OF SINNERS.  What Jesus and Mary desire most in this world is the conversion and the salvation of sinners. By offering your Masses and Holy Communions for the conversion and salvation of sinners, the Hearts of Jesus and Mary overflow with joy.

(3) PERSONAL HEART-TRANSPLANT.  We all must work day and night upon our own personal conversion. There is no more efficacious and powerful means by which we can convert our hearts from hearts of sinners into hearts of saints than by the worthy, frequent, fervent, and faithful reception of Holy Communion. Indeed, every worthy reception of Holy Communion is a SPIRITUAL HEART-TRANSPLANT. In all truth, the Heart of Jesus takes possession of our heart and there is a real transformation! We become what we eat! We consume the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus and we become like Him. In time we will be able to say with Saint Paul: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Gal 2:20)

9. YOUR FIRST, LAST, AND ONLY.  In some convent sacristies there is a plaque on the wall that the priest is invited to read as he vests and prepares for Holy Mass that reads as such: “Priest, man of God, say this Mass as if it were your first Mass, your last Mass, and your only Mass.” What would happen if you made this decision starting today with respect to your participation in Mass and reception of Holy Communion—to receive your Holy Communion as if it were your first, last, and only???  Most likely your Holy Communions would be much more fervent. What do you think?

10. OUR LADY OF THE EUCHARIST AND HOLY COMMUNION.  As a concluding note, we should contemplate the Blessed Virgin Mary and beg for her most powerful intercession in our reception of Holy Communion. In a very real sense Mary received her first Communion when she said YES to the Archangel Gabriel with the words: “Behold, I am the Handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word.” (Lk. 1:38) Then the Gospel of Saint John states: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (Jn. 1:14) Pope Saint John Paul II made this parallel connection: “The Yes of Mary to the Angel and our Amen when we receive Holy Communion have a real similarity; both result in the reception of Jesus into the depths of the heart.” Therefore, let us humbly implore the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Eucharist, for the most special grace to receive the Lord Jesus Christ in Holy Communion with lively faith, with frequency, and with a burning fervor and love so that we will be able to set the whole world on fire with love of God!

Copyright 2020 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA

The priests and prophets said to the princes and to all the people,
“This man deserves death;
he has prophesied against this city,
as you have heard with your own ears.”
Jeremiah gave this answer to the princes and all the people:
“It was the LORD who sent me to prophesy against this house and city
all that you have heard.
Now, therefore, reform your ways and your deeds;
listen to the voice of the LORD your God,
so that the LORD will repent of the evil with which he threatens you.
As for me, I am in your hands;
do with me what you think good and right.
But mark well: if you put me to death,
it is innocent blood you bring on yourselves,
on this city and its citizens.
For in truth it was the LORD who sent me to you,
to speak all these things for you to hear.”

Thereupon the princes and all the people
said to the priests and the prophets,
“This man does not deserve death;
it is in the name of the LORD, our God, that he speaks to us.”

So Ahikam, son of Shaphan, protected Jeremiah,
so that he was not handed over to the people to be put to death

R. (14c)  Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Rescue me out of the mire; may I not sink!
may I be rescued from my foes,
and from the watery depths.
Let not the flood-waters overwhelm me,
nor the abyss swallow me up,
nor the pit close its mouth over me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your saving help, O God, protect me.
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.”
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus
and said to his servants, “This man is John the Baptist.
He has been raised from the dead;
that is why mighty powers are at work in him.”

Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison
on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip,
for John had said to him,
“It is not lawful for you to have her.”
Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people,
for they regarded him as a prophet.
But at a birthday celebration for Herod,
the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests
and delighted Herod so much
that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for.
Prompted by her mother, she said,
“Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
The king was distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests who were present,
he ordered that it be given, and he had John beheaded in the prison.
His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl,
who took it to her mother.
His disciples came and took away the corpse
and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

60 The people descended from Abraham would be the trustee of the promise made to the patriarchs, the chosen people, called to prepare for that day when God would gather all his children into the unity of the Church. They would be the root on to which the Gentiles would be grafted, once they came to believe. 

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 1^ST    Mt. 14: 1-12 Death of John the Baptist…  “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” (Alleluia verse) 

PART ONE: Our purpose in Life and Death…

PART TWO: Jesus, the Center of My Life… by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Reflection on Death by St. Alphonsus Liguori (+1787)

But you might still insist: “Who knows what will be my lot? Maybe I will die an unhappy death!” Let me ask you: “What causes a bad death?” Only sin! We should then fear only sin; not death. If you desire not to fear death, then lead a holy life. “The fear of the Lord is glory and exultation. Those who fear the Lord will have a happy end.” (Sir 1: 9-11)

Father Colombiere (St. Claude Colombiere +1682) held it to be morally impossible for a person who was faithful to God during life to die a bad death. And before him, Saint Augustine wrote: “He who has lived well cannot die badly. He who is prepared to die, fears no death however sudden.”

Those who offer their death to God make the most perfect act of divine love possible, because by cheerfully accepting the kind of death which God is pleased to send them, when and how God sends it, they are just like the holy martyrs who died for the sake of the faith and out of love for Jesus!

So then, let us live our life only to advance in divine love.  

End of Reflection by St. Liguori.

• Certainly St. Liguori describes St. John the Baptist when he says: “He who has lived well cannot die badly. He who is prepared to die fears no death however sudden.”
• St. Liguori tells us how to prepare for death: “If you desire not to fear death, then lead a holy life. So then, let us live our life only to advance in divine love.”
• When we love God above all others and above all else, it matters not whether we love Him here or in heaven, it is the same to us. We desire only to do His will. St. Paul gives witness to this: “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Phil 1: 20-24) This is Ignatian Principle and Foundation!
• St. Paul goes on: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:11-13) This is Ignatian Holy Indifference!
• It matters not if we are rich or poor, healthy or sick, live a long life or short life, receive honors or suffer humiliations – because in all things we desire to show our love for God by accepting His holy will, believing with St. Paul, “that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” (Rom 8: 28)
• Our life, our purpose for being, is a love relationship with the God who created us out of love, who suffered and died on the cross to redeem us out of love, and who even now keeps us in being out of love! Therefore, we are to love all others as He has loved us, for they too were created out of love. Let the words of St. Liguori ring in our ears! “So then, let us live our life only to advance in divine love.”
• The tangible goods of this world, whether it be riches (money and possessions), or honors, or even people are distractions from the one Love that can make us happy. How many people come to this realization only at the end of their lives, when they come face to face with death and the emptiness that is still inside them!
• This emptiness only God can fill! Do we not see this? It is unreasonable to expect any person or thing to fill the space in our heart and soul that God created to be filled by Him alone! “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” (Is. 49:15)
• St. John Chrysostom put the following words on the lips of Our Lord. We cannot read or meditate on this too often!

It is not only in this way that I manifest My love, but also by My passion. For you, I was covered with spittle and buffeted, I stripped Myself of My glory, I left My Father and came to you, to you who hated me, who fled Me, who did not even wish to hear My name. I followed you, I ran after you, I caught hold of you, and embraced you.

“Eat Me,” I said, “and drink Me.” It is not enough that I should possess your first fruits (a physical body like that of men) in heaven: that does not satisfy My love, I come once more to earth, not only to “mingle” Myself with you, but to entwine Myself in you. I am eaten, I am broken into pieces, in order that this fusion, this union, may be more intimate. When other things are united each remains distinct in itself; but I weave Myself into you, I want nothing to come between us: I wish the two to become one.

• Following is a series of short contemplative prayers for deeper intimacy with Jesus!

 JESUS, THE CENTER OF MY LIFE!  by Father Ed Broom, OMV

Jesus Christ is the center of all human history, the alpha and the omega, the principle and foundation, the beginning and the end, the key that unlocks eternal life to all who believe and place their trust in Him. By His Incarnation, life, death, and Resurrection He has divided history into two blocks of time: A.D. and B.C. Never has any person ever come onto the stage of human history that has had such a huge impact and Jesus did this all in no more than 33 years.

The following exposition in its essence is a prayer to Jesus. The short prayer expressions or prayer gems are taken from Sacred Scripture, most of them from the texts of one of the Gospels. If you like, these are Christological titles transformed into short prayers. It is our intention and desire that you will very slowly pray over these titles in imitation of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, who pondered the Word of God in her Immaculate Heart.

CHRISTOLOGICAL TITLES TRANSFORMED INTO PRAYER…

Titles for Jesus are many and rich indeed! Let us learn to pray, to really talk to Jesus through the many and various titles inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus, you are the Bread of Life, give me a growing hunger and insatiable thirst for you. (Jn. 6)

Jesus, you are the Good Shepherd, grant me the deep inner security that I am never really alone because you are walking next to me, walking side by side with me and guiding me by your rod and your staff. (Psalm 23/ Jn. 10:1-18)

Jesus, you are truly The Resurrection and the Life, attain for me an ardent yearning to live with you for all eternity in heaven. (Jn. 11:1-44)

Jesus, your name means Savior, I beg you to stretch our your gentle but strong hand to save me. Lord Jesus, save me from doubt, from my inner fears and anxieties, from my lack of trust in your Divine Providence. Lord, in the midst of the storms of life, when it seems as if my life is on the verge of capsizing and sinking, descend upon me with your calm. Lead me to a safe haven. (Lk. 1:26-56)

Jesus, you are truly the Divine Physician, the Divine Doctor, I implore you to touch me with your hand and heal me. (Mt. Chapters 8 and 9). Lord Jesus, I admit my infirmities. Heal my mind with your light. Heal my soul with your grace. Heal my memory with your peace. Heal my body with your strength.

Jesus, you are the best of all Teachers. (Jn. 20:16) As I sit before you, I beg for your light to truly become my Teacher. I thank you for the Gospels (Good News) in which I can sit at your feet and absorb and drink in the Words of your Truth. (The Four Gospels).

Jesus, you are The Way, the Truth, and the Life. Pave the way for me as a highway to heaven. Inundate me in the rays of your truth. Finally, attain for me eternal life in heaven. (Jn. 14:6)

Jesus, you are the Alpha and the Omega, the Principle and Foundation of my life. Attain for me fullness of life by having you at the very center of my life, my thoughts, my words, my decisions, and my actions. (Rev. 22:13)

Jesus, you said: “I am the Light of the world”, cast out the dark regions present in my mind, memory, understanding, intentions, and my entire life. Shine on me and in me so that your Presence in my life may enlighten many others. (Jn. 8:12)

Jesus, you are truly the Logos—the Word of God issuing forth from the Eternal Father. May your Words be engraved deeply in my whole being so that I will be a living expression of your truth in the world. (Jn. 1:1)

Jesus, you are Emmanuel—God with us! In this journey of life heading toward our eternal destiny—heaven—may I constantly be aware of your gentle and consoling presence. May me prayer be that of the disciples on the road to Emmaus: “Stay with us, Lord, for the day is far spent.” (Lk. 24:13-35)

Jesus, you are the Christ-Messiah, the Anointed One. Through Baptism and Confirmation, I have received a double-anointing. I implore you to anoint my thoughts and words so that I will be an Anointed presence for my brothers and sisters. (I Jn. 5:1)

Jesus, you indeed are the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. By your Precious Blood that I receive through the Sacraments of Confession and Communion may I be cleansed and purified of all my past sins and live in the liberty of the sons and daughters of God. (Jn. 1:29)

Jesus, you are the healing hand that saves. Stretch out your hand to touch my festering wounds and heal me and all of suffering humanity. (Mt. 8:1-4)

Jesus, you are indeed the wounded-healer. Indeed, it is by your wounds that we are healed.  May I seek refuge in your wounds, especially your wounded Sacred Heart. Indeed, this is my true and eternal refuge. (Is. 53:5)

Jesus, you are the Friend who is always faithful. May I always experience you as a true Friend, always willing to walk with me, talk with me, welcome me, and be present to me. You indeed are my true friend who will never fail me. (Jn. 15:15)

Jesus, you are the Son of God made man. I am eternally grateful to you for becoming like us in all things except sin. I praise and thank you for assuming your humanity from the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Jesus, you are The Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. As such I adore you and pay you homage as King of my whole being. Jesus, as King, I beg you to reign over my whole being. Reign over my mind, my thoughts, my imagination, my feelings, my intentions, my body and soul, in time and for all eternity. (Rev. 19:16)

Jesus, you indeed are the Crucified Savior. May my love and devotion to you result in crucifying and putting to death all in me that is unworthy of you—that is to say, sin and all of its negative effects. Jesus, “We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.” (Mt. 27:32-56)

Jesus, your Most Sacred Heart is a burning furnace of charity. Set my heart on fire for love of you and for love of souls. You said: “I have come to cast fire on the earth, and I am not at peace until that fire be enkindled.” Lord Jesus, give me that fire! (Lk. 12:49)

Jesus, you are the Son of God, the Son of man, and the Son of Mary. Through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your loving Mother, may I arrive at a deeper knowledge of you, a deeper love for you, a deeper understanding of you, and a more earnest yearning and longing to follow you all the days of my life! Jesus, Son of the Blessed Virgin Mary, may you be the very center of my life now and for all eternity. Amen. (Mk.6:3)

Copyright 2020 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA