Jeremiah said:
“I hear the whisperings of many:
‘Terror on every side!
Denounce! let us denounce him!’
All those who were my friends
are on the watch for any misstep of mine.
‘Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail,
and take our vengeance on him.’
But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion:
my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.
In their failure they will be put to utter shame,
to lasting, unforgettable confusion.
O LORD of hosts, you who test the just,
who probe mind and heart,
let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause.
Sing to the LORD,
praise the LORD,
for he has rescued the life of the poor
from the power of the wicked!”

R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.
For your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my mother’s children,
Because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.

R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
I pray to you, O LORD,
for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
Answer me, O LORD, for bounteous is your kindness;
in your great mercy turn toward me.

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.
Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
the seas and whatever moves in them!’‘

R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.

Brothers and sisters:
Through one man sin entered the world,
and through sin, death,
and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned—
for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world,
though sin is not accounted when there is no law.
But death reigned from Adam to Moses,
even over those who did not sin
after the pattern of the trespass of Adam,
who is the type of the one who was to come.

But the gift is not like the transgression.
For if by the transgression of the one the many died,
how much more did the grace of God
and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ
overflow for the many.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord;
and you also will testify.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus said to the Twelve:
“Fear no one.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

Part Three: the Life of Faith

16 The third part of the Catechism deals with the final end of man created in the image of God: beatitude, and the ways of reaching it – through right conduct freely chosen, with the help of God’s law and grace (Section One), and through conduct that fulfills the twofold commandment of charity, specified in God’s Ten Commandments (Section Two).

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

 SUNDAY, JUNE 21^ST Mt. 10:26-33 “No disciple is above his teacher.”

• The prelude or setting for today’s Gospel is this: “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. These twelve Jesus sent out.” (Mt. 10:1,5)
• Jesus is explaining to the Apostles their mission. “It is enough for the disciple that they become like his teacher.” This is our mission – to live in imitation of Christ.
• Jesus says, “Fear no one!”… “Be not afraid of them!” He willingly suffered abandonment and unspeakable pain, suffering, and death for our salvation. He was the unblemished Lamb of God who bore the guilt for all the sins of mankind from the beginning of time until the end of time!
• Truly our troubles, our sufferings are small compared to His. Yet He who suffered so much for us, is compassionate and tender towards us in our suffering! And today He says that every suffering, every tear will be revealed. “Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.” 
• How consoling! To suffer with no one to share our pain, our agony, adds to our distress. But He who is always with us knows our suffering, and He will make it known as a matter of justice. 
• However, truth is a two edged sword. We have suffered at the hands of others, but others have suffered at our hands! Justice demands that we know the suffering we have caused others – maybe our parents, other family members, friends, our brothers and sisters in Christ less fortunate than us. Our Lord will make this known as well.
• Our God is a God of Justice – but He is also a God of Mercy! How deep our remorse will be to know the full extent of the pain and suffering we caused others. In His Mercy, we will be forgiven, and more than forgiven, for in the end we will see that He brings good from all things to those who love Him, in this life and the next! What harm others have done to us, and we have done to others, will be seen by all as the means of our merciful Savior to draw us closer to His loving and Sacred Heart.
• Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of those who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” What He speaks to us in darkness – the darkness of our suffering, loneliness and fear – we will speak in the light and our fears will be banished. What we hear whispered, we will proclaim from the rooftops and our foes will be vanquished.
• This is the good news: those who persecute us, or let’s be honest, whom we persecute by our lack of love, can only punish our most nonessential being – our bodies. We must always remember what perishes and what endures!
• As we grow older, our bodies weaken and fail. We begin to lose sight, hearing and strength. Perhaps illness visits us. Our memory taunts us with visions of what we used to be able to do and cannot do now. However, our suffering united to Christ’s Passion makes our soul grow stronger, more vibrant, with a greater capacity for loving. As we love more, we soar higher in the spiritual life and in holiness!
• Let us beg for the grace to embrace holiness by embracing our suffering as part of God’s permissive will for our eternal life, and as Jesus said, “Be not afraid!”
• Jesus gives us these most consoling words: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge! Even all the hairs on your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows!”
• This is our great encouragement and reward! “Everyone who acknowledges me before others, I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.” And we will be with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit forever in Heaven!
• “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you.” (Jer. 29:11)
• “Do not let your hearts be troubled. My Father’s house has many rooms. I go to prepare a place for you, and I will come back and take you to be with me, so that  where I am, you also may be.” (Jn. 14:1-3)
• “Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.” (Jer. 17:14)

 

 

After the death of Jehoiada,
the princes of Judah came and paid homage to King Joash,
and the king then listened to them.
They forsook the temple of the LORD, the God of their fathers,
and began to serve the sacred poles and the idols;
and because of this crime of theirs,
wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem.
Although prophets were sent to them to convert them to the LORD,
the people would not listen to their warnings.
Then the Spirit of God possessed Zechariah,
son of Jehoiada the priest.
He took his stand above the people and said to them:
“God says, ‘Why are you transgressing the LORD’s commands,
so that you cannot prosper?
Because you have abandoned the LORD, he has abandoned you.’”
But they conspired against him,
and at the king’s order they stoned him to death
in the court of the LORD’s temple.
Thus King Joash was unmindful of the devotion shown him
by Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, and slew his son.
And as Zechariah was dying, he said, “May the LORD see and avenge.”

At the turn of the year a force of Arameans came up against Joash.
They invaded Judah and Jerusalem,
did away with all the princes of the people,
and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.
Though the Aramean force came with few men,
the LORD surrendered a very large force into their power,
because Judah had abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers.
So punishment was meted out to Joash.
After the Arameans had departed from him,
leaving him in grievous suffering,
his servants conspired against him
because of the murder of the son of Jehoiada the priest.
He was buried in the City of David,
but not in the tombs of the kings.

R. (29a) For ever I will maintain my love for my servant.
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations.”

R. For ever I will maintain my love for my servant.
“Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm.
I will make his posterity endure forever
and his throne as the days of heaven.”

R. For ever I will maintain my love for my servant.
“If his sons forsake my law
and walk not according to my ordinances,
If they violate my statutes
and keep not my commands.”

R. For ever I will maintain my love for my servant.
“I will punish their crime with a rod
and their guilt with stripes.
Yet my mercy I will not take from him,
nor will I belie my faithfulness.”

R. For ever I will maintain my love for my servant.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed is the Virgin Mary who kept the word of God
and pondered it in her heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Part Two: the Sacraments of Faith

15 The second part of the Catechism explains how God’s salvation, accomplished once for all through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, is made present in the sacred actions of the Church’s liturgy (Section One), especially in the seven sacraments (Section Two).

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

SATURDAY, JUNE 20^TH        Lk. 2:41-51   Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Second Apparition of Fatima and the Immaculate Heart of Mary…

• In the second Fatima apparition on 13 June 1917 Our Lady revealed her Immaculate Heart to the children. Lucia writes: “From that day onwards, our hearts were filled with a more ardent love for the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
• In this second apparition Lucia asked: “Will you take us to heaven?” “Yes, I shall take Jacinta and Francisco soon, but you will remain a little longer, since Jesus wishes you to make me known and loved on earth. He wishes also for you to establish devotion in the world to my Immaculate Heart. 
• We can hear the sadness in Lucia’s next question: “Must I remain in the world alone?” “Not alone, my child, and you must not be sad. I will be with you always, and my Immaculate Heart will be your comfort and the way which will lead you to God.”
• Lucia: “The moment she said the last words, opening her hands, she transmitted to us, for the second time, the reflection of that intense light. In it we felt we were submerged in God. Jacinta and Francisco seemed to be in that part of the light which was rising to Heaven, and I in the part spreading over the earth. In front of the palm of Our Lady’s right hand was a heart encircled with thorns which appeared to pierce it. We understood it was the Immaculate Heart of Mary offended by the sins of mankind, craving reparation.”
• After this apparition, Jacinta would at times exclaim to Lucia, “The Lady said that her Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God. Don’t you love that? Her Heart is so good! How I love it!” 

Sister Lucia, a professed religious Carmelite, on Our Lady and the Rosary in today’s world…

• Sister Lucia: Let people say the rosary every day. Our Lady stated that repeatedly in all her apparitions, as if to fortify us against these times of diabolical disorientation, so that we would not allow ourselves to be deceived by false doctrines.
• Sister Lucia: The Most Holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Holy Rosary. She has given this efficacy to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all, spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families, of the families of the world, or of the religious communities, or even of the life of peoples and nations; that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary.

 Sister Lucia’s Exposition of the Rosary…

On September 16, 1970, Sister Lucia wrote to a friend, Mother Maria José Martins, who had been her companion at Tuy, in the novitiate of the Dorothean Sisters. Following is an excerpt from the letter. We can derive from this that Lucia does not think Mother Martins appreciates the Rosary as it deserves. By God’s Providence we have this beautiful exposition of the Rosary in Lucia’s own words!

J.M.J.T.

Coimbra, September 16, 1970

 Dear Mother Martins,

Pax Christi.

 (Personal greetings….)

Regarding what you said about the prayer of the Rosary, it is a pity because the prayer of the Rosary, or five decades of it, after the Sacred Liturgy of the Eucharist, is what most unites us with God by the richness of the prayers that compose it.

All of them came from Heaven, dictated by the Father, by the Son and by the Holy Ghost.

The Glory Be that we pray between the decades was dictated by the Father to the angels when He sent them to sing it near to His Word, the newborn Child. It is also a hymn to the Blessed Trinity.

The Our Father was dictated by the Son, and it is a prayer directed to the Father.

The Hail Mary is completely impregnated both with a Trinitarian and a Eucharistic sense. The first words were dictated by the Father to the Angel when He sent him to announce the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word: “Hail [Mary] full of grace, the Lord is with thee.” You are full of grace because in you dwells the fountain of grace, and also because of your union with the most Blessed Trinity.

Moved by the Holy Ghost, St. Elizabeth said: “Blessed art thou among women, and Blessed is the Fruit of thy womb” [Jesus].

The Church, also moved by the Holy Ghost, added, “Hail Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.” This prayer is directed to God through the mediation of Mary. Because you are the Mother of God, pray for us.

The Hail Mary is a Trinitarian prayer because Mary was the first living temple of the most Holy Trinity, evident from the words of the Angel: “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee, and therefore the Holy One to be born shall be called the Son of God.”

It is also Eucharistic. Mary is the first living Tabernacle wherein the Father enclosed His Son, the Word made flesh. Her Immaculate Heart is the first Monstrance to hold Him. Her breast and her arms were the first Altar on which the Father exposed His Son for adoration. There the Angels, the Shepherds and the Magi adored Him.

Mary is the first…who held in her pure and immaculate hands the Son of God. It was she who took Him to the Temple to offer Him to the Father as a victim for the salvation of the world.

If we give to the Hail Mary its full significance – all the beauty of these pious considerations – we see that it is indeed a Trinitarian and a Eucharistic prayer, even more than a Marian one. I do not know if we can find prayers more sublime or more appropriate to recite before the Blessed Sacrament.

Moreover, after the Sacred Liturgy of the Eucharist, the prayer of the Rosary is what best fosters within our spirit the growth of the mysteries of Faith, Hope, and Charity. It is the spiritual bread of souls. The one who does not pray weakens and dies. It is in prayer that we meet with God, and in this encounter, He imparts to us Faith, Hope, and Charity. Without these virtues we cannot be saved.

Unfortunately, we cannot hopefully expect a great number of souls to assist at daily Mass, but we can hope to bring a greater number of them to recite the daily Rosary. This practice will preserve and increase their faith, due to the prayer life it fosters and to the mysteries of our Redemption which are remembered in each decade.

The Rosary is the prayer of the poor and the rich, of the wise and the ignorant. To uproot this devotion from souls is to deprive them of their daily spiritual bread. The Rosary helps to preserve that flickering flame of faith that has not yet been completely extinguished from many consciences. Even for those souls who pray without meditating, the simple act of taking the beads in hand to pray is already a remembrance of God – of the supernatural. And just the simple recollection of the mysteries before each decade is still another ray of light sustaining the flicker of light in their souls.

That is why the devil is waging such a great war against it. And the worst of it is that he has deluded and deceived souls who bear a great responsibility because of their office. They are the blind leading the blind. They seek in Vatican Council II support for their positions, not realizing that the Holy Council ordered them to preserve all the practices that in the course of the years had been fostered in honor of the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God; that the prayer of the Rosary is one of the most important of these, and that, therefore, according to the decrees of the Holy Council and the recommendations of the Holy Father, [it] is one we must maintain.

 I have great hopes that, in the not too far distant future, the prayer of the Holy Rosary will be proclaimed a liturgical prayer, because all its parts share in the Sacred Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Let us pray, work, and sacrifice and trust that “Finally my Immaculate Heart will triumph.”  Lucia, O.C.D.

To Honor Mary today, let us pray the Litany of the Immaculate Heart of Mary with great love for Mary and Jesus, and in reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Christ, hear us,                                                                     Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven,                                                   Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,                                 Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit,                                                             Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God,                                                         Have mercy on us.
Heart of Mary,                                                                      Pray for us.
Heart of Mary, After God’s own Heart,                             Pray for us.
Heart of Mary, In union with the Heart of Jesus,             Pray for us.
Heart of Mary, Vessel of the Holy Spirit,                           Pray for us.
Heart of Mary, Shrine of the Trinity,                                 Pray for us.
Heart of Mary, Home of the Word,                                    Pray for us.
Heart of Mary, Immaculate in your creation,                    Pray for us.
Heart of Mary, Flooded with grace,                                    Pray for us.
Heart of Mary, Blessed of all hearts,                                  Pray for us.
Heart of Mary, Throne of glory,                                         Pray for us.
Heart of Mary, Abyss of humbleness,                                Pray for us.
Heart of Mary, Victim of love,                                             Pray for us.
Heart of Mary, Nailed to the cross,                                     Pray for us.
Heart of Mary, Comfort of the sad,                                     Pray for us.
Heart of Mary, Refuge of the sinner,                                  Pray for us.
Heart of Mary, Hope of the dying,                                      Pray for us.
Heart of Mary, Seat of mercy,                                             Pray for us.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,        Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,        Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,        Have mercy on us.

Immaculate Mary, meek and humble of Heart.
Conform our hearts to the Heart of Jesus.                           Let us pray,

O most merciful God, who for the salvation of sinners and the refuge of the wretched, has made the Immaculate Heart of Mary most like in tenderness and pity to the Heart of Jesus, grant that we, who now commemorate her most sweet and loving heart, may by her merits and intercession, ever live in the fellowship of the hearts of both Mother and Son, through the same Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

 

Moses said to the people:
“You are a people sacred to the LORD, your God;
he has chosen you from all the nations on the face of the earth
to be a people peculiarly his own.
It was not because you are the largest of all nations
that the LORD set his heart on you and chose you,
for you are really the smallest of all nations.
It was because the LORD loved you
and because of his fidelity to the oath he had sworn your fathers,
that he brought you out with his strong hand
from the place of slavery,
and ransomed you from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
Understand, then, that the LORD, your God, is God indeed,
the faithful God who keeps his merciful covenant
down to the thousandth generation
toward those who love him and keep his commandments,
but who repays with destruction a person who hates him;
he does not dally with such a one,
but makes them personally pay for it.
You shall therefore carefully observe the commandments,
the statutes and the decrees that I enjoin on you today.”

R. (cf. 17) The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and forget not all his benefits.

R. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.
He pardons all your iniquities,
heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
crowns you with kindness and compassion.

R. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.

R. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.

Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is of God;
everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.
In this way the love of God was revealed to us:
God sent his only Son into the world
so that we might have life through him.
In this is love:
not that we have loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,
and his love is brought to perfection in us.

This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us,
that he has given us of his Spirit.
Moreover, we have seen and testify
that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world.
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God remains in him and he in God.
We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.

God is love, and whoever remains in love
remains in God and God in him.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord;
and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
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 yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Part One: the Profession of Faith

14 Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.16 First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One). the profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two).

 

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

FRIDAY, JUNE 19^TH   Mt. 11:25-30   “Come to me, all you who are weary.”

 “His Divine Heart calls to our hearts, inviting us to come out of ourselves, to abandon our human certainties to trust in Him and, following His example, to make of ourselves a gift of love without reserve.” (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI)

 SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS

“Come to me, all you who labor and are weary,
  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 yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” 

 From a letter of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.  We must know the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge.

 It seems to me that our Lord’s earnest desire to have His Sacred Heart honored in a special way is directed toward renewing the effects of redemption in our souls. For the Sacred Heart is an inexhaustible fountain and its sole desire is to pour itself out into the hearts of the humble so as to free them and prepare them to lead lives according to His good pleasure.

 From this Divine Heart three streams flow endlessly. The first is the stream of mercy for sinners; it pours into their hearts sentiments of contrition and repentance. The second is the stream of charity which helps all in need and especially aids those seeking perfection to find the means of surmounting their difficulties. From the third streamflow love and light for the benefit of His friends who have attained perfection; these He wishes to unite to Himself so that they may share His knowledge and commandments and, in their individual ways, devote themselves wholly to advancing His glory.

 This Divine Heart is an abyss of all blessings, and into it the poor should submerge all their needs. It is an abyss of joy in which all of us can immerse our sorrows. It is an abyss of lowliness to counteract our foolishness, an abyss of mercy for the wretched, an abyss of love to meet our every need. Therefore, you must unite yourselves to the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ, both at the beginning of your conversion in order to obtain proper dispositions, and at its end in order to make reparation. Are you making no progress in prayer? Then you need only offer God the prayers which the Savior has poured out for us in the Sacrament of the altar. Offer God His fervent love in reparation for your sluggishness. In the course of every activity pray as follows: “My God, I do this or I endure that in the heart of your Son and according to His holy counsels. I offer it to you in reparation for anything blameworthy or imperfect in my actions.” Continue to do this in every circumstance of life. And every time that some punishment, affliction, or injustice comes your way, say to yourself: “Accept this as sent to you by the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ in order to unite yourself to Him.”

 But above all preserve peace of heart. This is more valuable than any treasure. In order to preserve it there is nothing more useful than renouncing your own will and substituting for it the will of the Divine Heart. In this way His will can carry out for us whatever contributes to His glory, and we will be happy to be His subjects and trust entirely in Him.

 END St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (+1690) Visitation Nun and mystic.

 The Sacred Heart of Jesus:  “We must realize that Jesus is our tremendous lover.” 

By Dom Eugene Boylan, O. Cist R.

What then have we to do? We must realize that Jesus is our tremendous lover, that He is our all and that He has done all our works for us. We must believe in Jesus and not in ourselves; we must hope in Jesus and not in ourselves; we must love Jesus and not ourselves. As Saint Augustine told us, there is one man who reaches to the extremities of the universe and unto the end of time.  We have to enter into this one man – this one Christ – by faith, hope, and charity.We have to find our all in Him. He is our full complement and our perfect supplement. No matter how weak we are, He is our strength; no matter how empty we are, He is our fullness; no matter how sinful we are, He is our holiness. All we have to do is to accept God’s plan – to say as Christ said coming into the world: “A body thou hast fitted to me; behold I come to do Thy will, O God.” 

We have to accept the self, and the surroundings, and the story that the Lord’s providence arranges for us. In humility we must accept our self just as we are; in charity, we must accept and love our neighbor just as he is; in abandonment, we must accept the

Lord’s will just as things happen to us, and just as He would have us act. Faithful compliance with His will and humble acceptance of His arrangements will bring us to full union with Christ. For the rest, let us gladly glory in our infirmities that the power of Christ may dwell in us. In our weakness and in our love we shall thus become one with Him, and there shall be one Christ loving Himself.

END Dom Eugene Boylan, O. Cist R.  (+1964)

Like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijah
whose words were as a flaming furnace.
Their staff of bread he shattered,
in his zeal he reduced them to straits;
By the Lord’s word he shut up the heavens
and three times brought down fire.
How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!
Whose glory is equal to yours?
You brought a dead man back to life
from the nether world, by the will of the LORD.
You sent kings down to destruction,
and easily broke their power into pieces.
You brought down nobles, from their beds of sickness.
You heard threats at Sinai,
at Horeb avenging judgments.
You anointed kings who should inflict vengeance,
and a prophet as your successor.
You were taken aloft in a whirlwind of fire,
in a chariot with fiery horses.
You were destined, it is written, in time to come
to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD,
To turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons,
and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob.
Blessed is he who shall have seen you
And who falls asleep in your friendship.
For we live only in our life,
but after death our name will not be such.
O Elijah, enveloped in the whirlwind!

Then Elisha, filled with the twofold portion of his spirit,
wrought many marvels by his mere word.
During his lifetime he feared no one,
nor was any man able to intimidate his will.
Nothing was beyond his power;
beneath him flesh was brought back into life.
In life he performed wonders,
and after death, marvelous deeds.

R. (12a) Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.

R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Fire goes before him
and consumes his foes round about.
His lightnings illumine the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the Lord of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.

R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
All who worship graven things are put to shame,
who glory in the things of nought;
all gods are prostrate before him.

R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You have received a spirit of adoption as sons
through which we cry: Abba! Father!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This is how you are to pray:

‘Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.’

“If you forgive others their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”

IV. Structure of this Catechism

13 The plan of this catechism is inspired by the great tradition of catechisms which build catechesis on four pillars: the baptismal profession of faith (the Creed), the sacraments of faith, the life of faith (the Commandments), and the prayer of the believer (the Lord’s Prayer).

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

THURSDAY, JUNE 18^TH      Mt. 6:7-15   “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name.”

Prayer is the opening of our mind, heart and soul in a conversation with God. It is an expression of faith in our relationship with God, a relationship of love with Abba, Father – Jesus, the Son of God – and the Holy Spirit, Sweet Guest of the Soul.

Which Person of the Blessed Trinity are you closest to? Which Person do you usually pray to? Three meditations/contemplations are provided to help us grow in our relationship with God the Father – Abba Father. Pick the one that speaks most to you of the eternal love of the Father for you! Or pray with all three!

PART 1…
What it Means to Pray “Our Father” by Catherine of Siena  

I want your security to be in Christ gentle Jesus. He has clothed us in the sturdiest garment there is, a garment of love, fastened with the clasp of free choice, so we can take it off or put it on as we wish. If we want to throw away this garment of charity we can, and if we want to keep it we can do that too. Just think! The very first garment we ever had was love, for it was only by love that we were created in God’s image and likeness.  

So we cannot exist without love since we are made of nothing less than love. So too our soul’s natural bent is to love and follow our Father Creator, God eternal. For when we see that God created us out of love alone, we feel drawn to Him and cannot bear to see Him offended. We want to avenge such offense because of our love for our Father.  

This is why our soul is constantly wanting to punish the sensual part of us, the soul’s mortal enemy. For anyone who follows this sensuality is dead with an eternal death; such a person is crucifying Christ all over again – for you know that sin alone was the cause of His death.   

So a soul in love with God our eternal Father, wants to follow its own nature: love makes it lose itself; love makes it punish itself by striking out against false sensual passions of the devil, the world, and the flesh. It strikes them with the sword of hatred and of love – hatred and contempt for sin and love for virtue – by finding pleasure in what God loves and hating what God hates. Then our soul is giving the Father His due, following its nature and never going against it. 

End St. Catherine of Siena (+1380 – Doctor of the Church, lay Dominican mystic,)

PART 2…

There are three Persons in one God – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. “The names Creator, Redeemer, andSanctifier can be attributed to the divine Persons by appropriation, according the logic that what is common to the three Persons is attributed to one of them, in as much as it has a certain likeness to what is proper to the Person.”

(Ref: A New Response of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on the Validity of Baptism. Msgr. Antonio Miralles)

We say Father Creator, Son Redeemer, and Holy Spirit Sancitfier. This psalm then is talking about your Father Creator who created you out of Love!

Psalm 139

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.

PART 3…
Parable of the Lost Son… or better said, Parable of the Merciful Father…

There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, “Father, give me my share of the estate.” So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

When he came to his senses, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.” So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

The son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” So they began to celebrate.

 Jesus is telling a Parable, a story with a message for us. The prodigal son is you and it is me. The father is our heavenly Father always watching for us to return when we have strayed from Him. When He sees us returning, He is filled with compassion and runs to us, throws His arms around us, and kisses us. This is the Sacrament of Confession.

Next He has the fatted calf killed and arranges a feast to celebrate, for the one who was lost is now found. This is the feast of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and Jesus is the lamb that was slain for our sins, that we might have eternal life with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. How good is our Heavenly Father and how much He loves each one of us!

 

When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind,
he and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here;
the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan.”
“As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live,
I will not leave you,” Elisha replied.
And so the two went on together.
Fifty of the guild prophets followed and
when the two stopped at the Jordan,
they stood facing them at a distance.
Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up
and struck the water, which divided,
and both crossed over on dry ground.

When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha,
“Ask for whatever I may do for you, before I am taken from you.”
Elisha answered, “May I receive a double portion of your spirit.”
“You have asked something that is not easy,” Elijah replied.
“Still, if you see me taken up from you,
your wish will be granted; otherwise not.”
As they walked on conversing,
a flaming chariot and flaming horses came between them,
and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
When Elisha saw it happen he cried out,
“My father! my father! Israel’s chariots and drivers!”
But when he could no longer see him,
Elisha gripped his own garment and tore it in two.

Then he picked up Elijah’s mantle that had fallen from him,
and went back and stood at the bank of the Jordan.
Wielding the mantle that had fallen from Elijah,
Elisha struck the water in his turn and said,
“Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?”
When Elisha struck the water it divided and he crossed over.

R. (25) Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
How great is the goodness, O LORD,
which you have in store for those who fear you,
And which, toward those who take refuge in you,
you show in the sight of the children of men.

R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
You hide them in the shelter of your presence
from the plottings of men;
You screen them within your abode
from the strife of tongues.

R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
Love the LORD, all you his faithful ones!
The LORD keeps those who are constant,
but more than requites those who act proudly.

R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door,
and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to others to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

Catechism of the Catholic Chuch

12 This work is intended primarily for those responsible for catechesis: first of all the bishops, as teachers of the faith and pastors of the Church. It is offered to them as an instrument in fulfilling their responsibility of teaching the People of God. Through the bishops, it is addressed to redactors of catechisms, to priests, and to catechists. It will also be useful reading for all other Christian faithful.

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

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17^TH  Mt. 6:1-6, 16-18   “Your Father who sees in secret will repay you. Your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

What is it the Father sees in secret? What is it the Father sees that is hidden? Our Lord talks about the three staples of our spiritual life: almsgiving, fasting, and prayer. There is more the Father’s sees in secret, that is hidden, but let us begin with these three.

ALMSGIVING – our good deeds… Serving those in need for Christ’s sake with our time, our abilities, and our material and spiritual wealth.

• One of the truest proverbs is: Charity begins at home! It is the polar opposite of the saying: street angel, house devil! Do we actively seek ways to help at home?
  
• When we have satisfied charity at home, we can extend our good deeds to meet the needs in our parish and/or community. It is true that some of our good deeds are done communally and known to others. But there also many opportunities for good deeds that few know about, perhaps only the recipients!

FASTING…

A question for you… Are Catholics required to fast from meat on Fridays? Most Catholics would correctly answer NO. However, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops had more to say regarding fasting from meat on Fridays. Here is the full answer that most Catholics are unaware of – an exhortation to fast with a very beautiful and compelling explanation why!

USCCB Pastoral Statement on Penance and Abstinence.

22. Friday itself remains a special day of penitential observance throughout the year, a time when those who seek perfection will be mindful of their personal sins and the sins of mankind which they are called upon to help expiate in union with Christ Crucified.

23. Friday should be in each week something of what Lent is in the entire year. For this reason we urge all to prepare for that weekly Easter that comes with each Sunday by freely making of every Friday a day of self-denial and mortification in prayerful remembrance of the passion of Jesus Christ.

24. Among the works of voluntary self-denial and personal penance which we especially commend to our people for the future observance of Friday, even though we hereby terminate the traditional law of abstinence binding under pain of sin, as the sole prescribed means of observing Friday, we give first place to abstinence from flesh meat. We do so in the hope that the Catholic community will ordinarily continue to abstain from meat by free choice as formerly we did in obedience to Church law. Our expectation is based on the following considerations:

• We shall thus freely and out of love for Christ Crucified show our solidarity with the generations of believers to whom this practice frequently became, especially in times of persecution and of great poverty, no mean evidence of fidelity to Christ and His Church.
• We shall thus also remind ourselves that as Christians, although immersed in the world and sharing its life, we must preserve a saving and necessary difference from the spirit of the world. Our deliberate, personal abstinence from meat, more especially because no longer required by law, will be an outward sign of inward spiritual values that we cherish.

  End USCCB Pastoral Statement.

• These are compelling reasons to give up meat or to do some type of fasting on Fridays. There are other reasons for fasting in our spiritual journey. We may fast for special intentions; we all have intentions that weigh heavily on our heart! Jesus said some demons are only driven out by prayer and fasting. (Mt. 17:21)
• We usually think of fasting from food – denying bodily food to increase our hunger for God! But we should also think of fasting from other things that turn our hearts away from God. Taking custody of the senses is fasting – guarding our eyes and ears from seeing or hearing things that feed curiosity and the sin of gossip, or that feed impure thoughts and desires. Taking custody of our thoughts and speech is fasting – rejecting uncharitable thoughts that lead to unkind comments, concentrating instead on our own unworthiness and need for God’s mercy!

PRAYER… How did Jesus pray?

Jesus participated in communal prayer with His apostles. “Lord, teach us how to pray.” He taught them the Our Father. (Lk 11: 1-4) He prayed with His apostles in the synagogue. But Jesus also went off by Himself to secluded places to pray. He wanted to be alone with the Father, enter into the Father’s Presence, speak to the Father and listen to Him… to experience in His human nature the communion He shared with the Father in His divinity!

Communal Prayer…

• Hopefully, we pray at home with our family! A favorite family prayer of the Church is the most holy Rosary, honoring Our Blessed Mother and Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer! Many prayers are answered through daily recitation of the Rosary!
• As Catholics we participate in communal worship. We obey the 3rd Commandment by participating in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation.
• In these days of the pandemic, we are dispensed from this obligation. Now that the churches are open at limited capacity, we may be able to attend Mass and receive Jesus in Holy Communion sacramentally. But we can always participate in live stream Masses and receive Jesus spiritually.
• What a privilege, in person whenever possible or by live stream – to participate in the Mass – the representation of Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary – the greatest act of love the world has ever known, conquering sin and death and giving us hope of eternal salvation! Then to reverently receive Him in a Sacramental Communion or Spiritual Communion! It is the burning love and desire in our heart that Jesus sees and He responds with an outpouring of His love and graces!

Personal Prayer…

• Today, Jesus emphasizes the importance of private prayer, “go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.” He wants us to enter into that communion of being and love that He shares with the Father. This is our daily holy hour!
• Jesus in His humanity could not fulfill the purpose and mission for which He became Incarnate in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary without spending time alone in prayer with the Father.
• It was in prayer that Jesus surrendered His will to the Father. “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’” (Mt. 26:39)
• So too, our daily holy hour prepares us for the work God is calling us to do, helps us to hear the call, and strengthens us to embrace it!
• In our holy hour, we learn to recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit so as to follow His inspirations, and the promptings of the evil spirit so as to reject them!
• Our holy hours make us stronger in trials. As our love for Jesus grows, trust in His holy will grows, and we are able to bear trials, tribulations, and sufferings with more patience and acceptance.
• It is in our holy hour that we recognize the enthusiasm, energy and clarity of consolation, and we can make use of the wind in our sails to accomplish great things.
• It is in our holy hour that we recognize the sadness, confusion and loss of energy that assails us in desolation. Aware of this, we know that we have to hold fast to our spiritual practices, with patience and trust in God’s sufficient grace to sustain us until consolation returns. That especially applies to keeping our daily appointment with Our Lord in our Holy Hour! Distractions, temptations, dryness will come in prayer, but His loving and merciful Heart radiates healing light and warmth, even when we don’t feel it. If we are walking on the beach on a cloudy day, we can still get a sunburn!

What else does the Father see in secret, that is hidden…

What else does the Father see in secret? What else does He see that is hidden? The Father sees into the very depths of our heart – our desires, our intentions, our will. He knows if they are good or bad. We can fool ourselves, we can perhaps fool others, but we can never fool God!

Let us beg Mary, our most Holy Mother, to purify our desires, to rectify our intentions, and to fortify our will to do only what is right and pleasing in the eyes of God today and all the days of our life!