Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

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

Monday, July 4th   Mt. 9: 18-26   Alleluia Verse: “Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel.”

On this July 4th, we give thanks that we still live in a free country, evident when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion, reversing Roe v. Wade, a major pro-life victory! However, as we continue to fight the good fight, let us never forget that our true Freedom lies in our faith in Jesus Christ who destroyed death and brought us new life in Baptism, opening the door to all the Sacraments, especially Confession where we leave our self-centered life behind and strive to live other-centered lives, and most important, the most Holy Eucharist, Christ’s Real Presence among us!

ON THE VIRTUE OF FAITH… by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

“BE ON GUARD, STAND FIRM FOR THE FAITH, BE COURAGEOUS, BE STRONG. YOUR EVERY ACT SHOULD BE DONE WITH LOVE.” (I CORINTHIANS 16:13-14)

What is the virtue of faith? It is a theological virtue that unites us with God in whom we believe, in who He is, and in what He says through the Word of God, through the Magisterium and the person of Peter, who is the Pope. A shorter definition, indeed easier to memorize is: “Faith is believing in God without seeing Him.” Faith, together with hope and charity, are infused within our souls in the moment of Baptism. However, like a tiny seed planted in the ground it must be cultivated, otherwise it can wither and die.

BIBLICAL VERSE.  A very graphic Biblical verse, worthy of deep meditation or better yet contemplation is Saint Peter walking on the water, sinking, and then being lifted up by the hand of Jesus. (Mt 14:22-33) One of the principal reasons why Peter actually sank in the waves was that he lifted his eyes from the eyes of Jesus to look at the waves. This can be applied to all of us! When we fix our gaze into the loving eyes of Jesus then our faith, as well as our hope, remain firmly rooted, if you like anchored! However, once the worldly values lure us in the wrong direction and actually seduce us, then we—like Simon Peter—start to falter in our faith and eventually sink in the waves of our own sinfulness. Therefore, may we make a firm commitment and fight to be strong in the faith by striving to have Jesus always present to us in all times and places. As the Greek poet expressed it, quoted by Saint Paul: “In Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)

WHAT ARE THE MAJOR OBSTACLES TO FAITH IN THE MODERN WORLD?  

Related to the topic of faith, we should then ask and respond to this question, what are the major obstacles to faith in the modern world in which we live? There are many, but we would like to highlight a few:

1. LACK OF FORMATION IN THE FAITH. Often many have a very weak faith because their parents never made a concerted effort to teach and live the faith for their children. Parents must be the first teachers of the faith; they promised this on the day of their child’s Baptism. They should teach their children both by word and example.

2. LACK OF PERMANENT FORMATION. As in the life of any professional, a permanent process of formation is demanded. Doctors, Lawyers, Teachers, Writers, Priests—all must be constantly updating and upgrading their practice and profession; if not, they could lose their job. Likewise, as followers of Christ our formation process should be perpetual, up until the day the Lord calls us. We can never get to know and love God enough!

3. DISTRACTIONS AND WORLDLINESS.  Today there are many distractions and worldliness that can pull us off the straight and narrow path that leads to salvation. Jesus says the path that leads to perdition is wide and spacious and many choose that path; whereas the path that leads to salvation is narrow and there are few who find it and follow it.

4. PRIORITIES.  Also, without a serious cultivation of our faith, other things become our priority over God. However, our God is a jealous God who will take second place to no person, place or thing.

5. SIN.  Finally, one of the major obstacles towards growing in our faith would be SIN. If we give in to sin and allow sin to be our master, then our faith can diminish, wither, dry up and perish!!! Then we actually become slaves to our sinful desires and passions.

Now let us move in the opposite direction and respond to how we can bolster our faith and be the means by which others will come back to the faith, grow in their faith, and become apostles like us bringing others back to the faith.

1. PRAYER.  Every time we pray we are growing in our faith. Actually prayer is an act of faith because we are praying to a God whom we do not see. Servant of God, Father John Hardon, SJ made this observation with respect to faith. He noticed that most of those who had the faith and lost it, did so due to little prayer or the total abandoning of prayer. Therefore, let us make a strong decision and concerted effort to strive to grow in prayer every day.

2. SOLID SPIRITUAL READING.  Saints have been converted by reading—as in the case of Saint Ignatius of Loyola who read the lives of the saints after his injury in the battle of Pamplona. Ignatius exclaimed: “If Francis can do it, so can I; if Dominic can do it, then so can I.”  Why not decide to bolster your faith on a daily basis by applying yourselves to good spiritual reading. You might even start to read the lives of the saints; they indeed were the heroes of God, and men and women of extraordinary faith!

3. ACCEPT TRIALS LIKE SIMON PETER.  When God sends you some trial or tribulation then why not accept it and call out like Simon Peter who was sinking in the waves: Lord, save me! Jesus did save him, and at the same time gently rebuked him with the words: “O man of little faith!” God actually sends you trials to strengthen your faith, like Job in the Old Testament and Peter in the New Testament.

4. EUCHARIST: THE BREAD OF LIFE.  It must be said that the frequent, worthy, as well as fervent reception of the Eucharist, the Bread of Life, is by far one of the most powerful means to grow in our faith. “As the deer yearns for the running waters, so my soul yearns for you my God.” (Psalm 42:1) May the words of the Psalmist motivate us to grow in faith by growing in our faith and hunger for the Eucharist!

5. SHARE YOUR FAITH WITH OTHERS.  It is interesting to note that when we share material things, we end up with greater poverty. Not so with spiritual gifts and treasures. The contrary is so! The more we give and share our faith with others, the more we enrich our own faith. Therefore, be open to opportunities that God places in your path—persons that you can share your faith with. Many do not have faith and may never have faith for this simple reason: no one has been ready and willing to share their faith with them. As the Prophet Isaiah expresses it: “Blessed are the feet that bring the good news.” (Is 52:7)

The last words of Jesus before He ascended into heaven were: “Go out to all nations and teach all that I have taught you; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Behold, I will be with you always until the end of the world.” (Mt 28:20) Indeed to be a follower of Christ is to be a missionary, always looking for times, places and circumstances to share the Good News of salvation. May Our Lady who said YES to God in the Annunciation and then went in haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth so as to bring the Good News to her, be our inspiration to know our faith, love our faith, grow in our faith, and be zealous to share our faith with the whole world!

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

SUNDAY, July 3rd   Lk. 10: 1-12, 17-20   Jesus said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”

Jesus is sending out His disciples to every town and place He intends to visit. We are the disciples He is sending out today to prepare others to receive Jesus into their hearts and their lives. We have Fr. Ed’s exhortation and the help of the saints to set our hearts on fire!

“I cannot but thank God because he has willed in His infinite mercy to grant this sorrow to my heart so that by means of these arduous thorns I might return to a life that is more interior, more spiritual. Until this age, I was living too materially and now I need to refortify my soul for future struggles because from now on every day, every hour there will be a new battle to fight and a new victory to conquer.” (Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati)

GOD’S DESIRE: THE CONVERSION OF SINNERS by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

One of the greatest desires of Almighty God is the conversion of sinners. That poor sinners will leave their sinful lifestyles and turn back to the love of God is high on the list of God’s desires.

Furthermore, Our Lady, who is the one closest to God Almighty, shares this same desire: that poor sinners will renounce their sinful lifestyles and return to God. Our Lady of Lourdes, who appeared 18 times in the year 1858 to the little peasant child, Bernadette Soubirous, asked the little girl to pray and to offer up sacrifices for the conversion of sinners. Very similar to the message of Lourdes was that of Our Lady of Fatima, who appeared 6 times in the year 1917 to three simple shepherd children, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta. Our Lady said with great sorrow in her heart that many souls were lost because there were not sufficient prayers and sacrifices offered for these poor sinners.

On July 13, 1917, Our Lady appeared to the three children of Fatima and revealed to them a graphic vision of Hell! From then on the children, but most especially Jacinta, offered many sacrifices for the conversion of sinners. This vision of hell left such a profound and indelible impression upon Jacinta that she offered all she possibly could in her short life for the conversion of poor sinners, to win souls for God.

Jacinta’s Sacrifices

The sacrifices of this little girl, beatified by Saint Pope John Paul II together with her brother Francisco, both later canonized by Pope Francis, were constant and heroic:

• She sacrificed her favorite food: those sweet and delicious grapes that grew on the hillsides of Portugal.
• She wore around her waist a rope which caused her discomfort all day.
• She sacrificed her lunch for the poor whom she met on the roadside.
• On a hot summer day, dying of thirst, she sacrificed drinking water.
• With the reminder of her brother Francisco, she offered up her headache.
• She prayed the prayers the angel taught her, prostrate on the ground.
• She prayed many, many Rosaries to Our Lady for the conversion of sinners.
• Interrogated and threatened by the local authorities, she was willing to suffer being burned to death in a cauldron of boiling oil rather than deny she saw Our Lady.
• Finally, Jacinta suffered a painful death, in which she died almost alone in a hospital far from her home. All this she did out of love for Almighty God and for the conversion and salvation of sinners. How much love this little girl had for God and God’s crown of creation in this world—the human person!

The saints are different in many ways, coming from different historical periods, diverse family backgrounds, widely diverse cultural environments, endowed with different temperaments as well as intellectual gifts. However, all the saints have this in common: a great love for God and a great love for what God really loves most in all of His creation, the salvation of the souls of all the human persons that He has created. This is what He desires first and foremost: their eternal salvation.

On one occasion a child entered into the office of a priest. The young boy, looking up on the wall, saw a few words written in Latin. Inquisitive, the boy asked the priest the meaning of those few words; the words were the motto and motor-force of the life of this great priest. The interpretation would be: “Give me souls and take all the rest away.” The name of this priest was the great Saint John Bosco; the name of the boy was Saint Dominic Savio. This boy turned to Bosco and said: “I am the cloth and you are the tailor; make me into a saint.” Before the boy turned 15 he was already dead. However, he reached his ardent desire: he died a saint! Both Bosco and Savio had this in common: great love for God and inflamed love for the salvation of souls.

One of the most pervasive maladies in the modern world, even all-pervasive within the Catholic Church, is the cancer of mediocrity. This is an all-pervasive, poisonous and contagious spiritual disease in which many Catholics, millions upon millions, have no fire, have no zeal, have no burning desire to work with God for the salvation of immortal souls.

The Word of God speaks powerfully against this spiritual condition with these words from the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation: “The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the source of God’s creation, says this: I know your works: I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” (Rev 3:14-15)

Mediocre Catholics are lukewarm; they are tepid; they are lifeless. They are languid, slovenly and lazy. They have no fire, no zeal, no life, no strong desires. They have lost their first love, if indeed they had love in the first place! They suffer from an appalling spiritual anemia. They are living but not really alive spiritually! As the Word of God says so forcefully, God vomits or spits them out of His mouth. Living in this spiritual environment, all of us must fight forcefully so as not to slowly descend into this dangerous pit of mediocrity. The lives of the saints can spur us on as in the following examples.

Conversion to God and a Zeal for Souls

Both Saint Ignatius of Loyola and Saint Francis Xavier underwent powerful conversions which transformed both of them into fiery warriors of God with an ardent desire to save many souls. Ignatius was converted by receiving a near-fatal wound in the battle of Pamplona and by reading the lives of saints. Upon reading about the saints, a fire and ardent zeal was ignited in Ignatius’ heart to work with God for the salvation of immortal souls. In his classic, the Spiritual Exercises, he presents a meditation / contemplation The Call of the Temporal King so as to follow the call of the Eternal King. One of the primary purposes of this meditation is for us to listen attentively to the Call of the Eternal King, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and to work side by side with Jesus in striving for the conversion of sinners and the salvation of immortal souls.

Saint Francis Xavier went through his conversion by means of the doing the Spiritual Exercises under the direction of Saint Ignatius of Loyola in Paris. After completing the Exercises, Xavier was radically transformed and converted into a fiery warrior and disciple of the Lord of Lord’s, the King of King’s, Jesus Christ. After Xavier was ordained a priest, he became the secretary of Ignatius. The Pope wanted to send priests to India and other countries in the Far-East, following the missionary mandate of Jesus to go out to the whole world to preach and baptize. So Ignatius sent Francis Xavier. The last words that Ignatius said to Xavier, who would become one of the greatest missionaries in world history, were: Go set the world on fire! Thousands upon thousands of souls were saved in India, Malaysia and even Japan by Xavier, who desired ardently the conversion of sinners and the salvation of immortal souls. Many nights he could no longer lift up his arm because he had baptized so many individuals during the course of the day—that is truly love for the conversion and salvation of souls!

Now it is your turn! Enter into silence which will lead you into prayer. The Lord of Lord’s and the King of Kings is calling you right now. He wants you to work with Him in the conversion of sinners and the salvation of immortal souls. What can you do right now to bring at least one soul to conversion? Listen to these encouraging words in the Letter of Saint James: “My brothers, if anyone among you should stray from the truth and someone bring him back, he should know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19-20)

In imitation of the saints, let us work hard now and we can rest for all eternity with the angels, the saints, Our Lady who is the Queen of angels and saints, and with God Himself. May we all be motivated by the virtue of apostolic zeal and an ardent desire to work with God in the salvation of countless sinners! Saint Thomas Aquinas reminds us that one soul is worth more than the whole created universe. Why? Saint Peter teaches us: “You were ransomed from your futile conduct handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless and unblemished lamb. (I Peter 1:18-19). May the reality of the Precious Blood of Jesus that He shed on the cross on Good Friday, with all of the pain and anguish He suffered for the conversion of sinners and the salvation of their immortal souls, ignite within us zeal for the conversion and salvation of sinners. Right now God is speaking to your heart with these words: GO NOW AND SET ALL ON FIRE!!!

Saturday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

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

SATURDAY, July 2nd   Mt. 9: 14-17   Entrance Antiphon: “Hail, Holy Mother, who gave birth to the King who rules heaven and earth.”

Saturday is the day dedicated to honoring the most Blessed Virgin Mary. After the sublime prayer of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which is Opus Dei, the work of God Himself, there is no prayer more pleasing to Mary than the recitation of the most holy Rosary. In praying the Rosary we walk with Mary through the mysteries of the life of Jesus, the Son of God made man for our salvation!

In addition to meditating on Fr. Ed’s excellent article, we can take any one of the Rosary Mysteries that touch us most right now, and contemplate how that mystery speaks to us in our life.

MARY AND THE FRUITS OF THE MOST HOLY ROSARY! By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Our Lady of Fatima appeared six times to the little shepherd children of Fatima from May 13th to October 13th—on which day occurred the great Miracle of the Sun witnessed by over 70,000 people.

The messages given by Our Lady were many, simple but very profound, and all related to the honor and glory of God and the salvation of immortal souls. Being a loving Mother, Mary wants what is most important and best for her children, and that is the salvation of their immortal souls for all eternity. A mother seeing her children in danger will run to their rescue. So Mary has run to our rescue.

THE MOST HOLY ROSARY: KEY TO SALVATION, LADDER TO HEAVEN, GATE OF ENTRANCE TO GOD’S GLORY.

In every one of the six Apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, Our Heavenly Mother reiterated each time the same desire—and that was to pray the most Holy Rosary. If a Mother repeats herself to her children, then that repeated desire must be of capital importance; in this case, it is a matter of life and death, a matter regarding our eternal salvation! In sum, Mary wants to help us arrive safely at our heavenly home by the faithful recitation of the Holy Rosary.

This being the case, let us highlight some of the positive fruits that flow from the faithful recitation of the most Holy Rosary, that Our Lady of Fatima so ardently desires we pray for our salvation and the conversion and salvation of many sinners.

1. PRAYER IN GENERAL.  Any prayer that we pray well is pleasing to Almighty God and will produce abundant fruits that we will only see upon our entrance into eternity.

2. GET TO KNOW THE WORD OF GOD.  We should never forget that the most Holy Rosary is essentially a Biblical prayer; almost all of the Mysteries (20 in total) are derived explicitly from the Bible, which is the Living Word of God. For example, all of the five Joyful Mysteries are taken from the first two Chapters of the Gospel of Luke. Check it out!!!

3. VOCAL PRAYER.  The Rosary is a wonderful prayer that we express vocally and it is a most efficacious tool to help children learn the art of prayer. By the way, the Fatima seers were mere children. Jesus said: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Mt. 19:14)

4. MENTAL PRAYER.  The Rosary introduces us to the art of mental prayer, sometimes called MEDITATION. Many saints—such as, Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Saint Teresa of Avila, and Saint Ignatius of Loyola—insist that mental prayer or meditation is absolutely indispensable to arrive at deeper spiritual growth!

5. IGNATIAN CONTEMPLATION.  Furthermore, the Rosary prayed well introduces us to another form of prayer that is termed IGNATIAN CONTEMPLATION. By this is meant, the proper use of the imagination in which you apply yourself to one of the scenes, also called Mysteries, and imagine you are part of the scene itself, living and interacting with Mary, with Jesus, and in the Joyful Mysteries, even with good Saint Joseph.

6. TRANSFORMATION.  It is a wise saying that we become like those with whom we live or associate. In other words, we tend to imitate those we live with or those we call friends. As the proverb says: “Show me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are!” Applying this to praying the most Holy Rosary, if we are constantly thinking about Jesus, Mary, and Saint Joseph, talking to them, imagining interacting with them in their lives in contemplative prayer, then most likely we will start to imitate them. Until we can finally say in the words of the great Apostle Saint Paul: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Gal. 2:20)

7. DISCIPLINE.  What is lacking in the lives of many, and that might be us, is a lack of discipline, a lack of order. Saint Ignatius states that one of the primary purposes of the Spiritual Exercises is to ORDER THE DISORDER in our lives!If the Holy Rosary is prayed well, prayed regularly, prayed with love and devotion, then the Holy Rosary can serve as an indispensable tool to order the many disorders that characterize our lives.

8. OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE AND ORDERING.  There is an interesting detail in the Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico to Juan Diego on 12 December 1531. At one point, Our Lady told Juan Diego to cut the roses that were growing on the top of Tepeyac Hill. When he came down the hill, Our Lady actually ordered the roses in Juan Diego’s tilma with her own hands. This is symbolic of what Our Lady wants to do with us by our faithful recitation of the Holy Rosary. She wants to order the disorder in our lives. Often this means detach us from our attachment to sin!

9. PEACE OF HEART, MIND, BODY, AND SOUL.  Another positive fruit of the faithful recitation of the Holy Rosary is that of peace of heart, mind, body, and soul—in other words, our total person! We all desire peace in our lives. Saint Augustine defines peace as such: “Peace is the tranquility of order.” As mentioned above, the recitation of the Holy Rosary brings about interior, as well as exterior, order. Consequently, the fruit will be peace. One of the many beautiful titles of Mary is QUEEN OF PEACE!

10. FILLS THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY WITH JOY.  It must be said that every time we pray the Rosary individually, or in the context of the family, or in the context of the Parish, or wherever the Holy Rosary is recited with love, fervor, attention, and devotion, this homage paid to Mary, as well as to Jesus—the two are never separated, fills the Immaculate Heart of Mary with immense and overflowing joy! A gesture of attention and love shown to Mary will never be forgotten by our Heavenly Mother and she will repay you with abundant graces here and forever with eternal life!

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

FRIDAY, July 1st   Mt. 9: 9-13   Jesus asked: “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?”

Jesus is with us! In every tabernacle throughout the world, we have the Real Presence of Jesus in the most Holy Eucharist, yearning for someone to come visit Him! In every Holy Communion we receive Jesus in His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity into our very heart and being. In every holy hour, Jesus is present to us as our Lord, Savior, and best Friend!

The Question is how attentive are we to Jesus’ presence among us? Or are we busy about many things?

MARTHA & MARY: LEARNING NOT TO WORRY by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Do you ever worry? If so, why do you worry? Then next: when do you worry? Still more: does your worrying help you in any way you can think of? Finally, what is it that can bring your worrying to a halt?

The whole reality of worrying so prevalent in these stressful times should be addressed, as well as what is the remedy.

Martha and Mary

Jesus had three friends, two sisters and their brother: Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. They lived not too far from the city of Jerusalem in a town called Bethany. Jesus was their friend and their guest. Jesus loved these three and found warmth and comfort in going to their home to visit. However, on one occasion there surfaces from the heart and lips of Martha an intense worry.

The reason for the worry? By nature Mary was more of a contemplative. This means that Mary thrived on silence, reflection, and contemplation. On the contrary, Martha was a ball of energy! By nature very active, Martha liked to get things done. She was a planner and an organizer. A homemaker and cook, she liked things to turn out according to her plans and schedule.

On one occasion Jesus was a guest and apparently Martha was off schedule and did not have things ready according to her preconceived plans. Somewhat nervous, moving a mile a minute caring and worrying for Jesus, she stopped to observe a scene that really bothered her. Despite the many tasks that were yet to be done, her sister Mary was simply sitting before Jesus apparently doing nothing; or at least Mary was not doing anything very profitable! Mary was just sitting at the feet of Jesus even though so much still had to be done!

What do you think was undone? Well, it could be that the table was not ready. Maybe in the kitchen the food was not yet totally prepared. Maybe there was not enough water for drinking or washing. Who knows, maybe the house was not as clean as it should have been! In any case, things were not ready according to the criteria of Martha and this was wrong and had to be remedied and as soon as possible!

How To Remedy It

Martha, the pragmatist and the “doer” has a simple, but what she thinks, very efficient idea: “Two hands are better than one”, or the other proverb: “Many hands make work light.” Therefore, Martha goes to Jesus to complain, what Martha deems a very justified complaint! In any case, the complaint is directed at having things ready quicker for Jesus! So Martha tells Jesus to tell Mary to help her! This seems to be a fair request, very logical, practical, well-ordered and reasonable!

Jesus gives a surprising response: a gentle rebuke! Instead of Jesus telling Mary to get up in a hurry and to help Martha so as to have the schedule run perfectly on time, according to Martha’s criteria, Jesus gently rebukes Martha. Listen to Jesus’ words: “Martha, Martha, you are worried about many things. Mary has chosen the best part and she will not be deprived of it.”

How then can we interpret these surprising words of Jesus that are honestly in favor of what Mary is doing and a gentle fraternal correction to Martha?

Interpretation

Jesus is not displeased with the attention, concern, hospitality and hard work that Martha manifests toward Him. Never forget that the Church actually celebrates Martha as a saint every year on July 29^th. The point that Jesus wants to highlight in this passage, as well as all throughout Sacred Scripture, is the importance of our prayer life, the importance of silence which fosters contemplation and union with the Lord Jesus. Martha symbolizes the active life of service to others, if you like, the Corporal Works of Mercy. “I was hungry and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me to drink; I was a foreigner and you welcomed me…” (Mt 25: 31-46) Indeed we will be judged by Jesus on how faithfully we have lived out these works of mercy!

Mary’s Contemplative Life

However, the life of prayer or the life of contemplation has a supremely important role. It is precisely this that Jesus is trying to teach the world through the incident in Bethany and the tension that existed between Martha and Mary—two very good and holy sisters, but very different in temperament and character.

In fact Mary symbolizes all the different gestures we should strive to implement so as to live out a more contemplative lifestyle. Let us reflect upon these contemplative gestures of Mary.

1) SITS AT THE FEET OF JESUS.  Mary is simply sitting lovingly at the feet of Jesus. Contemplative souls long to sit and be with Jesus for long periods of time!

2) CONTEMPLATES JESUS.  Next, Mary simply gazes into the Face and eyes of the Lord Jesus. The Psalmist expresses this: “Look to the Lord and be radiant with joy.”

3) LISTENS TO JESUS.  While sitting with Mary, we can certainly imagine Jesus speaking to Mary. Try to imagine the way Jesus speaks, the tone of His voice as well as the content of His message. Indeed, there is much food for thought here!

4) SPEAKS TO JESUS.  It is not a monologue but a dialogue that is being carried on between Jesus and Mary in Bethany. This is the essence of prayer: to listen and to speak to Jesus. A great definition of prayer!

5) LOVES JESUS.  However, the essence of this encounter between Mary and Jesus in the home of Bethany is love. Mary loves Jesus totally and Jesus in turn loves Mary, as well as Martha and Lazarus.

6) FRIENDSHIP WITH JESUS. The net result of this loving encounter is a dynamic and growing friendship between Mary and Jesus.

Why Worry?

One of the reasons why we fall into the trap of being “Worry-warts”, and end up by making others worry too (remember, worrying can be contagious!), is that we can easily neglect the contemplative dimension in our lives. We can easily fall into activism. We can fall into the proverbial modern malady that we call the workaholic. We can fall into Marthaism—a new word that I have created related to this topic!

Therefore, when you find yourself nervous, tense, emotionally drained, frenetically moving from one activity to the next—in a word, you are all stressed out and bent out of shape, you will know the reason why! You have become too much Martha and not enough Mary.

A grace to pray for: 

Beg the Blessed Virgin Mary for the grace to strike a harmonious blend between the Martha and the Mary in your life, the harmonious integration of a deep prayer life and zealous active life of fraternal charity. May Our Lady, the contemplative in the Annunciation, and Our Lady actively serving Saint Elizabeth, help us to strike that harmonious balance between deep prayer and apostolic zeal!

Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

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

THURSDAY, June 30th   Mt. 9: 1-8   “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.’ At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, ‘This man is blaspheming.’ Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, ‘Why do you harbor evil thoughts? Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he then said to the paralytic, ‘rise, pick up your mat and stretcher, and go home.’”

TEN BIBLICAL MEDITATIONS FOR MAKING A GOOD CONFESSION by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

One of the greatest blessings and gifts that flows out of the Sacred Heart of Our Lord is mercy expressed most deeply through the Sacrament of Confession. This Sacrament is also sometimes called the Sacrament of Pardon, Reconciliation, Penance, as well as Sacrament of God’s Mercy.

Words that produce inexplicable peace, joy, consolation and hope are the words that the Catholic priest expresses in the words of absolution at the end of the Sacrament of Mercy: “I absolve you of your sins: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. My son (daughter), your sins are forgiven; go in peace!” The interior knowledge that all of our sins have been totally and completely erased, obliterated, wiped out and forgiven by the Blood that Jesus shed for us on Calvary produces a joy and peace that goes beyond the ability of human words to express!

The two most important and sublime gestures that a Catholic can do on earth are the following: first, to receive with faith, devotion and burning love the Sacrament of the most Holy Eucharist—the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ; second, to confess our sins to the priest (who represents Jesus, our Healer and Friend) and receive sacramental absolution and forgiveness of our sins.

This being the case, we should strive with all the energy and fiber of our being to improve our interior disposition to receive these sacraments every time we receive them. In a word, each reception of both of these sacraments should be better and more fervent than the prior reception! That should be our ideal and constant goal! May God assist us!

Therefore, this brief article is on the Sacrament of God’s mercy with the goal of enhancing within us a greater appreciation for this great Sacrament which flows from the loving Heart of Jesus pierced with the lance from which flowed His Precious Blood and Water that first Good Friday. (Jn 19:34)

This article expresses an original perspective and dimension in this sense that it is totally and purely Biblical. Actually ten Biblical passages will be cited manifesting ten different fruits, effects, blessings, and the overall spiritual reality of this great Sacrament of the Mercy and Love of Jesus the Redeemer.

It is our hope that everyone will be moved to have a limitless trust in the greatest of all the attributes or virtues burning in the Heart of our loving Savior, His Infinite Mercy, and have confidence to make a good Sacramental Confession frequently. The Lord is waiting for you with love.

The greatest sinners can become the greatest saints if they simply trust in the mercy of Jesus. That which wounds most the Sacred Heart of Jesus, even more than sin itself, is the lack of trust in His mercy. Saint Paul encourages us with these words: “Where sin abounds, the mercy of God abounds all the more.” (Romans 5:20)

The following are ten Biblical passages related to the Sacrament of Confession, but each in a unique way.  Pray over these; meditate on them; trust in God’s mercy and then make the best confession in your life: “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” (Psalm 34:8)

1. Prodigal Son: Luke 15:11-32

Read and pray over the Parable of the Prodigal Son before going to Confession. Beg for the grace to understand what God really wants you to learn from this spiritual masterpiece. Every time you read and meditate upon this spiritual gem, God will enrich you with new and deeper insights.

However, in all times and places, the central message is that God the Father is full of love, mercy and compassion for all those who trust in Him. Saint Pope John Paul II wrote an entire encyclical on this one Parable: Dives in Misericordia. Read and meditate on it!

2. Psalm 51

Pray Psalm 51 before and after going to confession. This is the heart-felt Act of Contrition that King David prayed after committing adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband, Uriah, an innocent man. Let us beg for the grace to have true repentance for our sins.

True sorrow, true and heartfelt contrition is essential to making a good confession. David humbly admits that his sin is his own doing and blames no one else. Like David, may we own up to our sins and blame only ourselves, trusting always in God’s infinite mercy!

3. John 20:21-23

Read and pray over the Institution of the Sacrament of Confession that first Easter night when the Apostles were in the Upper Room and Jesus breathed on them the Holy Spirit saying: “Receive the Holy Spirit: whose sins you shall forgive, shall be forgiven; whose sins you shall bind, shall be held bound.”

Be exceedingly thankful for this great gift bestowed upon the Church and its members the same day we celebrate Jesus’ victorious triumph over death, the day of His Resurrection from the dead. In fact, every time we go to confession we personally celebrate death to sin in our own person and rise to a new life of grace! Every confession is a Paschal-Easter experience! The Lord Jesus is risen in us, Alleluia!

4. John 21: 15-19

Read and meditate on this conversation between Jesus and Peter. After the Apostles have made the miraculous catch of fish, Jesus walks with Peter along the shore and asks three times if Peter really loves Him. Peter is repairing for the three times that he denied Jesus shortly after the Last Supper.

Pray for the grace to truly be repentant for your sins and make a perfect act of contrition — a contrition of love! Love covers a multitude of sins. You become the repentant Peter; tell the Lord you are truly sorry for your sins and how much you really love Him. Then make a good Sacramental Confession as soon as possible.

5. Luke 15:1-7

The Good Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to pursue the one lost sheep. Recognize that you are the lost sheep and you have great value in God’s eyes. Your soul has infinite value in the eyes of God. You were redeemed not by the blood of lambs or goats, nor bought back by gold or silver, but redeemed and ransomed by the Blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. (I Pet 1:18-19)

6. John 10:11-18

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who goes after the lost sheep. However, once you have experienced the loving embrace of Jesus the Good Shepherd, then it is up to you to be a Good Shepherd for the sheep that Jesus has put in your charge.

The key for us to be a Good Shepherd is that we must first be a good sheep of the Good Shepherd, hear His voice and follow Him. After we experience, after we taste and see the goodness of the Lord in Confession, then let us bring others to experience the loving embrace of the Good Shepherd!

7. Luke 23:39-43 Jesus and the Good Thief.                                            

In this passage let us firmly believe that the worst of all sinners can actually become the greatest of all saints if we simply trust.  JESUS I TRUST IN YOU… JESUS I TRUST IN YOU… JESUS I TRUST IN YOU.

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen poignantly asserts: “And the good thief died a thief because He stole heaven.” Proclaim from the rooftops the infinite mercy of God, even to those who believe that their sin goes beyond His mercy! A truly inspiring experience is to read Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul by Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska.

8. Matthew 8:1-4 

A leper knelt before Jesus and said: “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Every Sacrament has a specific sacramental grace—that of Confession is healing! Jesus came to cure and heal the sick, all of the sick who trusted in Him. We have to see ourselves in the leper; sin is leprosy and all of us are sinners. As Jesus touched and healed the leper, so He can touch and heal me if I allow Him.” ”Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them as white as the snow.” (Is 1:18)

Saint Damien, who worked with the lepers on the island of Molokai in Hawaii, suffered most because he had no priest to heal his own spiritual leprosy of sin. Thank God that you have access to priests who can heal your spiritual leprosy through Confession!

9. Galatians 5:16-26

Saint Paul contrasts those who live according to the flesh with those who live according to the spirit. Those who live according to the flesh will have a harvest of corruption and death. Those who live according to the spirit will experience the fruits of the spirit and experience eternal life.

Confession helps us to put to death the works of the flesh and be led by the Holy Spirit. May we form the habit of frequent confession, so as to conquer the desires of the flesh and live the true freedom of the sons and daughters of God!

10. A Lazarus Experience John 11:1-44

Saint Augustine compares Confession to Lazarus. Lazarus was dead, wrapped in bandages and buried for four days when Jesus came and brought him back to life. What happens in Confession is the same spiritually: we leave our old life of sin, our spiritual death, in the Confessional (the bandages are symbolically our sins), and we rise to new life in the spirit.

We pray and we hope that these Biblical passages will shed new light on the precious gem, the diamond, the gift of Confession that the merciful Jesus has given to us, and serve as a jumping board to launch us into the confessional to experience the infinite ocean of God’s mercy.

“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 118:1)