The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed 
(All Souls)

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

Tuesday, November 2nd   Jn 6: 37-40   All Souls Day   “This is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”

There are souls who are saved but who have not yet reached their eternal home, heaven! These are the souls in Purgatory—a place for souls who die in the state of grace, but who are in need of further purification. They are our brothers and sisters in need, for souls in Purgatory can pray for others, but can no longer merit graces for themselves.                     

St. Alphonsus Liguori urges our prayers for them:

“By assisting them we shall not only give great pleasure to God, but will acquire also great merit for ourselves. And, in return for our suffrages, these blessed souls will not neglect to obtain for us many graces from God, but particularly the grace of eternal life.”

“I hold for certain that a soul delivered from Purgatory by the suffrages of a Christian, when she enters paradise, will not fail to say to God: ‘Lord, do not suffer to be lost that person who has liberated me from the prison of Purgatory, and has brought me to the enjoyment of Thy glory sooner than I have deserved.’ Pray much for them, that they may pray much for us.”

TEN WAYS YOU CAN HELP THE SOULS IN PURGATORY by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

The Month of November starts off with the celebration of the Solemnity of All Saints. The following day, Nov. 2nd, the Church celebrates All Souls Day. This day, the entire Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, remembers in prayer, sacrifice, and suffrages, the souls in Purgatory. This is the specific Liturgical day to remember our deceased brothers and sisters detained in Purgatory.

However, it should be strongly emphasized that we should really pray for the souls detained in the fires of Purgatory, not just on one day a year, or one month a year, but on all days, at all times, and in all places.

Saint Francis de Sales asserts that helping the souls in Purgatory is one of the greatest acts of charity we can offer. Why? These souls that have passed from this life to the next are already saved by the Blood of the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. However, these souls are in dire need of purification of their souls. Either they died with their souls still stained with venial sins or they have not done sufficient penance to repair for past mortal sins. The old commercial expresses the truth clear and to the point: “Pay now or pay later!”

Therefore, as a clear manifestation of concern, compassion, and love for our departed brothers and sisters detained in the purifying fires of Purgatory, let us do all we can to alleviate their sufferings and lead them safely to their eternal home that is Heaven!

Let us reflect and meditate upon what the Church officially teaches on the Dogma of Purgatory as explained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and then we will offer ten suggestions on what we can do to alleviate the suffering of the souls in Purgatory and help them attain the purpose and end for which they were created—the eternal bliss of HEAVEN!

CCC 1030: All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.

The Catechism continues explaining in greater detail the name Purgatory, the fundamental difference from Hell, and the Church’s constant teaching on this all-important doctrine in these words:

CCC 1031:  The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The Church formulated her doctrine of faith in Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire.

As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come. 

Practices to Undertake to Help and Liberate Souls in Purgatory

Therefore, as a manifestation of our great love and compassion for our brothers and sisters detained in Purgatory waiting to be purified of their past sins, let us be generous and strive to do something special for them. Indeed, may our prayers and sacrifices serve not simply to alleviate their pain, but also help them arrive at their ultimate goal—the eternal bliss of Heaven!

1. Fervent Prayer

Any fervent, honest, noble prayer offered with purity of heart and purity of intention can serve as a means to help the souls in Purgatory. Every day, say at least one prayer for the souls in Purgatory. In doing so, you are practicing one of the Spiritual Works of Mercy.

2. Almsgiving

Give generously to the poor. This might be money, food, clothing, shelter, or even a sleeping bag. However, when practicing your almsgiving, add as an intention, alleviation and liberation of the souls in Purgatory. God hears the supplications of your humble heart!

3. Corporal Works of Mercy (Mt 25:31–46)

Practice one or more of the Corporal Works of Mercy and offer these works for love of neighbor, but also for the suffering souls in Purgatory. What are they? Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, give clothes to the naked, visit the sick and the incarcerated. Jesus said very clearly: “Whatsoever you do for the least of these my brothers, you do for me.” (Mt 25:40)

4. Offer Up Your Sufferings for the Suffering Souls

So much suffering in the world, but at the same time, so much suffering is wasted. How true the saying: “Suffering either makes you better or bitter!” Whatever suffering you may be undergoing, offer it up to God for the suffering souls in Purgatory. Then be at peace that your prayer is heard!

5. What Forms of Suffering?

The sufferings you can offer for the suffering souls in Purgatory can take on various forms and shapes. Suffering can be any of the following: physical, mental, emotional, moral, spiritual, social, cultural, familial, etc. Do not waste your suffering! Unite it to the cross of Jesus for your suffering brothers and sisters detained in the fires of Purgatory.

6. Humiliations and Contradictions

One of the most painful but all too common sufferings in our lives is when we are humiliated by others, often unintentionally, but at times even intentionally. Offer this for the suffering souls in Purgatory. Also, when your plans are interrupted and contradicted, why not offer up these unplanned and unwelcome surprises to alleviate the suffering of your brothers and sisters in Purgatory who depend upon God’s mercy mediated through your good will, efforts, and sacrifices.

7. Have Masses Offered

By far the greatest sacrifice we can offer for the souls in Purgatory is to offer Masses. One Mass is worth more than the whole created universe. Call the Parish Secretary and arrange to have a Mass or Masses offered for the Souls in Purgatory. How pleasing this is to God, and how happy the suffering souls in Purgatory will be due to your offerings!

8. Gregorian Masses

Not always easy to carry out is to request what is called Gregorian Masses, which is 30 consecutive Masses for a person who has died. This dates back to Pope Saint Gregory the Great who promised to offer 30 consecutive Masses for a friend of his who passed away. Only after those thirty Masses were said did his friend appear to him saying that he was finally released from the intense flames of Purgatory.

An important note: How important it is not to unofficially canonize our deceased relatives and thereby cease praying for them. This is false compassion. Pray, pray, pray and offer Masses for the deceased. We can never go wrong with this charitable practice.

9. Offer Your Holy Communions

Related to the former point is that of the practice of daily Mass and reception of Holy Communion with this purpose. Make an explicit offering and intention at every Mass you attend, to assist at Mass and receive Holy Communion to alleviate and liberate the souls in Purgatory. Once these souls arrive in heaven, they will be eternally grateful to you and see you as their best friend and benefactor. In turn, they will pray for you!

10. Our Lady & the Rosary

Finally, saints have pointed out in visions and revelations, the power that Our Lady has to help and assist the souls in Purgatory. On Marian Feasts and celebrations, the suffering of souls is alleviated, and many arrive at their eternal destiny—Heaven.

Therefore, let us pray the Rosary every day for the souls in Purgatory. You might even undertake this bold practice while praying the Holy Rosary: beg Our Lady that with every Hail Mary through her most powerful intercession, a soul will pass from Purgatory to Heaven!

Solemnity of All Saints

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

Monday, November 1st    Mt. 5:1-12a   SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS   Jesus said: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

• There is no more most certain and efficacious way to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength than by participating actively, consciously, and fully in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, every day if humanly possible!
• And by placing our neighbor and their needs on the altar at Holy Mass we are loving and serving them as well!

EXTRAORDINARY GRACES THAT FLOW FROM MASS by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Why is it that droves of Catholics are fleeing from the Catholic Church like rats escaping a sinking ship? Why is it that the largest Religious group in the USA, Mexico, the Philippines, Europe are non-practicing Catholics? Why is it that so many Catholics become angry, disgruntled, disillusioned about the Church that they belong to? You can offer massive reasons for the loss of many Catholics who used to practice their faith—many of whom were baptized, Confirmed, and married in the Church. Many of the reasons given have a valid explanation to a certain degree.

However, it must be asserted with all sincerity that one of the primary reasons, if not the primary reason itself, must be the lack of understanding, belief and faith in the reality of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Many forgot what the Holy Mass is. Many do not believe in the Real Presence of the Eucharist once the host is consecrated. Still more, there are many who never believed in the first place because of a weak, diluted, watered down or erroneous catechesis, and especially on the explanation of Holy Mass, the Eucharist, and Holy Communion.

In this short essay we would like to motivate those Catholics who believe in Holy Mass and the Eucharist to fortify and bolster their faith all the more. Furthermore, we would invite those who have drifted away to return; it is never too late, and the loving Father that we meet in the Prodigal Son (Lk 15: 11-32) always has His arms opened wide to receive His wandering sons and daughters.

To whet your appetite, we will expound briefly upon just a few of the extraordinary graces that flow from the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to motivate all to love Holy Mass, participate more actively, consciously and fully. Also, we invite all to become ardent and fervent Apostles of the Mass. We invite you to invite the many wandering and lost sheep back to the arms of the loving Good Shepherd.

In fact, if we really understood, even to a limited degree, what is happening in Holy Mass, we would place Holy Mass in the very center of our lives, the heart of our day, our raison d’etre meaning the reason for our existence. And as a consequence, we would come to Mass every day until God calls us from time to eternal life.

The following are short notes, ideas or concepts of what really happens every time the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is celebrated, even if it were celebrated by some anonymous priest in some forlorn country, even if he was celebrating Mass by himself. In all truth, every Mass celebrated has infinite value. The greatest action the human person can do on this side of eternity is to attend Holy Mass and receive Jesus in the Eucharist in the state of grace.

GRACES THAT FLOW FROM THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS

1. SALVATION OF SOULS!  Jesus expressed in clear and unequivocal terms that our salvation depends on the Eucharist, the Bread of Life. The words of Jesus are indisputable: “I am the Bread of Life. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day.” (Jn 6: 35,54 – Bread of Life discourse)

2. SOULS IN PURGATORY ARE PURIFIED.  No doubt, the most efficacious means by which the souls in Purgatory can be purified of the residual effects of their venial sins and mortal sins that have not been expiated (atoned for) sufficiently is through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

3. SOULS IN PURGATORY TOTALLY FREED AND ACCESS TO HEAVEN.  As a follow up to the former concept, Mass and Holy Communion offered specifically for the soul/souls in Purgatory can catapult them into Heaven to be with the Lord for all eternity.  Too bad that many people pray and offer prayers, sacrifices and Masses for the souls in Purgatory only in the month of November.

4. CALVARY IS RENEWED AND RE-ENACTED.  How difficult it is to comprehend the relationship between the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacrifice that Jesus offered of Himself on Calvary that first Good Friday. However, it is reality! In every Mass the crucified Lord Jesus offers Himself to God the Father as the Spotless Victim for the salvation of the world!

5. VENIAL SINS CAN BE PURIFIED IN THE CONTEXT OF HOLY MASS.  It is a grave error, often done by many, to deprive oneself of the reception of Holy Communion because he/she is aware of having committed venial sins, and only venial sins. Quite the contrary, in the Penitential Rite at the beginning of Mass, one begs pardon for the venial sins, and the sins are forgiven by the prayerful and contrite recitation of the Confiteor. At the end of the Penitential Act the priest imparts the absolution for the venial sins. (Note: Mortal sins have to be confessed to a priest before receiving Holy Communion.)

6. FIRE BURNING DROSS/CHAFF.  In the moment of receiving Holy Communion, the mere reception of Holy Communion can be compared to fire that burns rubbish, trash, weeds or chaff. The love burning in the most Sacred Heart of Jesus burns away the chaff of our venial sins. The Catechism of the Council of Trent expresses it with this concept. Frequent Communion is the antidote to our daily infirmities.

7. THE BLESSED TRINITY IS PRAISED IN THE MOST SUBLIME FASHION. Saint Ignatius of Loyola in Principle and Foundations specifies the primary purpose of our existence, the why of our purpose in life. The saint uses the following words: “We are created to praise God… (Spiritual Exercises # 23) Possibly the primary purpose of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is to praise God the Father, by the offering of God the Son, through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is expressed most clearly in the DOXOLOGY: “Through Him, and with Him, and in Him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever.” Amen.

8. PERSONAL SINS CAN BE EXPIATED.  Even though your priest-confessor may not impose this as a penance in the Sacrament of Confession, a penitent attending Mass, and receiving Holy Communion in reparation or expiation for his personal sins, could be the greatest and most efficacious penance possible. To repair for past sins, there is nothing more powerful, pleasing and propitious to God than attending Mass and receiving Holy Communion.

9. FAMILY SIN/SOCIAL SINS EXPIATED.  On a more expansive plane, the sins of all of humanity have their remedy, reparation and expiation most powerfully remitted through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The prayer in the Chaplet of Divine Mercy can be prayed in conjunction with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass… “Eternal Father, I offer you the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of your dearly beloved Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.”

10. ANGELIC INTERVENTION.  Involved also in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass are the angels. In the Sanctus, we unite our prayers with the choirs of angels as we say: “Holy, holy holy….” The eloquent and brilliant Father of the Church, Saint John Chrysostom states that numerous angels surround the Tabernacle in vigil before their Eucharistic Lord and King. By the way, angels can help us immensely to pay more attention and to participate more fully in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass if we ask for their help.

The greatest lovers of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass were and are the saints. The extraordinary graces that they received came through Jesus in His Mystical Body the Church. However, it was through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that the infinite reservoir of graces inundated their souls, their lives, their sufferings and their extraordinary apostolic enterprises and successes.

We will conclude our short essay on the extraordinary graces that flow from the Mass by quoting a few of the saints—the greatest lovers of God and the greatest lovers of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We invite you to meditate upon the words of the saints prayerfully, converse with the saints as your dear friends, and strive to imitate their love for God and Holy Mass.

INSPIRED WORDS OF THE SAINTS AND THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS

1.  “Man should tremble, the world should quake, and Heaven should be deeply moved when the Son of God appears in the altar in the hands of the priest.” (St. Francis of Assisi)

2. “It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do so without the Holy Mass.” (St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina)

3. “No human tongue can enumerate the favors that trace back to the Sacrifice of the Mass. The sinners is reconciled with God; the just man becomes more upright; sins are wiped away; vices are uprooted; virtue and merit increases; and the devils schemes are frustrated.”  (St. Lawrence Justinian)

4. “O you deluded people, what are you doing? Why do you not hasten to Churches to hear as many Masses as you can? Why do you not imitate the angels, who, when a Holy Mass is celebrated, come down in myriads from Paradise and take their stations about our altars in adoration to intercede for us?” (St. Leonard of Port Maurice)

5. “Know, O Christian, that the Mass is the holiest act of Religion. You cannot do anything to glorify God more, nor profit your soul more, than by devoutly assisting at it, and assisting as often as possible.” (St. Peter Julian Eymard)

Copyright 2021 Oblates of the Virgin Mary / St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA       

Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

Sunday, October 31st    Lk. 14: 1, 7-11   Jesus said: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

The three enemies of our soul attack relentlessly to keep us from living out the two Greatest Commandments quoted above by Jesus. What are these enemies? The devil, the world, and our own weak flesh! The prime mover and instigator being the devil. Therefore, Fr. Ed gives us the following tutorial on resisting the devil’s attacks.

FIVE WAYS TO RESIST THE DEVIL’S ATTACKS by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

The devil is the antithesis of God. The Letter of Saint John describes God as Love. The devil, on the contrary, is the epitome of hatred; the devil hates God, he hates all of humanity and all of us individually, and the devil even hates himself.

Lucifer and the other devils with him are fallen angels. (Rev 12)  Even though the devils are evil incarnate, their intellects are still very keen, though bent on perversity, evil, and destruction. Plotting and conniving day and night, the devil strives to use all of his astute strategies to drag us into the eternal flames of hell forever.

This being the case, let us offer a presentation of five of the most common tools the devil has in his armory to tempt us, and then five of the most efficacious weapons that we can utilize so as to win the battle—the salvation of our immortal soul and those entrusted to our care and providence.

FIVE DESTRUCTIVE TOOLS IN THE DEVIL’S ARSENAL…

1. Desolation

Saint Ignatius of Loyola reiterates in the Rules for Discernment of Spirits, as well as in the Two Standards meditation, the importance of vigilance. That is to say, we must be constantly aware of the inner state of our emotional life to detect when we are in a state of desolation, for it is then that the enemy of our eternal salvation—the devil and his army—are raising their bows and arrows, their rifles, their machine guns to shoot for the kill! Therefore, with an attentive awareness of being in a state of desolation, we can resist the onslaught of the enemy with greater courage and intelligence so as not to succumb to his wily attacks.

2. Kryptonite: Our Major Weak Point

Athletes study their opponents so as to detect their weak point and defeat them. In debate, discovering a loophole or weak point in the opponent’s argument can result in victory. Soldiers use military tactics to uncover the enemy’s vulnerable point and thus defeat the enemy.

So it is with us: we all have our own kryptonite. Why the word kryptonite? Superman was an impregnable fortress with one exception—when he was exposed to kryptonite; then he was rendered as weak as any human being.

The desert Fathers coined this pithy adage, which is useful for spiritual combat: know thyself.

3. Social Environment

We live in a very challenging environment, more challenging than prior centuries. The work world, social environment, social media, entertainment, and often even the family context gives the devil an open door for temptations. For example, with the Internet there is the constant temptation to view noxious and poisonous material; the devil takes advantage of this. Parties can be provocative with immodesty, drink, and the proliferation of drugs. Even at the workplace, a temptation, behind which is lurking the devil, is to fall into dishonesty in many different forms.

4. Demonic Proliferation of Impurity

More than 100 years ago, Our Lady of Fatima stated sadly that most souls are lost forever due to the sins against the 6th and 9th Commandments—that is to say: sins against the virtue of purity or chastity. In today’s social milieu, nobody with right reason could fail to admit that this situation has been exacerbated and has deteriorated to an all-time low with respect to the virtue of purity. Impurity involves sins of the flesh, and though the devil is pure spirit, yet once again behind the scenes, he knows how to stoke the fire.

5. Devil of Despair

Jesus revealed to the modern mystic-saint, Faustina Kowalska in “Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul” that the worst of all sins and offenses against God is lack of Trust in His Infinite Mercy and succumbing to despair. Again, behind the scenes is the nefarious, insidious and malicious presence of the devil and his cohorts. The real and the worst sin of Judas Iscariot, who hung himself after betraying Jesus, was his despair—his failure to beg forgiveness and trust in the Infinite Mercy of the Heart of Jesus. With the devil in the background but truly present prompting us, many in our modern society have given up all hope and trust in the Love and Mercy of Jesus our Savior and Mary’s maternal power of intercession.

FIVE WAYS TO RESIST THE DEVIL…

We have discussed five of the prominent temptations of the devil, who in the words of Saint Peter, is prowling like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour. (1 Pt. 5:8) In all truth, the devil never takes a break, has a sabbatical, or goes on vacation. He works day and night, in our homes, on the streets, in the workplaces, in the Churches and monasteries, in all places to win his prize—the eternal damnation of souls!

Therefore, let us offer a counterattack, our strategy of defense. We will give five tools to win the combat against the devil, whom Ignatius calls the enemy of our salvation.

1. Fervent Prayer

No matter how powerful, insistent, insidious and astute the devil’s temptations might be, if we have recourse to frequent, fervent, humble and persevering prayer, the victory will definitely be ours over the devil and his army. The best example is Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, as presented in the movie The Passion of the Christ. Jesus is praying with so much fervor that He sweats huge drops of Blood. Then He rises to crush the devil with the heel of His foot! Prayer can conquer all!

2. Practice of Penance

Jesus was tempted by the devil in the desert for forty days and forty nights. In His trial and sojourn in the desert, Jesus basically dedicated His efforts to two activities: fervent prayer and intense penance—Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights. As a result, when the devil tried to tempt Jesus “to turn the stones into bread,” Jesus responded: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”  (Mt. 4:3-4)

The attempts of the devil were foiled, frustrated, failed miserably. In another Biblical passage, when the Apostles asked the Lord why they could not cast out the devils, Jesus responded: “Those can be cast out only by prayer and fasting.” (Mt. 17:21) Therefore, if we can imbue and permeate our lives with at least small acts of penance and mortification, we can keep the devil and the temptations at bay!

3. Periodic Spiritual Direction and Transparency

Both Saint Ignatius of Loyola and Saint Teresa of Avila insist upon the dire need for spiritual direction in the pursuit of holiness. We all have blind spots that can only be detected with the help of a trained spiritual director. However, most especially, it is indispensable to open up our troubled soul and conscience to a trained spiritual director when we find ourselves in turmoil or in the midst of a spiritual storm.

This is the classical Rule in the scheme of the Rules for the Discernment of Spirits of Saint Ignatius Loyola. The devil wants us to keep our temptations hidden; if we do this, the enemy can easily transform a molehill into a mountain, a small cut into a gangrenous infection.

4. Nunc Coepi—Begin Again!

Being weak and exposed to many temptations, it might be that we collapse and capitulate to the insidious and insistent murmurings of the devil. Only God is perfect and we are all sinners, hopefully on the path towards holiness.

A very ugly but ubiquitous attack of the devil is precisely this: after we fall into sin, we give into despair and lose hope of salvation. Or it might be the binge-complex! By this we mean the diabolic temptation that might be expressed as such: “You already fell, why not just fall again—drinking, porn, drugs, gluttony, promiscuity, etc.” 

The true soldier of Jesus after a fall will not give into despair, throw in the towel, and succumb to sinking deeper into the quagmire of sin. Quite the contrary! He will humbly admit his fall, have recourse to Sacramental Confession, and start again.

In the words of the Founder of the Congregation of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, Venerable Bruno Lanteri: Nunc Coepi—Begin Again! The arms of the Loving Father of the Prodigal Son are always wide-open to receive us.

5. Mary

Jesus is the King and Mary is the Queen. In Guadalajara, Mexico, there is a noteworthy title given to Mary: “La Generala del Ejercito”—meaning: The General of the Army! In our constant battle against the devil and his army we must have recourse to Mary.

We should be consecrated to Mary, wear the Scapular of Mary, pray the most Holy Rosary to Mary, and most especially, in times of temptation, call upon the Holy Name of Mary. If done, the victory will be ours because of the powerful intercession of Mary! 

“Maria invoca; Maria cogita!”  Invoke the Holy Name of Mary, think often about Mary, and the victory will surely be ours!

Copyright 2021 Oblates of the Virgin Mary / St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA       

Saturday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

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

Saturday, October 30th    Lk. 14: 1, 7-11   “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

• Our Blessed Mother is our perfect example. She who is exalted above all women, called herself the “handmaid of the Lord”.
• Today let us go deep in these Seven Titles of Mary and strive with all our energy and strength to emulate Mary in her docility and willingness to do all that God asked of her!

KNOW, LOVE, AND IMITATE MARY! by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Mary is the loving Daughter of God the Father, the Mother of God the Son, and the Mystical Spouse of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Mary is intimately intertwined and linked with the Blessed Trinity. This short Marian essay that follows offers seven separate titles that the Church offers to strengthen our knowledge, love, devotion, and desire to imitate Mary. Saint Louis de Montfort states clearly: The quickest, easiest, and shortest path to Jesus is through His Blessed Mother, Mary most holy. Loving Mary brings us to love Jesus, and Jesus brings us to the very Heart of God the Father. 

SEVEN MARIAN TITLES TO FOSTER LOVE & DEVOTION.

1. THE MASTERPIECE OF CREATION.  In his over-flowing love for the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Louis de Montfort penned this title: Mary, the Masterpiece of Creation. Reflect on masterpieces in the world! The Pieta by Michelangelo; The Divine Comedy, written by Dante; the Last Supper, painted by Leonardo Davinci; The Prodigal Son, painted by Rembrandt; the Majestic Major Basilicas in Rome; Confessions, written by Saint Augustine; the Summa Theologica, composed by Saint Thomas Aquinas—all of the above are literary and artistic accomplishments that leave us almost stunned by their striking beauty and depth. In the same way we can say that two of the greatest creations of God are the Incarnation of the Son of God and the creation of the Blessed Virgin Mary who was actually instrumental in the work of the Incarnation of the Son of God. Mary is indeed The Masterpiece of Creation. What do you admire most in her???

2. MYSTICAL SPOUSE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.  As mentioned above, Mary has an intimate union with the Blessed Trinity which, of course, includes her relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Immaculate Conception was the work of the Holy Spirit—Mary was conceived in her mother’s womb without the stain of Original Sin. Mary’s Virginal Conception of Jesus was likewise the working of the Holy Spirit—Jesus was conceived in Mary by the overshadowing (Shekinah—Hebrew) of the Holy Spirit. The Church was born with the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost—Mary was there with the Apostles in prayer, silence, and fasting for nine days before this monumental event. Do you want to have a deeper and more intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit? Then learn to love Mary; she is His Mystical Spouse!

3. THE MYSTICAL ROSE.  In the literary masterpiece of Dante, the Divine Comedy, as Saint Bernard ascends to the higher regions of heaven, he lifts up his eyes and contemplates a beauty that captivates him beyond the expression of human language as he sees THE MYSTICAL ROSE. This beautiful flower in the center of the Garden of Heaven is the Blessed Virgin Mary. A flower known for its captivating beauty, redolence, and softness of touch. So it is in drawing close to Mary, The Mystical Rose. Mary attains for us the understanding of true beauty, and the appreciation of grace in our soul and the souls of others. Mary attains for us a spiritual sense in which we are almost magnetically drawn to what is pure, noble, holy and saintly. Finally, Mary, through her powerful but gentle presence, attains for us a gentleness, meekness and tenderness in dealing with others, so important in drawing souls back to God!

4. MOTHER OF MERCY, OUR LIFE, OUR SWEETNESS, AND OUR HOPE.  Many titles in one, Mary is indeed our Mother in the order of grace and helps us maintain grace in our souls by avoiding sin. Upon falling, Mary attains for us the grace to rebound with resiliency and throw ourselves into the arms of our merciful and loving Father. She attains for us life, and life in abundance in our love for Jesus. In the midst of the bitterness of life, she fills our souls with sweetness. Finally, in a world that has lost meaning, purpose, and hope, Our Lady buoys us up on the wings of eagles to see beyond this life and peer into heaven, our true home. Read the classic of Saint Alphonsus Liguori Hail Holy Queen. Pray slowly and often the beautiful prayer said at the end of the Holy Rosary: Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our Hope!

5. GATE OF HEAVEN.  The purpose of our short, transitory, ephemeral and unpredictable life on earth is to attain heaven. By cultivating a dynamic love, devotion, and trust in Mary, we are on the highway to heaven. True, there are many detours and potholes in the road.  Mary, Gate of Heaven, helps us in the midst of turmoil, stress, uncertainty, tension, and suffering to have our eyes fixed on the purpose of our life—to get to heaven. One of the beautiful titles for Mary is GATE OF HEAVEN. As a loving and tender Mother, Mary is praying for you right now, so that you will love Jesus fully and totally in this life, so as to praise Him and be with Him forever in heaven.

6. STELLA MARIA—STAR OF THE SEA!  One of the most famous prayers/poems ever written on Mary was by the Mellifluous Doctor, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, with the title Stella Maris—meaning Star of the Sea. In the midst of the tempestuous sea of life, surrounded by so many dangers from within and without, we must have our eyes lifted on high to contemplate Stella Maris—Star of the Sea. That beautiful, shining, and glimmering Star of the Sea is Mary. Way before the invention of electricity, sailors depended greatly on the light of the stars to navigate them to port safely and securely. Amidst the storms of life, we must lift our gaze on high to Mary, Stella Maris, the Star of the Sea. Indeed, by her most powerful prayers, she will lead us safely to the port of salvation, our heavenly home. Never was it known that anyone who turned to Mary was left unaided. (Memorare, Saint Bernard)

7. QUEEN OF ALL HEARTS.  Finally, one of the favorite titles of Saint Louis de Montfort, Our Lady, Queen of all hearts! May you always strive with all the energy of your whole being to seek refuge in the two most special places: The most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary! May Jesus be the King of your heart and Mary the Queen of your heart in time and for all eternity!

Let us conclude with an inspiring quotation from Saint John Eudes about the Heart of Mary:

“The Heart of Mary is a sun that spreads its rays and warmth throughout the world. It is constantly working in every way possible for the salvation of souls.”

May Our Lady’s prayers set our hearts on fire with love for Almighty God and the salvation of immortal souls!

Copyright 2021 Oblates of the Virgin Mary / St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA

Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

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

Friday, October 28th    Lk. 14: 1-6   Alleluia Verse: “My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.”

• In the Gospel today, once again Jesus initiates a confrontation with the Pharisees by healing on the Sabbath—curing a man suffering from dropsy. “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?”

• The Pharisees have no answer and are ready to condemn Jesus because of their hardness of heart. How often are we unwilling to listen to Jesus due to our hard heart or hard head, or both! We want to do things our way and then complain when they don’t work out!

• Today’s meditation is praying the Surrender Prayer – Part 1 and Part 2, surrendering everything to Jesus.

THE SURRENDER PRAYER (Adaptation of the Nine Day Novena).

PART 1:  Pray the Surrender Prayer where I am talking to God, my Father. Pray this prayer one time.

PART 2:  Pray the Surrender Prayer where Jesus is talking to me—one prayer daily as presented in the outline for nine days. When done, begin again! Don’t stop praying this until your life is totally surrendered to Jesus! This will change your life if done faithfully.  

PART 1: The Surrender Prayer – I am talking to God, my Father. Pray one time.

God, my Father, I thank you for all that you are, and all that you do for me through your son Jesus Christ. I praise you for my life, for your mercy and for your Eucharist. In Jesus’ name, Father, I place myself entirely in your Heart. I surrender to you my whole self, my heart, my mind, my memory, my imagination, my will, my emotions, my passions, my body, my sexuality, my desire for human approval, my weaknesses, my desires, my sins.

I surrender every person in my life to you. I surrender every situation in my life to you. I surrender every relationship I am in to you. I surrender every concern I have to you. I surrender every fear I have to you. I surrender every doubt I have to you. I surrender all confusion I have to you. I surrender all sadness I am experiencing in my heart to you. I surrender all my wounds to you. I surrender all anxiety and worry I have to you. I surrender all that deceives me in my heart to you. I trust you to care for me and others in a perfectly loving way.

As I have emptied myself, and surrendered everything to you, I ask you now, Father, to fill me with your Holy Spirit and all the gifts and fruits of your Spirit. Holy Spirit you are the source of love, hope, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, tenderness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. Purify my desires. Help me to open my heart to you. Help me to become perfectly receptive as a pure child. Help me to believe in your love for me. Help me to hope in your love. Help me to receive from the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus all grace and virtues necessary for me to become the person you created me to be. I ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ, Your son, God Almighty Father.

O Most Holy Immaculate Virgin Mary. I entrust this prayer to your Heart, and ask you to press it to your wounded heart and intercede for me to your Son Jesus. Please help me to be as you are, a perfect disciple, an obedient servant, a true child of God. Amen

O Jesus, I surrender myself and all those I pray for to you, take care of everything! (10 times)

PART TWO:  The Surrender Prayer – Now Jesus is talking to me.

Day 1
Why do you confuse yourselves by worrying? Leave the care of your affairs to me and everything will be peaceful. I say to you in truth that every act of true, blind, complete surrender to me produces the effect that you desire and resolves all difficult situations.

O Jesus, I surrender myself and all those I pray for to you, take care of everything! (10 times)

Day 2
Surrender to me does not mean to fret, to be upset, or to lose hope, nor does it mean offering to me a worried prayer asking me to follow you and change your worry into prayer. It is against this surrender, deeply against it, to worry, to be nervous, and to desire to think about the consequences of anything.

It is like the confusion that children feel when they ask their mother to see to their needs, and then try to take care of those needs themselves so that their childlike efforts get in their mother’s way. Surrender means to placidly close the eyes of the soul, to turn away from thoughts of tribulation, and to put yourself in my care so that only I act, saying “You take care of it”.

O Jesus, I surrender myself and all those I pray for to you, take care of everything! (10 times)

Day 3
How many things I do when the soul, in so much spiritual and material need, turns to me, looks at me, and says to me, “You take care of it”, then closes its eyes and rests. In pain, you pray for me to act, but that I act in the way you want. You do not turn to me, instead, you want me to adapt to your ideas. You are not sick people who ask the doctor to cure you, but rather sick people who tell the doctor how to cure you. So do not act this way, but pray as I taught you in the Our Father: “Hallowed be thy Name”, that is, be glorified in my need. 

“Thy kingdom come”, that is, let all that is in us and in the world, be in accord with your kingdom. “Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven”, that is, in our need, decide as you see fit for our temporal and eternal life. If you say to me truly: “Thy will be done”, which is the same as saying: “You take care of it”, I will intervene with all my omnipotence, and I will resolve the most difficult situations.

O Jesus, I surrender myself and all those I pray for to you, take care of everything! (10 times)

Day 4
You see evil growing instead of weakening? Do not worry. Close your eyes and say to me with faith: “Thy will be done, you take care of it”. I say to you that I will take care of it, and that I will intervene as does a doctor, and I will accomplish miracles when they are needed. Do you see that the sick person is getting worse? Do not be upset, but close your eyes and say, “You take care of it”. I say to you that I will take care of it, and that there is no medicine more powerful than my loving intervention. By my love, I promise this to you.

O Jesus, I surrender myself and all those I pray for to you, take care of everything! (10 times)

Day 5
And when I must lead you on a path different from the one you see, I will prepare you; I will carry you in my arms; I will let you find yourself, like children who have fallen asleep in their mother’s arms, on the other bank of the river. What troubles you and hurts you immensely are your reason, your thoughts and worry, and your desire at all costs to deal with what afflicts you.

O Jesus, I surrender myself and all those I pray for to you, take care of everything! (10 times)

Day 6
You are sleepless; you want to judge everything, direct everything and see to everything, and you surrender to human strength, or worse – to men themselves, trusting in their intervention – this is what hinders my words and my views. Oh how much I wish from you this surrender, to help you; and how I suffer when I see you so agitated! Satan tries to do exactly this: to agitate you and to remove you from my protection and to throw you into the jaws of human initiative. So, trust only in me, rest in me, surrender to me in everything!    

O Jesus, I surrender myself and all those I pray for to you, take care of everything! (10 times)

Day 7
I perform miracles in proportion to your full surrender to me and to your not thinking of yourselves. I sow treasure troves of graces when you are in the deepest poverty. No person of reason, no thinker, has ever performed miracles, not even among the saints. He does divine works whosoever surrenders to God. So don’t think about it anymore, because your mind is acute and for you it is very hard to see evil and to trust in me and to not think of yourself. Do this for all your needs, do this all of you and you will see great, continual silent miracles. I will take care of things, I promise this to you.                                                         

O Jesus, I surrender myself and all those I pray for to you, take care of everything! (10 times)
Day 8
Close your eyes and let yourself be carried away on the flowing current of my grace; close your eyes and do not think of the present, and turn your thoughts away from the future just as you would from temptation. Repose in me, believing in my goodness, and I promise you by my love that if you say “You take care of it”, I will take care of it all; I will console you, liberate you and guide you.

O Jesus, I surrender myself and all those I pray for to you, take care of everything! (10 times)

Day 9
Pray always in readiness to surrender, and you will receive from it great peace and great rewards, even when I confer on you the grace of immolation, of repentance and of love. Then what does suffering matter? It seems impossible to you? Close your eyes and say with all your soul, “Jesus, you take care of it”. Do not be afraid, I will take care of things and you will bless my name by humbling yourself. A thousand prayers cannot equal one single act of surrender, remember this well. There is no novena more effective than this.

O Jesus, I surrender myself and all those I pray for to you, take care of everything! (10 times)

Mother, I am yours now and forever.
Through you and with you
I want always to belong
completely to Jesus.

These words come from the living experience of the presence of Jesus in the prayer life of Father Dolindo Ruotolo and you are invited to make them your own as you pray the novena.

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