Rely on His Mercy!

Our fallen human nature prohibits us from remaining free from sin, even when we strongly desire to do so. Our daily sins, our thoughts, our words, what we do, and what we fail to do, are numerous on a daily basis. Ask for God's grace, try to refrain from sin, but most importantly, acknowledge and rely upon God's mercy always! If blessed with the opportunity to do so, the most important words we can ever utter on our death beds are simply the words, "Jesus, mercy". Saint Padre Pio, as he was approaching the time in which he would draw his last breath, continually prayed the words, "Jesus, Mary".

Solomon Asked for Wisdom - So Should We!

In his homily this past Sunday, our pastor, Father Wilson, illustrated how we can all experience the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth through the practice of our Faith. But he went on to say that it requires more than just routine attendance at Mass and simply going through the motions of receiving Holy Communion. Father Wilson warned that those of us who simply go through the motions each week at Mass should not be surprised when our lives are unaffected by this so called practice of our Faith.

In the gospel reading this past Sunday (July 24th), Jesus explains that “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” The point Jesus makes in this parable is that the things found, i.e., the treasure in the field and the pearl of great price, were being earnestly searched for with great effort. Picture one man digging up a field in search of a treasure, the other toiling and searching through oysters for that one great pearl. And so in the practice of our Faith we must put forth effort to seek the treasure of the Kingdom of Heaven, the Truth, who is Jesus. Do we earnestly seek the Truth? How much effort do we expend seeking and understand His Truth? Do we pray for more faith? Jesus is the Truth! He is the “way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6)! If we don’t participate in Mass and truly believe that Jesus is really present under the appearance of bread and wine in the Eucharist, we gain NOTHING from it (John 6:48-58)! NOTHING! This is the reason so many Catholics have left the Church. It is also the reason why Mass attendance has declined. It is the reason many Catholics will say, ‘I get nothing out of it!’ Multitudes should be crashing the doors to go to Mass if there was a true belief in Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist!

I strayed from the practice of my Catholic Faith for a lengthy period of time in my life. So for years I missed out on so much grace! Without verbalizing it, I too was among those Catholics who doubted Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist. This had to be the case; otherwise I would have put Jesus first in my life and greatly anticipated each and every reception of his very body, blood, soul, and divinity in Holy Communion! We Catholics should long to go to Mass and be healed and nourished through the grace of the sacraments. For me it was a lack of knowing the truth. It was my neglect in seeking the truth. I think that is the case for most Catholics.

As Father Wilson said in his homily, and continues to incorporate into many of his homilies, ‘there is no greater gift we can receive on earth; there is nothing more important in our lives than strengthening our relationship with Christ in the Eucharist and receiving his grace through the sacraments; these are the ways to true and lasting joy!’

My prayer is that Catholics with a lack of knowledge or doubts about their Faith will pray for understanding; will seek the truth through the Magisterial teachings of the Church; and worthily receive Jesus in the Eucharist after returning Home through the healing portal of the sacrament of Reconciliation!

Are You a Real MAN?

Are you a MAN, or do you just think you’re a MAN? Just as merely uttering the words, ‘I love you’ are meaningless without them being made manifest through action, calling yourself a MAN, is equally as meaningless without acting like one!

What must I do to be a real MAN you ask? God provided us the perfect example of what it is to be a MAN in our Lord Jesus Christ! Another great example is St. Joseph, the man God charged to love and care for His very Son, as well as our Blessed Mother!

Want to be a REAL MAN? For starters, take a little time away from the things far less important, pray for wisdom, and get yourself a copy of Father Larry Richards latest book, Be A Man, and as you read it allow the words to sink in and take root! Then ask God for the grace and strength to make the necessary changes in your life!

Father Larry is right on target, and pulls no punches in offering his words of wisdom in the areas of love, marital fidelity, lust, sex, and everything else we need to know about to really and truly Be A Man!

"Woman, Behold Your Son - Behold, Your Mother"

Jesus appointed Mary to be the Mother to all Christians when he said the following words as he hung on the cross.

“When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.” (John 19:26-27)

Our Blessed Mother’s words to the servants at the wedding at Cana, “Do whatever he tells you," (John 2:5) are the very same words she has for us today, ‘Do what Jesus tells you!’ Mary wants nothing more than to lead us to her Son!

If you have ever been told by well-meaning, but uninformed Christians about how wrong Catholics are to “pray” to Mary, David MacDonald offers some valuable information concerning the truth about our relationship with our Blessed Mother . . . read it here

The Eucharist and the Road to Emmaus

In the Gospel of Luke, (Luke 24:13-35) Jesus suddenly appears walking alongside two of his followers after his resurrection, however his followers did not recognize him to the point that they began to give Jesus the account of his own trial and crucifixion.

Jesus then proceeded to interpret Scripture passages that made reference to his passion, death and resurrection. Still not recognizing him, the two then asked Jesus to stay with them for a while to which he agreed.

Later as they were having dinner, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. Luke tells us in verse 31 that it was only when Jesus broke the bread and gave it to them that the two followers recognized him.

This account of the two disciples’ interaction with the risen Lord, which occurred on the Road to Emmaus, concludes this way in verse 35 – “Then the two recounted (to the other apostles and followers of Jesus) what had taken place on the way (to Emmaus) and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.”

We come to know Jesus in the breaking of the bread, The Eucharist!
Let us continue to recognize Jesus when we come to his table at Mass, and always remember his words, "This is my body, which will be given for you”

Prayer After Receiving Communion

Jesus, Creator of the universe, we believe You are truly present among us under the appearance of bread and wine;

We acknowledge, that through the grace You offer us in this Eucharist, we grow closer to You, are healed of sin, and preserved from future sin;

Thank You for loving us so much!

We are Yours; we long to become the instruments through which others may come to know, love, and desire You;

Lord, please use us as You will to lead others to the grace You offer;

and may the sanctifying grace conferred upon us in this Eucharist today be shared with all those who will not, or cannot partake in this precious gift You offer! Amen!

On Devotion To Our Blessed Mother

True devotion to Mary leads us closer to Jesus

The following is a letter Pope John Paul II wrote on St. Louis de Montfort's “Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin”

On December 8, 2003, Pope John Paul II wrote a letter to the Montfort religious family, on the occasion of the 160th Anniversary of the publication of the Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, written by St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort. Here are large excerpts from this letter:

A work destined to become a classic of Marian spirituality was published 160 years ago. St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort wrote the Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin at the beginning of the 1700s, but the manuscript remained practically unknown for more than a century. When, almost by chance, it was at last discovered in 1842 and published in 1843, the work was an instant success, proving extraordinarily effective in spreading the “true devotion” to the Most Holy Virgin.

I myself, in the years of my youth, found reading this book a great help. “There I found the answers to my questions”, for at one point I had feared that if my devotion to Mary “became too great, it might end up compromising the supremacy of the worship owed to Christ” (Gift and Mystery). Under the wise guidance of St. Louis Marie, I realized that if one lives the mystery of Mary in Christ, this risk does not exist. In fact, this Saint's Mariological thought “is rooted in the mystery of the Trinity and in the truth of the Incarnation of the Word of God” (ibid.).

Since she came into being, and especially in her most difficult moments, the Church has contemplated with special intensity an event of the Passion of Jesus Christ that St. John mentions: “Standing by the Cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing near, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold, Your son!’. Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold, Your mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took Her to his own home” (Jn 19: 25-27). . . Read More @ http://www.michaeljournal.org/montfort.htm

What’s The Big Deal About Saints?

As Catholics, why do we give so much attention to the saints?
I recently came across a brief reflection that appeared in the publication, One Bread, One Body, Volume 24, Issue 6, entitled The Imitation of Christ. The author is very effective in explaining how the saints assist us in our quest to imitate Christ. In fact, it was the following sentence that caught my attention and reminded of something St. Thomas Aquinas said concerning the sacraments.

The author writes, “. . . However, we are human beings, created with human senses, and we relate most readily to other humans. This is why God sent His only Son, Jesus, to take on human flesh (Jn 3:16).

In his treatise on the sacraments, St. Thomas Aquinas tells us that it is because of our human nature that we must be led by things corporeal and sensible to things spiritual and intelligible. (Summa Theologica, Part III, Q.61)

Read the entire reflection below:

“The Imitation of Christ”

Here on earth, we do not see Jesus as He is. "Now we see [Him] indistinctly" (1 Cor 13:12). We get glimpses of Jesus through the splendors of His creation. We can see Him in His eucharistic splendor. However, we are human beings, created with human senses, and we relate most readily to other humans. This is why God sent His only Son, Jesus, to take on human flesh (Jn 3:16).

God is so generous in creating ways for us to relate to Him that He has also created other human beings who point us to Himself. He has sent us saints — holy people who have allowed the light of Christ to shine through their lives so that all may see the goodness in their acts and give praise to God (Mt 5:16). God has given saints for what seems like every imaginable state in life. There are saints for doctors, homemakers, priests, religious sisters, accountants, teachers, lawyers, sinners striving to reform, disciples striving to grow in holiness, etc. Each of these saints is a gift from God sent to help us "see" Jesus in a new and deeper way.

Jesus gave His disciples an example to follow (Jn 13:15; 1 Pt 2:21). In the same way, the saints are examples for us. Heed the call of the saints as they tell us: "Imitate me as I imitate Christ" (1 Cor 11:1).

You can access this great reflection and many others by logging on to http://www.presentationministries.com/home/home.asp.

This is a great website and a valuable resource for those looking to grow in their faith!

She Touched His Garment!

And a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years, 15 who (had spent her whole livelihood on doctors and) was unable to be cured by anyone, 44 came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. Immediately her bleeding stopped. 45 Jesus then asked, "Who touched me?" While all were denying it, Peter said, "Master, the crowds are pushing and pressing in upon you." 46 But Jesus said, "Someone has touched me; for I know that power has gone out from me." 47 When the woman realized that she had not escaped notice, she came forward trembling. Falling down before him, she explained in the presence of all the people why she had touched him and how she had been healed immediately. 48 He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace." (Luke 8:43-48)

The afflicted woman grasped at, and was able to touch only the garment of Jesus, and the power that flowed into her just from our Lord’s garment, combined with her faith, healed an illness that had tormented her for twelve years!

Do you long to be healed with that same power? Experience that same healing power course through your body and soul in the sacraments of Penance and Holy Eucharist!

As Catholics we can do so much more than simply attempt desperately to grasp the garment of Jesus for our healing! Jesus makes himself readily available to us daily as he gives us his whole body, blood, soul, and divinity at Mass!

Come receive Jesus! He longs to be with you! Do you long to be with him?

Do We Know Jesus?

. . . The rise of Christian fundamentalism in our country gives us another reason to deepen our grasp of the sacraments. Today in our country there are fundamentalist Christians who see our devotion to the sacraments and our involvement with ritual and conclude mistakenly that we Catholics are not real Christians at all, but members of some kind of cult. It looks to them as if we do not believe in Jesus or read the Bible.

Many Catholic families are disrupted when a son or daughter, father or aunt, embraces fundamentalism and then informs Catholic family members that they are not saved and are bound for hell. In these painful moments we must each have a good understanding of our faith—not only for our own peace of mind but also to be able to clarify erroneous definitions of Catholic sacrament and worship.

Nothing can be further from the truth, by the way, than the accusation that we do not know Jesus and the Bible. If there is anything we can say about the Mass—or any of the sacraments—it is this: They all start with Jesus. For example, although the Baltimore Catechism’s definition of sacrament does not mention the Bible, the Church clearly teaches that "Sacred Scripture is of the greatest importance" (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, #24) in the celebration of the Mass and the sacraments. .. . . more (read this entire article, “It All Starts With Jesus” by Thomas Richstatter, O.F.M. by clicking on the following link) http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac0893.asp

Learn more about the sacraments by following the link below
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13295a.htm