Thought for the Day – 18 May – Friday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide and the Memorial of St Felix of Cantalice O.F.M. Cap.(1515-1587) “Brother Deo Gratias”
Saint Felix did not have what the world esteems; his education was lacking. But he knew five red letters — the wounds of the divine crucified One, Whom he worshipped daily in the Blessed Sacrament and one white one — the Virgin Mary, from whom he one day miraculously received the divine Child in his arms.
Thought for the Day – 17 May – Thursday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide and the Memorial of St Paschal Baylon O.F.M. (1540-1592) “Seraph of the Eucharist”.
Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament occupied much of Saint Francis of Assisi’s energy. Most of his letters were to promote devotion to the Eucharist. Paschal shared that concern.
The life of Saint Paschal Baylon is one of simple adoration of the Lord and great devotion to His Mother. Saint Paschal recognised the importance of spending time before Our Saviour, in contemplation of His passion, love and sacrifice—in the earthly presence of God. Through his devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, Saint Paschal was graced with wisdom beyond his education and obedience and charity, beyond measure. His life inspires us to greater communion with the Lord, leading us to His spiritual treasures.
An hour in prayer before our Lord in the Eucharist could teach all of us a great deal.
Go to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament
with bended knee and acknowledge that He is truly present Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity!
Go to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament
with a silent tongue and confess “Jesus in The Most Blessed Sacrament, you are Lord!”
Go to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament
with bowed head and say “lead me, Lord”.
Go to Jesus in The Most Blessed Sacrament
with a humble heart and say “show me how to love as You love, Lord”.
Go to Jesus in The Most Blessed Sacrament
with folded hands and say “take my hands, use them as Your hands Lord”
Go to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament
with a closed mouth and listen to Him whispering to our soul, and responding with “Yes Lord”.
Go to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament
with a meek spirit and say, “Not by my power and my might but by Your power and Your might Lord!”
Go to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament
with a fiat and say, “Not my will but Your will be done Lord!”
Quote/s of the Day – 17 May – Thursday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide and the Memorial of St Paschal Baylon O.F.M. (1540-1592)
“God is as really present in the consecrated Host as He is in the glory of Heaven”
“There is no more efficacious means than this
(Eucharistic Adoration)
for nourishing and increasing the piety of the people
toward this admirable pledge of love
which is a bond of peace and of unity.
Sunday Reflection – 13 May – The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord “O Blessed Host”
” Blessed Host” Eucharistic Prayer before Holy Communion
By St Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938)
Diary 159
O Blessed Host, in golden chalice enclosed for me,
That through the vast wilderness of exile I may pass –
pure, immaculate, undefiled;
Oh, grant that through the power of Your love
This might come to be.
O Blessed Host, take up Your dwelling within my soul,
O Thou my heart’s purest love!
With Your brilliance the darkness dispel.
Refuse not Your grace to a humble heart.
O Blessed Host, enchantment of all heaven,
Though Your beauty be veiled
And captured in a crumb of bread,
Strong faith tears away that veil.
Feast of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament – 13 May
History of the Title of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament
St Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868), of France, had a strong devotion to the Holy Eucharist and Our Lady and began his priestly life in the Society of Mary. “But his heart burned with the desire to establish perpetual adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament exposed upon a royal throne and surrounded by a large court of adorers.” On 2 February 1851, at the shrine of Fourvière, the most Blessed Virgin had made him understand its necessity. ‘All the mysteries of my Son have a religious order of men to honour them. The Eucharist alone has none . . . .’
After several years of prudent reflection and interior combat, encouraged by Pope Pius IX, he founded the Congregation of the Most Blessed Sacrament at Paris on 13 May 1856
The title of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament was first given to Mary by St Peter Julian Eymard in May 1868, while speaking to his novices. A few years later he described what her statue should look like: “The Blessed Virgin holds the Infant in her arms and He holds a chalice in one hand and a Host in the other.” He exhorted them to invoke Mary: “Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, pray for us who have recourse to thee!”
Later, Pius IX enriched the invocation with indulgences. Twice, St Pius X did the same. On 30 December 1905, he granted a 300 days indulgence to the faithful who pray: “Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.”
“This title, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, is perhaps the most meaningful of all,” said St. Pius X.
In 1921 the Sacred Congregation of Rite authorised the Blessed Sacrament Congregations to celebrate each year, on 13 May, a “solemn commemoration of the Blessed Virgin,” with the intention of honouring Mary under the title of “Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament.” And of course this Feast is still celebrated today with great joy by all the spiritual sons and daughters of St Peter Julian Eymard.
St Pope John XXIII codified the title of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament when he declared St Peter Julian Eymard a saint on 9 December 1962, at the end of the last session of the Second Vatican Council.
Quote of the Day – 12 May – Saturday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide
“My TV is the tabernacle.”
Quote/s of the Day – 11 May – “Mary’s Month!” – Friday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide
“Who, more than Mary, could be, a star of hope for us?
With her “yes”, she opened the door of our world,
to God Himself; she became the living Ark of the Covenant,
in whom God took flesh, became one of us
and pitched His tent among us.”
“Consequently, every time we approach
the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharistic liturgy,
we also turn to her who, by her complete fidelity,
received Christ’s sacrifice for the whole Church.
The Synod Fathers rightly declared that
“Mary inaugurates the Church’s participation
in the sacrifice of the Redeemer.”
She is the Immaculata, who receives God’s gift
unconditionally and is thus associated with His work of salvation.
Mary of Nazareth, icon of the nascent Church,
is the model for each of us, called to receive the gift
that Jesus makes of Himself in the Eucharist.”
Quote/s of the Day – 10 May – Thursday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide, the Memorials of St John of Avila (1499-1569) “Apostle of Andalusia” “Father Master Avila” – Doctor of the Church and St Joseph de Veuster (1840-1889) – St Damian of Molokai
“Turn yourself round like a piece of clay and say to the Lord:
I am clay, and You, Lord, the potter.
Make of me what You will.”
“Withdraw your heart from the world
before God takes your body from it.”
Dear brothers and sisters, I pray God may open your eyes
and let you see what hidden treasures He bestows on us
in the trials from which the world thinks only to flee.
Shame turns into honour when we seek God’s glory.
Present affliction become the source of heavenly glory.
To those who suffer wounds in fighting His battles,
God opens His arms in loving, tender friendship.
That is why He (Christ) tells us, that if we want to join Him,
we shall travel the way He took.
It is surely not right that the Son of God should go His way
on the path of shame, while the sons of men
walk the way of worldly honour:
“The disciple is not above his teacher,
nor the servant greater than his master.”
“The Blessed Sacrament is indeed the stimulus for us all, for me as it should be for you, to forsake all worldly ambitions. Without the constant presence of our Divine Master upon the altar in my poor chapels, I never could have persevered casting my lot with the lepers of Molokai, the foreseen consequence of which, begins now to appear on my skin and is felt throughout the body. Holy Communion being the daily bread of a priest, I feel myself happy, well pleasedand resigned in the rather exceptional circumstances, in which it has pleased Divine Providence to put me.”
Sunday Reflection – 6 May – Sixth Sunday of Eastertide B
Lay your whle being, your faculties and all your works in homage at the foot of the Eucharistic Altar and Throne and say to the Lord:
“To You alone be love and glory!”
Offer Him the homage of your thoughts, desiring the Divine Eucharist to be the dominant thought of your life;
the homage of your affections, calling Jesus, the King and God of your heart;
the homage of your will, desiring henceforth to have no other law,
no other end than His service,
His love
and His glory;
the homage of your memory, in order to remember Him alone and thus to live
in Him,
by Him
and for Him alone.
Then contemplate the greatness of the love of Jesus as He institutes, multiplies and perpetuates His Divine Eucharist, to the end of time.
Marvel at His wisdom in the Divine invention which excites the wonder of the angels themselves.
Praise His power which has triumphed over every obstacle and exalt His goodness,
which has determined the gifts of that power.
On realising that you are the very end of the greatest and the holiest of Sacraments,
break forth into a transport of joy and love,
for you alone,
what He has done for all!
What LOVE!
Our Morning Offering – 6 May – The Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year B
Prayer to the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus
By Fr Vincent Martin Luca
With all my heart, I love You, Jesus
because You are all good
and deserving of all my love,
for You died for my sins,
the just man for the sake of the unjust,
that You may lead me to God the Father.
From Your Eucharistic Heart,
the Source of all Love,
renew Your Spirit within me
that I may love others,
with a new heart
made from Your very own Love.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 24 April – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Eastertide and the Memorial of St Mary Euphrasia Pelletier (1796-1868)
“Draw near to our Lord, thoroughly aware
of you own nothingness and you may hope
all things from His Goodness and Mercy.
Never forget that Jesus Christ is no less generous
in the Blessed Sacrament than He was
during His mortal life on earth.”
“The Blessed Sacrament is the first
and supreme object of our worship.
We must preserve, in the depths of our hearts,
a constant and uninterrupted, profound adoration,
of this precious pledge, of Divine Love.”
“To speak of the Blessed Sacrament,
is to speak of what is most sacred.
How often, when we are in a state of distress,
those to whom we look for help leave us;
or what is worse, add to our affliction
by heaping fresh troubles upon us.
He is ever there waiting to help us.”
“May your heart be an altar,
from which the bright flame,
of unending thanksgiving
ascends to heaven.”
“It is human to fall
but angelic to rise again.”
“One person is of more value
than the whole world.”
“Do well ALL that you do!”
Quote/s of the Day – 21 April – Saturday of the Third Week of Eastertide, the Memorial of St Anselm (1033-1109) Doctor of the Church and of St Conrad of Parzham OFM Cap. (1818-1894)
“Remove grace
and you have nothing
whereby to be saved.
Remove free will
and you have nothing
that could be saved.”
“God has promised pardon
to him that repents
but he has not promised repentance
to him that sins.”
Prayer of Adoration and Repentance/Night Prayer
By St Conrad of Parzham (1818-1894)
I have come to spend
a few moments with You, O Jesus
and in spirit I prostrate myself in the dust
before Your Holy Tabernacle to adore You,
my Lord and God, in deepest humility.
Once more, a day has come to its close, dear Jesus,
another day which brings me nearer to the grave
and my beloved heavenly home.
Once more, O Jesus, my heart longs for You,
the true Bread of Life, which contains
all sweetness and relish.
O my Jesus,
mercifully grant me pardon for the faults
and ingratitude of this day
and come to me,
to refresh my poor heart which longs for You.
As the heart pants for the waters,
as the parched earth longs for the dew of heaven,
even so does my poor heart long for You,
You Fount of Life.
I love You, O Jesus,
I hope in You,
I love You
and out of love for You,
I regret sincerely all my sins.
May Your peace and Your benediction be mine,
now and always and for all eternity.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 20 April – Friday of the Third Week of Eastertide – Today’s Gospel: John 6:52-59
“You can call happy those who saw Him.
But, come to the altar and
you will see Him,
you will touch Him,
you will give to Him holy kisses,
you will wash Him with your tears,
you will carry Him within you
like Mary Most Holy.”
“The Blessed Eucharist is the perfect Sacrament
of the Lord’s Passion, since
It contains Christ Himself and his Passion.”
“The last degree of love
is when He gave Himself to us
to be our Food;
because He gave Himself to be
united with us in every way.”
“Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus
in the Blessed Sacrament
is the greatest after the sacraments,
the one dearest to God
and the one most helpful to us.”
“Upon receiving Holy Communion,
the Adorable Blood of Jesus Christ
really flows in our veins and His Flesh
is really blended with ours.”
“I urge you with all the strength of my soul
to approach the Eucharistic Table
as often as possible.
Feed on this Bread of the Angels from which
you will draw the strength to fight inner struggles.”
Thought for the Day – – Tuesday of the Third Week of Eastertide – Today’s Gospel: John 6:30–35 & the Memorial of Bl Andrés Hibernón Real O.F.M. (1534-1602) ) ‘Apostle of Eucharistic Adoration’
Meditation, wherever it is made,
pleases God.
But it seems that Jesus,
especially delights in prayer,
made before the Blessed Sacrament.
Did he not leave Himself for us
in this sacrament to be food for our spirit
and to be present for all who seek Him?
We cannot all make pilgrimages
to the places where Jesus lived
but the Lord who died for us
on the cross of Calvary
now dwells in person,
in the tabernacle – waiting.
We need not await a command
as we would of an earthly king,
to enter His presence –
He is waiting for us
to lay before Him our wants
and to seek His help.
So that we may taste
the sweetness of His presence,
it is good to empty ourselves
of earthly desires.
Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46: 10
What pleasure is found in spending
a long time before the altar
where the Lord dwells!
What heavenly sweetness the Lord
allows us to taste and enjoy!
We should stay there, not to enjoy
sweetness and consolation
but to give pleasure to God
by making acts of love, saying
O my God, I love
and desire nothing but You.
Grant that I may always love You;
then do with me and all I possess,
as You please.
These acts of love,
even when made without sensible delight,
please god greatly.
For good people often have to bear
with distractions and dryness in prayer.
As for distractions,
of these we must not make much account.
It is enough to drive them away
when they come.
Do not on this account leave off prayer.
Saint Francis de Sales said:
“If, in meditation, we do nothing
but drive away distractions,
our meditation would be of great profit.”
And as for dryness:
this is the greatest pain
for those given to prayer,
for we find ourselves without
any sensible desire of loving God.
Added to this, at times, is the fear
of being separated from God
because of our sins.
There is the feeling
of being in utter darkness
without any way of escape.
At such times let us unite our desolation
with that which Jesus suffered on the cross.
If we can say nothing else,
it is enough to say,
at least by an act of the will:
My God, I desire to love You.
Have pity on me;
Leave me not.
PRAYER of one in deep affliction.
My God, I love You tenderly
though I feel You far away.
I will seek You ceaselessly
lest from You I stray.
AMEN
One Minute Reflection – Tuesday of the Third Week of Eastertide – Today’s Gospel: John 6:30–35 & the memorial of Bl Andrés Hibernón Real O.F.M. (1534-1602)
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst…John 6:35
REFLECTION – “When I stand up to talk, people listen to me; they will follow what I have to say. Is it any power of mine? Of course not. St Paul says, ‘What have you that you have not received and you who have received, why do you glory as if you had not?’ But the secret of my power is that I have never, in fifty-five years, missed spending an hour in the presence of our Lord, in the Blessed Sacrament. That’s where the power comes from. That’s where sermons are born. That’s where every good thought is conceived.” …Venerable Archbishop Fulton J Sheen (1895-1979)
PRAYER – Lord Jesus, present for me in the Holy Eucharist, everyday, everywhere. Lord Jesus, the life of my soul, the food of my life, the quenching of my thirst. Let me love You in the Holy Eucharist. May Your Sacred Heart become my heart. Blessed Andrés Hibernón Real, you who loved to spend time with the Lord, who never missed a day being with Him, please pray for us, amen.
Thought for the Day – 16 April – Monday of the Third Week of Eastertide and the Memorial of St Benedict Joseph Labre – Known as the Beggar of Perpetual Adoration (1748-1783)
Benedict Joseph Labre was truly eccentric, one of God’s special little ones. Born in France and the eldest of 18 children, he studied under his uncle, a parish priest. Because of poor health and a lack of suitable academic preparation he was unsuccessful in his attempts to enter the religious life. Then, at age 16, a profound change took place. Benedict lost his desire to study and gave up all thoughts of the priesthood, much to the consternation of his relatives.
He became a pilgrim, traveling from one great shrine to another, living off alms. He wore the rags of a beggar and shared his food with the poor. Filled with the love of God and neighbour, Benedict had special devotion to the Blessed Mother and to the Blessed Sacrament. In Rome, where he lived in the Colosseum for a time, he was called “the poor man of the Forty Hours devotion” and “the beggar of Rome.”
On 16 April 1783, the last day of his life, Benedict dragged himself to a church in Rome and prayed there for two hours before he collapsed, dying peacefully in a nearby house. Immediately after his death, the people proclaimed him a saint.
Benedict Joseph Labre was canonised by Pope Leo XIII in 1881.
St Benedict’s life reminds us that the Lord loves and has a beautiful plan for all His creations, despite what society may judge or view them as. I, personally, do not regard him as being mentally ill, though many do and he is the Patron of mental illness and against insanity. For me, his mission was simply a striving, throughout his life to grow closer to the Lord, to serve Him through his neighbour and to serve as an example for others. I see shades of St Francis and many other Saints. He faced multiple rejections with grace and eventually changed his plan in obedience to God, never giving up his search for holiness. We are challenged by the life of this saint to consider our own actions, both when we encounter difficulties in our lives that prevent us from following what we perceive to be the will of God and also when we encounter those individuals in our communities who society has written off, marginalised and judged as ‘less than’ and ‘unworthy’.
My thought is this, that if we seek Christ who sought us first, we will find Him, for He is right beside us, whatever our circumstances. St Benedict found Him, in his neighbour and waiting quietly, in the Real Presence of the Blessed Sacrament, as He waits for you and me.
St Benedict Joseph Labre, pray for us! (Last year’s Saint of the Day – https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/16/saint-of-the-day-16-april-st-benedict-joseph-labre/)
Bl Arcangelo Canetoli
St Benedict Joseph Labre – Known as the Beggar of Perpetual Adoration (1748-1783)
St Bernadette of Lourdes – The Visionary of Lourdes (1844-1879)
St Drogo
St Elias
St Fructuosus of Braga
St Herveus of Tours
Bl Joachim Piccolomini
St Lambert of Saragossa
St Lambert of Saragossa
St Magnus of Orkney
St Turibius of Astorga
St Vaise
St William Gnoffi
—
Martyrs of Avrillé – 26 beati: – A group of lay people who were executed together for their faith during the anti-Christian persecutions of the French Revolution. They were martyred on 16 April 1794 at Avrillé, Maine-et-Loire, France.
• Blessed Anne Maugrain
• Blessed François Micheneau veuve Gillot
• Blessed François Suhard veuve Ménard
• Blessed Jean Ménard
• Blessed Jeanne Gourdon veuve Moreau
• Blessed Jeanne Leduc épouse Paquier
• Blessed Jeanne Onillon veuve Onillon
• Blessed Jeanne Thomas veuve Delaunay
• Blessed Madeleine Cady épouse Desvignes
• Blessed Madeleine Sallé épouse Havard
• Blessed Marguerite Robin
• Blessed Marie Forestier
• Blessed Marie Gingueneau veuve Coiffard
• Blessed Marie Lardeux
• Blessed Marie Piou épouse Supiot
• Blessed Marie Rechard
• Blessed Marie Roger veuve Chartier
• Blessed Marie-Genevieve Poulain de la Forestrie
• Blessed Marthe Poulain de la Forestrie
• Blessed Perrine Bourigault
• Blessed Perrine Laurent
• Blessed Perrine Pottier épouse Turpault
• Blessed Pierre Delépine
• Blessed Renée Bourgeais veuve Juret
• Blessed Renée Rigault épouse Papin
• Blessed Renée Sechet veuve Davy
16 April 1794 at Avrillé, Maine-et-Loire, France – Beatified: 19 February 1984 by Pope John Paul II at Rome, Italy
Martyrs of Corinth – 9 saints: A group of nine Christians who were tortured and martyred together in the persecutions of Decius. We know little more than three of their names – Callistus, Charisius and Leonide. They were thrown into the sea at Corinth, Greece c250
Martyrs of Saragossa: Group of eighteen martyrs murdered in 304 in Saragossa, Spain in the persecutions of Diocletian and the prefect Dacean. We know little more than the names – Apodemus, Caecilian, Caius, Crementius, Engratia, Eventius, Felix, Fronto, Gaius, Julia, Lambert, Lupercus, Martial, Optatus, Primitivus, Publius, Quintilian, Saturnius (4 men of this name), Succesus and Urban. Their graves re-discovered in 1389 in the crypt under the church of San Encrazia in Saragossa.
Sunday Reflection – 8 April – Low Sunday the Octave Day of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday
“He is not past, He is present now.” – Bl John Henry Newman (1801-1890) on the Eucharist
In every Mass Christ comes to us, in the Blessed Eucharist, Christ remains with us – Christ counteracts Time and the World
What makes Christianity in its fullness, much more than a historical religion – though Protestants claim their religion to be just that, and, indeed, Christ died long ago – is the fact that He is “living among us with a continual presence”.
In every Holy Mass we are touched by Christ’s spiritual presence when the Gospel is proclaimed. We are touched by His real, full and personal presence in the Eucharist. When we walk up to receive the Eucharist, Christ Jesus comes to us. He remains with us in the Blessed Sacrament, whether in the tabernacle or exposed for our adoration. With Newman’s words from a sermon of 25th May 1858:
“He is not past, He is present now. And though He is not seen, He is here. The same God who walked the water, who did miracles, etc., is in the Tabernacle. We come before Him, we speak to Him just as He was spoken to … years ago.”
We receive Christ Jesus, when we receive the consecrated host. We adore Him, we listen to Him and we dare to speak to Him. When we receive Holy Communion, He wants to grow in us and wants us to grow towards Him:
“In every holy mass and especially in communion but also whenever we adore Christ Jesus, kneeling before the tabernacle or before the exposed Blessed Sacrament, our fleeting lives touch eternity as the living God touches us. God, does not merely present Himself before us as the Object of worship but God actually gives Himself to us to be received into our breasts. wonderful communion”!
The Eucharist brings Christians of all times, whether in the action of holy Mass or in the stillness of the Blessed Sacrament into the presence of Christ and is the living reminder that we live at all times in the presence of God and have the presence of God within us and before us in a passing world. It makes us realise that although every day and hour passes and will never come back, we are held and find our stay in the presence and love of God. The real presence of God in the Holy Eucharist makes us realise that eternal life, our life with God, has begun for us with baptism and cannot be lost to us by any outward force, only by severe sin. Therefore Newman can say that by the Holy Eucharist “We are brought into the unseen world.” (Excerpted Sr Brigitte Maria Hoegemann FSO)
Devotion for the Month of April – The Holy Eucharist
The Church has historically encouraged the month of April for increased devotion to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. “The Church in the course of the centuries has introduced various forms of this Eucharistic worship which are ever increasing in beauty and helpfulness; as, for example, visits of devotion to the tabernacles, even every day; Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament; solemn processions, especially at the time of Eucharistic Congresses, which pass through cities and villages; and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament publicly exposed . . . These exercises of piety have brought a wonderful increase in faith and supernatural life to the Church militant upon earth and they are re-echoed to a certain extent by the Church triumphant in heaven, which sings continually a hymn of praise to God and to the Lamb ‘Who was slain.'” -Venerable Pope Pius XII (1876-1958) Pope from 1939 to his death in 1958.
Prayer before Holy Communion
By St Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868)
Oh! Yes, Lord Jesus, come and reign!
Let my body be Your temple,
my heart Your throne,
my will Your devoted servant;
let me be Yours forever,
living only in You and for You!
Amen
Eucharistic Adoration By: St Pope John Paul II
“I encourage Christians regularly to visit Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament, for we are all called to abide in the presence of God. In contemplation, Christians will perceive ever more profoundly the mystery at the heart of Christian life.
I urge priests, religious and lay people to continue and redouble their efforts to teach the younger generations the meaning and value of Eucharistic adoration and devotion. How will young people be able to know the Lord if they are not introduced to the mystery of His presence? Like the young Samuel, by learning the words of the prayer of the heart, they will be closer to the Lord, who will accompany them in their spiritual and human growth. The Eucharistic mystery is in fact the “summit of evangelisation” (Lumen Gentium) for it is the most eminent testimony to Christ’s resurrection.”
Private Eucharistic Adoration
Venerable Fr Benedict Groeschel points out in the book, “In the Presence of Our Lord : The History, Theology and Psychology of Eucharistic Devotion” that there are “four kinds of prayer most appropriate in the presence of the Eucharist, namely adoration and praise, thanksgiving, repentance and trusting intercession.” Accordingly, here are suggestions for what to do during private Eucharistic adoration.
1. Pray the Psalms or the Liturgy of the Hours
Whether you are praising, giving thanks, asking for forgiveness or seeking an answer, you’ll find an appropriate psalm. The ancient prayer of the Church called the Liturgy of the Hours presents an excellent way to pray through the Book of Psalms throughout the year.
2. Recite the “Jesus Prayer”
Say “Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner”, repeatedly as you quiet your heart and mind.
3. Meditate using Scripture
Choose a passage from the Bible. read the words and ask God to let the passage speak to you. Pay special attention to anything that strikes you and ask God what He wishes for you to draw from that message.
4. Read the life of a saint and pray with him or her
Most holy men and women have had a great devotion to Our Lord in the Eucharist. Therese of Lisieux, Catherine of Siena, Francis of Assisi, Thomas Aquinas, Peter Julian Eymard, Dorothy Day. Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Baroness Catherine de Hueck are just a few. Read about them and pray their prayers before the Blessed Sacrament.
5. Pour out your heart to Christ and adore Him
Speak to Jesus, aware that you are in His presence and tell Him all that comes to your mind. Listen for His response. Pray the prayer that St Francis instructed his brothers to pray whenever they were before the Blessed Sacrament: “I adore You, O Christ, present here and in all the churches of the world, for by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.”
6. Ask for forgiveness and intercede for others
Think of those who have hurt you and request a special blessing for them. Ask God to forgive you for all the times you have neglected or hurt someone else. Bring before the Blessed Sacrament all those who have asked you to pray for them. Ask the Lord to address their concerns.
7. Pray the Rosary
St Pope John Paul II reminds us, “…is not the enraptured gaze of Mary as she contemplated the face of the newborn Chris and cradled him in her arms that unparalleled model of love which should inspire us every time we receive Eucharistic communion?” (The Church and the Eucharist, 55) Ask Mary to join you as you gaze on Christ in the Eucharist and as you pray the Rosary.
8. Sit quietly and just “be” in the presence of God
Think of a visit to the Blessed Sacrament as coming to see your best friend. Sit quietly and enjoy being in each other’s company. Instead of talking to the Lord, try listening to what He wants to tell you.
Prayer before the Eucharistic Presence
By Bl John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
I place myself in the presence of Him,
in whose Incarnate Presence I am,
before I place myself there.
I adore You, O my Saviour,
present here as God and man,
in soul and body,
in true flesh and blood.
I acknowledge and confess,
that I kneel before the Sacred Humanity,
which was conceived in Mary’s womb
and lay in Mary’s bosom;
which grew up to man’s estate
and by the Sea of Galilee, called the Twelve,
wrought miracles and spoke words of wisdom and peace;
Who in due season hung on the cross,
lay in the tomb, rose from the dead
and now reigns in heaven.
I praise and bless
and give myself wholly to Him,
Who is the true Bread of my soul
and my everlasting joy. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 26 February 2018 – Monday of the Second Week of Lent
O Heart of Jesus, I Offer You All
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
O Heart of Jesus, all love,
I offer You these humble prayers for myself
and for all those who unite themselves
with me in spirit to adore You.
O holiest Heart of Jesus most lovely,
I intend to renew and to offer to You,
these acts of adoration and these prayers,
for myself a wretched sinner
through all moments while I breathe,
even to the end of my life.
I recommend to You, O my Jesus,
Holy Church, Your dear spouse
and our true Mother, all just souls
and all poor sinners, the afflicted,
the dying and all mankind.
Let not Your Blood be shed for them in vain.
Finally, deign to apply it, in relief of the
souls in Purgatory and of these in particular
…………………………………..
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 25 February 2018 – The Second Sunday of Lent, Year B
I Place myself in Your Presence (Prayer before Holy Mass or at Eucharistic Adoration)
Bl John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
I place myself
in the presence of Him
in whose Incarnate Presence
I am before
I place myself there.
I adore You, O my Saviour,
present here as God and Man,
in soul and body,
in true flesh and blood.
I acknowledge and confess,
that I kneel before
that Sacred Humanity,
which was conceived
in Mary’s womb
and lay on Mary’s bosom,
which grew up to man’s estate
and by the Sea of Galilee
called the Twelve,
wrought miracles
and spoke words of wisdom
and peace.
Which, in due season
hung on the Cross,
lay in the tomb,
rose from the dead
and now reigns in heaven.
I praise and bless and give myself
wholly to Him,
who is the true Bread of my soul
and my everlasting joy.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 12 February – Preparing for Lent – 2 days to go!
Lent is a season of grace. The joy of the Risen Lord Jesus depends on how we live out the holy season of Lent. God’s generosity has no limits but we often fall short in giving God our whole hearts so that He can fill them with His love.
Why not strive to live out this Lent as if it were to be the Last Lent in your lives!
Decide on your Lenten sacrifice. Lent is a season of solemnity and sacrifice commemorating Jesus’ exodus into the desert; our sacrifice is a reminder of the sacrifice of self Jesus made to save us from our sins. Because of this, it is a Lenten tradition to sacrifice something for these 40 days.
Think about all the trivial things in your life that shift your focus away from God. Do you find that you dedicate more time to sending text messages and posting status updates than to prayer and time with God? Do you have a habit of eating junk food excessively? What is something your life could do without?
In addition to sacrificing something, include something special in your Lenten routine. Giving up chocolate or Facebook for 40 days is great but why not do something positive, too, instead of just removing the negative? Resolve to be more mindful of others’ needs, spend more time with your family, pray more and forgive old grudges.
Attend Holy Mass as often as possible. In addition to weekly Sunday service, it’s good to go to Mass and receive the Holy Eucharist frequently, especially during Lent. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday when we remember that we come from dust and to dust we shall return.
Go to Confession, is a wonderful way to turn away from sin and reunite yourself with Christ. If you don’t already, try getting into the habit of going to Confession on a regular basis. The Catholic Church has made it obligatory that all the faithful receive the sacrament of Penance at least once a year and once during the season of Lent, though it’s recommended that you attend Confession at least once a month if possible.
Spend time on prayer and devotions. Though not required, devotions are a great way to put yourself in the right mindset for Lent. The Church highly encourages Adoration of God or the veneration of the Blessed Virgin and the saints. Your local parish probably has regular Eucharistic Adoration, where you can go to sit and engage in deep prayer, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. To practice veneration, you could say a decade of the Rosary daily, or pray to your patron saint.
Any prayer, so long as it means something to you, is a step in the direction God intended. If you have a prayer you’ve grown up with that speaks to you, resolve to spend more time focusing on what it truly means and how you can embody that prayer in your everyday life. Perhaps start the Liturgy of the Hours, there are many sites online offering this devotion.
Take time for self-examination and reflection. Christmas and Easter are times of happiness and joy; while the preceding and succeeding seasons are cheery and bright, the same cannot be said about Lent. It is a time of simplicity and solemnity. It is a time to reflect on your dependence on God’s mercy and your understanding of faith. Take moments during this time to think about how you embody Christ’s love.
Get ready to Fast and Abstain – think about how you will incorporate these practises into your life. All Catholics aged fourteen and older are asked to abstain from meat on Lenten Fridays, though fish is allowed to be eaten. Additionally, Catholics aged 18-59 are obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all Lenten Fridays, meaning that only one full meal may be eaten in the day. Of course, do this however you feel is safe and effective.
Some people should definitely not fast (the pregnant or the elderly, for example). If fasting isn’t a reasonable option for you, fast from something other than food. Make sure it’s something that’s a challenge — like your phone or email — so you can feel the sacrifice you’re making.
Promote your Parish almsgiving project – perhaps think about volunteering your help. Ensure that you find a way to fulfil this vital Lenten requirement – it could be as simple as saving your spare change for your Parish charity or to have Masses said for the holy souls!
Make a Lenten calendar. Such a calendar will help you to focus on the progression of the Lenten season and is a great reminder to see the days ticking away, leaving Sundays out. It ends the Friday before Easter (the last day being Holy Thursday); count backwards from there.
Hang the calendar in a common area in your home. Every day, tick off a box. As you get closer and closer to Easter, how do you find yourself feeling? Are your sacrifices becoming more or less difficult to maintain?
A Blessed and Holy Lent to you all!
In adoring the Blessed Sacrament, our hearts are enlarged and our minds receive the truth
In Lourdes, most miracles take place during the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Medjugorje is no different. Although so much power and grace radiate from the Blessed Sacrament during heartfelt and worthy Adoration, in the end this is not about getting “something”.
The Curé d’Ars referred to a parishioner who said that during Adoration, “I look at Him. And He looks at me.” It is about two people in love with each other – a creature and its God. The deeper our hunger, the more He gives us; indeed, He gives us this hunger for Him.
What does one do during Adoration? What do lovers do when they gaze with love at each other? We need silence first of all. When Pope Benedict XVI led Adoration in Hyde Park, about 80,000 young people kept silence with the Pope – to the consternation of media broadcasters. Silence apparently does not make for good television. Television requires continuous chatter. Adoration requires silence.
Secondly, Adoration requires attentiveness. It is heart-breaking to see couples sitting opposite each other in restaurants, both gazing avidly at their smartphone screens instead of each other. It doesn’t take much to see who or what dominates that relationship. We attend to that which we prize foremost. In Adoration we attend to the Lord.
And thirdly, Adoration needs receptivity. In our silence and attentiveness, we receive from God. We are stripped of the illusion that we can do God any favours. He longs to lavish Himself on us. Sitit sitiri, He thirsts to be thirsted for; He longs to be longed for. He will guide us and teach us but only if we let Him. In Adoration we receive from God the truth about God and about ourselves.
In my own experience it is powerful. Jesus waits for us with eager longing. And He longs to lavish Himself on us. It’s like a tower made of champagne glasses and when the top glass is filled it overflows and fills the glasses below. In Adoration, when we are open to receive, God enlarges our hearts to love and that love overflows to others, just like the champagne tower.
Sometimes people experience little change, often because of unconfessed sin or hiding ourselves from the Lord. If we are closed, if we keep our hurts and everything about us hidden from the Lord, then very little can change. Then Adoration will be experienced as a burden to be endured or avoided. But when we are open to the Lord, it is very powerful. God has so many graces He wants to give us and He leads and guides us in prayer through Adoration. Sometimes we keep vigil with the Lord during Adoration, and make acts of reparation and love – because the world needs this so much.
JRR Tolkien once said he did not return to fidelity to the Lord by being chased by Francis Thompson’s Hound of Heaven but through hunger for the Blessed Sacrament, as one starving for love. In a letter to his middle son during World War II (the context of the letter is marriage and sex), he wrote:
“Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament. . . . There you will find romance, glory, honour, fidelity and the true way of all your loves on earth… by the taste of which alone can what you seek in your earthly relationships… take on that complexion of reality, of eternal endurance, which every man’s heart desires.”
Get to the Tabernacle and let Heaven fall on you…for this is what is called “the totally Catholic devotion” (those who are Catholic to their roots, in their blood, whose way of life, whose food is being Catholic – in the words of St Edmund Campion – ‘To be a Catholic is my only glory.”) – we become what we love!
Partially taken from Fr Leon Pereira OP’s post. He is chaplain to the English-speaking pilgrims in Medjugorje, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Quote/s of the Day – 4 February – 5th Sunday of Year B
“When Mass is being celebrated, the sanctuary is filled, with countless angels, who adore the divine victim, immolated on the altar.”
“The Holy Mass would be of greater profit, if people had it offered in their lifetime, rather than having it celebrated for the relief of their souls, after death.”
“One merits more, by devoutly assisting at a Holy Mass, than by distributing, all of his goods to the poor and travelling, all over the world, on pilgrimage.”
“The celebration of Holy Mass has the same value as the Death of Jesus on the Cross.”
“When you have received Him, stir up your heart to do Him homage, speak to Him about your spiritual life, gazing upon Him in your soul, where He is present, for your happiness, welcome Him as warmly as possible and behave outwardly, in such a way, that your actions, may give proof to all, of His Presence.”
“If someone said to us, “At such an hour a dead person is to be raised to life, ” we should run very quickly to see it. But is not the Consecration, which changes bread and wine into the Body and Blood of God, a much greater miracle than to raise a dead person to life? We ought always to devote at least a quarter of an hour to preparing ourselves to hear Mass well. We ought to annihilate ourselves before God, after the example of His profound annihilation in the Sacrament of the Eucharist and we should make our examination of conscience, for we must be in a state of grace. to be able to assist properly at Mass. If we knew the value of the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, or rather, if we had faith, we should be much more zealous to assist at it.”
Quote/s of the Day – 31 January -The Memorial of St John Bosco (1815-1888)
“Do you want our Lord to give you many graces?
Visit him often.
Do you want him to give you few graces?
Visit him seldom.
Visits to the Blessed Sacrament are powerful
and indispensable means of overcoming the attacks of the devil.
Make frequent visits to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament
and the devil will be powerless against you.”
“I beg you to recommend to everyone,
first, adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament
and then reverence for most holy Mary.”
“Take refuge often at the feet of Jesus…
My dear ones, the Visit to the Blessed Sacrament
is an extremely necessary way to conquer the devil.
Therefore, go often to visit Jesus
and the devil will not come out victorious against you.”
“Jesus could have limited His presence only
to the celebration of Mass, but no!
He wanted to make a permanent dwelling among us.
Night and day He awaits us and offers Himself to us at all times.
Like a most tender mother, He opens His arms to us.
He is there generously to give us His gifts.
He is there to draw us to Him
and lead us to paradise with Him.
Oh! Let us go visit Him often.”
“I beg you to recommend to everyone,
first, adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament
and then reverence for most holy Mary.”
“Ask the Blessed Virgin for the grace
to receive Communion frequently
and worthily… Try to imagine,
that the Blessed Virgin herself,
will give you the Sacred Host.
No one would dare strike
at the Heart of Jesus
while He is in Mary’s hands.”
“The power of evil men lives on the cowardice of the good.”
“The fullness of love, in all the mothers of this earth,
could never equal, the love Mary has, for each one of us.”
Our Morning Offering – 30 January 2018
O make my heart beat with Your Heart!
By Bl Cardinal John Henry Newman
Most Sacred,
most loving Heart of Jesus,
You are concealed in the Holy Eucharist,
And You beat for us still.
Now, as then, You say:
“With desire I have desired.”
I worship You
with all my best love and awe,
With fervent affection,
With my most subdued,
most resolved will.
For a while, You take up Your abode within me.
O make my heart beat with Your Heart!
Purify it of all that is earthly,
All that is proud and sensual,
All that is hard and cruel,
Of all perversity,
Of all disorder,
Of all deadness.
So fill it with You,
That neither the events of the day,
Nor the circumstances of the time,
May have the power to ruffle it;
But that in Your love and Your fear,
It may have peace. Amen
Sunday Reflection – – 28 January – The Memorial of St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor angelicus (Angelic Doctor) and Doctor communis (Common Doctor)
Fr Raneiro Cantalamessa OFM – Preacher to the Papal Household – “This is My Body”
The Eucharist is the Father’s gift to the world. The mystery contained in the words: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16) is made present in every Mass. In the priest who offers us the body and blood of Christ at the moment of Communion, we can see, with the eyes of faith, the Father in person, who comes to give us “the bread of heaven, the true bread” and says: “Take, this is the body of my Only Begotten Son, which I have given for you.”
Not only does the Father give us the Eucharist, He also gives Himself in the Eucharist because there is only one indivisible divine nature, in receiving the divinity of the Son, we also receive the Father. “Whoever sees me sees the Father,” also means “whoever receives me, receives the Father.”
One day (it was the Saturday of the Second Week of Lent) after listening to the Gospel passage of the parable of the Prodigal Son, I understood clearly that Communion offered me, there and then, the incredible opportunity of receiving the Father’s forgiving embrace – and not only mentally!
Fr Raneiro Cantalamessa OFM – Preacher to the Papal Household – “This is My Body” (out of interest, this entire book is a series of lectures to the Holy Father and his household, who was St John Paul at the time, (during the Year of the Eucharist 2004-2005) on St Thomas Aquinas, Adore Te Devote.
Quote/s of the Day – 25 January – The Memorial of Blessed Henry Suso O.P. (1290-1365)
“Suffering is the ancient law of love;
there is no quest without pain;
there is no lover
who is not also a martyr.”
“Suffering is
a short pain
and a long joy.”
“After big storms
there follow
bright days.”
“I have often repented of having spoken.
I have never repented of silence.”
“The eternal God asks a favour of His bride:
“Hold me close to your heart,
close as locket or bracelet fits.”
No matter whether we walk
or stand still, eat or drink,
we should at all times
wear the golden locket
“Jesus” upon our heart.”
“Nowhere does Jesus
hear our prayers
more readily than
in the Blessed Sacrament.”
Quote/s of the Day – 18 January – “Speaking of the Holy Eucharist/Holy Mass“
“Let us return from that Table,
like lions breathing out fire,
terrifying to the devil!”
“O Sacrament of Love!
O sign of Unity!
O bond of Charity!
He who would have Life finds here indeed
a Life to live in and a Life to live by.”
“What does the poor man do
at the rich man’s door,
the sick man in the presence of his physician,
the thirsty man at a limpid stream?
What they do, I do before the Eucharistic God.
I pray. I adore. I love.”
“Put all the good works in the world
against one Holy Mass;
they will be as a grain of sand
beside a mountain.”
“When you look at the crucifix,
you understand how much Jesus loved you then.
When you look at the Sacred Host,
you understand how much Jesus loves you now.”
“Unless we believe and see Jesus
in the appearance of bread on the altar,
we will not be able to see Him
in the distressing disguise of the poor.”
Thought for the Day – 5 January – The Memorial of St John Neumann (1811-1860) – An Adorer of the Blessed Sacrament
St John Nepomucene Neumann (1811–1860), Bishop of Philadelphia from 1852–1860, was graced with an intense devotion to Our Lord in the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist. His personal experience as a boy in Bohemia (modern Czech Republic), then as a priest in the United States and finally as a Redemptorist — a spiritual son of the incomparable Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) (Founder of the Redemptorists and Doctor of the Church) — impelled him to promote prolonged prayer before the Blessed Sacrament exposed in the monstrance. No sooner had he become bishop of Philadelphia than he sought to introduce the Quarant’ Ore, or Forty Hours Devotion, already practised for three hundred years in Europe.
The good priests of Philadelphia were, for the most part, opposed to the introduction of the Forty Hours Devotion, fearing that, given the prevailing climate of violent anti-Catholicism nurtured by the Know Nothing Movement, it might exacerbate hostilities against the Church and even expose the Most Holy Sacrament to profanation.
Bishop Neumann had very nearly renounced his project when, overcome by exhaustion late one night, he fell asleep while writing at his desk. A burning candle ignited the papers lying before him. He awoke to smoke rising from the incinerated papers. One document alone remained unscathed; it was the letter he had written to propose the Forty Hours Devotion. Bishop Neumann fell to his knees to give thanks for having been preserved from harm and, as he did so, he experienced a kind of locution. God spoke to him inwardly saying, “As the flames are burning here without consuming or injuring this writing, so shall I pour out My grace in the Blessed Sacrament without prejudice to My honour. Therefore, do not fear profanation and do not hesitate any longer to carry out your designs for My glory.”
Convinced by this sign, Bishop Neumann overrode the objections of his clergy and initiated the celebration of the Forty Hours at the First Diocesan Synod of Philadelphia in April 1853. The Church chosen for the first Forty Hours was that of Saint Philip Neri. It was the latter saint who had, in fact, introduced the Quarant’ Ore to the city of Rome. Bishop Neumann astonished — and edified — his clergy and faithful by spending the greater part of the three days on his knees before the Blessed Sacrament in Saint Philip Neri Church. There was no anti-Catholic backlash. Great crowds of the faithful came, by day and by night, to adore Our Lord exposed to their gaze in the Sacrament of the Altar.
Bishop Neumann carried out his original inspiration by organising the Forty Hours Devotion in the entire diocese of Philadelphia in such a way that each parish would celebrate it in turn during the course of the year. He edited a booklet to facilitate the worthy celebration of the Quarant’ Ore and secured indulgences for the faithful who would participate in the devotion. So successful was the Forty Hours in the diocese of Philadelphia that it spread from there to other dioceses of the United States. In 1866 at the Plenary Council of Baltimore the Forty Hours Devotion was ratified for the whole country.
One of the conclusions of the 2005 Vatican Synod on the Eucharist was the recommendation that the Forty Hours Devotion be reinvigorated and reintroduced everywhere in the Church. This, of course, is fully consonant with the repeated exhortations to Eucharistic adoration of St Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.
Saints John and Alphonsus
Saint John Neumann left, among his personal writings, a prayer that, by its language and tenderness, is reminiscent of the outpourings of his spiritual father, Saint Alphonse Liguori, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. It reveals something of the soul of Bishop Neumann:
How much do I love You,
O my Jesus!
I wish to love You with my whole heart,
yet I do not love You enough.
I have but one desire,
that of being near You,
in the Blessed Sacrament.
Thou art the sweet Bridegroom of my soul.
My Jesus, my love, my all,
gladly would I endure
hunger, thirst, heat and cold
to remain always with You
in the Blessed Sacrament.
Amen
AnaStpaul 
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