God's Divine Love

Everyday I feel the Lord's love. My heart is so grateful to be able to see evidence of His divine love in my life. Not only can I see His love, but I feel a tremendous peace and joy interiorly. That is not something I could will on my own. It is a gift freely given. It is a wonderful gift from God that comes from the Sacraments and trying to live out His will.

My Lord, I love You! Increase my love for You! Amen!

Audio Files: The Wit and Wisdom of Archbishop Fulton Sheen

The Demonic Today
Angels
Cure for Selfishness
Guilt
Human Passions
Inferiority Complex
Is A Woman An It?
Knowing and Loving
Meet a Perfect Stranger - Yourself
Of Course There Is Incompatibility
Suffering
The Approach of Midnight
Should Parents Obey Their Children?
To Spank or Not to Spank
The Glory of the Soldier
What Holds Us Together?
The Rosary
What Did I Do to Deserve This?

77 Graces and Fruits to be Derived from Devout Attendance at Holy Mass

"He who devoutly hears Holy Mass will receive a great vigor to enable him to resist mortal sin, and there shall be pardoned to him all venial sins which he may have committed up to that hour." - St. Augustine, Sup. Can. Quia passus, de Consecr. dist. 2.

Taken from "Cochem's Explanation of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass"
by Fr. Martin Cochem,

1. For thy salvation God the Father sends His beloved Son down from heaven.

2. For thy salvation the Holy Spirit changes bread and wine into the true body and blood of Christ.

3. For thy sake the Son of God comes down from heaven and conceals Himself under the form of the sacred host.

4. He even abases Himself to such an extent as to be present in the minutest particle of the sacred host.

5. For thy salvation He renews the saving mystery of the incarnation.

6. For thy salvation He is born anew into the world in a mystic manner whenever holy Mass is celebrated.

7. For thy salvation He performs upon the altar the same acts of worship that He performed when on earth.

8. For thy salvation He renews His bitter passion in order that thou mayest participate in it.

9. For thy salvation He mystically renews His death, and sacrifices for Thee His precious life.

10. For thy salvation He sheds His blood in a mystic manner, and offers it up for thee to the Divine Majesty.

11. With this precious blood He sprinkles thy soul and purifies it from every stain.

12. For thee Christ offers Himself as a true burnt-offering, and renders to the God-head the supreme honor which is its due.

13. By offering this act of worship to God thou dost make reparation for the glory which thou hast failed to give Him.

14. For thee Christ offers Himself to God as a sacrifice of praise, thus atoning for thy omissions in praising His holy name.

15. By offering to God this oblation which Christ offers thou givest Him greater praise than do the holy angels.

16. For thee Christ offers Himself as a perfect sacrifice of thanksgiving, making compensation for all failures on thy part to render thanks.

17. By offering to God Christ's act of thanksgiving thou dost make ample acknowledgment of all the benefits He had bestowed on thee.

18. For thee Christ offers Himself as the all-powerful victim, reconciling thee to the God Whom thou hast offended.

19. He pardons thee all thy venial sins, provided thou art firmly resolved to forsake them.

20. He also makes reparation for many of thy sins of omission, when thou didst leave undone the good thou mightest have done.

21. He removes many of the imperfections attached to thy good deeds.

22. He forgives thee the sins, unknown or forgotten, which thou hast never mentioned in confession.

23. He offers Himself as a victim to make satisfaction for a part at least of thy debts and transgressions.

24. Each time thou hearest Mass thou canst do more to pay the penalty due to thy sins than by the severest work of penance.

25. Christ places to thy credit a portion of His merits, which thou mayest offer to God the Father in expiation of thy offenses.

26. For thee Christ offers Himself as the most efficacious peace-offering, interceding for thee as earnestly as He interceded for His enemies on the cross.

27. His precious blood pleads for thee in words as countless as the drops which issued from His sacred veins.

28. Each of the adorable wounds His sacred body bore is a voice calling aloud for mercy for thee.

29. For the sake of this propitiatory victim the petitions proffered during Mass will be granted far sooner than those that are proffered at other times.

30. Never canst thou pray so well as whilst present at Mass.

31. This is so because Christ unites His prayers to thine, and offers them to His heavenly Father.

32. He aquaints Him with thy needs and the dangers to which thou art exposed, and makes thy eternal salvation His particular concern.

33. The angels also, who are present, plead for thee, and present thy poor prayers before the throne of God.

34. On thy behalf the priest says Mass by virtue of which the evil enemy will not be suffered to approach thee.

35. For thee and for thy everlasting salvation he says Mass, and offers that holy sacrifice to God Almighty.

36. When thou hearest Mass, thou art thyself in spirit a priest, empowered by Christ to offer the Mass both for thyself and others.

37. By offering this holy sacrifice thou dost present to the Blessed Trinity the most acceptable of all oblations.

38. Thou dost offer an oblation precious indeed, of greater value than all things in heaven and earth.

39. Thou dost offer an oblation precious indeed, for it is none other than God himself.

40. By this sacrifice thou dost honor God as He alone is worthy to be honored.

41. By this sacrifice thou dost give infinite satisfaction to the most Holy Trinity.

42. Thou mayest present this glorious oblation as thine own gift, for Christ Himself gave it unto thee.

43. When thou hearest Mass aright, thou dost perform an act of highest worship.

44. By hearing Mass thou dost pay the most profound reverence, the most loyal homage, to the sacred humanity of Our Lord.

45. It is the best means whereby to venerate the passion of Christ, and obtain a share in its fruits.

46. It is also the best means of venerating the Blessed Mother of God, and increasing her joy.

47. By hearing Mass thou canst give greater honor to the angels and saints than by reciting many prayers.

48. By hearing Mass devoutly thou canst also enrich thy soul more than by aught else in the world.

49. For in this act thou dost perform a good work of the highest value.

50. It is a signal exercise of pure faith, which will receive a great reward.

51. When thou dost bow down before the sacred host and the sacred chalice, thou dost perform a supreme act of adoration.

52. For each time thou dost gaze reverently upon the sacred host thou wilt receive a recompense from heaven.

53. Each time thou dost smite thy breast with compunction some of thy sins are remitted to thee.

54. If thou hearest Mass in a state of mortal sin, God offers thee the grace of conversion.

55. If thou hearest Mass in a state of grace, God gives thee an augmentation of grace.

56. In holy Mass thou dost spiritually eat the flesh of Christ, and drink His blood.

57. Thou art privileged to behold with thine eyes Christ hidden under the sacramental veil, and to be beheld by Him.

58. Thou dost receive the priest's benediction, which is confirmed by Christ in heaven.

59. Through thy diligence in hearing Mass thou wilt also obtain corporal and temporal blessings.

60. Furthermore, thou wilt be preserved from many misfortunes that would otherwise befall thee.

61. Thou wilt also be strengthened against temptations which would otherwise have vanquished thee.

62. Holy Mass will also be to thee a means of obtaining the grace of a holy death.

63. The love thou hast shown for Holy Mass wilt secure for thee the special succor of angels and saints in thy last moments.

64. The remembrance of the Masses heard in thy life time will be a sweet solace to thee in the hour of death, and inspire thee with confidence in the divine mercy.

65. They will not be forgotten when thou dost stand before the strict Judge and will incline Him to show thee favor.

66. Thou needest not fear a long and terrible purgatory if thou hast already to a great extent atoned for thy sins by frequently assisting at Holy Mass.

67. One Mass devoutly heard will do more to mitigate the pains of purgatory than any act of penance, however difficult of performance.

68. One Mass in thy lifetime will be of greater service to thee than many said for thee after death.

69. Thou wilt attain a high place in heaven, which will be thine to all eternity.

70. Thy felicity in heaven will, moreover, be increased by every Mass thou hearest on earth.

71. No prayers offered for thy friends will be as efficacious as a single Mass heard and offered on their behalf.

72. Thou canst amply recompense all thy benefactors by hearing Mass for their intention.

73. The best help, the greatest consolation, thou canst afford the afflicted, the sick, the dying, is to hear Mass for them.

74. By this same means thou canst even obtain for sinners the grace of conversion.

75. Thou canst also earn for all faithful Christians saving and salutary graces.

76. For the suffering souls in purgatory thou canst procure abundant refreshment.

77. And if it is not within thy power to have Mass said for thy departed friends thou canst by devout assistance at the holy sacrifice release them from the tormenting flames.

What dost thou now think of the holy Mass O Christian? Can it be supposed that in the whole world there is any other good work whereby so many graces and fruits are placed within our reach? If Christians only knew how to profit by holy Mass, they might aquire greater riches than are to be found in all the things God has created.

To omit hearing Mass daily merely from carelessness or indolence would be a proof that we are either ignorant of, or indifferent to, the divine treasures it contains. God grant that those who read this may in future appreciate more fully this pearl of great price, value it more highly, seek it more diligently!

The Seven Deadly Sins: Memorize and Understand Them

by Msgr. Charles Pope

Early in my priesthood I began to feel a bit embarrassed that there were certain things I did not know more thoroughly and had not committed to memory. Among these things were the Seven Deadly Sins, and the Seven Gift of the Holy Spirit. Priests are like doctors. Imagine going to a doctor who was poor at diagnostic medicine or a doctor who knew nothing of medicines and cures available. Not much of a doctor and I didn’t what to be “not much of priest.” It should be the case that when people come to me, either in confession, counseling or Spiritual Direction that I have some command of the particulars both of spiritual disease and spiritual healing. So, I committed myself to memorizing and understanding the basic areas of spiritual and moral trouble such as the seven deadly sins, lists of the deeper drives and sinful attitudes, works of the flesh from Galatians 5 and other negative thinking or drives. I committed to learning the names and “moves” of these maladies. I also committed to memorizing and understanding the gifts and methods of healing to to be sought: sacraments, scripture, prayer, holy fellowship, virtues and Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Fruits of the Holy Spirit and so forth.

I cannot write on all these things here but since it is Lent how about one. Do you know what the Seven Deadly Sins are? It is a great value to know and begin to understand these deep drives of sin in us. They are more than just sins per se, they are drives or patters of sin and from them issue many other sins. The more we can know and distinguish them the more we can grow in self knowledge. We can begin to understand better how we “tick.” Further, being able to know and name these seven deep drives of sin helps us to know their moves and gain mastery over them. As they stir deep within us we can see evidence of their stirrings and begin to take greater authority over them.

Too many Christians know little about twisted nature of sin. They just know they’re a little messed up (or alot!) and can’t seem to figure out why. Have you ever gone to the doctor, not knowing what was wrong and left feeling better just because you finally knew what ailed you had a name and a cure? Being able to name our demons is an essential part of growth and healing.

Fr. Robert Barron recently published a 100 minute DVD on the subject of the Seven Deadly Sins called Seven Deadly Sins, Seven Lively Virtues. I would like to recommend you get it and learn all you can about these root sins and the virtues that help us to overcome them by God’s grace. You can order it here: http://www.ignatius.com/ViewProduct.aspx?SID=1&Product_ID=3539&AFID=12&
Briefly stated though here are the Seven Deadly sins listed for you:

Pride - The sinful drive that distorts proper self love so that we esteem ourself more than is proper and at the same time denigrate the goodness of others. There is such a thing as well ordered self love and self esteem but Pride is love of self which is perverted causes us unjustly to think of others as beneath us or less worthy. Pride also stirs us to reject lawful authority of others over us including God and refuses appropriate submission. Pride is at the root of every sin for through it we pridefully think we have a way better than what God has set forth or that we alone can be the judge of right and wrong. Adam and Eve wanted to “be like Gods” and wanted themselves to determine what was right and wrong. Hence they demanded to eat of the tree of the “Knowledge of good and evil.” This is Pride.

Greed - The sinful drive that stirs excessive desire for wealth and possessions. It is the insatiable desire for more. It is not wrong to desire what we need but through greed we hoard things and acquire far beyond our needs or what is reasonable, and we fail to be generous and bless the needy and poor. Through greed we can also come to see the things of this world as more precious than the things of heaven.

Lust - The sinful drive that leads to an excessive or inappropriate desires or thoughts of a sexual nature. It is not wrong to experience sexual desire per se but lust perverts this either to become excessive (all that matters), or for the object of it to be inappropriate (e.g. sexually fantasizing about someone other than a spouse). More broadly, lust is thought of as an excessive love for others that makes the love of God secondary.

Anger - The sinful drive that leads to inordinate and unrestrained feelings of hatred and wrath. It is not always wrong to experience anger, especially in the presence of injustice. But anger here is understood as a deep drive which we indulge and wherein we excessively cling to angry and hateful feelings for others. This kind of anger most often seeks revenge.

Gluttony - The sinful drive to over-indulge in, or over consume anything to the point of waste. We usually think of food and drink but gluttony can extend to other matters as well. This sin usually leads to a kind of laziness and self-gratification that has little room for God and the spiritual life. Over indulging in the world leaves little room for God and the things of the spirit. Gluttony may also cause us to be less able to help the poor.

Envy - The sinful drive that leads to sorrow or sadness at the goodness or excellence of another person
because I take it to make me look bad or less excellent. If I envy someone I want to diminish or undermine their excellence. Envy is not the same as jealousy. If I am jealous of you, I want what you have. If I am Envious, I want to diminish or destroy what is good or excellent in you. St. Augustine called Envy THE diabolical sin because of the way it seeks to eliminate excellence and goodness in others.

Sloth - The sinful drive that leads to sorrow or sadness at the good things God wants to do for me. Instead of being joyful at the offer of holiness, chastity, self control, etc. I am sad or averse to it. I avoid the call to embrace a new life. Most people think of sloth as laziness. But what sloth really is, is an avoidance of God and what He offers. I fear or dislike what He can do for me so I avoid him. Some avoid God by laziness, but others avoid him by becoming workaholics, claiming they are too busy to pray, get to Church or think about spiritual things.


http://blog.adw.org/2010/03/the-seven-deadly-sins-just-memorize-them/

An Examination of Conscience

by Blessed Mother Teresa

"You need only ask at night before you go to bed, "What did I do to Jesus today? What did I do for Jesus today? What did I do with Jesus today?" You have only to look at your hands. This is the best examination of conscience."

- Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Bible Study

Our Fathers Plan in MP3

1. Reading Through The Bible

2. History Of Early World

3. Patriarchs

4. Israel In Egypt

5. Conquest Of Canaan

6. Judges

7. United Kingdom

8. Divided Kingdom

9. The Exile

10. Gospels I

11. Gospels II

12. Acts I

13. Acts II

Proverbs 31: 11-12

"Her husband, entrusting his heart to her, has an unfailing prize. She brings him good, and not evil, all the days of her life." - Proverbs 31: 11-12

Penance & Reparation: A Lenten Meditation

by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.

Penance and reparation are the consequence of sin. Or again, penance and reparation are the price we have to pay for our own and other people's sin. Penance and reparation, finally, are what God requires from sinners as a condition for showing them His mercy.

In order to better understand the meaning of penance and reparation, we have to look for a moment at what happens whenever we sin. Two things happen:

First: we incur guilt before God for the self-will that caused us to sin. We become more or less separated or estranged from God, depending on the gravity of our sin.
Second: We deserve punishment for the disorder we cause by our sinful conduct. We become liable to suffering pain, again more or less pain, depending on how seriously we have done wrong.
Against this background, we can more easily see the meaning of penance and reparation.

Penance is the repentance we must make to remove the guilt, or to reinstate ourselves in God's friendship.
Reparation is the pain we must endure to make up for the harm we brought about by our self-indulgence when we sinned.
What then do penance and reparation have in common? They have this in common, that they are absolutely necessary if the justice of God is to be satisfied after we have offended the divine Majesty. They also have this in common, that God now has a right to demand more of us than He would have required had we not committed sin. The word more is basic to any correct understanding of penance and reparation.

But if penance and reparation have this in common, how do they differ? They differ, as we have seen, in the two different ways that we do wrong whenever we sin. Because we have failed in loving God, we now owe Him more love than He would have required had we not offended Him.

We did wrong by our willful love of self. So now we have to make up by our selfless love of God. This is Penance.

And because we have brought disorder into the world by our sins, we must undergo pain to undo this harm we have caused. This is reparation.

Why Penance and Reparation?
If we ask, why penance and reparation, the first answer is: Because God wants it.

But if we press the question: Why does God want it? Then we must say, because in His mysterious wisdom, His justice requires it. We may legitimately say, without really understanding it, that He has no choice. Having given us a free will, if we abuse liberty, we must use our freedom to repay to God the love we have stolen from Him (which is penance) and repair the damage we have done (which is reparation).

Notice, all along I have been using the first person plural, "we", because penance and reparation are owed to God not only because I have individually sinned, but because we human beings have sinned and are sinning, in our day, on a scale never before conceived in the annals of history.

We know better than Cain after he killed his brother, Abel. We are our brother's keepers. We are mysteriously co-responsible for what other people do wrong. There is a profound sense in which all of us are somehow to do penance and make reparation, not only for our sinful misdeeds, but for the sins of our country and, indeed, for the sins of the whole human race.

We return to our question: Why penance and reparation? Because, in Christ's words, "Unless you do penance, you shall all likewise perish".

Is it any wonder that on Pentecost Sunday, after Peter preached his sermon, and rebuked the people for their sins, and they asked him, "what must we do," his first word to the multitude was the imperative verb, "Repent!"

Is it any wonder that Our Lady of Fatima's message to a sinful world in our day, may be summarized in the same imperative, "Do penance."

Indeed, the calamities that we have so far seen in this present century: two world wars with more casualties than in all the previous wars of history, and the threat of a nuclear holocaust that hangs over us like a tornado cloud. All of this is God's warning to do penance and reparation. Why? Because God is not mocked.

You do not offend God with impunity. You do not sin without retribution. You do not ignore the will of the Almighty and expect the Almighty to ignore what you do.

What bears emphasis, however, is that this retribution is either to be paid willingly, with our penance and reparation, or will be paid unwillingly within the divine punishment.

The divine logic is simple, awfully simple, and all we have to do is learn what God is telling us. Either we do penance and reparation because we want to, or we shall suffer (against our will) the consequences of our sins in this life, and in the life to come.

But remember, this penance and reparation is to be done not only for what we have personally done wrong. It is for all the pride and lust, for all the cruelty and greed, for all the envy and laziness and gluttony of a sin-laden human family.

God is merciful and in fact as our Holy Father has told us, Jesus Christ is the Incarnation of divine mercy. But God's mercy is conditional. It is conditional on our practice of penance and reparation.

How to Practice Penance and Reparation
We come to the third and, in a way, most important part of our subject: How?

I say it is the most important because we could talk for hours about the theology of penance and reparation and end up, wiser perhaps, but not holier. We must take the next and final step, and ask ourselves, practically, what am to do about it?

In order to come to the point immediately, let me give you what I call seven rules, three for penance and four for reparation. They can be expressed in seven words, where each word is a divine command as follows:

Pray!
Share!
And forgive! - for penance, to make up for our failure in loving God.
Work!
Endure!
Deprive!
And sacrifice! - in reparation for the punishment that we and others have deserved for our sins.
Suppose we spend a moment on each of these seven rules, and ask Our Lord, to open our hearts to respond with generosity to His offended Sacred Heart.

Rule #1 - Pray
God expects more of us because we have sinned. And the first more that all of us can put into practice, is more prayer.
Call it giving more time each day to prayer.
Call it attending Mass more often.
Call it reciting the Rosary more frequently.
Call it being more attentive when we pray.
Call it more fervor in our life of prayer.
Call it getting more people to join us when we pray.
No matter, the first rule of salutary penance is more prayer.

Rule #2 - Share
Remember what Christ told us the night before He died. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you." If all sin is a failure in loving God, and we mainly show our love for God by loving one another, then we had better show our love for others by sharing with them what God has given to us.
Again the word more comes in. We are to examine our conscience and ask ourselves, what more can I share with those whom God has placed into my life?

Can I give more of my time to others?
Can I share more of my knowledge with others?
Can I share more of my skill with others?
Can I share more of my money with others?
Can I share more of my Catholic faith with others?
Each of us is different in this matter of sharing because each of us is living a different life with different people whom God's Providence places in our path. The second rule for the practice of penance is more sharing.

Rule #3 - Forgive
Christ could not have been more explicit in urging us to forgive others who offend us. He gave us whole parables on the subject of forgiveness. He warned us that God will be as merciful to us as we are forgiving to others. He placed, in the center of The Lord's Prayer, a frightening invocation, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."
Once again, it behooves us to look to our practice of forgiveness of injuries, so to be more forgiving in the future than we have been in the past.

Can I be more forgiving by forgetting what others have done to me?
Can I be more forgiving by ignoring the unkindness and thoughtlessness and perhaps meanness that others commit against me?
No two of us are living the same lives. Each of us have different people saying or doing or failing to say or do things that hurt us and, perhaps, crush the very heart of our souls. The third rule of penance is to be more forgiving.

Rule #4 - Work
We now shift from penance to reparation, and our first directive is to work. How is work a form of reparation of sin? It is reparation because our fallen human nature dislikes to exert itself. Work is a form of mortification that all of us can look to see whether we could not work harder than we are doing - in performance of tasks that are part of our state in life.
By nature we are prone to first do what we like, then what is useful, and finally, what is necessary.

I cannot think of a more effective kind of reparation than to set our minds to reversing that order.

We should first do what is necessary, then what is useful, and only then what is pleasant or what we like.

Rule #5 - Endure
In some ways this is the keystone of reparation, the patient endurance of the sufferings and trials that God sends us.
God in His mercy sends us the Cross in order to try our patience that we might save our souls and the souls of many others besides.

The variety of these trials sent us by God defies classification and their intensity depends on a thousand factors that differ with different people. If we are to expiate sin we must resign ourselves to endure pain. But, as we know, there are degrees and degrees to this resignation.

Can we accept misunderstanding from others with greater peace of mind?
Can we be more generous in doing what we know God wants us to do, although doing it is painful?
Can we suffer without pitying ourselves?
Can we put up with discomfort, or distaste, or disability, without becoming bitter about what we are tempted to consider injustice on the part of God?
Yes, God's violations are blessings, and the crosses He sends us are tokens of His love. But how we need the light of faith to see this, and the strength of His grace to do this -- in reparation for sin, as the price we must pay to reach heaven, where every tear will be wiped away and all the past, which is now the present, will have passed away.

Rule #6 - Deprive
Our sixth rule is to practice reparation by depriving ourselves of something we now have that we could, if we wanted to, do without.
It may be some luxury in the home,
Or some delicacy at table,
Or some comfort in our way of living,
Or some trinket, or adult toy that we could just as well do without.
Call it mortification or self-denial; whatever the name, the basic idea is to expiate for sins of self-indulgence by giving up. When we sin we offend God by choosing some creature to which we have no right. When we practice mortification, we make reparation by choosing to deprive ourselves of some creature we have a right to -- why, in order to undo the harm caused by sin and thus propitiate the offended justice of God.

Rule #7 - Sacrifice
I have saved sacrifice for the end because it synthesizes everything we have so far said.
What is sacrifice? Sacrifice is the surrender of something to God.
Sacrifice is the heart of penance and reparation.
When we sacrifice, we let go with our wills of whatever we could legitimately possess and enjoy because we want to make up to God for having stupidly chosen some creature in preference to the Creator.
We return to where we began by stressing that when we sacrifice, we do more than we would have done; we give up more than we would have given up; we surrender more of what we like in order to -- in plain English -- prove to God that we love Him.

There is an episode in the Gospels that perfectly synthesizes this cardinal mystery of sin and penitential reparation.

Remember after the Resurrection when Christ asked Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than the others do?" Why the question? Because Peter had sinned; sinned more than the others who had remained faithful to the Master. Peter was expected to love Christ more. Why more? Because he had more to sacrifice in order to expiate more because he had so deeply sinned in denying the Saviour.

Conclusion
As we look into our hearts we must humbly confess that truly, we have sinned, sinned often, sinned deeply, sinned willfully.

But God is good. He gives us the privilege of not only expiating what we have done wrong, but actually becoming more pleasing to Him by our penance and reparation.

It was no pious statement that St. Paul gave us when he said, "Where sin abounded, grace has even more abounded." In other words, in God's providence, He allows us to sin so we might repent and become saints.


Copyright © 2003 by Inter Mirifica
http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Lent/Lent_002.htm

Offering it Up

Having marveled at the amazing truth that Jesus not only redeemed us, but through his grace has desired to give us a real, consequential role in the building up of his everlasting Kingdom through merit, now we are ready to tackle your question. If we are in the state of grace, our prayers, virtuous actions, and even our sufferings can become a source of merit. When we unite them to Christ (“offering them up”), they become pipelines of grace extending from the heart of Christ into our hearts and through us into the Church and the world around us. That said, we also must remember that the diameter of the pipeline is not fixed. It depends upon four factors. Growth in spiritual maturity depends to a great extent on the interior discipline required in living out these four factors.

First, there is the amount of sanctifying grace present in my soul. The more I am filled with grace, the more merit my prayers, virtuous actions, and sufferings will have when I offer them to God. The more grace I am infused with, the higher the wattage on the lamp of my soul. This is because grace is what makes us more like God, more united to him. A kind word from a stranger can be pleasant, but a kind word from someone dear to me is much more meaningful. The Christian who prays regularly, receives the sacraments regularly, and makes an effort to practice all the Christian virtues, rooting out sinful tendencies and avoiding sin, is more united to God. They are in a better position to merit. As the Bible puts it, “The Lord keeps his distance from the wicked, but he listens to the prayers of the upright” (Proverbs 15:29). And lest you think this is just an Old Testament anachronism, here’s St. James making the same point in the New Testament: “…The heartfelt prayer of someone upright works very powerfully” (James 5:16). What goes for prayers goes also for virtuous actions and sufferings.

United to the Vine

Second, there is our union with Jesus. This is closely related to the first factor, but it is less formal and more relational. It’s a question of being aware of our union with Christ. We are members of his mystical body, and so he is always with us. The more conscious we are of this union, the more meritorious all of our actions become. When we are working on a project with another person, the beneficial synergy happens more fully and dramatically if we are in constant contact with that person along the whole process. Our project as Christians is to build up Christ’s Kingdom in our hearts and in the world around us. If we try to do the work on our own and then check in with the Lord at the end of the day, that’s good. But it’s much better if we work side-by-side with him throughout every phase of the project. This is the spiritual discipline of living in the presence of God, and it turns even the most mundane tasks into meaningful encounters with God. If I am habitually living and working aware of Christ’s presence in my heart, then saying the words “Lord, I offer this up to you” resonates deeply in my soul, opening up a wider flow of God’s grace (merit) through that offering. St. Paul encouraged the Christians of Colossae to practice this spiritual discipline: “…Whatever you say or do, let it be in the name of the Lord Jesus, in thanksgiving to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).

To Want or Not to Want…

Third, there is our purity of intention. We can “offer up” our sufferings, using them to gain merit, for many different reasons: because we don’t want to go to hell; because we want more glory in heaven; because we want our sufferings to win graces for others who are in need; because we want to show God that we love him no matter what, even if he permits suffering in our lives; because we want to conform our lives more perfectly to Christ… The same variety of reasons can be present in our prayers and virtuous actions. We can obey because we don’t want to be punished, or because we recognize that the virtue of obedience is pleasing to God and glorifies his wisdom; we can exhaust ourselves to earn a decent living because we are afraid of being labeled a failure, or because we recognize that God has given us a mission to provide for a family and thereby be a mirror of the Father’s goodness… The default setting for our interior intention is usually self-centered. But with God’s help and constant effort on our part, we can make it more and more mission-centered, Kingdom-centered, Christ-centered. Of course, usually we have more than one intention, e.g. we work for the satisfaction of a job well done, but also to benefit the world around us and to make a living, and also to glorify God. Multiple intentions are natural and normal – human beings are complex creatures. But the more we can consciously renew our supernatural intention, stirring up the reasons for doing things that are based on the wisdom of our faith, the bigger pipeline of grace we can become. This factor applies even to the littlest things we do, as St Paul makes clear: “Whatever you eat, then, or drink, and whatever else you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Going from Cold to Hot

Fourth, there is the factor of fervor. You can have 20 kids in a math class, and every single one of them can be working on an exercise. But not every single one of them will be putting their whole heart into it. You can have 15 kids at baseball practice, but not all 15 will be giving their all for the whole two hours. Just so, we can all say the words, “Lord, I offer this up to you,” but we will not all say them with equal fervor; the more meaning we pour into them, the more merit we can acquire. When sufferings come our way, for example, we can accept them with different degrees of fervor: reluctance, patience, gratitude, joy. As long as we accept them out of faith, we will merit – we will help increase the flow of grace in the Church. But if we accept them with a greater degree of faith (e.g. “Lord, you are giving me a chance to unite myself more closely to Christ on the cross – OK, Lord, help me to share his love as I share his pain!…”), there will also be a greater degree of merit. Jesus stressed this factor when he identified the most important commandment: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). He said all. The implication is that we can love with different degrees of totality.

Sanctifying grace, union with Jesus, purity of intention, and fervor are four factors that help determine the degree of merit that our prayers, virtuous actions, and sufferings (sacrifices) can win for ourselves, the Church, and the world around us. So, to answer the original question, there is much more to uniting our sufferings to Christ than simply saying the words, though that is the necessary catalyst.

I hope this hasn’t discouraged you by giving the impression that the spiritual life is overly complicated. It really isn’t. In fact, knowing that one simple action (a prayer, a headache, an act of service, an honest word, a chore) can either open up a trickle or a torrent of grace is a jewel of wisdom. It should fill us with optimism and enthusiasm. We don’t have to convert nations or face lions in the Coliseum to do something glorious for God! Nor do we have to learn complex yoga techniques in order to develop spiritual maturity – we just have to dig deep into our soul before, during, and after our normal activities, and activate our faith so as to plug them into our Christian mission of building Christ’s Kingdom. (By the way, the easiest way to do that is to grow in the habit of “praying at all times” [1 Thessalonians 5:17]. When we do that, the four factors kick in and intensify automatically.) This is less glamorous than becoming a martial arts expert, because it is largely interior and invisible (to everyone except you and God), and therefore requires more discipline. As St Paul put it, we “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

But the good news is, as always, that we are not alone. God, Mary, the angels and the saints are all eager to help us, if we just give them the chance.

Yours in Christ, Fr John Bartunek, LC
http://rcspiritualdirection.com/blog/topics/suffering

Teach Me, O Lord

A Prayer by Fr. John Hardon

Teach me, my Lord, to be kind and gentle in all the events of life, in disappointments, in the thoughtlessness of others, in the insincerity of those I trusted, in the unfaithfulness of those on whom I relied.

Let me put myself aside, to think of the happiness of others, to hide my pains and heartaches, so that I may be the only one to suffer from them.

Teach me to profit by the suffering that comes across my path. Let me so use it that it may mellow me, not harden or embitter me; that it may make me patient, not irritable; that it may make me broad in my forgiveness, not narrow, proud and overbearing.

May no one be less good for having come within my influence. No one less pure, less true, less kind, less noble for having been a fellow traveler in our journey toward eternal life.

As I go my rounds from one task to another, let me say, from time to time, a word of love to You.

May my life be lived in the supernatural, full of power for good, and strong in its purpose of sanctity. Amen.

(Father John A. Hardon Catholic Prayer Book with Meditations p.49)

The Hell There Is!

The Hell There Is!

The doctrine of hell is so frightening that numerous heretical sects end up denying the reality of an eternal hell. The Unitarian-Universalists, the Seventh-Day Adventists, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Christadelphians, the Christian Scientists, the Religious Scientists, the New Agers, and the Mormons—all have rejected or modified the doctrine of hell so radically that it is no longer a serious threat. In recent decades, this decay has even invaded mainstream Evangelicalism, and a number of major Evangelical figures have advocated the view that there is no eternal hell—the wicked will simply be annihilated.

But the eternal nature of hell is stressed in the New Testament. For example, in Mark 9:47–48 Jesus warns us, "[I]t is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, where the worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched." And in Revelation 14:11, we read: "And the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever; and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name."

Hell is not just a theoretical possibility. Jesus warns us that real people go there. He says, "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few" (Matt. 7:13–14).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, ‘eternal fire.’ The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs" (CCC 1035).

In his 1994 book, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, Pope John Paul II wrote that too often "preachers, catechists, teachers . . . no longer have the courage to preach the threat of hell" (p. 183).

Concerning the reality of hell, the pope says, "In point of fact, the ancient councils rejected the theory . . . according to which the world would be regenerated after destruction, and every creature would be saved; a theory which abolished hell. . . . [T]he words of Christ are unequivocal. In Matthew’s Gospel he speaks clearly of those who will go to eternal punishment (cf. Matt. 25:46). [But] who will these be? The Church has never made any pronouncement in this regard" (pp. 185–6).

Thus the issue that some will go to hell is decided, but the issue of who in particular will go to hell is undecided.

Source: http://www.catholic.com/library/Hell_There_Is.asp

Trust in the Lord

To Do the Will of God Always!

Saint Gerard Majella, Patron Saint of Expectant Mothers, had a placard tacked to his door with the inscription:

"Here the Will of God is done, as God wills, and as long as God wills."

Source: The Story of St. Gerard Majella, Published by Saint Gerard Guild, 1949

Morning Prayer

Dear Lord,

So far today Lord, I've done alright. I haven't gossiped, haven't lost my temper, haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, nor over-indulgent. And I'm very thankful to you for that.

But..........In a few minutes, Lord, I'm probably going to need a lot more help because I'm going to get out of bed!!!!!

Remember

The next time you feel like GOD can't use you, just remember...

Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
Peter denied Christ (3 times!)
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
Mary Magdalene was the Samaritan woman who was divorced, more than once...
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer... AND
Lazarus was dead!

Now! No more excuses!
God can use you to your full potential.
Besides, you aren't the message, you are just the messenger.
And one more thing...
Share this with a friend or two...
In the Circle of God's love, God is waiting to use your full potential.

Patron Saints for 2010!

I have been doing this for a few years now! I'm just amazed at the patrons for this year, as they are COMPLETELY appropriate. If you would like to find out your patron, head on over to my friend Marianne's blog! The link to email her is on the right-hand side of the blog: http://yourpatronsaint.blogspot.com

Here are the saints chosen for us this year:

Hubby - St. Eustachius and his family, feast day on 09/20!
Me - St. Charles Borromeo, 11/04
Joey - St. Francis of Assisi, 10/04
Grace - St. Lucy, 12/13
Elizabeth - St. Jerome Emiliani, 02/08
Margaret - St. Luke, 10/18
Christopher - St. Angela of Foligno, 01/04

Merry Christmas to all! The light of the Christmas star to you, The warmth of home and hearth to you, The cheer and good will of friends to you, The hope of a childlike heart to you, The joy of a thousand angels to you, The love of the Son and God's peace to you.

The Redeeming Power of the MASS

The Redeeming Power of the MASS

A talk given by Father Mateo, SS.CC., apostle of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and founder of the Work of the Enthronement, to a group of Eucharistic Sentinels making a Holy Hour at the Benedictine Sanctuary of Perpetual Adoration in Tucson, Arizona.

Dear Friends - You are the friends of the King, so we are friends. Are you really zealous? Are you really apostles of the Sacred Heart in the Blessed Sacrament? Yes, I am preaching love; I am preaching the Lover, Jesus - a love self - forgetting, a love spreading, a love conquering. You must be apostles! You love him; you must be apostles, the ones to set fire to other hearts, to other baptized Catholics, that they may love the Master as you love Him. How many Catholics there are who have not grasped the duty of being apostles, the duty of gratitude! How many there are who are interested only in themselves, in their own spiritual welfare, and care nothing for that of others. No, it is our POSITIVE DUTY, OUR OBLIGATION, TO BRING OTHERS TO THE MASTER, to give Him not only our own souls but the souls of others.

Be grateful and be generous in giving of the treasure which Our Lord has entrusted to your care, lavishing these treasures on souls, on poor, starving souls. It is sad that so few love Jesus. Therefore, make him better known, better loved. In His name I ask you: be apostles, in gratitude, in charity.

We preach charity toward the poor and unfortunate people. That is beautiful, splendid, and it must be done; and yet, what is material charity when compared to a soul? I refer to the conquering of even one soul, for there is nothing greater than that - to conquer souls redeemed by Our Lord, for whom He shed His Precious Blood. That is true gratitude, true charity. You must love each other, your neighbors; then give them Jesus, give them Jesus! Give Jesus to those straying far from Him; a duty of charity concerning souls, a duty of gratitude toward Jesus, your Benefactor, who has chosen you as His friends, who has overwhelmed you with graces; then give what you have received.

Pay the Ransom with the Chalice

But that is not sufficient. Fervent Sentinels, trusting in your generosity, I go farther. Do you know what I am preaching everywhere? I am preaching: Pay the ransom of souls with the Chalice, with the CHALICE. The greatest means of converting souls is one more Mass, one more Mass during the week, and, with sacrifice, two or three more Masses; if possible, daily Mass, to pay for the eternal salvation of souls so dear to you. That is the great thing - the Chalice filled with the Precious Blood. You will never see souls go astray if you pay the ransom, hearing one more Mass, two, three, four, and, if possible, daily Mass. with sacrifice; then you are apostles, paying the ransom for the Sacred Heart.

I remember long years ago, a lady - she had her own unconverted mother, and that old lady was dying. Nothing, nothing to be done. Her daughter, a wonderful Catholic, said to her: "Mother, you are baptized; you are supposed to be a Catholic." But the mother would not listen. "Nonsense! Allow me to die as I have lived. I do not need God; 1 am 78 years old!" The daughter came to me, asking what should be done. I said to her: "Pay the ransom; you are a Catholic. go to Mass, daily Mass." She was wonderfully faithful. She was not at all healthy, the church was at a distance, yet she never missed one Mass.

It seemed fruitless. She said to her mother one day: "Mother, please, you are dying. Shall I not call a priest?" "No! No!" Then the daughter brought a picture of the Sacred Heart, which she held up for her mother to see. "Here, Mother, is the King of Love. Please, Mother, let Him come to you in Holy Communion. I have prayed and gone to Mass daily, in order that you may not die without making your peace with Jesus who has loved you so much. The Chalice has been offered every day for you, that your soul may be washed in the Precious Blood." So the daughter pleaded, until finally the mother turned to her and said: "I do not know how, but I have changed completely. A priest - oh, get me a priest at once!" And the mother died praising the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Then the husband, a man living with hate in his heart toward God - an actual apostle of Satan. He also asked for a priest, for he was sick, very sick. He asked for Father Mateo. I heard his confession four times, and he received Holy Communion as often. He called in fifteen or twenty of his former friends, also living in hate, and said to them: "Kneel down and adore Christ the King, the King of Love. That is the only thing worth while." He died praising the Sacred Heart. Then the third one in the same family, gone astray - the youngest brother, twenty-five years old, also returned to the Sacraments. And why? The Mass, daily Mass, the Chalice, the greatest power of redemption.

One More Mass! A Novena of Masses

How often have I heard young ladies say to me: "Father, we are making novena after novena for certain conversions but to no avail." Do you know what I reply? I do not blame that; that is all right but instead of annoying the saints with novena after novena why do you not make a novena of Masses? THAT IS THE GREAT NOVENA. And all the saints will applaud you for they realize the greatness of Holy Mass. I do not blame your novenas to the saints but I say transform your novenas into something divine, omnipotent - the Chalice - one more Mass - two, three or four more Masses - if possible daily Mass. You are asking for a miracle; I approve, But I tell you that you must pay the ransom for the conversions you make. You have a right to ask for such miracles. Do you know what a conversion is? It is the resurrection of a soul. It is far greater to see the resurrection of a soul than the resurrection of a corpse. Oh one more Mass! Please - one more Mass! Pay the ransom with the Chalice. One more Mass! If you have anyone at home sick, or dying, oh, pay the ransom with the Chalice - one more Mass!

Silent Preaching of a Saintly Mother

May I relate to you something personal, with real emotion? I am the son of a Protestant. My father was an Anglican. One of my uncles was a missionary in India, the other a Canon in Westminster Abbey in London for thirty years. Yet I have seen my father, 58 years old, kneeling for his first confession and first Communion, weeping out of joy, the great Anglican, over powered by grace. Who converted him? The grace of God. But who was the instrument? A great preacher? Yes - that preacher was my mother. How did she succeed? Speaking generally, you know that husbands do not like sermons at home. Then how did she convert my father? She never missed Mass, her daily Mass, except when sick and dying, and even then the priest came to give her Holy Communion.

When I left home for school in the morning, she was already back from church - and we were eleven children. She knew her first duty was to the home, to attend to her family; and yet in spite of that she found time to go every morning to Holy Mass and to receive Holy Communion. She paid the ransom. Our Lord was obliged to grant her the favor, for He is justice as well as truth. I venerate my mother. She died in 1935, when I was preaching in Japan. She is saying, as I am saying, that it is the Chalice, the Chalice, the CHALICE!

A saintly soul said one day to Our Lord who appeared to her: "O Lord, what could I offer to Thee, for Thy glory, for my sanctification, for the salvation of many, many souls?" And Our Lord replied: "For My Father, for yourself and for souls, give Me one more Mass!" Where there is a will there is a way; where there is love, there is a way. When you love Him, come! come! come! With sacrifice prove your love, by giving Him, one, two, three Masses during the week, if possible daily Mass. If you make the effort, you will be blessed a thousand times and you will praise Him one day.

Little Missionaries

I remember preaching in Scotland, when it was very cold. The pastor asked me to speak to a large number of little ones, six, seven, eight and nine years old, about to make their first Communion. I said to them: "Tell Mama that I am preaching the reign of the Sacred Heart - that you are going to become missionaries." After I had finished speaking to the children, one little girl came to me and said: "My daddy never goes to church; he never goes to church. I am going to say to Mama what you have said, and I am never going to miss one Mass." You see, I had preached the Sacred Heart, and asked them to help me save souls with one more Mass. The child told her mother she was going to attend daily Mass for her father. The mother thought it was too cold, but the child insisted she must save her father's soul. So the mother at length consented to allow her to attend daily Mass. Three months later I met this child, and she said to me: "Father, do you remember what I told you about my daddy not going to church? Well, I have never missed one Mass since then. It has been cold and I am often sleepy, for it is early. And do you know what I say to Jesus when I have Him here (in her heart)? I tell Him I am going to Mass and Communion every morning. It is for my daddy, for my daddy. I am paying the ransom. I am taking his place here every morning, so that You may save his soul, here at the altar rail, my loving Jesus." Wonderful!

When the precious moment of Consecration has arrived, imagine yourself on Calvary, standing beneath the Cross with Mary, and, united with her sentiments, offer to the Eternal Father the Precious Blood and Wounds of Jesus, for the conversion of sinners and unbelievers and the poor souls in purgatory. And now, united with Jesus and Mary, look at your crucifix and make your offering by saying: Eternal Father. I offer Thee the Wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ to heal those of our souls. My Jesus, pardon and mercy through the merits of Thy Sacred Wounds. Renew this offering for every wound of Jesus. You will also have time to see Him in spirit, in pain and suffering, in the first, second, and third fall under the heavy weight of the Cross. Do not forget the adorable Face of Jesus, the seat of Al1 wisdom, crowned for us with thorns. God promised a great reward for those who honor His holy Face. In this offering, we are offering heaven to heaven. This is not all; we are following the Master, the Good Shepherd and the good Samaritan, to heal the wounds of our Savior who has loved us so much.

Let us trust Jesus in our temporal needs and especially in our spiritual needs. When saying in the "Our Father," give us this day our daily bread (the Holy Eucharist), let us be mindful to plead for our neighbor, the lukewarm, and ourselves.

Never miss Mass through your own fault. Some times you cannot attend; but make the effort never to miss one Mass and Communion, in spite of difficulties. You will bless me when dying, if you do this. May God grant you the grace to attend Mass daily, and to receive daily Communion with the intention of saving souls from hell, and thereby glorifying God in heaven for all eternity. There is no greater love.

Imprimatur: Most Rev. Geo. W. Ahr,
S.T.D. Bishop of Trenton

HOLY FACE ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 1, St. Henri Station,
Montreal, Canada H4C 3J7

What Child Is This?

What Child Is This?

What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom Angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

The Christ Child

“THE CHRIST CHILD” BY G.K.CHESTERTON

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s lap,
His hair was like a light.
(O weary, weary were the world,
But here is all aright.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s breast,
His hair was like a star.
(O stern and cunning are the kings,
But here the true hearts are.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s heart,
His hair was like a fire.
(O weary, weary is the world,
But here the world’s desire.)

The Christ-child stood at Mary’s knee,
His hair was like a crown.
And all the flowers looked up at Him,
And all the stars looked down.