Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

There are two reasons why I may have some difficulty falling asleep tonight. On my way to Mass this morning at a Church near where my son and his wife live, I was awestruck by a life size portrait of Our Risen Lord that was on display immediately in front of the Church's main entrance.  It was the most astonishing portrait that I had ever seen. I could not keep my eyes off of it. While gazing at it, I began to make a left hand turn down a side street and to a nearby parking area.  So distracted were my mind and eyes that I turned directly into the path of an on-coming vehicle. I never would have seen that vehicle had my guardian angel not prompted me to look up and cause me to sharply veer to my right as the other more attentive and skillful driver veered to his right as well. Only by God's grace and Divine will did the two of us escape serious injury or even death. Only my loving Lord  knows why He spared us this mornin...

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) Our Churches will be packed this Easter Sunday, filled by an influx of infrequent visitors and with the pungent fragrances flowing from the multi-colored spring flowers that will surround our altars and fill our sanctuaries. How pleased Our Lord will be to see so many there. How hopeful He is that all will return. The songs we sing, the Scripture readings we proclaim and the homily we hear will remind us that Jesus died and rose from the dead, so that we too would have an opportunity for eternal life – a priceless gift which we have done nothing to deserve but which we can too easily forfeit. Our Risen Lord is alive! And He desires much more than your weekly attendance at Mass. He hungers to have a personal, life-changing relationship with you. How will you respond to His invitation? Hopefully, the same way “Charlie” did. “Charlie” was one of the many men I was privileged to meet during the more than ten   years I spent occasiona...

According to St. Pius X, our sanctity depends in large measure on the holiness of our priests. This Holy Thursday then is an appropriate time to reflect on our priests, the imperative that the Eucharist be the source, center and summit of their and our lives, and our duty as laity to treasure, encourage and support them. We begin by recalling how eloquently St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Doctor of our Church, wrote of what it is to be a priest:   “We must begin by purifying ourselves before purifying others; we must be instructed to be able to instruct, become light to illuminate, draw close to God to bring Him close to others, be sanctified to sanctify, lead by the hand and counsel prudently…I know God’s greatness and man’s weakness but also his potential.   The priest is the defender of Truth, who stands with angels, gives glory with archangels, causes sacrifices to rise to the altar on high, shares Christ’s priesthood, refashions creation, restores it in God’s image, re...

Jesus wanted His Apostles to spend time with Him before He died. Instead they slept. He awaits our visits to Him as He remains imprisoned in the tabernacles of His Churches, but we don’t come. How harsh we are on Judas. Yes, he betrayed our Lord. But have not we done so repeatedly as well? How critical we are of Pontius Pilate. Yes, he did exactly what he knew he should not have done. How are we any different from him? How often have we either done what we knew we should not have done or failed to do that which we knew we should? Do we really think we are much different from those who threw stones at Him, cursed Him, spit at and slapped Him? Come on. Be real. Every time we fail to do what He has asked us to do or fail to stand up to defend Him or His Church, or remain silent when the Truth is being misrepresented, or fail to teach or lovingly correct for fear of being ridiculed or causing tension or stress in our relationships with others, we am one with them. When was the...

           Far too many Catholics complain they find the Mass to be “boring” or that they “get nothing out of it”.   It is unlikely they would feel that way if they knew the answers to the following questions:   What is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass? What happens at Mass? Who is present there? What benefits do we receive by participating at Mass?             In his powerful book, The Way to God, Father Winfrid Herbst, S.D.S. tells us that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass “is not a mere commemoration of the sacrifice of the cross.   No it is the same, the actuality, the renewal, the continuation, the representation of the sacrifice of the cross… so that when I assist at Mass I am present at the Sacrifice of the cross as much as Mary, John and Magdalen were.   It is the unbloody renewal of the bloody Sacrifice of the cross.” Does this essential truth of our ...

I was disappointed when I was not able to see You this morning.  I have grown to treasure our morning visit, Mass and the reception of Your Sacred Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity- so nourishing, peaceful and transforming.  I have noticed over the years that on those days I am unable or foolishly choose not to start my morning this way, the rest of my day is often more hectic and stressful. I marvel at Your great Love and Generosity in making Yourself so available to all of us.  We certainly are not worthy of that love and attention. How joyful I felt as I drove up to Your place later that same day.  I did not have a lot of time to spend with You, but You can do so much in such a short period of time.  It is nice to end my day with You, however briefly our time together may be. I began talking to You as I walked towards the Church door.  As I grabbed the door handle, I was anxious to be with You.  Suddenly, my peace was shattered.  The door...