Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

It is a privilege each week to share one of my posts with  Allison Gingras at   Reconciled To You   and Elizabeth Riordan at  Theology Is A  Verb as part of their Worth Revisiting promotion. Here is a chapter from my book, I Thirst For Your Love : Thank You For Coming! Tabernacle - St. Vincent Ferrer Parish - NYC When I entered this world, my Blessed Mother and her most chaste spouse, Joseph, welcomed Me with loving arms, eyes and hearts. A choir of heavenly angels surrounded and serenaded us! My heart leaped for joy when the humble shepherds came and paid Me homage. I smiled! We waited. But none of the religious, political or social leaders bothered to visit. They never thought to look for Me. I cried! Even today, centuries after my arrival, most of them rarely think of Me. I cry! Then the foreign dignitaries came. They had left their country in search of the Truth, not knowing on their departure, exactly Where, What or Who t...

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) "Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration with exposition needs a great push. People ask me: 'What will convert America and save the world?' My answer is prayer. What we need is for every parish to come before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in holy hours of prayer." Saint Teresa of Calcutta

When we become forgetful of earthly things, we can experience embarrassment, inconvenience and even ridicule.  (Image source: Wikimedia Commons ) But if we become forgetful of fundamental spiritual truths, we jeopardize our soul. You may want to listen to this timely reminder from Father M.Raymond, O.C.S.O.

Tuesday, October 24, 2017 Thank you Allison Gingras at  Reconciled To You   and Elizabeth Riordan at  Theology Is A Verb   for  hosting Catholic bloggers at  Worth   Revisiting .  It is a privilege for us to share our work with you and your readers .  Stop by for a visit now .  Here is a two minute podcast for your consideration: Monday Musings - Podcast - Had I Only Known It Was You (Image source: Wikimedia Commons) (Originally posted November 21, 2016) Sometimes we fail to see the obvious - the Truth that is right in front of our eyes.  It is painful to our Lord when it is He we do not see. Has this has happened to you? If so, you will appreciate this little story.  Listen here.

I throw myself at the foot of the Tabernacle like a dog at the foot of his Master. If we could comprehend all the good things contained in Holy Communion, nothing more would be wanting to content the heart of man. The miser would run no more after his treasures, or the ambitious after glory; each would shake off the dust of the earth, leave the world, and fly away towards heaven.            St. John Vianney

[For the past two Mondays we have taken a brief look at two of the three types of souls that Saint Anthony Marie Claret describes in his book The Golden Kingdom  –  An Explanation of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius .  If you missed either of these posts you can find them here and here .  The first type "aspire to perfection and to follow Jesus but only in speech and not in their heart". The second has a true will "to aspire to perfection but does not have an all-inclusive generous will".  Today we take a look at souls that really want to strive for perfection.] "The third class of souls consists of those who have an earnest, generous will to strive for perfection. I mean that they are ready and willing not only to carry out whatever God wants, but also to suffer all that His designs provide, in order to acquire perfection...  (Image source: Wikimedia Commons ) This soul infallibly arrives at perfection - The measure with which God giv...

Thank you Allison Gingras at  Reconciled To You   and Elizabeth Riordan at  Theology Is A Verb   for  hosting Catholic bloggers at  Worth   Revisiting .  It is a privilege for us to share our work with you and your readers .  Stop by for a visit now .  My post for this week: Monday Musings - As Only A Mother Can (Originally posted August 14, 2017) While I was on retreat last week at the  Abbey of the Genesee , I paused (as I often do on my visits there) before the statue of our Blessed Mother which welcomes visitors to the monastery.  It is a simple but beautiful image. I think you will agree. This day, as I prayerfully gazed into her eyes, these words came to me: "Come closer my child. Draw near to me. I want to embrace and kiss you as only a Mother can." What a gift to us "poor banished children of Eve"!

When you are going to hear Mass, let your first care be to endeavor to recollect yourself, as well as you can, by calling home your wandering thoughts, and taking them off from other businesses and concerns… (Photo©Michael Seagriff) On your way to the church or chapel, put yourself in spirit in the company of the Blessed Virgin, and the other pious women going to Mount Calvary, to be present at the Passion and death of our Lord… When you enter the church or chapel, humble yourself profoundly in the presence of God, whose house you have come into; and if the Blessed Sacrament be kept there, adore your Savior upon your bended knees… Choose, as much as you can, a place to kneel in, where you may be recollected, and least disturbed. There represent to yourself by a lively faith the majesty of God, and humbly beg His mercy and grace that you may assist at this tremendous sacrifice in the manner your ought. (Bishop Robert Challoner as quoted by James Monti in ...

(Image source:  Wikimedia Commons ) [In T he Golden Key to Heaven  –  An Explanation of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, St.   Anthony Mary Claret discusses three distinct types of souls. Last week we looked at the first type (you can review that post here ).  If you did not recognize yourself then, maybe what follows will be a more accurate description. This one might really smart - the Truth does that you know.] The second class of men consists of those who have a true will to aspire to perfection, but it is not an all-inclusive, generous will…Let us return to the example of sick persons. Behold, my soul, another sick man very different from the first one. He desires to regain his health, and to achieve this he is ready to take medications and other remedies. But he is unwilling to take the iron or the caustic medications, or other similar disagreeable remedies. (He will take whatever medicine is prescribed, provided it does not taste bad.) Thus...

[We must pray for our priests! Why not consider offering the following prayer every Thursday. It comes from The Cure d'Ars Prayer Group in Raleigh, North Carolina and is posted here with their permission. You can visit their website here. ] Lord Jesus Christ, moved by the Holy Spirit, and full of confidence in the help of Thy Most Holy Mother, I offer Thee this Thursday, and every Thursday for the rest of my life, in thanksgiving for the Sacrament of Thy Most Holy Body and Blood, and in adoration and reparation for all the priests of Thy Church, especially for those who do not adore Thee, for those who are wounded in their souls, and for those who are exposed to the attacks of the powers of darkness.

Thank you Allison Gingras at  Reconciled To You   and Elizabeth Riordan at  Theology Is A Verb   for  hosting Catholic bloggers at  Worth   Revisiting .  It is a privilege for us to share our work with you and your readers . Stop by for a visit now .  Here is my contribution: Don't Pass Them By (Originally posted on October 17, 2015) [The memorial of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque is celebrated on October 16 each year. She was devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and spent her life promoting devotion to It and to Him. Sadly, in our busyness, many of us skipped by this special remembrance without much thought or reflection - just as we often pass by our waiting Lord. Sometime today or during this weekend, let us pause and ponder the insight of this loving servant, the majestic Gift of His Sacred Heart and His Presence here among us.] We must know the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge  ...

(Image source: Wikimedia Commons ) "As Thy great St. Gertrude used to take her life, her heart, her body and soul and mind and all, and drop them into the chalice at the moment of the offertory as a drop of water and pray You to change all into Yourself at the consecration of the Mass - so do I drop my life and all in the chalice of Your Sacred Heart that I might be changed truly into You. Consecrate these trials of my life which would go unrewarded unless united to You. Transubstantiate me, so that like the bread which is now Your Body and the wine which is now Your Blood, I too may be wholly Yours. " (From What Is The Mass? )

[Saint Anthony Mary Claret lived in the nineteenth century, was Archbishop of Santiago Cuba, a great writer and preacher. He founded three religious orders and had the gift of prophecy and the discernment of hearts.  He wrote The Golden Key to Heaven – An Explanation of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius . Now is the time to rediscover this dust-covered spiritual classic. It is from this book that we will seek an answer to the question posed above. Be prepared for a challenging and soul searching ride.] (Image source: Wikimedia Commons ) “The first class…consists of those who want to aspire to perfection and follow Jesus Christ, but only in speech and not in their heart. If you would know about this class of souls, come with me to a sick man’s house. See there a man half consumed with the heat of a fever. His ailment is getting worse by the moment and he is near death. A physician comes to him in this condition. After examining him the physician says, 'The...

Pondering Tidbits of Truth  is my simple and inadequate way of providing nuggets of spiritual wisdom for you to chew on from time to time . St. John of the Cross "Never give up prayer, and should you find dryness and difficulty, persevere in it for this very reason. God often desires to see what love your soul has, and love is not tried by ease and satisfaction." (From  The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross )   St. John Paul II "We could say that suffering, which is present under so many different forms in our human world, is also present in order to unleash love in the human person, that unselfish gift of one's 'I' on behalf of other people, especially those who suffer. The world of human suffering unceasingly calls for, so to speak, another world: the world of human love; and in a certain sense man owes to suffering that unselfish love which stirs in his heart and actions." (From Apostolic Letter, Salvifici doloris ,...

We thank Allison Gingras at  Reconciled To You   and Elizabeth Riordan at  Theology Is A Verb   for  hosting Catholic bloggers at Worth   Revisiting .  It is a privilege for us to share our work with them and their followers . Stop by for a visit now .  Here is my contribution this week: Monday Musings - How Few There Really Are (Originally published on August 28, 2017) We often forget that Jesus told His disciples: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me" (Mt. 16:24). The next time we try to run away from this command, let us recall the following reflection: "...There is no health of soul nor hope of eternal life but in the Cross. The more the flesh is brought down by affliction, the more is the spirit strengthened by interior grace. We are not exhorted to pray for the Cross, but we may and ought to pray for a...