Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

T hank you Elizabeth Riordan at  Theology Is A Verb  and Allison Gingras at  Reconciled To You for  hosting Catholic bloggers at  Worth   Revisiting . We appreciate sharing our work with you and your readers each week.  Stop by for a visit now . Here is my contribution this week: Eucharistic Reflection - What If...If...If...Turn to the Eucharist    (Originally posted on December 15, 2015) (Image source: Wikimedia Commons ) “If the poison of pride is swelling up in you, turn to the Eucharist; and that Bread, which is your God humbling and disguising Himself, will teach you humility. If the fever of selfish greed rages in you, feed on this Bread; and you will learn generosity. If the cold wind of coveting withers you, hasten to the Bread of Angels; and charity will come to blossom in your heart. If you feel the itch of intemperance, nourish yourself with the Flesh and Blood of Christ, Who practiced heroic self-con...

“A student of mine once asked, ‘If it is true that the host at Mass is not just a symbol of Christ, but really Christ himself, how can we just walk up there and receive him? I mean, we aren’t good enough for that.’ There are so many things that could be said in answer to that wonderfully humble and thoughtful question, but the first and most obvious answer is, ‘You are right!’ (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) Apropos is the saying attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: Man should tremble, the world should quake, all Heaven should be deeply moved when the Son of God appears on the altar in the hands of the priest. None of us is worthy to approach God, much less receive him. None would dare to even think of it, were it not for the decree of our Lord himself: ‘Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you’ (Jn 6:53). And so, at each Mass, when we hear repeated the words...

So very few who enter our Catholic churches act as if they really believe they are in the Presence of Jesus Christ. Their behavior in these Sacred spaces is often no different than the manner in which they act at social and athletic venues. It is heartbreaking to see such extensive disrespect to our loving and imprisoned Lord. And it is only getting worse. If you have been to a wake recently that is held in Church prior to the funeral Mass, you know what I mean. We must restore a sense of the Sacred within the walls of our Churches.  It will not cost our Church one penny to return to what has always been the expected norm of behavior - reverent silence from the minute we enter our Churches until the time we exit the building.   Only two things are required to restore this vital sense of the Sacred. Our priests must stand before their flocks (as many times as necessary) and lovingly explain to them how they must conform their behavior to the reality of where...

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. Blessed John Henry Newman "Never had a soul true happiness but in conformity to God, in obedience to His will. We must become what we are not; we must learn to love what we do not love, and practice ourselves in what is difficult. We must have the law of the Spirit of life written and set up in our hearts, that the righteousnesss of the law may be fulfilled in us, and that we may learn to please and to love God." (From Parochial and Plain Sermons )

T hank you Elizabeth Riordan at  Theology Is A Verb  and Allison Gingras at  Reconciled To You for  hosting Catholic bloggers at  Worth   Revisiting . We appreciate sharing our work with you and your readers each week.  Stop by for a visit now . Here is my contribution: Monday Musings - Silence Slays Souls - The Souls of Individuals and the Souls of Nations (Originally published May 28, 2018 Sunday’s Gospel command (Matthew 8:16-20) to make disciples of all nations baptizing them in name of the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit prompts this question: Have we Catholics abandoned our Christ-given mission? For years, our Church has downplayed the importance of conversion and the salvation of all souls, choosing in their stead the promotion of social justice and worldly objectives. We act as if the solution to the world’s problems remain in the secular realm when in fact it can be fought and defeated only on the spiritual plain.  ...

"Some years ago, on my annual retreat, I found myself under terrible temptations and discouragement. Every temptation you can think of, I had that night. On my way to Mass the next morning, I felt very battered and discouraged because of the attacks and temptations of the preceding night. (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) As I walked up to Communion, I made an act of faith. I said, 'Jesus, I know I am receiving You, but I feel so discouraged, so downhearted, and so unworthy to receive You.' This was the way I felt as I received Communion. As I received the Sacred Host and turned to go back to my place, I received a clear image of a tent. I remember looking at the tent and thinking, 'Well, that poor tent is really battered.' I remember examining it and saying, 'It must have gone through a terrible storm.'

[What follows is a powerful and passionate response to Ireland's recent betrayal of its Catholic heritage, written by my friend, Jim Dooher, a cradle Catholic . He spent 20 years as a psychiatric social worker and provided individual, marriage and family counseling services. His letters to the editor have been published in local and national newspapers, secular and religious. Jim is a staunch defender of the right to life and currently serves as Secretary for the Syracuse Right to Life Association. He has been a Lector and Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion for over 30 years.  Jim is a fearless and outspoken defender of the Catholic Faith and a warrior in the fight to save souls.] (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) My eyes are red, my soul cries out, my mind is confused, my heart is broken. Ireland! My beautiful Ireland! the resting place of my Catholic heritage, the legacy left to me by my ancestors. I held out hope for you twice in 3 years. Oh, how you dis...

T hank you Elizabeth Riordan at  Theology Is A Verb  and Allison Gingras at  Reconciled To You for  hosting Catholic bloggers at  Worth   Revisiting . We appreciate sharing our work with you and your readers each week.  Stop by for a visit now .   May you find something of value in what follows:   Monday Musings - There Is No Reason to Lose This War    (Originally posted on June 4, 2018)   Satan's battle plan for some time has been clear, obvious and unambiguous to anyone who has eyes to see and ears to hear - to destroy the Catholic priesthood, its Liturgy and the Eucharist.   For the most part, he has succeeded beyond his wildest expectation - although his victory is but a temporary, albeit extremely painful, one. But how many souls have been and will be lost until God has had enough and finally destroys Satan and his countless minions? Too many. And tragically not enough in posi...

"Heavenly Father, when Your priest holds up  the host and says 'the Body of Christ' let my soul bow in humble adoration before the love and humility of Jesus. Let my heart be a pure resting place for Your Son.  (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) I desire, dear Father, that the image of Jesus grow brighter in my soul after every Communion. At that tremendous moment God and I are one. My Jesus, so shine in me that together we may glorify the Father by bearing fruit in abundance. Let us got out into the world together and radiate Your love and kindness." (Mother Angelica - The Mass In My Life )

  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. Francis de Sales "Our greatest fault is that we wish to serve God in our way, not in His way – according to our will, not according to His will…This is certainly the greatest obstacle we can raise to our own perfection, for it is beyond doubt that if we wish to be Saints according to our own will, we shall never be so at all. To be truly a Saint, it is necessary to be one according to the will of God.” 

T hank you Elizabeth Riordan at  Theology Is A Verb  and Allison Gingras at  Reconciled To You for  hosting Catholic bloggers at  Worth   Revisiting . We appreciate sharing our work with you and your readers each week.  Stop by for a visit now . May you find something of value in what follows: Eucharistic Reflection - Do You Dare Call Him Friend? (Originally published May 29, 2018) “…Friendship is based on union, on a certain equality, two things that are found with God only in the Eucharist. Who, I ask you, would dare call himself the friend of God and believe himself worthy of His particular affection? A servant would insult his master in presuming to treat him as a friend; he must wait until his master grants him the right by first calling him by that name. (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) But when God Himself has come under our roof; when He has come to share with us His life, His possessions, and His merits; when He ...

"But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart. (Luke 2:19)" "And his mother kept all these words in her heart. (Luke 2:51)" "Saint John shows us Our Lady in silence at the foot of the Cross; even when Jesus addresses her from the Cross, she remains silent. It is enough for her to receive His word into her maternal Heart pierced by a sword of sorrow… (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) The silence of Mary leads one into the silence of the Host. Of this silence of the Host I have spoke to you before. Friends and lovers speak one to the other to express what they hold in their hearts; once these things have been expressed, it is enough for them to remain united one to the other in the silence that is the more perfect expression of their love. So many souls are afraid of the silence into which Our Lord would lead them if only they would let Him. Fear is what causes souls to hide behind a barrage of words and concepts. Our Lor...