Worth Revisiting - Musings On Sin and the Salvation of Souls

Thank you once again, Allison Gingras at Reconciled To You  and Elizabeth Riordan at Theology Is A Verb  for hosting Worth Revisiting each week. It is a privilege to share our work with you and your followers.

Musings on Sin and The Salvation of Souls

(Originally published May 13, 2013)

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If one un-confessed mortal sin will result in eternal damnation, then how can we be so complacent about sin and about the salvation of souls?

Why are so many in the Catholic Church lightening quick to voice their public support for favored legislative proposals like immigration and health care reforms, international treaties, global warming initiatives or gun control, but virtually silent on the teachings of Humanae Vitae,  or when the military seeks to prohibit a soldier or his chaplain from sharing their faith, or when self-identified Catholic politicians persistently and obstinately seek to expand abortion services, promote gay marriage and other intrinsic evils, or when a retired Bishop publicly challenges the teachings of his Church and the directions of his Archbishop, or when priests persist in grave liturgical abuses when directed not to do so, or voice support for the active homosexual lifestyle?

Why are so many in the Church more concerned about not offending unrepentant  public sinners than about those individuals losing their eternal souls and/or causing others to similarly sin and lose their souls ?

Eucharistic Reflection - The Mission of Adorers

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"This is your mission, O adorers: to weep at the feet of Jesus despised by His own, crucified in so many hearts, and abandoned in so many places; to console the Heart of this tender Father Whom the devil, His enemy, has robbed of His children. A Eucharistic Prisoner, He can no longer go after His lost sheep, the prey of ravenous wolves.

Your mission is to beg forgiveness for the guilty; to pay their ransom to Divine mercy, which needs suppliant hearts; to become victims of propitiation with the Savior Jesus Who, no longer able to suffer in His risen state, will suffer in you and through you."

(St. Peter Julian Eymard,  from the Real Presence - Eucharistic Meditations)

Book Review - Encouraging Words To Live By - 365 Days of Hope for the Anxious and Ovefwhelmed - By Anne Costa

Despite the fact that Jesus has told us over and over that we should not be afraid or anxious about anything, most of us continue to be Martha's, forgetting His Truth the minute some challenge or trial enters our life. We are all flawed and sinful creatures. We need constant reminders to trust Him at all times and under all circumstances. 

Admittedly, this is easier said than done. Most of us find it difficult to run away from anxiety and fear. Left to our own devices, we are not likely to outrun or outsmart these devilish inclinations. We should never attempt to go it alone. 

Thanks to noted Catholic author, Anne Costa, we will not have to go solo in this unending spiritual battle. She has gifted us with another gem, Encouraging Words to Live By - 365 Days of Hope for the Anxious and Overwhelmed. We can now begin each day - less like Martha and more like Mary - with a Scripture passage, an inspiring reflection and a prayer. By gifting God with our undivided attention for a few minutes each day, He will equip us to follow Saint John Paul II's exhortation that we "Be not afraid!" 

I highly recommend this book. It is a treasure trove of hope and encouragement! You can your copy here.

Pondering Tidbits of Truth - July 25, 2019

(Photo©Michael Seagriff)

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.

Saint Theophan the Recluse

When your mind does wander during prayer, bring it back. When it wanders again, bring it back again. Each and every time that you read a prayer while your thoughts are wandering (and consequently you read it without attention and feeling,) then do not fail to read it again. Even if your mind wanders several times in the same place, read it again and again until you read it all the way through with understanding and feeling. In this way, you will overcome this difficulty so that the next time, perhaps, it will not come up again, or if it does return, it will be weaker.

(From Homily I Beginning to Pray)

Worth Revisiting - Apostle of the Eucharist

Thank you once again, Allison Gingras at Reconciled To You  and Elizabeth Riordan at Theology Is A Verb  for hosting Worth Revisiting each week. It is a privilege to share our work with you and your followers.

Apostle of the Eucharist


(Originally posted on August 2, 2011)

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Saint Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868) founded the Society of the Blessed Sacrament, and the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament. He is often referred to as the Apostle of the Eucharist. His writings, including those on the Eucharist, are extensive and have been compiled into a multiple volume work. Even a cursory review of quotations attributable to him should set any heart afire. Let me share a few of them:

             “Receive Communion often, and Jesus will change you into himself."

 "Be the apostle of the Divine Eucharist, like a flame which enlightens and warms, like the Angel of His heart who will go to proclaim Him to those who don’t know Him and will encourage those who love Him and are suffering."

“…we cannot consider the Most Blessed Sacrament attentively without concluding: ‘I must love Him and come to visit Him. I must not leave Him alone; He loves me too much’…” 

“Unless we have a passionate love for our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament, we shall accomplish nothing. Certainly, our Lord loves us passionately in the Eucharist; He loves us blindly without a thought for Himself, devoting Himself entirely for our good. We should love Him as he loves us."   

Oh, but there are some ears desperate to hear these truths and some eyes anxious to see such love. Why don’t they?

St. John Eudes (1601-1680), whose feast day is August 19, offered an explanation - one which was not well received by those to whom it was directed at the time and which is not likely to be well-received today by anyone to whom his observations may apply: "The most evident mark of God's anger and the most terrible castigation He can inflict upon the world are manifested when He permits His people to fall into the hands of clergy who are priests more in name than in deed…”

This frank but good Saint was quick, however, to point out that: “The greatest blessing that God bestows upon a church, the most single manifestation of divine grace, is to have a saintly shepherd, be he bishop or priest. This is indeed a grace of graces and the most priceless of all gifts for it includes within itself every other blessing and grace…The [holy] priest is a sun cheering the world by his presence and bearing. He brings heavenly blessings into every heart. He dispels the ignorance and darkness of error and radiates on every side bright beams of celestial light. He extinguishes sin and gives life and grace to the multitudes. He imparts new life to the weak, inflames the lukewarm, fires most ardently those who are aglow with the sacred flame of divine love…” 

The late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen echoed similar sentiments: "If only all priests realized how their holiness makes the Church holy, and how the Church begins to decline as the level of holiness among priests falls below that of the people!"

We can not have the abundant life God promises us, or the love, reverence, and belief in the Eucharist we ought to have and to which God is entitled, without the example of holy priests. Priests who passionately love the Eucharist and who, by their words and actions, call their flock to passionately love the Eucharist are holy priests! 

Thank God for the many holy priests already in our midst, but let us pray for more.


[If you interested in other Saints of the Eucharist, take a look at this brief post.]

Eucharistic Reflection - Looking Upon Jesus

Each time we look upon Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, He raises us up into deeper union with Himself, opens up the floodgates of His merciful love to the whole world, and brings us closer to the day of His final victory ‘where every knee will bend and proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord’. The reign of God is already in your midst. 

The coming of Jesus to us in the Eucharist is assurance of His promise of final victory: 'Behold, I come to make all things new.'

Saint Teresa of Calcutta

Monday Musings - Of A Lay Dominican

The Catholic Church exists for the salvation of souls. The charism of the Dominicans (the Order of Preachers) is "the salvation of souls by preaching, living and sharing God’s Truth" - all of it, even the more difficult ones.  I am blessed to be both a Catholic and a Lay Dominican.

Let me hasten to offer this disclaimer: the ideas expressed in this post are my own.

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Certainly, we must strive to be Christ-like in order to attract others to the Lord we love and seek to serve. And clearly, we must treat every person with dignity and respect and try to accompany them as they seek to learn and follow that Truth. And we must also acknowledge that we are all sinners in need of God's mercy.

But how do we save souls (others as well as our own) if we remain silent when some of our shepherds attempt to create ambiguity in Church doctrine where none had heretofore existed? 

Worth Revisiting - Zeal For The Salvation Of Souls

Thank you once again, Allison Gingras at Reconciled To You  and Elizabeth Riordan at Theology Is A Verb  for hosting Worth Revisiting each week. It is a privilege to share our work with you and your followers.

Zeal For The Salvation of Souls

(Originally posted on July 24, 2011)

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When I asked rhetorically just a few days ago, “What happened to the zeal for the salvation of souls?” I was not intending to revisit that issue so quickly despite the fact that I and every one else reading this blog are sinners. Several recent experiences dictate that I do so.

In 1946, Pope Pius XII warned us that “The sin of the century is the loss of the sense of sin.” Similar sentiments have been expressed by many, including Fulton J. Sheen, Blessed John Paul II and our current Pope. Their observations are verified by the simple and undisputed fact that relatively few Catholics go to confession anymore.

Current polling data suggests that Catholics are just as likely as their non-Catholic friends to support, among other things, cohabitation, contraception, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, sex between unmarried men and women, and gay or lesbian relationships.

Yet the truth is that there is a hell and those who engage in or support any of these practices would objectively be in a state of mortal sin and subject to the loss of their immortal souls should they die unrepentant and without Sacramental confession.  

Moreover, the majority of those calling themselves Catholic do not attend Sunday Mass and a substantial majority of those that do, no longer believe in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Sacred Eucharist or in the existence of hell.  Far too many Catholics reject these and other Truths of their Faith. Their eternal souls are in danger.

Years ago, the late Father Winfrid Herbst, S.D.S. clearly addressed the issue of sin and its eternal consequences when he reminded his readers, “After death comes the particular judgment; and with the judgment comes the sentence that can never be changed.  It will either be heaven or hell…There will be no appeal…”

When have you last heard any of these Truths preached in your parish? Today’s Gospel (Matthew 13:44-52) provided an ideal time to do so since verses 47 through 50 clearly speak to the eternal consequences of sin.  What a great opportunity to discuss these Truths and to encourage regular use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Why then, I must ask, were parishes given the option of not reading those verses?

Were you blessed to hear these words of Scripture today? Did the homily address these Forgotten Truths?

Yes, Our God is a God of infinite Mercy. But He is also a God of Justice. Both of these Truths must be preached and understood.  When we speak of one, we should also discuss the other. "Now," St. Thomas Aquinas reminds us, "is the time of mercy; then, there will be only the time of justice. This is why we have to live in the present moment and transform it into the moment of God."

What happened at your parish today?

(To be continued..).

.

Eucharistic Reflection - Graces Flowing From Our Holy Hour

...there are five graces we receive each time we visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. By His glorious wounds we are the ones who are transfigured and changed through His healing love. Restoration, sanctification, transformation, reparation and salvation are the graces being poured out graciously upon us with each holy hour we make.

(Father Vincent Martin Lucia and Monsignor Josefino Ramirez from Letters to a Brother Priest)

Monday Musings - Podcast - We Don't Love God As He Deserves - Part 3

Are we who claim to love Jesus actually insulting Him? Listen to how St. Peter Julian Eymard answered that question.

Pondering Tidbits of Truth - July 11, 2019

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.

 

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen

“God does not love us because we are lovely or loveable; His love exists not on account of our character, but on account of His. Our highest experience is responsive, not initiative. And so, it is only because we are loved by Him that we are loveable.”  

(From Rejoice)

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati

"Each of you knows that the foundation of our faith is charity. Without it, our religion would crumble. We will never be truly Catholic unless we conform our entire lives to the two commandments that are the essence of the Catholic faith: to love the Lord, our God, with all our strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves." 

(From The Saints' Little Book of Wisdom: The Essential Teachings)

 St. Faustina Kowalska

"For there are three ways of performing an act of mercy: the merciful word, by forgiving and by comforting; secondly, if you can offer no word, then pray—that too is mercy; and thirdly, deeds of mercy."  

(From The Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska)

Worth Revisiting - Eucharistic Reflection - He Is....

Thank you once again, Allison Gingras at Reconciled To You  and Elizabeth Riordan at Theology Is A Verb  for hosting Worth Revisiting each week. It is a privilege to share our work with you and your followers.

I would like to share this post from 2011:
 

Eucharistic Reflection - He Is...

(Originally published on July 21, 2011)

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“He is my only thought, my memory, my Paradise, my Heaven on earth! He is my Eucharist, my ideal, my very breath, my good and my drink! He is melodious music to me, sweetness itself, the nectar and scent of my soul, my strength, my delight, my measure, my desire! He calls forth my love in deifying me. He gives me life while taking it away. He sets my heart on fire, inflaming it with his glances . . . his beauty . . . his smiles . . . his love."

Blessed Concepcion Cabrera de Armida

Eucharistic Reflection - Should We Not Die of Love?

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"How is it that we do not die of love in seeing that God Himself could do no more than shed His Divine Blood for us drop by drop? When as man He was preparing for death, He made Himself our food in order to give us life. God becomes food, bread for his creatures. Is this not enough to make us die of love?"

 Saint Teresa of the Andes

Monday Musings - A Few Powerful Words

There is so much truth packed in the few words that follow:

Book Review - The Q & A Guide to Mental Prayer- Kindle Edition by Connie Rossini - A Gem of a Book!

Prayer is the primary method by which we establish a real and loving relationship with our Lord – wherein we talk to Him and He with us – one heart to another.  Prayer takes on many forms and serves a number of diverse purposes. Sometimes we use the words of others, sometimes our own and on other occasions we simply listen to the silent promptings that stir our souls.

But prayer can become complicated and even unsettling. What is mental prayer? What is contemplative prayer? How does one progress from one form of prayer to another? How would one know which contemporary prayer models, even those popular among Catholics, are not really authentic forms of prayer?

Many of us - prayer novices and veterans alike - are searching for answers to these and a myriad of other questions. Nearly everyone can use guidance as to how to pray, how to discern what they experience during prayer and how to know if it is really God who is speaking to their hearts. Some may not know where to turn for accurate answers to questions they may have and/or know what authentic prayer resources and authors they should consult. 

Thankfully, author, Connie Rossini’s latest book, The Q & A Guide to Mental Prayer, is a concise, sound and reliable guidebook and resource for those seeking answers to questions about prayer, especially mental prayer. I have no doubt readers of this little gem will soon discover or reinvigorate a path toward a richer and more fulfilling prayer life.

This book is a resource all Catholics should have and one whose readers will frequently pick up and use not only for their own spiritual benefit but to help others who might have questions about prayer. In fact, while reading an advance copy of The Q & A Guide to Mental Prayer, I was able to answer a very specific question posed to me by an acquaintance by referring to one answer among the 125 questions Connie answers in her book.

The author has a gift to bring the truths and spiritual treasures of our Catholic faith to life. Her Carmelite spirituality and life of study, prayer and teaching have prepared her well for the work she has done.

I highly recommend this book to everyone and thank Connie Rossini for this great gift. It is available for pre-order on Kindle here.

Worth Revisiting - Imagine!

Thank you, Allison Gingras at Reconciled To You  and Elizabeth Riordan at Theology Is A Verb  for hosting Worth Revisiting each week. It is a privilege to share our work with you and your followers.

My contribution this week follows:

Imagine

(Originally posted on  May 28, 2011)

 

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Imagine what we, our families, our priests, our Church, our communities and our world would be like if the Eucharist was, in fact, the source, center and summit of our daily lives!

The following two men have something significant to share with all of us, be we lay men and women, priests or religious, about the value of Eucharistic Adoration. May our spiritual journey and desire for holiness be enriched by reading and reflecting on what they have said.

Father James M. Sullivan, O.P. – “Adoration is not just one more thing to do, like going to the store, the doctor, etc.  It is an encounter with Christ.  His love changes and orders our life.”

Fulton Sheen, Servant of God – “The priest should think of the practice of the daily Holy Hour, as something to continue for his whole life…the daily Holy Hour gives us wisdom…The mind of the priest who lives close to the tabernacle door gains a special illumination.  The priest's mind and heart are best guided when they seek the Eucharistic Lord at dawn…Daily exigencies demand a daily Holy Hour…Vitamins cannot be stored up.  Spiritual energy has to be renewed; today's strength must come from the Lord today.  Thus the monotony of life is broken, and there comes to the priest new power for each day's apostolate.  The Holy Hour each day also destroys in the priest forebodings and worries about the future.  Kneeling before the Eucharistic Lord, he receives the rations for each day's march, worrying not at all about tomorrow...The Holy Hour should be a daily event because our crosses are daily, not weekly…These daily crosses will sour us, sear our souls and make us bitter, unless we turn them into crucifixes; and how can that be done except by seeing them as coming from the Lord?  That we can do only if we are with Him.  The Holy Hour may be a sacrifice, but the Lord does not make the week the unit of sacrifice.  He tells us our cross is daily.”

Yes, let us imagine…

Eucharistic Reflection - Hand In Hand

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"When we see that Savior before our eyes of faith as the Scriptures portray Him, then our desire to receive Him in the bread of life increases. The Eucharistic bread, on the other hand, awakens our desire to get to know the Lord in the written word more and more deeply and strengthens our spirit to get a better understanding."

                               Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

Monday Musings - We Have Undermined The Faith

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At times, we are so close to something, or so obstinately attached to our own view of things, that we do not notice, or refuse to see, what is actually happening around us. I believe that is the case among many Catholics today.

But that was the not the case of a Czech priest who, after having served a dozen years in a Communist prison, shared his concerns about the shocking condition of the Western world and the Catholic Church he discovered after his release from incarceration.

This faithful priest “who wished to remain anonymous” shared his observations with Cardinal Robert Sarah who in turn disclosed them during a presentation the Cardinal recently made in the Netherlands. Jeanne Smits included this priest’s words in an article entitled “Jesus Never Created Bishops’ Conferences or Local Churches” which was published in the June 27, 2019 issue of The Wanderer.

I was profoundly challenged by what this priest said and knew I had to share the following excerpt of his comments as they appeared in the Smits’ article:

“I was in prison for 12 years because I wanted to remain faithful to Rome. I was martyred because I did not want to be unfaithful to the Pope. I lost everything for my faith. But this faith has given me a peace and a certainty that turned those prison years into the most enriching years of my life. You in the West have lost this peace in God. You have undermined the faith in such a way that it does no longer offer peace. In your freedom, you have betrayed that for which we have suffered in our persecution. The West has disappointed me deeply. I would rather spend another 12 years in that Communist jail than to remain with you any longer.”

In this day and age, we in the West are living through a silent apostasy. We no longer need God. People are trying to detach the local churches from Rome. People want to be autonomous with regard to Rome and the Vicar of Jesus Christ, that is Peter, he who gives direction to the Church of Rome…Without Peter, everything in the Catholic Church would be destroyed, reduced to fragments and become nothing.

Jesus never created bishops’ conferences or local Churches. It is on Peter that he built His Church. Destroying that unity of His Church amounts to rejecting Jesus. People want to tear up and destroy the unity of the Church.”

God sends His prophets to warn us. May He open our ears to hear and heed the warnings of this martyr priest and faithful Cardinal. May we stand up for His Truth and His Church while we still can.