Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

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. Peter Julian Eymard "This is your mission, O Adorers: to weep at the feet of Jesus despised by His own friends, crucified in so many hearts, abandoned in so many places; to console the Heart of so tender a Father, Whom the devil, His enemy, has robbed of His children. A Eucharistic prisoner, He can no longer go after lost sheep, the prey of ravenous wolves. Your mission is to beg forgiveness for the guilty; to ransom them from divine mercy, which needs willing hearts as substitutes; to become victims of propitiation with the Savior Jesus, Who no longer able to suffer since His resurrection, will suffer in you an through you." (From In The Light of the Monstrance ) Father Donald Haggerty "The danger is quite real that souls habituated to constant technological stimuli will never be silent with themselves, ...

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons) "To adore well we must, above all, talk to our Lord; He will answer us. Everybody can talk to our Lord. Is He not in the Eucharist for everybody? Does He not tell us, 'Come ye all to me'? This conversation which goes on between the soul and our Lord is the true eucharistic meditation, that is, adoration. The grace of it is given to everybody. Go to our Lord as you are. Exhaust your own stock of piety and of love before resorting to books; cherish the inexhaustible book of humble love. It is all very well to have a devotional book with you to regain control of yourself in case the mind wanders or the senses grow drowsy, but remember that the good Lord prefers the poverty of your heart to the most sublime thoughts and affections borrowed from others. Always begin your adoration, therefore, with an act of love, and bringing your soul under the action of God will be a joy. If you begin with yourself, you will stop half way; o...

[Let me begin Part II of this post by repeating the ending of Part I. You can read Part I in its entirety here.] Let our boldness continue by allowing the Truth of the following words of St. Peter Julian Eymard to sink in:            “How many among the best Catholics never pay a visit of devotion to the most              Blessed Sacrament to speak with Him from the heart, to tell Him their love?              They do not love our Lord in the Eucharist because they do not know Him well             enough. But in spite of knowing Him and His love and the sacrifices and desires             of His heart, they still do not love Him. What an insult! Yes, an insult. For it amounts to telling Jesus Christ that He is not beautiful enough...

(Photo©Michael Seagriff) “The Apostolate of Mary consisted also in the silent but very convincing sermon of outward reverence. This type of preaching suits everybody. A soul desirous of making the Eucharist known and loved will apply herself to it with great care in union with Mary. How modest and reverent in the divine presence of Jesus was the attitude of Mary, the perfect adorer! All penetrated with faith and absorbed in the presence of Jesus, she acted like the angels before the divine Majesty. Reverence in church, especially in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, must be also our chief exterior virtue. This respect is the solemn profession of our faith and, at the same time, a grace of piety and fervor; for God punishes irreverences committed in His sanctuary with a weakening of faith and a withdrawal of graces of devotion. Let us, therefore, be very severe on the matter of reverence in worship. Let our bearing be dignified, our attitude religious...