Pondering Tidbits Of Truth - December 30, 2021

 

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.

 

 

 

Johann Tauler, O.P.

“There was once someone who loved our Lord very dearly and to him our Lord offered His divine kiss. But this soul said: ‘No, truly, dear Lord, this is not what I want at all. If I were to be taken out of myself in rapture, I could not be of anymore use to You. How could I then pray for all Your poor souls to help them out of purgatory? How could I pray for miserable sinners?’ It is up to us who are still on earth to help sinners and the souls who cannot help themselves. God cannot do anything for them without our help, because His justice must be perfectly satisfied. So those who love Him and are still on earth must constantly labor for this. Could anyone ask for a greater love of God than that man showed, depriving himself from divine favors from this motive?”

(From Spiritual Conferences)

 

Father Francis Fernandez

“During the years of His public life our Lord had little to say about the political and social situation of His people, and this in spite of their oppression by the Romans. On different occasions he makes it clear that He does not want to be a political Messiah nor a liberator from the yoke of Rome. He came to give us the freedom of the sons of God: freedom from the sins we had committed, which had reduced us to a state of slavery. He came to give us freedom from eternal death, another consequence of sin; freedom from the dominion of the devil, since man could now overcome sin with the help of grace. And finally, He gave us freedom from life according to the flesh, which is opposed to supernatural life: The freedom brought by Christ through the Holy Spirit has restored to us the capacity, of which sin had deprived us. of loving God above all and of remaining in contact with Him…

The Church’s concern for social problems derives from her spiritual mission and is kept within the limits of that mission. The Church, of her very nature, does not fulfill her purpose in solving temporal problems. She follows Christ when He declared that His Kingdom was not of this world, and absolutely refused to be considered a judge or promoter of justice in purely human affairs.”

(From In Conversation With God (1:35.1)

 

Mother Mary Francis, PCC

“There is, among more people all the time, a sense of the horror of the waste of food, of the waste of life. But the common denominator of all this wastefulness is the waste of grace. Our Lady is the only one who in her complete sinlessness never wasted grace. This, I believe, should be our goal this Advent: that we will not waste grace.”

(From Come Lord Jesus)

Eucharistic Reflection - Was It Not Enough?

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

 

"O boundless charity! Just as You gave us Yourself, wholly God and wholly human, so You left us all of Yourself as food so that while we are pilgrims in this life we might not collapse in our weariness but be strengthened by You, heavenly food. O mercenary people! And what has your God left you?  He has left you Himself, wholly God and wholly human, hidden under the whiteness of this bread.

O fire of love! Was it not enough to gift us with creation in Your image and likeness, and to create us anew to grace in Your Son's blood, without giving us Yourself as food, the whole of divine being, the whole of God? What drove you? Nothing but Your charity, mad with love as You are!"

(From The Letters St. Catherine of Siena, Vol. translated by Suzanne Noffke, O.P.)

An Invitation You May Not Have Heard This Christmas!

In case this invitation was not extended to you today, close your eyes and listen to Jesus speaking directly to you - the one with whom He is in love:

I am always here – 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year - waiting for you. But generally I am alone, abandoned and ignored.

So when I looked out from behind the closed doors this morning, I was overjoyed to see you - so many of you. While there were many familiar faces among those filling the pews, there were a good number whom I have not seen in some time. If you only knew the joy I experience when you come!

I take delight in all My people, but I experience a special joy when those who stay away come to be with Me. I have so much to give each of you!

How I hunger for your presence here every Sunday. How I want to be one with you and fill you will My graces. How I want to give you the spiritual nourishment you need to withstand the weekly onslaught and temptations that surround you.

I offer you My Word and most especially My Body, Blood Soul and Divinity!

But if you have not been coming to Sunday Mass, if you have intentionally ignored or disobeyed My commandments, if you have unconfessed mortal sin on your soul, then there is something you must first do before approaching Me at the altar if you are to eternally benefit from Holy Communion.

See that little box, that little room off to the side or in the back of the Church? At least once a week, I sit there in the person of my priest, waiting for you to come, to humble yourself, to acknowledge your sinfulness, to ask for my forgiveness and to resolve to sin no more.  My mercy is yours for the asking!

It really isn’t that difficult. I already know where you have failed Me, yourself and others. There is nothing You could ever tell my priest that he has not heard or that I have not forgiven through him countless times before. Truth be told, fewer come to see Me in the confessional each week than visit me in my locked tabernacles!

Pride caused your first parents to disobey me and the same pride keeps so many of you away from Me! Swallow your pride! Humble yourself. Come to this place of forgiveness, healing and mercy – the source of new life. I can not shower you with the graces I have for you in Holy Communion unless you do so.

I am sure you can understand then why your absence from Sunday Mass and the confessional saddens Me so! There is rarely any valid reason for you to miss Sunday Mass or for you to approach Me in the Blessed Sacrament unworthily.

I love you! I will always love you!

I can only offer you eternal life. You must choose it!

So please come back to Mass and confession.

I can hardly wait to see you again.

Merry Christmas - Lasting Gifts to God and to Ourselves

[I have shared this post before. Its content is forever relevant and worthy of our consideration.]

The gifts of the Magi - gold, frankincense, and myrrh - were expensive and very significant physical gifts. But they pale in comparison to the spiritual gifts we can give our Infant, Crucified, and Risen Lord – if we would but choose to do so.

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

The gifts I am about to describe, when given to our Lord in love and gratitude, weekly (daily if possible), will not only please Him, but will result in our being united more intimately with the Prince of Peace.

What follows are some concrete suggestions as to what each of us can and should do every time we attend Mass, if we are serious about loving God as He deserves and as we ought. We don’t need any one’s permission to do any of these things. 

We will just do these things out of love and reverence and let God do the rest:    

 

Read and ponder the Mass readings several times before                  arriving for Mass.

Enter the Church in reverent silence, making the sign of the cross reverently, slowly and meditatively as you bless yourself with Holy Water.

Gaze upon the tabernacle, silently thank God for being there and genuflect with reverence and thanksgiving for such a great gift.

Kneel down and pray in silence in preparation for Mass. 

Maintain reverent silence from the minute you enter the nave of the Church until you exit it at the end of Mass.

Pray the Mass responses slowly and reverently.

Briefly examine your conscience prior to reciting the Confiteor, knowing that by doing so your venial sins will be forgiven.

Do as others have suggested. Don’t waste a prayer opportunity when the priest says “Lord Have Mercy, Christ have mercy! Lord Have mercy!” Add your prayers silently. For example:

Lord have mercy (add “on those of my family who have left Your Church, or “for my aunt who is battling cancer,” or “for those for whom I promised to pray” etc.)

Christ have mercy (add “on me a sinner, or “our priests and bishops,” or “for those who are alone and abandoned” etc.)

Lord have Mercy (add “on those who will die today,”or “for those who will have nothing to eat today” etc.)

When Father elevates and offers first the bread and then the wine, silently place your prayer intentions on the paten and in the chalice, uniting those prayers with all the Masses being celebrated that day throughout the world. (For example, “Lord, I place my soul and the souls of all my family and loved ones on this paten and in this chalice, begging for the salvation of all our souls”.

When Father lifts up the Consecrated Host and Chalice, look up and see the crucified Christ.

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

As you approach the altar to receive Holy Communion:

Ask the Blessed Mother, Michael the Archangel and your Guardian Angel to remain at your side as Jesus is placed on your tongue, that each of them may be a source of comfort and consolation to our Lord. Ask the Blessed Mother (as Father Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D. recommended) to make up for all that is lacking in your preparation, appreciation, devotion, love, response and thanksgiving for such a great and undeserved gift of the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ.

 

Or

Approach the altar and Holy Communion as if it were your very first Holy Communion, as if it were your only Communion, or as if it were your last Communion.

Kneel down and receive Holy Communion on the tongue.

Upon returning to your pew: 

               Kneel down in silence and adore the God who is physically within you.

Tell Him how much you love Him.

Thank Him for such a great gift.

Ask Him for the grace to trust Him at all times and under all circumstances.

Ask Him for that which your heart most desires since this is the most efficacious time to pray (cure for Mom’s cancer, restoration of health to my son, safe travels for your family, etc.)

As Father or the Deacon purify the ciboriums and patens, ask God to purify your mind, heart and soul. Ask the Divine Physician to heal you and make you whole, to remove from you all that is sinful and unpleasing in His sight, and to make you a saint.

At the end of Mass, don’t rush out the Church doors. Jesus remains physically within us for about 10 minutes after we receive Him. So, stay awhile and talk to Him, Heart to heart.

When you do exit the Church, do so silently and reverently, postpone chatter with friends and neighbors until after you have left the nave of the Church.

Promise God that you will return and visit Him sometime during the week and prior to next Sunday’s Mass.

What great gifts we shower upon our Lord when we act in these ways! All other gifts pale in comparison to loving our Lord as He deserves and as we ought!

Merry Christmas!

 

Eucharistic Reflection - Increase Our Belief!

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

"The world is so ignorant concerning the Eucharist! It is not preached about often enough. The faithful complain of this and wait for someone who will feed them with the word of true life. If we do not preach the Blessed Sacrament, the reason is that our hearts do not understand it. If preachers adored the Blessed Sacrament more often, they would also preach about it more often. And yet the salvation of the world lies in Jesus Christ abiding in our midst."

(St. Peter Julian Eymard from The Eucharist and Christian Perfection II)

Christmas Without Christ - A Message from Servant of God, Catherine Doherty

(Image Source: Madonna House)

Servant of God, Catherine Doherty "lived through the Russian Revolution". She was the founder of Madonna House. Her apostolate continues in Combermere, Ontario, Canada, and includes a monthly newspaper, Restoration. I highly recommend you subscribe to it. The link that follows is a must read for those of us living in these challenging times. Christmas Without Christ, written by Catherine decades ago, was re-published in the December 2021 issue of Restoration. Unfortunately, there is no direct link from that issue of Restoration to it. I did find a nearly identical copy of her article published in December 2004. You can find it here. PLEASE READ AND PASS ALONG!!!

God forbid that our recent exclusion from Church, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the sacraments during the pandemic were to be repeated or ever become permanent.

Let us never take His Presence among us for granted! 

Pondering Tidbits of Truth - December 16, 2021

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.

 

 

Catherine Doherty, Servant of God

“I had worked with Catherine for many years in our gift shop and handicraft department. One day, Catherine stopped to dictate an article for our paper Restoration, probably concerning our needs for craft materials and gift shop items. It was a fairly extensive article, but she dictated it aloud, without pausing.

I was somewhat astonished that she could do this and I asked, “B, how can you create that way? Don’t you have to be in the mood to write? Don’t you need time to think about what you want to say and just how to say it?

Catherine looked at me, as she often did, with a look that betrayed a combination of disappointment and despair in her spirit. 'Sweetheart, don’t you understand? This is God’s work. I simply say a prayer to do it well. I know He will give me the grace to do so, so I proceed in peace. I just do it. I suggest you learn to do the same.'

(Susanne Stubbs, member of Madonna House, from Was Catherine a Mystic?)

 

Johann Tauler, O.P.

“Children, if you want to grow in holiness and become saints, remember these two little points. First, that you keep your heart free from all created things, even from yourself, and observe due order in all things, in thought and in deed, so that there may be nothing to hinder the work of the Holy Ghost in you. The other is that you take good care to receive whatever may befall you, inwardly or outwardly, as coming direct from God and no one else. Take everything as sent by Him to prepare you for His gifts, which are supernatural and wonderful and to which you could never come except by suffering and assaults from the devil and from churlish people.”

(From Spiritual Conferences)

 

St. Peter Julian Eymard

“We sometimes hear people say: ‘What harm, after all, can sin do to God? It does not destroy nor actually touch the essence of God; it takes away nothing from His happiness. What can pygmies accomplish against a giant?’

That is the reasoning of the world. It also exists, more or less, among religious, as an excuse for their sins.

Here is the answer: in order for God to show exactly what sin meant to Him, He gave His own Son to pay exactly its debt and to expiate it in a manner equal to the offense. Sin called for all that Jesus had to suffer: God did not do anything but satisfy the exigencies of His justice in condemning Him to that terrible Passion and to that death on Calvary.

Jesus came and, having taken upon Himself our sins, making Himself our respondent, He submitted to all that we would have had to suffer. If then you wish to understand the enormity of the evil, you have only to study the enormity of the atonement: sin means Jesus Christ crucified.”

(From The Eucharist and Christian Perfection II)