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. Dan Burke and Connie Rossini   “When we have too many vocal prayers to say, our goal easily changes to getting them done instead of praying them well. They become less, rather than more, contemplative. The Holy Spirt might be moving us to linger silently on the meditation of a mystery, but we feel that we can't stop or we will never fit all our prayers in. So we find ourselves working against the Holy Spirit...We forget that the very purpose of prayer is communing with the Lord."                                                           (From The Contemplative Rosary )     Thomas Howard   "This is why Cath...

Prayer Before Communion Almighty and ever living God, I approach the sacrament of your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I come sick to the doctor of life, unclean to the fountain of mercy, blind to the radiance of eternal light, and poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth. Lord, in your great generosity, heal my sickness, wash away my defilement, enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness. May I receive the bread of angels, the King of kings and Lord of lords, with humble reverence, with the purity and faith, the repentance and love, and the determined purpose that will help to bring me to salvation. May I receive the sacrament of the Lord’s body and blood and its reality and power. King God, may I receive the body of your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, born from the womb of the Virgin Mary, and so be received into his mystical body, and numbered among his members. Loving Father, as on my earthly pilgrimage I...

Why are we so ashamed of Him? Why do we hesitate to bring Him with us occasionally on to the streets we walk each day? An unrepentant sinner's momentary glance at our passing Lord might be the personal encounter that person needs to spur him toward reconciliation and eternal salvation. Jesus is alive, really and substantially present among us! He is ready to change the lives of all who humble themselves, confess their sins and acknowledge Him as their Savior and Lord! Matthew the tax collector climbed a tree in order to get a better glimpse of Jesus as He passed him by. Matthew got much more than a look. He repented and the merciful loving Jesus made him a disciple, a martyr and a saint.   A simple glance at our passing Lord can change so many lives. Why don't we believe this truth?   If they can walk with Jesus through the streets of NYC , shouldn't we do likewise in our communities?

For the first time in at least 32 years (and probably much longer than that) the Bishop of the Diocese of Syracuse, New York, assisted by a few of his brother priests,  carried our Eucharistic Lord in procession through the streets of that city on Corpus Christi Sunday. What an awesome and blessed experience for all those privileged to be present! Several hundred faithful Catholics prayerfully and reverently accompanied their Lord and Bishop Robert J. Cunningham during the nearly mile and a half procession from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception to the Franciscan Church of the Assumption. Thank you Bishop Cunningham and all those who worked so hard to bring this gift to fruition! No doubt, our Lord was immensely pleased by this public display of belief in His Real Presence. Only He knows how many hearts of onlookers were touched as their eyes glanced at the King of Kings, majestically encased and held aloft in His Monstrance. May this public p...

Our Church’s teaching on the Eucharist is long standing, clear and includes the following: the Eucharist must be the source and center of our daily lives; whenever possible Catholics Churches are to keep their doors open for some period of time each day to facilitate visits before the Blessed Sacrament; pastors are to encourage such visits; they are also to promote and encourage their parishioners' participation in Eucharistic Adoration, setting an example for their flock by doing so themselves; and they are to support the establishment and continuation of  regional chapels of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration when their own parishes are unable to sustain such a vital devotion solely by themselves. What a different world this would be if we were to follow these life-changing practices! As someone who has spent more than ten years coordinating Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in a local parish and encour...