Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

" It is nightfall...One by one the lights go out in the dwellings of men...Millions of stars twinkle in the vast vault of heaven...But on earth one only star still glimmers - the tiny star of light in the sanctuary lamp. Its feeble rays struggle through the windows of a little church...it moves unsteadily to and fro...until it reaches you...Do you not see it? Jesus sends it to tell you that He never rests, that day and night, year in and year out, His heart is busy loving you, and the poor, and the unhappy - yes, even those who crucify Him."   ( Eucharistic Whisperings - Father Winfrid Herbst, S.D.S.)

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) " … I will treasure more than anything else the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is often said that it is the Mass that matters. This means that Mass is the most important thing in the world. It is very true. But I really think that sanctifying grace matters most of all. Still, where do I get that from if not through the Sacrifice of the Cross which is continued in the Sacrifice of the Mass. I am afraid.   I do not think as highly of Holy Mass as I should. And this reminds me of a story I have often read about the Sacred linen in Greenland. It was in the sixteenth century. There had been a religious persecution in the island and all priests had been killed or driven out, so that for fifty years there was no Mass at all in Greenland. After fifty years, there were still some scattered Catholics left. They used to meet every year for a Christmas celebration in a lonely house almost covered by snow. On one such night they all gathered together in the...

( Photo by  Josh Applegate  on  Unsplash "When Jesus remains in the quiet of the altar, in the tabernacle’s shadow, people in their blind carelessness, let Him alone, they forget all about Him. And when He exposes Himself upon the altar, He is hurt to the Heart by the irreverence of so many who either have no faith at all or a faith that is very weak. When He goes through the streets in order to bring unspeakable blessings to His beloved children, He hears curses and blasphemies that make out of His errand of mercy another way of the cross.  But in the midst of all these bitternesses, one hope sustains Him – the hope of a place of refuge that will offer the love and peace He craves. The bitter chalice which others continually place to His lips He drinks with resignation; for He is sustained by the hope of a loving reception in my heart by way of reparation. One holy hour spent in the enjoyment of my love, and He forgets years and years of suffering… Altar and taberna...

(St. Vincent Ferrer Parish, NYC Listen. Jesus is speaking… Being in heaven I came down to earth; and then I instituted the Blessed Sacrament in order to be with you always. In Holy Communion I really and truly come to you…  And you?...When do you come to Me? In Holy Communion I visit you; but, tell me, My child, when do you visit Me?  Perhaps our Sacred meeting in the morning  satisfies you; it does not satisfy Me. I long to see you here in My presence again before evening. My child. That is why I now invite you. Won't you accept the invitation? (From Eucharistic Whisperings by Father Winfrid Herbst, S.D.S.)

T hank 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 . Eucharistic Reflection - His Goal Is My Heart (Originally posted on July 28, 2012) (St. Vincent Ferrer Parish, NYC) “When Jesus remains in the quiet of the altar, in the tabernacle’s shadow, people in their blind carelessness let Him alone, they forget all about Him. And when He exposes Himself upon the altar, he is hurt to the Heart by the irreverence of so many who either have no faith at all or a faith that is very weak. When He goes through the streets in order to bring unspeakable blessings to His beloved children, He hears curses and blasphemies that make out of His errand of mercy another way of the cross. But in the midst of all these bitternesses one hope sustains Him – the hope of a place of refuge that will offer the love and peace He ...

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 . The late Father Winfrid Herbst, S.D.S. is a treasure you must discover: Jesus The Beggar (Originally posted November 4, 2012) “Jesus loves poverty with a very special love – so much so, indeed, that, because He could not find it in heaven, He came down and sought it here on earth. He took nothing along with Him from heaven. The tiny bit of glory that He gets on earth is the free gift of the few generous hearts that are trying to show how much they love Him. He is at His lovers’ mercy! Were merely a little wafer of bread denied Him, He could not remain in our midst on earth – He, the Lord of the Universe!... Jesus begs. I wonder for what?   He [Jesus] begs for one little word of kindly considerate greeting when I pass...

Why Did You Not Tell Us? (Originally posted on February 11, 2019) (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons) No caring person would allow an inattentive soul about to run off a cliff to do so without shouting and attempting to warn them of that danger and of their imminent demise.  Should we not do the same for those Catholic politicians and public officials who legislatively support intrinsic evils, who remain silent in the face of the dismemberment and sale of infant body parts, or who consent to the killing of children born alive? We would if we cared about them since there is nothing more important than the salvation of souls. Yet most of us are rarely reminded of this truth. Satan relishes his success in having convinced so many that hell does not exist and that no one inhabits it – even using the mouths and/or silence of some Catholic priests and Bishops to get his message out. "There is no such thing as si...

[Oh, how so many of us take our Lord for granted by ignoring His Presence here among us. In doing so we offend Him Who is the Source of Love and, at the same time, deprive ourselves needlessly of His love, grace and support.  May the following quotation from S tirring Slumbering Souls - 250 Eucharistic Reflections open our eyes, minds and souls to our neglect]:   "I recall the strange and touching story of Saint Alexis. When he was young he left home and then, because God inspired him to do so, came back to the house of his parents in Rome dressed up like a poor and unknown beggar. There he lived in some miserable old corner of the house for seventeen years; and his parents never knew that it was he. But when he died they found out. It seems he left a note or something telling them what he had done in penance for his sins, because God wanted him to. How that mother wept when she found out that the beggar was her son. She had missed him so much and had...

We thank Allison Gingras at  Reconciled To You    and Elizabeth Riordan at Theology Is A Verb   for hosting  Revisiting Wednesday ,  each week. It is a privilege to share our work with them and their followers .  Stop for a visit now . Here is my contribution: Monday Musings - Praying Before the Tabernacle (Originally published on January 14, 2017) (Image source:  Wikimedia Commons ) "I think there was a certain Bishop Curtis who said that when he prayed before the tabernacle he liked to picture himself as a faithful and devoted dog lying at his master’s feet. Both are glad to have each other; both are silent. It is a rather unusual way of looking at the matter but it strikes home. Prayer is not in words only. It is also in tears and sighs and heartaches." (From  The Way to God  by Father Winfrid Herbst, S.D.S.)

Another Wednesday and another opportunity to thank Allison Gingras and Elizabeth Riordan for their weekly invitation to re-post our favorite posts on Worth Revisiting. Go there now (and every Wednesday) and let an interesting group of Catholic bloggers nourish you in your Faith journey. V isit Allison at   Reconciled To You and Elizabeth at Theology Is A Verb during the rest of each week.   You will enjoy your visit.  Here's a brief reflection: Monday Musings - Praying Before the Tabernacle (Originally published on January 14, 1917) (Image source: Wikimedia Commons ) "I think there was a certain Bishop Curtis who said that when he prayed before the tabernacle he liked to picture himself as a faithful and devoted dog lying at his master’s feet. Both are glad to have each other; both are silent. It is a rather unusual way of looking at the matter but it strikes home. Prayer is not in words only. It is also in tears ...

Another Wednesday and another opportunity to thank Allison Gingras and Elizabeth Riordan for their weekly invitation to re-post our favorite posts on Worth Revisiting. Go there now (and every Wednesday) and let an interesting group of Catholic bloggers nourish you in your Faith journey. V isit Allison at   Reconciled To You and Elizabeth at Theology Is A Verb during the rest of each week.   You will enjoy your visit.  I thought I would share one of my more recent posts: Monday Musings - You Are Being Watched! (Originally published February 13, 2017) (Image source: Wikimedia Commons) Contemporary commentators often report that there is not much difference between the manner in which the majority of Catholics act with respect to such issues, for example, as the active homosexual life style, abortion, cohabitation, contraception, euthanasia, and fetal stem cell research, and how the rest of the non-Catholic populatio...

Father Winfrid Herbst, S.D.S. wrote The Way to God in 1947 at a time when the Catholic Church had not yet lost sight of its primary purpose - the salvation of souls. As will be clear from the following excerpt, however,  not all Catholics back then made the salvation of their souls a personal priority.   (Image source: Wikimedia Commons ) “Some people, who do not pray much and who do not make their work prayer by living in the state of grace and doing everything with a good intention, spend hours and hours every day on other things but only a few minutes on their souls. It reminds me of a priest who asked a man who was caring for his horse how much time he spent every day caring for the animal. He said, ‘About two hours.’ The priest asked him how much time he spent every day caring for his soul.  (Image source: Wikimedia Commons ) He said, ‘A few minutes.’ Whereupon the good priest answered, ‘Since that is the case, if I belonged to you I ...