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.   Full disclosur e: This week’s post differs from what you ordinarily find here in that its three thought-provoking quotations come from books I compiled, edited and published. The Catholic Writer’s Guild issued its Seal of Approval to each of the three books from which the following material was excerpted. They are cited here, not to promote myself, but in hopes that something you read will touch your heart and stir your soul.    Mr. Michael Seagriff, O.P. “Our God does not need any of us, not even for a millisecond. Yet, as Jesus hung from the cross more than 2000 years ago, He let us know He was thirsty – not a physical thirst - but an unquenchable spiritual thirst as our Lord, Savior and Redeemer to be loved by those He created and for whose eternal benefit He died. In the ensuing centuries, not enough of us have made suf...

More than a century and half ago, St. Peter Eymard made the following observations: “Alas, it is but too true: Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament is not loved! He is not loved by millions of pagans, by millions of infidels, by the millions of schismatics and heretics who either do not know anything of the Eucharist or have no notions about it. Among so many thousands of creatures in whom God has placed a heart capable of loving, how many would love the Blessed Sacrament if only they knew it as I do! Must I not at least try to love it for them in their stead? Even among Catholics, few, very few love Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. How many think of Him frequently, speak of Him, come to adore Him? What is the reason for this forgetfulness and coldness? People have never experienced the Eucharist, its sweetness, the delights of His Love. They have never known the goodness of Jesus! They have no idea of the extent of His love in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Some of them have faith in J...

  Our Priests   According to St. Pius X, our sanctity depends in large measure on the holiness of our priests. Every day and most especially each Holy Thursday is an appropriate time to reflect on our priests, the imperative that the Eucharist be the source, center and summit of their and our lives, and our duty as laity to treasure, encourage and support them.   We begin by recalling how eloquently St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Doctor of our Church, wrote of what it is to be a priest:   “We must begin by purifying ourselves before purifying others; we must be instructed to be able to instruct, become light to illuminate, draw close to God to bring Him close to others, be sanctified to sanctify, lead by the hand and counsel prudently…I know God’s greatness and man’s weakness but also his potential. The priest is the defender of Truth, who stands with angels, gives glory with archangels, causes sacrifices to rise to the altar on high, shares Christ’s priesthood, ref...

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) "My Presence in the Blessed Sacrament preached, and confessed, and surrounded by adoration, love, and heartfelt reparation is the single greatest remedy for the evils that afflict My Church and for the sorrows that weigh so heavily upon My priests. My ways are not your ways, nor do I act according to the principles of worldly success. I act in the silent, humble, hidden reality of My Eucharistic Presence. Adore Me, and the radiance of My Eucharistic Face will begin to change the face of the earth, even as it heals My priests, calls sinners home to My Heart, and enlivens the hearts of those grown weary and sad (like the disciples on the road to Emmaus) with a spark of divine vitality and with the fire of My Eucharistic love." (From In Sinu Jesu, The Journal of a Priest )

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons) "The most significant crisis in the Catholic Church [and our world] today, from which all the other problems we are experiencing flow, is the fact that an overwhelming majority of those identifying themselves as Catholic, no longer believe that our Lord Jesus Christ is really, truly and substantially present Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament!... The late Apostle of the Eucharist, Father John Hardon, S.J., realized 'that everything, everything , quote EVERTHING of our faith (indeed the virtue of faith itself) depends on our faith in God being really present with us today in both His human and Divine nature, united in His Divine Person in the Holy Eucharist'. Each of us must come to that same realization if we and those around us are to be the holy people God has called us to be... Stop a minute and ponder these Truths. Our God does not need any of us, not even for a millisecond. Yet, as Jesus hung from the...

I Thirst For Your Love   is a dangerous book - one that will have you looking at our Eucharistic Lord with different eyes and a more welcoming heart. Be careful. You may not want to read this tome even though it has received the Seal of Approval from the Catholic Writers Guild. Why? It can change your life.  If you are willing to take a chance and cast spiritual caution to the wind click here and get a FREE PDF copy .  Maybe the following comments from several readers might give you the courage to click that link:      "[The author] has written a book full of little reminders as eye-opening as they are stimulating and, in some cases, conscience pricking. We are taken on a journey of considerations surrounding our behavior and attitudes toward Eucharistic Adoration and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with the effect of stirring us to spend more time with Our Lord in Adoration and being more focused and attentive at Mass...I think this book needs to be...