Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

Jesus to St. Catherine: “What I ask of you is nothing other than love and affection for Me and for your neighbor. This can be done at any time, any place, and in any state of life.” “In the way of God, he who makes no progress loses ground.” “Choose the Truth...Will to know the truth!” “Proclaim the Truth and do not be silent through fear.” (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) Thanks to St. Catherine of Siena our excuses for failing to love our priests, or to proclaim the Truth or to faithfully live out our Catholic faith must come to an end! The fear that once reigned in our hearts must be replaced with an unyielding zeal for the salvation of souls – all souls – and for the sanctification of all our priests! “If you are what you should be,”she once exclaimed, “you will set the whole world ablaze.” How many fires have any of us set lately? No longer will any of us in good conscience be able to play the “I am only a lay person” card to a...

“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 by Father Winfrid Herbst, SDS)

This is surely worth passing on.  Thanks to Faith at The One True Faith for sharing it:

I am ashamed to admit how easily I fall prey to the “blues.” God has immensely blessed me in this life and I have no real reason for ever feeling down and discouraged.   But, of course, I am human and prone to such disorders. In reflecting (many times) on what might set me off on this non-productive path, I discovered a number of culprits, these being the “big three” - thinking I can actually accomplish anything of value by myself and without God’s grace and assistance; being self-centered and self-absorbed; and not being present and helpful to others. The solution then seems so obvious: allow God to be God and use me as His instrument, put others before myself, and do something concrete to help someone. Inevitably, the “blues” evaporate whenever I stop thinking of myself and focus on God and my neighbor. But lately, these demons, like vultures circling their prey, have refused to leave. They have used my love for our Eucharistic Lord and passion for Eucharistic ...

This video graphically reminds us of an often  Forgotten Truth - a Truth so essential to our eternal well-being, that it can never be shared enough: To see 1200 more Forgotten Truths that will Set Your Faith Afire! take a look at my book . (Video credit: You Tube, Brian Littrell, Mac Powell, Mark Hall, Mark Harris, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Catholic Online)

I have frequently expressed my fondness and admiration for Servant of God Fulton J. Sheen. Not surprisingly, I apppreciated the article Father Kevin Gabriel Gillen, O.P. posted on the website for the Dominican Province of St. Joseph, entitled Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen: Master Preacher, Master of the Airwaves . You will too. Let me share the following excerpt from Father's article. In doing so, I ask everyone reading this entry today to pray that all of our priests will follow the good Archbishop's example and advice - knowing in my heart that if they did so their priesthood, our Church and our world would be so much different than they presently are: What exerted the greatest influence in the life of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen and has become his trademark is the Holy Hour. Sheen entitles one of the chapters in his autobiography, “The Hour That Makes My Day.” On the day of his ordination, Sheen resolved to spend one hour in the presence of the Bles...

Jesus Waits for us Here with Divine Longing Adore and visit Jesus, abandoned and forsaken by men in His Sacrament of Love. Man has time for everything except for visits to His Lord and God, WHO IS WAITING AND LONGING FOR US in the Blessed Sacrament. The streets and places of entertainment are filled with people; the House of God is deserted. Men flee from it; they are afraid of it. Ah! Poor Jesus! Did you expect so much indifference from those You have redeemed, from Your friends, from Your children, from me? Sympathize with Jesus Who is betrayed, insulted, mocked, and crucified far more ignominiously in His Sacrament of Love than He was in the Garden of Olives , in Jerusalem , and on Calvary . Those whom He has the most honored, loved, and enriched with His gifts and graces are the very ones who offend Him the most by their indifference. Offer up for this intention all that you have suffered during the day or week that Jesus may be loved and a...