Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

   

"Loving souls can find no greater delight than to be in the company of those whom they love. If we, then, love Jesus Christ much, behold we are now in his presence. Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament s ees us and hears us; shall we, then, say nothing to Him? Let us console ourselves in His company; let us rejoice in His glory, and in the love which so many enamored souls bear Him in the Most Holy Sacrament. Let us desire that all should love Jesus in th e Holy Sacrament, and consecrate their hearts to Him; at least let us consecrate our affections to Him. He should be all our love and our whole desire." (Fr om "The Holy Eucharist" by St. Alphonsus Liguori)

 

"Without the Holy Eucharist there would be no happiness in this world; life would be insupportable. When we receive Holy  Communion, we receive our joy and our happiness. The good God, wishing to give Himself to us in the Sacrament of His Love, gave us a vast and great desire, which He alone can satisfy.    In the presence of this beautiful Sacrament, we are like a person dying o f thirst by the side of a river — he would only need to bend his head; like a person still remaining poor, close to a great treasure — he need only stretch out his hand. He who communicates loses himself in God like a drop of water in the ocean. They can n o more be separated." (St. John Vianney)

[I have shared this post several times over the years. Bear with me one more time.] While my wife and I were cleaning out our attic and basement several years ago, we discovered a long lost treasure - photographs from a trip that my eldest daughter and I had taken to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City more than twenty-five years ago. At the time of that visit, the original Church built at the request of the Blessed Mother, was deemed unsafe to enter. A new modern structure – much larger had been erected nearby. I remember pausing in awe and wonder watching pilgrims walking on their knees across the plaza leading to the Cathedral, some of whom I was later told had been walking in that manner for miles. I regret now not having photographically captured the inspiring witness of those devoted souls.  

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.       Robert Cardinal Sarah “Noise surrounds us and assaults us. The noise of our ceaselessly active cities, the noise of automobiles, airplanes, machines outside and inside our houses. Besides this noise that is imposed on us. There are other noises that we ourselves produce or choose. Such as the soundtrack of our everyday routine. This noise, unconsciously, often has a function that we do not dare admit: it masks and stifles another sound, the one that occupies and invades our interior life. How can we not be astonished by the efforts that we constantly make to stifle God’s silences.” (From The Power of Silence )     Madeliene Delbrel, Servant of God “At the beginning of each hour of the long day, we could say 'I must begin this hour as if I were going to be a martyr, and a witness' - because there is not one secon...

“I am your unchangeable God, and I never change. I will not draw back from any creature who wants to come to Me.”  Jesus to St. Catherine of Siena