An Excerpt from “7 Secrets of the Eucharist” by Vinny Flynn

“7 Secrets of the Eucharist” by Vinny Flynn

“The Eucharist is alive. If a stranger who knew nothing about the Eucharist were to watch the way we receive, would he know this? When you and I approach the Eucharist, does it look like we believe we are about to take into our bodies the living person, Jesus Christ, true God and true man? How many times, Lord, have I forgotten that the Eucharist is alive! As I wait in line to receive you each day, am I thinking about how much you want to unite yourself with me? Am I seeing your hands filled with the graces you want to give me? Am I filled with awe and gratitude that you love me so much as to actually want to come to me in this incredibly intimate way? Or am I distracted, busy with other thoughts, preoccupied with myself and my agendas for the day? How many times, Jesus, have I made you sad, mindlessly receiving you into my body, into my heart, with no love and no recognition of your love? How many times have I treated you as a dead object? The Host that we receive is not a thing! It’s not a wafer! It’s not bread! It’s a person – He’s alive!”

~Vinny Flynn, p. 8

User’s Guide to Lent

Picture courtesy of http://www.millstreet.ie/blog/

Fasting – Those between the ages of 18 and 59 (the obligation ends when you begin your 60^th year on the day of your 59^th birthday) are allowed to eat one full meal, and two lighter meals not equal to another full meal, on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Abstinence – Everyone 14 and older is required to avoid eating meat and poultry on Ash Wednesday and on the Fridays during Lent. Catholics also are encouraged to refrain from pleasures in a spirit of penance.

Almsgiving – Catholics are asked to focus more intently during Lent on “almsgiving,” which means donating money or goods to the poor and performing other acts of charity. 

Ashes – The ashes placed on our forehead in the sign of the cross on Ash Wednesday are a visible symbol and spiritual reminder of the beginning of Lent. Made from the burning of last year’s palms, the ashes are a call to repentance and a sign that we are sinners in need of forgiveness.

Ember Days – Bishop Schlert has asked the clergy and faithful of the Diocese to celebrate Ember Days on March 9, March 11, and March 12. Ember Days are marked through fasting and abstinence, and through prayer in gratitude for the blessings of the season and human labor.

Here are a couple of little-known facts to liven up your next discussion of Lent with family and friends:

Lent is not really 40 days. When the Church designated a season of prayer and penance to mirror Christ’s 40-day fast in the desert before His public ministry, it set aside six full weeks, Monday through Saturday (Sundays are not part of Lent) plus Ash Wednesday and the three days that follow, for a total of 40 days. But Lent ends just prior to the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening, when the Easter Triduum begins, so Lent does not last the full 40 days.

One Friday in Lent is not an abstinence day. Church Law makes an exception to the abstinence obligation for solemnities that fall on a Friday. This year, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, is Friday, March 25. It’s okay to eat meat on that day.

~Content courtesy of the Allentown Diocese

Blessed Feast of the Chair of St. Peter

This feast celebrates the authority bestowed upon Peter and his successors by Christ – see Matthew chapter 16.

Here is Bernini’s Chair of St. Peter in the apse of St. Peter’s Basilica, created by artist, Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598-1682)

Bernini’s Chair of St. Peter in St. Peter’s Bascilica.
Picture courtesy of the Institute of Catholic Culture.

St. Peter, the first Pope, receives the keys to the kingdom from Christ on the chair.

Four Fathers of the Church – Sts. Ambrose, Augustine, Athanasius and Chrysostom – are surrounding the chair. They do not uphold the chair; instead, it appears to float as it descends from the heavens beneath a depiction of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove.

The many candles are added every year on this feast day.

This piece echoes the words that encircle the base of Michelangelo’s great dome above: TU ES PETRUS ET SUPER HANC PETRAM AEDIFICABO ECCLESIAM MEAM, ET TIBI DABO CLAVES REGNI CAELORUM. “You are Peter, and on this rock [petram] I will build my church, and to you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 16:18-19

Come Pray the Rosary!

Here’s a website to help you pray the rosary as an individual or as part of a worldwide group! You can even submit your intentions, and view intentions from other site visitors in real time.

This site is made possible by a grant from The Esseff Foundation, a charitable organization in Camarillo, California that provides grants primarily to education, human services, and to Roman Catholic organizations.

https://comepraytherosary.org/

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Lord Jesus Christ, Who before ascending into heaven, promised to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me, that He may perfect in my soul the work of Your grace and Your love.

Grant me:

· the Spirit of KNOWLEDGE,
that enables the soul to evaluate created things at their worth – in their relation to God. Guided by the light of Knowledge, we put first things first, and prize the friendship of God beyond all else.

· the Spirit of UNDERSTANDING,
that helps us to grasp the meaning of the truths of our holy religion. It enables us to penetrate the inner meaning of revealed truths. Our faith ceases to be sterile and inactive, but inspires a mode of life that bears eloquent testimony to the faith that is in us.

· the Spirit of COUNSEL,
that endows the soul with supernatural prudence, enabling it to judge promptly and rightly what must be done, especially in difficult circumstances. Counsel is supernatural common sense, a priceless treasure in the quest of salvation.

· the Spirit of FORTITUDE,
that strengthens the soul against natural fear and supports us in the performance of duty. Fortitude imparts to the will an impulse and energy which move it to undertake without hesitancy the most arduous tasks, to face dangers, and to endure without complaint the slow martyrdom of lifelong tribulation.

· the Spirit of PIETY,
that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable. He who is filled with the Gift of Piety finds the practice of his religion, not a burdensome duty, but a delightful service.

· the Spirit of FEAR,
that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. It is the fear that is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us from worldly pleasures that could in any way separate us from God.

· the Spirit of WISDOM,
that embodies all the other gifts, as charity embraces all the other virtues. Wisdom is the most perfect of the gifts. Wisdom that strengthens our faith, fortifies hope, perfects charity, and promotes the practice of virtue in the highest degree. Wisdom enlightens the mind to discern and relish things divine, in the appreciation of which earthly joys lose their savor, while the Cross of Christ yields a divine sweetness.

Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples, and animate me in all things with Your spirit. 

– Amen –

~Courtesy of The Holy Spirit Fathers (also called Spiritans), a religious community responsible for promulgating throughout the world a very powerful novena to the Holy Spirit

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Romance can be found in many ways, especially for Catholics. Believe in the transformative power of love!

Help Praying the Rosary

Have you ever struggled with praying the Rosary? Despite your best intentions, you find your mind wandering to your grocery list, a recent conversation, or whatever is next on your “To Do” on list. Me too!

To address this challenge, I’ve been reading the book, “Praying the Rosary Like Never Before” by Edward Sri. Sri talks about this common struggle and provides suggestions on how each of us can tame our “monkey mind” and pray the Rosary with its deserved reverence.

One useful suggestion that has worked for me can be found on page 43, which discusses a suggestion from St. Pope John Paul II.

“The pope offers one suggestion on how we can give special attention to Christ’s name in the rosary. After saying ‘Jesus’ in each Hail Mary, we can add a clause related to the mystery being contemplated. For example, in the first sorrowful mystery (the agony in the garden), we could say, ‘…and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus, agonizing in the garden.’ In the fifth glorious mystery (the crowning of Mary), we could pray, ‘…and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus, who crowned you as Queen of Heaven and Earth.”

According to John Paul II, this popular practice, spread by St. Louis de Montfort and others, “gives forceful expression to our faith in Christ, directed to the different moments of the Redeemer’s life. It is at once a profession of faith and an aid in concentrating our meditation.”

Here are some examples of similar clauses that you may insert after saying “Jesus” in the Hail Mary in order to enhance your meditation on the mysteries:

The Joyful Mysteries:

1. Whom you conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.
2. Whom you carried in your womb, visiting St. Elizabeth.
3. Who was born of you in Bethlehem.
4. Whom you presented in the Temple.
5. Whom you found in the Temple.

The Sorrowful Mysteries:
1. Who sweated blood for us sinners.
2. Who was scourged for us sinners.
3. Who was crowned with thorns for us sinners.
4. Who carried the cross for us sinners.
5. Who was crucified for us sinners.

The Glorious Mystery:
1. Who resurrected from the dead.
2. Who ascended into Heaven.
3. Who sent us the Holy Spirit.
4. Who raised you, Blessed Virgin, up into Heaven.
5. Who crowned you, Blessed Virgin, in Heaven.

The Luminous Mystery:
1. Who was baptized by John as the Holy Spirit descended.
2. Who performed His first miracle at Cana.
3. Who proclaimed the Kingdom.
4. Who became radiant with glory at the Transfiguration.
5. Who gave us the gift of the Eucharist at the Last Supper.

February: Month of the Passion

The month of February is traditionally dedicated to the Passion of Our Lord in anticipation of the liturgical season of Lent. In this month, we begin to meditate on the mystery of Jesus’ sufferings which culminated in his death on the Cross for the redemption of mankind. Saints who had a special devotion to Christ’s passion include St. Francis of Assisi, who was the first known saint to receive the stigmata; St. John of the Cross; St. Bridget of Sweden; and St. Catherine of Siena.