June: Month of the Sacred Heart

“For evangelization today, the Heart of Christ must be recognized as the heart of the Church: It is He who calls us to conversion, to reconciliation. It is He who leads pure hearts and those hungering for justice along the way of the Beatitudes. It is He who achieves the warm communion of the members of the one Body. It is He who enables us to adhere to the Good News and to accept the promise of eternal life. It is He who sends us out on mission. The heart-to-heart with Jesus broadens the human heart on a global scale.”

– Pope John Paul II

Greetings on Divine Mercy Sunday!

In the words of Jesus:

"I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls... On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment."

-St. Faustina's Diary p. 699

Here's a beautiful website explaining the devotion, Feast, graces, and more:

www.thedivinemercy.org

Easter Greetings from around the world...

Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed! In a true Catholic (universal) spirit, here are the joyful greetings as spoken 'round the globe. How many languages can you identify (or add)? Time for a comment contest!

1. Cristo ressuscitou! Ressuscitou verdadeiramente!

2. Christus ist auferstanden! Er ist wahrhaftig auferstanden!

3. Christus is opgestaan! Hij is waarlijk opgestaan!

4. Christus resurrexit! Resurrexit vere!

5. Christ est ressuscité! Il est vraiment ressuscité!

6. Cristo è risorto! È veramente risorto!

7. ¡Cristo ha resucitado! ¡En verdad ha resucitado!

8. Χριστός ἀνέστη! Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη!

9. Христос воскрес! Воистину воскрес!

10. Krist uskrsnu! Uistinu uskrsnu!

11. Chrystus zmartwychwstał! Prawdziwie zmartwychwstał!

12. Christos voskresen! Naistino voskresen!

13. Kristus prisikėlė! Tikrai prisikėlė!

14. Tá Críost éirithe! Go deimhin, tá sé éirithe!

15. Tha Crìosd air èiridh! Gu dearbh, tha e air èiridh!

16. Si Cristo ay nabuhay! Siya nga ay nabuhay!

17. Ua ala hou ´o kristo! Ua ala ´i ´o no ´oia!

18. Krisztus feltámadt! Valóban feltámadt!

19. Kristus er opstanden! Ja, sandelig opstanden!

20. Ha Masheeha houh quam! Be emet quam!

Now, if only I could pronouce all of these, we'd be good to go. :)

In the Tomb

Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer

Death is strong, but Life is stronger

Stronger than the dark, the light

Stronger than the wrong, the right

Faith and Hope triumphant say:

Christ will rise on Easter Day.

(Bishop Phillips Brooks, An Easter Carol)

I long

...for the day when our culture will be so completely Christian, so completely Catholic, that Google will acknowledge Good Friday. Not that I have anything against Hans Christian Anderson, but the salvation of the world is more noteworthy than his 205th birthday...

Through Him, With Him, In Him

I'm marveling at the greatness of Christ working through His Mystical Body, when its members unite! This is the project I was blessed to be a part of the past two weekends. Nearly 2500 souls were touched with the reality of the Passion. Blessed be God!

Feast of the Annunciation

On this Solemnity of the Annunciation, we rejoice in the mystery of the Incarnation: that by a maiden's "yes", the Word of God became flesh and dwells among us!

My full reflection for today can be found here.

Seasonal Humor

A mother gathered her three young children around their Christmas nativity and read the story of the Wise Men who traveled to worship the Christ Child. Mom told the children that the Wise Men brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

After the story, her oldest son observed, “You know, Mom, a Wise Woman would have brought diapers.” =)

I'm one day late, but Blessed Epiphany!

I Am Blessed

My family, friends, and especially my goddaughters made my birthday so special! So did each of you, with your kind words, wishes, and prayers. I am both blessed and overwhelmed by the outpouring of sweetness. Thank you, all of you!

It's hard to believe we are two weeks into Lent already...I am trying to make the most of this truly beautiful season. Yes, it is a "desert", but because we are there with our Lord, there is beauty. We easily forget that this is a positive season. We are supposed to deprive our bodies in order to beautify our souls. That's right: Lent is beauty treatment for the soul!

I don't know about you, but I always have to resist the urge to take on everything during Lent. The same dozen vices and struggles assail me with ongoing persistance, and, perfectionist that I am, I want to tackle them all at once. Unfortunately, I am too often an all-or-nothing person. When a few of my good intentions slip, I too quickly lose hold on the rest of them. Being faithful in the little things, and targeting my struggles one or two at a time, are ongoing goals of my Lent this year. This is not to say I've been glamorously successful thus far...but I am glad to have 4+ weeks left to work on this "beauty treatment"!

For Unto Us, a Child Is Born

A priest recently said to me: "Our Lord comes as a baby at Christmas so that we might find it easier to love him". One has but to watch the enchanting effect that a tiny baby has on everyone within reach to know how true this is. A few times recently when I've had the opportunity to hold a near-newborn while in a group of people, I've noticed anew how magnetic and powerful that tiny person is. Children approach and gaze wide-eyed, young girls and ladies caress and marvel, and even grown men step near to look and smile. A baby — in all his fragile, helpless beauty — has the power to reach even the most distant and hardened of hearts. Facades come down, and an indescribable tenderness overcomes us as we behold this tiny miracle of creation.

A Christmas message sent us from an area pregnancy care center held a quote (credited to this newsletter) which I found stirringly beautiful, summing wondrously this mysterious power of each new life...

"When God wants an important thing done in this world or a wrong righted, He goes about it in a very singular way. He doesn't release thunderbolts or stir up earthquakes. God simply has a tiny baby born, perhaps of a very humble home, perhaps of a very humble mother. And God puts the idea or purpose into the mother's heart. And she puts it in the baby's mind, and then...God waits.

The great events of this world are not battles and elections and earthquakes and thunderbolts. The great events are babies, for each child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged with humanity, but is still expecting goodwill to become incarnate in each human life."

Among the great events of babies, and the accompanying divine message of hope, the Birth which the whole world now celebrates shines as the greatest of all. In the supreme act of goodwill incarnated, the Father sends His own Son in the flesh: not as an imposing warrior in armor or a commanding king seated on a thone, but as a baby. As one of us. Regardless of the chaos, brokenness, or corruption that may be raging around the world, each Christmas reminds us that the Father is not finished with humanity. He reaches down, and places Eternal Light into a darkened world. Let heaven and nature sing!

"For unto us, a child is born;
unto us, a son is given.
And the government
shall be upon his shoulders,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

-Isaiah 9:6

Advent Day 14: Saint Lucy

Hear us, O God, our salvation, as we rejoice on the feast of Saint Lucy, Thy virgin and Martyr, and grant us to learn the spirit of pious devotion.

~from CatholicCulture.org

Fr. Kubicki on St. Lucy's memorial:

Swedish girls in a "St. Lucia" tradition...I'm not sure what the song is, but it's lovely!

Advent Day 13: Our Lady of Guadalupe

“Am I not here, I who am your Mother?

Are you not under my shadow and protection?

Am I not the source of your joy?

Are you not in the hollow of my mantle,

in the crossing of my arms?

Do you need anything more?
Let nothing else worry or disturb you.”

~Our Lady of Guadalupe

(celebrated today)

Our Lady of Guadalupe explained by Fr. James Kubicki, SJ

(National Director of the Apostleship of Prayer):

Advent Day 12

“The arrangement of the names of Christ, however, is manifold…
Sun, because He is the illuminator…
Vine, because we are redeemed by His blood…
Lion, because he is king…

Rock, because He is firm…
Prophet, because He has revealed what is to come.”

~Pope St. Damasus I (celebrated today)

Advent Day 11

“Peace begins with a smile.”

~Mother Teresa

We are in the Advent week of Peace...have you smiled today?

Second Sunday of Advent

“A voice cries out:
In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!”

~from Today’s Gospel

Advent Day 7

God of joy and cheer,
we thank you for your servant,
the good bishop Nicholas.
In loving the poor,
he showed us your kindness;
in caring for your children,
he revealed your love.
Make us thoughtful
without need of reward
so that we, too, may be
good followers of Jesus.

Happy St. Nicholas Day! If you haven't been to StNicholasCenter.org yet, there's no better time! Both the beautiful picture and prayer are from there.

May the generous spirit of this saint inspire us today and the whole year through.

God bless!

Advent Day 6

Lord, we believe that You can make us see.

~See today’s gospel

Advent Day 5

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’

will enter the Kingdom of heaven,

but only the one who does the will of my Father...”

~Matthew 7 (today’s gospel)

Advent Day 3

(See today's first reading)

First Sunday of Advent

“Advent is, par excellence, the season of hope.”

~Celebration of Vespers of the First Sunday of Advent
HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
St Peter's Basilica, 1st December 2007