A repost: I look at Him and He looks at me!

Happy Pentecost!!! & soon to be Corpus Christi!!! :D 

I look at Him and He looks at me!

The Most Holy Eucharist

Excerpts from [The Holy Eucharist by St. Alphonsus de Maria Ligouri], [Alone with God by Fr Heyrman S.J.], [20 Holy Hours by Fr. Mateo Crawley-Boevey SS.CC.] and [The Imitation of Christ by Blessed Thomas a Kempis]

Every religious house has a "domestic chapel", where the Blessed Sacrament is "reserved". This is an honour and a privilege, on which we should reflect these days: do we truly value Christ's presence so close to us, and do we remember it, and use it to make progress in the spiritual life? The Cure of Ars had noticed an elderly man who often knelt at the back of the church, and kept his eyes fixed on the tabernacle. The Saint once asked him what he was doing, and the old man answered, "Je l'avise et Il m'avise, I look at Him and He looks at me." Simple words, flowing from a humble heart: but Christ loves to converse with the humble ...

The Eucharist as a Sacrificial Banquet, A Mystery of Love and Intimacy:

Love longs for the presence of the beloved, and for union with him. Divine love satisfies this longing in a divine manner.

And therefore Jesus deigned "to close His earthly pilgrimage with this most wonderful dispensation" (Sui moras incolatus, Miro clausit ordine) through the institution of the Blessed Sacrament He would remain in our midst till the end of time. Indeed it is a sacramental presence veiled and hidden: but both in Holy Communion and in the tabernacle, He is really and truly with us. We can go and prostrate ourselves before Him, we can greet Him; His quiet presence supports and feeds our prayer.

But what Jesus intended through the institution of the Holy Eucharist touches our inmost being even more closely. The Council of Trent says, "Not only did the Lord intend to give to His Bride, the Church, a visible sacrifice, as is demanded by our human nature; He also gave her His sacred Body to be the spiritual food of our souls, that we might become partakers of His very life." "He that eateth me, the same also shall live by me." "He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood abideth in me and I in him" (John 6: 57,58). Is it possible to devise a more intimate way of being united? It is like mutual compenetration, brought about by the partaking of materiel food: but here materiel signs point to the most sublime spiritual reality: the wisdom of God, and His infinite power in the service of His boundless love.

When Jesus trod the roads of Galilee, power went out from His mortal Body, which healed all those that merely touched the hem of His garment: and we, whenever we eat His flesh we are privileged to have the most intimate contact with His glorified Body. O Lord, heal all our ailments!

In His discourse at Capharnaum Jesus laid stress on the intimate union of the soul with Him through the eating of His Flesh and the drinking of His Blood. From this St. Paul concludes to the oneness of all those that believe in Christ, "The chalice of benediction, which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? And the bread which we break, is it not the partaking of the body of the Lord? For we, being many, are one bread, one body all that partake of one bread" (1 Cor. 10:16,17).

Sitting at the same table, and partaking of the same food, betokens and fosters harmony and friendship. The Fathers of the Church, especially St. Augustine, regard the Eucharist as the Sacrament of unity, symbolising the unity of the Church, and moulding it into the one mystical Body of Christ. "O Mystery of piety, O sign of unity, O bond of love!"

This makes us grasp how appropriately the Bride of Christ, our Holy Mother the Church, prepares her children for Holy Communion by exhorting them to fraternal charity, and by the kiss of peace. "That they may be one, as we also are one; I in them, and thou in me; that they may be perfect in one" (John 17: 22,23).

“You envy,” said St. John Chrysostom, “the opportunity of the woman who touched the vestments of Jesus, of the sinful woman who washed His feet with her tears, of the women of Galilee who had the happiness of following Him in His pilgrimages, of the Apostles and disciples who conversed with Him familiarly, of the people of the time who listened to the words of grace and salvation which came forth from His lips. You call happy those who saw Him … But, come to the altar and you will see Him, you will touch Him, you will give to Him holy kisses, you will wash Him with your tears, you will carry Him within you like Mary Most Holy.”

Thus Jesus is truly with us. “Jesus is there!” The holy Cure of Ars could not finish repeating these three words without shedding tears. And St. Peter Julian Eymard exclaimed with joyful fervour, “There Jesus is! Therefore all of us should go visit Him!”

Mary and the Holy Eucharist

"True Body, Born of Mary Ever Virgin"

Jesus said: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven" (John 6:51). In the virginal womb of Mary the "Bread of Angels" (Panis Angelorum) assumed the form in which it would become "the food of mortal man". Even before she had become the Mother of God, the angel had greeted her "full of grace". This fullness received a further increase when. as the first living tabernacle of God among men, she carried within herself the very fountain of all graces. "He that is mighty hath done great things to her:" for she is the true Mother of the true Body, that is born of her. On the feast of Corpus Christi the Church most appropriately concludes all her hymns with the same words as on the feasts of Our Lady:

O Jesus, born of Virgin bright, Immortal glory be to Thee, Praises to the Father infinite, And Holy Ghost eternally.

Mary Offers Christ on Calvary

Mary's womb was the first altar on which the Son of God, made man, offered Himself to the Father. "Wherefore, when He (Christ, the High Priest) cometh into the world, he saith Sacrifice and oblation thou wouldst not: but a body thou hast fitted to me. Holocausts for sin did not please thee; then said I, Behold, I come. In the head of the book it is written of me that I should do thy will, O God" (Heb. 10: 5-7).

When the appointed hour had come, the sacrifice of Calvary was consummated: Mary stood by the cross, and at that supreme moment she joined her Fiat to the "consummatum est", of her Son. It is true that nothing was lacking to the sacrifice of Jesus, but the Lord willed that His Holy Mother, who was to be the Mother of all the living, should participate in His oblation in a unique and universal, even though subordinate, manner.

No one could participate in the Eucharistic Sacrifice as did Mary: therefore we say in the Canon of the Mass, "In communion with, and honouring the memory of, especially the glorious ever Virgin Mary, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ ..." Mary's role in the work of our redemption is a subordinate one nevertheless by God's will a necessary, and therefore a universal one. When giving us His Son, God gave us all things: in a certain sense we may say that, by giving us her Son, Mary gave us all things.

The moment Mary had given her assent to the angel's message, the Word of God was made flesh; with her assent the Lamb was nailed to the cross; in a unique and most sublime manner, she has offered her Son to the Father for the redemption of mankind.

Of a pure and spotless Virgin
Born for us on earth below,
He, as man with man conversing,
Stayed, the seeds of truth to sow;
Then He closed in solemn order
Wondrously His life of woe. Sui moras incolatus, Miro clausit ordine
Pange Lingua by St. Thomas Aquinas

Mary in the Infant Church

Our Lady was "not present" when Jesus instituted the Blessed Sacrament, and ordained the Apostles to be His priests and "dispensers of the Divine Mysteries". Holy Writ explicitly mentions her presence when the Paraclete came down on the Apostles: indeed she, the new Eve and Mother of all the living, could not be absent at the moment when the Church was born, which is her Son's Mystical Body. When the brethren at Jerusalem gathered to celebrate the Eucharist, "breaking bread in commemoration of Him," the Mother of the Lord was surely with them. Though she was full of grace, and had been favoured by God in such a wonderful manner, still she remained the humble "handmaid of the Lord", and took her place among the faithful. For her, as for all the other believers, the Apostles "broke the Bread". To her also Holy Communion became the food of her soul to comfort and strengthen her till the end of her pilgrimage, and also the intimate experience of the "Communion of Saints".

Hail, true Body, born of Mary, ever Virgin,
Truly suffering, immolated on the cross for man.
Blood and water forth there flowed
From the wounded side.
In the moment of our death
Be Thou a foretaste of heaven.
O sweet Jesus! O good Jesus!
O Jesus, Son of Mary!
Ave Verum

The Eucharist as Centre of Our Life

Whenever we visit the Blessed Sacrament, we go and draw at the fountain of all graces, we cooperate with grace, and we make it bear fruit. "For every devout soul may approach without fear, every day and hour, to a spiritual communion with Christ ... As often as he devoutly dwells on the mystery of Christ's Incarnation and Passion, he communicates mystically, and is invisibly strengthened and inflamed to love" (4 Imitation of Christ, 10:6).

Prayer: Grant, O Lord, that we, who have been fed with the Bread of Angels, may imitate the purity of angels in our conduct, and like him, whom we honour today never cease to give thanks to Thee. Through our Lord (Postcommunion of Mass of St. Aloysius).

The Eucharist Cleanses Our Soul (A Preservation Against Sin)

Every increase of grace implies further safeguard against sin. When the body receives appropriate food, it is immune against illness and protected against contagion. Often the Church prays, "Mundet et muniat nos, quaesumus, Domine, divini Sacramenti munus oblatum: May the offering of this Divine Sacrifice purify and protect us, we pray Thee, O Lord."

Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O good Jesus, hear me.
Within Thy wounds hide me.
Permit me not to be separated from Thee.
From the wicked foe, defend me.
At the hour of my death, call me
And bid me come to Thee.
That with Thy saints I may praise Thee,
Forever and ever. Amen.

O Salutaris Hostia!

O Salutaris hostia, Quae caeli pandis ostium,Bella premunt hostilia,Na robur, fer auxilium.Uni trinoque Domino,Sit sempiterna gloria:Qui vitam sine termino,Nobis donet in patria.Amen.

O Saving Victim! opening wideThe gate of Heaven to man below!Our foes press on from every side;Thine aid supply, Thy strength bestow.To thy great Name be endless praise,Immortal Godhead! One in three!O grant us endless length of daysIn our true native land with Thee!Amen.

The above hymn is sung during Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament when the priest opens the tabernacle and incenses the Blessed Sacrament.

Conclusion

We adore Thee, Eucharistic God and we Bless Thee, Redeemer of the world. We love Thee, Jesus, in the sublime beauty of Thy agonizing Heart. Thou alone art great! Thou alone art Holy, O God, in the humiliation of the divine Host! Thou alone are the most High, hidden in the unbloody sacrifice of this altar!

Glory be to Thee, Lord God, King of Heaven, but willing to live in the Gethsemane of a humble Tabernacle. Glor be to Thee, Eucharistic Jesus, in the celestial heights, the abode of Angels. Praise to Thee on earth, the abode of men!

O Lord, in the name of all Thy brothers and sisters, and especially in the name of all those who suffer with love and faith, kneeling before Thee, we adore the tears, the solitude, the anguish, the weariness, all the bitterness, all the agony of Thy Sacred Heart. We believe, Jesus, that Thou art the Christ, the God-Man of redeeming sorrows.

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

Deus propitius esto mihi peccatori.

A Wondrous Exchange

"A Wonderous Exchange"

Jesus is the Holy Eucharist, the Holy Eucharist is Jesus, [Jesus (Body,Blood,Soul,Divinity) =Holy Eucharist]

There's no other way to better describe what is the Holy Eucharist, the greatest love residing, so devoid of the majesty that He is supposed to get, all for love of us. Dearest Sacred and Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on us!

Excerpts from Alone with God by Fr. J Heyrman S.J. and The Holy Eucharist by St. Alphonsus Ligouri

At Holy Mass, something happens which can be compared to a commercial transaction - but Holy Mass is so so so much more than just a commercial transaction. :) It is the actual sacrifice on Calvary, repeated daily, at every Mass, by the hands of a consecrated man, the very important priest.

We offer ourselves as holocausts, a humble offering of ourselves (our whole lives, all that we have, all that we are, heart to Heart) to the Almighty. But what do we get in exchange? We get, by Faith, the Body and the Blood of His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, all present Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Most Holy Eucharist.

This exchange is out of proportion. Totally.

It is an utterly unequal, a wondrous, a divine exchange: through the Consecration Jesus has been made present under the appearances of bread and wine, and through the hands of the priest He offers Himself to the Father; and the Father gives us back our oblation, which is now Christ Himself. as a sacrificial banquet in Holy Communion.

It is a sublime exchange resulting in a most awe-inspiring and most ineffable union: "He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me, and I in Him" (John 6:57).

By Faith we know that this is true and real; we know it with a certitude, surpassing all human certitude, yet a certitude wrapped in the darkness of faith.

Taught by Christ, the Church maintaineth
That the Breath its substance changeth
Into Flesh, the wine to Blood.
Doth it pass thy comprehending?
Faith, the law of sight transcending,
Leaps to things not understood.

But in order to grasp the truth, our proud spirit must renounce its conceit and humbly bow before the power of God "with whom no word shall be impossible".

I believe all the Son of God has spoken,
Than truth’s own word, there is no truer token.

"Ego autem non contradico." - Isa. I.5 (And I do not resist). Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament remains there without moving Himself; HE allows Himself to be placed where men will, be it for exposition in the remonstrance, or to be enclosed in the tabernacle. He allows himself to be carried wheresoever He is borne, be it in houses or through the streets; He allows Himself to be given in Holy Communion to whomsoever He is administered, be they just or sinners. St. Luke says that whilst He dwelt on earth He obeyed the Most Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph; but in this Sacrament, he obeys as many creatures as there are priests on earth: and I do not resist. Amor amorum - the Love of all Love.

As St. Thomas Aquinas so beautifully puts it in the Adoro Te Devote

Jesus, whom for the present veiled I see,What I so thirst for, oh! vouchsafe to me:That I may see Thy countenance unfolding,And may be blest Thy glory in beholding.

From the Holy Mass, we can see the beauty of the priesthood, what a priest really is! The priesthood exists solely for the continuation of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

"Holy Orders, however, not only bestows on the priest the graces which he will require to perform his priestly functions fittingly, but imprints upon his soul an indelible seal (the character) by which he receives the power to accomplish sublime acts of worship and of sanctification (the Mass and the Sacraments) with a power almost divine."

Here's what Archbishop Lefebvre spoke about, on the true nature of the Priesthood. From the Apologia pro Marcel Lefebvre, Vol. 3, Chapter LV. What is the Priesthood?

O Mary, Queen of the Clergy, Pray for us and send us many and Holy Priests! (ter)

The Golden Arrow

May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most mysterious and unutterable Name of God be always praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified in heaven on earth and under the earth, by all the creatures of God, and by the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ in the most Holy Sacrament of the altar.

This prayer was revealed by Our Lord to a Carmelite Nun of Tours in 1843 as a reparation for blasphemy.

"This Golden Arrow will wound My Heart delightfully." He said, "and heal the wounds inflicted by blasphemy."

Deus propitius esto mihi peccatori

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Here's the link to last year's post on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, it is again very amazing to me how time flies and how it just slips by you in a twinkling.

Time, we must grab it, use every moment of it intelligently, smartly. Time, once lost, is gone forever. But, there's one thing good about time, as the years go by, the months, the weeks, the days, the hours, the minutes and the seconds go by, by the time past, we are, seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years ... closer and closer to Him, closer and closer to attaining that one, only most important aim/goal of this life - to go to Heaven, to be with Him who is the only Way, the Truth and the Life. To go to Heaven, to be with dearest Mother Mary and all the beautiful Angels and wonderful Saints. To love and to be loved in return, love for Love, life for Life, heart for Heart, (what the Heart of my Jesus and your Jesus too! has to offer to all souls). O how beautiful it is!

Time flies, the deathbed awaits,
The frail human heart falters and stumbles.

But the Cross, O how it heals!

The wounds of the frail human heart.

Now the heart, with each beat, the strength renews.

By the Cross, death is conquered.

Death, ah, death, the bane of mankind,
But Death, O what is death?

The Stain of Sin

- it is life's only true Death.

Please do forgive me, if I start to sound a little funny, writing about death and such. :) But, death, it is something very important. It is something that we all have to think about and face, whether now, tomorrow or when the day comes. For earthly life is but only a pilgrimage, and your deathbed is when the most important moment of your life comes.

As this prayer of St. Pius X to St. Joseph, puts it very very beautifully:

O glorious St. Joseph, model of all who are devoted to labour, obtain for me the grace: To work in a spirit of penance, for the expiation of my many sins; To work conscientiously, putting the call of duty above my inclinations; To work with gratitude and joy, considering it an honour to employ and develop by means of labour, the gifts received from God; To work with order, peace, moderation, and patience, never shrinking from weariness and trials; To work, above all, with purity of intention, and with detachment from self, having ever before my eyes the hour of death and the account I must give of time poorly spent, talents unused, good omitted, and vain complacency in success. All for Jesus, all through Mary; all after thy example, O Patriarch Joseph; such shall be my watchword in life and in death. Amen.

The Holy Eucharist, the Most Blessed Sacrament, is most beautifully explained by this song, O Esca Viatorum. The first few phrases when loosely translated to English from the Latin goes: O Food on our Journey, O Bread of the Angels, O Bread of Heaven! We have Him with us, right here, on earth, the King of kings! To help us along this journey, to aid us, as our human heart is frail and which cannot sustain us fully, as we tred the thorny paths of this earth, yearning for the one and only End - Heaven for all eternity. What a beautiful aspect and most sublime (to me :D) aspect of our Faith!

It was said by a servant of God, If anything could shake my faith in the Eucharist, it would not be the doubt as to how the bread could become flesh, or how Jesus could be in several places and confined into so small a space, because I should answer that God can do everything; but if I were asked how he could love men so much as to make himself their food, I have nothing else to answer but that this is a mystery of faith above my comprehension. O love of Jesus, do Thou make Thyself known to men and do Thou make Thyself loved!

"If Our Lord has shown us the example of suffering, then on the
contrary, we should almost have the desire to suffer with Him, the desire to
sacrifice ourselves with Him! And when the thorn of pain pierces us, we should
be happy, and find in this sacrifice our joy, our happiness, in associating
ourselves - as God wants us to associate ourselves - to the Passion of His Son
for the redemption of the world and for the redemption of our sins. Is this not
but another mark of love from God, His desire that we be united in suffering
with Our Lord Jesus Christ?

...

How beautiful it is, this Christian, this Catholic doctrine!
How completely it transforms our life! How completely it transforms our life
here below! And it is that which prepares us for life eternal "O crux, ave,
spes nostra!" We refer to the Cross as our hope, for in fact, the Cross is
only a road, a way: the way to eternal life, to glory. But it is necessary to
pass by way of the Cross! One must take up the Cross and bear it after Our Lord to arrive at eternal life. This via crucis should be ours throughout the course of our life so as to arrive at life eternal."

- Excerpts taken from a Sermon by Archbishop Lefebvre on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in 1975 at the Seminary in Ecône.

And here, is an excerpt from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Philippians, a beautiful piece of writing on his sentiments regarding death, how he longs to be with Jesus and yet at the same time, to stay on with the souls he so dearly loves, for the salvation of more souls for Jesus.

"For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if to live
in the flesh is my lot, this means for me fruitful labour, and I do not know
which to choose. Indeed I am hard pressed from both sides - desiring to depart
and to be with Christ, a lot by far the better; yet to stay on in the flesh is
necessary for your sake. And with this conviction I know that I shall stay on
and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, that your
rejoicing in my regard may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you
again.

...

Only let your lives be worthy of the gospel of Christ; so that,
whether I come and see you, or remain absent (St. Paul was hoping to be able
to visit them soon, this epistle was written from Rome in the year 63 A.D.) , I may hear about you, that you are steadfast in one spirit, with one mind
striving together for the faith of the gospel. Do not be terrified in any way by
the adversaries; for this is to them a reason for destruction, but to you for
salvation, and that from God. For you have been given the favour on Christ's
behalf - not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him, while engaged in the same struggle in which you have seen me and now have heard of me."

-Phil. 1:21-30

And thus writes St. Paul, so beautifully... :)

O beautiful Cross of my Jesus!

-------

A picture speaks a thousand words. Along the same lines, many pictures will do the trick. Therefore, many pictures will speak many many a thousand words ... :) haha :D ...

Today's the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, and here are some beautiful beyond beautiful pictures taken from this beautiful book, The Sign of the Cross by Msgr. Jean-Joseph Gaume, published by the Desert Will Flower Press, the Traditional, Trans-Alpine Redemptorists.

And the Cross is never complete, without remembering the other person who suffered just as much for our Salvation ... Her whose Blessed Feast of the Seven Dolors is tomorrow, Dearest Mother Mary:

St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and Holy Face, my dearest patron saint, a Carmelite, must have ate like this too? on Good Friday, in the Carmel at Lisieux ... :) very beautiful.



Read the caption that accompanies the picture, so wonderfully written I think:

To Create is to love; to conserve is to love; to Redeem is to love; to Sanctify is to love; to Glorify is to love. All Charity comes from the heart. God is, then, a heart. Do you know a Name more delightful? And this Name the Sign of the Cross repeats to us every time we make it.

And here's something to read on Quo vadis...


ECCE CRUCEM DOMINE
FUGITE, PARTES ADVERSAE,
VICIT LEO DE TRIBU JUDA,
RADIX DAVID, ALLELUIA.

-St. Anthony's Brief

Deus propitius esto mihi peccatori

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

The Most Holy Name of Mary + Visit to Mother Mary IV

Today's the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary, a beautiful feast, because the name of dearest Mother Mary, O is sincerely very beautiful, most amiable and lovely =).

From the book The Holy Eucharist by Saint Alphonsus Ligouri:

O My Jesus, when shall I really love Thee?

A Visit to Mother Mary IV :)

Here's the link to Visit number III.

My most sweet Queen, how pleasing to me is that beautiful name by which thy devout clients address thee: "Most amiable Mother!" (Mater amabilis) Yes, my Lady, thou art truly and indeed amiable. Thy beauty has captivated thy Lord himself: And the King shall greatly desire thy beauty. (Concupivit Rex speciem tuam. - Ps. xliv.12) St. Bernard says that thy very name is so amiable to thy lovers, that when they pronounce ot hear it they are inflamed with a fresh desire to love thee: "O sweet, O pious, O exceedingly amiable Mary! Thou canst not be named without inflamming, neither can thy name be heard without enkindling, the affections of those who love thee. It is, then, reasonable, my most amiable Mohter, that I should love thee. But I am not satisfied with only loving thee: I desire in the first place on earth, and then in heaven, to be, after God, thy greatest lover. If my desire is presumptuous, it is thou thyself who art to blame, on account of thy amiability, and the special love which thou hast shown me. If thou wert less amiable, my desire to love thee would be less. Accept, then, O Lady, this my desire; and in token that thou hast accepted it, do thou obtain me from God this love for which I ask thee, since he is so well pleased with the love which is borne thee.

Ejaculatory prayer: My most amiable Mother, I love thee much!

A Prayer of St. Damian

O Mother of God! cast upon us one look of compassion. I know that thou art full of goodness, and that thou lovest us in a measure that surpasses all other love. How often dost thou appease the anger of our Judge, when the hand of his justice is raised to strike us? All the treasures of mercy are in thy hands, and thou seekest every opportunity to save miserable sinners and to make them partakers of thy glory. Ah! never cease to interest thyself in our regard, that we may one day arrive at the happiness of seeing Thee in heaven; as the greatest good that we can enjoy, next to that of seeing God, is to see thee, to love thee, and to be under thy protection. Since thy Son desires to honour thee by refusing nothing that thou askest, hear our prayer, and intercede in our behalf.

Ejaculatory prayer: O Mary! I love thee as the most amiable of the works of God, and place my confidence in thee.

Deus propitius esto mihi peccatori

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

A Visit to the Blessed Sacrament

Et erunt oculi mei et cor meum ibi cunctis diebus. – 3 Kings, ix. 3.

Here's a beautiful, very beautiful visit to the Blessed Sacrament written by St. Alphonsus Ligouri:

13th Visit to the Blessed Sacrament
By St. Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri

My eyes and my heart shall be there always. (Et erunt oculi mei et cor meum ibi cunctis diebus. – 3 Kings, ix. 3.)

Behold, Jesus has verified this beautiful promise in the Sacrament of the Altar, wherein he dwells with us night and day.

My Lord, would it not have been enough hadst Thou remained in this Sacrament only during the day, when Thou couldst have had adorers of Thy presence to keep Thee company; but why remain also the whole night, when the churches are all closed, and when men retire to their homes, leaving Thee quite alone? Ah, yes! I already understand Thee: love has made Thee our prisoner; the excessive love which Thou bearest us has so bound Thee down on earth, that neither night nor day canst Thou leave us. Ah, most amiable Saviour, this refinement of love alone should oblige all men ever to stay with Thee in the sacred ciboriums, and to remain with Thee until forcibly compelled to leave Thee; and when they do so, they should all leave at the foot of the altar their hearts and affections inflamed with love towards an Incarnate God, who remains alone and enclosed in a tabernacle, all eyes to see and provide for them in their necessities, and all heart to love them, and who awaits the coming day to be again visited by his beloved souls.

Yes, my Jesus, I will please Thee; I consecrate my whole will and all my affections to Thee. O infinite Majesty of God, Thou hast left Thyself in this divine Sacrament, not only that Thou mightest be present with us and near us, but principally to communicate Thyself to Thy beloved souls. But, Lord, who will presume to approach Thee to feed upon Thy flesh? And who, on the other hand, can keep a distance from Thee? Or this purpose Thou concealest Thyself in the consecrated Host, that Thou mayest enter into us and possess our hearts. Thou burnest with the desire of being received by us, and Thou rejoicest in being there united with us. Come, then, my Jesus, come; I desire to receive Thee within myself, that Thou mayest be the God of my heart and of my will. All that is within me I yield, my dear Redeemer, to Thy love; satisfactions, pleasures, self-will, all I give up to Thee. O Love, O God of love, reign, triumph over my entire self; destroy and sacrifice all in me which is mine and not Thine. Permit not, O my Love, that my soul, which, having received Thee in the Holy Communion, is filled with the Majesty of God, should again attach itself to creatures. I love Thee, my God, I love Thee; and I will love Thee alone and forever.

Ejaculatory Prayer: Draw me by the chains of Thy love! (Trahe me vinculis amoris tui.)

A Visit to Mother Mary

St. Bernard exhorts us, saying: “Let us seek for grace, and let us seek it by Mary.” “She”, says St. Peter Damian, “is the treasure of divine graces.” She can enrich us, and she desires to do so. She therefore invites and calls us, saying: Whosoever is a little one, let him come to me. Most amiable Lady, most exalted Lady, most gracious Lady, look on a poor sinner who recommends himself to Thee, and who places all his confidence in Thee.

Ejaculatory Prayer: We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God!

Prayer of St. Ildefonsus

Most humble handmaid of thy divine Son! I prostrate myself before thee, conjuring thee to obtain pardon of my sins, that I may be cleansed from all the imperfections of my life. I entreat thee to procure me the grace of being always united to God and to thee, and to be ever a faithful servant of thy Son and of thee: of thy Son, as my Lord and my Redeemer; and of thee, as the cause of my redemption: for if he has paid the price of my redemption, it was with the body which he received from thee.

Ejaculatory Prayer: O Mary! Obtain for me confidence in thy intercession, and the grace that I may continually have recourse to thee.

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Indeed, the clichéd phrase, so ever present, so ever true ...

Like:

1) how much I miss going for Holy Mass as often as I can

2) how I cried, because of (I don't know why :D too, i must be getting too emotional [lol]) when I finally, after only 2 weeks of not touching the piano, played my favourite Beethoven piece, his Sonata in C minor op. 13 , Sonata Pathétique. Beethoven's musique is certainly very soul stirring, deep and very mature, the first movement of this famous piece made me cry. =) But I must say the third movement made me smile. =D

3) etc.

What must Jesus have felt, from the depths of His dearest, most amiable, most beautiful wounded heart, not withstanding all the sorrow He had to go through His passion etc., when He went through the Passion, the Crucifixion and all that He went through throughout His entire life? The love that must have been burning in His Heart for souls, so pure, so chaste, so beautiful, must be the driving force for every single action, every single thought, every single word of our dearest Jesus, our Redeemer, for though it was through one man, Adam that caused the downfall of men, it was through this new Adam, my Jesus :) and your Jesus too :), that the Redemption of mankind was secured.

And it was also solely this reason, this love that Jesus had/still has/will always have (yesterday/today/forever - the same) for US all, those humans with souls :), that made Him stay with us in the Holy Eucharist. He could not bear to be absent from us physically, He had to be with us. And this is why also the Holy Eucharist is called the Sacrament of love. Amor amorum, the Love of all Love, the pledge of Love, as St. Thomas says for love was the only motive which induced Jesus Christ to give us in it [the Holy Eucharist] his whole self..

St. John, the Apostle whom Jesus loved, has this beautiful expression, so sublime, before St. John started writing on the washing of the feet before the Last Supper (which Is the very very first Mass, the very first transubstantiation), from the Gospel according to St. John 13:1 Before the festival day of the pasch, Jesus knowing that his hour was come, that he should pass out of this world to the Father: having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

He loves us, still loves us and will forever love us - till the end. O, how beautiful it is!

But as with St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi and St. Rose of Lima (whose Most Blessed Feast day was yesterday): "Love is not loved! Love is not loved!"

A Spiritual Communion, Formula by St. Alphonsus Ligouri:

My Jesus, I believe that Thou art truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I love Thee above all things, and I desire to possess Thee within my soul. Since I am unable now to receive Thee sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.

As though Thou wert already there, I embrace Thee and unite myself wholly to Thee, permit me not that I shoul ever be separated from Thee. May the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ keep my soul unto everlasting life.

Amen.

Fortunate indeed shall I be, if I lose all to gain Thee, my God, my treasure, my love, my all!

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

13th Sunday after Pentecost

Today's the 13th Sunday after Pentecost :)

From the Introit of today's Holy Mass: Ps. 73:20, 19, 23, 1

Have regard, O Lord, to Thy convenant, and forsake not to the end the souls of Thy poor: arise, O Lord, and judge Thy cause, and forget not the voices of them that seek Thee. (Psalm) O God, why hast Thou cast us off unto the end: why is Thy wrath enkindled against the sheep of Thy pasture? Gloria Patri et Fili et Spiritui Sancti, sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

From the Collect of today's Holy Mass:

Almighty and everlasting God, give to us an increase of Faith, Hope and Charity: and that we may deserve to obtain what Thou dost promise, make us love what Thou dost command. Through Christ our Lord.

A beautiful picture from the book, The Sign of the Cross by Msgr. Jean-Joseph Gaume:

Here's a beautiful excerpt from the book, The Holy Eucharist by Saint Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri:

Affections and Prayers

Ah, my Jesus, Thou hast not refused to give me Thy blood and Thy life, and shall I refuse to give Thee my miserable heart? No, my dearest Redeemer, I offer it entirely to Thee. I give Thee all my will; do Thou accept it, and dispose of it at Thy pleasure. I can do nothing, and have nothing; but I have this heart which Thou hast given me, and of which no one can deprive me. I may be deprived of my goods, my blood, my life, but not of my heart. With this heart I can love Thee; with this heart I will love Thee. I beseech Thee, O my God, teach me a perfect forgetfulness of myself; teach me what I must do to arrive at Thy pure love, of which Thou in Thy goodness hast inspired me with the desire. I feel in myself a determination to please Thee; but in order to put my resolve into execution, I expect and implore help from Thee. It depends on Thee, O loving heart of Jesus, to make entirely Thine my poor heart, which hitherto has been so ungrateful, and through my own fault deprived of Thy love. Oh, grant that my heart may be all on fire with the love of Thee, even as Thine is on fire with the love of me. Grant that my will may be entirely united to Thine, so that I may will nothing but what Thou willest, and that from this day forth Thy holy will may be the rule of all my actions, of all my thoughts, and of all my desires. I trust, O my Saviour, that Thou wilt not refuse me Thy grace to fulfil this resolution which I now make prostrate at Thy feet, to receive with submission whatever Thou mayest ordain for me and my affairs, as well in life as in death.

Blessed art thou, O Immaculate Mary, who hadst thy heart always and entirely united to the heart of Jesus; obtain for me, O my Mother, that in future I may wish and desire that which Jesus wills and thou willest.

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

Another Visit to Mother Mary III

A visit to Mother Mary II :)

This is an excerpt from one of my favourite books, The Holy Eucharist by St. Alphonsus de Maria Ligouri. It's a visit to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother Mary, usually said/read/meditated after a visit to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. It's most beautiful, I feel. :)

A Visit to Mother Mary

St. Bernard says, that Mary is that heavenly ark, in which if we take timely refuge, we shall certainly be delivered from the shipwreck of eternal damnation: "She is the ark in which we escape shipwreck." The ark in which Noe escaped from the general wreck of the world was indeed a type of Mary. But Hesychius says, that Mary is a more spacious, stronger, and more compassionate ark. Only a few men and a few beasts were received and saved by the former, but Mary, our ark, receives all who take refuge under her mantle, and with certainty saves them all. Unfortunate should we be had we not Mary! But still, my Queen, how many are lost! and why? Because they have not recourse to thee. And who would ever be lost had he recourse to thee?

Ejaculatory prayer: Grant, most holy Mary, that we may all and always have recourse to thee!

O my sovereign Queen! thou art the treasure of God. and in thy hands are deposited those stores of mercy which he wishes to bestow upon us. Thou hast said, by the mouth of the prophet, that thou holdest in thy hands the treasures of heaven, to enrich those who love thee. (Prov. xviii.8). My loving Mother, I am an unfortunate sinner, and in the greatest need of help. Remember that I love thee with all my heart; yes, next to God, there is no object that I love so much as thee, because I know that this is due to thy unrivalled perfections. Have pity on me, and forsake me not; help me during life, and help me at the hour of death, that I may one day arrive at the enjoyment of thy happy society in the kingdom of heaven.

Ejaculatory prayer: O Mary! all my hopes are directed towards thee.

A little trivia: Since this is August, the month of the Immaculate Heart, Here is the Ave Maria in different languages! :) (as also posted in the Month of May, the month of Mother Mary =D)

Latin

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

Italian

Ave Maria, piena di grazia, il Signore è con te. Tu sei benedetta fra le donne, e benedetto è il frutto del tuo seno, Gesú. Santa Maria, Madre di Dio, prega per noi peccatori, adesso e nell'ora della nostra morte. Amen.

French

Je vous salue, Marie, pleine de grâce, Le Seigneur est avec vous. Vous êtes bénie entre toutes les femmes, et Jésus, le fruit de vos entrailles, est béni. Sainte Marie, Mère de Dieu, priez pour nous, pauvres pécheurs, maintenant et à l'heure de notre mort. Amen.

German

Gegrüßet seist du, Maria, voll der Gnade, der Herr ist mit dir. Du bist gebenedeit unter den Frauen, und gebenedeit ist die Frucht deines Leibes, Jesus. Heilige Maria, Mutter Gottes, bitte für uns Sünder jetzt und in der Stunde unseres Todes. Amen.

P/S: Does anyone know the Ave Maria in Chinese (Mandarin) ? :) Please put it in the comment function of this post ... Deo gratias et Mariae!

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

Another visit to our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary

A visit to Mother Mary I :)

This is an excerpt from one of my favourite books, The Holy Eucharist by St. Alphonsus de Maria Ligouri. It's a visit to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother Mary, usually said/read/meditated after a visit to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. It's most beautiful, I feel. :)

A Visit to the Blessed Virgin Mary

The devout Bernardine de Bustis says: "O sinner, whoever you may be, despair not; but with confidence have recourse to this Lady: you will find her hands filled with mercies and graces." "And know also," he adds, "that this most compassionate Queen has a greater desire to do you good than you can have to be succoured by her." I will ever, O my Lady, thank God for having taught me to know thee. Unfortunate indeed should I be, did I not know thee, or did I forget thee. Ill would it fare with my salvation. But, my Mother, I bless thee, I love thee; and so great is my confidence in thee, that I place my whole soul in thy hands.

Ejaculatory prayer: O Mary, blessed is he who knows thee, and puts his trust in thee!

Je vous salue, Marie, pleine de grâce, Le Seigneur est avec vous ...

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum ...

A Prayer of the Abbot of Celles - Most Beautiful! :)

Draw me after thee, O Virgin Mary! that I may run in the odor of thy perfumes. Draw me because I am impeded by the weight of my sins, and by the malice of my enemies. As no one can go to thy divine Son who is not conducted by his heavenly Father, so I presume also to say, that no one can approach this same Jesus but through thy intercession. Thou art the teacher of true wisdom: through thee sinners obtain grace because thou art their advocate; thou promisest to obtain help for those who honour thee, because thou art the treasure of God and the depository of all his graces.

Ejaculatory prayer: O thou, who art the salvation of those who invoke thee, save me!

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

The Holy Eucharist, The Sacrament of Love, Amor amorum

Je l'avise et Il m'avise! (I look at Him and He looks at me!)

The Holy Eucharist, The Sacrament of Love

All excerpts from The Holy Eucharist by Saint Alphonsus Ligouri and 20 Holy Hours by Fr. Mateo Crawley-Boevey, SS.CC.

Stay me up with flowers, compass me about with apples, because I languish with love. - Cant. ii.5

How much Jesus Christ deserves to be Loved by us, on Account of the Love He has shown us in Instituting the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar

“You envy,” said St. John Chrysostom, “the opportunity of the woman who touched the vestments of Jesus, of the sinful woman who washed His feet with her tears, of the women of Galilee who had the happiness of following Him in His pilgrimages, of the Apostles and disciples who conversed with Him familiarly, of the people of the time who listened to the words of grace and salvation which came forth from His lips. You call happy those who saw Him … But, come to the altar and you will see Him, you will touch Him, you will give to Him holy kisses, you will wash Him with your tears, you will carry Him within you like Mary Most Holy.” Thus Jesus is truly with us.

“Jesus is there!” The holy Cure of Ars could not finish repeating these three words without shedding tears. And St. Peter Julian Eymard exclaimed with joyful fervour, “There Jesus is! Therefore all of us should go visit Him!”

Jesus, knowing that His hour was come, that He should pass out of this world to the Father: having loved His own ... He loved them unto the end. - John, xiii. I.

Our most loving Saviour, knowing that his hour was now come for leaving this earth, desired, before he went to die for us, to leave us the greatest possible mark of his love; and this was the gift of the most Holy Sacrament.

St. Bernadine of Sienna remarks that men remember more continually and love more tenderly the signs of love which are shown to them in the hour of death. Hence it is the custom that friends, when about to die, leave to those persons whom they have loved some gift, such as a garment or a ring, as a memorial of their affection. But what hast Thou, O my Jesus, left us, when quitting this world, in memory of Thy love? Not, indeed, a garment or a ring, but Thine own body, Thy blood, Thy soul, Thy divinity, Thy whole self, without reserve. "He gave thee all," says St. John Chrysostom; "He left nothing for himself."

The Council of Trent says, that in this gift of the Eucharist Jesus Christ desired, as it were, to pour forth all the riches of the love he had for men. And the Apostle observes, that Jesus desired to bestow this gift upon men on the very night itself when they were planning his death: The same night in which He was betrayed, He took bread; and giving thanks, broke and said: Take ye, and eat: this is My Body. - 1 Cor. xi.23. St. Bernadine of Sienna says that Jesus Christ, burning with love for us, and not content with being prepared to give his life for us, was constrained by the excess of his love to work a greater work before he died; and this was to give his own body for our food.

This Sacrament, therefore was rightly named by St. Thomas, "the Sacrament of love, the pledge of love." Sacrament of love; for love was the only motive which induced Jesus Christ to give us in it his whole self. Pledge of love; so that if we had ever doubted his love, we should have in this sacrament a pledge of it: as if our Redeemer, in leaving us this gift, had said: O souls, if you ever doubt my love, behold, I leave you myself in this Sacrament: with such a pledge, you can never any more doubt that I love you, and love you to excess. But more, St. Bernard calls this sacrament, "Amor amorum" (the love of loves) becuase this gift comprehends all other gifts bestowed upon us by our Lord, - creation, redemption, predestination to glory; so that the Eucharist is not only a pledge of the love of Jesus Christ, but of paradise, which he desires also to give us.

And oh, with what desire does Jesus Christ pant to come into our souls in the Holy Communion! Desiderio desideravi hoc pascha manducare vobiscum - Luke, xxii. 15. With what desire I have desired to eat this pasch with you before I suffer. So He spoke on that night in which He instituted this sacrament of love. Desiderio desideravi, so did the excessive love which he bore us cause him to speak, as St. Laurence Justinian remarks: "These are the words of most burning love."

And in order that every one might easily receive Him, He desired to leave Himself under the appearance of bread; for if He had left Himself under the appearance of some rare or very costly food, the poor would have been deprived of Him; but no, Jesus would hide Himself under the form of bread, which costs but little, and can be found everywhere, in order that all in every country might be able to receive Him.

But why is it that Jesus Christ so desires that we should receive Him in the Holy Communion? Here is the reason. St. Denis says that love always sighs after and tends to union, and so also says St. Thomas Aquinas, "Lovers desire of two to become one."

In Holy Communion, Jesus unites Himself to the soul and the soul to Jesus; and this is not a union of mere affection, but it is a true and real union.

O how delighted is Jesus Christ to be united with our souls! He one day said to his beloved servant, Margaret of Ypres, after Communion, "See, my daughter, the beautiful union that exists between me and thee: come, then, love me; and let us remain ever united in love, and let us never separate again."

St. John Chrysostom says that the most Holy Sacrament is a burning fire; so that when we leave the altar we breathe forth flames of love, which make us objects of terror to hell. The spouse of the Canticles says: He brought me into the cellar of wine, He set in order charity in me. - Cant. ii.4. St. Gregory of Nyssa says that Communion is precisely this cellar of wine, in which the soul becomes so inebriated with divine love, that it forgets and loses sight of creatures; and this is that languishing with love of which the spouse again speaks: Stay me up with flowers, compass me about with apples, because I languish with love. - Cant. ii.5.

Our Lord said once to St. Matilda: "When you go to Communion, desire all the love which a soul has ever had for me, and I will receive your love according to your desire."

Affections and Prayers

O God of love, O infinite lover, worthy of infinite love, tell me what more canst Thou invent to make us love Thee? It was not sufficient for Thee to become man, and to subject Thy self to all our miseries; not sufficient to shed all Thy blood for us in torments, and then to die overwhelmed with sorrow, upon a cross destined for the most shameful malefactors. Thou didst, at last, oblige Thyself to be hidden under the species of bread and wine, to become our food, and so united with each one of us. Tell me, I repeat, what more canst Thou invent to make Thyself loved by us? Ah, wretched shall we be if we do not love Thee in this life! And when we shall have entered into eternity, what remorse shall we not feel for not having loved Thee! My Jesus, I will not die without loving Thee, and loving Thee exceedingly! I am heartily sorry, and am pained for having so greatly offended Thee. But now I love Thee above all things. I love Thee more than myself, and I consecrate to Thee all my affections. Do Thou, who inspirest me with this desire, give me also grace to accomplish it. My Jesus, my Jesus, I desire nothing of Thee but Thyself. Now that Thou hast drawn me to Thy love, I leave all, I renounce all, and I bind myself to Thee: Thou alone art sufficient for me.

O Mary, Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me, and make me a saint! Add this also to the many wonders thou hast done in changing sinners into saints.

My Good, my God, all mine Thou art;

Myself I give Thee, all my heart;

For Thee, and Thee alone, I sigh.

What have I in heaven? and besides Thee, what do I deisre upon earth? Thou art the God of my heart, and the God that is my portion forever. - Ps. lxxii. 25,26.

Quid enim mihi est in caelo? et a Te quid volui super terram? Deus cordis mei, et pars mea Deus in aeternum

Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, a contemplation

Jesus: Beloved soul, here in the Host where you see Me, I live silent, mute, perpetually bound before the modern Herods. Do you not hear, rising to Heaven, the insolent questioning which they make Me undergo, I Who am sovereign Power, Truth, and the sole Master of the world? I keep silence for love of you, for you whom I save by enduing the ignominious condemnation of the rulers of the world, judges of men but never of My doctrine. They seek authority and use it against Me, so you see Me the perpetual victim of their abuse of power. For them, thrones; for Me, the prisoner's bench; for them, the golden sceptre; for Me, always the reed of mockery; for them, a retinue which applauds and flatters them; for Me, jeering cohorts and executioners; for them, diadems and homage; for Me, the crown of thorns; for Me, forgetfulness, always forgetfulness!

And if at times in spite of themselves, these worldly powers evoke the remembrance of My Sovereignty, My Name alone is enough to cause a tempest of hatred, of legal persecution, and of blasphemy to break forth. Thus am I judged and condemned by the world which lives only by Me. I keep silence because in the Holy Eucharist I am the incarnation of a merciful love. But this revolt against My Sovereignty, this ignoring of My rights in the laws which rule nations is a direct insult against Me the Almighty Who dwells among men, reduced to seeming helplessness in the Sacrament of Love.

Is not this wrong, a real defiance of the Eucharistic God? Is this not an insul to Him Who speaks to you from the depths of His Tabernacle which often indeed becomes Pilate's Praetorium? Here, meek and humble, I bear the affronts of ruffians nad the contempt of the vilest men. I am taken out of this prison only when earthly tribunals order Me to be scourged, and then to be shown, covered with blood, to the angry mob.

O how consoled My Divine Heart feels by your reparation! The ardent love of My friends makes up for the scoffing of the powerful. You who are rich make reparation for these insults by your humility; you who are poor, by your resignation. From here, from My Tabernacle, I bless you, My very faithful friends. Speak, then, My children. You, the elect of My Heart, ask for miracles. Speak, I am the King of infinite mercy.

Jesus: See Me covered with wounds: My hands which beckon and bless are transpierced. My feet are lacerated. My brow bruised, My lips livid, My eyes blinded by Blood, My side opened by a deep wound. How men shudder at the sight of a God, bloodstained and crushed by sorrow, men who would have the delights of an anticipated Paradise in this land of exile. My love for you has brought Me to this condition. In the Tabernacle I expiate the thirst for pleasure and amusement that devours the modern world. ...

And I, your Jesus, I am held chained by love, I remain alone in My Tabernacle by the good, denied by the weak, forgotten by the greater number, condemned by unworthy rulers and scourged by the mobs raised up against Me. I loved My own above all things, even unto death, and those of My household preferred dust, the mire of the road, to Me.

Consider and see, you My friends, if there be a sorrow greater and like unto My sorrow!

To Jesus:

What have I, Lord Jesus, that Thou hast not given me?

What do I know, that Thou hast not taught me?

What can I do, if Thou dost not help me?

What am I, if not united to Thee?

Pardon, O pardon my faults that have so wounded Thee!

Thou hast created me without any merit of mine.

Thou hast redeemed me without my cooperation.

Thou hast done much in creating me,

And still more in redeeming me.

Wilt Thou be less powerful or less generous in forgiving
me?

For all the Blood Thou hast shed and the cruel death Thou hast
suffere.

Were not for the profit of the Angels who adore Thee,

But to my benefit and that of the sinners who implore Thee.

If I have then denied Thee, let me praise Thee,

If I have outraged Thee, let me love Thee,

If I have offended Thee, let me serve Thee.

For to live without loving Thee,

And to love without suffering for Thee,

O Jesus, that would be death without Thee.

O Esca Viatorum!

(for the midi file click here)

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

The Holy Eucharist

Stay me up with flowers, compass me about with apples, because I languish with love. - Cant. ii.5.

More to be continued tomorrow.. :)

A new link was added to the blog:

http://www.saintisidore.org/

A website with loads and loads of good Catholic infomation, audio sermons, links, pictures etc. There's also a link, which I will reproduce, to an online version of one of my favourite books, The Mystical City of God by Ven. Mary of Agreda. This book is about the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God. Yay. And guess who is the parish priest? It's Fr. Lester, who used to serve in the district of Asia and Singapore! :)

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

A Visit to Mother Mary

This is an excerpt from one of my favourite books, The Holy Eucharist by St. Alphonsus de Maria Ligouri. It's a visit to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother Mary, usually said/read/meditated after a visit to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. It's most beautiful, I feel. :)

A Visit to the Blessed Virgin Mary

What relief do I feel in my miseries, and what consolation in my tribulations, what strength do I not find in the midst of temptations, when I remember and call thee to my aid, O my most sweet and most holy Mother Mary! Yes, indeed, you were right, O ye saints, in calling my Lady “the haven of those who are in tribulation,” (Portus vexatorum) with St. Ephrem; “the repairer of our calamities,” (Restauratio calamitatum nostrarum) and “the solace of the miserable,” (Solatium miserorum) with St. Bonaventure; and “the rest from our mournings,” (Requies gemituum nostrorum) with St. Germanus. My own Mary, do thou console me. I see myself loaded with ins, and surrounded by enemies; without virtue, and cold in my love towards God. Comfort me, comfort me; and let my consolation be to make me begin a new life – a life which will be really pleasing to thy Son and to thee.

Ejaculatory prayer: Change me, O Mary, my Mother: change me; thou canst do it.

O Mary, how lovely is the name given to thee by thy faithful servants: most amiable Mother. (Mater amabilis) Yes, thou art truly amiable: thy beauty and thy goodness have won the heart of the King of kings, even of God himself. He has said to thee, How beautiful thou art, my beloved; and again, Thou art all beautiful, and there is no spot in thee. (Concupivit Rex speciem tuam. Quam pulchra es, Amica mea! Quam pulchra es! – Tota pulchra es, Amica mea, et macula non est in te. – Cant. iv. 1,7) If, then, thou art so dear to God, how can I a miserable sinner, and indebted to thee for so many benefits, refuse to love thee? I love Thee, therefore, my most amiable Queen, and I desire to be of the number of thy most devoted lovers. Accept my desire, and obtain for me from God the love which I ask, since nothing is more pleasing to him than to love thee.

Ejaculatory prayer: O my amiable Mother, grant that I may love thee with the greatest ardor.

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

Ferial

whoosh, and another week just flew by, literally. We always say how long our pilgrimage on earth here is, and thing is I feel that way too, terribly. :) it's like, it is long and I can't wait, it's in my bones I feel, I can't and I'm sure you can't wait to see heaven, to be with Jesus and Mary. (I think maybe you know what I'm saying) but when time just flies by like that, and you grow older each and every second of the time, it's almost like, it's long and you can't wait, but at the same time, everything just flies by and hey, it's literally quite fast. Right, I'm very tired now, that's why the words don't seem to come out the way I want them too. :) (I guess I will have to rephrase all that when I have the time too, haha)

Today's the 13th of July, 90th anniversary of the 3rd of the first 6 apparitions of the dearest, most Blessed Virgin, Mother Mary, the Immaculate Heart to the 3 children at Fatima. How beautiful it is, 90 years have passed and Mother Mary's promise, so beautiful, still lingers: My Immaculate Heart will Triumph. The last words of the 3rd secret. :)

Here's something very beautiful, from the book, The Holy Eucharist, by St. Alphonsus Ligouri:

Affections and Prayers

O Heart of Jesus, abyss of mercy and love, how is it that at the sight of the goodness Thou hast shown me, and of my ingratitude, I do not die of sorrow? Thou, O my Saviour, after having given me my being, hast given me all Thy blood and Thy life, giving Thyself up, for my sake, to ignominy and death; and, not content with this, Thou hast invented the mode of sacrificing Thyself every day for me in the Holy Eucharist, not refusing to expose Thyself to the injuries which Thou shouldst receive, and which Thou didst forsee, in this Sacrament of love. O my God, how can I see myself so ungrateful to Thee without dying with confusion! O Lord, put an end, I pray Thee, to my ingratitude, by wounding my heart with Thy love, and making me entirely Thine. Remember the blood and the tears that Thou hast shed for me, and forgive me. Oh, let not all Thy sufferings be lost upon me. But though Thou hast seen how ungrateful and unworthy of Thy love I have been, yet Thou didst not cease to love me even when I did not love Thee, nor even desire that Thou shouldst love me; how much rather, then, may I not hope for Thy love, now that I desire and sigh after nothing but to love Thee, and to be loved by Thee. Oh, do Thou fully satisfy this my desire; or rather this Thy desire, for it is Thou that hast given it to me. Grant that this day may be the day of my thorough conversion; so that I may begin to love Thee, and may never cease to love Thee, my sovereign good. Make me die in everything to myself, in order that I may live only to Thee, and that I may always burn with Thy love.

O Mary, thy heart was the blessed altar that was always on fire with divine love: my dearest Mother, make me like to thee; obtain this from thy Son, who delights in honouring thee, by denying thee nothing that thou askest of him.

Ejaculatory prayer: My Jesus, when shall I really love Thee? :)

O Precious Blood of Jesus, Save us!

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

First Friday

Continued from this previous post, here's the second part of this beautiful meditation by St. Alphonsus Ligouri:

Affections and Prayers

My dearest Redeemer, I will say to Thee, with St. Augustine, Thou dost command me to love Thee, and dost threaten me with hell if I do not love Thee; but what more dreadful hell, what greater misfortune, can happen to me than to be deprived of Thy love! If, therefore, Thou desirest to frighten me, Thou shouldst threaten me only that I should live without loving Thee; for this threat alone will frighten me more than a thousand hells. If, in the midst of the flames of hell, the damned could burn with Thy love, O my God, hell itself would become a paradise; and if, on the contrary, the blessed in heaven could not love Thee, paradise would become hell. Thus St. Augustine expresses himself.

I see, indeed, my dearest Lord, that I, on account of my sins, did deserve to be forsaken by Thy grace, and at the same time condemned to be incapable of loving Thee; but still I understand that Thou dost continue to command me to love Thee, and I also feel within me a great desire to love Thee. Oh, give me also the strength necessary to put it in execution, and make me, from this day forth, say to Thee earnestly, and from the bottom of my heart, and to repeat to Thee always, My God, I love Thee, I love Thee, I love Thee. Thou desirest my love; I also desire Thine. Blot out, therefore, from thy remembrance, O my Jesus, the offences that in past times I have committed against Thee; let us love each other henceforth forever. I will not leave Thee, and Thou wilt not leave me. Thou wilt always love me, and I will always love Thee. My dearest Saviour, in Thy merits do I place my hope; oh, do Thou make Thyself to be loved forever, and loved greatly, by a sinner who has offended Thee greatly.

O Mary, Immaculate Virgin, do thou help me, do thou beseech Jesus for me.

Ejaculatory prayer: My Jesus, when shall I really love Thee? :)

p/s:

Today's the end of my 3rd week in the lab. I'm getting more acquainted with the procedures and experiments, and also getting the hang of it all. Deo gratias et Mariae! :) Please do pray for me.

And yes, and yay, tomorrow's First Saturday, and also the said date that the Motu proprio will be published. Oremus pro Pontifice nostro BENEDICTO! Mother dearest, we pray for the triumph of thy Immaculate Heart! as thou hast promised. I love Thee!

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

Ferial

Today's day 3 of the dear lab, I'm starting to get a hang of the lab. Anyway, coming to the reason as to why I'm posting, I read this today, which is so very beautiful, the word beautiful sometimes I feel, does not aptly describe what and how very and extremely beautiful it is, no one can describe, maybe, and so it shall now be in my vocabulary, "beautifulness" ... :)

From The Holy Eucharist by St. Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri:

Meditation III
The Heart of Jesus Christ panting to be Loved.

Jesus has no need of us; he is equally happy, equally rich, equally powerful with or without our love; and yet, as St. Thomas says (Opusc. 63, c.7.), he loves us so, that he desires our love as much as if man was his God, and his felicity depended on that of man. This filled holy Job with astonishment: What is man that Thou shouldst magnify him? Or why dost Thou set Thy heart upon him? (Quid est homo, quia magnificas eum? Aut quid apponis erga eum cor tuum? – Job vii. 17.)

What! Can God desire or ask with such eagerness for the love of a worm? It would have been a great favor if God had only permitted us to love him. If a vassal were to say to his king, “Sire, I love you,” he would be considered impertinent. But what would one say if the king were to tell his vassal, “I desire you to love me”? The princes of the earth do not humble themselves to this; but Jesus, who is the King of Heaven, is he who with so much earnestness demands our love: Love the Lod thy God with thy whole heart. (Diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex toto corde tuo. Matthew xxii. 37.) So pressingly does he ask for our heart: My Son, give Me thy heart. (Praebe, fili mi, cor tuum mihi. – Prov. Xxiii. 26.) And if he is driven from a soul, he does not depart, but he stands outside of the door of the heart, and he calls and knocks to be let in: I stand at the gate and knock. (Sto ad ostium et pulso – Apoc. Iii.20.) And he besseches her to open to him, calling her sister and spouse: Open to Me, My sister, My love. (Aperi mihi, soror mea. – Cant. v.2.) In short, he takes a delight in being loved by us, and is quite consoled when a soul says to him, and repeats often, “My God, my God, I love Thee.”

All this is the effect of the great love he bears us. He who loves necessarily desires to be loved. The heart requires the heart; love seeks love: “Why does God love, but that he might be loved himself,” said St. Bernard; and God himself first said, What doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but that thou fear the Lord thy God … and love Him? – Deut. X.12. Therefore he tells us that he is that Shepherd who, having found the lost sheep, calls all the others to rejoice with him: Rejoice with Me, because I have found My sheep that was lost. – Luke xv. 6). He tells us that he is that Father who, when his lost son returns and throws himself at his feet, not only forgives him, but embraces him tenderly. He tells us that he that loves him not is condemned to death: He that loveth not abideth in death – 1 John iii.14, And, on the contrary, that he takes him that loves him and keeps possession of him: He that abideth in charity, abideth in God, and God in him. – 1 John iv.16.). Oh, will not such invitations, such entreaties, such threats, and such promises move us to love God, who so much desires to be loved by us?

To be continued ...

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)