Reflection: "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10

But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. John 10:2-3

I recall in a homily about this Scripture, my pastor said, "Listen to the voice of the Shepherd." He said, "How do we listen to the voice of the Shepherd? Through prayer."

When we spend time in prayer, reading the Scriptures, talking to God and listening to Him, we learn to hear His voice. We come to know when He is calling us.

Jesus is calling YOU by name. Can you hear His voice?

Spend time in silence with Jesus, talking with Him as you would with a dear friend. In Eucharistic adoration, Jesus is present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. In a chapel or church, sit before the tabernacle. Jesus is there and He is waiting for you. Make a quiet place in your home and sit in the Presence of the Lord. Go to a place where you feel peace, take a quiet walk or sit by the seashore or a lake. Wherever you go, place yourself in His Presence and listen. He will speak in your heart. You will come to know His voice.

What do you desire to do with a friend or loved one?  You want spend time together. You recognize one another's voice.  You listen and share your heart's desire.

Jesus wants you to spend time with Him and share your heart's desire with Him. He is the Good Shepherd who is always searching for you. When you turn away from Him, He never stops looking for you so He can draw you back. He protects you from danger and from enemies and always watches over you. He will console and heal you and restore your soul.

By His wounds, you have been healed. For you had gone astray like sheep but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. 1 Peter 2:24-25

What a comfort to know that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is the Guardian of our souls!

Place yourself in His arms and rest, knowing you are His beloved child. Be still and listen to His voice...

Jesus came that you may have abundant life, a life lived to the fullest, here on earth and eternal life with Him in heaven. In the Scriptures, there are so many stories of struggles, suffering and pain. Jesus is in the midst of all these difficulties and He is with you in all your sufferings too. Jesus brings peace, the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Jesus is calling YOU by name. Make time to place yourself in His Presence and listen for His voice.

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:10

Reflection: "I am the Good Shepherd."

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He is our Protector and our Refuge. When we wander away and get lost, He never stops looking for us. He knows us by name and we are His own. He watches over His flock and protects us from danger and from enemies. When we are in trouble, He lifts us up on His shoulder or under the safety of His arm and He carries us home.

I am the Good Shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11

Meditation:  Imagine you are lost in the forest, wandering, feeling afraid and alone. You cannot find your way out and you do not know where to go for shelter. The sounds of the night frighten you. Suddenly, you hear someone calling your name. It is the Lord, Jesus, the Good Shepherd. He gathers you into His arms and tells you He has been searching for you. He holds you close, as a loving father does. You are safe. Look into His eyes and tell him everything you have been through. Let Him hold you so close you can hear His beating Heart. Let Jesus console you and carry you home to the safety of His fold. You are not alone. Rest with Jesus.

The Lord is my Shepherd. There is nothing I shall want. Psalm 23:1

Today is World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Let us pray for vocations to our Mother Mary.

Mary, Most Holy, as a young woman living in obscurity, you nurtured with loving care, the Word of God made flesh. Please protect and accompany all young men and women to a vocation to the priesthood, consecrated life or marriage. Amen.

Today is also Good Shepherd Sunday.  It is a day to remember and pray for our beloved priests. I have been blessed to know so many beautiful priests, good shepherds. 

There is one priest I want to remember in a special way today. His name is Fr. Greg Staab, OMV (Oblate of the Virgin Mary). Jesus called him to his eternal home on March 1, 2018. Fr. Greg lived his life "all for Jesus through Mary" and he taught others to consecrate their lives to Jesus through Mary. He had a burning love for the Divine Mercy of Jesus. 

Fr. Greg was in hospital or rehabs for more than three years with a very rare disease, but his priestly ministry continued from his hospital bed. There was a constant flow of visitors to see Fr. Greg: priests, seminarians, sisters, friends, hospital patients and hospital workers. For as long as he was able, he celebrated Mass followed by a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration from his hospital bed every day. He inspired me and others with his deep love for the Eucharist and for Mary, our Immaculate Mother, his love for prayer and for the Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, his devotion to Saint Therese of Lisieux and Saint Faustina and to the Divine Mercy of God in Jesus Christ who bestows upon us unimaginable graces when we approach the Fount of His mercy.

Immaculate Mary, Mother of God and Mother of Priests, pray for all our good shepherds like Fr. Greg. Keep them under your protective mantle of love and pray for vocations to the priesthood, the consecrated life and marriage from our families, our parishes and our Church.

World Day of Prayer for Vocations

Reflection: The Conversion of Saint Paul...This man is a chosen instrument of Mine

Saul persecuted the Church without mercy. When Jesus came to Saul, from the sky, a light flashed around him. Jesus said, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" Saul asked who was speaking and the voice said, "I am Jesus, the Nazorean, whom you are persecuting." Saul knew that Jesus had died yet Jesus was speaking to him. Saul was persecuting His followers.

Acts 22:7-8  I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’  I replied, ‘Who are you, sir?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting.’

In an instant, Saul was forever changed. Immediately, upon hearing the voice, Saul could not see because He was blinded by the light. His friends led him and he could not see for three days. The Lord gave Saul three days of blindness as He worked on Saul's heart. 

Then the Lord sent Ananias to lay hands on Saul. The Lord said to Ananias, "Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of Mine to carry My Name before Gentiles, kings and Israelites." Acts 3:19 When Ananias laid his hands on Saul, he regained his sight and was baptized. Saul was transformed into Saint Paul because Jesus showered him with His love and mercy. He was the chosen instrument of Jesus.

You are God's chosen instrument, just as Saint Paul. In the darkness of the world today, you will be called to stand up and speak the truth, to be God's witness, to be His instrument. 

When you have an encounter with Jesus, you are always changed. Turn to Jesus and He will restore your soul through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and strengthen you with the Eucharist. Jesus will show you the way. He is the Way and the Truth and the Life. He shines light and scatters the darkness. He gives us the Bread of Life, the Eucharist, to strengthen, heal and nourish us.

Jesus will entrust souls to you, souls He wants you to pray for. 

Offer prayers, fast and make sacrifices for the person you are praying for. Never give up praying for the conversion of a soul. Jesus has entrusted that soul to you and He hears your prayers.

Saint Bernadette Soubirous, pray for us!

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Bernadette Soubirous. Our Lady appeared to her in Lourdes, France in 1858, when she was fourteen years old. The Blessed Mother appeared to her 18 times.

In one of the apparitions, she told Bernadette to drink from the fountain within the grotto. This fountain was unknown and there was no sign of its location. Bernadette scratched the ground and a spring gushed forth from the spot from which she was asked to build a chapel.

This is where The Blessed Mother proclaimed, "I am the Immaculate Conception."

Since Our Lady appeared to Bernadette, Lourdes has been a site for miracles. There have been 67 miracles from the site that have been proven scientifically inexplicable. Mount Saint Mary's Grotto of Lourdes was built two decades after the apparitions of Mary to Bernadette. The grotto at Lourdes is a place of miracles, healings, laying on of priestly hands, and blessings for the sick.

Bernadette entered the convent of the Sisters of Notre Dame in Nevers in 1866, serving our Lord with dignity, grace, and love in her short life. She passed away from tuberculosis in 1879 and was canonized as a saint in 1933. To this day, her body remains incorruptible, showing no signs of decomposition or decay, a sign of the miracles associated with her.

Saint Bernadette once said of the spring she discovered that “one must have faith and pray; the water will have no virtue without faith.” Let us all be inspired by this prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes approach her with faith, hope and love!  

Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Bernadette
Mary, you showed yourself to Bernadette in the crevice of the rock. In the cold and grey of winter, you brought the warmth, light and beauty of your presence. In the often obscure depths of our lives, in the depth of the world where evil is so powerful, bring hope, return our confidence!

You are the Immaculate Conception, come to our aid, sinners that we are. Give us the humility to have a change of heart, the courage to do penance. Teach us to pray for all people. Guide us to the source of true life. Make us pilgrims going forward with your Church, whet our appetite for the Eucharist, the Bread for the journey, the Bread of Life.

The Spirit brought about wonders in you, O Mary, by His power, He has placed you near the Father, in the glory of your eternal Son. Look with kindness on our miserable bodies and hearts. Shine forth for us, like a gentle light, at the hour of our death.

Together with Bernadette, we pray to you, O Mary, as your poor children. May we enter, like her, into the spirit of the Beatitudes. Then, we will be able, here below, begin to know the joy of the Kingdom of Heaven and sing together with you: Magnificat!

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.
Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

Reflection: "It is I. Do not be afraid."

Jesus came to the disciples, walking on the sea, and coming near the boar and they were afraid. 

Even though the disciples had just witnessed the miraculous multiplication of the loaves and fishes and even though they had spent so much time with Jesus, their fears took over.

When it was evening, the disciples of Jesus went down to the sea, embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid. But He said to them, "It is I. Do not be afraid." They wanted to take Him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading. John 6:16-21

The Lord comes to us in the middle of our "storms."

When we focus on the storms, the difficult circumstances, we are alone with our fears but when we cry out to Jesus, He calms us and tells us not to be afraid. Jesus takes us by the hand and raises us above the seemingly impossible surroundings.

Invite Jesus in your life and into the storms of life. When you rely on Him, the storms will not have as much affect on you.

Jesus spoke to the disciples: "It is I. Do not be afraid." He speaks these words to YOU.

Jesus calms us when we are afraid and we feel like the storms are overtaking us. Trust in the Divine Providence of Jesus. Be not afraid.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. 1 John 4:18

When you go through difficult, faith-testing circumstances, reach out to Jesus. Take His Hand when you are afraid, alone, abandoned or tempted. He is waiting for you.

"It is I. Do not be afraid."

Reflection: The Annunciation of the Lord

Today we celebrate the Annunciation of the Lord. The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her that she had been chosen by God to be the Mother of the Son of God, the Mother of the Savior of the world.

Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."  Luke 1:30-33

And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.  Luke 1:36-37

The angel Gabriel gave Mary two personal messages to encourage and strengthen her.

"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God." Luke 1:30

"For nothing will be impossible for God." Luke 1:37

This was a blessing to Mary that would strengthen her for the rest of her life, especially during times of great trial. Then the angel Gabriel revealed to Mary the pregnancy of Elizabeth. Both woman would bear a child through Divine Intervention. These two moments represent two of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary, the Annunciation and the Visitation.

Mary responded with her FIAT, her Yes to God:

Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Luke 1:38

How can you give your fiat, your yes, to God the way Mary did?
  
Ask Mary to come to you and help you to trust God the way she did. During the Mass, at the moment of the Consecration, ask Mary to give you a heart like hers. Remember that the Angel Gabriel told Mary to be unafraid. Bring your fears to God and say yes to Him, knowing that all things are possible for Him. Every time you pray the Hail Mary, you call upon her to come to your assistance. This is a powerful prayer through which you greet Mary the way the Angel Gabriel greeted her. Then you call upon her prayers and her assistance, "now and at the hour of our death."

God loves you so much and He wants to overwhelm you with His love. Enter into His Presence and allow Him to touch you with His healing grace. God created you and He wants you to live with Him eternally. God places the highest value on human life. He loves you so much that He sent His Son to become one of us, took on our human nature and became an innocent, completely dependent infant.

When we repeat the words of the angel by praying the Hail Mary, the Word of God dwells among us. Through Mary's humble, obedient Fiat, heaven and earth meet.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee...

Divine Mercy Sunday + The Divine floodgates which graces flow are open today

Today is the Feast of Divine Mercy, the first Sunday after Easter. 

Jesus I trust in You.

Jesus promised extraordinary graces on Divine Mercy Sunday when He said: 
"On that day are open all the Divine floodgates through which graces flow."

"My daughter, tell the whole world about my inconceivable mercy…the soul that will go to confession and receive Holy Communion (on the Feast of Mercy) shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day are opened all the divine floodgates through which graces flow. Let no soul fear to draw near to me, even though its sins be scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come from the very depths of my most tender mercy." Diary of Saint Faustina 699

Divine Mercy Sunday + Fr. Chris Alar, MIC + How to receive the extraordinary graces of this day

Act of Contrition
My, God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against You whom I should love above all things. With Your help, I firmly intend to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid those things that lead me to sin, our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In His Name, my God, have mercy on me.

Spiritual Communion Prayer
I wish, my Lord, to receive You with the purity, humility and devotion with which Your Most Holy Mother received You with the spirit and the fervor of the Saints.

Fr. Chris tells us to ask for these graces for ourselves and for a plenary indulgence for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and to pray this prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, You promised Saint Faustina that the soul that has been to Confession (I have or if I'm unable to go to Confession, but I made an Act of Contrition) and the soul that receives Holy Communion (I have or if I'm unable to receive Holy Communion, but I made a Spiritual Communion) will receive the complete forgiveness of all sins and punishment. Please, Lord Jesus, give me this grace.

In 1931, Jesus appeared to Saint Faustina in a vision and said, “Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You...My gaze from this Image is like My gaze from the Cross.” Jesus described the Image as a “Vessel of Graces” to which people could come and seek His love and mercy, as a source of grace, comfort, solace, hope and miracles. Jesus told Saint Faustina the two rays denote Blood and Water. 

O Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a Fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You.  Jesus I trust in You.

As I gaze at the Image of Divine Mercy, I think about confession. During the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we confess our sins and the priest extends his hand and gives the beautiful words of Absolution, I imagine Jesus standing over me pouring out the rays of Blood and Water from His Heart. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is God’s Mercy to us. He knows we are all sinners and He loves us so much. During confession, Jesus forgives our sins and He pours out His sanctifying grace upon us which helps us to sin no more and strengthens us to be the person He created us to be. 

Confession is where Grace and Mercy meet. Jesus told Saint Faustina to bring her miseries to this Throne of Grace. Once you receive God’s mercy, you have a great desire to share it with other people.  Divine Mercy is a great miracle in the soul. God can take our sufferings, hurts, sins, failures and faults and transform us into something beautiful for Him. God has called you to be His witness, his chosen instrument. In the darkness of the world today, you will be called to stand up and speak the truth, to be His witness. His mercy endures forever.

Jesus is the One we meet in confession and He comes, not just to forgive, but to heal, to free, to strengthen and to transform us through the power and grace of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Run to confession, especially on this Feast Day of The Divine Mercy or within this week. Jesus is waiting for you.

Reflection: On the Road to Emmaus, Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of the bread

On the road to Emmaus...

"Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?"

"Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread."

From Today's Gospel of Luke 24 on the road to Emmaus
And Jesus said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into His glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to them what referred to Him in all the Scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, He gave the impression that He was going on further. But they urged Him, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over." So He went in to stay with them.

And it happened that, while He was with them at table, He took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized Him, but He vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?" So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, "The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!" Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how He was made known to them in the breaking of the bread."

Meditation:
Let us walk with Jesus on the Road to Emmaus and listen to Him. Be still and let Him speak to you. Invite Him into the innermost place in your heart. "Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?" Speak to Jesus and ask Him: "Stay with me, Lord." Spend time talking with Him and then listen as He fills you with His love and peace. As you spend time with Jesus, you are consoling His Heart. As you console Jesus, ponder how when He comes to you in the Eucharist, He offers you "food for the journey", the Bread of Life, His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Ask Jesus to stay with you. He will never leave you alone. He will console your heart and remind how He was made known to you in the breaking of the bread. You are His beloved child.

Jesus, nourish us with Your Word and set our hearts on fire with Your love.

St. Padre Pio's Prayer after Communion "Stay with me, Lord."

Reflection: Saint Mary Magdalen, the apostle of the apostles

Saint Mary Magdalene was faithful to Christ even when the faith of the apostles wavered during and after the Passion. Since she proclaimed the news of the Resurrection to the apostles on Easter morning, she is often referred to as "the apostle to the apostles".

"Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb, fearful, yet overjoyed, and ran to announce the news to His disciples. And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them." Matthew 28:8-9

Fearful, yet overjoyed

During his homily at morning Mass today, our pastor said they were fearful of the unknown and they were overjoyed of what they knew.  

Think about the things you are fearful of and bring them to Jesus.  Once you have an encounter with Him, you are forever changed and your heart is filled with JOY.

The following reading is an excerpt from a beautiful homily preached by Pope Saint Gregory the Great around the year 600 AD:

When Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and did not find the Lord’s body, she thought it had been taken away and so informed the disciples. After they came and saw the tomb, they too believed what Mary had told them. The text then says: The disciples went back home, and it adds: but Mary wept and remained standing outside the tomb.

Let us reflect on Mary’s attitude and the great love she felt for Christ; for though the disciples had left the tomb, she remained. She was still seeking the one she had not found, and while she sought she wept; burning with the fire of love, she longed for him who she thought had been taken away. And so it happened that the woman who stayed behind to seek Christ was the only one to see him. For perseverance is essential to any good deed, as the voice of truth tells us: Whoever perseveres to the end will be saved.

At first she sought but did not find, but when she persevered it happened that she found what she was looking for. When our desires are not satisfied, they grow stronger, and becoming stronger they take hold of their object. Holy desires likewise grow with anticipation, and if they do not grow they are not really desires. Anyone who succeeds in attaining the truth has burned with such a great love. As David says: My soul has thirsted for the living God; when shall I come and appear before the face of God? And so also in the Song of Songs the Church says: I was wounded by love; and again: My soul is melted with love.

Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek? She is asked why she is sorrowing so that her desire might be strengthened; for when she mentions whom she is seeking, her love is kindled all the more ardently.

Jesus says to her: Mary. Jesus is not recognized when he calls her “woman”; so he calls her by name, as though he were saying: Recognize me as I recognize you; for I do not know you as I know others; I know you as yourself. And so Mary, once addressed by name, recognizes who is speaking. She immediately calls him Rabbouni, that is to say, teacher, because the one whom she sought outwardly was the one who inwardly taught her to keep on searching.

Song of Songs 3:1-4  "On my bed at night I sought him whom my heart loves. I sought him but I did not find him. I will rise then and go about the city; in the streets and crossings I will seek Him whom my heart loves. I sought him but I did not find him. The watchmen came upon me as they made their rounds of the city: Have you seen him whom my heart loves? I had hardly left them when I found him whom my heart loves."

Help us Lord, to follow Your Will for our lives, as Saint Mary Magdalene did. Help us seek You in all things and go and tell others about You Lord.

Saint Mary Magdalene, pray for us and for all the intentions we receive through this ministry and bring them to Jesus, the One we seek.

Jesus Christ is risen! Amen! Alleluia!

The tomb is empty! Jesus has risen from the dead. Amen. Alleluia!

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

JESUS IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

Let us glorify the Lord for casting out our fear and shining His wonderful Light into the darkness of the tomb. 

His LIGHT shines PEACE and LOVE throughout the world.

May we celebrate this Easter season with HOPE and JOY knowing that the Lord is with us. On this day of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ who died and rose from the dead for the salvation of the whole world, may we let our faith shine.

"On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him." So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead." John 20:1-9 

The stone was rolled away. Imagine how the disciples must have felt! They saw and they believed! After all their hopes had been shattered, Jesus rose from the dead! Jesus is the Light who shattered the darkness! He came to make all things new. He broke the bonds of death to make a new creation. Life overcame death. Love never fails!