Reflection: Saint Catherine of Siena...

Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire. Saint Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church

Today we celebrate the Feast Day of Saint Catherine of Siena. Our souls are like a garden of fruit trees. When we seek to do the Will of God, our souls will bear good fruit. How to we seek His Will? It is by listening to Him through prayer and silence and by united our crosses to the Cross of Jesus.

Have you ever walked through an apple orchard with a little child carrying a basket? There is such delight as the child pulls the apples from the trees and fills up the basket to overflowing. God delights in you. He wants to fill your soul so you will be overflowing with His love. As you draw close to Him, He will build virtues in your soul and He will set your heart on fire for Him.

God delights in YOU. Sit with Him as He fills your basket with the sweet and tender fruit which comes from His loving you and you loving Him in return.

Look at the sweetness of the tender fruit, the spotless Lamb, the seed sown in Mary as in a lovely field!...Our rational will has been made even stronger by God's union with humanity. I beg you in Christ gentle Jesus to lift your love, your affection, your desire up high. Take hold of the tree of the most holy cross and let it be planted in the garden of your soul, because this is a tree laden with fruits, the true solid virtues. For you see very well that beyond God's union with his creature, He has joined Himself to the Most Holy Cross. And He wills, He insists, that we too join ourselves to this sweet tree in love and desire. Then our garden cannot help producing sweet and tender fruit.  Saint Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church

"I have called you friends because I have told you everything I have heard from My Father. It was not you who chose Me but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain so that whatever you ask the Father, in My Name, He may give you. This I command you: Love one another." John 15:14-17 Today's Gospel

Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me under the shadow of Your wings. Psalm 17:8

Remain in My love...

Anima Christi
Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me.Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from Christ's side, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O Good Jesus, hear me. Within Thy wounds, hide me. Suffer me not to be separated from Thee. From the malicious enemy, defend me. In the hour of my death, call me. And bid me come unto Thee. That I may praise Thee with Thy saints and with Thy angels. Forever and ever. Amen.

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.  From the Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Jesus said to His disciples, "As the Father loves Me so I love you. Remain in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and remain in My love."  John 15:9-10

During Eucharistic Adoration or after receiving Jesus in the Eucharist, pray the 14th century prayer, Anima Christi, and ask Jesus to be with you as He gazes upon you with great love, saying,

Remain in My love...

Reflection: Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you...

When Jesus appeared to His disciples after He had risen from the dead, He greeted them with words of peace.

Imagine how they must have felt! On the Way of the Cross, most of them had abandoned Him. Yet when He came to them, He did not say, "Where were you? Why did you abandon Me?" Instead, Jesus spoke words of consolation and peace and He told His disciples not to be afraid.

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." John 14:27

Jesus loves you so much and He wants you to have His peace in your heart. How do you find that peace? Spend time with Jesus in prayer and in silence. When you are alone with Him, tell Him all the desires of your heart, tell Him all your fears and troubles. Then listen. When you quiet your mind and your heart, He will speak to you. As you spend time with Jesus, His peace will come upon you.

Meditation: Ponder these words and allow Jesus to speak in the silence. Open your heart to receive His love and peace. You are His beloved.

"Do not fear for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. You are precious in my eyes and glorious and I love you." Isaiah 43:1,4

Psalm 23: I need You Jesus...

This world can cause distress in the soul. Trusting in God is the key. When your heart and soul ache. turn to Him. Only God can restore you. God is always there, in times of trouble, anxiety and distress. He is there when we fall and when we are hurt. God is always there.

Simply cry out: "I need You, Jesus." Open up your heart and your mind to receive His love and peace.

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. In verdant pasture, He makes me lie down; to still waters, He leads me; He restores my soul. He guides me along right paths for the sake of His Name. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me, Your rod and Your staff comfort me. Psalm 23:1-4

Jesus, Comforter and Counselor, come in times of trouble with Your peace in the midst of the storms. Jesus I trust in You and I need You.

Reflection: The One who sits on the Throne will shelter them...

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

Jesus, our Good Shepherd, gives us refuge in times of distress. He calls us by name and He shelters us from danger and from enemies. When we are in trouble, He lifts us up on His shoulder and comforts us. He restores our soul.

Revelation 7:9,14-17 I, John had a vision of a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation, race, people and tongue. They stood before the Throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. Then one of the elders said to me, "These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb. For this reason, they stand before God's Throne and worship Him day and night in His temple. The One who sits on the Throne will shelter them. They will not hunger or thirst anymore, nor will the sun or any heat strike them. For the Lamb who is in the center of the Throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Meditation:  Imagine you have survived a time of great distress. You feel isolated and alone. You do not know what to do or where to go. Then Jesus picks you up out of the pit and places you on His shoulder. He looks at you and Love pours into your soul. You know you are not alone anymore. He shelters and protects you. Jesus is the Lamb of God who sits on the Throne. Speak to Him, open your heart and tell Him what happened to you. Let Jesus console and heal you. He will lead you to life-giving water and restore your soul.

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

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday, a day to remember our beloved priests. I have been blessed to know so many beautiful priests, good shepherds. There are two priests I want to remember in a special way today.

Fr. Kelly has been my pastor for the past six years. He has done so much for all of us. He is a beautiful priest and good shepherd and a dear friend of this prayer ministry. When he came to our parish, Saint Mary of the Assumption, he said his mission was, "Be only all for Jesus through Mary." He consecrated our parish on August 15, 2010 to Mary on the the Feast Day of the Assumption and he consecrated and he enthroned our parish to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Divine Mercy Sunday this year. His mission at Saint Mary's is complete. We send him off to his new assignments, pastor of Saint Paul Parish and Saint Paul's Choir School and senior chaplain at Harvard University, with an abundance of prayers and gratitude for all he has done for us. Fr. Kelly leaves a legacy of beauty at Saint Mary's through his love of God the Father, Jesus in the Eucharist, the Holy Spirit and our Blessed Mother Mary. Fr. Kelly has a gift of fostering and developing vocations and our parish has been blessed with many vocations through his spiritual guidance and the graces of Eucharistic adoration. His love of beauty in the liturgy, music and art will always remain in our hearts.

Fr. Greg is an Oblate of the Virgin Mary. Fr. Greg lives "all for Jesus through Mary" and he teaches others to consecrate their lives to Jesus through Mary. He has a burning love for the Divine Mercy of Jesus. Fr. Greg has been in the hospital for a long time. He is suffering with a very rare disease, but he continues his priestly ministry from his hospital bed. Being with Fr. Greg, you are not aware of his suffering for he has the same twinkle in his eye and love for others that he had before his illness began. There is a constant flow of visitors to see Fr. Greg: priests, seminarians, sisters, friends, hospital patients and hospital workers. Every day, he celebrates Mass and has a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration. He inspires 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. Recently, my friend Helen and I asked Fr. Greg for his spiritual guidance for a new apostolate we formed for healing from abortion A Kiss of Mercy

Pray for Fr. Kelly and Fr. Greg and all our beloved priests.

Immaculate Mary, Mother of God and Mother of Priests, pray for all our good shepherds and especially for Fr. Kelly and Fr. Greg. Keep them under your protective mantle of love.

Reflection: The Bread of Life...

Jesus said to the crowds, "I am the Bread of Life; whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst." John 6:35

Christ gives His Body and His Blood for the life of humanity, And all those who partake of His Banquet with dignity become living instruments of His Presence of love, mercy and peace. Saint Pope John Paul II Homily in 2004 announcing the Year of the Eucharist

The gift of the Eucharist is the Real Presence of Jesus. Ponder the words of Pope John Paul II.  By partaking in the Eucharist, we become "living instruments" of the Presence of God by spreading His love, mercy and peace. Jesus calls us to be "living instruments."

How can we become living instruments? By coming to Mass often, every day, if possible. During the Mass, we receive the Word of God and the Bread of Life which nourish our souls. When we are nourished with Christ, we can spread His love, mercy and peace to all those we encounter. It begins with an encounter with Jesus at the Holy Mass.

Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, one of the greatest theologians of the 2nd century, is best known for refuting the Gnostic heresies in his writings, Against Heresies, 180 A.D

He wrote teachings on the Eucharist:

"Christ has declared the cup, a part of creation, to be his own Blood, from which he causes our blood to flow; and the bread, a part of creation, he has established as his own Body, from which he gives increase to our bodies."

"For just as the bread which comes from the earth, having received the invocation of God, is no longer ordinary bread, but the Eucharist, consisting of two realities, earthly and heavenly, so our bodies, having received the Eucharist, are no longer corruptible, because they have the hope of the resurrection."

Our Blessed Mother is the Mother of the Eucharist.
Love of Our Lady and the Eucharist are central to the life of Catholics. This is symbolized powerfully by the great Polish Dominican Saint Hyacinth. When the Tartars invaded the city, he went forth to meet them, leading the procession of novices with the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance. Our Lady called out from her alabaster statue, "Take me with you." Saint Hyacinth responded that the statue was heavy and Our Lady answered, "My Son will make it light." Saint Hyacinth was able to carry the statue of Our Lady. He was armed and he walked through the Tartar danger unscathed. And so will we if, armed with the love of Our Lord in the Eucharist and the love of His Mother, we will find that nothing can take us from God. We need the Eucharist. We need the Our Mother.

She is the tree of life to them that lay hold on her, and he that shall retain her is blessed. Proverbs 3:18

Let us pray for our priests who bring the Eucharist to us. Lord, bless them and keep them holy. Blessed Mother Mary, Our Lady of the Eucharist, keep our priests under your mantel of protection always.

O Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, pray for us, stay with us always and help up become "living instruments" of Christ's love, mercy and peace.

Reflection: Today is Divine Mercy Sunday...This is the best day ever!

Jesus I trust in You.

Today is the Feast of Divine Mercy Sunday, the first Sunday after Easter. Jesus promised extraordinary graces on Divine Mercy Sunday when He said: "On that day are open all the divine floodgates through which graces flow." He wants us to ask Him and He calls on us to trust in Him.

"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

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 of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Run to confession, especially on this Feast Day of The Divine Mercy or within this week.

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.

My friend Heather reminded me that she gave a talk on Confession many years ago.  She said I spoke to her about Confession after her talk and I said, “I don’t even know what I would say.” As I share my thoughts on the Image of Divine Mercy, you will see why that is so funny!

Anyone who knows me knows that my heart is “on fire” for Divine Mercy.  How did that happen?  It was through Eucharistic Adoration, Confession and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. I want to focus on the rays of Blood and Water coming from the Heart of Jesus in the Image.

In the Gospel of Luke Chapter 12, Jesus said, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” 

When words like fire, earth and water are used in Sacred Scripture, there is always a deeper meaning behind them.  What did Jesus mean by setting the earth on fire?  Fire can do many things.  Fire can melt, destroy and heat up elements.  It also has the capacity to purify.  When a piece of iron is heated up by fire, it can be molded and shaped.  Without the fire, the iron remains cold and immovable.

And it is the same with us. This is how the Holy Spirit works in our lives.  When we allow the Holy Spirit to take possession of our hearts, He sets our hearts on fire.  Many times in Sacred Scripture, the image of fire is used as purification.  It is through the action and power of the Holy Spirit along with our cooperation that the fire of the Holy Spirit takes over our hearts.  He purifies us and fills us with His gifts and fruits to help us keep the fire burning for Him.  

How can you become "on fire" for the Lord? Spend time with Him in Eucharistic Adoration. Jesus set my heart on fire during adoration. My husband Dave and I have a date every Friday night with Jesus in adoration. It's the best date ever! Nine year old Lily Grace is the little one we prayed for and the reason the John 10:10 Prayer Ministry began. She is a little bundle of love. One of her favorite expressions is, "This is the best day ever!" Every day is the best day ever to Lily! We are so blessed by the love and joy she shares with everyone she meets!  

What do you do when you love someone! You spend time with them. That's how you get to know them. When you go to Eucharistic Adoration, just go, and spend time with Jesus. As you gaze at Him, He gazes back at you with great love. As you spend more time with Him, two great things happen. You get to know Jesus and He helps you get to know yourself. 

Saint Catherine of Siena said, "Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire."

During Eucharistic Adoration, Jesus is Present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. His Love pours out of the Eucharist like the rays of Blood and Water gushing forth from His Sacred Heart pouring into the heart of every person who comes to visit Him.

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. 

As I gaze at the Image of Divine Mercy, I think about confession.  Jesus set my heart on fire through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  After 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. 

In 2006, I went on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. One of Our Lady’s messages is monthly confession. I promised Our Lady I would make that a part of my life and I have.  I cannot begin to tell you the graces I have received.  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 others.  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.  

Jesus will entrust souls to you, souls He wants you to pray for.  I know a young man who had all the “things of the world,” a nice home, a fancy car, girlfriend and his own business. He was Catholic and went to church once in a while but didn’t take his faith seriously. One day, his grandmother committed suicide. That tragedy had a great effect on him.  On his way to work, he didn’t know why but he kept driving out of the way to pass by a church. He did this for a long time. Finally one day, he stopped and went in.  There was a priest in the church and he told the priest about his grandmother.  The priest told this young man that “there is no time with God” and that he could pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for his grandmother’s soul. The young man did this and his journey in prayer led him to the seminary and he is now a beautiful priest. 

Saint Faustina had a vision and heard the words of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy in her soul, “Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world; for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”  She began reciting this prayer constantly, offering it for the sick and dying. Jesus said to her, “Encourage souls to say the Chaplet which I have given you.  I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy.  The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is a powerful intercessory prayer that extends the offering of the Eucharist.  

Prayer is a spiritual work of mercy. Never give up praying for the conversion of a soul, living or dead. Jesus has entrusted that soul to you and He hears your prayers.  Do not waste your sufferings! Save souls by giving your sufferings and miseries to Jesus. Be apostles of Divine Mercy.  Consecrate your life to Jesus through Mary. Trust in Jesus more every day. Perform works of mercy and be merciful.

In this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy on Divine Mercy Sunday, I offer you a threefold challenge: make a weekly date with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration, promise Our Lady you will go to Confession monthly and pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy every day for the living and the dead.

Jesus we trust in You.