Reflection: Gethsemane...Jesus loves me!

Jesus is the Lamb of God who was slain. He suffered the Agony of the Garden of Gethsemane, the Scourging at the Pillar, the Crowning of Thorns, the Carrying of the Cross and the Crucifixion. He was led forth like a lamb to be slaughtered. Why did Jesus endure such suffering? He did it for you and for me. He loves us so much, He endured every kind of unbearable suffering. Born of the Virgin Mary, the lamb was seized from the flock and dragged off to be crucified on a Cross. He did it for us. He loves us so much! He takes away the sins of the world.

Gethsemane...Jesus loves me!

Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Reflection: From the crib to the Cross...

In the pain at the Foot of the Cross, Mary must have remembered the day of the Presentation when she and Joseph brought the Baby Jesus to the temple. She knew sorrow was to come through the words of Simeon:

Simeon said to Mary, "And you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed." Luke 2:34-35

Today, we stand at the Foot of the Cross with Mary. The pain of Jesus and Mary is unbearable. His pain is her pain. His agony is her agony. For three hours, Jesus suffered unspeakable pain yet He died this way so that we may live.

As we stand at the Foot of the Cross, Blood and Water gushes forth from the pierced side of Jesus, and He gives His Mother to John and to us:

"Behold your Mother." John 19:27

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

Mary, who brought Our Savior into the world and watched Him grow, stood helplessly at the Foot of the Cross. She knew this had to be and she accepted it, stood there and mourned silently.

Let us stand with Mary at the foot of the Cross and unite our sufferings with her. As His Body is taken down from the Cross and He is placed in Mary's arms, let us kneel beside them and tenderly speak to Jesus, our Merciful Savior.  No matter what we suffer, the pain of loss, rejection, abandonment, betrayal, illness, Jesus and Mary are with us.  We are never alone. Let us stand with Mary at the Foot of the Cross where Grace and Mercy meet.

Let us reflect on two words, and yet, from Morning Prayer from the Book of Habakkuk. Remember that no matter what sufferings and hardships we endure, the Lord is our strength and He will be with us always.

For though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit appears on the vine, though the yield of the olive fails and the terraces produce no nourishment, though the flocks disappear from the fold and there is no herd in the stalls, and yet I will rejoice in the Lord and exult in my saving God.  God, my Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet swift as those of deer and enables me to tread upon the heights.  Habakkuk 3:17-19


From the crib to the Cross...

A Kiss of Mercy Apostolate

Can you kiss a baby, a child or an image of the Baby Jesus? 

Jesus will use your kiss to heal someone who has been hurt by abortion and bring that person mercy, hope and reconciliation with God.

As part of this ministry, my dear friend Helen and I have formed an Apostolate A Kiss of Mercy for hope and healing from abortion.

Since the devastating Supreme Court decision of Roe v Wade that made abortion legal in the United States, more than 55 million babies have lost their lives. The impact on men, women and families is incomprehensible but we know the power of God through prayer.

Jesus was betrayed by the kiss of a friend.  But Jesus came to heal through His touch. We ask Jesus to convert, heal and reconcile to the Father one soul wounded by abortion for each Kiss of Mercy.

Through this Kiss of Mercy Apostolate, we call upon Saint Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower, to intercede for those who have been harmed by abortion. She took the name Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. Her Little Way was a way of simple trust and love of God. She said she could not do great things but she could do little things with great love for God. We can do little things like kiss a baby and we also fast and offer little prayers and sacrifices. Saint Therese prayed, in confident trust, that God would hear and answer her prayers.

"If God only stooped to the level of the most beautiful flowers, the symbol of the Holy Doctors, His love wouldn't be quite absolute, because it is Love's nature to stoop to the farthest limit...Just as the sun shines at the same time on the cedars and on every little flower as if it were the only one on earth, so does Our Lord take care of every soul as if there were no other soul like it."  Saint Therese, the Little Flower

Helen and I are asking you to respond to this email akissofmercy@gmail.com

We ask you to make a commitment to pray the A Kiss of Mercy Prayer and one Hail Mary every day and kiss a baby, child or an image of the Baby Jesus.

Jesus I trust in You.

With my kiss, convert, heal and reconcile to the 

Father one soul wounded by abortion.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Then we ask you to pass A Kiss of Mercy to everyone you know and ask them to respond with their own Kiss of Mercy. In this Little Way, we ask Jesus to bring hope and healing out of suffering.

Let us pray with the bold, audacious and confident trust of Saint Therese of Lisieux that Jesus will take all our Kisses of Mercy and make them flow into a River of Mercy for these suffering souls. Our kisses can surpass the more than 55 million babies lost to abortion. As the lance pierced the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the sword pierced the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we ask them to use our Kisses of Mercy to heal and reconcile to God all these wounded hearts.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us and on the whole world. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us and all those wounded by abortion. Saint Therese, take our Kisses of Mercy and place them in a basket before the Baby Jesus.

Saint Patrick and Saint Joseph, pray for us!

We celebrate the Feast Day of Saint Patrick on March 17th and Saint Joseph on March 19th.

Saint Patrick's Breastplate
Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me. Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

Confessions of Saint Patrick

I give unceasing thanks to my God, who kept me faithful in the day of my testing. Today I can offer him sacrifice with confidence, giving myself as a living victim to Christ, my Lord, who kept me safe through all my trials. I can say now: Who am I, Lord, and what is my calling, that you worked through me with such divine power? You did all this so that today among the Gentiles I might constantly rejoice and glorify your name wherever I may be, both in prosperity and in adversity. You did it so that, whatever happened to me, I might accept good and evil equally, always giving thanks to God. God is never to be doubted. He answered my prayer in such a way that in the last days, ignorant though I am, I might be bold enough to take up so holy and so wonderful a task, and imitate in some degree those whom the Lord had so long ago foretold as heralds of his Gospel, bearing witness to all nations.

How did I get this wisdom, that was not mine before? I did not know the number of my days, or have knowledge of God. How did so great and salutary a gift come to me, the gift of knowing and loving God, though at the cost of homeland and family? I came to the Irish peoples to preach the Gospel and endure the taunts of unbelievers, putting up with reproaches about my earthly pilgrimage, suffering many persecutions,even bondage, and losing my birthright of freedom for the benefit of others.

If I am worthy, I am ready also to give up my life, without hesitation and most willingly, for his name. I want to spend myself in that country, even in death, if the Lord should grant me this favor. I am deeply in his debt, for he gave me the great grace that through me many peoples should be reborn in God, and then made perfect by confirmation and everywhere among them clergy ordained for a people so recently coming to believe, one people gathered by the Lord from the ends of the earth. As God had prophesied of old through the prophets: The nations shall come to you from the ends of the earth, and say: “How false are the idols made by our fathers: they are useless.” In another prophecy he said: I have set you as a light among the nations, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.

It is among that people that I want to wait for the promise made by him, who assuredly never tells a lie. He makes this promise in the Gospel: They shall come from the east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is our faith: believers are to come from the whole world.

Saint Patrick, courageous missionary, teach us to speak the truth in love as you did and  pray for us and all families for whom we pray.

"Saint Joseph was a just man, a tireless worker, the upright guardian of those entrusted to his care. May he always guard, protect and enlighten families."  Saint Pope John Paul II

As we celebrate the solemnity of Saint Joseph, spouse of the Virgin Mary, we seek him as the patron of the universal Church and the patron saint of fathers, families, those in need, workers, travelers, the persecuted, the poor, the aged and the dying. The discretion with which Joseph carried out the role entrusted to him by God highlights his faith even more, which consisted in always listening to the Lord, seeking to understand His Will and to obey it with his whole heart and strength. This is why the Gospel describes him as a "just" man. The just man is the person who prays, lives by faith, and seeks to do good in every concrete circumstance of life.

Saint Joseph and fathers
Faith nourished by prayer: this is the most precious treasure that Saint Joseph transmits to us. Generations of fathers have followed in his footsteps who, with the example of a simple and laborious life, imprinted on their children's souls the inestimable value of faith. He is a model for fathers to live their mission in the family and society in an exemplary way.

According to ancient tradition, Saint Joseph watches over and protects the Church. He is considered the model of perfect Christian life and the patron of a happy death. His patronage extends over the Mystical Body of Christ, over the Christian family and schools, carpenters, fathers, laborers, and all individuals who appeal to his charity and intercession, especially in the hour of death. Joseph, when dying, received the loving ministry of his foster Son, Jesus, and his spouse, the Blessed Virgin Mary, so it is believed that his intercession may well obtain the mercy of God and the grace of a peaceful and holy death.

As the Bible tells us, Saint Joseph was descended from the royal house of David. A village carpenter of Nazareth, he was chosen among all men to be the husband and protector of the Virgin Mother of Jesus Christ. To his loving care was entrusted the childhood and youth of the Redeemer of the world. He reveals to us the perfect model of Christianity through his purity of heart, patience, and fortitude. Poor in worldly possessions, he was rich in grace.

Parent's Prayer to Saint Joseph
O glorious Saint Joseph, to you God committed the care of His only begotten Son amid the many dangers of this world. We come to you and ask you to take under your special protection the children God has given us. Through holy baptism they became children of God and members of His holy Church. We consecrate them to you today, that through this consecration they may become your foster children. Guard them, guide their steps in life, form their hearts after the hearts of Jesus and Mary.

Diary of Saint Faustina 1203
"Saint Joseph urged me to have a constant devotion to him. He himself told me to recite three prayers (Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be) and the Memorare once a day. He looked at me with great kindness and gave me to know how much he is supporting this work (of mercy). He has promised me this special help and protection. I recited the requested prayers every day and felt his special protection."


Saint Joseph, intercede for us, pray for all families. Protect and guard them as you did Mary and the Child Jesus.

Reflection: The Real Presence...

When we receive the Eucharist, do we really understand? We are receiving the Body, Blood Soul and Divinity of Jesus. How blessed are we that Jesus gave Himself to us!

Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen
The greatest love story of all time is contained in a tiny white Host. 

The Eucharist is Divine Mercy in our soul and intimacy with Jesus.

Diary of Saint Faustina 677
During a Mass celebrated by Father Andrasz, a moment before the Elevation, God's presence pervaded my soul, which was drawn to the altar. Then I saw the Mother of God with the Infant Jesus. The Infant Jesus was holding onto the hand our Our Lady. A moment later, the Infant Jesus ran with joy to the center of the altar, and the Mother of God said to me,

See with what assurance I entrust Jesus into his hands. In the same way, you are to entrust your soul and be like a child to him.

After these words, my soul was filled with unusual trust. The Mother of God was clothed in a white dress, strangely white, transparent; On her shoulders She had a transparent blue; that is, a blue-like mantel; with uncovered head and flowing hair. She was exquisite, and inconceivably beautiful. She was looking at Father with great tenderness, but after a moment, He broke up this beautiful Child, and living blood flowed forth. Father bent forward and received the true and living Jesus into himself.  Had he eaten him? I do not know how this took place. Jesus, Jesus, I cannot keep up with You, for an instant, You become incomprehensible to me.



Our Blessed Mother, in her beautiful words to Saint Faustina, invites us to come to Jesus like a child, trusting completely in Him. Come and spend time with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration. Open your heart to receive the Love He wants to give you. He is waiting for you to come to Him and rest awhile...

Reflection: Mother Mary, teach us how to pray...

The Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mother of God and she is our Mother. Mary teaches us how to pray as she taught the Child Jesus how to pray. As a little boy, she held His hand and guided Him. Mary wants to take you by the hand and guide you. Be still and reach out to her. Mary will take you into her heart,

When you receive the Eucharist, ask Mary to be with you, She will wrap her mantle around you and she will hold you close to her Immaculate Heart. She will teach you how to pray by pondering and keeping all things in your heart as she did. She will teach you how to listen in prayer and how to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. She will teach you how to contemplate the mysteries of the Rosary. She will teach you how to reflect on the hidden life of Jesus, the sufferings of His Passion, the Triumph of His Resurrection and the Institution of the Eucharist. Mary will teach you how to listen and quiet your heart so you can hear God's Will for your life and how to do whatever He tells you to do. Above all, Mary will teach you how to love Jesus with all your heart, mind and soul. Draw close to Mary and she will draw you close to Jesus, her Beloved Son.

Go to Mary and ask her to bless you, take you by the hand and teach you how to pray...

Just as two friends, frequently in each other's company, tend to develop similar habits, so too, by holding familiar converse with Jesus and the Blessed Virgin, by meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, and by living the same life in Holy Communion, we can become, to the extent of our lowliness, similar to them and can learn from these supreme models a of life of humility, poverty, patience and perfection. Blessed Bartolo Longo

After Holy Communion, close your eyes and recollect yourself. Then usher Jesus into the heart of Mary: you are giving Him to His Mother who will receive Him with great love and give Him the place of honor, adore Him profoundly, show Him perfect love, embrace Him intimately in spirit and in truth, and perform many offices for Him of which we, in our ignorance, would know nothing.  Or, maintain a profoundly humble heart in the presence of Jesus dwelling in Mary. Or be in attendance like a slave at the gate of the royal palace, where the King is speaking with the Queen. While they are talking to each other, with no need of you, go in spirit to heaven and to the whole world, and call upon all creatures to thank, adore and love Jesus and Mary for you. "Come, let us adore."  Saint Louis Marie de Montfort, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin

Take my hand, Maria.

Reflection: 24 Hours for the Lord...

Pope Francis in 2015 on the first initiative of 24 Hours for the Lord:

"As individuals, we are tempted by indifference. Flooded with news reports and troubling images of human suffering, we often feel our complete inability to help. What can we do to avoid being caught up in distress and powerlessness? First, we can pray in Communion with the Church on earth and in heaven. Let us not underestimate the power of so many voices united in prayer!"

The 24 Hours for the Lord initiative will be observed March 4-5, 2016 as a sign for the need of this prayer offered throughout the world. The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available for these 24 hours in designated churches all around the world.

God is rich in mercy.  Ephesians 2:4

This is your invitation. Jesus is calling you by name. Go and receive healing in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Jesus told Saint Faustina to bring her miseries, troubles and griefs to Him at the Throne of Mercy. He is waiting for you to do the same. Run and throw yourself into the arms of Jesus. Come and let Him love you. He will pour out His healing, grace and mercy upon you.

Jesus to Saint Faustina
My Mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world. Who can measure the extent of My Goodness? For you, I descended from heaven to earth; for you, I allowed Myself to be nailed to the Cross; for you, I let My Sacred Heart be pierced with a lance, thus opening wide the source of Mercy for you. Come then, with trust, to draw graces from this fountain. I never reject a contrite heart, Your misery has disappeared in the depths of My Mercy. Do not argue with Me about your wretchedness. You will give Me pleasure if you hand over to Me all your troubles and griefs. I shall heap upon you the treasures of My grace. Diary of Saint Faustina 1485 

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.  Opening Prayer of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy