Friday, May 27, 2016

SACRED HEART NOVENA - SECOND DAY


     SACRED HEART OF JESUS NOVENA 

                     May 25 – June 2
         
                        Second day

“Behold the heart that has so much loved men, and has spared nothing for love of them, even to consuming itself to give them pledges of its love, but which receives from the majority of men no other recompense but ingratitude, and insults towards the Sacrament of love; and what grieves Me most is, that these hearts are consecrated to Me.”
                 
                  THE HEART OF JESUS  
   IS THE MOST PERFECT MODEL OF LOVE

‘I will give them a Heart. I will make an everlasting covenant with them, and will not cease to do them good’ - Jer. 32: 40


Jesus has given us His Heart, with the Cross, the Thorns, the Wound, and the Flames, in order that we might give Him ours, without reserve or division, and strive to love as He loves. His Divine Heart is really the most perfect model of love for us, as we shall find in the second meditation. Let us commence by a general consideration to which the pious reader will be ever ready to return, though it has been before pointed out. The heart of man is the source of all good; it is also the principle of evil, of good and evil thoughts, of virtues and vices. ‘They come forth from the heart’. But the heart of a God is necessarily the most perfect of all hearts, the very temple and sanctuary of sanctity, the treasury of every virtue. The most sublime intelligences of heaven, the glorious Seraphim, the flaming Cherubim, are not able to look into the abyss of that divine ocean, nor fathom its depth, extent, or height. They contemplate it with ecstasy, and with eternal longings which never weary.
   Act of consecration to the Sacred Heart

O Lord Jesus, I consecrate my heart to you; place it in yours. It is therein I wish to breathe, to love, to live unknown to men. And known only to you. It is in this sacred heart I shall derive those loving ardors which should consume mine; it is there I shall find strength, light, courage, and true consolation. When sad, it will rejoice me; when languishing, it will animate me; when troubled and disquieted, it will encourage and uphold me. O heart of Jesus! May my heart be the altar of your love. May my memory preserve for ever the precious remembrance of Your mercies. May all in me express my love for your heart, O Jesus, and may my heart be disposed to offer you every sacrifice. O heart of Mary, the most amiable, compassionate, and merciful, after that of Jesus, present to his divine heart my love, my resolutions, my consecration. It will be moved by my miseries; it will deliver me from them: and, after having been my protectress on earth, O blessed Mother, you will be my queen in heaven. Amen.


Thursday, May 26, 2016

SACRED HEART OF JESUS NOVENA - FIRST DAY



     SACRED HEART OF JESUS NOVENA 

                    May 25 - June 2

         The Amiable Heart of Jesus

He who shows himself amiable in everything must necessarily make himself loved. Oh, if we only applied ourselves to discover all the good qualities by which Jesus Christ renders Himself worthy of our love, we should all be under the happy necessity of loving Him. And what heart among all hearts can be found more worthy of love than the Heart of Jesus? A heart all pure, all holy, all full of love towards God and towards us; because all His desires are only for the Divine glory and our good. This is the heart in which God finds all his delight. Every perfection, every virtue reign in this heart; a most ardent love for God, His Father, united to the greatest humility and respect that can possibly exist; a sovereign confusion for our sins, which He has taken upon Himself, united to the extreme confidence of a most affectionate Son; a sovereign abhorrence of our sins, united to a lively compassion for our miseries; an extreme sorrow. United to a perfect conformity to the will of God.

In Jesus is found everything that there can be most amiable. Some are attracted to love others by their beauty, others by their innocence, others by living with them, others by devotion. But if there were a person in whom all these and other virtues were united, who could help loving him? If we heard that there was in a distant country a foreign prince who was handsome, humble, courteous, devout, full of charity, affable to all, I who rendered good to those who did him evil; then, I although we knew not who he was, and though he knew not us, and though we were not acquainted with him, nor was there any possibility of our ever being so, yet we should be enamored of him, and should be constrained to love him. How is it, then, possible that Jesus Christ, Who possesses in Himself all these virtues, and in the most perfect degree, and Who loves us so tenderly, how is it possible that He should be so little loved by men, and should not be the only object of our love?

O my God, how is it that Jesus, Who alone is worthy of love, and Who has given us so many proofs of the love that He bears us, should be alone, as it were, the unlucky one with us, Who cannot arrive at making us love Him; as if He were not sufficiently worthy of our love! This is what caused floods of tears to St. Rose of Lima, St. Catherine of Genoa, St. Teresa, St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi, who, on considering the ingratitude of men, exclaimed, weeping, “Love is not loved, Love is not loved.”

       Affections and Prayers

O my amiable Redeemer, what object more worthy of love could Thy Eternal Father command me to love than Thee? Thou art the beauty of Paradise, Thou art the love of Thy Father, Thy heart is the throne of all virtues. O amiable heart of my Jesus, Thou dost well deserve the love of all hearts; poor and wretched is that heart which loves Thee not! Thus miserable, O my God, has my heart been during all the time in which it hath not loved Thee. But I will not continue to be thus wretched; I love Thee, I will always continue to love Thee, O my Jesus. O my Lord, I have hitherto forgotten Thee, and now what can I expect? That my ingratitude will oblige Thee to forget me entirely, and forsake me forever? No, my Saviour, do not permit this. Thou art the object of the love of God; and shalt Thou not, then, be loved by a miserable sinner, such as I am, who have been so favored and loved by Thee? O lovely flames that burnt in the loving heart of my Jesus, enkindle in my poor heart that holy fire which Jesus came down from Heaven to kindle on earth. Consume and destroy all the impure affections that dwell in my heart, and prevent it from being entirely His. O my God, grant that it may only exist to love Thee, and Thee alone, my dearest Saviour. If at one time I despised Thee, Thou art now the only object of my love. I love Thee, I love Thee, I love Thee, and I will never love anyone else but Thee. My beloved Lord, do not disdain to accept the love of a heart which has once afflicted Thee by my sins. Let it be Thy glory to exhibit to the Angels a heart now burning with the love of Thee, which hitherto shunned and despised Thee. Most holy Virgin Mary, my hope, do thou assist me, and I beseech Jesus to make me, by His grace, all that He wishes me to be.

  Act of consecration to the Sacred Heart

O Lord Jesus, I consecrate my heart to you; place it in yours. It is therein I wish to breathe, to love, to live unknown to men. And known only to you. It is in this sacred heart I shall derive those loving ardors which should consume mine; it is there I shall find strength, light, courage, and true consolation. When sad, it will rejoice me; when languishing, it will animate me; when troubled and disquieted, it will encourage and uphold me. O heart of Jesus! May my heart be the altar of your love. May my memory preserve for ever the precious remembrance of Your mercies. May all in me express my love for your heart, O Jesus, and may my heart be disposed to offer you every sacrifice. O heart of Mary, the most amiable, compassionate, and merciful, after that of Jesus, present to his divine heart my love, my resolutions, my consecration. It will be moved by my miseries; it will deliver me from them: and, after having been my protectress on earth, O blessed Mother, you will be my queen in heaven. Amen.


Wednesday, May 25, 2016

FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI

Disputation of Holy Sacrament by Raphael, 1509-1510
Disputation of Holy Sacrament by Raphael, 1509-1510

                         May 26

FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI

By: Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine

Why is this day called Corpus Christi?
Because on this Thursday the Catholic Church celebrates the institution of the most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. The Latin term Corpus Christi signifies in English, Body of Christ.

Who instituted this festival?
Pope Urban IV, who, in the decree concerning it, gives the following explanation of the institution and grandeur of this festival: "Although we daily, in the holy Sacrifice of the Mass; renew the memory of this holy Sacrament, we believe that we must, besides, solemnly commemorate it every year, to put the unbelievers to shame; and because vie have been informed that God has revealed to some pious persons that this festival should be celebrated in the whole Church, we direct that on the first Thursday after the octave of Pentecost the faithful shall assemble in church, join with the priests in singing the word of God," &c. Hence this festival was instituted on account of the greatness of the divine mystery; the unbelief of those who denied the truth of this mystery; and the revelation made to some pious persons. This revelation was made to a nun at Liege, named Juliana, and to her devout friends Eve and Isabella. Juliana, when praying, had frequently a vision in which she saw the bright moon, with one part of it somewhat dark; at her request she received instructions from God that one of the grandest festivals was yet to be instituted the festival of the most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. In 1246, she related this vision to Robert, Bishop of Liege, who after having investigated the matter with the aid . of several men of learning and devotion, among whom was Jacob Pantaleon, Archdeacon of Liege, afterwards Pope Urban IV. made arrangements to introduce this festival m his diocese, but death prevented his intention being put into effect. After the bishop's death the Cardinal Legate Hugh undertook to carry out his directions, and celebrated the festival for the first time in the year 1247, in the Church of St. Martin at Liege. Several bishops followed this example, and the festival was observed in many dioceses, before Pope Urban IV. in 1264 finally ordered its celebration by the whole Church. This order was confirmed by Clement V, at the Council of Vienna in 1311, and the Thursday after the octave of Pentecost appointed for its celebration. In 1317, Pope John XXII. instituted the solemn procession.

Why are there such grand processions on this day?
For a public profession of our holy faith that Christ is really, truly and substantially present in this Blessed Sacrament; for a public reparation of all the injuries, irreverence, and offences, which have been and are committed by impious men against Christ in this Blessed Sacrament; for the solemn veneration and adoration due to the Son of God in this Sacrament; in thanksgiving for its institution; and for all the graces and advantages received therefrom; and finally, to draw down the divine blessing upon the people and the country.

Had this procession a prototype in the Old Law?
The procession in which was carried the Ark of the Covenant containing the manna, was a figure of this procession.


The Church sings at the Introit the words of David:
INTROIT He fed them with the fat of wheat, alleluia: and filled them with honey out of the rock. Alleluia, alleluia alleluia. Rejoice to God our helper; sing aloud to the God of Jacob. (Ps. LXXX.) Glory...

COLLECT O God, who under a wonderful sacrament hast left us a memorial of Thy Passion; grant us, we beseech Thee, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of Thy body and blood, that we may ever feel within us the fruit of thy redemtion. Who livest...

EPISTLE (I Cor. XI. 23-29.) Brethren, I have received of the Lord, that which also I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and giving thanks, broke, and said: Take ye, and eat; this is my body which shall be delivered for you: this do for the commemoration of me. In like manner also the chalice, after he had supped, saying: This Chalice is the New Testament in my blood: this do' ye; as often as you shall drink., for the commemoration of me. For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink this chalice, you shall show the death of the Lord until he come. Therefore, whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink of the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. But let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord.

GOSPEL (John VI. 56?59.) At that time, Jesus laid to the multitude of the Jews: My flesh is meat indeed arid my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, the same also shall live by me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead. He that eateth this bread shall live forever.

[The explanation of the epistle and gospel is contained in the following instruction.]

The Jews, liberated by the powerful hand of God from Egyptian captivity, went on dry ground through the midst of the Red Sea, whose waters became the grave of their pursuer, King Pharao, and, his whole army. Having arrived in the desert called Sin they began to murmur against Moses and Aaron, their leaders; on account of the want of bread, and demanded to be led back to Egypt where there was plenty. The Lord God took pity on His people. In the evening He sent into their, camp great flocks of quails, which the Jews caught and ate, and on the morning of the next day the ground was covered with white dew, and in the desert something fine, as if pounded in a mortar, looking like frost on the earth, which as soon as the Jews beheld, they exclaimed in surprise: "Man hu?" "What is that?" But Moses said to them: "This is bread which the Lord has given you." And they at once began to collect the food which was white, small as Coriander seed, and tasted like wheat?bread and honey, and was henceforth called man or manna. God gave them this manna every morning, for forty years, Sabbaths excepted, and the Jews lived upon it in the desert, until they came to the Promised Land. This manna is a figure of the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar which contains all sweetness, and nourishes the soul of him who receives it with proper preparation, so that whoever eats it worthily, dies not, though his body sleeps in the grave, for Christ will raise him to eternal life.

INSTRUCTION ON THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT OF THE ALTAR

What is the Sacrament of the Altar?
It is that Sacrament in which under the appearance of bread and wine the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ are really, truly and substantially present.

When and to what manner did Christ promise this Sacrament?
About one year before its institution He promised it in the synagogue at Capharnaum, according to St. John the Evangelist: (VI, 24-65.) When Jesus, near the Tiberian Sea, had fed five thousand men in a miraculous manner with a few small loaves, these men would not leave Him, because they marvelled at the miracle, were anxious for this bread, and desired to make Him their king. But Jesus fled to a high mountain, and in the night went with His disciples to Capharnaum which was a town on the opposite side of the sea; but a multitude of Jews followed Him, and He made use of the occasion to speak of the mysterious, bread which He would one day give them and all men. He first exhorted them not to go so eagerly after the perishable. bread of the body, but to seek the bread of the soul which lasts forever, and which the Heavenly Father would give them, through Him, in abundance. This imperishable bread is the divine word, His holy doctrine, especially the doctrine that He had come from heaven to guide us to eternal life. (Vers. 25-38.) The Jews murmured because He said that He had come from heaven, but the Saviour quieted them by showing that no one could believe without a special grace from His Heavenly Father (V. 43, 44.) that He was the Messiah, and had come from heaven. After this introduction setting forth that the duty of faith in Him and in His divine doctrine was a spiritual nourishment, Christ very clearly unfolded the mystery of another bread for the soul which was to be given only at some future time, and this the Saviour did not ascribe to the Heavenly Father, as He did the bread of the divine word, but to Himself by plainly telling what this bread was: I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever, and the bread that I will give, is my flesh for the life of the world. (V. 51, 52.)
But the Jews would not believe these words, so clearly expressed, for they thought their fulfillment impossible, and said: How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 

(V. 53.) But Jesus recalled not His words, answered not the Jews' objections, but confirmed that which He had said, declaring with marked emphasis: Amen, amen, I say unto you, except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you., (V. 54.) He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life, and I will raise him up in the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed; he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, abideth in me, and I in him. As the living Father bath sent me; and I live ,by the Father; so he that eateth me, the same also shall live by me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead. He that eateth this bread; shall live forever: (V. 55-59.) Jesus, therefore, said distinctly and plainly, that at a future time He would give His own Body and Blood as the true nourishment of the soul; besides, the Jews and the disciples alike received these words in their true, literal sense, and knew that Jesus did not here mention His Body and Blood in figurative sense, but meant to give them His own real Flesh and Blood for food; and it was because they believed it impossible for Jesus to do this, and because they supposed He would give them His dead flesh in a coarse, sensual manner, that the Jews murmured, and even several of His disciples said: This saying is hard, and who can hear it? But Jesus persisted in His words: My flesh is meat indeed, and calls the attention of His disciples to another miracle: to His future ascension, which would be still more incredible, but would come to pass; and by the words: It is the spirit which quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing, the words that I have spoken to you, are spirit and life, (V. 64) He showed them that this mystery could be believed only by the light and grace of the Holy Spirit, and the partaking of His Bodes and Blood would not be in a coarse, sensual manner, but in a mysterious way. Notwithstanding this, many of His disciples still found the saying hard, and left Him, and went no longer with Him. (V. 67.) They found the saying hard, because, as our Saviour expressly said, they were lacking in faith. He let them go, and said to His apostles: Will you also go away? thereby showing that those who left Him, understood Him clearly enough, and that His words did contain something hard for the mind to believe. The apostles did not leave Him, they were too well assured of His divinity, and that to Him all was possible, as St. Peter clearly expresses: Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we have believed and have known that thou art Christ, the Son of God.


Last Supper by Juan de Juanes
From the account given by St. John, it is plainly seen that Christ really promised to give us for our food His most precious Body and Blood, really and substantially, in a Wonderful, mysterious manner, and that He did not speak figuratively of faith in Him, as those assert who contemn this most holy Sacrament. If Jesus had so meant it, He would have explained it thus to the Jews and to His disciples who took His words literally, and therefore could not comprehend, how Jesus could give His Flesh and Blood to them for their food. But Jesus persisted in His words, that His Flesh was truly food, and His Blood really drink. He even made it the strictest duty for man to eat His Flesh and drink His Blood; (V. 54) He shows the benefits arising from this nourishment of the soul, (V. 55) and the reason why this food is so necessary and useful. (V. 56.) When His disciples left Him, because it was a hard saying, He allowed them to go, for they would not believe His words, and could not believe them on account of their carnal manner of thinking. This holy mystery must be believed, and cannot be comprehended. Jesus has then promised, as the Catholic Church has always maintained and taught, that His Body and Blood. would be present under the appearance of bread and wine in the Blessed Sacrament, a true nourishment for the soul, and that which He promised, He has really given.

When and in what manner did Christ institute the most holy Sacrament of the Altar?
At the Last Supper, on the day before His passion, after He had eaten with His apostles the paschal lamb, which was a prototype of this mystery. Three Evangelists, Matthew, (XXVI: 26?29.) Mark, (XIV. 22-25.) and Luke (XXII. 19-20.) relate in few, but plain words, that on this evening Jesus took into His hand bread and the chalice, blessed and gave both to His disciples, saying: This is my body, that will be given for you; this is my blood, which will be shed for you and for many. Here took place in a miraculous manner, by the all?powerful word of Christ, the mysterious transformation; here Jesus gave Himself to His apostles for food, and instituted that most holy meal of love which the Church says contains all sweetness. That which three Evangelists. plainly relate, St. Paul confirms in his first epistle to the Corinthians, (XI. 23-29. ,See this day's epistle) in which to his account of the institution of the Blessed Sacrament he adds: Whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, (that is, in a state of sin) shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord . . . .eateth and drinketh judgment to himself. (V. 27-29.)

From these words and those of the three holy Evangelists already mentioned, it is clear that Jesus really fulfilled His promise, really instituted the most holy Sacrament, and gave His most sacred Body and Blood to the apostles for their food. None of the Evangelists, nor St. Paul, informs us that Christ said: this will become my body, or, this signifies my body. All agree that our Saviour said this is my body, this is my blood, and they therefore decidedly mean us to understand that Christ's body and blood are really, truly, and substantially present under the appearance of bread and wine, as soon as the mysterious change has taken place. And this is confirmed by the words: that is given for you; which shall be shed for you and for many; because Christ gave neither bread nor wine, nor a figure of His Body and Blood, for our redemption, but His real Body, and His real Blood, and St. Paul could not assert that we could eat the Body and Blood of the Lord unworthily, if under the appearance of bread and wine were present not the real Body and Blood of Christ, but only a figure of them, or if they were only bread and wine. This is also proved by the universal faith of the Catholic Church, which in accordance with Scripture and the oldest, uninterrupted Apostolic traditions has always believed and taught, that under the appearance of bread and wine the real Body and Blood of Christ are present, as the Ecumenical Council of Trent expressly declares: (Sess. XIII. C. I. Can. I. de sacros. Euchdr.) "All our ancestors who were of the Church of Christ, and have spoken of this most Blessed Sacrament, have in the plainest manner professed that our Redeemer instituted this wonderful Sacrament at the Last Supper, when, having blessed the bread and wine, He assured the apostles in the plainest and most exact words, that He was giving them His Body and Blood itself; and if any one denies that the holy Eucharist truly, really, and substantially contains the Body and Blood, the Soul and Divinity of, our Lord Jesus Christ, therefore the whole Christ, and asserts that it is only a sign or figure without virtue, let him be anathema."

Did Christ institute this Sacrament for all time?
Yes; for when He had promised that the bread which He would give, was His flesh for the life of the world, (john. vi. ga.) and had said expressly that whosoever did not eat His Flesh and drink His Blood would not have life in Him, He, at the Last Supper, by the words: Do this for a commemoration of me, (Luke XXII. 19.) gave to the apostles and their successors, the priests, the power in His name to change bread and wine into His Body and Blood, also to receive It and administer It as a food of the soul, which power the apostles and their successors, the priests, have always exercised, (I Coy. X. 16.) and will exercise to the end of the world.

How long after the change does Christ remain present under the appearance of bread and wine?
As long as the appearances remain; this was always the faith of the Church; therefore in the primitive ages when the persecutions were raging, after the sacrifice the sacred body of our Lord was taken home by the Christians to save the mystery from the pagans; at home they preserved It, and received It from their own hands, as affirmed by the holy Fathers of the Church Justin, Cyprian, Basil, and others. But when persecution had ceased, and the Church was permitted to profess the faith openly, and without hinderance, the Blessed Sacrament was preserved in the churches, enclosed in precious vessels, (ciborium, monstrance, or ostensorium) made for the purpose. In later times it was also exposed, on solemn occasions, for public adoration.

Do we Catholics adore bread when we pay adoration to the Blessed Sacrament?
No; we do not adore bread, for no bread is there, but the most sacred Body and Blood of Christ, and wherever Christ is adoration is due Him by man and angels. St. Augustine says: "No one partakes of this Body until he has first adored, and we not only do not sin when we adore It, but would sin if we did not adore It." The Council of Trent excommunicates those who assert that it is not allowable to adore Christ, the only?begotten Son of God, in the Blessed Sacrament. How unjust are those unbelievers who sneer at this adoration, when it has never entered into the mind of any Catholic to adore the external appearances of this Sacrament, but the Saviour hidden under the appearances; and how grievously do those indifferent Catholics sin who show Christ so little veneration in this Sacrament, and seldom adore Him if at all!

Which are the external signs of this Sacrament?
The form and appearance, or that which appears to our senses, as the figure, the color, and the taste, but the substance of the bread and wine is by consecration changed into the real Body and Blood of Christ, and only the appearance of bread and wine remains, and is observable to the senses.

Where and by whom is this consecration effected?
This consecration is effected on the altar during the holy Sacrifice of the Mass (therefore the name Sacrament of the Altar), when the priest in the name and by the power of Christ pronounces over the bread and wine the words which Christ Himself pronounced when He instituted this holy Sacrament. St. Ambrose writes: "At the moment that the Sacrament is to be accomplished, the priest no longer uses his own words, but Christ's words therefore. Christ's words complete the Sacrament."

Is Christ present under each form?
Christ is really and truly present under both forms, in Divinity and Humanity, Body and Soul, Flesh and Blood. That Jesus is thus present is clear from the words of St. Paul: Knowing that Christ rising again from the dead, dieth now no more. (Rom. VI. 9.) Because Christ dies no more, it naturally follows that He is wholly and entirely present under each' form. Hence the council of Trent says: "Whoever denies that in the venerable Sacrament, of the Eucharist the whole Christ is present in each of the forms and in each part of each form, where a separation has taken place, let him be anathema."

Then no matter how many receive this Sacrament, does each receive Christ?
Yes, for each of the apostles received Christ entirely, and if God by His omnipotence can cause each individual to rejoice at the same instant in the sun's light, and enjoy its entireness, and if He can make one and the same voice resound in the ears of all the listeners, is He not able to give the body of Christ, whole and entire, to as many as wish to receive It?

Is it necessary that this Sacrament should be received in both forms?
No, for as it has already been said, Christ is wholly present, Flesh and Blood, Humanity and Divinity, Body and Soul, in each of the forms. Christ promises eternal life to the recipient also of one form when He says,: I f any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever, and the bread that I will give, is my flesh for the life of the world. (John. VI. 52.) The first Christians, in times of persecution, received this Sacrament only in the form of bread in their houses. Though in earlier times the faithful, like the priests, partook of the chalice, it was not strictly required, and the Church for important reasons has since ordered the reception of Communion under but one form, because there was danger that the blood of our Lord might be spilled, and thus dishonored; because as the Blessed Sacrament must always be ready for the sick, it was feared that the form of wine might be injured by long preservation; because many cannot endure the taste of wine; because in some countries there is scarcity of wine, and it can be obtained only at great cost and with much difficulty, and finally, in order to refute the error of those who denied that Christ is entirely present under each form.

Which area the effects of holy Communion?
The graces of this most holy Sacrament are, as the Roman Catechism says, innumerable; it is the fountain of all grace, for it ,contains the Author of all the Sacraments, Christ our Lord, all goodness and perfection. According to the doctrine of the?Church , there are six special effects of grace produced by, this Sacrament in those who worthily receive it. It unites the recipient with Christ, which Christ plainly shows when He says: He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, abideth in me and I in him; (John VI. 57.) hence the name Communion, of which St. Leo writes: "The participation of the Body and Blood of Christ transforms ' us into that which we receive," and from this union with Christ, our Head, arises also a closer union with our brethren in Christ, into one body. (I Cor. X. 17.) It preserves and increases sanctifying grace, which is the spiritual life of the soul, for our Saviour says: He that eateth me, the, same also shall live by me. (John VI, 58.) It diminishes in us concupiscence and strengthens us against the temptations of the devil. St. Bernard says: "This holy Sacrament produces tow effects in us, it diminishes gratifiation in venial sins, it removes the full consent in grievous sins; if any of you do not feel so often now the harsh emotion of anger, of envy, or impurity, you owe it to the Body and Blood of the Lord:" and St. Chrystostom: "When we communicate worthily we return from the table like fiery lions, terrible to the devils." It causes us to perform good works with strength and courage; for be who abides in Christ, and Christ in him, bears much fruit. (John XV.) It effaces venial sin, and preserves from mortal sin, as St. Ambrose says: "This daily bread is used as a help against daily weakness: and as by the enjoyment of this holy Sacrament, we are made in a special manner the property, the lams of Christ, which He Himself nourishes with His own heart's blood, He does not permit us to be taken out of His hands, so long as we cooperate with His grace, by prayer, vigilance and contest. It brings us to a glorious resurrection and to eternal happiness; for he who communicates worthily, possesses Him who is the resurrection and the life, (John XI. 25.) who said: He that eatheth my flesh, and drinketh ? my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day. (John VI, 55.) He has, therefore, in Christ a pledge, that he will rise in glory and live for ever. If the receiving of this Sacrament produces such great results, how frequently and with what sincere desire should we hasten ~ to enjoy this heavenly banquet, this fountain of all grace! The first Christians received it daily, and St. Augustine says: "Daily receive what daily benefits!" and St. Cyril: The baptized may know that they remove themselves far from eternal life, when they remain a long time from Communion." Ah, whence comes in our days, the indifference, the weakness, the impiety of so many Christians but from the neglect and unworthy reception of Communion! Christian soul, close not your ears to the voice of Jesus who invites you so tenderly to His banquet: Come to me all you who are heavily laden and I will refresh you. Go often, very often to Him; but when you go to Him, do not neglect to prepare for His worthy reception, and you will soon feel its effects in your soul.

In what does the worthy preparation for this holy Sacrament consist?
The worthy preparation of the soul consists in purifying ourselves by a sincere confession from all grievous sins, and in approaching the holy table with profound humility, sincere love, and with fervent desire. He who receives holy Communion in the state of mortal sin draws down upon himself, as the, apostle says, judgment and condemnation. The worthy preparation of the body consists in fasting from midnight before receiving Communion, and in coming properly dressed to the Lord's banquet.
The holy Sacrament of the Altar is preserved in the tabernacle, in front of which a light is burning day and night, to show that Christ, the light of the world, is here present, that we may bear in mind that every Christian congregation should contain in itself the light of faith, the flame of hope, the warmth of divine love, and the fire of true devotion, by a pious life manifesting and consuming itself, like a light, in. the service of God. As a Christian you must believe that under the appearance of bread Christ is really present in the tabernacle, and that He is your Redeemer, your Saviour, your Lord and King, the best Friend and Lover of your soul, whose pleasure it is to dwell among the children of men; then it is your duty often to visit Him in this most holy Sacrament, and offer Him your homage and adoration, "It is certain," says: St. Alphonsus Ligouri, that next to the enjoyment of this holy Sacrament in Communion, the adoration of Jesus in this Sacrament is the best and most pleasing of all devotional exercises, and of the greatest advantage to us." Hesitate not, therefore, to practise this devotion. From this day renounce at least a quarter of an hour's intercourse with others, and go to church to entertain yourself there with Christ. Know that the time which you spend in this way will be of the greatest consolation to, you in the hour of death and through all eternity. Visit Jesus not only in the church, but also accompany and adore Him when carried in processions, or to sick persons. You will thus show your Lord the homage due to Him, gather great merits for yourself, and have the sure hope that Christ will one day repay you a hundredfold.

1. Thus St. Ignatius, the Martyr, who was instructed by the apostles themselves, rebukes in these words those who even at that time would not believe in the change of the bread and wine into the body and blood of the. Lord: "They do not believe that the real body of Jesus Christ our Redeemer who suffered for us and has risen from death is contained in the Sacrament of the Altar." (Ep. ad Smyr.) Thus St. Irenaeus who was a disciple of St. Polycarp, a pupil of St. John the Evangelist, writes: "Of the bread is made the body of Christ" (Lib. IV adv. haer.) In the same manner St. Cyril: "Since Christ our Lord said of this bread, This is my body, who dares doubt it? Since He said, This is my blood, who dares to say, it is not His blood?" (Lib. IV. regul. Cat.) and in another place: "Bread and wine which before the invocation of the most Holy Trinity were only bread and wine, become after this invocation the body and blood of Christ." (Cat. myrt. I.)

What can the unbelievers say to this testimony? Do they know the truth better than those apostles who themselves saw and heard Jesus at the Last Supper, and who taught their disciples that which they had seen and heard? All Christian antiquity proves the error of these heretics:


Additional Info.
Disputation of Holy Sacrament by Raphael, 1509-1510
In the painting, Raphael has created a scene spanning both heaven and earth. Above, Christ is surrounded by a halo, with the Blessed Virgin Mary, John the Baptist on his right and left. Other various biblical figures such as Adam, Jacob and Moses are to the sides. God the Father sits above Jesus, depicted reigning over the golden light of heaven, and below Christ's feet is the Holy Spirit. On opposite sides of the Holy Spirit are the four gospels, held by putto. Below, on the altar sits the monstrance.

The altar is flanked by theologians who are depicted debating Transubstantiation. Christ's Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity is the Holy Eucharist, which is discussed by representatives of the Church; among them are the original four Doctors of the Church, with Pope Gregory I and Jerome seated to the left of the altar and Augustine and Ambrose to the right, Pope Julius II, Pope Sixtus IV, Savonarola and Dante Alighieri. Pope Sixtus IV is the gold dressed pope in the bottom of the painting. Directly behind Sixtus is Dante, wearing red and sporting a laurel wreath (symbolizing his greatness as a poet). The bald figure reading a book and leaning over a railing in the left hand corner is Raphael's mentor and Renaissance architect Bramante.


Read Free online Goffinés Devout instructions on the Epistles and Gospels for the Sundays and holydays.




Tuesday, May 24, 2016

CORPUS CHRISTI NOVENA - NINTH DAY


          CORPUS CHRISTI
               NOVENA

              Ninth day

               
Meditation

Thou art here, every day, at once Victim and Priest, and Thy love has enclosed Thee in this Sacrament, as my security, as my powerful Mediator; and Thou dost execute the functions of both, Thou payest therewith my debts, and Thou obtainest my reconciliation! What ought I not to expect from a redemption so powerful, and from a love so generous, whatever sins I may have committed! Thou art found every day on all the altars of the Christian world, where Thou offerest Thyself in a sacrifice for the love of me; Thou multipliest thus Thy miracles in multiplying Thy Divine presence in a thousand different and distant places, in order to multiply towards me loving testimonies of Thy goodness always new.

Behold Thee, 0 my God, placed in the midst of sinners, to give them a convenient asylum, and, if I may venture to say it, a domestic asylum, in which they can take refuge in safety from the vengeance of divine justice; and all the temples which are consecrated to Thee, and which Thou honourest with Thy divine presence, are so many refuges and safe asylums, in which a penitent sinner has nothing to fear, neither from hell, nor from heaven itself, when, in the posture of a criminal, he implores Thy mercy with a contrite and humble heart, and is resolved to satisfy Thy justice by fruits worthy of penance.

I thank Thee, Jesus, my Divine Redeemer, for coming upon this earth for our salvation, and for instituting the august Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist in order to remain with us until the end of the world.

I thank Thee for hiding beneath the Eucharistic species Thy infinite majesty and beauty, which Thy Angels delight to behold, so that I might have courage to approach the throne of Thy Mercy.

I thank Thee, most loving Jesus, for having made Thyself my food, and for uniting me to Thyself with so much love in this wonderful Sacrament that I may live in Thee.

I thank Thee, my Jesus, for giving Thyself to me in this Most Blessed Sacrament, and so enriching it with the treasures of Thy love that Thou hast no greater gift to give me.

I thank Thee not only for becoming my food but also for offering Thyself as a continual sacrifice to Thy Eternal Father for my salvation.  I thank Thee, Divine Priest, for offering Thyself as a Sacrifice daily upon our altars in adoration and homage to the Most Blessed Trinity, and for making amends for our poor and miserable adorations.

I thank Thee for renewing in this daily Sacrifice the actual propitiatory Sacrifice of the Cross offered on Calvary, in which Thou satisfiest Divine justice for us poor sinners.


I thank Thee, dear Jesus, for having become the priceless Victim to merit for me the fullness of Heavenly favors. Awaken in me such confidence in Thee that their fullness may descend ever more fruitfully upon my soul and let me always be worthy of Thee.

I thank Thee for offering Thyself in thanksgiving to God for all His benefits, spiritual and temporal, which He hath bestowed upon me. In union with Thine offering of Thyself to Thy Father in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, I ask for this special favor:

              (Mention your petition here)

If it be Thy holy Will, grant my request. Through Thee I also hope to receive the grace of perseverance in Thy love and faithful service, a holy death, and a happy eternity with Thee in Heaven. Amen.

O Lord, Thou hast given us this Sacred Banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of His Passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us who are worthy of Thee. Thou hast given them bread from Heaven. Having all sweetness within.

              Prayer

God our Father, for Thy glory and our salvation Thou appointed Jesus Christ eternal High Priest. May the souls He gained for  Thee by His Blood come to share in the power of His Cross and Resurrection by celebrating His Memorial in this Most Blessed Sacrament, for He liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, forever. Amen.

O Jesus, since Thou hast left us a remembrance of Thy Passion beneath the veils of this Sacrament, grant us, we pray, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of Thy Body and Blood that we may always enjoy the fruits of Thy Redemption through Christ our Lord. Amen.


Saturday, May 21, 2016

CORPUS CHRISTI NOVENA - FIFTH DAY


           Novena in Preparation for the 
               Feast of CORPUS CHRISTI

                       MEDITATION

It is sweet to every one to be in the society of a dearly loved friend, and can it be otherwise to us, in this vale of tears, to remain with our best Friend, Who can give us all that we need, and Who loves us so especially as to remain always with us? Here, in the most holy Sacrament, we may speak to Jesus as much as we please; we may open to Him our hearts, lay all our wants before Him, and implore His graces: in short, we may speak to the King of Heaven in this Sacrament with the utmost confidence, and without restraint. "Behold I am with you all days:  I am here," He says, "entirely yours; I have come from Heaven, to this your prison, on purpose to comfort, and help, and free you; receive Me; remain with Me; cling to Me; and thus you shall not feel your miseries, but shall come, at length, to My Kingdom, where I will make you completely happy."


I thank Thee, Jesus, my Divine Redeemer, for coming upon this earth for our salvation, and for instituting the august Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist in order to remain with us until the end of the world.

I thank Thee for hiding beneath the Eucharistic species Thy infinite majesty and beauty, which Thy Angels delight to behold, so that I might have courage to approach the throne of Thy Mercy.

I thank Thee, most loving Jesus, for having made Thyself my food, and for uniting me to Thyself with so much love in this wonderful Sacrament that I may live in Thee.

I thank Thee, my Jesus, for giving Thyself to me in this Most Blessed Sacrament, and so enriching it with the treasures of Thy love that Thou hast no greater gift to give me.

I thank Thee not only for becoming my food but also for offering Thyself as a continual sacrifice to Thy Eternal Father for my salvation.  I thank Thee, Divine Priest, for offering Thyself as a Sacrifice daily upon our altars in adoration and homage to the Most Blessed Trinity, and for making amends for our poor and miserable adorations.

I thank Thee for renewing in this daily Sacrifice the actual propitiatory Sacrifice of the Cross offered on Calvary, in which Thou satisfiest Divine justice for us poor sinners.

I thank Thee, dear Jesus, for having become the priceless Victim to merit for me the fullness of Heavenly favors. Awaken in me such confidence in Thee that their fullness may descend ever more fruitfully upon my soul and let me always be worthy of Thee.

I thank Thee for offering Thyself in thanksgiving to God for all His benefits, spiritual and temporal, which He hath bestowed upon me. In union with Thine offering of Thyself to Thy Father in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, I ask for this special favor:

              (Mention your petition here)

If it be Thy holy Will, grant my request. Through Thee I also hope to receive the grace of perseverance in Thy love and faithful service, a holy death, and a happy eternity with Thee in Heaven. Amen.


O Lord, Thou hast given us this Sacred Banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of His Passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us who are worthy of Thee. Thou hast given them bread from Heaven. Having all sweetness within.

                            Prayer
God our Father, for Thy glory and our salvation Thou appointed Jesus Christ eternal High Priest. May the souls He gained for  Thee by His Blood come to share in the power of His Cross and Resurrection by celebrating His Memorial in this Most Blessed Sacrament, for He liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, forever. Amen.

O Jesus, since Thou hast left us a remembrance of Thy Passion beneath the veils of this Sacrament, grant us, we pray, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of Thy Body and Blood that we may always enjoy the fruits of Thy Redemption through Christ our Lord. Amen.



OUR LADY HELP OF CHRISTIANS - SEVENTH DAY

Mary Help of Christians

OUR LADY HELP OF CHRISTIANS - SEVENTH DAY 

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, and sought your intercession, was left unaided, inspired with this confidence I fly unto you; O Virgin of virgins, my Mother! To you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful, O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

PRAYER

O Virgin Most Holy, powerful help of Christians, I confidently appeal to the throne of your mercy. Hear the prayers of this poor sinner that begs your help, so I may always flee from sin and from the occasions of sin. Behold the first grace that I ask from this novena. Amen.

O Mary, gracious and merciful Mother, by your efficacious intercession, you have saved Christians from plagues and other bodily scourges, help me and deliver me from the disease of impiety and irreligion which creeps into my soul in many ways to turn me away from the Church and the practices of religion. I implore you; watch over the good that they may persevere, strengthen the weak and call poor sinners to repentance, that truth and the Kingdom of Jesus Christ may triumph here on earth, so that Your glory and the number of the elect may be increased in Heaven.


Mary, powerful Virgin, Thou art the mighty and glorious protector of holy Church; thou art the marvelous help of Christians; thou art terrible as an army in battle array; thou alone hast destroyed every heresy in the whole world.  In the midst of our anguish, our struggles and our distress defend us from the power of the enemy and at the hour of our death receive our souls in paradise.  Amen.

Our Father (3x)

Our Father, Who art in heaven Hallowed be Thy Name; Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen

Hail Mary (3x)

Hail Mary, full of grace. Our Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory Be (3x)

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Hail Holy Queen (1x)

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.

Mary, Help of Christians, Pray for us.

O Almighty and Merciful God, you have given the Blessed Virgin Mary to all Christians as their everlasting Protectress, graciously grant now, that, strengthened by Her aid and striving onward in life, I may be victorious over the wicked one in the hour of my death. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.





Thursday, May 19, 2016

EMBER FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST


                        MAY 20
                         
        EMBER FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST
COMMEMORATION FOR ST. BERNADINE OF SIENA
STATION AT THE CHURCH OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES
  (Indulgence of 30 years and 30 quarantines)
                       FIRST CLASS
                    SEMI-DOUBLE
                  RED VESTMENTS
       MISSA ‘REPLEATUR OS MEUM’


TRADITIONAL DAY OF FAST AND ABSTINENCE

                         INTROITUS
                    Psalm 70: 8, 23
Repleatur os meum laude tua, allelúia: ut possim cantáre, allelúia: gaudébunt lábia mea, dum cantávero tibi, allelúia, allelúia. Ps. 70: 12. In te, Dómine, sperávi, non confúndar in ætérnum: in justítia tua libera me, et éripe me. V. Gloria Patri.
                         INTROIT
Let my mouth be filled with Thy praise, alleluia: that I may sing, alleluia: my lips shall rejoice, when I shall sing to Thee, alleluia, alleluia. Ps. In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be put to confusion: deliver me in Thy justice, and rescue me. V. Glory be to the Father.

                       COLLECT
Grant to Thy Church, we beseech Thee, O merciful God, that, being gathered in the Holy Spirit, it may be nowise molested by any assault of the enemy. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth.


         ST. BERNADINE OF SIENA
O Lord Jesus, Who didst imbue blessed Bernardine, Thy Confessor, with wondrous love of Thy name, we beseech Thee, by his merits and intercession, graciously to pour into our souls the spirit of Thy love. Who liveth and reigneth.

                       EPISTLE
          Joel, 2, 23, 24, 26, 27
Thus saith the Lord God: O children of Sion, rejoice, and be joyful in the Lord your God; because He hath given you a teacher of justice, and He will make the early and the latter rain to come down to you, as in the beginning: and the floors shall be filled with wheat, and the presses shall overflow with wine and oil. And you shall eat in plenty, and shall be filled; and you shall praise the name of the Lord your God, Who hath done wonders with you: and My people shall not be confounded for ever. And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: and I am the Lord your God, and there is none besides; and My people shall not be confounded forever; said the Lord almighty.
                   FIRST ALLELUIA
                    Wisdom 12: 1
Alleluia, alleluia. O how good and sweet, O Lord, is Thy spirit within us. Alleluia.

               SECOND ALLELUIA
                      (All kneel)

Alleluia. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful: and kindle in them the fire of Thy love.


                         PIETY
The Gift of Piety awakens in our souls an inclination and readiness to glorify God as our Father and to have filial confidence in Him. 

                    SEQUENCE
           Veni Sancte Spiritus

Come, Holy Spirit, send forth the heavenly radiance of your light. Come, father of the poor, come, giver of gifts, come, light of the heart.

Greatest comforter, sweet guest of the soul, sweet consolation. In labor, rest, in heat, temperance, in tears, solace.

O most blessed light, fill the inmost heart of your faithful. Without your grace, there is nothing in us, nothing that is not harmful.

Cleanse that which is unclean, water that which is dry, heal that which is wounded. Bend that which is inflexible, fire that which is chilled, correct what goes astray.

Give to your faithful, those who trust in you, the sevenfold gifts. Grant the reward of virtue, grant the deliverance of salvation, grant eternal joy.

                      GOSPEL
                 Luke 5: 17-26
At that time, it came to pass, on a certain day that Jesus sat teaching; and there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by that were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was to heal them. And behold men brought in a bed a man who had the palsy, and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before Him; and when they could not find by what way they might bring him in, because of the multitude, they went up upon the roof, and let him down through the tiles with his bed into the midst before Jesus. And when He saw their faith, He said: Man, thy sins are forgiven thee: and the scribes and Pharisees began to think, saying: Who is this who speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? And when Jesus knew their thoughts, answering, He saith to them: What is it you think in your hearts? Which is easier to say? Thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say, Arise and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins I say to thee: Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house. And immediately rising up before them, he took up the bed on which he lay and he went away to his own house, glorifying God. And all were astonished, and they glorified God; and they were filled with fear, saying: We have seen wonderful things today.

                   OFFERTORY       
                  Psalm 145: 2
Praise the Lord, O my soul, in my life I will praise the Lord; I will sing to my God, as long as I shall be, alleluia.
                     SECRET
May the sacrifices offered in Thy sight, O Lord, be consumed by that divine fire which the Holy Spirit enkindled in the hearts of the disciples of Christ, Thy Son. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth.

      ST. BERNADINE OF SIENA
In memory of Thy Saints, O Lord, we offer Thee the sacrifice of praise, by which we trust to be freed from both present and future evils. Through our Lord.


        PREFACE OF PENTECOST
It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty and everlasting God; through Christ our Lord. Who ascending above all the heavens, and sitting at Thy right hand, on this day sent forth the Holy Ghost, as He had promised, on the children of adoption. Wherefore does the whole world rejoice with exceeding great joy; the hosts above and also the angelic powers join in singing the hymn to Thy glory, saying without ceasing.

               COMMUNICANTES
In communion with, and keeping the most holy day of Pentecost, whereon the Holy Ghost appeared to the Apostles in countless tongues; venerating also in the first place the memory of the glorious ever Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, our Lord and God.

                   HANC IGITUR
This oblation, therefore, of our bounden duty and that of Thy whole family we beseech Thee, O Lord, graciously to accept, which we make unto Thee on behalf of these whom Thou hast vouchsafed to bring to a new birth by water and the Holy Ghost, giving them remission of all their sins; and to order our days.

                   COMMUNION
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you again, alleluia: and your heart shall rejoice, alleluia.

               POSTCOMMUNION
We have received, O Lord, Thy sacred and mysterious gifts, humbly imploring that what Thou hast taught us to do in commemoration of Thee may profit for the help of our infirmity. Who livest and reignest.

           ST. BERNADINE OF SIENA
Refreshed by meat and drink from heaven, O God, we humbly entreat Thee, that we may be protected by the prayers of him in whose memory we have partaken. Through our Lord.