May I flourish in your Love

Thus says the Lord GOD:
I, too, will take from the crest of the cedar,
from its topmost branches tear off a tender shoot,
and plant it on a high and lofty mountain;
on the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it.
It shall put forth branches and bear fruit,
and become a majestic cedar.
Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it,
every winged thing in the shade of its boughs.
And all the trees of the field shall know
that I, the LORD,
bring low the high tree,
lift high the lowly tree,
wither up the green tree,
and make the withered tree bloom.
As I, the LORD, have spoken, so will I do.
 Ezekiel 17 22:24

Praised be Jesus everyone!

Today the Church (Ordinary form) celebrates the eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. I would like to reflect for a minute on the first reading of today's Mass. The first reading this  Sunday is actually very appropriate considering it's proximity to the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary. In this reading the prophet speaks of the shoot being transplanted to the high lofty mountain where it flourishes and bears fruit, and becomes a shade and shelter for the birds of the air. We to must be transplanted, from the soil of this world, into the soil of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is only in the divine saviors love and grace that we can truly grow and achieve holiness. When we abide in the Heart of Jesus we become a strong tree, that others seeking holiness, will come to us for shelter, will seek our aid in time of hardship, and we in turn can help them on their path to holiness that they may also take root in the soil of the Lord.

Heart Song

Praised be Jesus Everyone!
This is my 1st post after a long hiatus, and it sure feels good to be back.
Yesterday we celebrated the feast of the Sacred heart of Jesus, and today we celebrate the feast of the Immaculate heart of Mary. For many of Catholics these are common images, and devotions build a fundamental cornerstone of devotional practice, but very few people understand what these devotions entail, and what deeper reality these devotions point to, that being The infinite love of Christ, and pure love for Christ.

The Sacred Heart
I don't think we can ever comprehend the interior life, and love in which Christ reaches out to all his children (whether they be very far away from him, or very near to his heart). Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is devotion to the very real and tangible love of God. It is said that through Jesus "God loves us with a human heart" and how true that statement is. God becomes man, to die for humanity, and through this becoming man, humanity is assumed into the Godhead. The God who was far off now is close, and near to us, who understands our humanity through experience, and not through divine omnipotence. The Heart of Jesus is an invitation to draw closer in intimacy with the divine. Christ loves us in the midst of our human experience and seeks to bring this human experience to perfection in his own perfected humanity. Christ in his humanity knows all human struggle, and heartache, loneliness and loss,joy, pleasure,and in Christ the whole trinity knows and has experienced these things. And it is through uniting all our hearts with Christ in this walk of life that we are brought to perfection.

The Immaculate Heart
 Devotion to The Immaculate Heart of Our Blessed Mother, is a reflection on our life in Christ. by the virtue of her Immaculate conception, our Blessed Mother is completely in line with the will, and love of God from the very first moment of her being. the Heart of Mary is the manifestation of the Blessed Mothers intense and burning love for Christ, and her desire to bring all souls to her divine son Jesus. in a sense the Blessed Mothers own heart is what we should be striving to imitate in our Christian life, a heart that seeks to please God, to love God, to so arrange our interior lives that our outer actions become fountains of Charity to the world around us, and consequently leading souls to Christ. Just like the Blessed Mother, we to must come to a burning fire of love for humanity and for God so that we can bring forth Christ in the world as she did.

 Prayer to the Eternal Father

0 eternal Father, through the divine Heart of Jesus, I adore You for all those adore you not; I love You for all those who do not love you.  I go in spirit through the whole world to seek for souls redeemed by the blood of Jesus.  I embrace them in order to present them to You in His Sacred Heart, and in union with your merciful Heart, I ask for their conversion.

Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Mary Immaculate, Mother of God and perfect Christian, you treasured the word of God, in faith you pondered it in your heart and acted on it in charity and service.
We know that as children of God and believing Christians, God's love is given to us, "...the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us." (Romans 5:5) Your heart as symbol of your love for God, for us, and for all creation, reminds us that "as long as we love one another God will Live in us And His Love will be complete in us." (John 4:12).

I have Loved you, with an everlasting Love

As the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love. John 15:9

Praised be Jesus everyone! Jesus tells us in the Gospels how much he loves us, it is with the same Intense Love the God and his Father share between each other, it is the same Love and Intensity of the Holy Ghost, It is the Love experienced in the infinite mystery of the Trinity. How Our Jesus loves us! and it is this infinite Love that he shares with us each and every day on the Altar, it is this Love that we receive each time we receive Jesus in Holy Communion. We receive the overflowing Love of the Sacred Heart and we become one with this Love. How great is the Love of Our God, that he wishes to share the fullness of this mystery of his love with us. It is truly good to be loved and good to know we never go without love!.


In all my temptations, I place my trust in you, O  Sacred Heart of Jesus
In all my weaknesses, I place my trust in you, O Sacred Heart of Jesus
In all my difficulties,I place my trust in you, O Sacred Heart of Jesus
In all my trials,I place my trust in you, O Sacred Heart of Jesus
In all my sorrows,I place my trust in you, O Sacred Heart of Jesus
In all my work,I place my trust in you, O Sacred Heart of Jesus
In every failure, I place my trust in you, O Sacred Heart of Jesus
In every discouragement,I place my trust in you, O Sacred Heart of Jesus
In Life and in death, I place my trust in you, O Sacred Heart of Jesus
In time and in eternity, I place my trust in you, O Sacred Heart of Jesus

Come, my child into the joy of my embrace!

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying: "Who, thinkest thou, is the greater in the kingdom of heaven?" And Jesus, calling unto him a little child, set him in the midst of them. And said: "Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven."Matt. 18:1-4


Praised be Jesus everyone!! after a long absence, I have returned. allot has been going on lately! and I am currently studying in Rome (I've been real busy since July). as many of you know The feast of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus(my confirmation saint!) was on Oct 1st, the above Gospel passage is the Gospel from the Traditional Mass for her feast (is it the same in the Ordinary?).

When we hear this Gospel passage I think many of us (Myself included) are a little taken back by what Jesus is telling us "Unless you become like a little child, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven". We spend so much time in our lives trying to "grow up", mature, be more adult, it even seems that kids now a days our very preoccupied with being more "grown up", and here we are with Jesus, challenging us to be like Children. What does this all mean? Saint Therese Understood this more than anybody and she built her whole spirituality around it. in her story of a soul Saint Therese teaches us her way of spiritual childhood aka "The little way".

Saint Therese teaches us that Spiritual Childhood is in no way, Spiritual immaturity, but in many ways it is the pinnacle of Spiritual maturity. Being a spiritual child, consists of recognizing who we really are what our abilities are, and how little we can really do. In essence spiritual Childhood lets us more easily abandon ourselves to the Love and Grace of God. We allow God to work through our daily actions, we offer all our littleness to him, drawing closer to him in the daily and mundane. many of us cannot offer the things many a Saint of old have offered, so we offer ourselves in complete love and joy in what we can offer, taking comfort that in our littleness God makes all things great.

and Bless dearest Lady the Land of Our Birth!

Praised Be Jesus everyone!
and Happy Fourth of July to everyone! Today we pray in a special way for Our Nation, even though this is a secular Holiday it's important to remember that our rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness come ultimately from God!

I know that the patron Of Our Nation is Our Lady under the title of The Immaculate Conception, but I put up an image of Our Lady Star of the Sea, because as a star guides the Sailor's back home, Our Lady Guides us back to Christ, as our nation goes through this very Dark time of confusion, and a constant turning away from God, we pray that Our Lady will be the Bright star that brings this country back to the truth, virtue, and stabilty. We pray in a special way for Our President and all other secular leaders that their decisions may be guided by the light of the Holy Ghost.

Again I wish you all a Happy, safe and Blessed 4th of July! May God Bless America

Prayer of Archbishop John Carroll The first Archbishop of America

We pray, Thee O Almighty and Eternal God! Who through Jesus Christ hast revealed Thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of Thy mercy, that Thy Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue with unchanging faith in the confession of Thy Name.

We pray Thee, who alone art good and holy, to endow with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal, and sanctity of life, our chief bishop, Pope N., the Vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the government of his Church; our own bishop, N., all other bishops, prelates, and pastors of the Church; and especially those who are appointed to exercise amongst us the functions of the holy ministry, and conduct Thy people into the ways of salvation.

We pray Thee O God of might, wisdom, and justice! Through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the President of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality. Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty.

We pray for his excellency, the governor of this state, for the members of the assembly, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare, that they may be enabled, by Thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability.

We recommend likewise, to Thy unbounded mercy, all our brethren and fellow citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal.

Finally, we pray to Thee, O Lord of mercy, to remember the souls of Thy servants departed who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of peace; the souls of our parents, relatives, and friends; of those who, when living, were members of this congregation, and particularly of such as are lately deceased; of all benefactors who, by their donations or legacies to this Church, witnessed their zeal for the decency of divine worship and proved their claim to our grateful and charitable remembrance. To these, O Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light, and everlasting peace, through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Consecration of the USA

Most Holy Trinity: Our Father in heaven, Who chose Mary as the fairest of Your daughters; Holy Spirit, Who chose Mary as Your spouse; God the Son, Who chose Mary as Your mother; in union with Mary, we adore Your majesty and acknowledge Your supreme eternal dominion and authority.
Most Holy Trinity, we put the United States of America into the hands of Mary Immaculate in order that she may present the country to You. Through her we wish to thank You for the great resources of this land and for the freedom which has been its heritage. Through the intercession of Mary, have mercy on the Catholic Church in America. Grant us peace. Have mercy on our President and all the officers of our government. Grant us a fruitful economy born of justice and charity. Have mercy on capital and industry and labor. Protect the family life of the nation. Guard the innocence of our children. Grant the precious gift of many religious vocations. Through the intercession of our Mother Mary, have mercy on the sick, the poor, the tempted, sinners--on all who are in need.
Mary, Immaculate Virgin, Our Mother, Patroness of our land, we praise you and honor you and give ourselves to you. Protect us from every harm. Pray for us, that acting always according to you will and the Will of your Divine Son, Jesus, we may live and die pleasing to God. Amen.

Prayer For Our Nation

God, Our Father, Giver of Life, We Entrust our Nation to your loving care. Your are the rock on which this nation was founded.

You alone are the true source of our cherished rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Reclaim this land for your glory and dwell among your people.

Send your spirit to touch the hearts of our nations’ leaders. Open their minds to the great worth of human life and the responsibilities that accompany human freedom. Remind your people that true happiness is rooted in seeking and doing your will.

Through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, patroness of our Land, Grant Us the Courage to reject the “culture of death”. Lead us into a new millenium of life. We ask this through Christ, Our Lord, Amen.

Prayer to Our Lady of America, Patroness of our Land

Written at the behest of Our Lady, October 5, 1956 by Sister Mary Ephrem (Mildred Neuzil)

Oh Immaculate Mother, Queen of our country, open our hearts, our homes, and our land to the coming of Jesus, your Divine Son. With Him, reign over us, O heavenly Lady, so pure and so bright with the radiance of Gods light shining in and about you. Be our leader against the powers of evil set upon wresting the world of souls, redeemed at such a great cost by the sufferings of your Son and of yourself, in union with Him, from that same Savior, Who loves us with infinite charity.

We gather about you, O chaste and holy Mother, Virgin Immaculate, Patroness of our beloved Land, determined to fight under your banner of holy purity against the wickedness that would make all the world an abyss of evil, without God and without your loving maternal care.

We consecrate our hearts, our homes, our Land to your Most Pure Heart, O great Queen, that the kingdom of your Son, our Redeemer and our God, may be firmly established in us.

We ask no special sign of you, sweet Mother, for we believe in your great love for us, and we place in you our entire confidence. We promise to honor you by faith, love, and the purity of our lives according to your desire.

Reign over us, then, O Virgin Immaculate, with your Son Jesus Christ. May His Divine Heart and your most chaste Heart be ever enthroned and glorified among us. Use us, your children of America, as your instruments of peace among men and nations. Work your miracle of grace in us, so that we may be a glory to the Blessed Trinity, Who created, redeemed, and sanctifies us.

May your valiant spouse, St. Joseph, with the holy Angels and Saints, assist you and us in "renewing the face of the earth." Then when our work is over, come, Holy Immaculate Mother, and as our Victorious Queen, lead us to the eternal kingdom, where your Son reigns forever as King.

Amen

"God wishes to establish devotion in the world to my Immaculate Heart"

(Luke 2:41-51)
Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.



Praised Be Jesus Everyone!!!
today is the feast of the Immaculate Heart of our Blessed Mother. many people ask "why devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady" I would like to write about two specific points about this particular devotion, the first point being in reference to today's Gospel and the second in connection to the Apparitions at Fatima.


1. True Knowledge of Jesus

It is said when a young woman is engaged, the best way to get to know her soon to be husband is to get to know his mother. This is true because the mother shares the closest bond with her children she was there from the beginning, at his birth and all the other important and significant events of his life. Even more important than these is that the mother is there for the daily events of her sons life she is the one who raised him, in this our mothers usually know us better than what we think they do.

so it is the same with Our own Blessed Mother. In the Gospel it states after the finding of Jesus in the temple that Mary " kept all these things in her heart." Marys heart Truly is the source of Knowledge of Jesus. in a way we could say that Marys heart is the 1st Gospel for Mary knew her son first hand, and she recorded all of his life from his miraculous incarnation,His childhood in Nazareth ,to his death on the cross, the Resurrection and his Glorious ascension, Mary is there for it all. Mary knew her son better than any of the Gospel writers, so her heart has more of an intimate knowledge of Christ. Knowledge of Christ is an important part of the Christian faith, and while we seek to know Christ more intimately we can turn to Our Blessed Mother, for she knows Christ best, as we read the Gospels we can ask Mary to enlighten us with her motherly knowledge of Christ so that we may understand, know and love Christ as she does.


2. True Love of Christ

In Fatima Our Lady told the 3 Shepard Children "God Wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart" Our Lady teaches us the the devotion to her Immaculate Heart would bring about conversion in the world, and peace to mankind. How does devotion to the Immaculate Heart do these things? the answer in itself is simple, It is because her heart is full of pure and complete love For God, the more the hearts of men melt into the Heart of Mary, The More the Hearts of men will inflame with Love for Jesus! devotion to Our Lady's heart always points to Love for Jesus, as devotion to Our Lords most Sacred Heart points to his Love for us and the burning desire for the salvation of Mankind, Our Lady's heart points to that love of God and Christ which leads us to desire the salvation Christ wants for each and everyone of us.

If The world seeks to Imitate the Virtue of the Heart of Mary, we would be so filled with Love for Jesus and for God that the world would convert their hearts to God they would no longer offend him by sinfulness, there will be no more war because they will be filled with Love of their brother that there will be no need for War. The only desire of the Immaculate Heart is that we Love Jesus more than anything. As our mother Marys heart desire above all else our salvation! and her heart wishes to Lead us always to that Salvation in Jesus Christ! so may we turn to Or Mother that she may teach us Pure and Perfect love of Jesus!

Novena To The Immaculate Heart

O Most Blessed Mother,
Heart of love, heart of mercy,
Ever listening, caring, consoling, hear our prayer.

As your children,
We implore your intercession with Jesus your Son.
Receive with understanding and compassion
The petitions we place before you today,

Especially ... (special intention).

We are comforted in knowing
Your heart is ever open to those
Who ask for your prayer.
We trust to your gentle care and intercession,
Those whom we love and who are sick or lonely or hurting.
Help all of us, Holy Mother,
To bear our burdens in this life
Until we may share eternal life
And peace with God forever. Amen.

I fly to thy Patronage!

Praised be Jesus everyone!
Today is the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, This is a feast is centered around a miraculous I con which is in care of the Redemptoris order in Rome, this Icon is reported to be a copy of an icon painted by Saint Luke. The iconography depicts Jesus being held by Our Blessed Lady after he has been shown a vision of the instruments of the Crucifixion, Jesus runs to his mother in fear, so fast that his little shoe is falling off. Mary looks out at us inviting us also into her Motherly embrace. we can always turn to Our Mother in our time of need, she see's us in our distress, she see's us in our trials, she sees us in our sinfulness and suffering, and she wishes to help each and every one of us, because she wishes to comfort us, and ultimately intercede for us. She is truly the mother of us all!

The Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Amen.

Behold the Lamb of God!

Praised Be Jesus everyone!
I would like to wish this blog a Happy feast day (albeit a day late) because yesterday was the feast of the patron saint of this blog Saint John the Baptist!. many people have asked why the name of this blog is what it is, and I will finally disclose the answer! in scripture Saint John is the fulfillment of the old testament prophesy of Isais the prophet "The voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the wilderness the paths of our God." Isaiah (40:3) and than John says this of himself later in the Gospel of Saint John, "He said: I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaias." (John 1:23).

John was sent by God to prepare the way for Jesus, to point out the messiah to the people of Israel. John is the last of the Old Testament Prophets for he is the last to point towards the coming of the Messiah. in a beautiful contrast John is born to aged parents Elizabeth and Zechariah, this symbolizing John being the last of the Old Covenant Prophesy, and Jesus being born to the young Virgin Mary a symbol of the New and Everlasting Covenant he gave us in his blood.

One day when John was Baptizing out at the Jordan river he saw Jesus and Shouted "Behold the Lamb of God" finally completing his Prophetic mission at Jesus' Baptism to point out the Savior of man kind. and so that is what I hope this blog does for all of you that it may point out Jesus to you in the desert of this world, and may bring you closer to him, this is my greatest desire for myself and for all of you.

Thank you all so much for your constant support

And May God Bless you Father+ Son+and Holy Ghost

Michael
+JMJ+

Eternal rest Grant unto them Oh Lord!

Praised be Jesus everyone!!! today i would like to remind everyone to constantly remember the Holy Souls in purgatory in you daily prayers, for they are so much in need of our prayer. I find that it is also important to pray for souls who are forgotten or have no one to pray for them at all. we forget that many people today including those in our own Church have many either been misinformed about purgatory or either don't recognize purgatory at all.This leaves the Holy Souls at a disadvantage.

just for clarification:

The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire:

As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come. (Chatechism of the Catholic Church 1031)

we can in Great Charity help the Holy souls to enter Heaven.


Prayer of Saint Gertrude the Great (Releases 10000 souls from purgatory)

"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen."

Veni Creator Spiritus!

Praised be Jesus everyone!!! I hope everyone is having a blessed Sunday! as many of you know, this coming Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, The Birthday of Holy Mother Church! as we await with the Apostles and our Blessed Mother the coming of the Spirit of Love. (The Holy Ghost)

May we begin this week with prayer that the Holy Ghost may fill us with a greater capacity to Love! for the Holy Ghost is the mutual Love of the Father and the Son that is so strong that it makes a complete person of the Godhead the third person of the Blessed Trinity. So let us pray together to receive him who is Love!





Prayer to the Holy Ghost

Come Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of thy faithful and en-kindle in them the fire of they love. send forth thy Spirit, and they shall be created, and thou shalt renew the face of the world.

Let us pray

O God, who has taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that by the gift of the same Spirit we may be always truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

as the Father has loved me so I will love you!

Praised Be Jesus everyone! Happy June !! as many of you know June is dedicated to Our Lord's Sacred Heart! in this month we focus on Christ's love for each and each one of us.

Today I would like to focus on Christ's words in the gospel of Matthew "But I say to you, Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you" (Matthew 5:44)

I was flipping through this weeks Newsweek and came across an article about, a very well known pop Idol (I wont use her name if you want to read the story it's on page 50 of the June 6th issue) who has made her mark for fame by empowering people, and helping them accept who they are. This is all well and good but I came across a disturbing line where she says "I want you to reject anyone who didn't make you feel accepted. maybe you felt misunderstood".

I am all up for personal growth for people to come to terms and feel comfortable with themselves, it is apart of our mission to Love Ourselves so that we can effectively love others (Love your neighbor as you love yourself) . But we should never reject those who reject us, in all their rejection of us should bring our hearts to burn with greater love for them.

Nobody is a greater model of this than our own beloved Lord. he who on the Cross forgave those that put him to death (and ultimately opened salvation to them and all of us), who constantly forgives us who hurt him by our numerous sins, and indifference, and hatred, and sacrileges which offend his most adorable heart each and ever day throughout the world. He does this out of love for us. Christ is teaching us what it means to truly love, and that real love is hard! it is easy to Love our Friends, Family, and those that support us.

But when it comes to those who have hurt us, those who do not affirm us or support us, even those who hate us, the natural reaction is to return those same sentiments. But Our Lord has given us the model and mission to love these people.

we can not love these people by our own strength, we need to draw on the most perfect Love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The way that we can do this is first of all to be honest with Jesus and ourselves be honest with our feelings (not try and sugar coat them and fool ourselves) tell Jesus that I really don't want to Love this person (people, organization etc.) but I know Lord that you can give me the grace to Love, make my heart like yours.

God Loves us with a human heart, Christ the Savior of the world knows human hurt, and knows rejection, and in his infinite Love he will give us the strength and grace to Love as he loves.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, Make or hearts like unto thine!

Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on us!

For more about the Sacred Heart Devotion Please click the link below

http://www.fisheaters.com/sh.html

Come To the waters of Mercy

Hello Everybody! It's been a very lo0000ng time since I last posted, but I'm back! Tomorrow is the Great feast of God's Mercy Known as Divine Mercy Sunday and as many of you know Tomorrow is also the Beatification of Our Beloved Holy Father John Paul the Great who instituted this great feast of Divine Mercy Sunday in response to the call of our Lord, given to the Church through visions to Saint Maria Faustina of Poland. Our Lord Promised that those who went to Communion in a state of grace, and received Holy Communion on the Sunday after Easter (The Feast of his Mercy) , and prayed for his mercy, that soul would receive complete forgiveness and reparation of all the temporal punishment due to Sin! What a great gift! through this special grace we are restored to the state that our Soul was at the moment of our Baptism, this is one of the greatest exercise of Our Lord's Mercy upon his people. Briefly I would like to make a brief reflection on this great feast using the word's of John Paul the Great "Be not Afraid!" As a youth who grew up during the last years of the pontificate Of John Paul the Great, this was the one thing John Paul cheered us to each day " Be not afraid!" Be not afraid to eb who Christ wants us to be, be not afraid to grow towards holiness, be not afraid to be who we are as young Catholic men and woman. we have the power to not be fearful because we have Christ's great Mercy it is in this trust that we can go forward to change the world, to heal hearts, to comfort the sick and the oppressed, the suffering, depressed, and heart broken. It is this trust in his mercy that gives us the courage to go forward and Be Christ for one another and truly serve our brothers and Sisters, because no matter where we are in our lives we have Christ's Mercy, that if we come to it we will be healed and given the grace to go forward and truly be a light to the rest of the world! so I cheer every one just as John Paul did on this eve of Divine Mercy "Be not afraid!" be not afraid to Love and be not afraid to be Christ to each other God Bless!

John Paul The Great, Pray for us!!!

For more info on the Divine Mercy devotion please refer to the link below

http://thedivinemercy.org/

Just Because I Love you! (Lovely Lady Dressed in Blue

Lovely Lady Dressed in Blue

Teach me how to pray!

God was just your little boy,

Tell me what to say!

Did you lift him up,sometimes,

Gently on your knee?

Did you sing to Him the way

Mother does to me?

Did you hold his hand at night?

Did you ever try

Telling Him stories of the world?

O! And did He cry?

Do you really think he cares

If I tell Him things-

Little things that happen? And

Do the Angels' wings

Make noise? And can He hear

Me if I speak low?

Does he Understand me now?

Tell me for you know?

Lovely Lady dressed in blue-

Teach me how to pray!

God was just your little boy,

And You know the way.

I Love This Poem

God Bless!

In The end my Immaculate Heart will Triumph!!

I am writing this rather late!! (again I know) but the past two Sunday's we have celebrated two beautiful feast of Our Lady. Those being the Assumption, and the Feast of the Immaculate Heart (for those in the ordinary form The feast of the queen-ship of Mary). I would like to focus on the Immaculate Heart specifically for this post!

Luke's Gospel speaks about Mary's heart twice the first at the Adoration of the Shepards "But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart." (Luke 2:19) and again at the Prophecy of Simeon "And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother: Behold this child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted; And thy own heart a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.(Luke 19:34-35)

The Heart is a symbol of Love, as the Sacred Heart is a symbol of the Divine Love of Christ, Mary's Heart is the symbol of Pure untainted love for Christ. Mary carried Jesus for 9 months in her womb, held him in her arms as an infant, played with her Child, taught him the Jewish religion and raised him to adulthood. The Joy and Love of that house hold, The Joy she shared with Jesus in unity with her divine son she kept all that in her heart as all mother do!!! but we have to remember the intense suffering that Mary suffered in her heart. The fear of loosing Jesus on the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, The flight into a foreign land to avoid the slaughter of the innocence, Jesus leaving Home to start his public ministry, and finally the intense suffering of a mother watching her son suffering and being put to death!!

All this Mary kept in her heart and she United all her Joys all her suffering to the heart of her divine son Jesus. In this Mary's heart was ever overflowing with the love of the Divine!

during the apparitions of Our lady in Fatima Portugal she said to the three shepherd children "In the end my Immaculate Heart Will Triumph and there will be peace)

Many have pondered "what is this Triumph?" to me the Triumph of Mary's Heart is that when we love as she loves with that Intense Love for God, that it overflows out into the world and converts hearts to the same! Let us pray that our hearts can be like Mary's, and that we may love God and all those around us!!

Ephpheta, be thou opened

GOSPEL Mark 7:31-37
At that time, Jesus went out from the borders of Tyre, and came through Sidon unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the borders of Decapolis. And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to lay his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude privately, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat, and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." And his ears were opened, and the bond of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it. And they were beyond measure astonished, saying, "He hath done all things well; he maketh even the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak."

Hello all!! It's been a long time. but I just wanted to comment on last sundays Gospel (The Gospel for all those Traditional Latin Mass Folks). Today father emphasized in his Sermon that the Sacraments are the ever present touch of Jesus in Our lives today. Through all the seven sacraments of the Church we experience that intimate and healing touch of Jesus. Through this touch of Jesus we become open to spiritual things, and our aided in our journey to heaven. Through Baptism we are brought into the Family of God made heirs of the father, and we are cleansed of the stain of Original Sin. In the Eucharist Christ our God comes to us and intimately uniting himself with us Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity we are given a foretaste of heaven and we are fed for the journey of our life, and the ways Jesus touches us through all the Sacraments goes on and on we could talk forever about the Amazing way's Jesus touches us and heals us through the Sacraments. we are dumb and death to things spiritual but Jesus raises us to the things beyond!

Just for Fun

so I found this quiz on a fellow servers blog this morning and thought it would be fun to take so here are my results!

What Kind of Catholic Are You? Your Result: Orthodox You follow the teachings of the Pope and the Magisterium. You prefer a liturgy that is reverent and beautiful, not tacky and "inclusive." You realize that humble piety is the best approach to God, and practice this in your daily life. Incense, gold, exquisite vestments, massive candles, and cloistered nuns are your cup of tea.
Normal
Schismatic
What Kind of Catholic Are You? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Pray for the Priest!

I know I missed the boat on this year devoted entirely to the Priesthood, but I feel that now that the year for the priest has ended, we are all asking, well where do we go now? I encourage everyone to continue to pray for priest, support your priest, and encourage those young men who wish to join their ranks (pray for my vocation!). in theses recent years we have forgotten to pray for priest (especially when they're in error) Priest struggle so much especially today with the modern attacks on the faith, and the recent troubles in the Church, Priest have much to suffer. Saint John Marie Vianney the patron of priest said

"Without the priest, the passion and death of our Lord would be of no avail. It is the priest who continues the work of redemption here on earth...What use would be a house filled with gold, were there no one to open its door? The priest holds the key to the treasures of heaven: it is he who opens the door: he is the steward of the good Lord; the administrator of His goods...Leave a parish for twenty years without a priest and they will end by worshiping the beasts there..The priest is not a priest for himself, he is a priest for you."

This is why we need priest more than anything! Pray for Priest! Pray for an increase in Vocations Continually!! May no one go with out the keeper of the keys to the doors of all the treasures that God has gifted us!

The Rosary My first Chatechism

Today is the feast of Saint Germain Cousin, I was reading her story and something struck me while I was reading, and that was the line that said "The Rosary was her only book". This brought me back to the days before my conversion, before I The Catholic Faith. it wasn't until recently that I realized how much the Rosary played a part in my conversion. I remember, I was just a kid (maybe about 12) with really very little interest in religion, God, and the whole gig (I was that kid that tried to sleep on my mothers lap during Sunday service). I recall that God, Jesus were people that the preachers spoke (shouted) about on Sundays and the rest of the week well they kinda just disappeared (except for prayer before bed). and than came my entrance into Catholic school in 6th grade, And so the grueling introductory to Catholic prayer, etiquette, Mass, gestures etc. began and to be completely honest, I hated it. Interestingly enough learning the Rosary was my biggest obstacle. the constant repetition, learning prayers that were foreign to me and the whole nine yards. And than that's when it all changed, My Religion Teacher at the time in an attempt to keep us all interested in what she was teaching showed us the movie The Miracle of Fatima, and I was deeply affected by the Fatima Message, and The Love of Our Lady! (for those who do not know the Fatima Story please follow this link http://www.ewtn.com/fatima/index.htm) and from that point forward my life was changed! I grew in Love for Our Lady and her Holy Rosary, and eventually the Led me to Christ and his Holy Church. so here I sit 9 years later as a member of that Church, and discerning a vocation the the priesthood (this is a very sparknoted version of my conversion story)

I say all this because, not only did I grow in Love for Our Lord and Our Lady, I grew in Understanding and knowledge of the truth! The Rosary in itself (if prayed with the right intention, and form) is theology without books, It is scripture without a Bible. through meditation of the Mysteries of our salvation we go on a mystical pilgrimage with Our Lady through the fundamental mysteries of our salvation. Our Lady gently teaches us the faith, and inspires in us a intimate loving knowing of Our Lord and herself. through the Rosary Our Lady draws us into her heart where she kept all things "And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart" Luke 2:51

SAY THE ROSARY

My Private Prayer to The infant of Prague for the protection of Children

Dearest Infant Jesus, Holy Child of Prague!
You, The God of the whole universe, who in your great love for us
Came down from heaven to save us from the evil and corruption of sin!
you who in your ministry said "If you do not become like little Children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven". Dearest Child Jesus in your great love protect the lives and souls and dignity of all Children! These little ones who are so precious to your most Sacred and Adorable Heart, protect them oh infant Lord, From all that would do them harm physically, From all that will take them from you spiritually, for all that would harm them mentally. I pray for the healing of those Children who have been harmed dearest Jesus, Let them know you love them sweetest Jesus and draw them ever closer to your heart, and heal them of all their wounds, Physically, Mentally, Spiritually. Keep them ever in your Love dearest Jesus, this I ask. Amen

The Greatest Miracle of all..... though greatly forgetten

So Today I was praying before Our Lord in the most Blessed Sacrament after Mass today, and a thought that I haven't had since maybe senior year of High school crossed my mind. "Jesus must be very lonely for most of the time" I remember having this thought while in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in the schools chapel, as kids roamed through the hall laughing carrying on, not the slightest recognition that Jesus was truly present in there midst! so many kids walked by that chapel, and I always wondered if Jesus was a little sad, lonely etc. that no one nodded there head in acknowledgement, stopped in to say a quick hello. Thats all Jesus ever really asks for (only a second of our time, especially in that most special gift of the Blessed Sacrament). Well today there were more worshippers than there were back in those good old high school , but at the same time i still asked "Jesus are you lonely?". In todays world many are looking for hope, looking for a miracle' looking for something to believe in! so I must ask "do we really know of the miracle that we have before us?" Many of us (myself included) sometimes when we think of miracle we think of something big, flashy and dramatic, And usually the more Dramatic the better. we want to see the sun dance (as in Fatima and Medjugorje), people healed instantly, troubles that seem to melt away out of thin air. not saying that these things are not from God, but they serve a deeper purpose, and that purpose is to point us to the greater miracle which is Christ's love and grace in the Sacraments. We go chasing after such miracles, looking for God looking for his presence. we forget that we do not have to go far, to find God to find Jesus. He waits in the Tabernacle a prisoner of Love! The God of all Creation Jesus the Christ comes down from heaven at the words of a priest (his servant) and hides himself in a small piece of bread for our Salvation. sadly enough we sometimes pass this right up for something more flashy and dramatic (when true miracles lead us to the sacraments). Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament teaches us some things, he teaches us that holiness is simple, that what is truly miraculous happens in day to day things (like bread and wine). so the next time your in the area of a Church/ Adoration chapel, stop in! say hello! spend some time with him for he is our greatest gift!