SCRIPTURE COMMENTARY #175

"That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, who maketh his sun to rise upon the good, and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust." (Matt. 5:45)

THE GOODNESS OF GOD: Our Lord draws special attention to this by reminding us that God does good, and sends rain and sunshine on those who offend Him as well as on those who love Him. He supplies sinners with food and drink, and tries to draw their hearts to Him by gratitude for His benefits.

[From 'A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture' by Bishop Knecht, D.D.]

(1899 Douay-Rheims Bible)

Our Lady of America Newsletter
March 30, 2008
Divine Mercy Sunday

"Who is She who comes forth like the morning rising,
fair as the Moon, bright as the Sun,
terrible as an army set in battle array?"
[Song of Solomon 6:10]

As Easter draws to a close and we are showered with an abundance of grace from the Passion, Resurrection, Divine Mercy and the Feast of the Annunciation, now is the time when Heaven's love for us is manifest in extraordinary ways! Praise be the Name of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of His Mother, Mary, Our Lady of America!

Many have recently asked us where is the devotion of Our Lady of America headed? When will Her request be fulfilled and Her statue carried in Solemn Procession by the U.S. Bishops into the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception? Could this be done in conjunction with the visit of Pope Benedict XVI in April?

Recently we have learned that it has been determined that His Excellency The Most Reverend Leonard P Blair, Bishop of the Diocese of Toledo-in-America has the jurisdiction to answer many of these questions in a definitive way rather then the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Diocese of Toledo is where Sr. Mary Ephrem (Mildred Neuzil) received some of her messages, lived much of her life, died and is buried.

It is obvious to many that a great time for Our Lady of America to be enthroned would be around April 15, 2008 the eve of Pope Benedict’s visit to the National Shrine. Will it happen? At least one Bishop believes this is practical because the U.S. Bishops will coming to Washington D.C. at that time for the Papal visit.

We believe that the National Shrine has sufficient space on the level of National Shrine Crypt Church (in the area of Memorial Hall) to place the statue of Our Lady of America for at least a long-term initial site.

For this to be accomplished, it will take an interior grace for the Bishops to realize that in responding to Our Lady of America they will embrace a more excellent plan and vision for the National Shrine. This image is not simply one in a long series for placement in a side location. She has indicated the central theme and future mission of the entire edifice; to become a place of great pilgrimage, conversion and healing.

We are in a time of great grace! Redouble your efforts to move Heaven with your prayers! The prayers of the faithful for intercession through the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Virgin Mary are especially efficacious right now. Pray for Bishop Blair and all the Bishops. Have Masses said for them. Send up your Rosaries on their behalf. Ask that the devil be chained so as to not interfere with this work. Pray to St. Michael for their protection.

There is one other Bishop that also needs your prayers is a special way. It is the Bishop of Rome, His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI. His visit to the United States and the United Nations has the potential to change the course of human events. Pray for his protection and that the Holy Spirit will open the hearts of the world leaders who hear his address. A great way to do that is to join in the Peter Prayer Program for Pope Benedict. This program consists of a number of novenas and a commitment to be in Adoration before Our Lord, begging for intercession and protection for His Vicar, while the Pope is addressing the United Nations.

We have so much to do in asking Heaven for the graces of Our Lady of America to be completely fulfilled and accepted. The state of the world is quite sad and in many ways very unstable. Our Lady of America is Heaven's gift to us and the world, giving hope that people will turn back towards God, embrace purity and accept the Divine Will.

I pray, with you, that we will have the humility, purity and desire to accept Her.

-Al Langsenkamp

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Homily for the second Sunday of Easter - 03-30-08

Praise the Lord! Alleluia!
Here is my homily for this coming Sunday, the second Sunday of Easter.
" And all who believed were together and had all things in common. "
May God bless you!

Canon Dr. Daniel Meynen

http://meynen.homily-service.net/

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Homily for the second Sunday of Easter - Year A
Acts 2:42-47 - 1 Pt 1:3-9 - Jn 20:19-31
by Canon Dr. Daniel Meynen

Living by faith

Acts 2:42-47

Acts 2:42, [The first Christians] devoted themselves to the apostles'
teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
43, And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were
done through the apostles. 44, And all who believed were together and
had all things in common; 45, and they sold their possessions and
goods and distributed them to all, as any had need. 46, And day by
day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes,
they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, 47, praising God
and having favor with all the people.

At the beginning of her history, the Church was composed of the
Apostles, a few disciples, and several thousand people baptized
shortly after Pentecost (cf. Acts 2:41). Among all these people, only
the Apostles, the disciples, and a few dozen others could have been
said to have known the Lord Jesus, having touched him or spoken to
him even a single time. All the others, that is to say the majority,
had only heard speak of him, whether he was spoken of by the Apostles
or by someone else. In short, most of them believed, in the strong
sense of the word (that is to say supernaturally, with the help of
the grace of God), that this man who had died and risen is the
Messiah, the Son of God, the Word of the Father made man!

"All who believed were together." (Acts 2:44) All those who believed
in Jesus the Son of God lived together in a single faith, a single
hope, a single love! Detached from everything, they held to but a
single being in Heaven or on earth: Jesus, the bearer of the Holy
Spirit, under the gaze of the Father. So they sold their belongings,
so that all men could, like them, benefit from that same unique love:
that of God!

As Saint Luke writes, the faithful went to the Temple each day to
pray. But for the first few weeks, for the first months, for quite
long no doubt, it was impossible for them, for the most part, to
gather together to celebrate the Eucharist. So in all eventualities
the faithful kept the Body of Christ, which a priest had entrusted to
them at a Eucharistic celebration, at home, and so they were
"breaking bread in their homes" (Acts 2:46) and received the Body of
Christ, in a single faith and a single love. Hidden, as it were,
under the ancient Jewish custom of the breaking of the bread, the
communion of all with the mystical Body of Christ - the Church - was
realized and reinforced, in union with Christ Jesus, in the place
where the Christian faith had just been born!

1 Pt 1:3-9

1 Pt 1:3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By
his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4, and to an inheritance
which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for
you, 5, who by God's power are guarded through faith for a salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time. 6, In this you rejoice, though
now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, 7, so
that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which
though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory
and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8, Without having seen
him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him
and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. 9, As the outcome of
your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls.

How strong is our faith! How great is our love! How immeasurable is
our hope! For there is nothing natural about it: everything is
supernatural in our lives as Christians and followers of Christ
Jesus! What Saint Peter says, in today's second reading, is so very
true: "Without having seen [Jesus] you love him; though you do not
now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and
exalted joy. As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of
your souls." (1 Pt 1:8-9)

Is it not extraordinary? We have been baptized, and, thanks to the
Holy Spirit, we love Him in whom we believe! We love someone, Jesus,
whom we have never seen! We believe in God because others, like our
parents, our friends, our relatives, have spoken to us about him! Is
it not extraordinary, this omnipotence of the grace of God? Is this
not something that would set ablaze that heart of fire, that of the
Apostle Peter? And how do we react, today, in this year 2008? Are we
ready, like the Apostles, to bring God's love to the ends of the
earth?

Jn 20:19-31

Jn 20:19, On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the
doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with
you." 20, When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his
side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21, Jesus
said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me,
even so I send you." 22, And when he had said this, he breathed on
them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23, If you forgive
the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any,
they are retained." 24, Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the
Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25, So the other disciples
told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see
in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark
of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe." 26,
Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas
was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among
them, and said, "Peace be with you." 27, Then he said to Thomas, "Put
your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place
it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." 28, Thomas
answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29, Jesus said to him, "Have you
believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not
seen and yet believe." 30, Now Jesus did many other signs in the
presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31,
but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.

Eight days after Easter, Jesus appeared to his disciples for a very
specific purpose: to make it possible for the Apostle Thomas to
witness to his faith in the death and resurrection of Christ, and
thus to be one of those who, after having seen Jesus, believed in him
until the end. For, on that evening, there were no more than ten
Apostles: Judas had hung himself, and Thomas doubted. But Jesus had
wanted to leave us evidence of his great mercy: he would rescue
Thomas from his doubt!

On his body, Jesus bears the signs of his Passion: the marks of the
nails on his hands and feet, and the wound in his side. These signs
are bearers of grace. To touch one of these signs becomes a grace, a
grace of the Passion of Jesus, a grace destined for the conversion of
all the men and women of the earth! As Saint John says at the end of
his gospel: "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the
disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written
that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and
that believing you may have life in his name." (Jn 20:30-31)

To live by faith, to believe in Jesus the Son of God: this is all of
Christian life, this is all of our life with Mary, the Mother of
Jesus, the model of all faithful Christians! May the Holy Spirit help
us to believe ever more in Jesus, through Mary!

Canon Dr. Daniel Meynen

SCRIPTURE COMMENTARY #174

"Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matt. 5:48)

CHRISTIAN PERFECTION: Finally, our Lord requires us to strive ceaselessly after perfection, placing the perfection of God before us as our model.

[From 'A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture' by Bishop Knecht, D.D.]

(1899 Douay-Rheims Bible)

The Annunciation

Jan van Eyck, c 1434

Oil transferred from wood to canvas

93 × 37 cm

National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Mary Vitamin for March 29^th

Topic: The Annunication
[Transferred from March 25th to March 31st.

Quote:

St. Bernard

"The angel awaits thy reply and we also, O Lady, on whom the sentence of condemnation weighs so heavily, await the word of mercy; we who are already condemned to death."

St. Alphonsus di Liguori, The Glories of Mary, (Tan Books: 1978), 322.

Meditation:

Caryll Houselander

"It is in Our Lady that God fell in love with humanity. It is upon her that the Dove descended, and the love of God for Humanity culminated in the conception of Christ in the human race. […]Our Lady said yes for the human race. Each one of us must echo that yes for our own lives. We are all asked if we will surrender what we are, our humanity, our flesh and blood, to the Holy Spirit and allow Christ to fill the emptiness formed by the particular shape of our life. The surrender that is asked of us includes complete and absolute trust; it must be like Our Lady's surrender, without condition and without reservation."

The Reed of God, (Christian Classics), 10 & 13.

Resolution:

In honor of the feast of the Annunciation, I will make a special effort to say the Regina Caeli and say it well. I will ask for the grace to surrender myself "completely and with absolute trust" to Christ in imitation of Our Lady.

Marian Vow:

St. Maximilian Kolbe

"And no word takes flesh, no perfection or virtue is incarnated or realized in anyone, but through the love of God for the Immaculata. As Christ became her own, the Source of grace, so too to her belongs the dispensing of graces. Every grace is the fruit of the life of the Blessed Trinity, the Father, begets the Son before all eternity and the Holy Spirit proceeds from Them both. Thus in the same way all perfection in every order descends upon the earth. Every grace proceeds from the Father who from all eternity begot the Son and through the Son and the Holy Spirit who by this grace in the Immaculata and through her, forms souls in the image of the first-born God-Man."

Will To Love, (Marytown Press: 1998), 44.

I give this resolution to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Thanks be to God for graces received.

Related sites: Castle of the Immaculate & AirMaria

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SCRIPTURE COMMENTARY #173

"You have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thy enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you: That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 5:43-45)

THE COMMAND TO LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR is applied by Jesus to all men, even to our personal enemies. Our Lord also requires that our love should be of a practical kind.

[From 'A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture' by Bishop Knecht, D.D.]

(1899 Douay-Rheims Bible)

March 31 World Rosary Crusade for Fifth Marian Dogma

By Kevin Clarke

Friday, 28 March 2008

On Monday, the feast of the Annunciation, please remember to join with all the souls around the world who lift up their voices in prayer for the proclamation of the fifth Marian dogma.  Over this weekend, please distribute this flyer—among the members of your prayer group, at your parish with your priest's permission, etc.—as you see fit. We ask all our subscribers to please gather together on the Feast of the Annunciation with like-minded souls to lift up your hearts together for the sake of this most glorious intention for Our Blessed Mother. Vox Populi Mariae Mediatrici (Voice of the People for Mary Mediatrix) recently announced a day of prayer—a World Rosary Crusade—for the proclamation of a fifth Marian dogma that would pronounce the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Spiritual Mother of all peoples, the Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix of all graces, and Advocate. This world day of prayer falls on the Feast of the Annunciation, which has been moved this year from March 25 to March 31, outside the Easter octave. Prayer on this day is so very crucial. We pray that others may come to know the heavenly mother, our spiritual mother, whom we so cherish! The timing for this prayer drive is so very poignant, following the Cardinal/Bishop drive to petition the pope, the papal message on the 150th anniversary of Lourdes proclaiming Mary's co-suffering with Christ and his disciples, and Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragán's use of the word Corredentrice (Co-redemptrix) in St. Peter's Basilica. Let us let our prayers flow into this promising current. How very appropriate indeed to offer up these prayers on such a great Marian feast. For it is in virtue of her unwavering fiat to the redemptive mission of the Savior—from the Annunciation through the Paschal Mystery—that we have come to call this perfect creature our all-holy spiritual mother. At its very heart, the Feast of the Annunciation is the Feast of the Incarnation, the Feast of the conception of Jesus. The fiat of Mary is the humblest and most sublime of human assent through which we hope to ascend. At this very moment, the moment of the fiat of Mary, she gave Christ her own flesh – the very flesh he would use for our redemption, the very flesh that has ascended with Him into heaven be enthroned in all power and authority at God's right hand to mediate all grace to us, the very flesh hypostatically united to his divine person through which he advocates on our behalf. Mary's gave her fiat to bear the Messiah, whom she knew would suffer for the sins of the people he would save. And so we are not surprised to see her reechoing her fiat at the foot of the Cross suffering with her divine Son. In honor of Mary's fiat, let us pray!

FROM MARK MALLETT:

The Last Hope of Salvation

 

First published April 11th, 2007.

 

THE FEAST OF WHAT?

THIS coming Sunday, the eighth day in the Octave of Easter, is Divine Mercy Sunday. Many Catholics still have no idea what this is… which as you'll see, is a tragedy.

According to Saint Faustina's diary, Jesus said of this Feast day:

I am giving them the last hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy.  If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity… tell souls about this great mercy of Mine, because the awful day, the day of My justice, is near. —Diary of Divine Mercy, St. Faustina, n. 965 

The "last hope of salvation"? One might be tempted to dismiss this along with other dramatic private revelation—except for the fact it was Pope John Paul II who inaugurated the Sunday after Easter to be Divine Mercy Sunday according to this private revelation! (See Part IIdoes not restrict salvation to Divine Mercy Sunday.) for a complete understanding of Diary entry 965 which

Consider these other facts:

• After he was shot in 1981, Pope John Paul asked that the diary of St. Faustina be entirely re-read to him.
  
• JPII instituted the Divine Mercy Feast in the year 2000… at the beginning of the millennium which he considered the "threshold of hope."
• St. Faustina wrote: "From [Poland] will come forth the spark that will prepare the world for My final coming."
• In 1981 at the Shrine of Merciful Love, John Paul II said,

Right from the beginning of my ministry in St. Peter's See in Rome, I consider this message [of Divine Mercy] my special task. Providence has assigned it to me in the present situation of man, the Church and the world. It could be said that precisely this situation assigned that message to me as my task before God.  —JPII, November 22, 1981 at the Shrine of Merciful Love in Collevalenza, Italy

• During a 1997 pilgrimage to St. Faustina's tomb, JPII testified:

The message of Divine Mercy has always been near and dear to me… [it] forms the image of this pontificate.

Forms the image of his pontificate! And it was spoken at the tomb of St. Faustina, whom Jesus called His "Secretary of Divine Mercy."

• And as a rather dramatic exclamation point from Heaven, the Pope died in the beginning hours of the Feast of Divine Mercy. 

The other title I considered for this article was "When God hits us on the head with a hammer." How can the significance of this Feast escape us when we consider these facts? How can bishops and priests fail to preach, then, the message of Divine Mercy which the Pope considered his "task before God", and therefore, the task of all those in communion with him?

 

AN OCEAN OF PROMISES

I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners.  ON THAT DAY THE VERY DEPTHS OF MY TENDER MERCY ARE OPEN. I POUR OUT A WHOLE OCEAN OF GRACES UPON THOSE SOULS WHO APPROACH THE FOUNT OF MY MERCY. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. —Ibid. n. 699

Some pastors ignore this Feast because "there are other days, such as Good Friday, when God remits sins and punishment under similar conditions." That's true. But that's not all Christ said of Divine Mercy Sunday. Jesus is promising to "pour out a whole ocean of graces." 

On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. —Ibid.  

What Jesus is offering is not just forgiveness, but incomprehensible graces to heal, deliver, and strengthen the soul. I say incomprehensible, because this devotion has a special purpose. Jesus said to St. Faustina:

You will prepare the world for My final coming. —Ibid. n. 429

If that is so, then this opportunity for grace has paramount significance for the Church and for the world. This is indicated with a certain urgency when Jesus says to Faustina:

Secretary of My mercy, write, tell souls about this great mercy of Mine, because the awful day, the day of my justice, is near. —Ibid. n. 965

 

TIME OF MERCY

The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three children in Fatima, Portugal in 1917. In one of her apparitions, the children witnessed an angel hovering above the world about to strike the earth with a flaming sword. But a light emanating from Mary stopped the angel, and justice was delayed. The Mother of Mercy was able to implore God to grant the world a "time of grace."

We know this because Jesus appeared a short time later to a Polish nun named Faustina Kowalska to "officially" announce this time of grace:

I am prolonging the time of mercy for the sake of [sinners]. But woe to them if they do not recognize this time of My visitation… Before the Day of Justice, I am sending the Day of Mercy… —Diary of St. Faustina, n. 1160, 1588.

Christ's words further indicate the proximate times we are living in, as foretold in Scripture:

Before the day of the Lord comes, the great and manifest day […] it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Acts 2:20-21)

As I wrote in Prophetic Perspective, God is patient, allowing His plan to come to fruition, even over the course of generations. However, this does not mean His plan cannot enter its next phase at any moment.

The signs of the times tell us that it could be "soon."

 

TODAY IS THE DAY

"Today is the day of salvation," says Scripture. And this Sunday is the Day of Mercy. It was asked for by Jesus, and made so by John Paul the Great. We should be shouting to the world at this point—for an ocean of graces is to be poured out, and it is only hours away. 

This is what Christ promised on Divine Mercy Sunday:

I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My mercy. —n. 1109

And so, the Holy Father has granted a plenary indulgence ("complete pardon") under the following conditions:

…a plenary indulgence [will be] granted under the usual conditions (sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer for the intentions of Supreme Pontiff) to the faithful who, on the Second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday, in any church or chapel, in a spirit that is completely detached from the affection for a sin, even a venial sin, take part in the prayers and devotions held in honour of Divine Mercy, or who, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed or reserved in the tabernacle, recite the Our Father and the Creed, adding a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus (e.g. Merciful Jesus, I trust in you!") —Apostolic Penitentiary Decree, Indulgences attached to devotions in honour of Divine Mercy; Archbishop Luigi De Magistris, Tit. Archbishop of Nova Major Pro-Penitentiary;

 
How many more Divine Mercy Sundays remain?  

 

SCRIPTURE COMMENTARY #172

"Again you have heard that it was said to them of old, thou shalt not forswear thyself: but thou shalt perform thy oaths to the Lord. But I say to you not to swear at all, neither by heaven for it is the throne of God: Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool: nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king: Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
(Matt. 5:33-36)

TAKING AN OATH is not, according to our Lord's teaching, sinful in itself, for it is a religious and a sacred act; but its abuse is sinful, and therefore no one ought to take an oath without necessity. Our Lord Himself took an oath before the court of the High Priest, when He asserted that He was the Son of God.

[From 'A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture' by Bishop Knecht, D.D.]

(1899 Douay-Rheims Bible)

One day He will appear to us!

VATICAN - AVE MARIA by Mgr Luciano Alimandi -

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - When will it be our turn to see the Risen Lord, to be in ecstasy in His presence? We can say with certainty: at the end of our days when our heart comes to its final beats of life, then, we will have the privilege and unspeakable grace of seeing Our Lord, of meeting Him on the horizon of the Other world, since He is the Gate (cfr. Jn 10, 9), the Passage from this world to the Father!
We will recognize Him and know His voice, if we have met him during our earthly pilgrimage. His Face and His Person will not be unknown to us, we will not hesitate to abandon ourselves entirely to Jesus, because that "moment", will be the culmination of countless acts of love and self-giving, which we will have left behind us, during the course of our life. This is truly the experience of the Apostles, who walked a path of growing trust in Him. Like them, we too listen to His Word, become familiar with His Presence, see the signs of His working in our midst, become His witnesses and invoke Him as Master and Lord.
We too like the first disciples, are led progressively into his Kingdom, through conversion, through becoming like little children (cfr. Mt 18, 3). The only difference between the first disciples and us is that we will see the Risen Lord only at the end of life, whereas they saw him during their life on earth. He will appear to us as we pass, as we are met by "the real Light, which gives light to everyone" (Jn. 1, 9). But precisely for this we will be called blessed because, even though we do not see Him, we believe in Him (cfr. Jn. 20, 29)! Faith in the Resurrection of Jesus is Heaven's greatest gift on this earth, since it enables us to enter into communion of life with the Risen Lord; how often the Lord said: " For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life." (Jn 3,16). This is the faith which Jesus longs to find when he returns to earth; but will he find it? He does not say. In the Gospel he leaves this question unanswered (cfr. Lk 18, 8) and doing so he indicates that, to keep the faith is not easy and everything depends on being or not being authentic Christians. The Apostles also ran the risk of losing the faith. Although they lived with Jesus, saw his miracles, listened to his most profound teaching, at the moment of trial they were in danger of losing themselves. The Gospel speaks many times of their difficulty to understand Jesus. When he was arrested every one of them fled and left him alone (cfr. Mt. 26, 56), because they did not believe as they should have done.
We too, like the disciples of Emmaus, sometimes have "eyes unable to recognize Him" (Lk 24, 16), because we are "foolish and slow to believe" (Lk 24, 25). The Gospels of the Resurrection reveal the weakness of the faith of the first disciples and show that all Christians face the same struggle, the same doubts, the same resistance of the flesh against the spirit. In the human person in fact there exist two opposite realities: matter and spirit. One drags us towards things which are exterior, visible, earthly, the other draws us to things which are interior, invisible, heavenly.
Saint Paul, the great persecutor, converted by the Risen Lord, recalls that, according to our decisions in life we will become spiritual persons, or remain natural persons, unable to perceive what is supernatural, for example, the Resurrection of Christ: " The natural person has no room for the gifts of God's Spirit; to him they are folly; he cannot recognize them, because their value can be assessed only in the Spirit. The spiritual person, on the other hand, can assess the value of everything, and that person's value cannot be assessed by anybody else... But we are those who have the mind of Christ" (1Cor 2, 14…).
In order to have the mind of Christ, we must live according to the Spirit. Christ, in fact is God and God is Spirit (Jn. 4, 24). So as not to lose faith in the Risen Lord, indeed to increase our faith, we must flee sin and live in the grace of God. In other words, we will never keep our faith unless our life is in keeping with our belief. The entire Gospel message is about repentance and faith. "Repentance" and "faith" are inseparable: "repent and believe in the Gospel!" (Mk 1, 15). Proclaiming the faith only with our lips, will not help our sanctification. Behind the faith, to support the faith, by virtue of the faith ,our life must be conformed to that of Jesus; this, of course, is a journey. And it is only possible if we deny our materialist and carnal self, slave of "world-disordered bodily desires, disordered desires of the eyes pride in possession-is not from the Father but is from the world" (1Jn 2, 16), as Saint John teaches us. Our great little "I", will not cease to seek itself!
So, with the strength of the faith and total confidence in the Risen Christ, with the words "Jesus, I trust in you", proclaimed by our soul with all its strength, we will go out from ourselves towards the Lord who comes, towards the final encounter, when faith will be no longer necessary, because we will be transfigured in Him!

(Agenzia Fides 26/3/2008; righe 57, parole 906)

FROM MARK MALLETT: THE PERFECT STORM

The Perfect Storm

"The Perfect Storm" Source Unknown

 

Mark and his family have entered the United States as of last night. Mark will be singing and speaking over the next five weeks in several States. View his schedule here: Ministry Schedule.

 

From subsistence farmers eating rice in Ecuador to gourmets feasting on escargot in France, consumers worldwide face rising food prices in what analysts call a perfect storm of conditions. Freak weather is a factor. But so are dramatic changes in the global economy, including higher oil prices, lower food reserves and growing consumer demand in China and India. —NBC News online, March 24th, 2008

In an "unforeseen and unprecedented" shift, the world food supply is dwindling rapidly and food prices are soaring to historic levels… "We're concerned that we are facing the perfect storm for the world's hungry." —Josette Sheeran, Executive Director, World Food Program; Dec 17th, 2007; International Herald Tribune

"It will not take much to put the U.S. economy into recession… [there is a] perfect storm consisting of the worst credit crunch in decades, falling house prices, and $100 oil. —David Shulman, Senior Economist, UCLA Anderson Forecast; March 11th, 2008, www.inman.com

The Washington-based International Monetary Fund has warned of a 'perfect storm' caused by surging oil prices and the turbulence on financial markets. 'The combination of the credit crunch and high oil prices could bring a big reduction in international trade from which no one would be immune.' —Simon Johnson, Chief Economist IMF, Nov 29th, 2007; www.thisismoney.co.uk

It's been 16 months… In the intervening time following the identification of the malady now known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), things haven't gotten any better for the nation's bees, which pollinate about one-third of U.S. crops—some $15 billion worth... "It is something else. It is a perfect storm, if you want to call it that. Anything that weakens or ages [the bees] will contribute, we believe, to CCD."  —Kevin Hackett, national program leader for research on bees and pollination, Agricultural Research Service; March 24th, 2008; www.palmbeachpost.com

I am reminded today of the words which came to me at the beginning of this year (see The Year of the Unfolding).

 

A PERFECT STORM 

For over two years, I have been compelled to write about a present and coming "storm." Preparation for this storm is at the very heart of these writings.

If the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes, and takes any one of them; that man is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand. (Ezekiel 33:6)

Didn't Noah prepare the ark for a storm? If Mary is the "new ark", then she has been sent to prepare us for the Great Storm. The warning is one of spiritual preparation so that when the storm is unleashed, you will already be safely in the Ark of Mary's Heart; so that when that which is built on sand begins to crumble, you will be firmly set upon the Rock, who is Christ; so that when "Babylon" begins to collapse, it will not fall on your head! Your trust will be firmly in Christ, and with Mary's help, it will not be shaken!

Can you not see the lightning all about you? Are the winds of change not blowing? Can you not hear the claps of thunder?

What should you do to physically prepare? I have no idea. God said He would provide for your needs, and that we should "seek first the Kingdom." The plan hasn't changed. It's just more urgent than ever.

Many are frantically trying to secure their lifestyle right now as world systems begin to teeter like a drunken sailor. Being a good steward is one thing… building your own god is another.

Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to save them on the day of the LORD'S wrath… (Zeph 1:18)

What God is asking of you now is quite radical, actually. To be willing to let go of absolutely everything on a moments notice. Can you?

 

FAITH IS WHAT CONQUERS 

The victory that conquers the world is our faith. (1 John 5:4)

What this Scripture means is that when your dreams dissolve, your security shatters, and everything around you seems to collapse, you do not fall with it, because your trust is in God and what He is allowing to happen in your life. That's how you conquer the pain, and suffering, and cancer, and violence, and injustice, and hatred, and fear. You trust God like a little child in the midst of it, and thereby conquer the power of death—and all its fruits—by accepting the nails of sorrow into your own hands and the crown of discomfort upon your brow and waiting patiently in the darkness of the tomb of God's silence. Isn't this precisely what Jesus did whom we are called to imitate? This isn't some distant, unreachable spirituality—it is the timeless "stuff" of following Christ in all ages, the warp and woof of being His disciple.

Whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it. (Mark 8:35)

 

FOCUS 

Mary has come to prepare us for a great storm, a Great Battle too. What are we doing then with our time and our energy? Where are our hearts storing up treasure? Are we listening to our Mother?

No soldier on service gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to satisfy the one who enlisted him.  (2 Tim 2:4)

It is a call to focus—not to become gloomy Christians—but focused on the fact that we have a great mission—a Great Co-mission to be salt and light to others, each and every moment.  

I truly believe that our lifestyles in North America are going to change—-yes, I think that is what the Lord is telling us. But if we have already begun to live as pilgrims, detached from the world, and hungering and thirsting for the Kingdom (Matt 5:6), then what we may lose in comfort we will consider to be great gain!

In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need. I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me. (Phil 4:12-13)

It is strength which comes through faith—childlike trust in all circumstances.

The forces of darkness do indeed seem to have mustered together a "perfect storm." However, Heaven is countering with it's own Perfect Storm. And it has all the force of a hurricane, rushing at the speed of a Woman's heel about to crush a serpent's head:

Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a violent hailstorm. (Rev 11:19)

 

 

 

 

Published in: DAILY JOURNAL, SIGNS | on March 26th, 2008 |

[MaryVitamin] Easter Joy

Mary Vitamin for March 27^th

 

Topic: Easter Joy 

 

Quote:

"My heart is ready, O God

I will sing, sing your praise.

Awake my soul;

Awake, lyre and harp

I will awake the dawn."

Psalm 108

 

Meditation:

St. Claude de La Colombiere explains spiritual joy:

"By God's infinite mercy I feel a liberty of spirit which fills me with great joy. It seems as though nothing could now make my unhappy. The thought that I am serving God fills me with this joy, and I feel that it is of far greater value than all the favor of kings would be. The occupations of the worldly seem very despicable in comparison with work done for God."

The Spiritual Direction of Saint Claude de la Colombiere, (Ignatius Press), 70.

 

Liberty of spirit brings joy. Liberty to do God's Will not our own. This is the secret of Our Lady's joy and the joy of the saints. It is the message of St. Paul: "God's Will is good, pleasing and perfect." (Romans 12:2)

 

Resolution:

Today, when I pass my image of Our Lady, I will repeat the words of St. Paul ("God's Will is good, pleasing and perfect") and remember that Our Lady lived St. Paul's words exactly and experienced perfect joy.

 

Marian Vow:

St. Maximilian Kolbe

"If Mary is the Mediatrix of All Graces, then only in proportion to our nearness to her are we able to become channels of grace, mediators of grace that comes from the Father through the Son who merited them—and the Immaculata who dispenses them—so that as they come upon us they will through us flow into the lives of other souls."

Will To Love, (Marytown Press) 48

 

I give this resolution to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

 

Thanks be to God for graces received.

 

Related sites: Castle of the Immaculate & AirMaria

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SCRIPTURE COMMENTARY #171

"You have heard that it was said to them of old: Thou shalt not kill. And whosoever shall kill, shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council. And whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." (Matt. 5:21-22)

THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT: Our Lord explicitly teaches that the fifth Commandment forbids not merely the actual deed of murder, but every angry thought and injurious word.

[From 'A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture' by Bishop Knecht, D.D.]

(1899 Douay-Rheims Bible)

[MaryVitamin] After the Resurrection

Mary Vitamin for March 26th

Topic: After the Resurrection

Quote:

"He left her some twenty years on earth, that we might learn from her to adore Him perfectly."

St. Peter Julian Eymard, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, (Eymard Library),10.

Meditation:

"How, then, do we act with a friend? Do we always speak to him of the present? Certainly not! We recall past memories, we live them over again together. When we want to pay a compliment to a father and a mother we recall their love, their unwearying devotedness shown us in our infancy. Similarly, Mary during her adoration in the Cenacle reminded Jesus of all that He had done for His Father's glory, all the great sacrifices He had made, and in this way she participated in the Eucharistic grace."

St. Peter Julian Eymard, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, 10.

Resolution:

Today I will imitate Our Lady's conversation with Jesus. Just as She did, I will review with Him in conversation one of the holy mysteries of His life.  I will choose one event now (birth, public ministry, or Passion) and I will remember to  visit with the Lord spiritually while I am busy with my day. I will just lift my mind to these thoughts, even if briefly.

Marian Vow:

With each conversation with the Lord, I will begin by remembering my Marian vow of unlimited and total consecration to the Immaculate. It is Our lady who teaches me and brings to me Christ.

I give this resolution to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Thanks be to God for graces received.

Related sites: Castle of the Immaculate & AirMaria

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The Sunday after Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday!

How should we prepare for this great Feast of Mercy?

Jesus told St. Faustina that this Feast of Mercy would be a very special day when "all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened". (Diary 699) Our Lord made a great promise to all those souls who would go to Confession and then receive Him in Holy Communion on the Feast of Mercy, on the Sunday after Easter, which is now called Divine Mercy Sunday throughout the Catholic Church.

Jesus promised that "The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain the complete forgiveness of sins and punishment."(Diary 699) He went on to say "I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My Mercy." (Diary 1109)

We want to encourage everyone to take advantage of this incredible promise and the additional Plenary Indulgence on this great Feast of Mercy "Divine Mercy Sunday". We want you to benefit fully from these promises, and we also want you to notify all of your family and friends about them too and urge them to return to the practice of their faith!

The Image of The Divine Mercy, which Our Lord requested to be solemnly blessed and venerated on this day, will be on display in our church. Pope John Paul II said that the image portrays the Risen Jesus Christ bringing Mercy to the whole world. Our Lord said "I want the image to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish". (Diary 341, 48) Please take the time to visit with this Image of The Divine Mercy and venerate Jesus.

Jesus said to St. Faustina "I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You". (Diary 327) "The two rays denote Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the cross. …Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him." (Diary 299)

About the feast day "Divine Mercy Sunday", Jesus said "…tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon the souls who approach the Fount of My Mercy. On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet.... Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy". (Diary 699)

Our Lord said "When you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul…" and "Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself entirely in My mercy with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy" (1602) Make your confession before Me. The person of the priest is… only a screen. Never analyze what sort of a priest that I am making use of; open your soul in confession to Me, and I will fill it with My light." (1725)

It is required of all Catholics to confess their serious sins at least once every year. If you haven't yet met this obligation then take advantage of this outstanding opportunity to receive an outpouring of an ocean of graces that Jesus promises on this day. Those who have already confessed their sins should make room for others.

The Church allows for one to go to Confession for up to about 20 days, before or after Divine Mercy Sunday.

Excerpts taken from the Diary of St. Faustina, copyright 1987 Marians of the Immaculate Conception, Stockbridge MA., USA

Bulletin insert taken from the www.DivineMercySunday.com website and may be copied and re-produced without permission.

SCRIPTURE COMMENTARY #170

"He therefore that shall break one of these least commandments, and shall so teach men shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But he that shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 5:19)

THE MORAL LAW OF JESUS CHRIST is a perfect law, because it forbids evil thoughts and words as well as evil deeds. It requires not only an outward observance of commandments, but also an inward amendment, sanctification, and elevation of the soul.

[From 'A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture' by Bishop Knecht, D.D.]

(1899 Douay-Rheims Bible)

[MaryVitamin] The Resurrection

Mary Vitamin for March 25th

 

Topic: the Resurrection

 

Quote:

St. Peter Julian Eymard

"For whom was the first visit of the Risen Lord? Assuredly, it must have been to His Mother!"

St. Peter Julian Eymard, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, Fifteenth Day (88-9.)

Meditation:

"What passed between them in that happy meeting? Holy Scripture does not tell us; but we can imagine the beauty of it all. What a glorious reception the Son must have received in His Mother's little room! Only through love's insight can we reconstruct that scene. Without a doubt, Jesus appeared to His Mother in all His Risen beauty. No one of the Apostles could have seen the beauty of Jesus the way Mary saw it; spiritual vision is always proportionate to the soul's sanctity. Mary penetrated even to His interior glory."

St. Peter Julian Eymard, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, Fifteenth Day (88-9.)

Resolution:

 If I have an opportunity to offer a sacrifice today or endure a trial, I will remember the great rewards given to Our Lady for Her sufferings. Trials and sacrifices don't have to be wasted time. They can bear much heavenly fruit. This meditation will help me to bear my trial with hope and maybe even joy.

 

Marian Vow:

"The mere act of consecration to the Immaculate, however fervent, passes and leaves an emptiness in its wake. It is the life of consecration, instead, that leads to the Immaculate: but the life must be nourished and sustained by constant formation offered to all, particularly in reunions and in meetings of the M.I.M. Cenacle."

Marian Seraphic Pathways, Sixth condition of membership in the M.I.M

Fifth Article of the Statutes, #33

I give this resolution to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Thanks be to God for graces received.

Related sites: Castle of the Immaculate & AirMaria

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MEDJUGORJE MESSAGE MARCH 25, 2008

Our Lady's Message of March 25, 2008

Our Lady Queen of Peace of Medjugorje's March 25, 2008 Monthly Message

"Dear children! I call you to work on your personal conversion. You are still far from meeting with God in your heart. Therefore, spend all the more time in prayer and Adoration of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, for Him to change you and to put into your hearts a living faith and a desire for eternal life. Everything is passing, little children, only God is not passing. I am with you and I encourage you with love. Thank you for having responded to my call."

This message can speak to us of the Serious Announcement, as we are praying for a holy, happy death, passing into eternal life in Heaven. Please continue to keep the Serious Announcement, many of you have received in the mail from Caritas, in your daily prayers. We cannot be successful without your prayers. If you have not already received the Serious Announcement, and would like to receive a packet, call Caritas at 205-672-2000 extension 315, 24 hours a day.

- A Friend of Medjugorje

There will be a broadcast tonight, Tuesday March 25th here on Radio WAVE regarding Marija's apparition and message. See chart below for your local times, and Click Here to Open the Radio WAVE Player

Your Time Zone	Online Air Time
Eastern Time	8:00 PM - Tuesday (March 25)
Central Time	7:00 PM - Tuesday
Mountain Time	6:00 PM - Tuesday
Pacific Time	5:00 PM - Tuesday
Hawaii Time	3:00 PM - Tuesday
Brazil Time	10:00 PM - Tuesday
Sydney, Australia	12:00 PM - Wednesday (March 26)
Seoul	9:00 AM - Wednesday
Beijing, Singapore	8:00 AM - Wednesday
Calcutta	7:30 AM - Wednesday
Baghdad, Moscow	4:00 AM - Wednesday
Jerusalem, Athens, Cairo	3:00 AM - Wednesday
Warsaw, Paris, Prague, Rome, Berlin, Medjugorje	2:00 AM - Wednesday
London, Dublin	1:00 AM - Wednesday

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