July/August 2006
Newsletter No. 101
“You were ransomed . . . with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Pet 1:18,
19).
“The least portion of His body, the tiniest drop of His blood
is deserving of the adoration of heaven and earth” (St. Peter Julian Eymard).
“Looking at a picture of Our Lord on the Cross, I was struck by the blood
flowing from one of the divine hands. I felt a great pang of sorrow when
thinking this blood was falling to the ground without anyone's hastening to
gather it up. I was resolved to remain in spirit at the foot of the Cross and to
receive the divine dew [Precious Blood]” (St. Therese of Lisieux).
Tremendous graces flow from receiving and adoring the Precious
Body and Blood of Jesus! “The daily Eucharist must become a school of life for
us, one in which we learn to donate our lives” (Pope Benedict XVI, May 7, 2006).
How many of us “gather” the Precious Blood of Jesus by going to weekly or daily
Mass and making a weekly or daily Holy Hour? “Every Eucharistic cup is a
Grail, and the royal blood each contains is the blood of Jesus, the King of
Kings” (The DaVinci Deception:100 Questions about the Facts & Fiction of
The DaVinci Code, Mark Shea & Edward Sri). “Jesus announced the cross,
and with the cross the Eucharistic bread: His absolutely new way of being king”
(Pope Benedict XVI, May 24, 2006). We need to plead the protection of the
Precious Blood of Jesus upon our Church, country, families and world. Scripture
says to “Put on the whole armor of God that we may withstand the wiles of the
devil” (Eph 6:11). “They have conquered him [satan] by the blood of the Lamb
[Jesus in the Holy Eucharist] and by the word of their testimony” (Rev 12:11).
Let us adore Jesus Whose Blood was shed to save us. May we call down the
Precious Blood of Jesus, Who is our ransom and our peace.
“In a world where there is so much noise, so much bewilderment, there is a
need for silent adoration of Jesus concealed in the Host. Be assiduous in the
prayer of adoration and teach it to the faithful. It is a source of comfort and
light particularly to those who are suffering” (Pope Benedict XVI, May
25, 2006, Warsaw).
“The Lord is present in the tabernacle in his divinity and in his humanity. He
is not present for his own sake but for ours: it is his delight to be with the
‘children of men.’ He knows, too, that, being what we are, we need his personal
nearness . . . . Every thoughtful and sensitive person will feel attracted and
will be there as often and as long as possible. And the practice of the Church,
which has instituted perpetual adoration, is just as clear” (St. Teresa
Benedicta, Edith Stein).
“O what treasures of grace would you receive, devout soul, if you only
entertain yourself with Jesus [in the Holy Eucharist] for an hour” (St.
Alphonsus Liguori).
“How many Christians are pressed for time, and only condescend to come for a few
short moments to visit their Saviour who burns with the desire to see them near
him and to tell them that he loves them, and wants to load them with blessings”
(St. John Vianney, Patron of Priests).
“Rediscover . . . the place the Eucharist must occupy in the life of the
Church.” “The Eucharist, source and summit of Christian life, unites and
conforms us to the Son of God. It also builds the Church, strengthening her in
her unity as the Body of Christ.” “If, as John Paul II wrote, Christianity in
our time must distinguish itself above all for ‘the art of prayer,’ how can we
not feel a renewed need to dwell in spiritual conversation . . . before Christ
present in the Most Holy Sacrament?” (Pope Benedict XVI, May 11, 2006).
St. Elizabeth (Isabel), Wife, Mother, Queen of Portugal,
(1271-1336)—Feast, July 4
St. Elizabeth of Portugal imitated her great aunt St. Elizabeth of Hungary’s
life of constant prayer, heroic charity and selfless service of the poor.
Nourished by daily Communion and Adoration, St. Elizabeth was a peacemaker in
her family and country. Though sick and elderly, St. Elizabeth once stood on the
battle field to make peace between her husband and son who were fighting! She
prayed for her abusive and unfaithful husband’s conversion. After he died, in
the state of grace, she became a Franciscan Tertiary at a Poor Clare convent she
founded.
Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, Patron of World Youth Days,
Italy(1901-1925)—Feast, July 4
Promoter of Eucharistic Adoration, the Rosary and chastity, Bl. Pier Giorgio is
a model for youth. While excelling in sports, he led a life of prayer and
virtue, caring for those in need.
St. Maria Goretti, Patroness of Youth & Children of Mary, Italy
(1890-1902)—July 6
The great loves of St. Maria’s life were the Holy Eucharist and Our Lady. The
Holy Eucharist was her strength. On the eve of the Feast of the Precious Blood
of Jesus, Maria was stabbed fourteen times for her refusal to sin against
purity. “In your virginal countenance may be read the strength of your love and
the constancy of your fidelity to your Divine Spouse. As his bride espoused in
blood, you have traced in yourself His own image. To you, therefore, powerful
intercessor with the Lamb of God, we entrust these our sons and daughters who
are present here, and those countless others who are united with us in spirit.
For while they admire our heroism, they are even more desirous of imitating your
strength of faith and your inviolate purity of conduct. Fathers and mothers have
recourse to you, asking you to help them in their task of education. In you,
through our hand, the children and the young people will find a safe refuge,
trusting that they shall be protected from every contamination, and be able to
walk the highways of life with that serenity of spirit and deep joy which is the
heritage of those who are pure of heart. Amen” (Pope Pius XII). St. Maria
Goretti, virgin & martyr, pray for our purity!
St. Benedict, Priest, Founder of the Benedictines, Italy
(c.480-547)—Feast, July 11
Father of Western monasticism, St. Benedict encouraged his monks to “pray
always,” even while they worked. The Eucharist was the heartbeat of St.
Benedict’s life. St. Benedict died near the altar, after receiving The
Eucharist, while his monks held up his arms in prayer.
Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin, North America (1656-1680)—Feast, July 14
“Kateri, lily of purity, pray for us. Kateri, consoler of the heart of Jesus,
pray for us . . . .
Kateri, lover of the cross of Jesus, pray for us . . . .
Kateri, who loved Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, pray for us” (Litany of Bl.
Kateri Tekakwitha).
Sts. Anne andJoachim, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary—Feast, July 26
Saints Anne and Joachim, we bless you for your great faith and love as parents.
Your respect and reverence for the sacredness of human life made you the parents
of Mary, Mother of the Lord. Through your intercession, we ask God to grant
young people today that same reverence for the gift of new life. May they
accept, cherish, and nourish life from the very moment of conception. Grant to
us as a nation a renewed reverence for every human life. As Mary cherished her
Child from the womb even to the tomb, so may we see in every person the very
image of God. Great Saints Anne and Joachim, we ask this grace in the name of
Mary’s Son, Jesus the Lord. Amen. Sts. Anne & Joachim, pray for us, to love
Jesus in the Holy Eucharist!
St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest, Founder of Jesuits, Spain
(1491-1556)—Feast, July 31
“One of the most admirable effects of Holy Communion is to preserve souls from
falling, and to help those who fall from weakness to rise again. Therefore, it
is much more profitable to approach the divine Sacrament frequently, with love,
respect, and confidence, than to keep back from an excess of fear” (St. Ignatius
of Loyola).
St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor, Italy (1696-1787)—Feast, Aug.
1
“O most compassionate Saviour, be pleased to make me faithful to Thee; and grant
that I may also, by my example, excite others to keep Thee company in the Most
Blessed Sacrament. I hear the Eternal Father, who says: This is my beloved Son:
in whom I am well pleased.... Behold, I give myself all to Thee: I now dedicate
the whole remainder of my life to the love of the Most Blessed Sacrament” (St.
Alphonsus Liguori).
St. Peter Julian Eymard, Priest of the Eucharist, France
(1811-1868)—Feast, Aug. 2
“I have often thought on the remedies for this life and the universal
indifference which is following so many Catholics, and I find this icy cold
death comes from the absence of fire. I find the remedy, the only one, is the
Eucharist, the loving Lord. When we go to visit Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, His
love always surrounds us” (St. Peter Julian Eymard).
St. John Vianney, Cure of Ars, Patron of Priests, France
(1786-1859)—Feast, Aug. 4
St. John wrote of The Eucharist: “What a difference between the first Christians
and ourselves! They passed whole days and nights in the churches, singing the
praises of the Lord or weeping over their sins; but things are not the same
today. Jesus is forsaken, abandoned by us.”
St. Dominic, Priest, Preacher, Founder of Dominicans, Spain
(1170-1221)—Feast, Aug. 8
“The Saints found no greater delight in this world than to be in the presence of
the Blessed Sacrament.... St. Dominic went to the church a number of times every
day.... In our own days there are many saintly persons who find their Heaven on
earth before the Blessed Sacrament. At the foot of the altar they enjoy true
happiness, a foretaste of heavenly bliss” (Fr. Lukas Etlin).
St. Teresa Benedicta, Carmelite Nun & Martyr, Germany
(1891-1942)—Feast, Aug. 9
“The same Savior, whom the written word presents to our eyes on all the paths he
trod on earth in human form, lives among us disguised in the form of the
Eucharistic bread” (St. Teresa).
St. Clare of Assisi, Foundress of Poor Clare Nuns, Italy
(1193-1253)—Feast, Aug. 11
“At night she prolonged her vigils, and then, alone, prostrate on her knees
before the tabernacle, she gave free course to the transports of her devotion.
Going in spirit to the heights of Calvary, she joined her tears to the tears of
the Redeemer, and never wearied of offering herself a pure victim to the Eternal
Father for the conversion of peoples-the holocaust of her senses by penitence
and prayer, and the still better holocaust of her heart by the outpourings of
her love” (St. Clare of Assisi, Leopold de Cherance, OSFC).
St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe, Priest, Martyr, Poland, (1894-1941)—Feast,
Aug. 14
“My aim is to institute perpetual adoration, for this is the most important
activity” (St. Maximilian).
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven—Feast, August 15
“When the conquest for the Immaculate [Mary] of the whole world and of every
single soul now living or to live until the end of the world, and through Her
for the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is completed, . . . then souls will love the
Sacred Heart as they have never as yet loved Him, because like Her they will
have been immersed as never before in the mystery of love, the Cross, the
Eucharist” (St. Maximilian Kolbe).
St. Jane Frances de Chantal, Widow & Religious, France
(1572-1641)—Feast, Aug. 18
Founded the Visitation Order with St. Francis de Sales. Her spirituality was
Eucharistic centered; she led her Sisters in daily adoration and frequent Holy
Communion.
St. Pius X, Pope of the Blessed Sacrament, Italy (1835-1914)—Feast,
Aug. 21
“The daily adoration or visit to the Blessed Sacrament is the practice which is
the fountainhead of all devotional works” (Pope St. Pius X).
St. Rose of Lima, Patroness of South America (1586-1617)—Feast, Aug. 23
“St. Rose of Lima was so ardent in her love of God in the Blessed Sacrament that
when she knelt in His presence the fire which sparkled in her eyes showed the
flame which consumed her soul. At times she appeared like an angel” (Hidden
Treasure, Louis Kaczmarek).
Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary—August 22
St. Augustine, Bishop, Doctor of the Church, N. Africa, (354-430)—Feast, Aug. 28
“Him whom the heavens cannot contain the womb of one woman bore. She ruled our
Ruler. She carried him in whom we all are. She gave milk to our Bread” (St.
Augustine).
“Our Lady and the Holy Eucharist are, by nature of things, united inseparably ‘even to the end of the world’ (Mt. 28:20). For Mary with her body and soul is the heavenly ‘tabernacle of God’ (Rev. 31:3). She is the incorruptible host, ‘holy and immaculate’ (Eph. 5:27), who of herself clothes the Word of God made man. St. Germain came to call her the ‘sweet Paradise of God’ . . . . In some of the churches in France, the tabernacle is used to be encased in a statue of Our Lady of the Assumption. The significance is quite clear: it is always the Blessed Virgin Mary who gives us Jesus, who is the blessed Fruit of her virginal womb and the Heart of her Immaculate Heart. And she will forever continue to carry Jesus in the Holy Eucharist within her breast so as to present Him for the joyful contemplation of the saints in Heaven, to whom it is even now given to see His Divine Person in the Eucharistic Species, according to the teaching of the Angelic Doctor, Thomas Aquinas” (Fr. Stefano M. Manelli).
“We earnestly desire that priests dedicate themselves to the Blessed
Sacrament
in such a manner that by It they become inflamed with glowing ardor,
and, as it were, emit everywhere the sparks of Divine Love” (Pope Benedict
XV).
PRAYER FOR PRIESTS
O Almighty Eternal
God, look upon the face of Your Son, and for the love of Him who is the Eternal
High Priest have pity on Your priests. Remember, O most compassionate God, that
they are but weak and frail human beings. Stir up in them the grace of their
vocation which is in them by the imposition of the Bishop’s hands. Keep them
close to You, lest the enemy prevail against them, so that they may never do
anything in the slightest degree unworthy of their sublime vocation.
O Jesus, I pray for Your faithful and
fervent priests; for Your unfaithful and tepid priests; for Your priests
laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields; for Your tempted priests;
for the lonely and desolate priests; for Your young priests; for Your dying
priests; for the souls of Your priests in Purgatory.
But above all, I commend to You the
priests dearest to me: the priest who baptized me; the priests who absolved me
from my sins; the priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Your Body
and Blood in Holy Communion; the priests who taught and instructed me or helped
and encouraged me; all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way,
particularly . . . O Jesus, keep them all close to Your Heart, and bless them
abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen. (By Richard Cardinal Cushing)
“If you cultivate friendship with Jesus, if you practice the Sacraments
assiduously, especially the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist, you will be
able to become ‘a new generation of apostles anchored firmly in the word of
Christ, capable of responding to the challenges of our times and prepared to
spread the Gospel far and wide’” (Pope Benedict XVI, April 10, 2006).
Prayer Requests: Please remember our priests and loved ones, the sick,
suffering , dying,
our needs and intentions in your prayers before the Precious Body and Blood of
Jesus:
______________________ ______________________ ______________________
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Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration protects us with the
Precious Blood of Jesus!
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