“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” When Jesus uttered these words, He was speaking literally. Dead serious. All of sacred Scripture points to the reality of the Eucharist...and so does the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Sacramental marriage between 1 man and 1 woman is under attack in our world becasue it resembles the Most Holy Trinity. Satan hates it--and desires it to be destroyed. Now more than ever, we need holy husbands and wives who will serve as living icons of God on this earth. As marriage goes, so will our country go. This is THE issue of our day.
Whoever or whatever the Holy Spirit touches is forever changed and empowered. If you are lukewarm...if you struggle with a certain sin that you can't seem to beat...if you desire to be holy but don't know where to start: pray to the Holy Spirit. When He enters into your heart and soul, everything changes. "Holy Spirit, sweet guest of my soul, abide in me and grant that I may ever abide in Thee. Amen."
On August 12, 1999 my brother tragically took his own life. He was 19. I was 20. This was a brutal time...a time where one could easily ask God, "Why have you abandoned me?" 18 years later, I know that God has not abandoned me. Nor did He abandon my brother. In fact, becuase of the Ascension God has united Himself to all of us in a real and mystical way...so that we are never without Him. God was there when my brother died. He is there for all of us. And through the Ascension He unites us (in His Body) to all of our loved ones--on earth, in Purgatory and in Heaven. This ought to bring us tremendous peace, hope and joy!
On May 13, 1917 the Blessed Virgin appeared to 3 small shepherd children--Lucia (10), Francisco (9) and Jacinta (7). She explained to them that if enough people repented of their sins and prayed the rosary daily there would be peace in the world. Her message largely went unheeded. The good news is: it is still a valid message. If people do those 2 things, we will bring peace to a world that needs peace. Oh...and if that isn't enough incentive, yesterday, little Francisco and Jacinta were canonized saints. This message not only leads to peace on earth but to eternal life. Will you follow?
Jesus Christ calls everyone by name to follow Him. He desires our happiness. And by responding to His voice we will be happy--in this life, yes, but more importantly in heaven for all eternity. On this World Day of Prayers for Vocations, we need to pray that our young people will hear God's voice and have the courage to say "Yes Lord, I will follow you." Amen.
The disciples on the road to Emmaus allowed Jesus to break open the Word and explain sacred scripture to them. Once they understood, they were filled with Divine Wisdom and their hearts were set on fire. If we wish to be disciples of Christ, we too must listen to and accept the Word of God. This requires humility...
22 years ago a priest in Baltmore was miraculously healed through the intercession of Sister Faustina Kowalska. Today Jesus extends his healing Mercy to all who trust in Him. Jesus I trust in You!
Happy Easter to all! Today's gospel tells us the story of Peter and John stepping inside the cave where Jesus was buried. As soon as John saw the burial cloths lying there, he believed! What was it about the cloths? How can we have faith like John's? It's all about spending time with our Lord! He desires to spend time with you. And when you do spent time with Him, you start to recognize His fingerprints everywhere...even in the cloths!
Our Lord loves us so much He went to the cross for us.Why did He need to literally shed His blood to pay our debt of sin? The answer lies in the Jewish understanding of blood and life. The Jews believed that an animal's life was contained in their blood. So if you consumed an animal's blood you took its life into you (something demeaning for human beings, since we were created higher in order than the animals). But when we consume God's blood....we take His very life into us. Thus, by going to the cross and shedding His Blood, Jesus not only paid our debt, but gave us an abundance of life--divine life!
