The Glory of Peter and Paul

The Glory of Peter and Paul

By Sister Mary Claire – for young hearts

Jesus chose twelve special friends called the apostles. He loved each one of them and gave them His grace. But two of them—Saint Peter and Saint Paul—were given very special jobs that helped the whole Church.

Jesus gave Peter the key to Heaven. That doesn’t mean he carried around a big metal key in his pocket! It means Jesus trusted Peter to help lead people to Heaven. Peter became like a shepherd, gently guiding souls to God and keeping the door open for those who wanted to come home.

Then there’s Paul. He didn’t know Jesus during His life on earth, but Jesus called him in a powerful way later on. Paul became one of the greatest teachers of our faith. His key was the key of knowledge. Paul helped people understand who Jesus was by writing letters and preaching with great love and wisdom. His words helped open people’s hearts to believe.

So, Peter opened the door to Heaven, and Paul showed people the way to walk toward it. One helped them come in, and the other helped them understand why.

Both Peter and Paul gave their lives for Jesus in a city called Rome. Long ago, Rome was a place where people worshipped false gods. But God used Peter and Paul to turn that place into something holy. Now, it’s the home of the Church!

Even though Jesus’ death on the Cross was all we need to be saved, He gave us saints like Peter and Paul to show us how to live bravely and love Him with all our hearts. Their lives are examples for us to follow.

You don’t need a key in your hand to follow Jesus. Just keep your heart open, your prayers steady, and your love strong. Peter and Paul will cheer you on from Heaven!





A Short Prayer

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

Help me to be brave like them,

to love You with all my heart,

and to help others find the way to Heaven.

Amen.

The Heart Of Mary

Dear little one,

Look closely at the holy picture above. Mary stands among soft white flowers, her eyes full of kindness. She gently points to her Heart—glowing with love and crowned with flames. This is the Sacred Heart of Mary, the heart of a Mother who never stops loving.

The words below her say in Italian, “Sacro Cuore di Maria, siate la salvezza mia”—which means, “Sacred Heart of Mary, be my salvation.”

Her Heart was like an altar, always offering love to God. She loved Jesus with every part of herself, and she loves you just the same. Her love was quiet and strong, filled with prayer, service, and deep trust.

Let us ask Mary today to help our hearts be like hers—pure, gentle, and always burning with love for Jesus.

Have I told Mary I want to love Jesus more today?

Can I offer something small, just for Him?

All my love and prayers,

Sister Mary Clare

"From His Heart to Mine"

Dear little soul,

One quiet night in the chapel, Saint Margaret Mary knelt before the altar, just like we do when we come before Jesus in prayer. Suddenly, she saw Him—Jesus Himself—bathed in light, standing above the altar, His Heart glowing and surrounded by a crown of thorns and a little flame of love. He reached out His hand and gently said, “Behold this Heart, which has so loved men…”

When I look at this picture, I see how much Jesus longs for us to know His Heart. He doesn’t hide it. He shows it—open, burning, and full of love. He is not far away. He leans toward us. He wants to be close.

Saint Margaret Mary didn’t run away or hide. She looked right at Him and listened. She gave Him her whole heart in return.

Jesus wants the same from you and me. His Sacred Heart is full of grace—like a treasure box that never runs out. Every time we kneel before Him, whether in Church, in our room, or even out under the sky, He sees us. And from His Heart flow all the graces we need to become the holy person He dreamed us to be.

When we feel weak or unsure, we can look to His Heart. If we want to grow in kindness, patience, or courage, we can ask His Heart to share those gifts with us. And if we ever feel sad, we can remember His hand reaching out—just like in the picture—ready to lift us up.

So today, I want to whisper a little prayer with you:

“Jesus, gentle and strong, let my heart rest in Yours. Teach me to love like You. Let Your Sacred Heart be my refuge and my strength, and help me become holy, little by little, just like Saint Margaret Mary.”

With all my love and prayers,

Sister Mary Clare, 

Jesus, Our Eucharistic King

 
Lessons to be Learned from the Glorious Life of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar

“How lovely are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts! My soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God.”

—Psalm 83:2–3

First Prelude: Imagine Jesus saying, “I am come to cast fire upon the earth, and what will I but that it be kindled?”

Second Prelude: Ask Jesus to help you grow in love and knowledge of His Sacred Heart.

First Point: In the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus Teaches Us the Essence of Real Renown. 

When we look at Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, hidden under the humble appearance of bread, we see no signs of earthly beauty or luxury. Kings on earth live in grand palaces decorated with gold and gems. But Jesus, the King of Heaven and earth, often chooses to be in quiet, simple places that don’t have much.

Even though angels are always near Him, we cannot see them. Many times, He is left all alone, visited only by the poor. Still, even in these hidden, lonely places, Jesus remains the great and glorious God. He shows us His majesty not through riches, but by choosing poverty and simplicity.

He was born in a stable, lived in a humble home, and had no place to lay His head when He died. Jesus didn’t want worldly glory. He wanted to show us that true greatness comes from loving God and seeking the joys of Heaven—not from riches or being famous.

So, how do we treat honor and praise? Do we still chase after admiration from others? Do we forget that real happiness is found in loving and serving Jesus?

Ask yourself: Do I value the honor of being with Jesus in Holy Communion? Do I feel joy knowing I get to receive Him and be close to Him? Does this help me turn away from worldly temptations?

Second Point: We Are Called to Glorify Jesus by a Holy Life.

In Heaven, Jesus is King, surrounded by angels and saints. But on earth, He is hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, where He draws us closer to Himself with His grace and love.

His greatest desire is to reign in our hearts. Just like fire spreads when it touches something, Jesus wants to fill our souls with His love. When we go to Him in the Blessed Sacrament, He purifies us, helps us turn away from sin, and teaches us to grow in holiness.

We see the beautiful results of this in the lives of saints like St. Theresa, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Gertrude. Jesus found joy in their hearts because they built a throne for Him there. They received Holy Communion often, and they spent time with Him in prayer. Their lives were filled with grace, and they gave great glory to God.

We too can be like them. Jesus invites us to come to Him in the Sacrament of His love. He gives us strength to fight sin and to glorify Him by our victories over temptations.

He is the Bread of the Strong, the One who gives us courage and every grace we need. Let us go to Him with trust, asking Him to help us begin again with love.

Affections:

O my Jesus, with a humble heart I bow before You in the Holy Sacrament. I know I haven’t always followed Your loving ways. Please forgive me for the times I resisted Your grace. Help me to love You more and more.

Take away anything in me that keeps You from ruling in my heart. Fill me with Your holy love. Teach me to love what You love, and to seek Your will above all else.

O Mary, my dear Mother, you loved God so perfectly. Please pray for me, that I may love Him too, even in times of sorrow. Help me to trust His plan and do whatever He asks.

Resolution:

I will try my best today to listen to the gentle nudges of grace and to offer every little sacrifice with love for Jesus.

Spiritual Bouquet:

“I live; now not I; but Christ liveth in me.”

Soul of Christ…

Transcribed and gently rewritten for young readers by Sister Mary Clare of Camp Littlemore.

Jesus - Our Quiet Shepherd

 
“Come to Me, all you who are tired and carrying heavy things, and I will give you rest.”

—Matthew 11:28

Imagine This: Jesus is like a gentle Shepherd. In the Blessed Sacrament, He’s carrying a hurt little lamb on His shoulders. He cares for it and lovingly helps it heal.

Ask Jesus: Fill me up, dear Jesus! Give me a burning love for You so I can try every day to help others by praying and being a good example.

First Thought

Jesus Prays for Us and Offers Himself for Us in the Blessed Sacrament

Jesus stays with us in the tabernacle because He loves His Father in Heaven and wants to save souls—ours and everyone else’s. He became man to help bring us back to God and to show us how much we are loved. His life on earth was hard and full of sacrifice, especially when He gave His life on the Cross. Now He offers Himself again and again at Mass—not in a bloody way like on Calvary, but in a quiet, hidden way through the Eucharist.

Through the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus shares every good thing with us: His love, His holiness, and many spiritual gifts. He calls us to join Him in caring about the things His Father cares about. That means praying, offering little sacrifices, and helping people come closer to God.

Even if all we can do is pray and offer small hidden sacrifices—like doing chores without complaining or being kind when it’s hard—Jesus can use these to help save souls. Many people have come back to God because someone prayed for them! That could be us.

Second Thought

Jesus Teaches Us by His Quiet Example

Jesus also teaches us by simply being there in the Blessed Sacrament. He doesn’t just talk about love and patience—He shows it. Even though He is God, He hides under the form of bread. He lets Himself be forgotten, ignored, and even mistreated, yet He stays. He is always ready to love and forgive.

Jesus is also very obedient. Every time a priest says the words at Mass, Jesus comes down from Heaven to be with us. He is never too busy, never says “not today,” and never gives up on anyone.

We can try to be like Him. Even if people don’t listen to our words, they might notice our kindness, patience, and faith. That’s how we can help bring others to Jesus—by living like Him.

Let’s Talk to Jesus

Jesus, I adore You in the Blessed Sacrament! You are always with us, loving and praying for us. Please light a fire in my heart to love You back and help others know You. I want to be patient like You, gentle like You, and ready to do little things for love of You. Mary, help me love Jesus the way you do, with all my heart.

Today’s Promise:

I will offer all my prayers and good works today to Jesus, so more people will come to know His love.

Special Words to Remember:

“Come to Me, all you who are tired and carrying heavy things, and I will give you rest.” —Matthew 11:28

Soul of Christ, make me holy…

Transcribed and gently rewritten for young readers by Sister Mary Claire at Camp Littlemore Farm in Iowa.

Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, our Model of the Interior Life.

“Verily Thou art a hidden God, the God of Israel, the Saviour” (Is. 45, 15).

First Prelude: Imagine yourself with Jesus in His solitude and hear His glorious instructions on the hidden life.

Second Prelude: O my Jesus, incite me to great zeal in the acquisition of the hidden virtues with which Thou dost favor interior souls.

First Point

Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, the Model of the Hidden Life

Who would think when beholding Jesus under the humble species, that He is the very God Who dwells in heaven in inaccessible light, who sits on a glorious throne, surrounded by countless hosts of angels and saints, incessantly offering Him their homage. Nothing is here discernible of His providence, wisdom and omnipotence. Here, in truth, He is solicitous for the souls of the just. In the Blessed Eucharist reigns silence, seclusion, abasement, patience, a retired and interior life. In truth, Jesus is here a wonderful exemplar of religious, who are called in a special way to lead an interior life. Would we imitate it, then we must strive to foster it by union with God and interior recollection.

The kingdom of God is within our hearts, where He has erected His throne. Souls loving God, should often retire to the seclusion of their hearts to occupy themselves with God as much as their external duties permit it and hold loving communion with Him. Provided our duties permit it we should likewise love exterior solitude because it is conducive to intimate union with God. As religious, we must be solicitous, above all, in so far as love and obedience suffer us, to conceal from the eyes of the world the little good that we may accomplish. “Vain self-complacency,” says St. Vincent de Paul, “and the desire to be lauded by others, to be praised for our deeds, is an evil which easily makes forgetfulness of God the result, and contaminates the best actions and aims a most disastrous blow at the interior life.” Let us, therefore, rejoice when an apparently insignificant office, an unobserved employment is allotted to us, when the paternal eye of God alone is witness to our labors and sacrifices. If we nourish such sentiments we shall find it easy to labor solely for God’s glory and thus to merit His divine pleasure.

Do I love and esteem the hidden life? Do I perform, with great exactness and solicitude, actions unobserved by others?

Second Point

Precious Fruits of a Hidden Life

Let us now consider the precious fruits that a hidden life produces in the soul. It is, above all, an easy and sure means to attain to great purity of conscience and to perfect detachment from creatures and from self. The curbing of our curiosity and vanity cuts off a multitude of opportunities to sin, and induces us to reflect upon the intentions and movements of our hearts. Thus, little by little, all our evil inclinations become weakened and the soul gradually attains to that purity of heart which culminates in intimate union with God in prayer.

The spirit of prayer, a second very valuable fruit of the interior life, is never found in souls who love intercourse with the world. How many complain of the difficulty of recollection at prayer. The faithful practice of the interior life would obviate all such difficulties and sweeten for us most powerfully the intercourse with God. As a rule, God rewards a life of union with Him with precious graces and sweet joys, infinitely better than all the joys of the world. Many pious souls who lead an interior life seem to be lonely and forsaken; the children of the world consider them as unhappy and cheerless, whereas in reality they enjoy the sweetest peace. The Apostle St. Paul observes: “We appear sad, but in reality we are always full of joy.” St. Jerome speaks of solitude with fondness, and St. Bernard says: “I am least alone when alone, for then my Lord is with me, Whose presence affords me greater happiness than intercourse with all the creatures of the world!”

Are these blessed fruits of the interior life not in a position to fill our hearts with pious desires? Will not the frequent pondering on them help us to conquer the resistance of our blinded self-love, and impel us cheerfully to make the little sacrifices that such a life entails upon us?

Affections: O my Jesus, I adore Thee in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, as master and exemplar of the hidden life. Let me duly recognize the precious fruits of this holy life, that I may strive to advance in it. Take out of my heart every desire to be seen and esteemed by men. Give me love for seclusion and imbue me with the desire to be unnoticed and forgotten by all. Grant me the spirit of recollection and prayer, that I may seek and find my consolation and happiness solely in intercourse with Thee, and attain to that intimate union with Thee, O my beloved Jesus, which Thou dost establish with truly interior souls. I beseech Thee, O holy Virgin, Mother of God, model of the interior souls, obtain this grace for me, and procure for us, by thy powerful intercession, a good life, a holy death, and a happy eternity.

Resolution: I will strive to acquire interior recollection and seek to hide my good works from the eyes of men.

Spiritual Bouquet: “The Kingdom of God is within you.”

O Jesus, living in Mary…

To Abide in Him

“He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood, abideth in Me, and I in him.” (John 6, 57).

First Prelude: Imagine you hear Jesus saying: “He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood, abideth in Me and I in him.”

Second Prelude: O Jesus, grant that I may receive Thy Sacred Body and Blood with ever greater fervor, that Thou mayest dwell in me by Thy grace, and that I may attain to a more intimate union with Thee.

First Point

Jesus Desires to Impart His Graces to Us Most Generously in Holy Communion

Our union with Jesus in Holy Communion is most wonderful. Christ is in us and we are in Him. O love, O inexpressible union! Above this, Holy Communion provides us with many other graces, and the greater our desire, the more copiously these streams of grace will flow to us in Holy Communion. By means of Holy Communion supernatural life is preserved and furthered in its growth; the soul is strengthened and encouraged in all the good required of it, corresponding to the demands of all conditions and occupations of life. O infinitely precious gift, what art thou to the soul that knows Thy worth and is capable of sustaining Thy effects! Over all things blessed are Thy blessings, for time and for eternity.

The Lord, as it were, surpasses Himself in this Mystery, in doing His utmost to advance the soul by means of Holy Communion to a high degree of perfection. St. Francis de Sales said: “Our loving Saviour sets all things aright in our souls; He cleanses and invigorates everything.” Let us place no obstacle in His way; let us not frustrate His loving designs, but let us grant Him full liberty to proceed according to His pleasure, and before long we shall experience the wonderful effects of His promise: “He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood, abideth in Me, and I in him” (John 6, 57). With His aid, we shall soon be able to say with the apostle, “I live—now not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Gal. 2, 20).

Are our thoughts, words and actions worthy of our Divine Saviour, Who so often enters our heart?

Second Point

Jesus Desires of Us a Careful Preparation for Holy Communion

If Jesus desires to transform our hearts in Holy Communion, and implant therein all virtues, He demands on our part a solicitous preparation. We must manifest, above all, the sincere and fervent desire to cleanse our hearts of self-love and all affection for creatures. Not infrequently we deceive ourselves concerning the sincerity of our desires, and while our lips utter petitions for grace, our soul experiences a secret resistance in following the inspirations of grace magnanimously. We pray for humility, but wish to be spared all humiliations; we desire to love God, but recoil from the cross, the surest mark of God’s affection for us. We beg for the spirit of prayer, for intimacy with our Divine Saviour, and while He, like a loving friend, desires to associate with us, we squander our affections and our confidence on creatures, who are often more despicable than we ourselves.

Oh, how differently did the saints understand to correspond to the designs of Jesus in Holy Communion! The love of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament constituted the center of their affections. Through the power of this heavenly Manna they attained to that consummate purity of heart, to that contempt of self, to that height of love of God and of neighbor, which we so much admire in them. The Blessed Sacrament was their light, their guide, the nourishment and strength of their perfection, the victorious weapon with which they fought bravely, vanquishing the world, the devil and the flesh. Let us, then, hasten to the throne of grace and confidently implore in fervent prayer as the greatest gift, constant, faithful and persevering co-operation with divine grace. If we confidently have recourse to Jesus and endeavor to correspond to His sacred designs, we, too, shall soon experience that we can do all things in Him Who strengtheneth us.

Affections: O my Saviour, prostrate at Thy feet, I offer Thee the homage of my adoration, love, and gratitude which are justly Thy due. I pray Thee, give me that ardent desire for intimate union with Thee, so pleasing to Thy Sacred Heart, and so effective in rendering my soul worthy of Thy special gifts. I have cause, O Jesus, to humble myself profoundly before Thee, since my desire is still weak and my heart, cold and faint, because of my slight solicitude in co-operating with Thy grace and my sloth which impedes my progress continually. But today I take the firm resolution, with the assistance of Thy grace, to neglect nothing that is conducive to my spiritual progress. By this earnest act I wish to manifest my appreciation of the infinite love Thou didst bestow upon me by the institution of the most holy Sacrament of the Altar.

Resolution: I will courageously struggle against the fault that most hinders the effects of Holy Communion in my soul.

Spiritual Bouquet: “He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood, abideth in Me, and I in him.”

O Jesus, living in Mary…

Parable of The Supper

“But he said to him: A certain man made a great supper, and invited many. And he sent his servant at the hour of supper to say to them that were invited, that they should come, for now all things are ready and they began all at once to make excuse . . . . Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant: Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the feeble, and the blind, and the lame. . . . Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. But I say unto you, that none of those men that were invited, shall taste of my supper” (Luke 14, 16–24).First Prelude: Represent to yourself the house of the Pharisee, and Jesus at table with numerous guests.
Second Prelude: Grant, O my Saviour, that I may always approach the Banquet of love, with a realization of my spiritual indigence in order to partake in full measure of the graces of Thy bountiful visitation.

First Point

The Great Banquet to Which Jesus Invites Us

Holy Church has chosen the Gospel of the great supper, for the Sunday within the octave of Corpus Christi, in order to call our attention to the wonderful Banquet of the Holy Eucharist. Jesus invites all to receive this heavenly Food, which He has purchased at the infinite price of His Precious Blood. But oh, must He not complain that so many do not follow His invitation and remain at a distance from His Table, because the world with its cares and pleasures has ensnared them? He sends His servants to call those whom He has invited, but they will not come: they all begin with one accord to excuse themselves. —Oh, the blindness and folly of these unfortunate ones, that they prefer a temporal possession, a miserable pleasure, a vain honor, to the highest Good, as it were, rejecting heaven for earth.

As a host invites his friends in a particular manner to appear at his table, so the Lord has invited religious, who were so happy as to leave behind the vain goods of the world. He wishes to open to them the treasures of His mercy and at His holy Banquet, enrich them with heavenly gifts, in order to indemnify Himself for the ingratitude of so many disobedient, blind souls. May He not expect that we correspond to such infinite love, with all zeal, with all solicitude and gratitude? But who should believe that even among religious, some should be found, who, though surrounded by heavenly light, close the eyes of their soul so as not to recognize the infinite worth of the gifts of God? While they do not turn entirely away from God, they frustrate His great designs by their infidelity, by their attachment to trifles, and by their inconstancy and willful faults hinder the effects of Holy Communion. How must such indifference grieve the loving heart of our Divine Saviour, Who desires so ardently to bestow His gifts especially upon those, whom in His infinite mercy, He has chosen to follow Him on the way of the evangelical counsels. How will the Lord treat these unfaithful souls, who constantly reject His grace? For a time He will bear with them lovingly, then, however, He will withdraw His graces and special enlightenments, and finally abandon them to their tepidity and misery. He will choose other souls more zealous and generous who will glorify Him by their gratitude and fidelity.

O my Saviour, grant that I may never repay Thy infinite love with such ingratitude.

Second Point

Our Spiritual Destitution Is No Obstacle to Grace, Provided We Have Confidence and Good Will

Since those who were invited first despised the invitation, the Lord said to His servants: “Bring in the poor and the feeble, the blind and the lame,” and referring to the guests invited He said: “None of them shall taste My supper.” Those who were invited last, heeded the invitation, because their poverty and feebleness made them realize their need of refreshment. By these poor are understood, according to St. Gregory, those who consider themselves poor and feeble and who are, therefore, humble of heart. These are most capable of receiving grace because “God gives His grace to the humble.” We who are invited to the Holy Table, are all spiritually poor, feeble, blind and lame, but unfortunately all do not realize it, or will not confess it. To such as these we can apply the words of the Apocalypse, “You say you are rich and have plenty and you know that you are miserable and pitiable, and poor and weak and naked” (Apocalypse 3, 17).

How important is it, therefore, for us to realize our great need, in order to be moved to implore with intense desire those graces which the Lord imparts at the Holy Table to all who appear before Him with true hunger and thirst after justice. Yes, let us admit that we are poor—poor in grace, poor in virtue, poor in merit. Poor and miserable we are, since we prove unfaithful to our holiest resolutions, and succumb so easily to the slightest temptations. We are blind in reference to the great truths of Faith, which we so seldom make our rule of action.—We are lame for want of courage; lame on account of the enormity of our sins. Let us, therefore, go to the Banquet of Love with the ardent desire to be released from our misery, fervently confiding in the power and goodness of God Who “longs to fill the hungry with good things.”

Affections: O sacred Banquet, in which Christ is received, the soul is filled with grace and the pledge of future glory is given! I come to Thee, O Lord, in the Sacrament of Thy Love, since Thou knowest how poor and needy, how destitute of virtue I am. Behold, I stand before Thee, miserable and poor, pleading for grace and mercy. Refresh a hungry beggar! Inflame my coldness with the fire of Thy love, dispel my blindness by the light of Thy presence. Make all temporal joys bitter for me and let me despise and forget all created things, bearing patiently all difficulties and trials. Let me not depart from Thee hungry, but deal with me according to Thy mercy.

Resolution: At my visits to the Blessed Sacrament and at Holy Communion I will excite fervent acts of humility, confidence and desire for grace.

Spiritual Bouquet: “Bring in the poor and the feeble and the blind and the lame.”

Soul of Christ . . .

Saturday Night Blessings

 
Saturday Evening

Dear Diary,


Tonight we went to evening Mass, and it turned out to be one of those nights I know I’ll remember. Robert came to pick us up just before six, and I noticed right away he had on his best tie—the dark blue one he saves for special occasions, which always means it’s Saturday evening and we’re headed to vigil Mass. Mini gave a little bark when she saw him and tried to hop into the front seat before me! Sister had to remind her she’s just a passenger like the rest of us.

As we rattled along the gravel road toward church, Sister Mary Claire opened her little prayer book and began to read aloud the meditation she’d bookmarked earlier. It was all about Our Blessed Mother—how she prepared her soul so perfectly for Jesus. Sister said Mary’s silence, her humility, and her obedience made her the perfect model for anyone getting ready to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion.

Robert nodded thoughtfully and said, “You know, I never thought about how Mary received Jesus into her own body before there was even an altar.” Then Sister said something beautiful, like she always does—“That’s what makes her our first monstrance.” I didn’t say anything, but I quietly reached over and held Mini’s little paw and looked out the window, thinking about that.

At Mass, Father LeRoy’s homily picked up right where Sister left off. He spoke softly and with such reverence about Our Lady. He reminded us that we can ask her to lend us her own heart so we can receive Jesus worthily. I closed my eyes for a moment before Communion and whispered that very prayer in my mind: “Mary, lend me your heart.”

Afterwards, when we were all buckled back into the pickup and Mini had curled into a ball on my lap, Robert turned and asked, “Well, girls, how about a little dinner?” And wouldn’t you know it—he drove us straight to the Dairy Queen! I got a hamburger and a cherry Dilly Bar. Sister had a chicken basket, and Robert got his usual—grilled cheese with a side of fries. Mini even got a little nibble of everything.

It was just the right way to end a Saturday night. Mass, Communion, a meditation that softened my heart, and ice cream with the people I love.

O Mary, help me always to make my heart quiet like yours, and ready to receive Jesus with joy and tenderness.

Love,

Kathy

Mary's Faith at Holy Communion

MARY, THE MODEL OF RELIGIOUS, FOR THE RECEPTION OF HOLY COMMUNION

“He that eateth this bread, shall live forever” (John 6, 59).

First Prelude: Picture the Blessed Virgin, after the ascension of her Divine Son, receiving Holy Communion at the services of the early Christians.

Second Prelude: O my Mother, I pray thee let me participate in the wonderful sentiments of thy heart, as often as I have the happiness of uniting myself with Jesus in Holy Communion.

First Point

THE FAITH OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN WHEN RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION

What a delightful spectacle must it have been to the angels of heaven to behold the Blessed Virgin receiving the Body of her Divine Son under the form of bread! Who could depict her devotion, her fervor and love in this union with her Divine Son! Let us admire her lively faith which constituted the foundation of her marvelous, unbounded confidence. How great and powerful was the faith of Mary, even when the Archangel Gabriel announced to her the ineffable mystery of the Incarnation! How wonderfully was it increased at the birth of the Divine Child, in the flight to Egypt, during the years of the hidden life at Nazareth! How strong did her faith wax in the supreme moment on Calvary, when her Divine Son, covered with wounds, satiated with opprobrium, forsaken by God and man was taken down from the Cross! Nothing could ever have shaken her faith in His Divinity, His infinite Majesty and supreme Dignity. From this conjecture, estimate the faith of the Blessed Virgin when she approached the table of the Lord, the reverence that permeated her whole being! If the Saviour could not refrain from lauding the faith of the Canaanite woman publicly, “O woman, thy faith hath made thee whole” (Matt. 15, 28) and if He said to the centurion: “Verily, such faith I have not found in Israel” (Matt. 8, 11), with what complacency must He not have beheld the living faith of His holy Mother!

Truly, He could refuse nothing to such faith as hers. The confidence, springing from it, meriting all graces and blessings in profusion, was all-powerful over His Divine Heart. Let us learn from our holy Mother how to prepare ourselves for Holy Communion by a lively faith and unbounded confidence. Our devotion depends chiefly upon our faith, and our confidence is always the measure of God’s graces. Let us endeavor, then, through the mediation of the Blessed Virgin to acquire such a living faith, such immovable confidence, that the Saviour can say also to us: “Be it done to thee according to thy faith” (Matt. 8, 13). Is not my lack of faith and confidence the reason why I derive so little fruit from Holy Communion?

Second Point

THE HUMILITY AND LOVE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN

The lively faith of the Blessed Virgin was, likewise, the foundation of her profound humility. She, the Mother of the risen Saviour who was now gloriously ascended into heaven, remained in her own eyes the humble handmaid of the Lord. Penetrated with the profoundest humility, she received the most adorable Body of her Divine Son from the hands of the apostles. Let us strive, primarily, to emulate the most lovable virtue of humility as often as we appear at this heavenly banquet. The more we are wanting in love, the more becoming it is for us to approach the table of the Lord with the liveliest realization of our unworthiness. “O Lord, I am not worthy,” Holy Church teaches us to say with the centurion, whose humility Jesus rewarded miraculously. Let us, also, with an upright heart, make this confession, and with the humble publican, strike our breasts in sorrow and compunction; then we, too, despite our dryness and misery dare hope to be properly disposed to receive Jesus.

Should we lack even the least degree of the love, let us ask Mary to impart to us her affluence, for she possessed more love than all the angels and men combined. Let us enkindle our cold hearts with the fire of her love, that with love, desire for Jesus may take possession of our hearts. The saints derived so many graces from Holy Communion because they ardently longed for this heavenly Food. In a spirit of reparation for our defective Holy Communions, let us offer the desire of the Blessed Virgin before the birth of Jesus, her ardent longing to find Him again when she had lost Him, her intense desire to receive Him into her heart in the Sacrament of love, and we shall derive abundant fruits from Holy Communion.

Affections: O holiest Virgin, thou Tabernacle of the Incarnate Word with what faith, humility and ardent desire didst thou receive thy Divine Son in the adorable Sacrament of the Altar? Behold my dear Mother, my poor and miserable heart, into which my Lord and Saviour deigns to enter! I pray thee, impart to me of thy superabundance of graces. Impetrate for me a lively faith, unbounded confidence, profound humility and burning desire to be united with my Saviour in Holy Communion. Help me to preserve the fruits of Holy Communion by zeal and fidelity, that I may become ever more worthy to participate in the bountiful promises of Jesus.

Resolution: I will beg the Blessed Virgin in my preparation for Holy Communion, to let me share her sentiments of faith, humility, and love.

Spiritual Bouquet: “He that eateth this bread shall live forever.”

O Jesus, living in Mary . . .

The Love of Jesus

 

 

THE LOVE OF JESUS IN THE INSTITUTION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT OF THE ALTAR

“Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them unto the end” (John 13, 1).

First Prelude: In spirit enter the Supper Room and behold Jesus giving His Sacred Body and Blood under the appearance of bread and wine, as food to His Apostles.

Second Prelude: O my Jesus, give me grace to realize the miracles that Thou dost work in the Sacrament of the Altar, that my heart may be incited to make a grateful return of love.

First Point

THE CONTINUAL PRESENCE OF JESUS IN THE TABERNACLE, A PROOF OF HIS INFINITE LOVE FOR US

Jesus could give us no more brilliant proof of His love than the institution of the Blessed Eucharist. It is peculiar to love to be in the company of the beloved, and to feel His absence keenly. Knowing that the hour was come when He would go to the Father, Jesus would not leave us, but in His love found a means to remain with us in the adorable Sacrament of the Altar, to the end of time. Thus He proves that it is His delight to be with the children of men. Here in the solitude of the tabernacle, He is incessantly occupied with us; He thinks of us, is mindful of our needs and forgets us neither by day nor by night. He awaits with longing the hour when we will again appear in His presence to commune with Him in prayer. Here, particularly, He fulfils what was said by Osee: “I will speak to their hearts” (Os. 2, 14). Oh, how great is the love of Jesus, that He condescends to converse with us poor mortals!

As of yore, whilst on earth, He was wont to work miracles for the relief of suffering humanity, so now, in His sacramental presence Jesus does not cease to aid all who have recourse to Him. Verily, all who come to Him with confidence experience that but one thing is impossible to Him—not to have compassion with our misery. “Come to Me all ye who labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you,” is the merciful invitation from His altar-throne. He gives us all that He has—Himself, His Sacred Humanity with all the merits of His mortal life and His Divinity, with all the treasures of His wisdom, power, and infinite love. Oh, how justly did the saints designate this august mystery the Sacrament of love, the sublime pledge of the love of God! When St. Augustine meditated on the excellent gift Jesus left us in the most holy Sacrament of the Altar, he was so completely overpowered that he cried out: “Though God is almighty, He could not give us more; though He is all-wise, He could not devise a more excellent gift; though He is the wealthiest, He possesses no more.”

Let us ponder well, this excess of love, we who are so easily touched by a small gift at the hands of a poor mortal. Let us contemplate the greatness of the love of our God, who gives Himself to us to elicit a return of love and excite our gratitude. What is my opinion of this excess of the love of Jesus? Does it frequently impel me to go to the foot of the tabernacle? How do I employ the moments that I am privileged to spend there?

Second Point

THE INFINITE LOVE OF JESUS DEMANDS A RETURN OF LOVE

The infinite love that impelled Jesus to immolate Himself for us on the cross constrains Him to abide with us in the sacramental species and to perpetuate this oblation in the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. In this way, He would teach us what return of love He expects of us. “Let us, too, sacrifice ourselves wholly to Him and we shall love Him as He desires to be loved,” says St. Bernard. Having contemplated the stupendous mystery of the love of God, could we hesitate for one moment to consecrate ourselves entirely to His love? Let us give Him our hearts, but let us give them unreservedly, for who reserves some little portion for himself, does not offer himself to God entirely. Before the tabernacle of our hidden Saviour, let us earnestly ask ourselves how this return of love is constituted. Why do we often experience so much difficulty in the practice of poverty, of obedience, in the observance of silence and recollection? Why do we abhor the mere thought of combating a pet fault, of crushing a repugnance or aversion? Why do we find the practice of humility, mortification and prayer so insipid? Alas, is not this resistance a proof that we love Jesus but slightly, and that our hearts do not belong to Him wholly? How trifling is that which Jesus asks of us, and yet we refuse Him this little!

Prostrate before our Eucharistic King, let us repent of our ingratitude, our levity and infidelity, but let us, nevertheless, confidingly trust in His almighty assistance. He can and will heal the wounds of souls who disclose their need and misery, with a burning desire for His grace; who in child-like simplicity tell Him of their lack of virtue. Let us beg Him to annihilate self-love, that His love may find room in our hearts and we, like so many zealous souls who sought Him perseveringly, may finally love Him with a powerful, contrite love, moved to compunction by the sight of our sins; with an enlightened love, which shows that He is worthy of all our affections; with a patient love, which sweetens all our labors in the service of Christ’s little ones; with a self-sacrificing love, which shrinks from no difficulty when there is question of pleasing God; with a faithful love, which unites us inseparably with Jesus in the adorable Sacrament of Love; with a love like the love of my dear heavenly Mother, the Mother of beautiful love. O holy Virgin, thou hast obtained so many favors for me during the course of my religious life; be pleased to obtain one more favor—grace to love Him ardently in life and in death.

Affections: O my beloved Jesus, I would gladly remain near Thee day and night to thank Thee incessantly for the stupendous miracles, which Thou dost work in this most holy Sacrament, for the benefit of our souls. What has not Thy love invented to captivate our love! When shall I begin at last to return love for love, oblation for oblation! I will henceforth live solely for love of Thee, my Saviour, for what would it profit me to live if I did not devote my whole life to Thy love? But, alas, my Jesus, Thou knowest full well how unreliable and inconstant I am. Confirm my resolutions with Thy almighty grace and give me strength, henceforth, to refuse Thee no sacrifice and to persevere in these magnanimous dispositions of soul until the end of my life. Most loving heart of Mary, heart of the purest among all God’s creatures, most inflamed with love of the Eucharistic Jesus, and most compassionate towards us sinners, obtain for us from the Heart of Jesus all the graces which we ask through Thee, especially the grace of final perseverance in love and devotion to the Blessed Eucharist.

Resolution: In union with our Lady of the most Blessed Sacrament, I will frequently excite acts of love of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and rejoice when I am given an opportunity of testifying my love to Him.

Spiritual Bouquet: “He has loved me and delivered Himself for me.”

Prayer: Soul of Christ . . .

The Feast of Corpus Christi

“Come let us praise the Lord with joy: let us joyfully sing to God our Saviour. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; and make a joyful noise to Him with psalms” (Psalm 94, 1-2).

First Prelude: In spirit behold Jesus as He is carried in triumph on this day, imparting to all His blessing.

Second Prelude: O my Jesus, let me understand the greatness of the gift that Thou hast bestowed upon me in the Sacrament of Thy Love, that my heart may become more and more inflamed with a grateful return of love.

First Point

Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is Deserving of All Our Love

By the institution of the Sacrament of Love on Holy Thursday, Jesus has fulfilled His promise to remain with us to the end of time. Anticipating the painful sufferings of her adorable Bridegroom, Holy Church could not give full expression to her grateful exultation on the memorial day of this the most stupendous of all miracles. Therefore she instituted the feast we solemnize today, to glorify fittingly the highest gift of divine love. “Come,” she exclaims with the Psalmist, “let us praise the Lord with joy: let us joyfully sing to God our Saviour. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving” (Psalm 94, 1-2). Though addressed to all Christians, these words are particularly for religious to whom the immeasurable fruits of the Holy Sacrament are applied in profusion. The Lord does not merely pass them by, as today when borne by the hands of the priest, He passes by the dwellings of men—bestowing His benediction. No, He has taken up His abode permanently among them; He largely dwells under one roof with them, never forsakes them and shares with them joy and sorrow. Let us consider well the great happiness that the infinite love of God has prepared for us. Let us, also, consider the obligations this love imposes on us. Day and night angels hover around the altar in reverence, love and adoration before their Saviour and their God. The saints incessantly offer their King the homage of love and gratitude. Is it not to be expected that the Lord Who dwells in our midst, desires us as members of His household on earth, to strive to emulate the ardor of the saints, the love and purity of the angels?

Christ dwells among us; let us reverently abide in His holy presence. He is the center round which our lives must revolve.—From Him all our thoughts, words, and actions should proceed and again revert to Him. From Him we should derive fervor and love for the often so irksome labors of our vocation, patience and strength in trials and sufferings, contempt of the world and hatred of sin. The holy awe that comes over us as we approach the tabernacle, should accompany us through the day, and admonish us to avoid even the slightest faults, to commune with the object of our love even whilst our minds and hearts are bent upon our vocational duties. Penetrated with sentiments of tenderest love and gratitude, let us today, in particular, offer to our Divine Saviour, our homage of reverence, love and adoration, and say with Holy Church: “Praised and blessed be the most holy and divine Sacrament—Now and forevermore!”

Is it my delight to be with Jesus and to remain before anew to grow in love of God, in the spirit of prayer and sacrifice, in poverty, obedience and purity. Through the exercise of these virtues we shall rejoice the Heart of Jesus, as it were, with flowers as do the faithful who strew flowers on the streets through which He is carried in procession. These blossoms should not wither under the heat of the midday sun, nor be trampled upon by men, for whom they were not intended. With the grace of God, imparted to us so generously in the Sacrament of His Love, they should ripen into beautiful fruits. While we taste of the heavenly Banquet which the Lord has prepared and draw with joy from the Saviour’s fountains, let us not forget those who do not love Jesus because they know Him not, and who have no share in the joy of the Catholic Church today. May Jesus enlighten them that with us they may praise the mercies of the Lord, so generously manifested in this Mystery of Love. Let us strive to make ourselves ever more worthy of the immeasurable gifts of His grace that we may deserve to behold the God now hidden under the sacramental species, in all His splendor face to face in eternal glory.

Am I intent upon purifying and adorning my heart into which Jesus so often enters?

Affections: O my Divine Saviour, what a marvel of love dost Thou accomplish for Thy creatures! Thou, the mighty God, whose throne is heaven, whose footstool is earth, and whose servants are the angelic hosts, Thou offerest Thyself to be the food of men, their companion in exile, their friend and consoler, and to remain with them unto the end of time. How could we find words to thank Thee adequately for so incomprehensible a love! In union with all the faithful with holy joy and exultation we render homage to Thee, the King of Glory, adore Thy tabernacle? Do I avail myself of the happiness of dwelling under one roof with Him?

Second Point

With What Sentiments Should We Celebrate This Feast?

Holy Church desires to render public homage to our Divine Lord, hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, and to honor Him before the whole world as her King and Ruler, as her God and Saviour. He who was once ignored, blasphemed and loaded with contempt, dragged through the streets of Jerusalem, from one tribunal to another, is today carried in triumph amidst all manifestations of adoration and the most profound reverence; all creation bows to the dust of the earth, and all tongues magnify His holy Name. By means of this solemn homage, Holy Church wishes to atone for the countless acts of irreverence and desecration with which our Divine Saviour is insulted in the Sacrament of His love, even by such as exteriorly number among His own, but fail to recognize His hidden Divine Majesty, or through coldness and tepidity keep themselves aloof from Him.

If the faithful children of Holy Church vie with one another today, to adorn the temples of the Lord most gorgeously or the paths along which He passes, in order to prepare a triumphal feast for their King, should not we, spouses of Christ, strive with all our might to offer to our God the loving sentiments of our hearts the praises of our lips, the works of our hands as so many acts of the homage of our love and gratitude? Should we not endeavor thus to make some atonement for all the negligence and sloth of which we may have been guilty relative to this most adorable Sacrament? Let us promise Him anew to grow in love of God, in the spirit of prayer and sacrifice, in poverty, obedience and purity. Through the exercise of these virtues we shall rejoice the Heart of Jesus, as it were, with flowers as do the faithful who strew flowers on the streets through which He is carried in procession. These blossoms should not wither under the heat of the midday sun, nor be trampled upon by men, for whom they were not intended. With the grace of God, imparted to us so generously in the Sacrament of His Love, they should ripen into beautiful fruits. While we taste of the heavenly Banquet which the Lord has prepared and draw with joy from the Saviour’s fountains, let us not forget those who do not love Jesus because they know Him not, and who have no share in the joy of the Catholic Church today. May Jesus enlighten them that with us they may praise the mercies of the Lord, so generously manifested in this Mystery of Love. Let us strive to make ourselves ever more worthy of the immeasurable gifts of His grace that we may deserve to behold the God now hidden under the sacramental species, in all His splendor face to face in eternal glory.

Am I intent upon purifying and adorning my heart into which Jesus so often enters?

Affections: O my Divine Saviour, what a marvel of love dost Thou accomplish for Thy creatures! Thou, the mighty God, whose throne is heaven, whose footstool is earth, and whose servants are the angelic hosts, Thou offerest Thyself to be the food of men, their companion in exile, their friend and consoler, and to remain with them unto the end of time. How could we find words to thank Thee adequately for so incomprehensible a love! In union with all the faithful with holy joy and exultation we render homage to Thee, the King of Glory, adore Thee with profoundest reverence on the throne of Thy love, and humbly beg the blessing that Thou dost bestow so abundantly. Render Thy divine benediction fruitful in all hearts, that we may grow in grace and true sanctity.—Bless us, who enjoy the inexpressible happiness of dwelling in Thy house, as often as we appear before Thy tabernacle. Grant that this blessing come upon our labors, that all the souls whom Thou hast entrusted to us, may ever praise and bless, adore and glorify Thee, the love of our hearts, in the most holy and divine Sacrament. Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, pray for us, and obtain for us a great love of Jesus present in our tabernacles.

Resolution: I will today consecrate all my thoughts, words, and actions to the honor and glory of the most holy Sacrament of the Altar.

Spiritual Bouquet: “Praised and blessed be the most adorable Sacrament of the Altar—Now and forevermore!”

Soul of Christ…

Veneration of the Most Blessed Trinity

“Blessed Art Thou, Lord God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, exceedingly to be praised and glorified forever!” (Dan. 3.)

First Prelude: Behold our Divine Saviour saying to His Apostles: “Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost” (Matt. 28, 19).

Second Prelude: Grant me the grace, O my God, to glorify Thee in all my thoughts, words and actions.

First Point

The Sign of the Cross, A Means to Honor the Blessed Trinity

The words we use in connection with the Sign of the Cross are an embodiment of a faithful confession of the most Blessed Trinity, for they acknowledge one God in three persons. The Sign of the Cross reminds us of our Father, through Whom all things visible and invisible were made; it reminds us of our redemption, consummated by the Son on the Cross, and of the Holy Ghost, Who is incessantly working at our sanctification and expending unspeakable treasures upon us.

Oh, what comfort in this thought, what strength in our weakness! Holy Church teaches us that the Sign of the Cross, made devoutly and with a lively faith, banishes temptations and merits graces. The Saviour of the world Himself has made the words of the Sign of the Cross bearers of the baptismal grace.

Holy Church uses this Sign at the beginning of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and when administering the Sacraments of Confirmation and Penance. In virtue of this sacred Sign the Apostles wrought the greatest miracles. It is related of the first Christians that they signed themselves with this Sign before every occupation. It was their joy to be thus constantly reminded of the greatest benefits of Almighty God,—Creation, Redemption, and Sanctification. They thereby consecrated body and soul, their actions and omissions to the three Divine Persons, and implored God’s grace and assistance for their daily labors. In this Sign they were victorious over all their enemies; in it they sought their honor, their strength and consolation. This Sign is still today the emblem of the victory of the Saviour, an invincible armor. It reminds us that the love of the Saviour, so brilliantly manifested in the Sacrifice of the Cross, requires of us love of the cross in return. How frequently has Holy Church signed us, how often have we signed ourselves, with the Sign of the Cross! What graces and blessings have accrued to us through this holy practice! In imitation of the early Christians let us use it with devotion and confidence, that, like them, we may always experience its beneficial and saving effects.

How often have I made the Sign of the Cross through force of habit, without attention and devotion? Is it not due to my neglect that I have so rarely experienced its power and strength?

Second Point

The “Gloria Patri”: A Prayer of Praise and Glorification of the Blessed Trinity

To the Triune God the highest honor is due from all His creatures, and being our Creator, our Father and Supreme Lord, He demands the same of us. This sacred duty, Mother Church wishes to impress upon us when she so frequently makes use of the words of praise: “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.” The same honor be paid to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. Thus it was in the beginning when the angels consecrated their love to Him forever. Recognizing their duty, they bowed in all humility before the supreme Lord, whilst the rebellious angels, who in their pride insolently refused Him the honor justly His due, were cast off to eternally glorify His Justice. Thus was it also, in the beginning with our first parents, when in the innocence of paradise with a pure heart, in love and reverence they paid homage to their Creator.

With the same perfection we, too, should consecrate to God our homage and adoration by love and obedience. What a beautiful manner of glorifying God do these words comprise! Our will must steadfastly execute what our lips so often pronounce, but our thoughts and desires may not be in direct contradiction with our prayers. We must aim at making all our actions, as it were, exclaim: “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost!” Yes, if we daily unite with the millions to praise God; if we so often fancy ourselves among the heavenly spirits, then not only must our whole heart be filled with holy love and reverence, but all our labors, our trials and sufferings must be in advance, thereby, consecrated to the most Blessed Trinity. Let us pronounce this prayer of praise always with the proper devotion and attention. According to the example of Saint Magdalen of Pazzi, let us immolate ourselves to God every time we say these words, that He may dispose of us entirely according to His pleasure and honor. Let us often call to mind that by our holy vows we have declared solemnly to seek and desire nothing further in this world than solely the honor of God.

Do I endeavor to make of every Gloria Patri an act of perfect love, thereby to atone for my defective prayers?

Affections: Adoration and love to Thee, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, most Blessed Trinity, Who in infinite mercy didst deign to manifest Thyself to us! Honor be to Thee, O Father, Who hast created me according to Thy image for heaven; honor to Thee, O Son, Who hast redeemed me by Thy Precious Blood with such expenditure of love; honor to Thee, Holy Ghost, Who hast sanctified and made me a child of God. May my whole life and all my labors praise, magnify and adore Thee incessantly. May all creatures render Thee worthy homage, adoration and thanksgiving. Ever anew we will say with renewed fervor, love, and reverence: “Honor be to Thee, O God, as it was offered to Thee by the angels of heaven in the beginning, so now by us poor mortals and in all eternity, by all the blessed, who, united in the heavenly Jerusalem, rejoice in Thy infinite glory.”

Resolution: I will make the Sign of the Cross with great respect, and always recite the “Gloria Patri” with the utmost reverence and devotion.

Spiritual Bouquet: “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost!”

Prayer: Our Father . . .

The Happiness and the Dignity of the Sonship of God

The Happiness and the Dignity of the Sonship of God and the Duties Which This Dignity Imposes Upon Us

“Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world” (Matt. 28, 19-20).

First Prelude: Represent to yourself the hearts of the faithful as glorious temples consecrated to the most Adorable Trinity.

Second Prelude: O my God, let me realize the love Thou hast bestowed on me by accepting me in holy Baptism as Thy child, and grant that I may correspond to this sublime grace.

First Point

God Accepted Us As His Children in Baptism

In Baptism, sanctifying grace was imparted to our souls whereby we were elevated to the dignity of children of God. Through grace we bear the resemblance of Christ in us; we possess the image of His divine nature in our souls, and are thereby His kin, His brothers, and therefore, children of His heavenly Father. St. John says: “Behold what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be the sons of God” (John 3, 1).

Could God have conferred a greater honor upon us than to accept us as His children? Children are by nature the heirs of their parents. For this reason we have acquired a claim to the vast infinite wealth of God with the dignity of sonship of God. “If we are children,” says St. Paul, “we are also heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs of Christ, and if sons, heirs also; heirs indeed of God and joint heirs with Christ: yet so, if we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified with Him” (Romans 8, 17).

What Christ is by nature, the Christian becomes by grace. Oh, what incomprehensible happiness! “What word, what thought,” exclaims St. Gregory of Nyssa could adequately extol so unsurpassed a grace! God not only receives us into the bosom of His family, not only gives us a claim to His infinite wealth but begets us anew in a mystic way in the waters of regeneration in which He allows us to participate in His own divine life, and through sanctifying grace impresses upon us the likeness of His Divinity so that we are His image in only the most perfect manner. He not merely elevates us to the plane of His only begotten Son, but makes us like to Him. He not only imparts to us an external title to the divine heritage, but qualifies us interiorly to become heirs. St. Chrysostom full of amazement cries out, in substance: Oh, the excess of divine condescension! Marvel at the inexpressible wealth of the goodness of God, Who permits us to call Him Father. The creature is permitted to call the heavenly One, Father, mortal man addresses the Immortal by that tender name, the temporal evokes the Eternal: he who yesterday was but dust may call Him Father Who is from all eternity.

Do I occasionally consider my unspeakable dignity as a child of God? O God, penetrate me with a profound knowledge of this dignity, teach me to know and discharge all the duties that it imposes upon me.

Second Point

Duties Imposed Upon Us by the Sonship of God

By accepting us as children, God has conferred upon us a love surpassing all comprehension. Is it, therefore, not meet and just that we love God, our Father, with a truly childlike love with our whole heart, with our whole soul and with all our mind? That we frequently think of Him and His perfections, rejoice when He is honored and loved, and devote all the energies of body and soul to His honor and glory? If God is our Father, we owe Him reverence. He is a Father most worthy of veneration, Who demands express worship when He says: “If, then, I be your Father, where is My honor?” (Mal. 1, 6). We must, furthermore, repose a truly childlike confidence in our Father. Does not a good child confide in its father, who bestows upon it daily proofs of his goodness and love? But God is the most loving, the best and most generous of all fathers, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, “Who comforteth us in all our tribulation” (2 Cor. 1, 13).

Finally we are obliged to live as it behooves our dignity as children of God. In all our actions and omissions we must seek to become more and more conformable to our Father in heaven, according to the admonition of our Divine Saviour: “Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father also is perfect.” This admonition applies in particular to me as a religious. My life will be the more worthy of a child of God, the more I endeavor to be a perfect religious, that is, the more zealous I am in the observance of the Holy Rule. What a powerful incentive to observe the rule faithfully in every particular!

Do I often recall the duties incumbent upon me as a child of God? Am I especially penetrated with the conviction that I can discharge my sacred obligations in no better manner than by minutely observing my Holy Rule?

Affections: Profoundly I adore Thee, O Father in heaven, and extol the infinite love with which Thou didst receive me as Thy child in Baptism. My God and my Father, may I serve and glorify Thee in my whole life. May I, as Thy child, acquit myself faithfully of my obligations; may I strive for perfection by the faithful observance of my Holy Rule, that thus I may resemble Thee more and more in my whole demeanor. O holy Virgin, most admirable mistress and pattern of the children of God, obtain for us the grace to praise and glorify Thy beloved Son forever.

Resolution: I will act as a true child of God by faithfully observing my Holy Rule at all times.

Spiritual Bouquet: “Behold what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called and should be the Sons of God”.

(1 John, 3, 1)

Our Father…

Imitation of the Holiness, Goodness & Mercy of God

“Holy, holy is the Lord, God of hosts; heaven and earth are full of Thy glory” (Holy Church).

First Prelude: In spirit transport yourself into heaven, behold the angels veiling their countenances before the Infinite Majesty and hearken to their hymns of praise in honor of the Triune God.

Second Prelude: Grant, O most Holy Trinity, that by a life consecrated wholly to Thy honor, I may even here below join in the hymns of praise of the heavenly hosts.

First Point

IT IS THE WILL OF GOD THAT WE STRIVE FOR SANCTITY

The prophet Isaias heard the voices of the Seraphim around the throne of God, in eternal jubilation crying to each other: “Holy, holy, holy!” The church sings this hymn of praise in the Preface of the Mass and recites it daily in the Divine Office. The sanctity of God is here extolled as the most beautiful of all His perfections. We should, above all, imitate God in sanctity because it is the most worthy homage that we can offer our heavenly Father. God invites us to holiness in the Old Testament, “For I am the Lord your God; be holy because I am holy. Defile not your souls by any creeping thing, that moveth upon the earth” (Lev. 11, 44). Our Divine Saviour admonishes us in the Gospel, “Be ye perfect as your Father in heaven also is perfect,” and the Apostle St. Paul speaks to the First Christians; “This is the will of God, your sanctification.” That we might better understand how we are to imitate the infinite holiness of God, the Son of God appeared on earth and by His example showed us the way to true sanctity. We must, therefore, constantly have our Divine Model before our eyes and strive earnestly to become like Him; for the more we conform to the sentiments and actions of our Divine Saviour, the higher the degree of sanctity we shall attain.

Is not striving for perfection the chief duty of religious? Holy Church therefore, bestows upon religious her most tender care and solicitude and furnishes them, in the Holy Rule, with the surest means of following Jesus in a more perfect, yet comparatively easy manner. Let us, therefore, rejoice in the sublime dignity to which God’s infinite goodness has called us. Let us gratefully use the means so liberally offered us for sanctification. What responsibilities should we not incur by indifference and infidelity! How unworthy of our noble calling would such indifference render us! Let us daily meditate, renew the firm resolve to become a saint, and that too, at the price of all sacrifices.

Which of the means offered for my sanctification have I thus far most neglected?

Second Point

WE SHOULD IMITATE THE GOODNESS AND THE MERCY OF GOD IN OUR HOLY VOCATION

When the Psalmist says: “The Lord is sweet to all; and His tender mercies are over all His works” (Ps. 144, 9), he wills to encourage us to place implicit trust in His infinite goodness. Holy Church, likewise, directs our attention to this attribute of God when on the feast of the most Blessed Trinity, at three different times during the Mass she extols the mercies of the Lord, and in the last Gospel addresses to us the touching words of our Blessed Saviour; “Be ye, therefore, merciful as your Father is also merciful” (Luke 6, 28).

By holding up to us the love of the heavenly Father, the Saviour exhorts us to practice merciful love. How sublime our vocation! We should not only rejoice in His goodness and confide in His paternal Providence, not only enjoy the infinite mercy of God for the benefit of our own soul, but we should be the channels through which God wills to pour out upon others the streams of His mercy. God, as it were, deposits in our custody the treasures of His liberality and makes us their dispensers. Of our Divine Saviour it is said that through Him the goodness and kindness of God our Saviour appeared (Titus, 3, 4), that He went about on earth, doing good (Acts 10, 3).

Likewise the religious, as faithful imitators of their Divine Master, should proclaim the mercies of the Lord by zealously exercising the duties of their vocation, by their goodness, mildness, patience, and forbearance. They should encourage others to have confidence, to love and to be grateful toward an infinitely good God; they should incite them to obey His commands and to submit to His paternal directions. If we discharge our duties with such sentiments we shall draw, in ever fuller measure, the plenitude of Divine Mercy upon ourselves and others. Let us beseech the Heart of Jesus, our sublime Ideal, to make our hearts rich with grace, love and mercy, that we may glorify God our Father and promote His honor and glory, to the best of our ability.

Do I aim at rendering myself a fit instrument of Divine Mercy, by fervor and zeal in the discharge of my duties?

Affections: Most Blessed Trinity, Thou holy, powerful, immortal God, we adore Thy immeasurable perfections in the splendor of Thy infinite glory! With profoundest humility we join in the eternal canticle of the Seraphim: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of Hosts,” and in union with Holy Church we cry, “Praised be God the Father, the only begotten Son of God, and the Holy Ghost; for He has shown mercy to us!” No, O my God, who in infinite love and mercy hast called us to sanctity, and in Thy adorable Son hast given us the model of consummate holiness, grant that we may glorify Thee by imitating Thy virtues, by exercising the works of mercy and thus gaining many souls to Thee, that through them Thou mayest be honored, praised and glorified through all eternity. O Mary, Mother of Mercy, delight of the everlasting, ever adorable Trinity, infuse into our hearts the love of thy virtues, inflame them with the blessed fire of the love of God, that we may walk holily in all our actions.

Resolution: I will strive for sanctity with all possible zeal, that I may glorify God and render my labors for the salvation of souls fruitful.

Spiritual Bouquet: “Be ye holy, because I, your God, am holy.”

Prayer: Our Father…

Feast of the Most Blessed Trinity

“But when he was come to Rome, he carefully sought me, and found me” (Tim. I, 17).

First Prelude:

Picture the universe as a magnificent temple, erected to the honor of the most Blessed Trinity, and imagine the angels, all men and all creatures offering homage to their supreme Lord.

Second Prelude:

Most Adorable Trinity, impart to me the grace to be penetrated with the purest love, the most profound humility, and the liveliest gratitude toward Thee.

First Point

The Sublime Mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity

What the angels behold in never-ending astonishment in heaven, is revealed to us on earth as a mystery of faith—the mystery of the most Blessed Trinity. This mystery is the greatest and most sublime of the mysteries of our holy religion. From it all others proceed, and to it they can again be traced back. The human mind cannot conceive three persons in one Divinity, each one possessing the Godhead, entire and undivided. But this, as all the other mysteries of our holy religion, is not revealed to us that we should understand, but that in all humility we should believe. How could poor, weak creatures comprehend the Infinite Being? Higher than heaven above earth is His very Essence above all created things. Therefore the Psalmist exclaims: “Who is as the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high; and looketh down on the low things in heaven and in earth?” (Ps. 112, 5–6).

Our adoration of the Triune God should be the more humble, the less we comprehend Him. We should rejoice in the sublime perfections of our God, in the countless graces and benefits that we owe to the Blessed Trinity. He, the Lord, our God, is the fountain-head and last aim of all things, our sole and highest Good, the center of all our desires, all our endeavors, and all our love. Let us employ the swiftly fleeting short span of life for His faithful service and let us utilize the countless graces with which the infinite love of God has overwhelmed us, for the honor and glory of the most Blessed Trinity. Doing this, we shall merit a high degree of heavenly glory and shall be made worthy to pass from the obscurity of faith to the clarity of eternal brightness, where the knowledge of this sacred mystery will merit for us inexpressible glory. Let us, today, beg the Lord of Hosts, the Triune God, to deign to imbue us with the sentiments worthy of His sublime Majesty, that with profound humility and self-renunciation we may offer Him the homage of our mind and heart, glorify Him incessantly in all our thoughts, words and actions.

Second Point

All Creatures Should Proclaim the Praise and Honor of the Most Blessed Trinity

Holy Scripture expresses this obligation in the words: “The heavens show forth the glory of God, and the firmament declareth the work of his hands” (Ps. 18, 20). All nature, every being, in its own way lauds the glory of the Creator. The beasts of the forest, the birds of the air, proclaim His omnipotence, His wisdom, His goodness and love. We behold the perfections of God, as it were, the features of His countenance, portrayed in faint outlines in the visible creation as in a mirror, mysteriously, as the Apostle says. But everything created should lead us to God, should invite us to admire His greatness, praise His goodness and thank Him for His gifts. Man is king of creation, the image of the three Divine Persons, whose mind is capable of appreciating the works of God and glorifying their Author.

Above all, therefore, we should render homage to our Creator in humble submission and employ all created things for His service. Is it not meet and just that we consecrate all the faculties of body and soul to Him who has given them to us? Our memory should be ever mindful of the benefits conferred upon us; our understanding should penetrate more profoundly the sublime attributes of God, and our will lovingly conform to things which contribute to the honor of the Triune God. Let us frequently say to ourselves: I am created for God and not for the world, which passeth away. My whole life shall be an act of praise—to know God, to serve Him must be the sole aim of my life. I will employ all things to the honor of Him who gave them to me. Our vocation imposes upon us a still greater duty of glorifying God, since we belong to God not only in all justice but also through love and of our own free will. Our whole life to our last breath shall be consecrated to the honor of the Father, Whose children we are; to the honor of the Son, Who has chosen us to be His spouses; to the honor of the Holy Ghost, Who has consecrated our hearts as His temple.

Am I zealous in utilizing all creatures as means to raise my mind and heart to the Creator?

Affections:

O most Blessed Trinity, our God, immortal King of Eternity! Thou alone art great and wonderful, Thou alone, glorious and praiseworthy! Who can extol the glory of Thy Majesty!—who fathom the depths of Thy wisdom—who enumerate the treasures of Thy mercy? In profoundest reverence and humility I adore Thee and thank Thy infinite goodness for the countless favors with which Thou hast overwhelmed me, Thy poor creature. My whole being shall be consecrated solely to Thee, my supreme Lord and God, and through all my thoughts, sentiments and actions I will incessantly repeat: “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, now and forever, Amen.”

Resolution:

I will frequently adore the most Holy Trinity with profoundest reverence and humility, and perform all my actions in honor of the Triune God.

Spiritual Bouquet:

“Praise, honor, glory and love be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.”

Prayer:

Our Father…