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THIS morning, before rising from bed, the Lord put the Novena of Abandonment on my heart again. Did you know that Jesus said, “There is no novena more effective than this”? I believe it. Through this special prayer, the Lord brought so much-needed healing in my marriage and my life, and continues to do so. Continue reading
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THERE is something happening that we have to pay attention to, something the Lord is doing, or one could say, allowing. And that is the stripping of His Bride, Mother Church, of her worldly and stained garments, until she stands naked before Him.Continue reading
Fear the LORD, your God,
and keep, throughout the days of your lives,
all his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you,
and thus have long life.
Hear then, Israel, and be careful to observe them,
that you may grow and prosper the more,
in keeping with the promise of the LORD, the God of your fathers,
to give you a land flowing with milk and honey.
(First reading, October 31st, 2021 )
IMAGINE if you were invited to meet your favorite performer or perhaps a head of state. You would likely wear something nice, fix your hair just right and be on your most courteous behavior.Continue reading
The Heart of Jesus Christ, Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta; R. Mulata (20th century)
WHAT you are about to read has the potential to not only set women, but in particular, men free from undue burden, and radically change the course of your life. That’s the power of God’s Word…
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent, March 10th, 2015
Liturgical texts here
THERE is a key to God’s heart, a key that can be held by anyone from the greatest sinner to the greatest saint. With this key, the heart of God can be opened, and not only His heart, but the very treasuries of Heaven.
And that key is humility.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Friday of the Second Week of Lent, March 6th, 2015
Liturgical texts here
Rescued By Love, by Darren Tan
THE parable of the tenants in the vineyard, who murder the landowners servants and even his son is, of course, symbolic of centuries of prophets that the Father sent to the people of Israel, culminating in Jesus Christ, His only Son. All of them were rejected.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent, March 3rd, 2015
Liturgical texts here
WHEN it comes to weeding out sin this Lent, we cannot divorce mercy from the Cross, nor the Cross from mercy. Today’s readings are a powerful blend of both…
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Friday after Ash Wednesday, February 20th, 2015
Liturgical texts here
THE animal kingdom is essentially content. Birds are content. Fish are content. But the human heart is not. We are restless and unsatisfied, constantly searching for fulfillment in myriad forms. We are in an endless pursuit of pleasure as the world spins its advertisements promising happiness, but delivering only pleasure—fleeting pleasure, as if that were an end in itself. Why then, after buying the lie, do we inevitably continue seeking, searching, hunting for meaning and worth?
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for January 13th, 2015
Opt. Memorial of St. Hilary
Liturgical texts here
WE have entered a period of time in the Church that will shake the faith of many. And that is because it is going to increasingly appear as though evil has won, as though the Church has become completely irrelevant, and in fact, an enemy of the State. Those who hold fast to the whole of the Catholic faith will be few in number and be universally considered antiquated, illogical, and an obstacle to be removed.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for October 16th, 2014
Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch
Liturgical texts here
from Brian Jekel’s Consider the Sparrows
‘WHAT is the Pope doing? What are the bishops doing?” Many are asking these questions on the heels of confusing language and abstract statements emerging from the Synod on Family Life. But the question on my heart today is what is the Holy Spirit doing? Because Jesus sent the Spirit to guide the Church to “all truth.” [1]John 16:13 Either Christ’s promise is trustworthy or it’s not. So what is the Holy Spirit doing? I will write more about this in another writing.
Footnotes
| ↑1 | John 16:13 |
|---|
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for October 15th, 2014
Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
Liturgical texts here
Genuine freedom is an outstanding manifestation of the divine image in man. —SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Veritatis Splendor, n. 34
TODAY, Paul moves from explaining how Christ has set us free for freedom, to being specific as to those sins that lead us, not only into slavery, but even eternal separation from God: immorality, impurity, drinking bouts, envy, etc.
I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God. (First reading)
How popular was Paul for saying these things? Paul didn’t care. As he said himself earlier in his letter to the Galatians:
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for January 15th, 2014
Liturgical texts here
EVERYTHING that happens in our world passes through the fingers of God’s permissive will. This does not mean that God wills evil—He doesn’t. But he permits it (the free will of both men and fallen angels to choose evil) in order to work toward the greater good, which is the salvation of mankind and the creation of a new heavens and new earth.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for January 14th, 2014
Liturgical texts here
I REMEMBER driving through one of my father-in-law’s pastures, which was particularly bumpy. It had large mounds randomly placed throughout the field. “What are all these mounds?” I asked. He replied, “When we were cleaning out corrals one year, we dumped the manure in piles, but never got around to spreading it.” What I noticed is that, wherever the mounds were, that’s where the grass was greenest; that’s where the growth was most beautiful.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for December 6th, 2013
Liturgical texts here
Artist Unknown
WHEN the Angel Gabriel comes to Mary to announce that she will conceive and bear a son to whom “the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,” [1]Luke 1:32 she responds to his annunciation with the words, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” [2]Luke 1:38 A heavenly counterpart to these words is later verbalized when Jesus is approached by two blind men in today’s Gospel:
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for December 4th, 2013
Liturgical texts here
THE lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute… these are the ones who gathered around the feet of Jesus. And today’s Gospel says, “he cured them.” Minutes before, one could not walk, another could not see, one could not work, another could not speak… and all of sudden, they could. Perhaps a moment before, they were complaining, “Why has this happened to me? What did I ever do to you, God? Why have you abandoned me…?” Yet, moments later, it says “they glorified the God of Israel.” That is, suddenly these souls had a testimony.
SOMETIMES God takes too long. He doesn’t respond as quickly as we would like, or seemingly, not at all. Our first instincts are often to believe that He isn’t listening, or doesn’t care, or is punishing me (and therefore, I am on my own).
But He might say something like this in return:
O LORD, we were once companions.
You and I,
walking hand in hand in the garden of my heart.
But now, where are you my Lord?
I seek you,
but find only the faded corners where once we loved
and you revealed to me your secrets.
There too, I found your Mother
and felt her intimate touch to my brow.
But now, where are you?
Continue reading
Dear Mark,
God forgive the USA. Normally I would begin with God Bless the USA, but today how could any of us ask him to bless what is happening here? We are living in a world that is growing more and more dark. The light of love is fading, and it takes all my strength to keep this little flame burning in my heart. But for Jesus, I keep it burning still. I beg God our Father to help me understand, and to discern what is happening to our world, but He is suddenly so silent. I look to those trusted prophets of these days who I believe are speaking the truth; you, and others whose blogs and writings I would read daily for strength and wisdom and encouragement. But all of you have become silent too. Posts that would appear daily, turned to weekly, and then monthly, and even in some cases yearly. Has God stopped speaking to all of us? Has God turned His holy face from us? After all how could His perfect holiness bear to look upon our sin…?
K.S.
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TO you, Jesus,
Through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I offer my day and my entire being.
To look at only that which you want me to see;
To listen to only that which you wish me to hear;
To speak only that which you want me to say;
To love only that which you wish me to love.
Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Ludolf Backhuysen, 1695
IT felt like the last straw. Our vehicles have been breaking down costing a small fortune, the farm animals have been getting sick and mysteriously injured, the machinery has been failing, the garden isn’t growing, windstorms have ravaged the fruit trees, and our apostolate has run out of money. As I raced last week to catch my flight to California for a Marian conference, I cried out in distress to my wife standing in the driveway: Doesn’t the Lord see we are in a free-fall?
I felt abandoned, and let the Lord know it. Two hours later, I arrived at the airport, passed through the gates, and settled down into my seat in the aircraft. I looked out my window as the earth and the chaos of the last month fell away beneath the clouds. “Lord,” I whispered, “to whom shall I go? You have the words of eternal life…”
I think we’ve got the whole "saint thing" wrong in our generation. Many think that becoming a Saint is this extraordinary ideal that only a handful of souls will ever be capable of achieving. That sanctity is a pious thought far out of reach. That as long as one avoids mortal sin and keeps his nose clean, he’ll still "make it" to Heaven—and that is good enough.
But in truth, friends, that is a terrible lie that keeps the children of God in bondage, that keeps souls in a state of unhappiness and dysfunction. It’s as big a lie as telling a goose that it cannot migrate.
GOD is infinite. He is ever-present. He is all-knowing…. and He is stoppable.
A word came to me in prayer this morning that I feel compelled to share with you:
IF you read Custody of the Heart, then you know by now how often we fail to keep it! How easily we are distracted by the smallest thing, pulled away from peace, and derailed from our holy desires. Again, with St. Paul we cry out:
I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate…! (Rom 7:14)
But we need to hear again the words of St. James:
Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4)
Grace is not cheap, handed over like fast-food or at the click of a mouse. We have to fight for it! Recollection, which is taking custody again of the heart, is often a struggle between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit. And so, we have to learn to follow the ways of the Spirit…
WHEN it came time for Jesus to enter His Passion, He set His face toward Jerusalem. It is time for the Church to set her face toward her own Calvary as the storm clouds of persecution continue to gather on the horizon. In the next episode of Embracing Hope TV, Mark explains how Jesus prophetically signals the spiritual condition necessary for the Body of Christ to follow its Head on the Way of the Cross, in this Final Confrontation that the Church is now facing…
To watch this episode, go to www.embracinghope.tv
ONCE again, the image of a smoldering candle has come to mind, barely any wax left upon the burned down Candle (see The Smoldering Candle to understand the symbolism).
And this is what I sensed with this image:
