Tag: Abandoned Lord

The Presence of God

Posted on by mseagrif
It cannot be over stressed that the presence of God in the soul by grace is a real and substantial presence. God is present in the tabernacle of the heart as really and truly and substantially as He is present in the tabernacle of the altar, although in a different manner.
Christ’s Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament is a priceless gift, a pledge and prelude of that glorious presence of the Incarnate Word which will be ours eternally in Heaven. But the external pres­ence is meant to lead us to and be fused with the presence of the Word of God within our souls. So it will be in Heaven. The Son of God will be present outside us in the reality of the human nature He has assumed, the peak and glory of creation; yet that same Son of God will dwell substantially within us according to His divine nature. One presence is not opposed to the other, but complements it. That will be self-evident in Heaven. But here too devotion to the Incarnate Word present on the altar is not a hindrance to devotion to the Word of God within me; quite the reverse. All Christian experi­ence goes to show that it nourishes it as nothing else can do. On the other hand, devotion to the Second Divine Person within me will urge me to seek Him also in the human nature which makes Him my brother and which faith tells me is truly present in the tabernacle.
Continue reading “The Presence of God” →

Such Enormous Ingratitude

Posted on by mseagrif

“And Jesus answering, said: ‘Were not ten [lepers] made clean? And where are the nine? Is there no one found to return and give glory to God, but this stranger?’

In the world, we cannot endure ingratitude. It is only when God is in question that we do not concern ourselves about being ungrateful.

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This wonderful cure, this miracle, had been extended to ten persons, and of them all, one only was found who thanked his Benefactor.

Of all the benefits we have received from Jesus Christ, we cannot doubt that the Blessed Eucharist is one of the greatest: and even the greater part of the blessings we daily receive, are derived from the same source.

But who thinks of often thanking Jesus Christ for this great benefit? Who returns thanks to this loving Savior, Who, in abolishing all the other sacrifices, has left us a Victim that cannot but be pleasing to God, an offering equal to all the other benefits we have received from Him, and to those that we may ask of Him; a Host capable of cancelling all the sins of men ; a Host which is truly a sovereign remedy for all kinds of evil ; a tree of life that has  power to communicate to us, not only health, but even immortality?

So sinful a forgetfulness, such enormous ingratitude, touched the Heart of a Man-God, and shall it not move mine, even when I myself am of the number of these ungrateful wretches?”

(From Devotion to the Sacred Heart by Father John Croiset, S.J.)

What Is Impossible For One Man to Accomplish By Himself Becomes Entirely Possible With Your Help!

Posted on by mseagrif

YOU HAVE GOT TO DO SOMETHING VITALLY IMPORTANT!

At the end of this post, I am going to ask you to help get the poignant reflection of Father Mark set forth below into the hands of every Bishop and priest in this country. We can do it!

But first I want to share a few thoughts that have long been embedded in my heart.

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 That which is most essential for our sanctification and salvation is that which we most frequently ignore  – The Eucharist.

The late Apostle of the Eucharist, Father John Hardon, S.J., realized “that everything, everything, quote EVERTHING of our faith (indeed the virtue of faith itself) depends on our faith in God being really present with us today in both His human and Divine nature, united in His Divine Person in the Holy Eucharist”.

The time for mincing words is over. Current polls, as well as what we observe with our own eyes, make it clear that a majority (an overwhelming majority of those identifying themselves as Catholic, perhaps as much as 80 percent, including 80 percent of those few Catholics who bother attending Sunday Mass) no longer believe that our Lord is really, truly and substantially present Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament. The sad but truthful reality is that in far too many of our churches we have lost the sense of the sacred and an appreciation for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that are essential for fostering and maintaining a belief in the Real Presence.

Continue reading “What Is Impossible For One Man to Accomplish By Himself Becomes Entirely Possible With Your Help!” →

The Jesus We Ignore

Posted on by mseagrif

“Jesus Christ dwells in the midst of us in the same manner He dwelt at Nazareth amidst His relatives. He was there without being known by them, and without working in their favor, the miracles that He wrought elsewhere. Our blindness and evil dispositions prevent Him from letting us experience the wonderful operations with which He favors those whom He finds well disposed…
Why is it , then, that we have so little feeling, either for the neglect shown to Jesus Christ in the most Blessed Sacrament where He is visited by so few, or for the outrages He there endures, from the very persons who profess to believe in Him? Certainly because the faith of Christians on this point is very weak.

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It is necessary, then, to have a lively faith, in order to have this ardent love for Jesus Christ in the most Blessed Sacrament, and to be touched by a sense of the insults to which the expression of His love for us exposes Him; and to acquire, in time, a true devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ.
In order to do this, we must lead a pure and innocent life. We must animate our faith by our assiduity, and especially by our profound respect when we present ourselves before the most Blessed Sacrament, and by every sort of good works. We must pray much, and often ask of God for this lively faith. We must, in a word, act like persons who believe, and we shall soon feel ourselves animated with this lively faith.”

(From Devotion to the Sacred Heart by Father John Croiset, S.J.)

 

The Pain Of Not Receiving Love For Love

Posted on by mseagrif
(St. Joseph’s Parish, Oneida, NY)


“O Jesus, how great is Thy humility in this Sacrament. Though Thou art the eternal and almighty God, Thou hast lowered Thyself, tak­ing the form of man for love of me and for the sake of my salvation. Not only hast Thou become my Elder Brother, a fellow-creature, but Thou hast willed to be the very food of my soul in Holy Communion. Once Thy human form cloaked Thy divinity, but now the appearances of bread hide even Thy Humanity. I can see Thee only with the eyes of faith.

Continue reading “The Pain Of Not Receiving Love For Love” →

It Would Be So Easy…

Posted on by mseagrif
Tabernacle_in_Church_of_St._Vincent_Ferrer_(NYC)
(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
“Ah, how it hurts to see in what manner our Savior is treated! There He is in the tabernacle, the Prisoner of Love, waiting for souls to come and visit Him. But who ever gives Him even a thought, one only thought?…It would cause so very little trouble to go to Him…for just a sweet moment. It would be so very easy to cast a tender glance upon that tiny door…to send a loving thought a-speeding towards that tabernacle…to breathe a few whispered words of affection…but, alas! When it comes to doing something for Jesus that something, no matter how small, becomes at once irksome and grievous-so weak are we!”
(Eucharistic Whisperings, Father Winfrid Herbst, SDS)

Left Alone

Posted on by mseagrif

“Why art Thou left alone in this Most Holy Sacrament? Where are Thy adorers and Thy friends?

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Has Thy Church failed to announce Thy Gospel to the world, and to make Thy presence known? Why art Thou so ignored, forsaken, and left alone in Thy tabernacles, without honor and with no one to thank Thee for the gift of Thy Real Presence? Why is the world kept in the dark concerning Thee in this Most Holy Sacrament, when Thou art all that this world needs, and all that souls desire?”

                (From Father Mark, Vultus Christi –Thursday of Adoration and Reparation for Priests)