My Heart is Ready

Before Jesus was scourged in the film "The Passion of the Christ", He said, looking to Heaven: "My heart is ready" yet the pain afterward was so tremendous few people could probably watch. I found an excellent article on this over on Catholic Exchange.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain, Title Unknown

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Eucharistic Adoration, Exposition, and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament

The Holy Eucharist is not just a symbol of God but actually is Jesus Christ's body, blood, soul, and divinity. The Eucharist is God! For more information on the Eucharist, see my page on the Eucharist.

What is Eucharistic Adoration?

Eucharistic Adoration is a special deep time of prayer. It is the adoration of Our Lord, who is truly present in the Eucharistic Host.  The bread and wine at Mass each become and remain the Sacred Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus.  In Eucharistic Adoration, we pray before the Eucharistic Host either in a monstrance or in the tabernacle. There are no set prayers during Adoration. People can pray the Rosary, the Litany of the Sacred Heart, or personal prayers. 

"Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration is the adoration of Jesus Christ present in the Holy Eucharist. In the many churches that have this adoration, the Eucharist is displayed in a special holder called a monstrance, and people come to pray and worship Jesus continually throughout the day and often the night. Christ’s great love for us was shown when he was crucified on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and give us eternal life. He loves us without limit, and offers Himself to us in the Holy sacrament of the Eucharist. Can we not give Jesus a few minutes of love and adoration in return?" (Real Presence Association)

What is Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament?

We can always pray to our Lord in the tabernacle. But sometimes our Lord is taken out of the tabernacle by a priest and placed in a monstrance. This is called Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, which is done for us to adore our Lord. The Exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament typically traditionally begins with the recitation of the “O Salutaris Hosti.”

Some parishes have perpetual adoration chapels where you can visit and adore our Lord Jesus Christ at any time. Many saints would adore Jesus in the Eucharist for one hour a day. One of the most important life changes you can make is finding one hour each week to leave work or school or friends aside and just be present in adoration before Jesus. It can be a tremendous source of graces for you.

Find out if your parish has a time for Adoration. If not, find a nearby parish that does.

What is Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament?

In addition to Eucharistic Adoration, find a parish that offers Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Benediction starts with Exposition. After the O Salutaris Hostia is sung there is a period of silence when we may pray before Our Lord. After this period of silent prayer, the priest will often say the Divine Praises and the hymn, Tantum Ergo. He will then put on a special garment called a humeral veil and bless you with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. There are special indulgences associated with Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction.

Find out if your parish has Benediction. Some churches offer Benediction, usually on Sunday afternoons or Thursdays. If not, find a parish in your Diocese that does have Benediction. Attend Benediction within the next month.

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World Youth Day Opens

Today World Youth Day opens and marks the 10th annual gathering of youth. This is an event that began under Pope John Paul ll and attempts to bring youth together, although it seems to be just another WoodStock and not in any manner an authentically Catholic retreat. I do not support World Youth Days for the debauchery, immodesty, and sacrilege which have come from these events.

So far there have been 405,000 registered individuals comprised of 101,174 Italians, 38,549 French, 31,908 Spanish and 24,237 Americans with 191 countries and territories being represented.

Now, some claim that World Youth Day attracted only those wishing to see Pope John Paul ll as a celebrity and not a religious leader, and there are no statistics available to how it helped increase the number of Catholics.

Also, I'm following it through a blog I found by a priest attending World Youth Day. Visit the blog, Coragio, to see more, though I do not necessarily endorse any views expressed on that website.

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A Daily Reminder: The Crucifix

One very easy way to remember Our Lord's love and mercy is to either wear a crucifix or place one on our walls, typically above the bed. It is also important that we should wear a crucifix (a cross with Christ's body on it) instead of a Cross because it is through Jesus' Cross that we reach the Resurrection. Let us not forget Our Lord's sacrifice.

Some claim that since Jesus is resurrected He should not be on the cross, but if you look at it that way then we should show an empty tomb, not an empty cross. If there was an empty cross then this would be our faith - eternal death, the price of sin (Romans 5:12). But Jesus Christ, who is true Man and true God, chose to pay the price for us (1 Cor 15:3) and died for us even when He did not have to do anything of the such. Jesus never had to enter the Virgin's womb, but He chose to do it so that we might have eternal life with Him. An empty cross for each of us was our destiny, but God chose to free us from the penalty of sin that we willingly deserved. 

Every time we sin we will have only caused Our Lord greater pain on His Cross, so let us remember His sacrifice today, especially in the sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary, and thank Him for pardoning us for the sins we willingly commit.

It was Our Lord, Jesus Christ, that prepared the way for us, and we too must follow Him believing that if we die with Him we shall also rise with Him. "Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me is not worthy of me" (Matthew 10:38).

"The crucifix should be present in public and private places because this external symbol of God's presence is a reminder of humanity's shared God-given dignity" (Pope Benedict XVI, August 18, 2005)

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Assumption of Mary

Double of the I Class with a Common Octave (1954 Calendar): August 15

First Class (1962 Calendar): August 15

Solemnity (1969 Calendar): August 15 

Today on August 15th we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, where we profess our belief in the Dogma that Mary was assumed into Heaven body and soul by the power of God. This is a Dogma of the faith and must be believed to be Catholic; it has been taught since the early Church to the present day with allusions in the Sacred Scriptures.

The Assumption has been believed and celebrated since the earliest times of Christianity. Today's feast was celebrated under various names (Commemoration, Dormition, Passing, Assumption) from at least the fifth or sixth century. Homilies concerning the Assumption go back to at least the Sixth Century. However, in order to make it a dogma of the faith meaning all Catholics must believe it, Pope Pius XII dogmatically declared Mary's Assumption into Heaven in 1950:

"... by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory" (Munificentissimus Deus)

The Eastern Churches (which are still in union with Rome) refer to today as the Dormition as opposed to the Assumption because they believe that Mary died and was then assumed into Heaven. As Roman Catholics in the Latin Rite, we are free to believe that Mary died and then was assumed into Heaven or that she didn't die but right before her death she was assumed into Heaven.

Some claim that the Assumption never happened because it is not in the Scriptures, but remember that the Bible deals with God, not Mary. The Bible does not deal with the earthy end of any of the original disciples after the Gospel ends.

Remember, today is a Holy Day of Obligation, meaning all Catholics must attend Mass.

The Early Church Believed in the Assumption

Pope Pius XII in his dogmatic proclamation mentioned or quoted St. Anthony of Padua, St. Damascene, St. Albert the Great, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Bonaventure, St. Robert Bellarmine, St. Alphonsus Liguori, St. Peter Canisius, and Suarez, all of whom either outright supported the Assumption or at least did not deny it. For instance, St. John Damascene (675-749) states:

“It was fitting that she, who had kept her virginity intact in childbirth, should keep her own body free from all corruption even after death. It was fitting that she, who had carried the Creator as a child at her breast, should dwell in the divine tabernacles. It was fitting that the spouse, whom the Father had taken to himself, should live in the divine mansions. It was fitting that she, who had seen her Son upon the cross and who had thereby received into her heart the sword of sorrow which she had escaped in the act of giving birth to him, should look upon him as he sits with the Father. It was fitting that God’s Mother should possess what belongs to her Son, and that she should be honored by every creature as the Mother and as the handmaid of God” (Encomium in Dormitionem Dei Genetricis Semperque Virginis Mariae, Hom. II, n. 14; cf. also ibid, n. 3.).

Shockingly to Protestants, even Martin Butzer, a contemporary of Martin Luther, wrote, “Indeed, no Christian doubts that the most worthy Mother of the Lord lives with her beloved Son in heavenly joy” (Marienlexikon, vol. 3, 200)!

To deny the Assumption of Our Lady is to deny an unquestionable historical fact affirmed by centuries of Christians. Those who deny the Assumption fall prey to the errors which St. Paul warned of when he wrote, “For there shall be a time, when they will not endure sound doctrine; but, according to their own desires, they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:3).

Purgatory:

Please pray for the Souls in Purgatory today. It is written that at the time of Mary’s Assumption, all of purgatory was emptied, and the souls detained there accompanied her in her triumphant entry into Heaven. St. Bernardine of Siena also states that through her prayers and the application of her own merits, the Virgin has the power of freeing souls, especially her devotees, from purgatory. St. Peter Damian attests that every year on the Feast of the Assumption (August 15), the Virgin liberates thousands of souls.

Scripture:

"God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.

"Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne. The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God."

Revelations 11:19 and Revelations 12:1-6

The Assumption of Mary by Francesco Botticini (1446 - 1498)

Deiparae Virginis Mariae:

The Christian people have never ceased to invoke and experience the Blessed Virgin Mary's assistance, and therefore they have, at all times, venerated her with ever-growing devotion. And so, because love when it is true and deeply felt tends of its own nature to manifest itself through ever renewed demonstrations, the faithful have vied with one another all through the centuries in expressing at all times their ardent piety toward the Queen of Heaven. In our opinion, this is the reason why, for a long time past, numerous petitions (those received from 1849 to 1940 have been gathered in two volumes which, accompanied with suitable comments, have been recently printed), from cardinals, patriarchs, archbishops, bishops, priests, religious of both sexes, associations, universities, and innumerable private persons have reached the Holy See, all begging that the bodily Assumption into heaven of the Blessed Virgin should be defined and proclaimed as a dogma of faith. And certainly, no one is unaware of the fact that this was fervently requested by almost two hundred fathers in the Vatican Council.

Encyclical of Pope Pius XII Promulgated on May 1, 1946

Novena:

Novena for the Assumption of Mary (August 7 - 15)

Collect:

Almighty and everlasting God, Who hast taken body and soul into heaven the Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of Thy Son: grant, we beseech Thee, that by steadfastly keeping heaven as our goal we may be counted worthy to join her in glory. Through the same our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

Learn More:

If you are interested in learning more about the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary please consider purchasing the applicable lesson from CatechismClass.com, which is available for only a few dollars.  

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St. Maximilian Kolbe

Today is the feast day (August 14th) of St. Maximilian Kolbe, who died in a concentration camp because He willing took the place of a condemned man that was a father of children so that the man could be released. This heroic action of love is an example for us to imitate. "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:33)

See my post on St. Maximilian Kolbe for more information.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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On Temptation

This is concluding a series of thoughts today on prayer, temptation, and doubt, which many people can easy find themselves in. Even Our Lord was tempted in the desert for 40 days with the devil even quoting Scripture (Matthew 4:1-11), but only Our Lord knew the true meaning of each line in Scripture. It is through the Church that we find a home, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit and home of the sacraments. You can try to find a religious denomination or pray on your own but you will never know God completely without 1) prayer and 2) the Sacraments of the Catholic Church.

The bottom line is that in our own hearts we already know God. Our souls know God and never let satan come into your hearts and steal your joy from you. Keep watch with Christ and study the Word of God and soon all of our sunsets will turn into sunrises. Prayer, the Holy Mass, devotion to Mary, the reading of the Bible, etc. all prepare our souls to know God.

* I was inspired to write this after reading an article on Christ-Haunted about the top 100 Catholic Quotes of all time.

Image Source: Image of Palm Sunday Tridentine Mass, believed to be in the Public Domain

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Some Random Catholic Information

I came across some interesting Catholic demographics towards the bottom of the page. Here's some of what it said:

1. More science fiction writers belong to the Catholic Church than any other religious group
2. Catholic countries consume more alcohol than protestant ones
3. In the US Catholics and Lutherans had the lowest divorce rates

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Conditions for Prayer

While reading This is the Faith by Canon Francis Ripley I came across a list of conditions for prayer. If you are having trouble with prayer and want to be able to pray honestly please see my comments as those from the book on page 39.

I believe before anything else when we pray we must admit our sinfulness and helplessness. Prayer is an absolute vital necessity (CCC 2744) because it is communication with God; it is a dialogue. Before we pray the Rosary or any prayer we should briefly examine ourselves and see how we can improve our lives and avoid sin. If we do not acknowledge our helplessness to God then our prayers are useless. Humility must reign in our heart.

These are from the book on page 39, with the detail coming from my opinion:

1. Sincerity: Whether we are praying an Our Father or Hail Mary or just a prayer from our heart we must actually mean it. We should actually believe everything we are saying.
2. Attention: We need to find a good place to pray and actually know the words we are saying. We shouldn't go about praying for others to see us as that is a horrible sin of pride, but we should pray silently to God with focusing exactly on our words and its meaning. During this time I have heard many times that people can receive temptation and "bad" thoughts in this time, but you just need to resisit them and continue to go on. We can not commit a sin if we are not willfully doing it. Temptation and sin are seperate.
3. Humility: Again, examine how small we are before God. Try to kneel or at least lean forward. Never just lie back and pray in bed because it is too easy to fall asleep.
4. Confidence: Trust Our Lord and know that He hears all of our prayer even if He doesn't answer them. His will and ways are far above ours, but know that in the end the outcome will all be for God's glory.
5. Perserverance: Never give up on prayer - never. God hears you and will answer when the time is right if it is in accordance with His Holy Will. When you pray say, "Please, Lord grant me these requests if they are in your accordance with your will..."
6. Resignation: Remember that God is Our Lord and maker is much higher than us. Let us humble ourselves and remember that He is always right so let us leave our prayers to Him.

Above all, never doubt that God loves you. Keep praying and offer God praise and thanks before anything else. And, remember, no matter how much doubt or temptation came come to you, that the Lord is Our God, the same person who freed us from sin as recorded in scripture and passed down through the Tradition of the Church. Never let doubt win and break us from prayer or faith - never.

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Prayer & reflection on it

I am currently reading "Crossing: Reclaiming the Landscape of Our Lives" by Mark Barrett, OSB, which is centered on his struggle with prayer and the praying of the Liturgy of the Hours in his monastery. The Liturgy of the Hours is the prayer of the Church at different points in the day, and the author states that he does actually get bored with prayer.

Sometimes even we think "Are my prayers heard?" or "Why do I pray?" but let these thoughts go in one ear and out of the other. We believe in God and should not let doubt try to question our belief in God and the Tradition of the Church passed down through the Holy Church since the time of Christ. Prayer is not just talking with God but a dialogue between our soul and Him. Through prayer we give Our Lord thanks and praise and can ask petitions, but don't just let Mass and prayer become a habit and not an experience. Actually pray the words at Mass instead of just repeating them.

In the book the author describes our days as full of crossroads through a garden (the garden being a metaphor of our life), and only if we rely on God and think clearly about how to improve our lives through prayer can we hope to travel through life without going in circles. Make sure you see prayer as a personal dialogue with God and an opportunity to reflect on our day so far. If you, however, do not rely on God then we are nothing and surely can not find our way through a garden because it would undoubtedly seem a wilderness.

One day St. Franics saw his students reading about God and the saints in classes and was furious because it took away their prayer time and prayer time is the most important part of living with God. Prayer is the water of our soul for the seed of God's word and without water we can not hope to survive in the desert of the world around us.

I'll post a summary of the book when I complete it. I do however greatly recommend purchasing Christian Prayer, which I use to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. I love to use it.

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