Down In Adoration Falling

Years ago when our 4th child was a baby, I discover Eucharistic Adoration. How, in almost 30 years as a Catholic, I had never encounter it before baffles me to this day.

We were on vacation in Canada or perhaps New York (I need to look this up), and we were at a church with a huge garden which had a walking path lined with larger-than-life statues of many Saints.

I was pushing Josh in the stroller looking for the kids' names on the base of their Patron Saints.  As I made my way to the doors of the church for a peek inside, I noticed a side grotto hidden behind a stone wall.  I curiously made my way in and there was Christ in the Monstrance.

A small sign requested silence, but my heart requested me to go on my knees.  Down in adoration falling.

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Such a peace overwhelmed me that I knew this would not be my last encounter at an adoration chapel.

At the Last Supper, Jesus gave us His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity not only to consume but to Adore.  He is with us in every Catholic church, in every tabernacle, in every part of the world.  He longs for us to spend time with Him whether we can receive Him in that moment or not.  We can be physically with Him and spiritually with Him.  Don't stay away.

Come!  Let us Adore!!

You Are What You Eat

When our children were little, they had a favorite book called Chocolatina by Erik Kraft.  

The story is about a young girl named Tina who could not get enough chocolate. She ate it for breakfast, and at lunch and dinner.  She loved it so much she even snuck some during her classes at school.

Her health teacher drilled into the children's heads that, "you are what you eat".

One day, to Tina's horror, she actually turns completely chocolate.  She can't bend her arms to comb her hair,  her best friend won't sit by her on the bus because her mother would be mad if she got chocolate on her clothes.  Worst of all, her feet melt on the hot playground and the other kids have to carry her back into school.

Her teacher's warning had come true.  What a nightmare.

We, as Catholics, have a much better opportunity before us.  We also become what we eat.  But, we have access to the greatest feast of all time, the Eucharist.

Jesus Christ, Himself, becomes our food.

His own words confirm this:  "I am the Bread of Life."(John 6:48)

He goes on to say,  "If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. He who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him on the last day." (John 6: 53-54)

So what do we become if we receive the Eucharist?  We become like Christ. We become holy.

What does the Eucharist give us?  Abundant grace, sanctification, forgiveness of venial sins and a promise we can't refuse, eternal life.

There is no better offer on the face of the earth.  Come to the feast!!!


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House of Bread

Did you know:


Bethlehem (where Jesus was born) means "house of bread"?

the manger that Jesus lay in as a newborn was a feed trough?

that Jesus is "the bread of Life"? (John 6:48)

that the Eucharist (Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus) is nourishment for our earthly pilgrimage?

that the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life? (Lumen Gentium 11)

that Jesus waits for you in the Eucharist every day (not just on Sunday?)

there is a Eucharistic Host at Mass every single day, especially for YOU? (if you are a practicing Catholic in a state of grace.)

that Jesus said, "For my flesh is real food and my blood real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in Him"? (John 6:56)

that He really meant it?

that Jesus waits for you in an Adoration Chapel near you?

that you can go to Adoration any time day or night in most of these chapels?

that your journey on earth can be so much better with Food for the journey?

Any questions?


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Sacrament Of The Sick

In the Church, there are seven Sacraments.

The Sacraments of Initiation:  Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation.

The Sacraments of Vocation:  Marriage and Holy Orders.

The Sacraments of Healing: Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick.

Today I was an observer while two friends received the Anointing of the Sick.  It was very moving and beautiful.

One friend has suffered much over the past couple of years from injuries that occurred either when trying to lend a helping hand (got rear ended driving a passenger home from the airport) or by being in a bad place (under an overhang at work) at a bad time (when the ice on the overhang decided to slide off!).  A rotator cuff injury and ensuing surgery and a concussion (from the heavy ice)  have caused not only physical pain, but memory issues and much time off work.

The other friend is having surgery in a couple of weeks and was looking for peace and prayers for self and the doctor and nurses.

The Sacrament begins with a penitential rite whereby sins are acknowledged.  The priest then reads a short passage of Scripture.  The forehead and palms of the hands are anointed with holy oil (olive oil that is blessed at the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday each year) as Father prays over the anointed person. We do this according to Scripture: Is any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. (James 5:14)

Father then prayed a prayer for each friend.  The prayer for my injured friend mentioned and return of health in mind and body and a return to the work of their livelihood.

The prayer for my other friend included prayers for a successful surgery and return to health, and included a prayer for guidance for the doctors and nurses who would give care during the procedure and ensuing hospital stay.

This Sacrament usually includes the Eucharist, but since we had just been to Mass that part was omitted.

Both friends glowed with gratitude and holiness (as the Sacrament also has the saving power of forgiveness of sins).

This Sacrament used to be call Extreme Unction and was used primarily when death was imminent.  Forgiveness of sins, viaticum (food for the journey-the Eucharist) and anointing are all wonderful ways to begin the journey to Heaven.

However, the Sacrament is much more widely used now than in the past.

Do you know someone who is ill, facing surgery, suffering from Alzheimer's or other ailment such as a stroke or cancer?  If so, this Sacrament is available.  Get in touch with your parish priest.  I'm confident that he will be more than happy to confer this Sacrament for you or a loved one.


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Did you know...?

I heard something on the radio yesterday that I found fascinating and thought that I would share it.  I wish I could give credit to whomever was speaking but I was in the car and just heard it by chance so I can't.  

The person speaking was teaching that Psalm 23 is the Psalm that the early Christians would recite on the way to the Easter Vigil (and probably during) when new members were welcomed into the Church.  

Being welcomed into Holy Mother Church means receiving the three Sacraments of Initiation; Baptism, the Eucharist and Confirmation.  

Let's go through the Psalm and break it down:

"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³     he refreshes my soul." (Psalm 23: 1-3)

The quiet waters are the waters of Baptism, which remove our original sin as infants and all sins up to that point as adults, and bring us into God's family.

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"You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies." (Psalm 23:5)

The table He spreads for us is the table of the Eucharist where Jesus feeds us with His own Precious Body and Blood.

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"You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows." (Psalm 23:5)


The oil used at Confirmation is called Holy Chrism and "is a mixture of olive oil and balsam," and is used to signify favor and strength from the Lord. (Catholic Education Resource.)

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"And I will dwell in the house of the Lord, forever." (Psalm 23:6) 

All of these Sacraments bring us into the Church which leads us to our final resting place with Jesus in heaven.


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Are You Ready?

We have an army supply store down the road from us and this is the gigantic sign they have posted on the exterior wall of the building:

In my humble opinion, the guy in the gas mask is slightly terrifying!  That's not the kind of "ready" I want to be.  So, I offer other suggestions:

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1) This beautiful confessional is in St. Peter's Basilica.  While all confessionals don't look the same, they do render the same grace; Sanctifying grace, the grace that makes us holy.  In John 20:23 we find the words of Christ: "If you forgive people's sins, they are forgiven." Jesus gave this authority to his disciples (who then passed it onto each ordained priest) precisely because he knew that after baptism we would fall into sin again.  He gives us this Sacrament to help us remain close to him.  

2) The Eucharist:  The source and summit of our faith because It is Christ!  Receive often!! 

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3) Adoration:

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"He said to Peter, "Couldn't you watch with me even one hour?" (Mt. 26:40) The Eucharist does not have to be exposed for you to be in adoration. Just sit before the closed tabernacle, if you are not able to go during formal adoration time.  Jesus is there waiting to bless you.  Give Him an hour; He will give you so much more. 

Are you ready? 

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Note From Jesus

I often pray, and wish that God would answer with a letter or an email so I could know, without a doubt, that He heard me and was taking care of the situation.  I am excited to say, I got my note.

Last weekend I was blessed to be able to drive 5 awesome guys (2 sons, 2 nephews and a third "son") to a teen conference at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio and stay as a chaperone.

While the conference was specifically for the teens, the other chaperones and I likely came away with as much as the kids.

The point of the conference was to grow in our relationship with  Christ.  There were three Masses, times for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and many priests available for several hours over the course of the weekend to hear confessions.  All this, in an effort to help us put aside the world for a while and focus on getting to know the Lord a little better.

The teens rocked to great music, heard awesome speakers and got to know some new friends.

One of the ways to kids "communicated" with each other was with clothespins.  (The kind that pinch.)  The would sneakily attach a clothespin to a shirt tail or backpack to let the recipient know that someone was thinking of them.

The messages on the clips varied; some gave youth group names, some said a kind word, bolder kids left their phone numbers.

The highlight of the weekend was Adoration on Saturday night.  The monstrance was carried through the field house so the kids could have a close encounter with Christ.

The chaperones were alerted ahead of time to expect varied reactions from the teens and to be watchful in case someone needed extra prayers, a tissue, or just watching over as they encountered Christ on a very personal level.  I didn't expect an overwhelming reaction for myself;  no crying, no laughing, no physical feeling of anything different.

And yet, I was touched.  And my moment came before Adoration began.  I felt a slight brush on my arm, and for a second I did not turn around.  Knowing that I had been clothes pinned, I knew the person pinning me wanted to remain anonymous, and so I waited to take the pin off.

When I did, my moment came.  The clothespin had written on it, "I LOVE YOU" on one side and "pass it on" on the other.  To me, it was a message from Christ.  And try as I might, I could not re-pin it.  I could have reached out to several people over the last hours of the conference, but each time I was "told" to hang on to my message.

So, on the drive home, I pinned it in a prominent location:

on my picture of the Divine Mercy in the dashboard of my van.  Every time I read it, my heart thrills a little because it feels like Jesus is speaking right to me. After I read it, I say it back to Jesus.  As for passing it on?  I'm doing that right now: 

Jesus loves YOU!!

The weekend was wonderful.  I came home healed of a weakness of mine, and the Eucharist has become so much more intimate.  God is good, all the time.  All the time, God is good.  

Corpus Christi

Today is the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.  Given that the Eucharist is the source and summit of Catholic life, it's a pretty big deal.

On Holy Thursday, Christ instituted the Eucharist.

 Before that day, He told his followers:

"I am the bread of life.

Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;

this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?”Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” (John 6: 48-58)

At the Last Supper, Christ gave us the priesthood and Himself in the Eucharist. Our priests continue to bring the Eucharist to us on a daily basis.  How often do you participate?

If you were told to go to a certain spot everyday at a specific time and you would be handed $1000, would you go? Every day?

If you were told that Jesus, Himself, was waiting to give you the gift of a lifetime, in many locations, at many different times throughout the day, would you make the effort to go and receive Him who gives you life?

He is waiting. He is at many locations, at many different times throughout the day. He wants to give you the gift of a lifetime, actually the gift of LIFE.  Eternal life. (see above!)

Come to the Feast! He awaits. 

Jesus In My Pocket

One of the loveliest things about being Catholic is getting to receive Jesus; Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, in the Mass.

However, there is a special way for the sick, elderly and homebound to receive our Precious Lord even though they are unable to attend the Sacrifice of the Mass.

Eucharistic Ministers, those individuals trained to distribute Communion at Mass, may also take Communion to the homebound.

By means of a pyx, the Eucharist can be properly transported to the people in need.

My parents are, lately, unable to go to Mass.  It is my honor to be able to bring Jesus to them each day.

I don't have a fancy pouch for my pyx so I have to slip it in my pocket.  It's lovely to receive our Lord in Communion and then to carry Him close to me for a few extra minutes until I get to my parents' home.

So grateful for the Church, its Sacraments and the ability to bring Jesus to those in need.

I love having Jesus in the Mass.  It's also kind of neat to have Him in my pocket!