Take Courage It is I -- Do not be Afraid

The same Jesus Christ, who walked across the water and stretched out his hand to save a drowning Peter reaches out in the Blessed Sacrament to strengthen the weak and comfort the afflicted.

Even if you think, that you are the worst person in the world you are that much more welcome to come to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. He often said, that he came not for the well, but for the sick because the well do not need a Physician.

Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament is the "DIVINE PHYSICIAN" of our Soul. The farther away you think you are from God the more Jesus Christ wants you to come to him in the Blessed Sacrament.

He said a number of times that he came not for the self- righteous but for sinners.

The Greater Our Need and Desperation, the more clearly we should see Jesus Christ calling us to himself in the Blessed Sacrament. From the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus Christ says to us now what he said to Saint Peter a long time ago.

"Take Courage, It is I". Do Not be Afraid.

It is really the Jesus who loves you and who died for you who is truly present in the most Blessed Sacrament. We have nothing whatsoever to fear.

We should not let our sins keep us from coming to Him, because he is full of "Infinite Mercy".

We should not let the fact that we cannot pray well or have a busy schedule keep us from coming to Him because spending Time with Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament is the Best and Greatest Time that we will ever spend on earth.

Credits and References :

Come to Me in the Blessed Sacrament
By Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament

Some Interesting Stuff

Dear Friends in Jesus and Mary,

Many of you may be aware that I have a solid devotion to the Blessed Sacrament as well as to Our Lady under the title of Help of Christians.

Here are two articles one on a Pope who was a Pope of the Eucharist.

The other article is on a Motto of Mine called "To Jesus Through Mary".

Please read them slowly meditating on the pearls of advice in these 2 articles.

1) Pope Saint Pius X Pope of the Holy Eucharist

Read the whole article here

http://www.ecatholic2000.com/cts/untitled-416.shtml#_Toc349936081

2)  To Jesus Through Mary

Read the whole article here

http://www.ecatholic2000.com/cts/untitled-672.shtml#_Toc349936337


 

A Mother and the Blessed Sacrament

Introduction :

Mrs Mary Vaughan was an English Catholic born in England in the early years of 1800.

They must have had a Chapel at Home.

She found time rather "Made Time" to sit before the Blessed Sacrament and pray for her Family and Dear Ones and for Vocations among children and specially among her children.

She was splendidly blessed. Of her 13 Children, Five Daughters entered the Convent and Six of her Eight Sons became Priests.

Of these, Three became Bishops.

One was the Auxiliary Bishop of Salsford, another was Archbishop of Sydney, Australia, The Third and the eldest Herbert Vaughan was the great Cardinal Archbishop of Westminister -- Builder of Westminister Cathedral and founder of 2 Religious Orders.

Cardinal Vaughan stated that he owed his vocation to the priesthood to his Mother's Prayers before the Holy Eucharist where Jesus Christ is present Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

At the young age of 21, he wrote "During the day my mother often prayed before the Blessed Sacrament. Every Morning before breakfast, she was in the Chapel for half an hour or more.

After Breakfast, An Hour in the morning was always spent in meditation before the Holy Eucharist in the Chapel.

I do not remember, ever seeing her looking anywhere except at the Blessed Sacrament or into her Book during these visits.

Even to this day, I am struck with my sweet mother's ardent devotion and immense love for the Blessed Sacrament.

Conclusion : May God Give us such Mothers like Mrs Mary Vaughan who had a solid devotion to the Person of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament where He is really and substantially present.

Credits and References :

A Mother, Lover of the Divine Host
By Father Cajetan Lobo S.D.B.
Don Bosco's Madonna, Mumbai
November 1986

The Message of the Rosary Parts 1-3

The Message of the Rosary Part - 1

The Glorious Mysteries :

 

The Glorious Mysteries give us a preview, so to say, and a foretaste of the glory that awaits us in the life to come, which eye has not seen and ear has not heard and the human heart has not experienced. For this reason they most powerfully stimulate Christian fervour and perseverance. Now, and not only in heaven, must we rise in a spiritual sense with Christ from the death of sin and walk in newness of life; now our thoughts and desires must dwell in heaven and delight in the company of angels and saints; now we must prepare our body for its glorified life by giving unstintingly of our physical strength to the service of God. I

 

In the light of these mysteries we recognize the important role which bodily pain and hardship plays in the Christian way of the cross and we learn to mortify the body with all its evil inclinations now so that it may live eternally. Not only in heaven but now must Mary be our Queen in whose service we glory and the imitation of whose virtues we make the ambition of our lives. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit these mysteries convey invincible courage, patience, peace and joy. The Holy Spirit has made us His temples and dwells in us now, so that full of the Holy Spirit we shall rise in glory on the day of resurrection.

 

Read the whole article here

http://www.ecatholic2000.com/cts/untitled-577.shtml#_Toc349936242

The Message of the Rosary Part-- 2

THE REASON WHY :

 

Many Catholics, especially intelligent and well-meaning friends of the liturgical revival, seem puzzled by the fact that in the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima the rosary played such a prominent part. Is not the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass more important? Holy Mass is the unbloody re-enactment of the Sacrifice of our salvation, the centre of divine worship, the source of grace from which we hope for a renewal of the world in Christ. Why was not more frequent attendance at Holy Mass urged by our blessed Mother? Yet, it is certain that any request or recommendation coming from our blessed Mother cannot but be the best. Mary, as the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, the Mother of the Saviour and the Mediatrix of all Graces, has no more ardent desire than to lead us to a fuller appreciation of the mysteries of our redemption, to a more abundant participation in their life-giving grace. If she attaches so much importance to the rosary, the reason can only be that the rosary is the most practical means to bring about these happy results. The rosary will lead us to the altar of sacrifice, to Holy Mass and Holy Communion, to a more intimate union with Jesus and a profounder grasp of the spirit of the Church.

 

Asking for the recitation of the rosary, Our Lady of Fatima asks for an intelligent, understanding recitation, and that calls for reflection on the prayers that compose it, the Sign of the Cross, the Creed, the Our Father and Hail Mary, the Glory be, prayers which are, so to say, a compendium of the doctrines of our holy Faith. Their frequent, thoughtful repetition cannot but fix them more deeply in our minds and help applying them to our lives. To these prayers are added the mysteries which recall the principal events in the life of Jesus and Mary; they are so to say beautiful lamps, white and crimson and gold, illuminating our road to heaven. Meditation on these mysteries is necessary for the proper recitation of the rosary. Our Lady of Fatima requests it particularly for the observance of the five first Saturdays. It is evidently her wish that we become familiar with the contents of these mysteries; learn their beautiful lesson for our own lives and their practical significance for the world at large.

 

To secure a speedier and more general fulfilment of this wish of our blessed Mother the following reflections have been written. They may be used as instructions or readings, especially on the occasion of the five first Saturdays.

 

In our days, when an appalling ignorance of religion is widespread even among Catholics, when the spirit of the world surges up and down all the avenues of life, when there is so little understanding of the interior life, such general flight from the cross, such tragic forgetfulness of spiritual ideals and values, the rosary, with its mysteries, acts as an ever-present teacher of religion, as an inspiration and driving power for a life of living faith.

 

The rosary, far from interfering with the liturgical worship of the Church becomes its best support, inasmuch as it makes us lovers of Christ, and lovers of Christ will be drawn to the altar of His Eucharistic presence, sacrifice and Communion. As always, so it is true in this case: Through Mary to Jesus.

 

The Joyful Mysteries :

 

These mysteries introduce us into the wise and loving designs of God, according to which the Saviour of men was to enter this world and to be prepared for His tremendous sacrifice of our salvation during the years of His infancy and hidden life. They hold up before us the ideal of the interior life, the life of prayer and holy desire, of intimate communication with God in our hearts and with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, of complete surrender to the dispensations of Divine Providence, of loving faithfulness in humble and lowly duties, of silent endurance in the many unseen trials of the soul that strives after perfection. Whatever may be the external circumstances of a man's life, even though it may be most active, a life of leadership and grand achievement, the spirit of the joyful mysteries is indispensable for it, if it is to be a holy life leading to God, our last end. Intimate contact with God is the hidden power plant that makes external activity fruitful for eternity.

Read the whole article here

http://www.ecatholic2000.com/cts/untitled-578.shtml#_Toc349936243

The Message of the Rosary Part --3

THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES :

 

Whereas in the Joyful Mysteries the sacred writers record at some length the part which Mary played in them, the same writers are silent about her part in the sorrowful mysteries. All that we learn from them is that the Mother of Jesus stood beneath the cross, and that from the cross Jesus recommended her to St. John as his Mother, and St. John to her as her son. But what we know about Mary and her relation to Jesus is sufficient to supply the rest. Mary shared in the sufferings of her Divine Son as no other human person ever did or could have done, and she did it with sentiments of complete submission to the will of God and love for souls.

 

The Sorrowful Mysteries of the rosary illustrate the sacrificial character of the Christian life. The crosses of life are manifold, but they can all be reduced to the one or other of the sufferings commemorated in these sorrowful mysteries. In particular they are: Fear, anxiety, disgust experienced with regard to the crosses that actually afflict us or that we see approaching: bodily pain, humiliation, the labours and hardships imposed upon us by our vocational duties, bitterness against those whom we consider the cause of our suffering, the urge to throw off the cross when patience gives out.

The general lesson inculcated by these mysteries is patience, the spirit of penance and love of the cross, and that is the object our Lady of Fatima had in view when she asked for meditation on the mysteries of the rosary.

Read the whole article here

http://www.ecatholic2000.com/cts/untitled-579.shtml#_Toc349936244
 

 

 

Lourdes -- Where Jesus Christ is the Central Attraction

Introduction :

In the Apparitions at the Grotto, Mother Mary led Saint Bernadette to Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist and today intercedes for pilgrims and leads them to Jesus Christ.

At the Grotto in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, a Statue of Mother Mary stands on the right side and the altar for the Holy Eucharist is at the centre, because the Holy Eucharist is the "Centre of Devotion".

The Lourdes Motto is very simple.

"Through Mary to Jesus". Our Blessed Lady asked that a Chapel be built here wherein the "Living Sacrifice of the Mass" be offered up in supplication and atonement.

Devotion to Holy Mass and Frequent Holy Communion are the "Fruits of a Lourdes Pilgrimage".

Every major Marian Shrine is Christ-centred because it is centred around the Holy Eucharist.

Most of the reported miracles that take place at Lourdes, take place not only amidst a bath in those sacred waters but most specially during a Blessing with the Blessed Sacrament.

It is of utmost significance, that there is a Huge Basilica at Lourdes dedicated to Pope Saint Pius -- The Tenth -- The Pope of the Holy Eucharist.

In the Pius The Tenth Basilica the sick, the crippled, and others are daily blessed by the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.

The chief form of reparation at Lourdes will always be through the Holy Eucharist. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is infinite reparation for the sins and errors of mankind.

When we come to Mother Mary, she looks upon us with motherly affection and tenderness and directs us to her Son in the Blessed Sacrament who is the Saviour of the World.

Conclusion :

To sum up Lourdes, is a "House of Gold", A Treasure House of grace, a "Tower of Ivory, beaconing the way to sanctity and salvation; a garden in the wilderness ready to enrich our souls and thirsting with the desire of our "Eucharistic Love".

Immaculate Queen of Heaven, Pray for us.

Credits and References :

1) Lourdes
    Page 27
   Newsbits
   Don Bosco's Madonna, Mumbai
   May 2008
   Vol -10, N0-1

2)  Guide to Lourdes
     Special Centenary Edition 1958
     By Rev. Father J.A. Shields Pages 34 and 67
     Published by C.J. Fallon Ltd
     Dublin
     Republic of Ireland



 

Francis Kesy and His 4 Companions 1920-1942

Introduction :

On September 1, 1939 Hitler invaded Poland at the beginning of the Second World War.

The Salesian House in Poznan on Wroniecka  Street was occupied and turned into barracks for German Wehrmacht Soldiers.

Polish Catholic Youngsters continued to gather in the woods outside the City as well as in the City's many parks.

In September 1940, Francis Kesy  and 4 of his companions from the Oratory were arrested by the Gestapo and accused of belonging to a secret and illegal organisation.

They were taken to the fearful Fort 7 near Poznan where they were horribly tortured by the Gestapo and interrogated.

Following this, they were taken to various other prisons where they were brutally tortured. Taken back to Poznan, they were processed, accused of high treason and condemned to death.

Conclusion :

They were martyred by Nazi Soldiers at Dresden on August 24, 1942. They constantly prayed the Rosary as well as engaged in Morning and Evening Prayer.

Their Faith never wavered. They were Martyrs till the very end.

Credits and References :

Francis Kesy and His 4 Companions
Page 10
Don Bosco's Madonna, Mumbai
March 2016
Vol- 17, N0-11

 

Mother Mary in the Magisterium of the Church

Introduction :

The First Encyclical expressly devoted to Marian Devotion was written by Pope Leo, the Thirteenth (1878-1903).

He was a Pope who intensely perceived and shared the sufferings of the world and offered from his vast cultural experience, not something simply devotional.

This great Pope taught that the prayer and the affectionate knowledge of the Mother of God should be anything but sentimental.

It was the closest approach to the "Mystery of Christ" that was effected through the humanity of a simple woman who did not pretend to understand everything but 'pondered everything in her heart'.

Encyclicals on the Holy Rosary :

In the first six years of his pontificate, Pope Leo wrote two encyclicals on the Mother of God.

In the years that followed, from 1891 to 1898, he wrote 8 other encyclicals, one each year in which he continued to invite Catholic Christians to pray to the Mother of God and he offered them effective and precise reflections on her irreplaceable role in the History of Salvation.

The main theme however, of every written text dwelt on the validity of  praying the Rosary.

The Rosary is a meditation on the Life of Jesus Christ through the eyes of Mother Mary whose gaze is a gaze of love and of meditative silence.

This encyclical traces the grand lineage of the history of the Holy Rosary beginning from Saint Dominic ( 1170-1221) who was the "one who first introduced the term the "Holy Rosary" and who through his followers propagated this devotion.

It goes on to enumerate the military victories attributed to praying the Holy Rosary and the various others who acknowledged it as the most powerful weapon to overcome every kind of evil.

In the Thirteenth Century, when Saint Dominic prayed the Rosary the enemies and heretics were defeated.

Pope Leo, The Thirteenth in the manner of the celebrated Saint Dominic "warmly exhorts all Catholic Christians to tirelessly fulfil the pious exercise of praying the Holy Rosary either privately or publicly asking that the whole month of October be consecrated and devoted to the heavenly Queen of the Rosary".

Conclusion :

"Mother of God", the title that Pope Leo, the Thirteenth uses more frequently than any other is the oldest and most important dogmatic title of the Madonna and which was defined by the Church at the Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D. to be believed by all Christians.

It is the foundation of all of Mary's greatness and the beginning of Mariology itself.

It is the most ecumenical of all titles, not only because it was defined by a Council, but also because it is unique and unanimously accepted at least in principle by all Christian Groups.

Pope Leo, the Thirteenth who was not very familiar with ecumenism, shows however that he speaks prophetically even without realising it in the name of God; the Pope launches out with the Mother of God towards that unreachable horizon which is the union of all people of every time and culture who are universally and immensely loved by God.

Credits and References :

Mary in the Magisterium of the Church
By Franco Careglio
Pages 28-30
Don Bosco's Madonna, Mumbai
May 2013
Vol- 15, N0-1