Transubstantiation -- Do I believe in it and appreciate it ??

Theologians describe Transubstantiation as a Positive and True Change and a substantial change of the Bread and Wine into the Adorable and Loving Body and Blood of Christ.

This happens on the Altar through the hands of a Priest who is another "Christ". In Short, This is a "Miracle" of Immense Proportions.

This Miracle of the Conversion from Bread and Wine into the beloved Body and Blood of Christ is miraculous in quality and quantity.

What do I mean by this ??

When I say Miraculous in Quantity, I mean that under ordinary circumstances The Sacred Body of Our Lord ought to have its physical dimensions but it has none.

Similarly, When I say Miraculous in Quality I am referring to its action vis - a - vis our senses. But, There is none. From a Quality Perspective -- It is invisible yet present to everyone.

The Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ is miraculous in all possible ways. The events that unfold at the Altar through the Sacred Hands of a Priest should be seen with the eyes of Faith and Nothing Else.

The Adorable Body of Our Lord -- are together whether its His Eyes, Head, Heart, or Feet.

The Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ is placed in different positions and moved up and down the Altar, yet He remains with us as "One Whole Person".

That is the Beauty of the Holy Eucharist in the Catholic Church. Our Lord is a Prisoner for us in the Tabernacle and on the Altar. He remains, the most attentive person in this Universe even while He is undergoing changes on the Altar.

Therefore, The Blessed Sacrament can be said to be the "Compendium of all Miracles".

The Sacramental Presence of Our Lord undergoes numerous changes before it is consumed by the Communicant. All these changes are "Supernatural" and wrought by Divine Means.

Let us never doubt the Sacred Presence of Our Lord.

Credits : The Blessed Sacrament by Father Faber
               The Theology of Transubstantiation
               Pages 56-60

Jan Tyranowski -- An Awesome Spiritual Guide

Jan Tyranowski lived in Krakow at Debniki on 15 Rozana Street. He was born in 1900.

Externally, He was no different to any other boy.

From His Childhood, Jan was given a very intense Christian Formation.

His Father was a Tailor, and had a workshop where his younger brother Edward worked too.

His Mother was a Housewife but Jan tried to major in Commerce so he could take up a Career.

From the time, He was very young He fled from crowds and from general contact with people. That was why, He left his job of book- keeping preferring to work instead as a tailor in his Father's Workshop.

For Jan, attending Mass daily and receiving Holy Communion, praying the Whole Rosary of Our Lady and spending time in meditation was what he most cherished in order to build his intimacy with God.

He was a "Monk in the World".

Poland was invaded by the Nazis during the Second World War. There were terrible sufferings and unspeakable crimes being thoughtlessly perpetrated by the Demonic Nazis.

At that point, there were hundreds of youngsters yearning for a deeper union with God.

Several of them between the ages of 14 to 25 gathered at Jan's House to pray the Rosary. They were divided into 2 sections according to their ages but they joined together to follow the "Living Rosary".

Here, They meditated on the Mysteries of the Rosary and contemplated on them trying to apply the Mysteries to their daily lives.

Each Boy was called to form another group of 15 Friends, each with a "Mystery" to be prayed in this Rosary Apostolate.

This had to be the "Revelation of a Saint".

The Priests of the Parish of Saint Stanislaus were the Salesians of Don Bosco at Debniki where Jan lived cheerfully kept saying :

"Look at Our Saint" and they also added "God's Glory resides on Rozana Street".

Like a simple Catholic Christian Layman, He drew his strength from the sublime font of the Saviour who possessed His Life completely.

He spoke only about God and how God permitted his apostolate to spring from his contemplation of the teachings of Saint Thomas Aquinas in the "Summa Theologica".

Jan helped many youngsters, plumb the depths of God. He helped them to live in union with "Him" and in His sanctifying grace that was the divine life of their souls.

When Jan died, He was only 47 years old. He suffered excruciating pain caused by a terrible infection on his arm.

His Face was radiant, as He would now see God Face to Face on that day in March 1947.

Credits and References :

Jan Tyranowski
By Paolo Risso
Pages 12-14
Don Bosco's Madonna, Mumbai
June 2007
Vol - 9, No-2

The Kingdom of the Precious Blood as visualized by Father Faber

Introduction :

God's Life is Vast. We kneel before God in Prayer just as a Man may care to kneel down on a secluded beach worshipping or venerating God.

The same goes with the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. The Precious Blood of Jesus is vast and has Infinite Power.

The Precious Blood of Our Adorable Lord became ransom for sinful "Human Beings". The Precious Blood conquered back for the Eternal Father what was lost, forsaken, and rebellious.

To Father Faber as well as to us Mortals-- The Precious Blood cannot be separated from the Divine Life of the Eternal Father. It is the Blood of God, the Number 1 Agent of Mankind's Redemption and it has within it the Power to sanctify.

The Precious Blood can be seen in a new and true light. It is an excellent invention of God. Not only this, It stands for the Pure Nature of God and displays the magnificent Power of God.

To Father Faber, The Precious Blood stands for God's Reparation for sins committed by Human Kind as well as is an "Expression" of God's Love towards Human Beings.

The Precious Blood is a "Conqueror" of Sin and Death in more ways than one. The Invasion of Hell is complete by the Omnipotent Power of the Precious Blood.

Exiles from God and those Alienated from Him are brought home through the glorious intercession of the Precious Blood.

The Precious Blood does numerous things which are outstanding and wonderful.

It pardons the worst of sinners and builds up fruitfully God's Kingdom on Earth.

In short, It is the Crown and Throne of God's Invisible Power over Planet Earth.

Conclusion :

The Month of July is dedicated to the Precious Blood. Let us always pray to the Precious Blood and never forsake it since, it is the "Scarlet Mantle" of God's Divine Royalty.

Credits : The Precious Blood by Father Faber
                Chapter 3 The Empire of the Precious Blood
                Pages 79-83

FYI -- Father Faber was a Former Anglican who converted to Catholicism in the 19th Century in England. After his ordination as a Catholic Priest, He wrote many books on Devotional Catholicism like the Blessed Sacrament, The Precious Blood, The Foot of the Cross, etc.

He was from County Yorkshire in England and was an integral member of the London Oratory of Saint Phillip Neri. 

Enrico Saiz -- A Noteworthy Spanish Martyr

95 Members of the Salesian Family were martyred during the Spanish Civil War.

The Groups at Seville and Madrid were headed by Father Enrico Saiz Aparicio.

Father Enrico was the courageous Rector of the Salesian Minor Seminary at Carabanchel Alto on the outskirts of Madrid.

When the Militia burst into the institution, He said "If You want Blood, Here I am. But don't harm the Boys".

The Boys were released while Father Enrico was captured and killed.

A short time before, He died He confided to a Friend : "What is better than dying for the Glory of God ??

He offered His Life in exchange for the lives of His Boys who had been entrusted to him by Divine Providence.

He gave Himself for them, till His Last Breath.

Credits and References :

Enrico Saiz
1889-1936
Salesian Saint of the Month
Page 8
Don Bosco's Madonna, Mumbai
September 2013, Vol - 15, No -5

Saint Cherbel Makhlouf -- A Maronite Monk Par Excellence

Introduction :

Saint Cherbel Makhlouf was a Messenger Sent By God Himself to the Maronite People in the 19th Century in Lebanon.

He was born on May 8, 1828 into a Pious Maronite Catholic Family who were proud of their God Given Faith and practiced it without the Fear of People's Judgement.

Saint Charbel Makhlouf was a Pious Man who followed the Lord's Commands to the nth Degree.

He was an ardent lover of the Rosary and a ardent lover of nature too.

He marvelled at Trees, Flowers, and Birds, the Handiwork of God's Creation.

Monastic Life :

When He was a Young Man He entered the Monastery of Our Lady of Mayfouk -- A Beautiful Monastery of the Lebanese Maronite Order where He was received as a Postulant.

In 1853, He took the Vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience and received the Habit of a Professed Monk. He was 25 years old.

In 1859, He was ordained to the Priesthood.

In His Monastic Superiors, He saw the Person of Jesus Christ.

He practiced Poverty of Body and Soul vigorously.

As, The Years went by He felt called to the Life of a Hermit and joined a Hermitage nearby under the guidance of a local hermit.

Conclusion :

Living for God became Saint Charbel Makhlouf's Mission in Life.

He celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in Syriac -- The Liturgical Language of the Maronite Rite.

After a brief illness, He passed away on the night of December 24, with the names of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph on his Lips.

After His Death, Extraordinary Miracles and Events started to take place that led to his Beatification and ultimately to his Canonization in 1977.

Credits :

Saint Cherbel Makhlouf
By the Monks of Saint Joseph of Clairval, France
Don Bosco's Madonna, December 2012 Vol - 14, No -8
Pages 12-14

The Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Sheshan

The Month of May is a Month dedicated to Our Lady.

Catholics Don the Robe of Pilgrims and Flock to Marian Shrines all over the world.

May is Our Mother Mary's Special Time in China. It is the time when Chinese Catholics from all walks of life visit Shrines of Our Lady in various parts of China.

An Outstanding part of Devotion to Our Lady is the Faith of Chinese Catholic Fishermen who make the time to visit Sheshan faithfully Year in and Year Out.

In 1989, Pope Saint John Paul the Great, had said that through his prayers Our Lady of Sheshan also known as Our Lady Help of Christians would be a "Benevolent Mother" to the Chinese People.

Sheshan surrounded by Nine Peaks is some 35 Kilometres from the City of Shanghai.

Its Bamboo Forests, Winding Paths, and Running and Flowing Streams of Water make it an excellent location for praying to the Mother of God.

According to various Legends, The Mountain surrounding Sheshan gets its name from a Hermit by the name of She -- who lived on the Mountain.

In 1866, The Catholic Church in Shanghai built a beautiful pavilion and consecrated an Altar and a Statue to Our Lady within its precincts.

A few years later, Jesuit Priests built a Beautiful Shrine -- Church at the top of the Mountain and consecrated it to Our Lady Help of Christians.

This Shrine Church was for a number of years the First Catholic Basilica in the Far East and became a popular pilgrimage site for Chinese Catholics.

Credits : China's Marian Shrines
               Asianews

Do I Appreciate the Gift of the Real Presence ??

A) Awareness of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament :

Are We as Catholic Christians truly aware of the Real Presence of Christ in the Tabernacle and on the Altar ??

Every Sunday, When We attend Mass Do We acknowledge this "Great Gift" or do we just go through the motions of attending Mass like any other "Mundane Matter".

Are We Sensitive to the Real Presence ??

Do we know who is it that we are receiving Sunday After Sunday.

Is Jesus Christ, The King of Our Soul and of Our Heart ??

B) Do we love the Person of Jesus Christ ??

The Person of Jesus Christ is Compassionate towards one and all.

See His Merciful Love in Action when He healed a Large Number of Lepers as well as when He raised a number of persons to Life.

I cannot stress this enough.

The Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ is available to us 24-7-365.

I will end by quoting a statement from my favourite author, Father Faber from his Book -- The Blessed Sacrament.

"The Blessed Sacrament is the Property of the Souls of Men".

Page 404 The Blessed Sacrament by Father Faber.