Our Lady of Sorrows

Lady of Sorrows

Our Lady of Sorrows

September 15

His Mother stood by the Cross

From a sermon by Saint Bernard, abbot

Prophesy of Simeon

The martyrdom of the Virgin is set forth both in the prophecy of Simeon and in the actual story of our Lord’s passion.  The holy old man said of the infant Jesus: He has been established as a sign which will be contradicted.   He went on to say: And your own heart will be pierced by a sword.

Truly, O blessed Mother, a sword has pierced your heart.  For only by passing through your heart could the sword enter the flesh of your Son.  Indeed, after your Jesus—who belongs to everyone, but is especially yours—gave up His life, the cruel spear, which was not withheld from His lifeless body, tore open His side.  Clearly it did not touch His soul and could not harm Him, but it did pierce your heart.  For surely His soul was no longer there, but yours could not be torn away.  Thus the violence of sorrow has cut through your heart, and we rightly call you more than martyr, since the effect of compassion in you has gone beyond the endurance of physical suffering.

Christ gives His Mother to John

Or were those words: Woman, behold your Son, not more than a sword to you, truly piercing your heart, cutting through the division between soul and spirit?  What an exchange!  John is given to you in place of Jesus the servant in place of the Lord, the disciple in place of the Master; the son of Zebedee replaces the Son of God, a mere man replaces God Himself.  How could these words not pierce your most loving heart, when the mere remembrance of them breaks ours, hearts of stone and iron though they are!

Do not be surprised, brothers , that Mary is said to be martyr in spirit.  Let him be surprised who does not remember the words of Paul, that one of the greatest crimes of the Gentiles was that they were without love.  That was far from the heart of Mary; let it be far from her servants.

Perhaps someone will say: “Had she not known before that He would not die?”  Undoubtedly.  “Did she not experience Him to rise again at once?”  Surely.  “And still she grieved over her crucified Son?” Intensely.  Who are you and what source of your wisdom that you are more surprised at the compassion of Mary than the passion of Mary’s Son?  For if He could die in body, could she not died with Him in spirit?  He died in body through a love greater than anyone had known.  She died in spirit through love unlike any other since His.

Father,

As your Son was raised on the cross,

His mother Mary stood by Him, sharing His sufferings.

May Your Church be united with Christ

In His suffering and death

And so come to share in his rising to new life,

Where He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,

One God, for ever and ever.

Taken from Liturgy of the Hours,  Our Lady of Sorrows

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLESSED MOTHER! (SEPT 8)

Feast of the Nativity

 of the 

Blessed Virgin Mary, 

September 8

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.”

                                                                              Matthew 1:23

We all love to celebrate birthdays.  Today is the birthday celebration of our dear Mother.  In December we honor her Immaculate Conception.  In January we celebrate her as the Mother of God.  In August we celebrate her Assumption into Heaven and there are many other days throughout the year where we honor a unique aspect of her life.  But today is simply her birthday celebration!

Celebrating her birthday is a way of celebrating her simply for being herself.  We do not necessarily focus in on any of the unique, beautiful and profound aspects of her life today.  We do not necessarily look at all she accomplished, her perfect yes to God, her coronation in Heaven, her assumption or any other specifics.  All parts of her are glorious, beautiful, awe-inspiring and worth of their own unique feasts and celebration.

Today, however, we simply celebrate our Blessed Mother because she was created and brought into this world by God and that alone is worth celebrating.  We honor her simply because we love her and we celebrate her birthday as we would celebrate the birthday of anyone we love and care for.

Reflect, today, upon the fact that Mother Mary is your mother.  She truly is your mother and its’s worth celebrating her birthday in the same way you would celebrate anyone’s birthday who was a member of your family.  Your honoring of Mary, today, is a way of solidifying your bond with her and assuring her that you desire her to be an important part of your life.

Happy Birthday, Blessed Mother! We love you dearly!

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee.  Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb JESUS.  Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.  Amen.

Precious Jesus, through the heart of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, our Mother, we trust in YOU!

--Taken from the book “Daily Reflections for Ordinary Time: Weeks 18-34” by John Paul Thomas

I highly recommend this book which give you a reflection of the reading every day.

Sacred Heart of Jesus Meditation

Sacred Heart of Jesus

Sacred Heart of Jesus

Meditation

Devotion to the Sacred Heart, as we know it, began about the year 1672.  On repeated occasions, Jesus appeared to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, a Visitation nun, in France, and during these apparitions He explained to her the devotion to His Sacred Heart as He wanted people to practice it.  He asked to be honored in the symbol of His Heart of flesh; he asked for acts of reparation, for frequent Communion, Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the keeping of the Holy Hour.

Jesus Sacred Heart St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

When the Catholic Church approved the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, she did not base her action only on the visions of St. Margaret Mary.  The Church approved the devotion on its own merits.

There is only one Person in Jesus, and that Person was at the same time God and Man.  His Heart, too, is Divine—it is the Heart of God.

There are two things that must always be found together in the devotion to the Sacred Heart:  Christ’s Heart of flesh and Christ’s love for us.  True devotion to the Sacred Heart means devotion to the Divine Heart of Christ in so far as His Heart represents and recalls His love for us.

In honoring the Heart of Christ, our homage lingers on the Person of Jesus in the fullness of His Love.  

This love of Christ for us was the moving force of all He did and suffered for us—in Nazareth, on the Cross, in giving Himself in the Blessed Sacrament,  in His teaching and healing, in His praying and working.  When we speak of the Sacred Heart, we mean Jesus showing us His Heart, Jesus all love for us and all lovable.

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Jesus Christ is the incarnation of God’s infinite love.  The Human Nature which the Son of God took upon Himself was filled with love and kindness that has never found an equal.  He is the perfect model of love of God and neighbor.

Every day of His life was filled with repeated proofs of  “Christ’s love which surpasses all knowledge” (Eph 3:19).  Jesus handed down for all times the fundamental feature of His character:  “Take My yoke upon your shoulders and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of Heart.” (Mt 11:29).  He invited all, refusing none, surprising friends and rivals by His unconditional generosity.  He called out, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you.” (Mt 11:28).

The meaning of love in the life of Jesus was especially evident in His sufferings.  Out of love for His Father He willed to undergo the death of the Cross.  “The world must know what I love the Father and do as the Father has commanded Me” (Jn 14:31).

The love that Jesus bore toward us also urged Him to undergo the death of the Cross.  As the Last Supper, He said, “There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (Jn 15:13).

What enhances Christ’s love is the sovereign liberty with which He offered Himself.  He said, “The Father loves Me for this: that I lay down My life to take it up again.  No one takes it from Me; I lay it down freely.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again.  This command I received from My Father” (Jn 10:17-18).

Christ praying at the Last Supper

Jesus loved people because they belonged to His Father.  Before He died He prayed, “For these I pray—not for the world but for these You have given Me, for they are really Yours” (Jn 17:9).  He did mankind much good for God’s sake, seeing in every person a child of God and the image of His Father.

He loved people for His own sake, because they were really so much in need of help, and because He wished to win them over to  His teaching by His innumerable favors.

When we see Jesus lavishly offering inexhaustible treasures of compassion and mercy, we are able to conceive something of the immensity of that ocean of Divine kindness and love from which the Sacred Heart of draws these treasures for us.

The Heart of Jesus never ceases to love us in heaven.  He sanctifies us through the sacraments.  These are inexhaustible fountains of grace and holiness which have their source in the boundless ocean of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is celebrated on the Friday following the Second Sunday after Pentecost.

The Word of God

“This is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord.  I will place My law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”  -- Jeremiah 31:33

“Take My yoke upon your shoulders and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of Heart.” – Matthew 1:28

“I have come to light a fire on the earth.  How I wish the blaze were ignited!” – Luke 12:49

Christ pierced by a lance

“When they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.  One of the soldiers thrust a lance into His side, and immediately blood flowed out.” – John 19:34

Taken from Treasury of Novenas,  by Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, SVD, Catholic Book Publishing Company, New York USA

Educate Yourself -- These Videos will Help!! Watch them!!

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

The anti-Church has come. But, don't be afraid: Fr. Linus Clovis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk3oM5ioIvs&t=1740s

Fatima foretold ‘diabolical forces’ that would enter Church in our time: Cardinal Burke

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_DGnms4GPs&t=1156s

Fatima Reveals Hell is for Real: Cardinal Arinze

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dOHvJcLvSA

Fighting Temptation & Conquering Sin 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoMc77eHe_M&t=403s

Fr. Corapi ~ FATIMA TODAY (6pts) ~ Pt.1: The Angels: Messengers & the Message

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUk3KsWbygU&t=1s

Fr. Corapi ~ FATIMA TODAY (6pts) ~ Pt.2: Rosary & Brown Scapular

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeyXzvVez3w

FATIMA TODAY (6 Pts) ~ Pt.3 : Reality, Sin , Grace, Heaven or Hell ... Fr.J. Corapi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU60qEDEOXo

Father John Corapi ~ FATIMA TODAY ~ Pt. 4: Penance, Penance, Penance!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9xrfwxjzM8&t=5s

FATIMA TODAY ~ Pt.5: The Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKbgORLMfHc

FATIMA TODAY ~ Pt. 6: The Eucharist:Life For A Dying World..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYdefIGTQz8

AS A HOLY PRIEST SAID

"WAKE UP AND SMELL THE SULPHUR!!"

Novena to the Holy Spirit (Starts 9 days before Pentecost)

Holy Spirit Novena Prayers

(starts 9 days before Pentecost)

Novena Prayer

Holy Spirit, third Person of the Blessed Trinity, Spirit of Truth, 

love and holiness, 

proceeding from the Father and the Son, 

and equal to Them in all things, I adore You and love You with all my heart.

Dearest Holy Spirit, 

confiding in Your deep, personal love for me, 

I am making this novena for the following request, 

if it should be Your holy Will to grant it: (Mention your request).

Teach me, Divine Spirit, 

to know and seek my last end; 

grant me the holy fear of God; 

grant me true contrition and patience.  

Do not let me fall into sin.  

Give me an increase of faith, 

hope and charity, and bring forth in my soul 

all the virtues proper to my state in life.

Make me a faithful disciple of Jesus 

and an obedient child of the Church.  

Give me efficacious grace sufficient 

to keep the Commandments and to receive the Sacraments worthily.  

Give me the four Cardinal Virtues, 

Your Seven Gifts, Your Twelve Fruits.  

Raise me to perfection in the state of life 

to which You have called me 

and lead me through a happy death 

to everlasting life.  

I ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Blessed Spirit of Wisdom help me to seek God.  Make Him the center of my life and order my life to Him, so that love and harmony may reign in my soul.

Blessed Spirit of Understanding,, enlighten my mind, that I may know and love the truths of faith and make them truly my own.

Blessed Spirit of Counsel, enlighten and guide me in all my ways, that I may always know and do Your holy Will.  Make me prudent and courageous.

Blessed Spirit of Fortitude, uphold my soul in every time of trouble or adversity.  Make me loyal and confident.

Blessed Spirit of Knowledge, help me to know good from evil.  Teach me to do what is right in the sight of God.  Give me clear vision and firmness in decision.

Blessed Spirit of Piety, possess my heart, incline it to a true faith in You, to a hoy love of You, my God, that with my whole soul I may seek You, Who are my Father, and find You, my best, my truest joy.

Blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart that I may ever be mindful of Your presence.  Make me fly for sin, and give me the intense reverence for God and for my fellow men who are made in God’s image.

Prayer

Grant, we beg of You, Almighty God, that we may so please Your Holy Spirit by our earnest prayers, that we may, by His grace, be freed from all temptations and merit to receive the forgiveness of our sins.  Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Divine Mercy Sunday Indulgence

Plenary Indulgence for 

Divine Mercy Sunday

In a decree dated August 3, 2002, the Apostolic Penitentiary announced that in order “to ensure that the faithful would observe this day (Divine Mercy Sunday) with intense devotion, the Supreme Pontiff himself established that this Sunday be enriched by a plenary indulgence…so that the faithful might receive in great abundance the gift of the consolation of the Holy Spirit.  In this way, they can foster a growing love for God and for their neighbor, and after they have obtained God’s pardon, they in turn might be persuaded to show a prompt pardon to their brothers and sisters.”

The plenary indulgence is granted (under the usual conditions of a sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and a prayer for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff) to the faithful who, on Divine Mercy Sunday, in a spirit that is completely detached from the affection for a sin, even a venial sin, recite the Our Father and the Creed, and also adding a devout prayer (e.g. Merciful Jesus, I trust in you!).

Additional provisions are offered for those who are impeded from fulfilling these requirements, but who wish to acquire a plenary indulgence.  The full text of the decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary may be found at: www.mercysunday.com.  While the readings and prayers for Mass on this day remain unchanged (they reflect perfectly on Our Lord’s Divine Mercy) the Holy See offers this reflection:

The Gospel of the Second Sunday of Easter narrates the wonderful things Christ the Lord accomplished on the day of the Resurrection during His first public appearance: “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’  When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side.  Then the disciples were glad to see the Lord.  Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you.  As the Father has sent Me, so even I send you,’ and then He breathed on them, and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’” (Jn 20, 19-23).

In addition, the decree requires that parish priests “should inform the faithful in the most suitable way of the Church’s salutary provision.  They should promptly and generously be willing to hear their confessions.  On Divine Mercy Sunday, after celebrating Mass they should lead the prayers that have been given above and they should also encourage the faithful to perform acts of mercy as often as they can.”

From the Feb. 2003 edition of the BCL (Bishops Committee on the Liturgy) NewsLetter by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

APOSTOLIC PENITENTIARY

General Remarks On Indulgences 

From the Official Vatican website

1. This is how an indulgence is defined in the Code of Canon Law (can. 992) and in the "../../../../archive/catechism/ccc_toc.htm" (n. 1471): "An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints".

2. In general, the gaining of indulgences requires certain prescribed conditions (below, nn. 3, 4), and the performance of certain prescribed works (nn. 8, 9, 10 indicate those specific to the Holy Year).

3. To gain indulgences, whether plenary or partial, it is necessary that the faithful be in the state of grace at least at the time the indulgenced work is completed.

4. A plenary indulgence can be gained only once a day. In order to obtain it, the faithful must, in addition to being in the state of grace:

— have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin;

— have sacramentally confessed their sins;

— receive the Holy Eucharist (it is certainly better to receive it while participating in Holy Mass, but for the indulgence only Holy Communion is required);

— pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff.

5. It is appropriate, but not necessary, that the sacramental Confession and especially Holy Communion and the prayer for the Pope's intentions take place on the same day that the indulgenced work is performed; but it is sufficient that these sacred rites and prayers be carried out within several days (about 20) before or after the indulgenced act. 

Prayer for the Pope's intentions is left to the choice of the faithful, but an "Our Father" and a "Hail Mary" are suggested. 

One sacramental Confession suffices for several plenary indulgences, but a separate Holy Communion and a separate prayer for the Holy Father's intentions are required for each plenary indulgence.

6. For the sake of those legitimately impeded, confessors can commute both the work prescribed and the conditions required (except, obviously, detachment from even venial sin).

7. Indulgences can always be applied either to oneself or to the souls of the deceased, but they cannot be applied to other persons living on earth.

Cardinal William Wakefield Baum

Major Penitentiary

Bishop Luigi De Magistris

Titular Bishop of Nova

Regent

From the Official Vatican website 

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/tribunals/apost_penit/documents/rc_trib_appen_pro_20000129_indulgence_en.html

Early Church Father on the Eucharist

The Last Supper the Institution of the Holy Eucharist

The Bread of Heaven

and the Cup of Salvation

St. Cyril of Jerusalem 313-386 A.D.

Early Church Father and Doctor of the Church

From the Jerusalem Catecheses

On the night He was betrayed our Lord Jesus Christ took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples and said: “Take, eat: this is my body.”  He took the cup, gave thanks and said: “Take drink: this is my blood.” 

Since Christ Himself has declared the bread to be His body, who can have any further doubt?  

Since He Himself has said quite categorically, This is my blood, who would dare to question it and say that it is not His blood?

Therefore, it is with complete assurance that we receive the bread and wine as the body and blood of Christ.  His body is given to us under the symbol of bread, and his blood is given to us under the symbol of wine, in order to make us by receiving them one body and blood with Him.   Having His body and blood in our members, we become bearers of Christ and sharers, as Saint Peter says, in the divine nature.

Christ speaking to His Disciples

Once, when speaking to the Jews, Christ said: 

Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you shall have no life in you. 

This horrified them and they left Him.  Not understanding His words in a spiritual way, they thought the Savior wished them to practice cannibalism.

Under the old covenant there was showbread, but it came to an end with the old dispensation to which it belonged.  Under the new covenant there is bread from heaven and the cup of salvation.  These sanctify both soul and body, the bread being adapted to the sanctification of the body, the Word, to the sanctification of the soul.

Do not, then, regard the Eucharistic elements as ordinary bread and wine: they are in fact the body and blood of the Lord, as He Himself has declared.  Whatever your senses may tell you, be strong in faith.

You have been taught and you are firmly convinced that what looks and tastes like bread and wine is not bread and wine but the body and the blood of Christ.  You know also how David referred to this long ago when he sang: Bread gives strength to man’s heart and makes his face shine with the oil of gladness.  Strengthen your heart, then, by receiving this bread as spiritual bread, and bring joy to the face of your soul.

Christ's Body & Blood Present in the Eucharist

May purity of conscience 

remove the veil 

from the face of your soul 

so that by contemplating 

the glory of the Lord, 

as in a mirror, 

you may be transformed 

from glory to glory 

in Christ Jesus our Lord.  

To Him be glory 

forever and ever. 

Amen.

Taken from the Liturgy of the Hours, Saturday within the Octave of Easter

Read more from the Jerusalem Catecheses 

https://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/media/articles/jerusalem-catecheses-1-12-cyril-of-jerusalem/

St. Anselm A Prayer of all souls longing for God

Let me know You and love You, 

so that I may find my joy in You

From the Proslogion by Saint Anselm, bishop

My soul, have you found what you are looking for?  

You were looking for God, and you discovered that He is the supreme being, and that you could not possibly imagine anything more perfect.  You have discovered that His supreme being is life itself, light, wisdom, goodness, eternal blessedness and blessed eternity.  He is everywhere, and He is timeless.

Lord my God, You gave me life and restored it when I lost it.  Tell my soul that so longs for You what else You are besides what it has already understood, so that it may see You clearly.  

It stands on tiptoe to see more, but apart from what it has seen already, it sees nothing but darkness.  Of course it does not really see darkness, because there is not darkness in You, but it sees that it can see no further because of the darkness in itself.

Surely, Lord, inaccessible light is Your dwelling place, for no one apart from Yourself can enter into it and fully comprehend You.  

If I fail to see this light it is simply because it is too bright for me.  Still, it is by the light that I do see all that I can, even as weak eyes, unable to look straight at the sun, see all they can by the sun’s light.

Light of God

The light in which You dwell, Lord, 

is beyond my understanding.  

It is so brilliant that I cannot bear it, I cannot turn my mind’s eye toward it for any length of time.  I am dazzle by its brightness, amazed by its grandeur, overwhelmed by its immensity, bewildered by its abundance.

O supreme and inaccessible light, O complete and blessed truth, how far You are from me, even though I am so near to You!  How remote You are from my sight, even though I am present in Yours! You are everywhere in Your entirety, and yet I do not see You; in You I move and have my being, and yet I cannot approach You; You are within me and around me, and yet I do not perceive You.

O God, let me know You and love You so that I may find my joy in You; 

and if I cannot do so fully in this life, let me at least make some progress every day, until at last that knowledge, love and joy come to me in all their plenitude.  

While I am here on earth let me learn to know You better, so that in heaven I may know You fully; let my love for You grow deeper here, so that there I may love You fully.  On earth then I shall have great joy in hope, and in heaven complete joy in the fulfillment of my hope.

O Lord, through Your Son You command me, no, You counsel us to ask, and You promise that You will hear us so that our joy may be complete.  Lord, I am making the request that You urge us to make through Your Wonder-Counselor.  Give me then what you promise to give through Your Truth.  You, O God, are faithful; grant that I may receive my request, so that my joy may be complete.

St. Anselm, Bishop of Canterbury

Meanwhile, let this hope of mine be in my thoughts and on my tongue; let my heart be filled with it, my voice speak of it; let my soul hunger for it, my body thirst for it, my whole being yearn for it, until I enter into the joy of the Lord, who is Three in One, blessed forever. 

Amen.

Taken from the Liturgy of the Hours, April 21 St. Anselm, bishop and doctor

Mary Magdalene and Jesus Risen

Mary Magdalene and the Risen Christ

Holding on to Jesus

Tuesday of the Octave of Easter

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?  Whom are you looking for?”  She thought it was the gardener and said to him,”Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.  Jesu said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher.  Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.”  John 20:15-17

Mary Magdalene had been outside Jesus’ tomb weeping because she didn’t know what had happened to His sared body.  Jesus appears to her suddenly in her grief and she is overwhelmed, crying out “Rabbouni!” Jesus tells her to stop holding on to Him.  Why would Jesus say this? What did He mean?

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalen

As we can imagine, this was a very emotional moment for Mary.  She had been there watching the entire Crucifixion.  She knew Jesus well and loved Him dearly.  She watched Him die and now, all of a sudden, Jesus was alive and in her presence.  Her emotions must have been overwhelming.

Jesus was not being critical of Mary when He told her not to hold on to Him.  She was actually giving her beautiful advice and direction in her spiritual journey and in her relationship with Him.  

He was telling her that His relationship 

was not going to change, and deepen.  

He told her not to hold on to Him because He had “not yet ascended to the Father.”  At that moment, Mary’s relationship with Jesus was primarily on a human level.  She had spent much time with Him, been in His physical presence, and loved Him with her human heart.  But Jesus wanted more.  

Icon of Mary Magdalene and the Risen Christ

He wanted her, and all of us, 

to now love Him in a divine way.  

He was soon to ascend to the Father, 

and from His heavenly throne 

He could descend to begin a new relationship 

with Mary, and with all of us, 

that was far more than one on a human level.  

From His throne in Heaven He could now enter Mary’s soul.  He could enter into a new and much deeper communion with her and with all of us.  He could live in us and we in Him.  He could become one with us.

By letting go of the more human and emotional aspects of her relationship with Jesus, Mary could soon cling to Him in a way that she couldn’t do through her human interaction with Him.  This is the divine marriage, the divine communion to which we are all called.

Reflect, today upon your own clinging to Jesus.  He is now fully resurrected and ascended and we can experience the full fruits of the Resurrection as a result.  We, with Mary, can now hold on to Him in our souls because He is primarily the one holding on to us.

Lord, may I cling to You as You cling to me.  

May my heart, mind and soul be Yours.  

Come live in me o that I may live in You. 

I give my life to You, dear Lord, 

help me to offer You all that I am.  

Jesus, I trust in You.

Christ is Risen

Excerpt taken from Lent and Easter Catholic Daily Reflections  by John Paul Thomas

Christ's Passion Foretold - Psalm 22

Christ Crucified

Psalm 22: 2-23

My God, my God why have you forsaken me?

You are far from my plea and the cry of my distress.

O My God, I call by day and you give no reply.

I call by night and I find no peace.

Yet you, O God, are holy,

Enthroned on the praises of Israel.

In you our fathers put their trust;

They trusted and you set them free.

When they cried to you, they escaped.

In you they trusted and never in vain.

The rabble mock and ridicule Jesus Crucified

But I am a worm, and no man, scorned by men,

despised by the people.

 All who see me deride me.

They curl their lips, they toss their heads.

“He trusted in the Lord, let him save him;

Let him release him if he is his friend.”

Yes, it was you who took me from the womb,

Entrusted me to my mother’s breast.

To you I was committed from my birth,

From my mother’s womb you have been my God.

Do not leave me alone in my distress;

Come close, there is no one else to help.

Many bulls have surrounded me,

Fierce bulls of Bashan close me in.

Against me they open wide their jaws,

Like lions, rending and roaring.

Like water I am poured out,

Disjointed are all my bones.

My heart has become like wax,

It is melted within my breast.

Parched as burnt clay is my throat,

My tongue cleaves to my jaws.

Christ nailed to the CrossMany dogs have surrounded me,

A band of the wicked beset me.

They tear holes in my hands and my feet

And lay me in the dust of death.

I can count every one of my bones.

These people stare at me and gloat;

They divide my clothing among them.

They cast lots for my robe.

O Lord, do not leave me alone,

My strength, make haste to help me!

Rescue my soul from the sword,

My life from the grip of these dogs.

Save my life from the jaws of these lions,

My poor soul from the horns of these oxen.

I will tell of your name to my brethren

And praise you where they are assembled.