August Devotion -- The Immaculate Heart [of Mary]

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of August is traditionally dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The physical heart of Mary is venerated (and not adored as the Sacred Heart of Jesus is) because it is united to her person: and as the seat of her love (especially for her divine Son), virtue, and inner life. Such devotion is an incentive to a similar love and virtue.

This devotion has received new emphasis in this century from the visions given to Lucy Dos Santos, oldest of the visionaries of Fatima, in her convent in Tuy, in Spain, in 1925 and 1926. In the visions Our Lady asked for the practice of the Five First Saturdays to help make amends for the offenses given to her heart by the blasphemies and ingratitude of men. The practice parallels the devotion of the Nine First Fridays in honor of the Sacred Heart.

On October 31, 1942, Pope Pius XII made a solemn Act of Consecration of the Church and the whole world to the Immaculate Heart. Let us remember this devotion year-round, but particularly through the month of August.

INVOCATIONS

O heart most pure of the Blessed Virgin Mary, obtain for me from Jesus a pure and humble heart.

Sweet heart of Mary, be my salvation.

ACT OF CONSECRATION
Queen of the most holy Rosary, help of Christians, refuge of the human race, victorious in all the battles of God, we prostrate ourselves in supplication before thy throne, in the sure hope of obtaining mercy and of receiving grace and timely aid in our present calamities, not through any merits of our own, on which we do not rely, but only through the immense goodness of thy mother's heart. In thee and in thy Immaculate Heart, at this grave hour of human history, do we put our trust; to thee we consecrate ourselves, not only with all of Holy Church, which is the mystical body of thy Son Jesus, and which is suffering in so many of her members, being subjected to manifold tribulations and persecutions, but also with the whole world, torn by discords, agitated with hatred, the victim of its own iniquities. Be thou moved by the sight of such material and moral degradation, such sorrows, such anguish, so many tormented souls in danger of eternal loss! Do thou, O Mother of mercy, obtain for us from God a Christ-like reconciliation of the nations, as well as those graces which can convert the souls of men in an instant, those graces which prepare the way and make certain the long desired coming of peace on earth. O Queen of peace, pray for us, and grant peace unto the world in the truth, the justice, and the charity of Christ.

Above all, give us peace in our hearts, so that the kingdom of God may spread its borders in the tranquillity of order. Accord thy protection to unbelievers and to all those who lie within the shadow of death; cause the Sun of Truth to rise upon them; may they be enabled to join with us in repeating before the Savior of the world: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will."

Give peace to the nations that are separated from us by error or discord, and in a special manner to those peoples who profess a singular devotion toward thee; bring them back to Christ's one fold, under the one true Shepherd. Obtain full freedom for the holy Church of God; defend her from her enemies; check the ever-increasing torrent of immorality; arouse in the faithful a love of purity, a practical Christian life, and an apostolic zeal, so that the multitude of those who serve God may increase in merit and in number.

Finally, even as the Church and all mankind were once consecrated to the Heart of thy Son Jesus, because He was for all those who put their hope in Him an inexhaustible source of victory and salvation, so in like manner do we consecrate ourselves forever to thee also and to thy Immaculate Heart, O Mother of us and Queen of the world; may thy love and patronage hasten the day when the kingdom of God shall be victorious and all the nations, at peace with God .and with one another, shall call thee blessed and intone with thee, from the rising of the sun to its going down, the everlasting "Magnificat" of glory, of love, of gratitude to the Heart of Jesus, in which alone we can find truth, life, and peace. — Pope Pius XII

IN HONOR OF THE IMMACULATE HEART
O heart of Mary, mother of God, and our mother; heart most worthy of love, in which the adorable Trinity is ever well-pleased, worthy of the veneration and love of all the angels and of all men; heart most like to the Heart of Jesus, of which thou art the perfect image; heart, full of goodness, ever compassionate toward our miseries; deign to melt our icy hearts and grant that they may be wholly changed into the likeness of the Heart of Jesus, our divine Savior. Pour into them the love of thy virtues, enkindle in them that divine fire with which thou thyself dost ever burn. In thee let Holy Church find a safe shelter; protect her and be her dearest refuge, her tower of strength, impregnable against every assault of her enemies. Be thou the way which leads to Jesus, and the channel, through which we receive all the graces needful for our salvation. Be our refuge in time of trouble, our solace in the midst of trial, our strength against temptation, our haven in persecution, our present help in every danger, and especially) at the hour of death, when all hell shall let loose against u its legions to snatch away our souls, at that dread moment; that hour so full of fear, whereon our eternity depends. An,; then most tender virgin, make us to feel the sweetness of thy motherly heart, and the might of thine intercession with Jesus, and open to us a safe refuge in that very fountain of mercy, whence we may come to praise Him with thee in paradise, world without end. Amen.

Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954

Sacred Heart Of Jesus

Sacred Heart Of Jesus image

Immaculate Heart of Mary

Immaculate Heart of Mary image

Blessed be the Most Loving Heart and Sweet Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the most glorious Virgin Mary, His Mother, in eternity and forever. Amen.

....Only the Heart of Christ who knows the depths of his Father's love could reveal to us the abyss of his mercy in so simple and beautiful a way ----From the Catechism. P:1439

From the depth of my nothingness, I prostrate myself before Thee, O Most Sacred, Divine and Adorable Heart of Jesus, to pay Thee all the homage of love, praise and adoration in my power.
Amen. - - St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

The prayer of the Church venerates and honors the Heart of Jesus just as it invokes his most holy name. It adores the incarnate Word and his Heart which, out of love for men, he allowed to be pierced by our sins. Christian prayer loves to follow the way of the cross in the Savior's steps.-- >From the Catechism. P: 2669

The Salutation to the Heart of Jesus and Mary

An Offering of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Novena Prayer to Sacred Heart of Jesus

Prayer to the Wounded Heart of Jesus

Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart

Meditation & Novena Prayer on the Sacred Heart

Beads to the Sacred Heart

Novena Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

A Solemn Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

The Daily Offering to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Exaltation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin

The Holy Heart of Mary Is, After the Heart of Jesus, the Most Exalted Throne of Divine Love
Let us recollect that God has given us the feast of the most pure Heart of the Blessed Virgin so that we may render on that day all the respect, honor and praise that we possibly can. To enkindle this spirit within us let us consider our motivating obligations.

The first is that we ought to love and honor whatever God loves and honors, and that by which He is loved and glorified. Now, after the adorable Heart of Jesus there has never been either in heaven or on earth, nor ever will be, a heart which has been so loved and honored by God, or which has given Him so much glory as that of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Never has there been, nor will there ever be a more exalted throne of divine love. In that Heart divine love possesses its fullest empire, for it ever reigns without hindrance or interruption, and with it reign likewise all the laws of God, all the Gospel maxims and every Christian virtue.

This incomparable Heart of the Mother of our Redeemer is a glorious heaven, a Paradise of delights for the Most Holy Trinity. According to St. Paul, the hearts of the faithful are the dwelling place of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ Himself assures us that the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost take up Their abode in the hearts of those who love God. Who, therefore, can doubt that the Most Holy Trinity has always made His home and established the reign of His glory in an admirable and ineffable manner in the virginal Heart of her who is the Daughter of the Father, the Mother of the Son, the Spouse of the Holy Ghost, who herself loves God more than all other creatures together?

How much then are we not obliged to love this exalted and most lovable Heart?

— St. John Eudes

Today: Immaculate Heart of Mary [DEVOTIONAL]

The Immaculate Heart of Mary [Devotional] Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Saturdays and the Immaculate Heart of Mary [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
The Brown Scapular (Catholic Caucus)
The History of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Catholic Caucus)
Homilies preached by Father Robert Altier on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Marian Associations Unite to Celebrate Immaculate Heart
Solemnity Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary
FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, AUGUST 22ND
Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

August, 2017

Pope's Prayer Intention

Artists, That artists of our time, through their ingenuity, may help everyone discover the beauty of creation.

Daily Gospel Commentary

Saturday of the Eighteenth week in Ordinary Time

Commentary of the day
Saint Thomas More (1478-1535), English statesman, martyr
Dialogue of Comfort against Tribulation

"I do believe; help my unbelief!" (Mk 9,24)

"Lord, increase our faith" (Lk 17,5). Let us consider, by Christ's saying to them, that if we would not suffer the strength and fervor of our faith to wax lukewarm - or rather, key-cold - and lose its vigor by scattering our minds abroad about so many trifling things that we very seldom think of the matters of our faith, we should withdraw our thought from the respect and regard of all worldy fantasies, and so gather our faith together into a little narrow room.

And like the little grain of mustard seed... we should set it in the garden of our soul, all weeds being pulled out for the better feeding of our faith. Then shall it grow and... through the true belief of God's word... we shall be well able to command a great mountain of tribulation to void from the place where it stood in our hearts, whereas with a very feeble faith and faint, we shall scarcely be able to remove a little hillock. And therefore, as for the first conclusion, since we must of necessity before any spiritual comfort presuppose the foundation of faith, and since no man can give us faith but only God, let us never cease to call upon God for it.

'He who has learned the law properly fears the Lawgiver and, fearing Him, he turns away from every evil.'

St. Mark the Ascetic

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art 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.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

Saint Jane Frances de Chantal

Fr. Don Miller, OFM

Image: Stained glass window in Église Saint-Honoré-d’Eylau, Paris | photo by Mbzt’s

Saint Jane Frances de Chantal

Saint of the Day for August 12

(January 28, 1572 – December 13, 1641)

Saint Jane Frances de Chantal’s Story

Jane Frances was wife, mother, nun, and founder of a religious community. Her mother died when she was 18 months old, and her father, head of parliament at Dijon, France, became the main influence on her education. Jane developed into a woman of beauty and refinement, lively and cheerful in temperament. At 21, she married Baron de Chantal, by whom she had six children, three of whom died in infancy. At her castle, she restored the custom of daily Mass, and was seriously engaged in various charitable works.

Jane’s husband was killed after seven years of marriage, and she sank into deep dejection for four months at her family home. Her father-in-law threatened to disinherit her children if she did not return to his home. He was then 75, vain, fierce, and extravagant. Jane Frances managed to remain cheerful in spite of him and his insolent housekeeper.

When she was 32, Jane met Saint Francis de Sales who became her spiritual director, softening some of the severities imposed by her former director. She wanted to become a nun but he persuaded her to defer this decision. She took a vow to remain unmarried and to obey her director.

After three years, Francis told Jane of his plan to found an institute of women that would be a haven for those whose health, age, or other considerations barred them from entering the already established communities. There would be no cloister, and they would be free to undertake spiritual and corporal works of mercy. They were primarily intended to exemplify the virtues of Mary at the Visitation–hence their name the Visitation nuns–humility and meekness.

The usual opposition to women in active ministry arose and Francis de Sales was obliged to make it a cloistered community following the Rule of Saint Augustine. Francis wrote his famous Treatise on the Love of God for them. The congregation consisting of three women began when Jane Frances was 45. She underwent great sufferings: Francis de Sales died; her son was killed; a plague ravaged France; her daughter-in-law and son-in-law died. She encouraged the local authorities to make great efforts for the victims of the plague, and she put all her convent’s resources at the disposal of the sick.

During a part of her religious life, Jane Frances had to undergo great trials of the spirit—interior anguish, darkness, and spiritual dryness. She died while on a visitation of convents of the community.

Reflection

It may strike some as unusual that a saint should be subject to spiritual dryness, darkness, interior anguish. We tend to think that such things are the usual condition of “ordinary” sinful people. Some of our lack of spiritual liveliness may indeed be our fault. But the life of faith is still one that is lived in trust, and sometimes the darkness is so great that trust is pressed to its limit.

St. Jane Frances deChantal

Information: St. Jane Frances de Chantal

Feast Day: August 12

Born: January 28, 1572, Dijon, Burgundy, France

Died: December 13, 1641, Moulins, France

Canonized: July 16, 1767, Rome by Pope Clement XIII

Major Shrine: Annecy, Savoy Patron of: forgotten people; in-law problems; loss of parents; parents separated from children; widows

Holy Spirit Interactive Kids: A Saint a Day

St. Porcarius and Companions

Feast Day: August 12
Born: (about) 670 :: Died: (about) 732

Saints are just ordinary men and women whose lives are pleasing to God. This story is about some saints and martyrs who followed Jesus' teaching "there is no greater gift than to lay down one's life for a friend."

In the fifth century, a large abbey or monastery (where holy monks live in prayer and poverty) was built on an island off the coast of Provence, in France.

In the year 732 over five hundred people lived in the Abbey of Lerins. Some were monks, some students and some were workers with their families.

The Abbot (priest) was a wise and gentle man named Porcarius. One night Porcarius had a dream in which an angel told him that the monastery was going to be attacked from the sea by barbarians.

St. Porcarius was able to get a room on a ship for all the students and as many of the younger monks as could fit and he sent them off to safety.

Because there were no more boats, he gathered the remainder of the monks around him and they prayed together for courage. Nobody complained about being left behind but asked the Lord for the gift to forgive their enemies.

Soon the barbarians landed their ships and attacked the monks. They killed all the monks including St. Porcarius. Only four, they kept alive, put them in chains and took them away as slaves.

St. Porcarius and his companions died happy deaths as martyrs for Jesus.

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Saturday, August 12

Liturgical Color: Green

Bl. Karl Leisner died on this day
in 1945. He organized Catholic
prayer services while imprisoned
in a Nazi prison camp for
speaking against Hitler. In 1944,
a French bishop secretly entered
the camp and ordained him to
the priesthood.

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: August 12th

Optional Memorial of St. Jane Frances de Chantal, religious (USA)

MASS READINGS

August 12, 2017 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, who made Saint Jane Frances de Chantal radiant with outstanding merits in different walks of life, grant us, through her intercession, that walking faithfully in our vocation, we may constantly be examples of shining light. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Asparagus and Scrambled Eggs with Bacon

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Play and Prayer

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Library (1)

“Everything She Had: The Widow’s Mite of St. Jeanne de Chantal” | Christopher J. Lane

Old Calendar: St. Clare, virgin; St. Euplius, martyr (Hist)

St. Jane was a married woman and a mother of seven children from Dijon, France. Her husband was killed in a hunting accident. In 1604, upon being deeply moved by the preaching of Francis de Sales, Jane asked him to become her spiritual director. She founded the Visitation nuns in 1610. Jane worked tirelessly helping the sick, and she convinced local political rulers to make special provisions for the sick and the bereaved. During the last years of her life, she experienced periods of spiritual aridity. She established eighty-five monasteries before her death in 1641.

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Clare. Historically it is the feast of St. Euplius, a deacon, under Emperors Diocletian and Maximian. He was tortured for his confession of Christ and finally martyred by being put to the sword.

St. Jane Frances de Chantal
Jane Frances Fremiot de Chantal was the foundress of the Order of the Visitation of Mary. She was born in 1572 and came from a noble family, her father gave her in marriage to the Baron von Chantal in 1592. As mother she most zealously instructed the children in the ways of virtue and piety and in the observance of every divine precept. With great generosity she supported the poor and took special joy in seeing how divine Providence often blesses and increases the smallest larder. Therefore she made a vow never to refuse anyone who asked for alms in the Name of Christ.

The death of her husband, who was accidentally shot while on the chase (1601), she bore with Christ-like composure and with all her heart forgave the person who had killed him; then she acted as sponsor for one of his children in order to show her forgiveness openly. There was a holy friendship between her and her spiritual guide, Francis de Sales; with his approval she left her father and children and founded the Visitation nuns.

Thus, too, it should be with us—firm yet forgiving, and each at the proper place and in the proper measure. Our zeal must not make us hard, fanatic; neither may love degenerate into sentimentalism. In fundamentals, in faith, and in the commandments we must be firm, immovable, with no trace of tolerance; but in our contacts with men, patient, forgiving, tender, conciliatory. The Christian ought be firm and resolute as a father, mild and self-sacrificing as a mother. This tension between complementary virtues we find exemplified in a heroic degree in St. Jane Frances de Chantal.

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch.

"Love! love! love! my daughters; I know nothing else." Thus did Jane de Chantal, the glorious cooperatrix of St. Francis in establishing the Visitation of holy Mary, often cry out in her latter years. "Mother", said one of the sisters, "I shall write to our houses that your charity is growing old, and that, like your godfather St. John, you can speak of nothing but love." To which the saint replied: "My daughter, do not make such a comparison, for we must not profane the saints by comparing them to poor sinners; but you will do me a pleasure if you tell those sisters that if I went by my own feelings, if I followed my inclination, and if I were not afraid of wearying the sisters, I should never speak of anything but charity; and I assure you, I scarcely ever open my mouth to speak of holy things, without having a mind to say: Thou shalt love the Lord with thy whole heart, and thy neighbour as thyself."

Patron: Forgotten people; in-law problems; loss of parents; parents separated from children; widows.

Things to Do:

Learn more about the Visitation nuns founded by St. Jane Frances; consider having a spiritual director. St. Francis de Sales, in speaking about the spirit of the institute he had founded with St. Jane, declares that it is "a spirit of profound humility towards God and of great sweetness towards our neighbor, inasmuch as there is less rigour towards the body, so much the more sweetness must there be in the heart." And because "this Congregation has been so established that no great severity may prevent the weak and infirm from entering it and giving themselves up to the perfection of divine love," he adds playfully: "If there be any sister so generous and courageous as to wish to attain perfection in a quarter of an hour by doing more than the Community does, I would advise her to humble herself and be content to become perfect in three days, following the same course as the rest. For a great simplicity must always be kept in all things: to walk simply, that is the true way for the daughters of the Visitation, a way exceedingly pleasing to God and very safe." Read the Treatise on the Love of God written by St. Francis de Sales for St. Jane and her sisters; donate food to the food pantry at your church, if you have more time volunteer to help.
Read some of the letters of St. Jane Francis.
St. Jane Frances was willing to change her plans when God asked her to, read Abandonment to Divine Providence by Jean-Pierre de Caussade online or purchase a copy, try to become aware of God's Will in the small contradictions you experience each day.
Say the prayer of abandonment written by the saint.
St. Jane Frances helped the poor and the sick, have your children construct a collage of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy (they can draw the pictures if none are available from magazines).

St. Euplius
On August 12, 304 A.D., during the persecution of Diocletian at Catania, in Sicily, a deacon named Euplius was brought to the governor's hall and staunchly professed his faith. With the Book of Gospels in his hand, he was called before the governor Calvisian and commanded to read from it. The saint read the passage: "Blest are they who suffer persecution for justice's sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." Euplius then read the passage: "If anyone will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Questioned by the governor as to what this meant, the youth replied: "It is the law of my Lord, which has been delivered to me." Calvisian asked: "By whom?" Euplius replied: "By Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God." With that, the governor ordered that he be led away to be tortured. At the height of his torment Euplius was asked if he still persisted in Christianity. The saintly youth answered: "What I said before, I say again: I am a Christian and I read the Sacred Scriptures." The governor realized that he would never give up his faith, and ordered him to be beheaded. St. Euplius died April 29, 304 A.D., praising God all the while.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 17:14-20

Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, Religious (Optional Memorial)

Nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17:20)

As we read Matthew’s Gospel, we realize that the apostles were a very special group of men. They must have been, to have such privileged access to Jesus. They witnessed him feeding five thousand people with almost nothing.

They saw him walk on water. They heard all of his teaching. Some of them even beheld his transfiguration. You would assume that they knew all his secrets by now—and yet they couldn’t heal this man’s son. What were they missing? Why couldn’t they muster up the faith Jesus expected from them?

To answer that question, we have to go out on a limb and state that not only did God become man, but he entrusted his mission to other men and women who were far from perfect. Unlike some supervisors we know, Jesus didn’t expect his apostles to do everything right the first time. He was perfectly content to let them make mistakes—and he did so for a reason. Unless he allowed them to stumble and fall, they would keep relying on themselves rather than his love and power.

Like the apostles, we have to learn about faith in the same way. It’s not a technique or something we receive automatically. It’s a process of falling in love with Jesus. The better we get to know him, the more we are willing to take risks for him. It will certainly mean failing at times, but we should never look at those failures as defeats. The mustard seed of faith won’t blossom overnight. It grows gradually as we continue to step out in trust and see where God takes us.

Peter himself tells us to add perseverance to our faith (2 Peter 1:6). If you are praying for someone, but nothing is happening, don’t stop! If you feel you are stuck in an area of sin and tired of seeing the same old habit return, don’t despair. Instead, persist until you see the victory God intends for you. He will give you a crown of righteousness, even if it happens one jewel at a time.

“Lord, help me let go of perfectionism. Let me be unafraid to believe in your promises and always willing to move forward in faith.”

Deuteronomy 6:4-13
Psalm 18:2-4, 47, 51

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for August 12, 2017:

(Reader’s Tip) Like your spouse for who he/she is as a person. When I’m really angry at my husband, I realize what kind of man he is and I thank God he chose me to be his wife.

Regnum Christi

August 12, 2017 – Apostles, Turn to Jesus

12 Aug 2017

Saturday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 17: 14-20

A man came up to Jesus, knelt down before him, and said, “Lord, have pity on my son, for he is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.” Jesus said in reply, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him here to me.” Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him, and from that hour the boy was cured. Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe you want me to have faith in you, faith that hearkens to your words without any second guessing. I hope in your words, not relying solely on my own strength or reasoning. I love you. You continue to astonish me by showing me that your ways are not my ways.

Petition: Lord, give me the grace to trust you.

1. Never a Dull Moment: Just before this event, the apostles were with Christ at the Transfiguration. Have you ever come out of a retreat on fire to change the world, and then the unexpected cross comes your way – a negative comment, a temptation you have not had before, a tragedy in the family? You were in the clouds surrounded by God’s glory, and then you came crashing down to the reality of this world. Let the moments of glory be your strength to face and persevere through all the challenges that lie ahead. We have to be strong. We have to keep moving ahead even though we seem to have bullets flying by our heads, as do soldiers in war. We have to have faith.

2. Genuine Faith: The apostles go out and think they can cure people, but they forget the secret ingredient – faith. It is not the apostles who are doing the work; it is God working through them. Could it be that they had forgotten this fact and fell into presumption? How often do we have a great time at prayer, only to walk out the door and return to our self-centeredness? We have no power aside from Christ. Put your faith into action. Make sure your actions are done with Christ and through Christ.

3. Looking Back: Let’s move forward to the time when Peter looked back on all these occurrences and realized how patient our Lord had been with him. He also saw Christ’s merciful love to all people. Do I find daily nourishment in seeing how patient and merciful our Lord is? Do I often lose my cool and get anxious simply because I do not know how to deal with others’ faults or with people who clash with me? Is it tough for me when people do not see the obvious? Am I short with others, not dealing well with their shortcomings and failures? Turn to Christ. Look at him, see his simple smile and recall how long he waited for you to look him in the eyes and change your ways.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, you always had your hand stretched out to me, but often I used my hands for my own endeavors. Take me by the hand now, and lead me where you want me to go.

Resolution: Today when I go to prayer, I will look back on the road traveled thus far and be grateful.

Pme Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

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All Issues > Volume 33, Issue 5

<< Saturday, August 12, 2017 >>

St. Jane Frances de Chantal

Deuteronomy 6:4-13
View Readings

Psalm 18:2-4, 47, 51

Matthew 17:14-20
Similar Reflections

HOW GOD WANTS TO WORK NOW

"Why could we not expel it?" �Matthew 17:19

Jesus makes us the amazing promise: "I assure you, if you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you would be able to say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible for you" (Mt 17:20). We can do the impossible through faith (Mt 17:20). We can express our faith in many ways, but the way on which Jesus focuses is prayer and fasting (Mt 17:21). Pope St. John Paul II prophesied that this way of expressing our faith is of special significance in our culture of death. He revealed: "Prayer and fasting are the first and most effective weapons against the forces of evil" (The Gospel of Life, 100).

To replace this culture of death with a civilization of love and life, we need to do the impossible again and again. We need faith to move not only mountains but even mountain ranges. The Lord promises to give us that great faith, and He even tells us how to express this faith. Believe, pray, and fast. Be part of the Holy Spirit's renewing the face of the earth (Ps 104:30).

Prayer: Father, by faith I will do whatever it takes.

Promise: "Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength." �Dt 6:4-5

Praise: Left a widow at age twenty-eight with four children, St. Jane Frances put her trust in the Lord, managed an estate and, later in life, founded a religious order for women.

Keep praying.