June 1, 2015

Memorial of Saint Justin, Martyr

I, Tobit, have walked all the days of my life
on the paths of truth and righteousness.
I performed many charitable works for my kinsmen and my people
who had been deported with me to Nineveh, in Assyria.

On our festival of Pentecost, the feast of Weeks,
a fine dinner was prepared for me, and I reclined to eat.
The table was set for me,
and when many different dishes were placed before me,
I said to my son Tobiah: “My son,
go out and try to find a poor man
from among our kinsmen exiled here in Nineveh.
If he is a sincere worshiper of God, bring him back with you,
so that he can share this meal with me.
Indeed, son, I shall wait for you to come back.”

Tobiah went out to look for some poor kinsman of ours.
When he returned he exclaimed, “Father!”
I said to him, “What is it, son?”
He answered, “Father, one of our people has been murdered!
His body lies in the market place where he was just strangled!”
I sprang to my feet, leaving the dinner untouched;
and I carried the dead man from the street
and put him in one of the rooms,
so that I might bury him after sunset.
Returning to my own quarters, I washed myself
and ate my food in sorrow.
I was reminded of the oracle
pronounced by the prophet Amos against Bethel:

“All your festivals shall be turned into mourning,
and all your songs into lamentation.”

And I wept.
Then at sunset I went out, dug a grave, and buried him.

The neighbors mocked me, saying to one another:
“He is still not afraid!
Once before he was hunted down for execution
because of this very thing;
yet now that he has scarcely escaped,
here he is again burying the dead!”

Responsorial Psalm PS 112:1b-2, 3b-4, 5-6

R. (1b) Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
His generosity shall endure forever.
Light shines through the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;
He shall never be moved;
the just man shall be in everlasting remembrance.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia See Rev 1:5ab

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus Christ, you are the faithful witness,
the first born of the dead;
you have loved us and freed us from our sins by your Blood.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 12:1-12

Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes,
and the elders in parables.
“A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it,
dug a wine press, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey.
At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants
to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard.
But they seized him, beat him,
and sent him away empty-handed.
Again he sent them another servant.
And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully.
He sent yet another whom they killed.
So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed.
He had one other to send, a beloved son.
He sent him to them last of all, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’
But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’
So they seized him and killed him,
and threw him out of the vineyard.
What then will the owner of the vineyard do?
He will come, put the tenants to death,
and give the vineyard to others.
Have you not read this Scripture passage:

The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?”

They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd,
for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them.
So they left him and went away.

From: Tobit 1:1ad, 2a, 3, 17, 2:1-8

Tobit the son of Tobiel

[1] The book of the acts of Tobit the son of Tobiel, son of Ananiel, son of Aduel,
son of Gabael, of the descendants of Asiel and the tribe of Naphtali, [2] who in
the days of Shalmaneser [3] walked in the ways of truth and righteousness all
the days of my life, and I performed many acts of charity to my brethren and
countrymen who went with me into the land of the Assyrians, to Nineveh.

[17] I would give my bread to the hungry and my clothing to the naked; and if I
saw any one of my people dead and thrown out behind the wall of Nineveh, I
could bury him.

Tobit’s misfortune

2 [1] When I arrived home and my wife Anna and my son Tobias were restored to
me, at the feast of Pentecost, which is the sacred festival of the seven weeks, a
good dinner was prepared for me and I sat down to eat. [2] Upon seeing the abun-
dance of food I said to my son, “Go and bring whatever poor man of our brethren
you may find who is mindful of the Lord, and I will wait for you.” [3] But he came
back and said, “Father, one of our people has been strangled and thrown into the
market place.” [4] So before I tasted anything I sprang up and removed the body
to a place of shelter until sunset. [5] And when I returned I washed myself and
ate my food in sorrow. [6] Then I remembered the prophecy of Amos, how he
said,
“Your feasts shall be turned into mourning,
and all your festivities into lamentation.”

And I wept.

[7] When the sun had set I went and dug a grave and buried the body. [8] And
my neighbors laughed at me and said, “He is no longer afraid that he will be put
to death for doing this; he once ran away, and here he is burying the dead
again!”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

1:1-3:17. The first part of the book of Tobit introduces the main characters in the
story — Tobit, his wife, his son Tobias, Sarah, her parents, and the angel Rapha-
el — and describes the dire situation of Tobit in Nineveh (Assyria) and Sarah in
Ecbatana (Media). Although they are living about a thousand kilometers (625 mi.)
apart, and their circumstances are different, they have a lot in common: they are
both members of the Jewish people in the diaspora, and members of the same
tribe; both are righteous and pure in the eyes of God — Tobit because he keeps
to the letter of the Law, and Sarah because she faithfully obeys her parents;
both of them seem to be in a hopeless position; and at the very same moment
they have recourse to God in prayer, placing themselves in his hands; and both
of them are going to be rescued from their plight through the help of God’s mes-
senger, the angel Raphael. The plot of the story is well organized, even though
the outcome is known from the start. Already, the central message of the book
is easy to see: God helps those who trust in him and try to do what is good for
the right reasons.

1:1-2 The main character begins by introducing himself — Tobit, the father of
Tobias. He tells us the tribe he comes from, his place of origin, and the time in
which he lives (the last years of the eighth century BC). The name Tobias (cf.
1:9) means “my God is the Lord”, and that is what the story bears out: God
and the observance of his Law are what matters to Tobit, when things go well
and also when misfortune strikes; that is why God’s goodness and mercy will
come to his aid to rescue him when all seems lost.

1:3-22 At the point Tobit himself begins to recount his life, emphasizing that he
has always dutifully kept the law of God, despite the fact that his compatriots,
the Israelites of the Northern kingdom, kept it neither at home nor in exile. Prior
to the exile, Tobit had continued to go up to Jerusalem to worship God, as the
Law commanded (cf. Deut 12:1-18), and he never offered sacrifice to the golden
calves set up by Jeroboam (cf. 1 Kings 12:26-32); he was also meticulous about
the three tithes (cf. Num 18:12ff; Deut 14:22-23, 28-29); and, in keeping with the
Law, he married a wife of his own nation (cf. Deut 7:3). Later, exiled far from his
country, he never ate the unclean food of the Gentiles (cf. Lev 11:1-49; Deut 14:
3-21); and now that he cannot bring tithes to the temple, he gives alms to the
poor and heroically performs the works of mercy, especially as regards burying
the dead. The type of piety described here is not in fact in keeping with the pe-
riod in which the writer implies Tobit to have lived; the rules referred to stem from
the reform instituted by Josiah in 622 BC and from the time of the return from the
Babylonian exile. But the sacred writer uses them to depict Tobit as an example
of a pious Jew, be he in the land of Israel or in the diaspora. In this respect, the
teaching in the book of Tobit contrasts with that of the Gospel, which extends
the concept of neighbour to include anyone, of whatever nation, race or religion
(cf. Lk 10:29-37).

2:1-14 The festival of the Seven Weeks or Pentecost, so-called because it was
held fifty days after Passover (cf. Deut 16:9-12; Lev 23:16), was one of the festi-
vals involving pilgrimage to Jerusalem: during the exile it seems to have been
commemorated by a special meal held as a remembrance rite for the feast. By
looking after the needy, Tobit is fulfilling what the Law laid down should be done
during this festival — taking an interest in strangers, orphans and widows (cf.
Deut 16:14), although he is applying it to “brethren . . . mindful of the Lord” (v.
2). Despite his devoutness and ritual purity (v. 5; cf. Neh 19:11-12), Tobit has
to share in the suffering inflicted on the people on account of their sins (v. 6;
cf. Amos 8:10). But it gets worse than that: his works of mercy bring him mis-
fortune (first blindness and then penury), to the point that his wife has to take
paid work to make ends meet. Later, she queries whether he deserves to be
suffering in the way that he is. He can put up with physical blindness because
his family comes to his aid; but his wife’s criticism casts a shadow on his soul.

Tobit’s situation parallels that of everyone who strives to be faithful. As St Paul
says in 2 Corinthians 4:8-10, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down,
but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the
life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.” The Vulgate version of the
Bible includes after v. 10 some reflections on why Tobit should have had to suf-
fer in this way: see the RSVCE note on p. 615.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Mark 12:1-12

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

[1] And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, and
set a hedge around it, and dug a pit for the wine press, and built a tower, and let
it out to tenants, and went into another country. [2] When the time came, he
sent a servant to the tenants, to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.
[3] And they took him and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. [4] Again
he sent to them another servant, and they wounded him in the head, and treated
him shamefully. [5] And he sent another, and him they killed; and so with many
others, some they beat and some they killed. [6] He had still one other, a belo-
ved son; finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ [7] But
those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the
inheritance will be ours.’ [8] And they took him and killed him, and cast him out
of the vineyard. [9] What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and des-
troy the tenants, and give the vineyard to others. [10] Have you not read the scrip-
ture: ‘The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the cor-
ner; [11] this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” [12] And
they tried to arrest him but feared the multitude, for they perceived that he had
told the parable against them; so they left him and went away.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

1-12. This parable is a masterly summary of history of salvation. To explain the
mystery of his redemptive death, Jesus makes use of one of the most beautiful
allegories of the Old Testament the so-called “song of the vineyard,” in which
Isaiah (5:1-7) prophesied Israel’s ingratitude for God’s favors. On the basis of this
Isaiah text, Jesus reveals the patience of God, who sends one messenger after
another—the prophets of the Old Testament—until at last, as the text says, he
sends “his beloved son”, Jesus, whom the tenants will kill. This expression, as
also that which God himself uses to describe Christ at Baptism (1:11) and the
Transfiguration (9:7), points to the divinity of Jesus, who is the cornerstone of
salvation, rejected by the builders in their selfishness and pride. To the Jews lis-
tening to Jesus telling this parable, his meaning must have been crystal clear.
The rulers “perceived that he had told the parable against them” (v. 12) and that
it was about the fulfillment of the Isaiah prophecy (cf. note on Mt 21:33-46).

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Readings at Mass

First reading

Tobit 1:3,2:1-8 ©

I, Tobit, have walked in paths of truth and in good works all the days of my life. I have given much in alms to my brothers and fellow countrymen, exiled like me to Nineveh in the country of Assyria.

In the reign of Esarhaddon I returned home, and my wife Anna was restored to me with my son Tobias. At our feast of Pentecost (the feast of Weeks) there was a good dinner. I took my place for the meal; the table was brought to me and various dishes were brought. Then I said to my son Tobias, ‘Go, my child, and seek out some poor, loyal-hearted man among our brothers exiled in Nineveh, and bring him to share my meal. I will wait until you come back, my child.’ So Tobias went out to look for some poor man among our brothers, but he came back again and said, ‘Father!’ I answered, ‘What is it, my child?’ He went on, ‘Father, one of our nation has just been murdered; he has been strangled and then thrown down in the market place; he is there still.’ I sprang up at once, left my meal untouched, took the man from the market place and laid him in one of my rooms, waiting until sunset to bury him. I came in again and washed myself and ate my bread in sorrow, remembering the words of the prophet Amos concerning Bethel:

Your feasts will be turned to mourning,

and all your songs to lamentation.

And I wept. When the sun was down, I went and dug a grave and buried him. My neighbours laughed and said, ‘See! He is not afraid any more.’ (You must remember that a price had been set on my head earlier for this very thing.) ‘The time before this he had to flee, yet here he is, beginning to bury the dead again.’

Psalm

Psalm 111:1-2,3-6 ©

Happy the man who fears the Lord.

Alleluia!

Happy the man who fears the Lord,

who takes delight in all his commands.

His sons will be powerful on earth;

the children of the upright are blessed.

Happy the man who fears the Lord.

Alleluia!

his justice stands firm for ever.

He is a light in the darkness for the upright:

he is generous, merciful and just.

Happy the man who fears the Lord.

Alleluia!

The good man takes pity and lends,

he conducts his affairs with honour.

The just man will never waver:

he will be remembered for ever.

Happy the man who fears the Lord.

Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Col3:16a,17

Alleluia, alleluia!

Let the message of Christ, in all its richness,

find a home with you;

through him give thanks to God the Father.

Alleluia!

Or	cf.Rv1:5

Alleluia, alleluia!

You, O Christ, are the faithful witness,

the First-born from the dead;

you have loved us and have washed away our sins with your blood.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 12:1-12 ©

Jesus went on to speak to the chief priests, the scribes and the elders in parables: ‘A man planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug out a trough for the winepress and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce from the vineyard. But they seized the man, thrashed him and sent him away empty-handed. Next he sent another servant to them; him they beat about the head and treated shamefully. And he sent another and him they killed; then a number of others, and they thrashed some and killed the rest. He had still someone left: his beloved son. He sent him to them last of all. “They will respect my son” he said. But those tenants said to each other, “This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” So they seized him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. Now what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and make an end of the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this text of scripture:

It was the stone rejected by the builders

that became the keystone.

This was the Lord’s doing

and it is wonderful to see?

And they would have liked to arrest him, because they realised that the parable was aimed at them, but they were afraid of the crowds. So they left him alone and went away.

Jesus, High Priest

We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.

Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.

Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.

Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.

Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.

Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.

O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.

Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests

This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.

The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.

The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.

Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem. He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.

St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

Pray the Rosary

1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

The Mysteries of the Rosary

By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary.
The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Joyful Mysteries
(Mondays and Saturdays)
1. The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) [Spiritual fruit - Humility]
2. The Visitation (Luke 1: 39-56) [Spiritual fruit - Love of Neighbor]
3. The Nativity (Luke 2:1-20) [Spiritual fruit - Poverty of Spirit]
4. The Presentation (Luke 2:21-38) [Spiritual fruit - Purity of mind & body]
5. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52) [Spiritual fruit - Obedience ]

A Prayer for our Free Nation Under God
God Save Our Country web site (prayer warriors)
Prayer Chain Request for the United States of America
Pray for Nancy Pelosi
Prayer and fasting will help defeat health care reform (Freeper Prayer Thread)
Prayer Campaign Started to Convert Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians to Pro-Life
[Catholic Caucus] One Million Rosaries
Non-stop Rosary vigil to defeat ObamaCare

From an Obama bumper sticker on a car:

"Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8"

PLEASE JOIN US -

Evening Prayer
Someone has said that if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless.
Did you know that during WWII there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace?

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America. If you would like to participate: Every evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central) (7:00 PM Mountain) (6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for a return to a Godly nation. If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have. Please forward this to your praying friends.

June Devotion: The Sacred Heart

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of June is set apart for devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. "From among all the proofs of the infinite goodness of our Savior none stands out more prominently than the fact that, as the love of the faithful grew cold, He, Divine Love Itself, gave Himself to us to be honored by a very special devotion and that the rich treasury of the Church was thrown wide open in the interests of that devotion." These words of Pope Pius XI refer to the Sacred Heart Devotion, which in its present form dates from the revelations given to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673-75.

The devotion consists in the divine worship of the human heart of Christ, which is united to His divinity and which is a symbol of His love for us. The aim of the devotion is to make our Lord king over our hearts by prompting them to return love to Him (especially through an act of consecration by which we offer to the Heart of Jesus both ourselves and all that belongs to us) and to make reparation for our ingratitude to God.

INVOCATION

O Heart of love, I put all my trust in Thee; for I fear all things from my own weakness, but I hope for all things from Thy goodness.
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART

Devotion to the Sacred Heart was the characteristic note of the piety of Saint Gertrude the Great (1256-1302), Benedictine nun and renowned mystic. She was, in fact, the first great exponent of devotion to the Sacred Heart. In our efforts to honor the Heart of Jesus we have this prayer as a model for our own:
Hail! O Sacred Heart of Jesus, living and quickening source of eternal life, infinite treasure of the Divinity, and burning furnace of divine love. Thou art my refuge and my sanctuary, 0 my amiable Savior. Consume my heart with that burning fire with which Thine is ever inflamed. Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Thy love, and let my heart be so united with Thine, that our wills may be one, and mine in all things be conformed to Thine. May Thy divine will be equally the standard and rule of all my desires and of all my actions. Amen.
Saint Gertrude

FOR THE CHURCH

O most holy Heart of Jesus, shower Thy blessings in abundant measure upon Thy holy Church, upon the Supreme Pontiff and upon all the clergy; to the just grant perseverance; convert sinners; enlighten unbelievers; bless our relations, friends and benefactors; assist the dying; deliver the holy souls in purgatory; and extend over all hearts the sweet empire of Thy love. Amen.

A PRAYER OF TRUST

O God, who didst in wondrous manner reveal to the virgin, Margaret Mary, the unsearchable riches of Thy Heart, grant that loving Thee, after her example, in all things and above all things, we may in Thy Heart find our abiding home.
Roman Missal

ACT OF LOVE

Reveal Thy Sacred Heart to me, O Jesus, and show me Its attractions. Unite me to It for ever. Grant that all my aspirations and all the beats of my heart, which cease not even while I sleep, may be a testimonial to Thee of my love for Thee and may say to Thee: Yes, Lord, I am all Thine;
pledge of my allegiance to Thee rests ever in my heart will never cease to be there. Do Thou accept the slight amount of good that I do and be graciously pleased to repair all m] wrong-doing; so that I may be able to bless Thee in time and in eternity. Amen.
Cardinal Merry del Val

MEMORARE TO THE SACRED HEART
Remember, O most sweet Jesus, that no one who has had recourse to Thy Sacred Heart, implored its help, or sought its mercy was ever abandoned. Encouraged with confidence, O tenderest of hearts, we present ourselves before Thee, crushed beneath the weight of our sins. In our misery, O Sacred Heart of Jesus, despise not our simple prayers, but mercifully grant our requests. 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

Only for Love: The Sacred Heart and the Priesthood [Catholic Caucus]

Catholic Word of the Day: LITANY OF THE SACRED HEART, 10-19-09
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Devotion to the Sacred Heart Today
The Biblical Foundation of Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus [Ecumenical]
Heart to Heart (Sacred Heart of Jesus Devotion) [St. Margaret Mary Alacoque]
(June) The Month of the Sacred Heart {Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus [St. Margaret Mary Alacoque]
The Heart of the World (On the Sacred Heart of Jesus) (Catholic Caucus)
The Sacred Heart Is The Holy Eucharist(Catholic Caucus)
The Origin of the Sacred Heart Badge

Importance of Devotion to the Sacred Heart
An Awesome Homily on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Father Edmond Kline
Catholic Prayer and Devotion: June the Month of the Sacred Heart
Catholic Devotions: Sacred Heart of Jesus
Pope Urges Jesuits to Spread Sacred Heart Devotion
Homilies preached by Father Altier on the Feast of the Sacred Heart
Catholic Meditation and Devotion: The Sacred Heart of Jesus
Daily Recomendation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus powerful prayer!
The Sacred Heart and the Eucharist
The Love of the Sacred Heart

On the Sacred Heart - "We Adore God's Love of Humanity"
HAURIETIS AQUAS (On Devotion To The Sacred Heart) - Encyclical by Pope Pius XII
Solemnity Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary
Sacred Heart a Feast of God's Love, Says John Paul II
The Sacred Heart of Jesus: Symbol of Combativity and the Restoration of Christendom
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus-The Early Church, Middle Ages up to St. Margaret Mary
See this Heart
‘God Will Act and Will Reign’
About Devotion To The Sacred Heart:The Story Of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
Rediscover Feast of Sacred Heart, John Paul II Tells Youth

"Behold this Heart which has loved men so much, and yet men do not want to love Me in return. Through you My divine Heart wishes to spread its love everywhere on earth."

- Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary

Our Lord also made 12 promises to St. Margaret Mary for those that are devoted to His Sacred Heart.

I will give them all the graces necessary for their state in life.
I will give peace in their families.
I will console them in all their troubles.
They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of death.
I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
Tepid souls shall become fervent.
Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
I will bless the homes in which the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honoured.
I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.
Those who propagate this devotion shall have their name written in My Heart, and it shall never be effaced.
The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at the last hour.

Daily Gospel Commentary

Monday of the Ninth week in Ordinary Time

Commentary of the day
John Tauler (c.1300-1361), Dominican
Sermon 7

Become a vine that bears fruit

As for vines, we bind them, tie them to posts, bend the branches over and attach them to stout stakes to hold them. By this we can understand the sweet and holy life and Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ who, in everything, is to be the support of the well-meaning person. Such a person has to be bent over, what is highest in him has to be brought low and he has to go down in true, humble submission from the depth of his heart. All our interior and exterior faculties, the sensitive and acquisitive as well as our rational ones, have to be bound in their place, in true submission to the will of God.

Next we turn over the earth at the foot of the vine and hoe up the weeds. This is how a person has to hoe himself, giving profound attention to what might still remain to pull up from deep within himself, so that the divine Sun may come right up close and shine there. So if you allow the power from on high to carry out its work in it, the sun will draw up the humidity from the soil into the sap hidden in the wood and the bunches will grow magnificently. Then, with its heat, the sun acts on the bunches and causes them to burst into flower and these flowers have a noble and wholesome scent… Then the fruit becomes indescribably sweet. Oh, may this be granted to all of us!

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