June 2, 2013

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Reading 1 Gn 14:18-20

In those days, Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine,
and being a priest of God Most High,
he blessed Abram with these words:
"Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
the creator of heaven and earth;
and blessed be God Most High,
who delivered your foes into your hand."
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4

R. (4b) You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool."
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The scepter of your power the LORD will stretch forth from Zion:
"Rule in the midst of your enemies."
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
"Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;
before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you."
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD has sworn, and he will not repent:
"You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.

Reading 2 1 Cor 11:23-26

Brothers and sisters:
I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, 
that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, 
took bread, and, after he had given thanks,
broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me."
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, 
"This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, 
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

Gospel Lk 9:11b-17

Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God,
and he healed those who needed to be cured.
As the day was drawing to a close,
the Twelve approached him and said,
"Dismiss the crowd
so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms
and find lodging and provisions;
for we are in a deserted place here."
He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves."
They replied, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have,
unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people."
Now the men there numbered about five thousand.
Then he said to his disciples,
"Have them sit down in groups of about fifty."
They did so and made them all sit down.
Then taking the five loaves and the two fish,
and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing over them, broke them,
and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.
They all ate and were satisfied.
And when the leftover fragments were picked up,
they filled twelve wicker baskets.

For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

1 posted on 06/01/2013 9:18:02 PM PDT by Salvation

To: nickcarraway; NYer; ELS; Pyro7480; livius; ArrogantBustard; Catholicguy; RobbyS; marshmallow; ...

Alleluia Ping!

If you aren’t on this ping list NOW and would like to be,

please Freepmail me.

2 posted on 06/01/2013 9:23:21 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

From: Genesis 14:18-20

Melchizedek, King and Priest

[18] And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest
of God Most High. [19] And he blessed him and said,

“”Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
maker of heaven and earth;
[20] and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”

And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

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

14:18-20. After the account of Abraham’s victory over the kings of the North,
there is this little insertion, apparently, that records a piece of tradition which
shows Abraham’s connexion with Jerusalem and its king. In the context of the
story of the patriarchs, this episode implies recognition by the local nations (Sa-
lem, Sodom) of the blessing they receive through Abraham (cf. 12:3). In the spe-
cific case of Salem, we get a glimpse of the fact that the true God, the Creator
of heaven and earth, was worshipped there, under the name of El-Elyon, or God
Most High, and also that he is acknowledged by Abraham as the Lord himself,
“maker of heaven and earth” (cf. 14:22). The bread and wine are first-fruits of the
land, offered in sacrifice as a sign of recognition of the Creator. In the name of
El-Elyon Abraham receives Melchizedek’s blessing, thereby making Jerusalem
the place from where the Lord imparts his blessing (cf. Ps 134:3). It is also sig-
nificant that Abraham gives the king of Jerusalem a tenth of everything, implying
that he had a right to receive it.

In Jewish tradition the city of Salem and the figure of Melchizedek acquired a
special meaning. It identifies Salem with Jerusalem or Zion, where the Lord
dwells: “His abode has been established in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion,”
Psalm 76:3 acclaims. Melchizedek is regarded as having a priesthood earlier
and greater than that of Aaron; cf. when the King Messiah is praised: “You are
a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek” (Ps 110:4). In the New Testament,
the mysterious priestly figure of Melchizedek is portrayed as a type of the priest-
hood of Christ, for Christ is truly the eternal priest even though he (like Melchize-
dek) does not belong to the priesthood of Aaron. “For this Melchizedek, king of
Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter
of the kings and blessed him; and to him apportioned a tenth part of everything.
He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also
king of Salem, that is, king of peace. He is without father or mother or genealogy,
and has neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God
he continues a priest forever” (Heb 7:1-3).

In the light of all this, Christian liturgy has seen a prefiguring of the Eucharist in
the bread and wine offered by Melchizedek (cf. Roman Missal, Eucharistic Pra-
yer I); tradition sees him as a figure of priests of the New Law.

*********************************************************************************************
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.

3 posted on 06/01/2013 9:24:40 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

From: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

The Institution of the Eucharist

[23] For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Je-
sus on the night when He was betrayed took bread, [24] and when He had gi-
ven thanks, He broke it, and said, “This is My body which is for you. Do this in
remembrance of Me.” [25] In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in
remembrance of Me.” [26] For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

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

23-26. These verses clearly bear witness to the early Christians’ faith in the eu-
charistic mystery. St. Paul is writing around the year 57 — only twenty-seven
years since the institution of the Eucharist — reminding the Corinthians of what
they had been taught some years earlier (c. the year 51). The words “received”
and “delivered” are technical terms used to indicate that a teaching is part of
apostolic Tradition; cf. also 1 Corinthians 15:3. These two passages highlight
the importance of that apostolic Tradition. The words “I received from the Lord”
are a technical expression which means “I received through that Tradition which
goes back to the Lord Himself.”

There are three other New Testament accounts of the institution of the Eucharist
(Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:16-20). This account, which is most
like St. Luke’s, is the earliest of the four.

The text contains the fundamental elements of Christian faith in the mystery of
the Eucharist: 1) the institution of this Sacrament by Jesus Christ and His real
presence in it; 2) the institution of the Christian priesthood; 3) the Eucharist is
the sacrifice of the New Testament (cf. notes on Matthew 26:26-29; Mark
14:22-25; Luke 22:16-20; 1 Corinthians 10:14-22).

“Do this in remembrance of Me”: in instituting the Eucharist, our Lord charged
that it be re-enacted until the end of time (cf. Luke 22:19), thereby instituting the
priesthood. The Council of Trent teaches that Jesus Christ our Lord, at the Last
Supper, “offered His body and blood under the species of bread and wine to God
the Father and He gave His body and blood under the same species to the Apos-
tles to receive, making them priests of the New Testament at that time. [...] He
ordered the Apostles and their successors in the priesthood to offer this Sacra-
ment when He said, “Do this in remembrance of Me”, as the Catholic Church has
always understood and taught” (”De SS. Missae Sacrificio”, Chapter 1; cf. Canon
2). And so, Pope John Paul II teaches, the Eucharist is “the principal and central
reason-of-being of the Sacrament of the priesthood, which effectively came into
being at the moment of the institution of the Eucharist, and together with it” (”Let-
ter To All Bishops”, 24 February 1980).

The word “remembrance” is charged with the meaning of a Hebrew word which
was used to convey the essence of the feast of the Passover — commemoration
of the exodus from Egypt. For the Israelites the Passover rite not only reminded
them of a bygone event: they were conscious of making that event present, re-
viving it, in order to participate in it, in some way, generation after generation (cf.
Exodus 12:26-27; Deuteronomy 6:20-25). So, when our Lord commands His A-
postles to “do this in remembrance of Me”, it is not a matter of merely recalling
His supper but of renewing His own Passover sacrifice of Calvary, which already,
at the Last Supper, was present in an anticipated way.

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

4 posted on 06/01/2013 9:25:23 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

From: Luke 9:11b-17

First Miracle of the Loaves and Fish

[11b] And He (Jesus) welcomed them and spoke to them of the Kingdom of God,
and cured those who had need of healing. [12] Now the day began to wear away;
and the Twelve came and said to Him, “Send the crowd away, to go into the vil-
lages and country round about, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a
lonely place.” [13] But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They
said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish — unless we are to go and
buy food for all these people.” [14] For there were about five thousand men. And
He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in companies, about fifty each.”
[15] And they did so, and made them all sit down. [16] And taking the five loaves
and the two fish He looked up to Heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave
them to the disciples to set before the crowd. [17] And all ate and were satisfied.
And they took up what was left over, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

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

11-17. Jesus replies to His disciples knowing very well what He is going to do
(cf. John 6:5-6)—thereby teaching them little by little to trust in God’s omnipotence.
On this miracle see the notes on Matthew 14:14-21; 15:32; 15:33-38; Mark 6:34;
6:41; 6:42; 8:1-9; and John 6:5-9; 6:10; 6:11; 6:12-13.

[Matthew 14:14-21 states:

14-21. This episode must have occurred in the middle of springtime, because
the grass was green (Mark 6:40; John 6:10). In the Near East loaves were usual-
ly made very thin, which meant it was easy to break them by hand and distribute
them to those at table; this was usually done by the head of the household or the
senior person at the meal. Our Lord follows this custom, and the miracle occurs
when Jesus breaks the bread. The disciples then distribute it among the crowd.
Here again we can see Jesus’ desire to have people cooperate with Him.]

[Matthew 15:32 states:

32. The Gospels speak of our Lord’s mercy and compassion towards people’s
needs: here He is concerned about the crowds who are following Him and who
have no food. He always has a word of consolation, encouragement and forgive-
ness: He is never indifferent. However, what hurts Him most are sinners who go
through life without experiencing light and truth: He waits for them in the sacra-
ments of Baptism and Penance.]

[Matthew 15:33-38 states:

33-38. As in the case of the first multiplication (14:13-20), the Apostles provide
our Lord with the loaves and the fish. It was all they had. He also avails of the
Apostles to distribute the food — the result of the miracle — to the people. In dis-
tributing the graces of salvation God chooses to rely on the faithfulness and ge-
nerosity of men. “Many great things depend—don’t forget it—on whether you and
I live our lives as God wants” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 755).

It is interesting to note that in both miracles of multiplication of loaves and fish
Jesus’s provides food in abundance but does not allow anything to go to waste.
All Jesus’ miracles, in addition to being concrete historical events, are also sym-
bols of supernatural realities. Here abundance of material food also signifies abun-
dance of divine gifts on the level of grace and glory: it refers spiritual resources
and eternal rewards; God gives people more graces than are strictly necessary.
This is borne out by Christian experience throughout history. St. Paul tells us
that “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Rom 5:20); he speaks
of “the riches of His grace which He lavished upon us” (Eph 1:8) and tells his
disciple Timothy that “the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and
love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:14).]

[Mark 6:34 states:

34. Our Lord had planned a period of rest, for Himself and His disciples, from the
pressures of the apostolate (Mark 6:31-32). And He has to change His plans be-
cause so many people come, eager to hear Him speak. Not only is He not an-
noyed with them: He feels compassion on seeing their spiritual need. “My peo-
ple are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). They need instruction and
our Lord wants to meet this need by preaching to them. “Jesus is moved by hun-
ger and sorrow, but what moves Him most is ignorance” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ
Is Passing By”, 109).]

[Mark 6:41 states:

41. This miracle is a figure of the Holy Eucharist: Christ performed it shortly be-
fore promising that sacrament (cf. John 6:1ff), and the Fathers have always so in-
terpreted it. In this miracle Jesus shows His supernatural power and His love for
men — the same power and love as make it possible for Christ’s one and only bo-
dy to be present in the Eucharistic species to nourish the faithful down the centu-
ries. In the words of the sequence composed by St. Thomas Aquinas for the
Mass of Corpus Christi: “Be one or be a thousand fed, they eat alike that living
bread which, still received, ne’er wastes away.”

This gesture of our Lord — looking up to Heaven — is recalled in the Roman canon
of the Mass: “And looking up to Heaven, to You, His almighty Father.” At this
point in the Mass we are preparing to be present at a miracle greater than that
of the multiplication of the loaves — the changing of bread into His own body, of-
fered as food for all men.]

[Mark 6:42 states:

42. Christ wanted the left-overs to be collected (cf. John 6:12) to teach us not to
waste things God gives us, and also to have them as a tangible proof of the mi-
racle.

The collecting of the left-overs is a way of showing us the value of little things
done out of love for God—orderliness, cleanliness, finishing things completely. It
also reminds the sensitive believer of the extreme care that must be taken of the
Eucharistic species. Also, the generous scale of the miracle is an expression of
the largesse of the Messianic times. The Fathers recall that Moses distributed
the manna for each to eat as much as he needed but some left part of it for the
next day and it bred worms (Exodus 16:16-20). Elijah gave the widow just enough
to meet her needs (1 Kings 17:13-16). Jesus, on the other hand, gives generously
and abundantly.]

[Mark 8:1-9 states:

1-9. Jesus repeats the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the fish: the
first time (Mark 6:33-44) He acted because He saw a huge crowd like “sheep with-
a shepherd”; now He takes pity on them because they have been with Him for
three days and have nothing to eat.

This miracle shows how Christ rewards people who persevere in following Him:
the crowd had been hanging on His words, forgetful of everything else. We should
be like them, attentive and ready to do what He commands, without any vain con-
cern about the future, for that would amount to distrusting Divine Providence.]

[John 6:5-9 states:

5-9. Jesus is sensitive to people’s material and spiritual needs. Here we see Him
take the initiative to satisfy the hunger of the crowd of people who have been fol-
lowing Him.

Through these conversations and the miracle He is going to work, Jesus also tea-
ches His disciples to trust in Him whenever they meet up with difficulties in their
apostolic endeavors in the future: they should engage in them using whatever re-
sources they have—even if they are plainly inadequate, as was the case with the
five loaves and two fish. He will supply what is lacking. In the Christian life we
must put what we have at the service of our Lord, even if we do not think it
amounts to very much. He can make meager resources productive.

“We must, then, have faith and not be dispirited. We must not be stopped by any
kind of human calculation. To overcome the obstacles we have to throw ourselves
into the task so that the very effort we make will open up new paths” (St. J. Escri-
va, “Christ is Passing By”, 160).]

[John 6:10 states:

10. The evangelist gives us an apparently unimportant piece of information: “there
was much grass in the place.” This indicates that the miracle took place in the
height of the Palestinian spring, very near the Passover, as mentioned in verse 4.
There are very few big meadows in Palestine; even today there is one on the eas-
tern bank of the Lake of Gennesaret, called El-Batihah, where five thousand peo-
ple could fit seated: it may have been the site of this miracle.]

[John 6:11 states:

11. The account of the miracle begins with almost the very same words as those
which the Synoptics and St. Paul use to describe the institution of the Eucharist
(cf. Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:25). This indicates
that the miracle, in addition to being an expression of Jesus’ mercy towards the
needy, is a symbol of the Blessed Eucharist, about which our Lord will speak a
little later on (cf. John 6:26-59).]

[John 6:12-13 states:

12-13. The profusion of detail shows how accurate this narrative is — the names
of the Apostles who address our Lord (verses 5,8), the fact that they were barley
loaves (verse 9), the boy who provided the wherewithal (verse 9) and, finally, Je-
sus telling them to gather up the leftovers.

This miracle shows Jesus’ divine power over matter, and His largesse recalls the
abundance of messianic benefits which the prophets had foretold (cf. Jeremiah
31:14).

Christ’s instruction to pick up the leftovers teaches us that material resources
are gifts of God and should not be wasted: they should be used in a spirit of po-
verty (cf. note on Mark 6:42). In this connection Paul VI pointed out that “after
liberally feeding the crowds, the Lord told His disciples to gather up what was
left over, lest anything should be lost (cf. John 6:12). What an excellent lesson
in thrift — in the finest and fullest meaning of the term — for our age, given as it
is to wastefulness! It carries with it the condemnation of a whole concept of so-
ciety wherein consumption tends to become an end in itself, with contempt for
the needy, and to the detriment, ultimately, of those very people who believed
themselves to be its beneficiaries, having become incapable of perceiving that
man is called to a higher destiny” (Pope Paul VI, “Address to Participants at
the World Food Conference”, 9 November 1974).]

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

5 posted on 06/01/2013 9:27:28 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Readings at Mass

First reading	Genesis 14:18-20 ©

Melchizedek king of Salem brought bread and wine; he was a priest of God Most High. He pronounced this blessing:

‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, creator of heaven and earth,

and blessed be God Most High for handing over your enemies to you.’

And Abram gave him a tithe of everything.

Psalm	Psalm 109:1-4

Second reading	1 Corinthians 11:23-26 ©

This is what I received from the Lord, and in turn passed on to you: that on the same night that he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread, and thanked God for it and broke it, and he said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this as a memorial of me.’ In the same way he took the cup after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me.’ Until the Lord comes, therefore, every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming his death.

Gospel Acclamation	Jn6:51

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the living bread which has come down from heaven,

says the Lord.

Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.

Alleluia!

Gospel	Luke 9:11-17 ©

Jesus made the crowds welcome and talked to them about the kingdom of God; and he cured those who were in need of healing.

It was late afternoon when the Twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the people away, and they can go to the villages and farms round about to find lodging and food; for we are in a lonely place here.’ He replied, ‘Give them something to eat yourselves.’ But they said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we are to go ourselves and buy food for all these people’ For there were about five thousand men. But he said to his disciples, ‘Get them to sit down in parties of about fifty.’ They did so and made them all sit down. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven, and said the blessing over them; then he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute among the crowd. They all ate as much as they wanted, and when the scraps remaining were collected they filled twelve baskets.

6 posted on 06/01/2013 9:33:39 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

7 posted on 06/02/2013 6:11:26 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

8 posted on 06/02/2013 6:12:44 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

9 posted on 06/02/2013 6:25:10 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

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.

10 posted on 06/02/2013 6:26:31 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

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 Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]

11 posted on 06/02/2013 6:27:15 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

~ PRAYER ~

St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
Cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
+

12 posted on 06/02/2013 6:28:06 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

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.

13 posted on 06/02/2013 6:33:39 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

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 it mercy was ever abandoned. Encouraged with confidence, O tenderest of hearts, we present ourselves before Thee, crushes beneath the weight of our sins. In our misery, O Sacred Hear. of Jesus, despise not our simple prayers, but mercifully grant our requests.

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.

14 posted on 06/02/2013 6:34:44 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

June 2013

Pope's Intentions

Mutual Respect. That a culture of dialogue, listening, and mutual respect may prevail among peoples.

New Evangelization. That where secularization is strongest, Christian communities may effectively promote a new evangelization.

15 posted on 06/02/2013 6:35:42 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Daily Gospel Commentary

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) - Solemnity - Year C

Commentary of the day
Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
Sermon 272 (©Friends of Henry Ashworth)

«Be what you see, and receive what you are»

        You see on God's altar bread and a cup. That is what the evidence of your eyes tells you, but your faith requires you to believe that the bread is the body of Christ, the cup the blood of Christ. In these few words we can say perhaps all that faith demands. Faith, however, seeks understanding... How can bread be his body? And the cup, or rather what is in the cup, how can that be his blood?"

        These things, my friends, are called sacraments, because our eyes see in them one thing, our understanding another. Our eyes see the material form; our understanding, its spiritual effect. If, then, you want to know what the body of Christ is, you must listen to what the Apostle tells the faithful: «Now you are the body of Christ, and individually you are members of it» (1Cor 12,17). If that is so, it is the sacrament of yourselves that is placed on the Lord's altar, and it is the sacrament of yourselves that you receive. You reply "Amen" to what you are, and thereby agree that such you are. You hear the words "The body of Christ" and you reply "Amen." Be, then, a member of Christ's body, so that your "Amen" may accord with the truth.

        Yes, but why all this in bread? Here let us not advance any ideas of our own, but listen to what the Apostle says over and over again when speaking of this sacrament: «Because there is one loaf, we, though we are many, form one body» (1Cor 10,17). Let your mind assimilate that and be glad, for there you will find unity, truth, piety, and love. He says, «one loaf»: and who this one loaf? «We, though we are many, form one body». Now bear in mind that bread is not made of a single grain, but of many. Be, then, what you see, and receive what you are.

16 posted on 06/02/2013 7:01:09 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Sunday, June 02, 2013
The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Solemnity)

First Reading:
Psalm:
Second Reading:
Gospel:

Genesis 14:18-20
Psalm 110:1-4
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Luke 9:11-17

The more Christian and conscious people are of their dignity and of their vital role in the Church, the more they urgently feel the need for priests who are truly priests.

-- Pope John Paul

17 posted on 06/02/2013 7:26:07 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Just A Minute (Listen)
Some of EWTN's most popular hosts and guests in a collection of one minute inspirational messages. A different message each time you click.

18 posted on 06/02/2013 7:27:08 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

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.

19 posted on 06/02/2013 7:28:23 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

The Eucharist: A Sacrament That Allows Us to Live Together Our Discipleship

Pope Francis Celebrates Solemnity of Corpus Christi in Rome

Yesterday, Pope Francis presided over the Mass for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. The Mass, which took place in the square in front of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, was followed by a Eucharistic procession to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. The Holy Father led the procession on foot to the Papal Basilica.

During his homily, Pope Francis reflected on the Gospel account of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, focusing particularly on Christ’s words to the apostles: “You give them something to eat.” The Holy Father said that Jesus’ words bring about three themes: “discipleship, communion, and sharing.”

Pope Francis reminded the faithful of what called people to listen to Christ, who spoke with “the authority of someone who is genuine and consistent, and invited to follow Jesus in the Eucharist.

“Tonight we are the crowd of the Gospel, we seek to follow Jesus to listen to him, to enter into communion with him in the Eucharist, to accompany him and so that he may accompany us,” the Pope said. “Let us ask ourselves: how do I follow I Jesus? Jesus speaks in silence in the mystery of the Eucharist and each time reminds us that following him means coming out of ourselves and making our life not our own, but a gift to him and to the others.”

The disciples impulse to dismiss the crowd upon realizing the impossibility of feeding them, the Holy Father continued, is a temptation that Christians have, that of “Every man for himself.”

“How often do we Christians have this temptation! We do not care about other's needs, and dismiss them with a pitiful: "May God help you", or with a not so pitiful: "Good luck", and if I don't see you anymore [...],” the Pope said.

“But Jesus' solution goes in another direction, one that surprises his disciples: ‘You yourselves give them something to eat.’ But how can we feed a multitude? ‘We only have five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people». But Jesus is not discouraged: he asks the disciples to make the people sit in communities of fifty people, raises his eyes to heaven, recites the blessing, breaks the loaves and gives them to the disciples to distribute them.”

“It is a moment of profound communion: the crowd, quenched by the word of the Lord, is now nourished by his bread of life,” Pope Francis continued. “This evening, we too are around the Lord's table, the table of the Eucharistic sacrifice, in which he gives us once again his body, he makes present the one sacrifice of the cross.”

Pope Francis went on to say that the Eucharist is a sacrament of communion, which allows one to come out from one’s individualism and “live together our discipleship.”

Concluding his homily, the Holy Father drew from the example of the apostles sharing all that they had to feed the multitude, which were five loaves and two fishes, stating that Christ himself gave his Body and Blood as a gift to all.

In the Eucharist, the Holy Father said, “the Lord makes us travel his path, that of service, of sharing, of gift, and what little we have, what little we are, if shared, becomes wealth, because the power of God, which is that of love, descends into our poverty to transform it.

--- --- ---

On ZENIT’s web page:

For the full text of the Holy Father’s homily, go to: http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-francis-homily-for-the-solemnity-of-corpus-christi

20 posted on 06/02/2013 7:44:21 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

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