June is the Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

"It is in the adorable Heart of Jesus that we shall find every help for our necessities, every remedy for the cure of our ills, the most powerful assistance against the assaults of our enemies, the sweetest consolation to soothe our sufferings, the purest delight to fill our souls with joy.

Are you in sorrow? Do your enemies persecute you? Does the recollection of your past sins disturb you? Is your heart troubled or full of fear? Throw yourself…in the wounds of Jesus Christ, even into His Sacred Heart, it is a sanctuary, it is the retreat for holy souls, and a place of refuge wherein your soul is safe.

It is to Him and through Him that we should ask for all we require, it is through Him and in Him that we should offer to the Eternal Father all we do, because this Sacred Heart is the treasury of every supernatural gift, the source of every grace. It is the channel through which we unite ourselves more intimately to God, and through which God communicates Himself more freely. It is…to this Sacred Heart we should continually strive to unite ours, no longer wishing to have other desires or sentiments than those of Jesus, and then we may be sure that His will and His Sacred Heart may…merge into our heart, and that the two will be as one.

Draw waters at leisure out of the Savior's fountains, you will never exhaust them."

Cardinal St. Peter Damian, Doctor of the Church, c. 1007-c. 1072

“If all shall follow [this Consecration to the Sacred Heart] out with hearty good will, we not unreasonably expect extraordinary and lasting benefits for Christendom in the first place and also for the whole human race…And since there is in the Sacred Heart a symbol and a sensible image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love one another, therefore is it fit and proper that we should consecrate ourselves to His most Sacred Heart, an act which is nothing else than an offering and a binding of oneself to Jesus Christ, seeing that whatever honor, veneration and love is given to this divine Heart is really and truly given to Christ Himself.

…the most Sacred Heart of Jesus, with a cross rising from it and shining forth with dazzling splendor amidst flames of love. In that Sacred Heart all our hopes should be placed, and from it the salvation of men is to be confidently besought.”

Pope Leo XIII

Our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV has said he chose “Leo” because of the inspiration of Pope Leo XIII, who was devoted to the Sacred Heart, particularly after being healed of an illness.  Leo XIII pronounced an encyclical, Annum Sacrum (Sacred Year): “On Consecration To The Sacred Heart,” May 25th, 1899.  This consecration of the whole world to the Sacred Heart, he considered to be his greatest contribution, an excerpt of which is above.  It is beautifully written and well worth reading, rife with deep Christology, mentioning both Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas.  Leo XIII also discusses some of his social teaching (regarding Church and state), which everyone is talking about now, since this is what Leo XIV has pointed us towards.  Part of this consecration was the Litany of the Sacred Heart (PDF).  This effort was a completion of the investigation into the Sacred Heart devotion, under Pius IX.  Of course, Saint Margaret Mary of the 17th century, brought forth the Sacred Heart in a profound way, but it was not a new idea.  It is traced back to the Gospel account of the piercing of Our Lord’s Heart, and you can see Saint Peter Damian’s writings above, well before Margaret Mary.  Leo XIII’s encyclical brought this wonderful gift to a great fulfillment for our modern era. 

Pope Pius XII renewed the Vatican’s uplifting of the Sacred Heart with his encyclical, Haurietis Aquas (You Shall Drink the Waters): “On Devotion to the Sacred Heart,” May 15th, 1956.  It is likely he had read Peter Damian’s words above, “Draw waters at leisure out of the Savior's fountains,” and used this as inspiration for the title.  This encyclical is an exhaustive work, having 127 points, as opposed to Leo’s 15 points.  Again, well worth reading, I’m sure (I was able to read Leo’s but this one will be a project for the coming month). 

The theme of the Sacred Heart of Jesus pops up right away this month, on the First Friday, the 6th.  What a fabulous time to begin the “9 First Fridays Devotion to the Sacred Heart!”  This was given to Saint Margaret Mary directly by Our Lord and comes with 12 great promises.  It is longer than the Marian “5 First Saturdays” devotion, but simpler. The 27th is the feast of the Sacred Heart and the 28th is the Immaculate Heart.  It is no accident that the Church placed these feasts together, as Our Lord and His Mother are inseparable.  See these words from Haurietis Aquas…

"In order that favors in greater abundance may flow on all Christians, nay, on the whole human race, from the devotion to the most Sacred Heart of Jesus, let the faithful see to it that to this devotion the Immaculate Heart of the Mother of God is closely joined.

For, by God's Will, in carrying out the work of human Redemption, the Blessed Virgin Mary was inseparably linked with Christ in such a manner that our salvation sprang from the love and the sufferings of Jesus Christ to which the love and sorrows of His Mother were intimately united.

It is, then, entirely fitting that the Christian people, who received the divine life from Christ through Mary, after they have paid their debt of honor to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, should also offer to the most loving Heart of their heavenly Mother, the corresponding acts of piety, affection, gratitude and expiation. Entirely in keeping with this most sweet and wise disposition of divine Providence is the memorable act of consecration by which we ourselves solemnly dedicated Holy Church and the whole world to the spotless Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary."

Pope Pius XII

Theologically related to Jesus’ Heart, is the feast of Corpus Christi on the 19th, as this honors His Body and Blood.  On Sunday the 22nd, we celebrate Corpus Christi once again, so important is this feast (this is a simplified explanation of the 2 feasts).

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June begins with the feast of the Ascension of Our Lord in the post-conciliar calendar, which is effective in most provinces of the US.  (See blog post below for a meditation and litany you can print.)  Pentecost Sunday is the 8th.  The Novena to the Holy Ghost is prayed for 9 days prior (the original “Novena” of the 9 days between the Ascension and the Gift of the Paraclete), but don’t worry if you’re a bit late (see blog post below).  Pentecost has a vigil and an octave in the trad calendar, a week of joy.  Within this octave, we have the Ember Days of Summer on the 11th, 13th and 14th, which temper this octave with prayer and penance for the season.  One week after Pentecost, we have Trinity Sunday, which marks the beginning of “Time After Pentecost” in the trad calendar, extending till Advent.

His Holiness Leo XIV’s pontificate began in the month of Our Lady, who he has shown deep devotion to, and proceeds to the Month of the Sacred Heart, so loved by his patron predecessor.  Let us rejoice in this new day for Holy Mother Church and her children!

Here are some additional feasts, in the trad and post-con calendars:

9th-BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH

13th-Saint Anthony of Padua, Doctor of the Church

24th-Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (with vigil)

29th-Saints Peter & Paul, Apostles (with vigil)

30th-Commemoration of Saint Paul / First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church

Homeschool Activities for June

1)       Draw of picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus & the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

2)      What are the Ember Days?  Write a short explanation.

3)      Make a craft for the Ember Days, celebrating the season of Summer in a spiritual light.

+++ Cordis Sanctae Iesu, Miserere Nobis! +++

For the Sake of His Sorrowful Passion...

Have Mercy on Us and on the Whole World!

I wanted to share something I discovered when reading the traditional Good Friday “Adoration of the Cross,” which is the third of four parts of that day’s liturgy.

There is a text shortly after the beginning of the Adoration, which reads:

O holy God! O holy strong One!

O holy immortal One, have mercy upon us.

I’m sure this is very familiar to all of you, the words of the prayer at the end of the Divine Mercy Chaplet:

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One,

Have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Assuming Saint Faustina wrote those words, we now know where she most likely got it!

Some chaplet pamphlets will include an additional prayer from Faustina’s diary, “A Prayer for Divine Mercy.” Saying it this past week, I have been continually struck by the beauty of the last sentence:

“For Jesus is our Hope: through His merciful Heart as through an open gate,

we pass through to Heaven.”

It is fitting for this to be said during Paschal Time, as the Hebraic word “pasch” means “Passover” or “passage.” This originally referred to passing over the Red Sea. The idea of passage relates to so many facets of our Faith. There is a recurring theme of death leading to new life. Even nature sings this song, as the fallen leaves fertilize the ground for the next Spring. The sacramental life is all about various passages. The Passion, Resurrection and Ascension is all a flowing passage. It is an interwoven tapestry which gives us a lifetime of meditation upon these mysteries.

Easter Triduum Thoughts from FSSP

“Memento is a publication of the North American Province of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP).  It is published 10 times a year for the benefit of the supporters of the FSSP.”

If you support the traditional order of the Priestly Fraternity, you will receive the short newsletter mentioned above, at no additional cost.  It is very readable and very worth reading.  Here is a taste of what you will get, from their “Easter” April-May 2025 issue.  Here are a few quotes from 2 articles…

From the Provincial of the North American Province, Fr. William Lawrence:

“Without Our Divine Savior’s passion, death, and resurrection, death would have the ultimate victory over the human race, both physical and spiritual.”

“In the single most important aspect of our existence, our eternal salvation, we are unable to save ourselves, but are completely dependent upon the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.”

“The ultimate goal of creation and each part of it, can only be the glory of God.”

“Only God can bring a greater good out of evil.  The greater the evil, the more opposed it is to good and thus the greater the glory of God in overcoming it and bringing forth the good.”

From Dr. David Arias, Professor of Philosophy at the Fraternity’s Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, in Denton, Nebraska…he speaks of 2 mysteries related to the Resurrection, our bodily resurrection at the end of time and also the resurrection of the soul:

“According to the Angelic Doctor [Saint Thomas Aquinas], every time a sinner is justified by God’s grace, either in Baptism or by the forgiveness of mortal sin in Confession, his soul is quite literally raised from the dead.”

“St. Thomas and St. Augustine both maintain that when God raises souls from the dead, this divine work is greater than the creation of the heavens and the earth…

…every time God raises a soul from the dead through sanctifying grace, His act terminates at an imperishable supernatural good, namely, a created participation in the divine nature itself.”

Let us pray for the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter to flourish, receive many new vocations and continue to save souls throughout the world!  Please consider supporting them…and there may be a Fraternity parish near you, see above link.  My family has been very blessed by attending one of their parishes in New Jersey, Our Lady of Fatima, when we used to spend much time there.

4th Week of Advent from "Advent of the Heart" with PDF

ADVENT OF THE HEART

+   Fourth Week of Advent   +

Fr. Alfred Delp, German Martyr

Let us view these writings through the lens of our own times…

Opening of the Tridentine Mass (the Mass Fr. Delp would have celebrated):

“Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the Just: let the earth be opened and bud forth a Savior.  The heavens show forth the glory of God: and the firmament declareth the work of His hands.”

Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1941, Fourth Sunday of Advent:

“Advent has already called man three times.  It called through the shaking; it called to authenticity; and it called to confession of faith.  And now Advent calls a fourth time.  Without this fourth call, the other three are not possible…It is an old term, a forgotten word, and a forgotten value: fear of God…Man must learn again…to reckon with God as the ultimate category of reality, as the decisive judgment of all that exists…the person who has seen God, is so totally different, so totally other, because our God is totally Other…Further, someone who observes the otherness of the believer will be changed by it…”

Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1942, Pre-Christmas Reflection:

“We need to celebrate holy days in three ways.  First, by recalling a historical event…there is always a clearly defined event connected to the mystery, a clear statement intended, a fact.  This brings us to the second point.  Within all of the foregoing, a great mystery, the Mysterium, is hidden…These two points are followed by the third way, in which we must consider the feast to be serious and important…we should not come to Midnight Mass as if we do not live in the year 1942 [or 2024?].  The year must be redeemed along with everything else.  And from the Gloria, we have to take with us the peace and faith in the glory of God…and we are the last refuge for the homeless people who do not know anything about the Lord anymore.”

From Tegel Prison, Berlin, 1944, Fourth Sunday of Advent:

“Our life has become hard and harmful to an extent that far exceeds the natural measure of hardship and distress that were always part of life.  The liberation must begin with the great conversion…which, gathering itself to a mighty strength, will break through the frost-encrusted ground of adversity overnight…[Man] overlooks exterior signs of reality, and dulls his senses with daily routine until the avalanche of life drives him out of the cozy homes and well-tended gardens into the streets of distress and wandering…Life brings greater burdens and bears a richer cargo than we can cope with, comprehend, or manage alone…The great outcry to God must begin and not let up…The time of the great intercessors has come…Prepare the way.  This is a call to enter into history.”

PDF Printable Fourth Sunday of Advent

(For church or home use, or distribution.)

3rd Week of Advent from "Advent of the Heart" with PDF

Sorry a bit late on this, I’ve been researching the world situation much of my time…mysterious drones, looming world war and an incoming new US administration, it all interrelates in a deeply concerning way.

ADVENT OF THE HEART

+   Third Week of Advent   +

Fr. Alfred Delp, German Martyr

Let us view these writings through the lens of our own times.  All quotes below pertain to Gaudete Sunday, when we are called to be glad…

Opening of the Tridentine Mass (the Mass Fr. Delp would have celebrated):

“Gaudete in Domino Semper!”

“Rejoice in the lord always: again I say, rejoice.  Let your modesty be known to all men: for the Lord is nigh.  Be nothing solicitous: but in every thing by prayer let your petitions be made known to God.  Lord, Thou hast blessed Thy land: Thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob.”

Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1941:

“Someone facing the Ultimate will not be apathetic, not just accept everything simply because it is, and because it does not change, and because it goes on and on, and because it is happening everywhere…every overstepping of boundaries, every boundary violation and every usurping of power leads the whole thing to disaster.  Look at how these great leaders were shattered and how their work was shattered: Alexander, Caesar Augustus, Napoleon…It came when they were not content with the laurel wreath of greatness, but wanted to take the diadem of the Messiah.”

Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1942:

“…we read this wonderful Epistle:

Brethren, rejoice in the Lord…and the peace of God that passes all understanding preserve your hearts and thoughts in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Are these not images of the promise, and longing, and great questions of Advent?  Are they not images of what should be fulfilled when the veils fall, when the Lord reigns over the land?  Do we not seek a life in which joy would have a place once again?”

From Tegel Prison, Berlin, 1944:

“The great deception begins, the time of noise and crowds, organized feeding-frenzies, and massive festivities.  Until suddenly the earth quakes and the subterranean thunder, which one wanted to drown out with screaming, because one failed to understand it, breaks forth fully and mightily and fills the day with its call to judgment…Only one thing will help, and that is to hear the call of John the Baptist…The view for connections and content will be reopened to life, and the earth will be fruitfully flooded again by the streams of mission, confirmation, and mastery.  These are the streams that still carry the ship of life and lead it onward.  This is the first meaning of Gaudete in Domino.  Separated from the Lord, the whole thing atrophies!  We must keep telling people this.  It is the most important announcement of these days.  And we must know it and visibly live it as examples.”

*** PDF Printable Third Week Advent ***

2nd Week of Advent from "Advent of the Heart" with PDF

ADVENT OF THE HEART

+   Second Week of Advent   +

Fr. Alfred Delp, German Martyr

Let us view these writings through the lens of our own times.  All quotes below pertain to the Second Sunday of Advent…

Opening of the Tridentine Mass (the Mass Fr. Delp would have celebrated):

“People of Sion, behold the Lord shall come to save the nations: and the Lord shall make the glory of His voice to be heard, in the joy of your heart.  Give ear, O Thou that rulest Israel: Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep.”

Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1941:

“ To this message about being deeply shaken, the Second Sunday of Advent adds a new word, a message about man’s authenticity.  Someone who encounters the Ultimate, who knows about the end, must let go of every compromise.  In the presence of the Ultimate the only thing that survives is what is authentic.  All compromise shatters there.  All cheap negotiating shatters there.  All half-truths, and all double-meanings, and all masks, and all poses shatter there.  The only thing that stands the test is what is authentic.” 

Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1942:

“A variety of responsibilities will be imposed from this time forth…it is our responsibility to make a disturbance in the world that is strong enough in itself to tear this chaos out of its cycle and to lead the world back to its source.  Christians bear the responsibility to generate an authentic unrest within creation, through our existence, our word, and our work…We are obliged to be concerned about the destiny of the world.  Moreover, we must know that we gamble away our own individual salvation if we don’t play, or, to word it better, if we don’t fight, for salvation and order in the world…May we stand in this world, not as people in hiding, but as those who help prepare the way of the only-begotten Son of God.”

From Tegel Prison, Berlin:

“The great historical and personal hours of grace will always mean some form of awakening and return to a true order of reality.  This is also the meaning of Advent: not only promise, but rather conversion and transformation.  Plato would say, ‘orientation to a capability for truth.’  John the Baptist put it more simply, ‘Repent.’  The prayers and message of Advent push man out beyond every surface and bring him to a consciousness of the full sculptural dimensions and drama of his situation…A person filled with confidence in God will profit from this time and stand up to the test…May God break open the narrowness that confines us within ourselves, and make us capable of Him, and capable of His mission.”

SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT FR. DELP PDF PRINTABLE

FOR HOME OR CHURCH USE

1st Week of Advent from "Advent of the Heart" with PDF

Advent of the Heart

+   First Week of Advent   +

Fr. Alfred Delp, German Martyr

Let us view these writings through the lens of our own times.  Fr. Delp’s theological genius is nothing short of breathtaking.  All quotes below pertain to the First Sunday of Advent…

Opening Psalm of the Tridentine Mass (the Mass Fr. Delp would have celebrated):

“To Thee have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my trust, let me not be ashamed: neither let my enemies laugh at me: for none of them that wait on Thee shall be confounded. Show, O Lord, Thy ways to me: and teach me Thy paths.”

Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1941:

“Much of what is happening today would not be happening if people were in that state of inner movement and restlessness of heart in which man comes into the presence of God the Lord and gains a clear view of things as they really are.  [Fr. Delp changes to the past tense, displaying his distanced vantage point from this world.]  Then man would have let go of much that has thrown all our lives into disorder one way or another and has thrashed and smashed our lives.  He would have seen the inner appeals, would have seen the boundaries, and could have coordinated the areas of responsibility.  Instead, man stood on this earth in a false pathos and a false security, under a deep delusion in which he really believed he could single-handedly fetch stars from heaven; could enkindle eternal lights in the world and avert all danger from himself; that he could banish the night, and intercept and interrupt the internal quaking of the cosmos, and maneuvered and manipulated the whole thing into the conditions standing before us now.  That is the first Advent message: before the end, the world will be set quaking.”

Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1943:

“People who fail to live out of the center can be alienated from themselves so easily by outside influences.  Other values of secondary importance impose themselves, making life inauthentic and bringing it under an alien law and an alien paradigm.  Are we living out of the center of our being?”

From Tegel Prison, Berlin, 2 months before Delp’s martyrdom, struggling to write while in handcuffs.  These were smuggled out at great risk.  Do not take these words for granted:

“Light the candles wherever you can, you who have them.  They are a real symbol of what must happen in Advent, what Advent must be, if we want to live.”

PDF PRINTABLE

FOR FAMILY & CHURCH USE OR DISTRIBUTION

November Plenaries from the 1st to the 8th...Prepare for Them!

From Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary:

PLENARY INDULGENCE

An indulgence that can remove all the temporal punishment due to forgiven sin. No one but God knows for certain when a plenary indulgence is actually gained, because only He knows whether a person's dispositions are adequate. One norm for such dispositions is that "all attachment to sin, even venial sin, be absent." If these dispositions are in any way less than complete, the indulgence will only be partial. The same provision applies to the three external conditions necessary to gain a plenary indulgence: sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the Pope. If these conditions are not satisfied, an otherwise plenary indulgence becomes only partial. These conditions may be satisfied several days before or after the performance of the prescribed work, though preferably Communion should be received and the prayers offered for the Pope on the same day as the indulgenced work. A plenary indulgence can be gained only once a day.

From the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter’s Holy Cross Chaplaincy:

Six General Rules for Obtaining a Plenary Indulgence

1. State of grace…when performing the indulgenced act

2. Complete detachment from sin, even venial sin

3. Confession (20 days before or after the indulgenced act)

4. Communion (20 days before or after the indulgenced act)

5. Prayers for the Supreme Pontiff (20 days before or after the indulgenced act)

6. Indulgenced Act: a special good work with…conditions of place and time

Indulgenced Acts to be Performed for Obtaining a Plenary Indulgence for the Poor Souls of Purgatory

• From November 1 to 8: visit of a cemetery with mental prayer for the poor souls

• On November 2: visit of a church or an oratory with one Our Father and one Creed being recited

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

Ascension Thursday of Our Lord with Meditation and Litany

"And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures.  And ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father." 

Ascension Thursday, an endangered holyday, is very special to me, since my only child was born on this feast.  I have previously written a Rosary Meditation on this Mystery, as well as a Litany.  This litany is based on the format of the Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and the traditional Mass for the Ascension.  Please see below and pray with your family tonight!  There is also a PDF of the Litany at the bottom. 

We should also keep in mind, novenas to the Holy Ghost are often said during the 9 days between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost.  Catholic Online states:  “This is the prototype of all novenas. It commemorates the nine days between the Ascension of Our Lord and the Descent of the Holy Ghost on the first Pentecost Sunday. During this time Our Lady and the twelve Apostles prayed in the Cenacle for the coming of the Paraclete. Our Lord Himself instituted this novena, and it is celebrated every year by the whole Church.”  The Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts is well-known, quite beautiful, and there are indulgences attached.   

Meditation on the Ascension of Our Lord 

Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, has risen triumphantly from the dead, but the Story is not over yet.  He appeared to his Mother and the Apostles for forty days, preparing them to cross the threshold, the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth through the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.  When this task was sufficient, as the Apostles looked on, "He was raised up: and a cloud received Him out of their sight." (Acts 1:9)  The Ascension of Our Lord is paralleled only by His Coming at the End of Time, wholly unique events in human history, singular in glory, majesty and wonder.  In the Old Law, the Father condescends to come to earth, as when He speaks to Moses in the Burning Bush and the institution of the Ten Commandments.  Now the Son, establishing the New Law, rises up, showing us how real and attainable Heaven is.  Our Lord opened access to Heaven on the Holy Cross and in His Ascension, He makes the leap Himself.  He wants us to follow Him there-that was the whole purpose of His life on earth and the whole purpose of our own lives.  To ensure we get there, He creates the physical, visible bridge to Heaven, the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. 

A number of the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary involve the meeting of Heaven and earth.  The Ascension, the Assumption and the Crucifixion each traverse the distance from earth to Heaven.  The Descent of the Holy Ghost, the Annunciation, the Baptism of Our Lord and the Transfiguration each involve Heaven coming down to earth.  Heaven also meets earth in the miracles and apparitions of the Church.  Lourdes is unique in that the miraculous water stays with us to this day and Fatima was unique in the witnessing of the "Miracle of the Sun" by thousands.  Our Holy Church calls down the powers of Heaven in every sacrament.  Our Lord's Ascension was His final sign that we are free to enter Heaven with Him, through the Church that could be built only upon His departure. 

Heaven and earth are not just places.  They represent the relationship between God and His children.  As any parent/child relationship, it is bound to be difficult.  It’s difficult for the child to see the wisdom of the parent and it’s difficult for the parent to let the child go when it is time.  We can easily see the similarity here in how we perceive God.  But can we see how God perceives us?  As much as we love our own children and grieve over their absence, how much more does the Father love and grieve over us?  So much, that He sent His only Son to die for us.  The wrenching a parent feels when setting the child free, is only a faint hint of what the Father feels over one lost soul.  That is why He cannot leave us alone.  That is why He keeps interfering.  From the manna in the desert to the Bread of Life, He cannot bear to leave His children starving.  How much longer will He allow the innocent to spiritually starve in this corrupt culture?  The Ascension tells us there is another world He has prepared for us, that Heaven is our true home, sainthood our natural state. 

Though our Blessed Lord rose away from earth on that day when the Apostles saw him lifted up to the sky, He remains with us always.  He has established His perennial Presence in the Holy Eucharist, residing in every tabernacle throughout the world.  He has built His Church, preserving all His precepts.  What more could He have done for us?  The Gospel of Saint Matthew ends with these words:  "...teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world." (Matt 28:18-20)  The angels say, "This Jesus who is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come, as you have seen Him going into Heaven," foretelling the Second Coming at the End of Time. (Acts 1:11)  Dearest Jesus, Who ascended in glory to show me Heaven, may I always trust that Thou remain with me in this world, even in my most difficult moments.  Amen. 

Litany of the Ascension of Our Lord 

Lord, have mercy on us.  Christ, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us.  Lord, hear us.  Lord, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.

God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us. 

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Lord, Ascended to the right Hand of the Father, have mercy on us.

Lord, Ascended forty days after Thy Resurrection, etc.

Lord, Ascended in the company of angels,

Lord, Ascended in the company of Thy Holy Mother,

Lord, Ascended in the company of Thine Apostles,

Lord, Ascended before us, where we are to follow,

Lord, Ascended with a shout and the sound of a trumpet,

Lord, Ascended with great song,

Lord, Who shall so come as we have seen Thee going up,

Lord, Who calls us to mindfulness of heavenly things,

Lord, Who sent Thine Apostles to the uttermost part of the earth,

Lord, Who was raised up into a cloud,

Lord, Who led captivity captive,

Lord, Who saves the believer and the baptized,

Lord, Who condemns the unbeliever,

Lord, Who glorifies Thy children,

Lord, Who protects Thy children,

Lord, Who mercifully grants Everlasting Life,

Lord, Who mounts above the Heaven of Heavens to the east, 

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Be merciful, spare us, O Lord.

Be merciful, graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, O Lord.

Lord, hear us.  Lord, graciously hear us. 

Let Us Pray 

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who said:  "Go ye into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature," grant we beseech Thee, to wage a fearless war for souls, ever defending the truth of the Good News, that we may one day follow Thee to the place of Thine Ascension, beyond the clouds.  May we keep this vision before us always, making all our burdens light, all the darkness of this present life bearable.  Make us, O Lord, to reverence and keep pure, our sacred bodies, a reflection of which ascended in glorified form to the Father, Who lives and reigns, world without end.  Amen.

 Printable Version

+++ HOLY SATURDAY / THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER +++

Our Sorrowful Mother with 30 Pieces of Silver at Her Feet

30 Pieces of Silver, the Price of the Life of Our Blessed Lord

Yes, that is really 30 pieces of silver. There is something greatly emotional about holding them in your hand. It gives a new perspective on the Gospel account of Judas’ betrayal. It brings tears to your eyes. It is the price of what is priceless. It seems to cut into the collective heart, to the deepest part of what it means to be human…and not just human, but redeemed human. This small heap of silver taps into an inner knowing beyond the conscious mind. Somehow, part of us knows what it is looking at. The glittering in the light. The weight which feels as if it lies upon your very heart. The small amount of value, but the greatest spiritual significance.

“Then went one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, to the chief priests, And said to them: What will you give me, and I will deliver him unto you?”

Matthew 26:14

Note: This is about all the silver I own, so don’t come to my house thinking I have a ton of it:) BTW, the weight of this silver coin was 1 lb, 9.6 oz. It really is an experience to hold it in your hands. Think about silver.