Isaiah 53:5

FOR HE WAS PIERCED FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS,
HE WAS CRUSHED FOR OUR SINS;
THE PUNISHMENT THAT BROUGHT US PEACE WAS UPON HIM,
AND BY HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED…

O Lord, broken, weighed down, indeed crushed for our sins, have mercy upon my soul. Dispose my heart to receive all the graces you have for me this day, this week, this year and for my whole life upon this earth, however long you intend that to be. So that I may meet you without the baggage of self on that fateful day, the day of my death, give me Your most wonderful Mother as my Mother. Take all I have, my hopes and dreams, my desires and failures, my sins and merits, my very self, however insignificant I am- I am Yours. Have mercy upon me and all whom I love. Thank you Blessed Saviour, my Lord Jesus, crucified upon the cross of calvary. Amen.

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PASSION SUNDAY-PALM SUNDAY AND THE WEEK THAT CHANGED THE WORLD!

Today begins the commemoration of the greatest events in human history. Indeed, the greatest events in the universe- when the Lord of creation made Himself vulnerable to evil in order to save as many souls as would turn to Him.

Sin was a discordant note in the song of creation and it would seem that the only way to make sense of it would be to use it as the first note of a new composition, the song of redemption. On this day, Palm Sunday, I am reminded of the image of Our Blessed Saviour entering Jerusalem on the back of an ass! Can you imagine the King of Kings humbling Himself to such an extent? Not for Him the stately white stallion or a handsome litter borne by slaves. No, He became a slave and rode on the back of a new donkey, one that had never been ridden.

What does a slave do? A slave does things no one else wants to do. Dirty, messy, onerous, difficult tasks. This is what Our Lord did for us. He lived the life we can not live and He died the death we can not die. Our Brother becomes our slave.

Read the words of the great poem of the donkey by G.K. Chesterton…

When fishes flew and forests walked,
And figs grew upon thorn.
Some moment when the moon was blood,
then surely I was born!

With monstrous head and sickening cry,
and ears like errant wings;
The devil’s walking parody
of all four-footed things.

The tattered outlaw of the earth,
Of ancient, crooked will;
Starve, scourge, deride me!: I am dumb,
I keep my secret still…

Fools! Far off wise and proud- I also had my hour;
One far fierce hours and sweet:
When there were shouts about my ears,
and palms beneath my feet!

One last thought… Our Lord borrowed the little donkey. “Tell them the Lord has need of it.”- and the Lord promises to return it. He will never take anything from you that He does not return with greater worth. “Pressed down, shaken together and overflowing,” He will give back more than He ever takes. He does not want golden vessels. He does not want silver vessels. He wants YIELDED vessels.

O Lord, help me to yield myself to You. Open my heart with Your dolorous passion and fill me with all good things. Keep me mindful of Your great love and of the needs of others. Amen.

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Hebrews 13:2

I have a dear friend who lives in Santa Barbara. She is a nurse with a special charism- she ministers to the dying. I would go as far as to say that she is a holy person, though she would never admit it. She is kind, loving, humble and prayerful. It is always a joy to visit her, which I did recently. Since Santa Barbara is a fair stretch I drove up late one day and spent the night in a motel so we could spend the next day together.

I had found a very nice place to stay and after I checked in I realized I was hungry. I noticed a Gelson’s nearby, so I bundled myself up and hurriedly made my way to the market. I passed a small library and noticed a homeless man calmly sitting on the stoop. I made a cursory glance and something clicked in my consciousness. I don’t know what it was but I couldn’t get his image out of my mind.

Gelson’s is a high end market, (perfect for Santa Barbara) and they have many cooked items and treats designed to make one’s mouth water. As I ladled out some thick, tasty soup my mind started to concentrate on dessert, (priorities!) Still, I couldn’t get the homeless man’s visage out of my mind. All of a sudden I realized what it was. I knew him. Whether I had met him years ago from a church or from my performing days, I knew not, but I knew him. I decided to get a bottle of water for him and since it was night I would pretend I didn’t recognize him, so as not to bring him embarrassment. On the way back to the inn I broke his reverie and asked him if he wanted the water. Gratefully he took it along with the couple of dollars I pressed into his hand. When I got back to my room I started eating while watching the television, (priorities!) I kept trying to remember him but it wouldn’t come to mind.

After a hot bath I finished my rosary and went to bed. I said a prayer for the man. I slept fitfully for several hours until all of a sudden I woke up in the middle of the night and felt a presence in my room. A flood of emotion came over me because I knew in that moment… and I knew that I knew that I knew. I will never forget the experience. I laid back down and closed my eyes. I wish I had given him my soup.

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The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

When Our Blessed Lord instituted the Eucharist He left nothing to chance. It is interesting that Judas had left the Last Supper when Christ ordained His apostles in the continuing sacrifice; That same sacrifice of Christ upon the Cross of Calvary, but in an unbloody manner.

When Our Lord said, “Do this in remembrance of Me,” the actual word in scripture is “anemnesis,” which literally translated means- “TO BRING ME BACK!” This is the ordinary way of grace, the great fountain of the sacraments, the Blessed Lord Jesus- Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the “Breaking of the Bread.”

Christ loves us so much that He, in actuality, BECOMES OUR FOOD AND DRINK! He becomes vulnerable again in the hands of man, so that He may remain with His people and feed them with Himself to the end of time. He is the Prisoner of Love in the tabernacle. This is His promise… “I am with you always; Even to the consummation of the world!”

A simple explanation of the Holy Mass is this:

The Mass is the sacrifice of the Christian dispensation in which the very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ under the appearances of bread and wine are offered to God by a lawfully ordained priest. The Sacrifice of the Mass is offered to render honor and glory to God, to thank Him for His benefits; To make reparation for the sins of mankind, and to beg of God the graces and blessings we need. It is offered not only in praise and thanksgiving, but in reparation and petition. It represents and continues in our midst the one, great sacrifice of Jesus upon the Cross of Calvary, and is offered for all the purposes for which He died. Christ died once and for all upon the Cross but continues this self same sacrifice in an unbloody manner in the institution of the Eucharist, which is His intent and which we celebrate at His command.

How wonderful and magnificent is this great gift of God to His children! Let us be thankful for the real mass and unite ourselves with Christ as it is offered throughout the world this day and every day until the end of time.

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March 1st., 2013- First Friday

MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS, FRIEND OF THE LONELY HEART-
YOU ARE MY HAVEN. YOU ARE MY PEACE.
YOU ARE MY SALVATION. YOU ARE MY SERENITY IN MOMENTS OF STRUGGLE
AND AMIDST AN OCEAN OF DOUBTS.
YOU ARE THE BRIGHT RAY THAT LIGHTS UP THE PATH OF MY LIFE.
YOU ARE EVERYTHING TO A LONELY SOUL.
YOU UNDERSTAND THE SOUL ALTHOUGH IT REMAINS SILENT.
YOU KNOW OUR WEAKNESS, AND, LIKE A GOOD PHYSICIAN,
YOU COMFORT AND HEAL, SPARING US SUFFERINGS, EXPERT THAT YOU ARE.
AMEN.

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A Lenten Prayer

O Great Absolver, grant my soul may wear
the lowliest garb of penitence and prayer,
That in the Father’s courts my glorious dress
May be the garment of Thy righteousness!

Yea, Thou wilt answer for me, righteous Lord;
Thine all the merits, mine the great reward-
Thine the sharp thorns, and mine the golden crown;
Mine the life won, and Thine the life laid down!

-Samuel J. Stone

Thank You, dear and ever Lord Jesus for the great sacrifice you gave on our behalf. Keep us mindful of your suffering children throughout the world and right before us. Give us Thine eyes to see with; Thine ears to hear with; Thy mouth to speak Thy words of comfort; Thy nail pierced hands to lift up the trodden and Thy will to do good always and everywhere, that we may be counted among the just. Lord of Love, love us now as we have need of Thee! Amen and Amen…

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A Prayer for Victims of Clergy Abuse

Most Loving Father, Look with pity upon the innocent souls who have been sorely abused by those who would call themselves Your priests. Give them Your compassion and strength to bear this terrible cross. Do not allow them, in their confused state, to blame themselves in any way for the crimes committed against them. Through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, give them signal graces to remain true to You in spite of the temptation to leave Holy Mother Church because of the perversions of those who purport to speak in Your Name. Give them justice according to Your divine law, and remedy according to earthly statute. Hold them in Your holy hands of love, You Who are Love Itself.
We ask this in the Name and through the Passion of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in the Holy Ghost, One, Eternal God. Amen.

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I Must Weigh In

This will be a controversial post, but one that I feel compelled to write. Years ago I warned folks about Roger Mahoney in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, where I live, (but am not a part of in any other way.) I was ashamed for the Catholic people who allowed this man to stay in power. (I had long ago been ashamed of the Newchurch hierarchy.) What I am writing now, all my friends know I have talked about for years.

The fact that the Los Angeles Times has and the local broadcast media have not stepped up to the plate like the Boston Globe did is very telling, and I feel that there will be revelations eventually as to why this is so. The people and media of Boston unmasked the friend of predators Bernard “Cardinal” Law and it was only the corrupt Newchurch Vatican that allowed him to escape on a diplomatic passport. He is now living a life of luxury in Rome, while victims of his “priests” suffer with painful memories to the day they die.

I believe there is more to the resignation of Ratzinger than the spiritual reasons the Newchurch is proffering. It is my opinion that Europe and Central and South America will erupt in the next couple of years with abuse cases of their own. The powers that be want a clean house and new leadership at the top when this happens. Ratzinger’s hands are dirty, and we all know it. They want someone fresh and seemingly new that can staunch the flow of both money and souls, (mostly money- which is why they allow the Latin Mass now more than they ever have.)

Watch for a cardinal that is not tainted by any of this scandal; an African, for instance. Then they can point with pride to their seeming “true catholicity” when they elect him. WATCH! I believe the fix is already in and has been for a while.

It is unheard of that the “ex-pope, (!)” will still live in the Vatican after his resignation! This is because he will still enjoy diplomatic immunity while a Vatican citizen. If he went off to a monastery in Germany or elsewhere he could be deposed and arrested. This way, behind the walls of the Vatican, he is safe from the hands of earthly justice.

The Evil One has entered the corridors of the church and has laid the foundation for these scandals and attacks against the priesthood long, long ago. One of the signs of this is that these churchmen are much more concerned about their image than the victims of these crimes.

Our Blessed Lord said it all- “By their fruits shall ye know them!” The fruits of Vat. II are rotten and it could not be a sound tree from which they come. I leave you with the words of the Invisible Head of the Church, Our Lord Jesus Christ: “If anyone offend one of these little ones, it would be better for him to have a millstone tied around his neck and to be thrown into the depths of the sea!” You can run to the nunnery Josef, but you can’t hide! God have mercy on you and your cohorts, but mostly may He have compassion on your victims.

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A Simple Prayer

O Lord, the ocean is so big
and my boat is so small-
See how I have need of Thee!

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What’s Going On?

Ratzinger resigns. Lightning hits the Vatican. A meteor explodes over Russia. Are these portents of things to come? I believe so. Prayer is needed more than ever. Prayer united to the sufferings of Christ. Prayer united to the Cross of Calvary. Prayer united to the Sacrifice of the Mass being offered throughout the world this day and every day until the end of time. Prayer especially united to the Blessed Mother, who warned us in her apparitions about these times. Pray. Pray like have never prayed before, and WATCH! WATCH… WATCH…

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