We rejoice in our two New Saints!! Divine Mercy Sunday!!! April 27, 2014

	Sunday, April 27, 2014 Divine Mercy Sunday Canonization  of  Popes John XIII & John Paul II Divine Mercy Mass at 2:00 pm followed by Divine mercy devotions and the veneration of the  First Class Relics of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY APRIL 27, 2014 CANONIZATION OF POPE JOHN XXII AND JOHN PAUL II & ST FAUSTINA SECRETARY OF JESUS' MERCY ...

        Divine Mercy in my Soul by St. Maria Faustina Kowalska Film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-Ws7hPe8Qk

John Paul II's Vision of Family and Marriage for the New Evangelization

Pope John Paul II blesses a baby in the Sistine Chapel on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord in 2002. (CNS photo/Catholic Press Photo)

Divine Mercy Chaplet  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4M-NrPRdms

John Paul II's Vision of Family and Marriage for the New Evangelization | Rolando Moreno | CWR

The family is an active and vital agent in establishing a civilization of love and the renewal of Christian culture

As Catholics reflect on the legacy of St. John Paul II, we will hear a great deal about his papacy and its global impact. However, I am convinced that as time passes he will be memorialized above all—at least by the Church—as a preeminent champion of marriage and family life.

St. John Paul II believed the family would play a vital role in the new springtime of evangelization and was much more than mere bystander in the Church’s evangelizing mission. He presented an inherently positive and bold view of marriage and family life. He was confident that no ideology, however daunting, can extinguish what God has set in motion. While the family finds itself in the midst of an eroding cultural crisis, facing militant attempts to redefine marriage contrary to reason and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, John Paul II redirects our gaze to the truth of Christian marriage as a fruit of the redemption of Christ. He saw the family in its full potential in the order of grace—that if lived according to this potential in Christ, it could change the culture and the world. For John Paul II, the family is an active and vital agent in establishing a civilization of love and the renewal of Christian culture.

As evident from his numerous writings on this topic (most notably “Original Unity of Man and Woman”, Familiaris Consortio and“Letter to Families”), John Paul presented the family as rooted in the economy of salvation—that is, God's act of creating the world and offering salvation through Christ—with an important role to play in the order of redemption. The family, as such, must continue the work of Christ and this work must begin first within itself, within each individual family before affecting the extended community.

Many mistakenly think that magisterial teaching is too theological, and thus impractical, to be effectively used for the work in the Lord’s vineyard. And some may be intimidated by John Paul’s reflections, seeing them as daunting, too philosophical and overly academic. Yet, despite the scholarship and depth of his writing, John Paul had no intention of having his teachings about the human person remain only on the academic level. Rather, his reflections are deeply Christological and Trinitarian, and meant to change lives.

Marriage in the Economy of Salvation

The world, explained John Paul, has been penetrated by the Divine in startling fashion. “For by his incarnation the Son of God united himself in a certain way with every man. The divine mystery of the Incarnation of the Word thus has an intimate connection with the human family” (LF 2). Marriage has a role in the economy of salvation; it is and can be an instrument of redemption for the world. Having been taken up into Christ, it extends to the temporal order, thereby building a civilization of love.

Continue reading on the CWR site.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Images of the Priest in the Life and Thought of John Paul II

Images of the Priest in the Life and Thought of John Paul II | George Weigel | HPR

If there is one great truth to be learned from the luminous, world-transforming priestly ministry that Karol Wojtyła, Pope John Paul II, gave to the Church, it is this: a true priestly vocation begins with a commitment to radical discipleship.

It has been nine years since the remarkable events that unfolded between February and April, 2005—and still our minds and imaginations, and perhaps our prayers as well, come back, time and again, to the last illness and death of Pope John Paul II. Those memories take on special resonance as his canonization draws near.

It was an extraordinary human drama—perhaps one of the few genuinely global dramas in history. An entire world gathered, metaphorically, around the bed in the papal apartment to help John Paul II through what he called, in his spiritual testament, his “Passover.” Yet, February, March, and early April 2005 unfolded as not just an extraordinary human drama, but as an extraordinary Christian drama and, indeed, an extraordinary priestly drama.  For what the world saw (whether it recognized it in these terms or not), and what the Church lived through (and hopefully recognized as such), was manifestly the death of a priest. For the last time, Karol Wojtyła led the Church and the world into an experience of the Paschal Mystery.  And that is the essence of the vocation of priests: to lead the Church, and the world, into an experience of the mystery of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen.

How did the late pope do that? As my mind’s eye turns back to those dramatic days, certain vignettes, etched in poignancy, stand out.

I remember the Pope returning to the Vatican from the Policlinico Gemelli hospital on February 10 and March 13, 2005, with throngs of Romans crowding the streets to welcome back the man they had once thought of as lo straniero  (“the stranger”) but whom they now thought of, quite literally, as il papa (“father”).

I think of the Pope with a palm branch in his hand at the window of the Apostolic Palace on Palm Sunday.

I remember the Pope in his chapel in the papal apartment on Good Friday evening, holding fast to a crucifix while watching the Via Crucis at the Roman Colosseum on television. On that occasion, the Pope was back-shot, the television camera behind him so that all that you saw were his back and his hands holding that cross. Why, some television commentators asked? It was not, I replied, in order to hide his tracheotomy and his suffering, but rather to underscore the message this most visible of men in history (who had been seen live by more human beings than anyone else, ever) had taken around the world: “Don’t look at me; look at Jesus Christ.”

Saint John Paul II, Alive Among the Saints

Saint John Paul II, Alive Among the Saints | Douglas Bushman | Catholic World Report

The great Polish pope constantly emphasized the universal call to holiness as demonstrated in the lives of the saints.

At the outset of his Petrine ministry and several times thereafter, Pope Wojtyla told us that his pontificate was dedicated to the faithful interpretation and implementation of the Second Vatican Council. He also told us that central to the renewal of Vatican II is the universal call to holiness. “[T]his call to holiness is precisely the basic charge entrusted to all the sons and daughters of the Church by a Council which intended to bring a renewal of Christian life based on the Gospel” (Christifideles Laici, 16).

The Jubilee of the Year 2000 was the occasion for him to reassert: “Holiness…has emerged more clearly as the dimension which expresses best the mystery of the Church. Holiness, a message that convinces without the need for words, is the living reflection of the face of Christ” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 8). In keeping with his constant exhortation to read and to study the texts of Vatican II, he appealed to all to “rediscover the full practical significance of Chapter 5 of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, dedicated to the ‘universal call to holiness.’”

“[T]he heart of holiness is love” (Ecclesia in America, 30), that is, participation in divine life in and through Christ’s paschal charity, which is the soul of the apostolate, the inner dynamism of all ministry, apostolate, service, and mission. “[T]he call to the mission derives, of its nature, from the call to holiness” (Address of May 15, 1998). At the same time, holiness is the ultimate goal of the Church’s activities. For this reason, “all pastoral initiatives must be set in relation to holiness” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 30). “[I]n the life of the Church every call to action is a call to holiness” (Address of May 3, 1984).

“Now, no less than in the past, the call to holiness must be the chief concern of all the Church’s members” (Ad limina address of May 26, 1992). This is the primary way of participation in the life and mission of the Church, the foundation for every other vocation, without which ecclesiastical activity is deprived of its vital principle. Holiness is the key to the New Evangelization.

Evangelization in the third millennium must come to grips with the urgent need for a presentation of the Gospel message which is dynamic, complete, and demanding. The Christian life to be aimed at cannot be reduced to a mediocre commitment to “goodness” as society defines it; it must be a true quest for holiness. We need to re-read with fresh enthusiasm the fifth chapter of Lumen Gentium, which deals with the universal call to holiness. Being a Christian means to receive a “gift” of sanctifying grace which cannot fail to become a “commitment” to respond personally to that gift in everyday life. It is precisely for this reason that I have sought over the years to foster a wider recognition of holiness, in all the contexts where it has appeared, so that Christians can have many different models of holiness, and all can be reminded that they are personally called to this goal. (Letter to Priests, Mar 25, 2001)

Meditations on the saints

An often-overlooked aspect of Pope St. John Paul II’s pontificate is the numerous apostolic letters he wrote on the saints:

The Divine Mercy Canonization of Saint John Paul II By the dawn of the 21st Century, Karol Wojtyla was dubbed “John Paul the Great” by many. On Divine Mercy Sunday, the Church confirms what the world already knew. Two names are added to the Communion of Saints on Divine Mercy Sunday 2014, and midway through this second decade of the 21st Century, one of them still looms large in the living memory of millions, Catholics and not. I must write especially of Saint John Paul II because his Holy Father-hood is like a set of bookends framing my life as a priest. I have written of him before, and of the origin of his being dubbed “John Paul the Great” for his monumental impact on the state of world affairs. That post was “The Beatification of Pope John Paul II” and it began, ironically enough, in the era in which Angelo Roncali became Pope John XXIII. I described that era, and all that it entailed for the Church in the lives of millions, in the first of a two-part 2012 post entitled “Vatican II Turns Fifty: Catholic in an Age of Discontent.” It’s also an ironic twist that John XXIII was beatified by John Paul II, but on this Divine Mercy Sunday they are canonized together. So in a sense, this tribute to one is a profound bow to the sainthood of both. I don’t want to begin with the negative, but sometimes it’s best to just get the detractors out of the way. The Media Report had an article about the recent PBS Frontline presentation entitled “Secrets of the Vatican.” The Frontline piece was co-produced for PBS by Jason Berry, and it was clear, for those who would see, that the agenda behind it had nothing to do with protecting children from sexual abuse. The triple crown PBS and Jason Berry aimed for was Holy Week, Easter, and the Divine Mercy Canonization of Pope John Paul II. One prisoner who watched it thinking it might be a tour of the Vatican Museum called it “Jason Berry’s hatchet job on the Catholic Church.” Had PBS settled on that more honest title, its ratings might have been higher. The timing of such productions is carefully synchronized, of course, to coincide with any big Catholic news coming out of Rome. As the Canonization of these two 20th Century popes made headlines, so did the efforts to defame them. I wrote of the timing of such ploys just after Holy Week a few years ago in “Breaking News: I Got Stoned With the Pope!” The papal media target then was Benedict the Beloved, and as that post revealed, it has become a tradition of sorts in modern media to deck the halls with anti-Catholic slurs during the seasons of both Christmas and Easter. The strategy is that if enough mud can be thrown during times when Catholics on the fence assess their faith, some will ultimately abandon it. It must be terribly frustrating for those behind such campaigns that at Easter this year, tens of thousands of adults thinking for themselves in the U.S. alone were received into the Catholic faith. Thousands more returned after decades away. TSW readers heard from one two weeks ago in “Coming Home to the Catholic Faith I Left Behind.” Will such stories find their way into Jason Berry’s next PBS Holy Week special? Don’t count on it! But there is now a far more important story to tell. A POPE’S 33 DAYS The summer of 1978 was a strange one for me. I had graduated early that summer from Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire. A life-changing discernment to leave the Capuchin order to become a diocesan priest had culminated in sweeping change for me that summer. I became a priesthood candidate for the Diocese of Manchester and was assigned to commence graduate studies toward M. Div. and S.T.M. degrees at St. Mary Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland, a Pontifical Institute and the nation’s oldest Roman Catholic seminary. It was a summer of transition, and in the background of its whirlwind of change for me was the death of Pope Paul VI and the election of Albino Luciani, Archbishop of Venice, who became Pope John Paul. Thirty-three days later, on the morning of September 28, 1978, came a knock on my seminary room door. “The Pope has died,” said an unidentified voice on the other side. “Um . . . that was a month ago,” I responded. “No,” said the voice, “the NEW Pope has died.” I never knew who the voice was, but as I made my way through the cavernous corridors toward class that morning the shock of the story was everywhere. Eighteen days later, on October 16, 1978, the same Conclave of papal electors, who chose the first Pope John Paul just 51 days before, elected a successor. Karol Jozef Wojtyla, Archbishop of Krakow, Poland, became the first non-Italian pope since 1522. He took the name, John Paul II in honor of the first whose reign was the shortest in Church history. The new pope was 58 years old, spoke 14 languages, and would reign for 27 years – one of the longest in Church history – until his death on April 2, 2005. With my nose buried in a textbook when that knock came on my door in 1978, I had no way to know of the long, twisted road upon which priesthood would take me. I instantly remembered that day as though yesterday, however, when 27 years later on April 2, 2005, a knock came on my cell door as a prisoner’s voice reported the news: “The Pope has died.” In between these two events, Pope John Paul the Great visited 129 countries, beatified 1, 342 souls, canonized 483 saints, promulgated 14 encyclicals, and in his spare time he dismantled the Soviet Union, tore down the Berlin Wall, and brought European Communism to its knees. Is that last point an exaggeration? Not according to the KGB. The Catholic press is filled this week with accounts of the legacies of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II, but for the latter, at least, the secular media has also been filled with tributes to him, and foremost among these is John Paul’s role in the collapse of the Soviet Union. I rely on some of these tributes more than I do the Catholic press for this post because we might expect all but chronically dissenting Catholics to hold John Paul in high regard. The key to his witness, however, is found elsewhere. One such source is a superb book by Eric Metaxas (www.EricMetaxas.com) entitledSeven Men and the Secret of their Greatness (Thomas Nelson, 2013). Seven Men is a profile in courage with subjects chosen by Eric Metaxas because they were exemplars of manhood, bravery, and public witness to the courage of their convictions. Among them for this prolific and highly regarded non-Catholic writer of Pope John Paul II: “Of all the men in this book, there is only one who has come to be called ‘the Great.’ John Paul the Great . . . . The man whom the Polish authorities once regarded as harmless became one of the key figures in the collapse of communism across Europe.” (Eric Metaxas, pp. 141, 157) The threat this pope posed to the communist agenda did not go unnoticed by the KGB. In “The Enduring Legacy of John Paul II” (Catalyst, December 2010) Ronald Rychlak chronicled Soviet KGB involvement in the assassination attempts, first of John Paul’s reputation and character, and then of John Paul himself. Reviewing Witness to Hope(HarperCollins 1999), George Weigel’s magisterial biography of Pope John Paul II, Ronald Rychlak described the KGB anxiety about this pope: “Within months of his election, John Paul II ignited a revolution of conscience in Poland and it ultimately led to the collapse of European Communism and the demise of the Soviet Union.” (Ronald Rychlak, Catalyst) I also wrote of the story of KGB targeting of both Pope John Paul II and Pope Pius XII in “Hitler’s Pope, Nazi Crimes, an The New York Times.” I was not at all alone in seeing the great thorn in the side that Pope John Paul had courageously become for communism and its intent to dominate Europe, and then the world. In “Popes, Atheists and Freedom” (WSJ, December 30, 2010) Daniel Henninger wrote of Pope John Paul’s courageous confrontation with the Soviet Union: “In 1984, after John Paul had completed two pastoral pilgrimages to Communist Poland, a conference was convened by members of the KGB, Warsaw Pack, and Cuban intelligence services. Its purpose: to discuss joint measures for combating the ‘subversive activities’ of the Vatican.” POPE JOHN PAUL II AND THE MIRACLE OF FATIMA I sometimes think that I am among the priesthood’s worst skeptics. I write of measurable things, after all: history and science, the Voyager Spacecraft among the stars, and theHiggs Boson God Particle. If someone told me when I was ordained 32 years ago that I would one day be writing about a connection between Pope John Paul and the Miracle of Fatima, I would not have believed it. It was Father Michael Gaitley, MIC, who opened my eyes. The great Marian author of 33 Days to Morning Glory wrote something about John Paul II that did more than open my eyes. It shook my world. What follows is a summary. In 1917, during World War I, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. I have always accepted this because the Church accepts it, but I have also always tried not to think too much about it. No, it’s much worse than that. I once, as a much younger priest, scoffed at it all. I kept my scoffing to myself, but the whole story of Fatima was reduced in my mind to a lot of pre-scientific nonsense. It was Mary herself who straightened me out, aided somewhat by Father Michael Gaitley. I wrote about some of this in “Behold Your Mother! 33 Days to Morning Glory.” I wrote that Father Gaitley’s presentation on Pope John Paul II was powerful and compelling. The first vision at Fatima took place at 5:00 PM on Mary 13, 1917. After the prophesies about the conversion of Russia, the child visionaries saw a “bishop dressed in white” who “would suffer much and then be shot and killed.” This became known as the last secret of Fatima, and was kept hidden, for a time, by the Church. Exactly 64 years later, on May 13, 1981 at exactly 5:00 PM, Pope John Paul II was shot four times as he blessed the crowds in St. Peter’s Square. On of those bullets would have surely killed him had it not missed his abdominal artery by a tiny fraction of an inch. John Paul attributed the guidance of this bullet to the hand of Our Lady of Fatima. The Soviet Empire was created in the aftermath of the 1917 Russian Revolution, and it became the largest nation on Earth. In his 1948 book, The Gathering Storm, Winston Churchill wrote of a proposal to the ruthless Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin. The proposal was that the Soviet Union should not suppress Catholicism, but should rather encourage it in order to build a relationship with the Pope. “The Pope?” Stalin famously retorted. “How many divisions has he got?” That conversation took place on May 13, 1935, 46 years to the day before the Soviet Union tried to eliminate Pope John Paul II because he became communism’s biggest obstacle in all of Europe. The Pope survived. Stalin’s successors in the Soviet Union learned the answers to his questions far too late for their own survival. As a wise friend once said to me, “There are no coincidences, only signs.” My scientific mind could still have dismissed all this had I not witnessed what up to then I thought to be impossible: the 1989 fall of the Soviet Empire and the collapse of communism in Europe. On November 9, 1989, thousands danced upon the Berlin Wall before it finally crumbled. I scoffed no longer, and took out my rosary. Karol Wojtyla was ordained a priest on All Saints Day, 1946, and is now in their company. As a priest and bishop, he studied Sister Faustina’s Diary and promoted her devotion to Divine Mercy, and later her cause for sainthood. He once wrote that as a priest he always felt spiritually close to Sister Faustina. Karol Jozef Wojtyla surrendered his Earthly life on the Vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday, 2005. Saint John Paul the Great, pray for us.

THESE ARE SOME REFLECTIONS ON OUR BELOVED ST. jOHN PAUL II

WE PRAY FOR HIS BLESSINGS BE UPON US ALL!

Fr. Tom, M.S., Shrine Director

SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2014 DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY...PRAY THE DIVINE MERCY NOVENA

Divine Mercy Novena

Jesus further asked that this Feast      of the Divine Mercy be preceded by a Novena of Chaplets  to the Divine Mercy which would begin on Good Friday.  Say one chaplet each day following the novena intention. In her diary, St. Faustina wrote that Jesus told her: 

"On each day of the novena you will bring to My Heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy... On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls. By this novena I will grant every possible grace to souls." (Diary 1209, 796)

                                                             Give Thanks...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63g5MEmBvow

ST JOHN PAUL II at ST FAUSTINA'S CONVENT/CHAPEL IN  POLAND

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4M-NrPRdms

First Day

"Today bring to Me All Mankind, especially all sinners and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me."

Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins, but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit. 

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion show us Your mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy for ever and ever. Amen.

Second Day

"Today bring to Me the Souls of Priests and Religious and immerse them in My unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave Me strength to endure My bitter Passion. Through them as through channels My mercy flows out upon mankind."

Most Merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace in men and women consecrated to Your service, that they may perform worthy works of mercy, and that all who see them may glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven. 

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the company of chosen ones in Your vineyard - upon the souls of priests and religious; and endow them with the strength of Your blessing. For the love of the Heart of Your Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation, and with one voice sing praise to Your boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen.

Third Day

"Today bring to Me All Devout and Faithful Souls and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. These souls brought Me consolation on the Way of the Cross. They were that drop of consolation in the midst of an ocean of bitterness."

Most Merciful Jesus, from the treasury of Your mercy, You impart Your graces in the great abundance to each and all. Receive us into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by that most wondrous love for the heavenly Father with which Your Heart burns so fiercely.

Eternal Father, turn Your Merciful gaze upon faithful souls, as upon the inheritance of Your Son. For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, grant them Your blessing and surround them with Your constant protection. Thus may they never fail in love or lose the treasure of the holy faith, but rather, with all the hosts of Angels and Saints, may they glorify Your boundless mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Fourth Day

"Today bring to Me Those Who Do Not Believe In God and Those Who Do Not Yet Know Me. I was thinking also of them during My bitter Passion, and their future zeal comforted My heart. Immerse them in the ocean of My mercy."

Most Compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who do not believe in God and of those who as yet do not know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that they, too, together with us, may extol Your  wonderful mercy; and do not let them escape from the abode which  is Your Most Compassionate Heart.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who do not believe in You, and of those who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart  of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These souls do not  know what great happiness it is to love You. Grant that they, too,  may extol the generosity of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Fifth Day

"Today bring to Me the Souls of those who have separated themselves from My Church and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. During My bitter Passion they tore at My Body and Heart, that is My Church. As they return to unity with the Church My wounds heal and in this way they alleviate My Passion." 

Most Merciful Jesus, Goodness Itself, You do not refuse light to those who seek it of You. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Church. Draw them by Your light into the unity of the Church, and do not let them escape from the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart; but bring it about that they, too, come to glorify the generosity of Your mercy. 

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Son's Church, who have squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces obstinately persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their errors, but upon the love of Your Own Son and upon His bitter Passion, which He underwent for their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in His Most Compassionate Heart. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Sixth Day

"Today bring to Me The Meek and Humble Souls and the Souls of  Little Children and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels who will keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. Only the humble soul is capable of receiving My grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence." 

Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said, "Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart." Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy, and they are the heavenly Father's favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God Himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy. 

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek souls, upon humble souls and upon little children, who are enfolded in the abode of the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight you take in them: Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Seventh Day

"Today bring to Me The Souls Who Especially Venerate and Glorify My Mercy and immerse them in My mercy. These souls sorrowed most over my Passion and entered most deeply into My spirit. They are living images of My Compassionate Heart. These souls will shine with a special brightness in the next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of hell. I shall particularly defend each one of them at the hour of death."

Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of Your Mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God Himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward, confident in Your Mercy; and united to You, O Jesus, they carry all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life. 

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy and their hearts, overflowing with joy, sing a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You O God: Show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them that during their life, but especially at the hour of death, the souls who will venerate this fathomless mercy of His, He Himself, will defend as His glory. Amen.

Eighth Day

"Today bring to Me The Souls Who Are Detained in Purgatory and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only know the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice." 

Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be celebrated. 

Eternal Father, turn Your most merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded, manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.

Ninth Day

"Today bring to Me The Souls Who Have Become Lukewarm and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: 'Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.' For them the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy."

Most Compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love let these tepid souls, who, like

corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love; and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power. 

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three-hour agony on the Cross: let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy. Amen

Children's Divine Mercy Chaplet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOitj70jhJk

Diary, Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Divine Mercy in My Soul (c) 1987 Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception, Stockbridge, MA 01263. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KZWm7TPqpo

Wishing you joy in this Easter Season!

Easter Message

Alleluia! He is risen. Resurrection of Jesus is central to our faith.

“If Christ has not been risen from the dead our faith will be in vain”, says Paul.

Resurrection restores our trust in the Lord. It definitely restored Jesus’ faith and trust in God the Father for He knew not what was in store for Him when He

 surrendered Himself to the will of the Father in Gethsemane and breathed his last on the cross. Cross we have a few. 

We don’t have to look for our crosses. Life will give that to us. If you say you don’t have one just wait it will show up. Jesus did not look for the cross it came to him. Jesus’ story tells us that we are invited by God to accept our crosses. James Martin in his book Jesus the Pilgrimage says, “In every cross, there is an invitation to new life in some way, and often in a mysterious way”. So we must wait for the resurrection. The Cross is often where we meet God because our vulnerability can make us more open to God’s grace. Thomas Merton writes, “In tribulation, God teaches us. The most unfortunate people in the world are those who know no tribulations”. Mary Magdalene knew tribulations in her life and Jesus met her in her sin, misery and pain. After the resurrection, she did not recognize Jesus but upon hearing “Mariam”, she knew that voice and immediately said, “Rabboni!”. “She knew that distinctive voice that called her into wholeness when it expelled whatever demons troubled her, the voice that welcomed her into his cycle of friends, the voice that told her she was valued in the eyes of God. Mary recognized that voice of love. Sometimes seeing is not believing but loving is. Mary heard that voice of Jesus, the risen one, because in the words of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the voice of God is “uplifting, consoling and encouraging”. The risen one understands us where we are and will meet us and take us into a new life, new way of living, and new way of being in the world. There is nothing impossible to God. Resurrection is all about new possibilities, new beginnings, or say God-possibilities. During this season of Easter, we will continue to listen to the voice of love and open ourselves to the One who loves to be messengers of hope, joy and peace in our broken world. Mary was told, “Do not cling to me, go and tell the disciples”. Go forth and tell the world through your witnessing that He is Risen. Alleluia!

God Bless you always!

God Bless you always!

Sincerely Yours,
Rev. Fr. Cyriac Chandy Mattathilanickal, MS

Wishing you and yours A Holy Lent!

Rev. Fr. Tom Puthusseril, M.S.
Shrine Director

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CeppQy9-gA

Dear Friends.... 

Please share 

with us your comments of our 

Daily Lenten Reflection.

How has it touched you?

How has it helped you in your Lenten journey?

You may post your comment here

or confidently share with me 

@

E-Mail it to us at

lasaletteshrinedirector@gmail.com 

Easter Sunday: April 20, 2014: “ I have seen the Lord”!

Easter Sunday: 

April 20, 2014:

 “ I have seen the Lord”!

Joseph of Arimathea was approached by a fellow Jew who says: 

“That was a beautiful hand-hewn tomb, why did you give it up for Jesus”. 

Joseph said, “Well He needed it only for a weekend.”

                   

                        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT7dGcsrPkQ

Alleluia Jesus is risen. Resurrection is central to my faith, not the incarnation, not the beatitudes, not all the stories of Jesus. If Christ has not been risen from the dead our faith will be ruined says Paul. Resurrection restores our trust in the Lord. It definitely restored Jesus’ faith and trust in God the Father for he knew not what was in store for him when he surrendered himself to the will of the Father in Gethsemane and then breathed his last on the cross.

Cross we have a few. There is no resurrection without the cross. But there is Resurrection after the Good Friday and that is Good News. 

We don’t have to look for our crosses. Life will give that to us.

If you say you don’t have one just wait it will show up. Jesus did not look for the cross it came to him. Jesus’ story tells us that we are invited by God to accept our crosses. 

James Martin SJ tells the story of an elderly nun who was on a wheel chair for many years and she was complaining of her pain. Her mother superior told her, “think of Jesus on the cross”. Then the nun on the wheelchair said, “he was only on the cross for three hours”. 

Well accepting the cross means after the shock, frustration, rage and sadness we must accept that some things cannot be changed. James Martin in his book Jesus the Pilgrimage says, “In every cross, there is an invitation to new life in some way, and often in a mysterious way”. So we must wait for the resurrection. 

The Cross is often where we meet God because our vulnerability can make us more open to God’s grace. Thomas Merton writes,       “In tribulation, God teaches us. The most unfortunate people in the world are those who know no tribulations”.

Resurrection, God’s gift to the vulnerable, broken, beaten, the lost, the least and the last is often not what we expect. It does not even come when we expect it. 

For Mary Magdalene it was a total surprise and shock. She couldn’t believe it nor could she recognize Jesus for she thought He was the gardener. Then she heard: Mary, and she said, "Rabboni!" 

“She knew that distinctive voice with the Nazorean accent- the voice that called her into wholeness when it expelled whatever demons troubled her, the voice that welcomed her into his cycle of friends, the voice that told her she was valued in the eyes of God, the voice that answered her questions, the voice that laughed over the meal, the voice that counseled her near the end of his earthly life, the voice that cried out in pain from the cross”. 

Mary recognized that voice of love. Sometimes seeing is not believing but loving is. Mary heard that voice of Jesus, the risen one, because in the words of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the voice of God is uplifting, consoling and encouraging. 

It is the voice that called Peter from the shore, Mathew from the tax collector’s booth, Mary of Magdala from the pit of sin.

Jesus met Mary in her fear, shock and unbelief.

Jesus met the disciples inside the locked doors for fear of Jews. 

They had deserted him, betrayed him, denied him and was living in despair. 

Jesus meets them where they were. My dear friends the risen Jesus meets us where were are in our lives at this moment. The risen one understands us where we are and will meet us and take us into a new life, new way of living, new way of being in the world. There is nothing impossible to God.

Resurrection is all about new possibilities, new beginnings, or say God-possibilities.

When we are surprised by God, encountered by God in our pain, suffering, cross, sin, despair, when we recognize his tender voice calling us to come forth, do not cling to that experience. 

Mary was told, “do not cling to me, go and tell the disciples”.

Go tell the good news. Go how much God has loved you, forgiven you. Be an apostle to the apostle as Mary was sent. We are sent to share the resurrection experience.

Resurrection is about seeing our world in a new way. 

Early that Easter morning, Mary did not find what she was looking for, the dead body of Jesus. But she found something better than she could have imagined: the Risen Jesus. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Klrc0YuikM

Sometimes, the things we think we want most are not granted to us. 

What we get instead is an experience of God’s new ways of working in the world. 

That’s the power of the Resurrection.

When those moments come, we must spread the news--just as Mary did: We have seen the Lord!

God Bless you always!

Sincerely Yours,
Rev. Fr. Cyriac Chandy Mattathilanickal, MS

Wishing you and yours A Holy Lent!

Rev. Fr. Tom Puthusseril, M.S.
Shrine Director

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT7dGcsrPkQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CeppQy9-gA

Dear Friends.... 

Please share 

with us your comments of our 

Daily Lenten Reflection.

How has it touched you?

How has it helped you in your Lenten journey?

You may post your comment here

or confidently share with me 

@

E-Mail it to us at

lasaletteshrinedirector@gmail.com