Animated by this heavenly food, St. Lawrence braved the flames, St. Vincent the rack, St. Sebastian the shower of arrows, St. Ignatius of Antioch the fury of lions, and many other martyrs every kind of torture which the malice of the devil could invent, content if they could but return their Saviour love for love, life for life, death for death.

They embraced the very instruments of their tortures; yea, they even exulted and gloried in them. Now this was the effect of the Holy Euch...

Mass Readings: June 29

DYING TO LIVE

"Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel to rescue me." –Acts 12:11

The Lord sent an angel...

He is thought to hail from the East (Smyrna) since he heard St. Polycarp as a boy. After studies in Rome, he became a presbyter of the church of Lyons. After fulfilling his commission of taking letters to Pope Eleutherius regarding toleration for the Montanist sect of Asia Minor, he was made bishop on his return to Lyons (c.178) to succeed the martyred Pothinus.

Iraneus' achievement in his great work Adversus Haereses–against all kinds of false teachings pervading the Church thro...

Mass Readings: June 28

"As dawn was breaking, the angels urged Lot on, saying, 'On your way!' " –Genesis 19:15

The Lord warns us to disassociate ourselves...

As for blessings for the soul, St. Cyril of Alexandria, Father and Doctor of the Church, wrote: "If the poison of pride is swelling up in you, turn to the Eucharist; and that Bread, which is your God humbling and disguising Himself, will teach you humility. If the fever of selfish greed rages in you, feed on this Bread; and you will learn generosity. If the cold wind of coveting withers you, hasten to the Bread of Angels; and charity will come to blossom in your heart. If you feel th...

Mass Readings: June 27

THE SUPREMACY OF DISCIPLESHIP

"Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go." –Matthew 8:19, RSV-CE.

Discipleship is very dear to the heart of...

Father Fahsel describes Therese's ecstatic Communion succinctly: "Her arms are raised and she gazes in the direction in which the Sacred Host is being held in the hands of the priest. While he says the remaining prayers she looks up with a blessed smile as if transfigured, and then down. I asked her afterwards why she did this and she answered: 'I see the Saviour as a radiant figure. Then the radiance becomes a flame which comes upon me and enters my mouth. I know nothing more, am w...

Mass Readings: June 26

COMMUNION DISTRIBUTORS?

"I Myself am the living Bread come down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread h...

When, at the consecration, I hold the delicate host in my hands and repeat the words "He broke the bread... ," I can sense something of the sentiments that filled the heart of Jesus at that moment: how he completely gave his human will to the Father, overcoming every resistance and repeating to himself these well-known words from Scripture: "Sacrifices and offerings thou hast not desired, but a body hast thou prepared for me; Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God" (cf. Heb 10:5-9). ...

Mass Readings: June 25

WAITER ON THE LORD

"She got up at once and began to wait on Him." –Matthew 8:15

"They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they sh...

(Recorded on June 24, 1973, Feast of the Sacred Heart, Sister Agnes was in chapel. She describes in her journal):

Suddenly I saw a blinding light shining from the tabernacle. I immediately prostrated myself in adoration and when I lifted my eyes, I saw a soft light which enveloped the altar like a mist or a dense smoke in which appeared a cohort of angels turned towards the Blessed Sacrament whose pure and clear voices proclaimed "Holy, Holy, Holy." When they finished I heard a voic...

Mass Readings: June 24

PROPHET-SHARING

"At that moment his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God." –Luk...

The Apostle, St. Paul, wrote, "Glorify and bear God in your body" (I Cor 6: 20). There is no time in which these words, taken literally, apply so well, as during the time immediately after receiving Holy Communion. How unfeeling it is, then, for someone to receive Communion and leave the church at once as soon as Mass is over, or as soon as he has received Our Lord! We may remember the example of St. Philip Neri, who had two altar boys with lighted candles go to accompany a man who ...

Mass Readings: June 23

PICK ON ME

Jesus said: "None of those who cry out, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of God but only the one who does the will of My Father ...

VATICAN CITY, (Catholic Online) - In June of 2010 Pope Benedict XVI officially announced the establishment of a new Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization. The term "New Evangelization" is a favorite phrase of Pope Benedict XVI - as it was of his predecessor, Blessed John Paul II.  There is a desperate need for such a new evangelization in the secularized Western world.

Many Catholics do not know what the Catholic Church actually teaches. Some have embraced what is often called ...

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (CNA/EWTN News) - Father John Corapi's superiors confirmed and expressed grief over his decision to leave his order and the priesthood following allegations of misconduct.

We are "deeply saddened that Fr. Corapi is suffering distress" and "further saddened by Fr. Corapi's response to these allegations," said Fr. Gerry Sheehan, Regional Priest Servant of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity.

In a June 20 statement, the Fr. Sheehan said the order "will do all...

CHESAPEAKE, VA. (Catholic Online) - There is a Latin maxim that addresses the centrality of worship in the life, identity and mission of the Church; "Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi". The phrase in Latin literally means the law of prayer ("the way we worship"), and the law of belief ("what we believe"). It is sometimes written as, "lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi", further deepening the implications of this truth - how we worship reflects what we believe and determines how we will live.

T...

It is said of St. Aloysius Gonzaga that he used to receive Communion once a week and that he was accustomed to spend three days in preparation before it and three days in thanksgiving after it. How did he manage to do this? Was he all the time prostrated before the Altar or reading a spiritual book? Not at all; he went wherever obedience called him, quietly performing his duties and keeping his heart lifted up to God. He offered up all his actions to Jesus Christ by way of thanksgiv...

Mass Readings: June 21

WHERE THERE'S HIS WILL, THERE'S A WAY

"Set forth and walk about in the land, through its length and breadth, for to you I will give it." –Genesis...

Jesus in the promise of the Eucharist points out the superiority of the bread which He is about to give them over the manna rained down from Heaven, saying, "And the bread that I will give, is My Flesh, for the life of the world." John 6: 52. The Jews understood Christ to be speaking literally and not figuratively, for they say among themselves, "How can this man give us His Flesh to eat?" John 6: 53. If Christ were talking in a figure of speech, in a metaphor, it would have been Hi...

Mass Readings: June 20

LIFE BEGINS AT 75

"Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran." –Genesis 12:4

Scripture makes it clear that the latter years of our...

When the Saint lay on her deathbed, she grieved that she was not able to receive the Lord in the Eucharist. She was beloved by the community, and by the priest in attendance at the end of her life. She still had a very strong will. She convinced the priest, Fr. James de Campo Reggio, to bring the Eucharist to her bedside, so that she could at least see Her Lord before she died. The priest agreed.

When he brought the Blessed Sacrament into the room, Juliana was obsessed with the des...

Mass Readings: June 19

3 IN 1 IN ME

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with ...

One must spend some time in a desert like Sinai, surrounded by the barrenness of rocks and sand, in order to appreciate more fully God's loving and providential care of his Chosen People. In the desert there was no source of food or drink. Humanly speaking, survival was impossible. The Israelites had to depend totally on God's providential love. God did not abandon them. He fed them miraculously with manna and quail. Likewise by his divine power he supplied them with water when ther...

Mass Readings: June 18

THE LORD OF LIFESTYLE

"Stop worrying, then, over questions like, 'What are we to eat, or what are we to drink, or what are we to wear?' The un...

It was over 50 years since Jesus took his place at table with the apostles for the Last Supper. At the time, Tiberius was emperor at Rome, Pontius Pilate the governor of Judea and Herod the tetrarch of Galilee (Luke 3:1). Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests (3:2). Later that night, in the courtyard of their house, Peter denied so much as knowing Jesus (22:54-62). The following morning, the opportunity to hear Jesus brought Pilate and Herod together. Weakness and contempt became ...

Mass Readings: June 16

STUDYING FOR THE FINAL EXAM

"Subject us not to the trial." –Matthew 6:13

The phrase in the Our Father that we commonly say, "Lead us not ...

One evening, we had an opportunity to be at a Mass where there was a eucharistic procession at the end. I had never seen this before. As I watched row after row of grown men and women kneel and bow when the monstrance passed by, I thought, these people believe that that is the Lord, and not just bread and wine. If this is Jesus, that is the only appropriate response. If one should kneel before a king today, how much more before the King of Kings? the Lord of Lords? Is it safe not to ...

Mass Readings: June 15

ONLY THE FATHER'S LOVE

"Your Father Who sees what is hidden will repay you." –Matthew 6:18

When we give alms, pray, or fast, we can be ...

Divine Savior, while I meditate on the proofs of Your Presence under the Eucharistic veils, enlighten my mind, enkindle my heart, and inspire me with that keen and living faith which is already a vision of Your Eternal Beauty.

Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist with His Body, His Blood, His Soul, and His Divinity. Do you want clear and convincing proof of it?

Let us cite only one example: A priest was saying Mass in a church of the town of Bolsena and, after pronouncing the...

Mass Readings: June 14

THE GREATEST LOVE

"My command to you is: love your enemies." –Matthew 5:44

Loving our enemies means to treat them as well as or better than we treat our friends (see Mt 5:45; Lk 15:29).

Loving enemies means praying for them (Mt 5:44) to be blessed by the Lord and then answering our own prayer by bountifully giving to them (see 2 Cor 8:4-5; see also Lk 15:22ff).

Lovi...

The miracle of St. Anthony of Padua is well known. He was preaching on the truths of the faith to a large crowd in Rimini, when he was challenged by a Jew, who denied the truth of the Eucharist, saying: "You confound me by your words, because you are more learned than I am, but let us come to deeds; prove it to me by them." St. Antony accepted the challenge, and permitted the Jew to name the proof he required. A mule was kept without food for three days, and at the end of the time th...

Mass Readings: June 13

LOVING TO WORK

"As your fellow workers we beg you not to receive the grace of God in vain." –2 Corinthians 6:1

The Lord calls us to be active,...

If we love the Blessed Sacrament, and if we delight to spend our time in adoration of this tremendous mystery of love, we cannot help finding out more and more about the charity of Christ. We cannot help gaining an intimate and personal knowledge of Jesus Who is hidden under the sacramental veils. But in proportion as we grow in our knowledge and love for Him, we will necessarily grow in the knowledge of His will for us. We will come to understand more and more how seriously He means...

Mass Readings: June 12

FIERY TONGUES

"Tongues as of fire appeared, which parted and came to rest on each of them." –Acts 2:3

Can yo...

BLADENSBURG, MD. (Catholic Online) - Pentecost Sunday is when Catholics celebrate the birth of the missionary church in power. There, in the Cenacle, as the Lord Jesus had promised, the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples who, gathered with Our Lady, had waited and prayed. How fitting that during this month when we celebrate Pentecost over 50 men will be ordained to the Holy priesthood in a series of ordinations throughout England and Wales.

These Catholic priests will be ordained for ...

Mass Readings: June 11

ENCOURAGING RENEWAL

"He encouraged them all to remain firm in their commitment to the Lord." –Acts 11:23

Barnabas was sent by the church of J...

After Holy Communion one day He made me understand the significance of these words in the Canticle of Canticles: "Draw me: we will run after Thee to the odour of Thy ointments." So, Jesus, there is no need to say: In drawing me, draw also the souls I love. The simple words "Draw me" are enough! When a soul has been captivated by the intoxicating odour of Your ointments, she cannot run alone. Every soul she loves is drawn after her–a natural consequence of her being drawn to You.

Adoration of Christ in this sacrament of love must also find expression in various forms of eucharistic devotion: personal prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, Hours of Adoration, periods of exposition–short, prolonged and annual (Forty Hours)–Eucharistic benediction, Eucharistic processions, and Eucharistic congresses. A particular mention should be made at this point of the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ as an act of public worship rendered to Christ present in the ...

Mass Readings: June 10

UNCHAINED AND FREE

"I issued orders that he be kept in custody until I could send him to the emperor." –Acts 25:21

"There is no chaining th...

An accident in the middle of the desert paralyzed one of my legs. When the doctor arrived–eight days later–it was too late; I shall be lame for the rest of my life.

Stretched out on a mat in the cell of an old Saharan fort, I looked at the marks made by time on the mud wall, whitewashed in lime by the soldiers of the Foreign Legion. The heat made it difficult to think... I remained silent, trying mentally to take my soul beyond the compounds of my room into the little Arab-styl...

Mass Readings: June 9

I'D RATHER SWITCH THAN FIGHT

"A dispute arose between Pharisees and Sadducees which divided the whole assembly. (The Sadducees, of course, ma...

Anyone who has offered his heart to God belongs to God, and God is the Lord of his life! This is particularly clear in the giving of offerings. We offer to God, in acknowledgment and gratitude, the bread and the wine which are in fact the symbol of our suffering and efforts, our hope and our love, and of our working together with Him. These gifts are representative of us because, like all gifts, they are the symbol of those who offer them. They express our willingness to please and o...

Mass Readings: June 7

THE COST OF PENTECOST

"I am on my way to Jerusalem, compelled by the Spirit and not knowing what will happen to me there." –Acts 20:22

Paul said ...

Give me Yourself, and it is enough; nothing but You can satisfy me. Without You I cannot exist; without Your visits I cannot live. Therefore I must often approach You, and receive You as the medicine of salvation, lest if I be deprived of this heavenly food, I faint by the way. For, O most merciful Jesus, it was Yourself who, when You had been preaching to the people and healing their many diseases, said, 'I will not send them away to their homes hungry, lest they faint on the way' ...

Mass Readings: June 6

HOW IS PEACE PRODUCED?

"I tell you all this that in Me you may find peace. You will suffer in the world. But take courage! I have overcome the world." –John...

During this retreat I have been reading St. Gregory and St. Bernard, both of them concerned with the interior life of the pastor, which must not be affected by external material cares. My day must be one long prayer: prayer is the breath of my life. I propose to recite all fifteen decades of the rosary every day, if possible in the chapel before the Blessed Sacrament, with the intention of recommending to Our Lord and to Our Lady the more urgent needs of my children in Venice and in ...

Mass Readings: June 5

LIFT OFF

"Wait, rather, for the fulfillment of My Father's promise." –Acts 1:4

We have been in intense prayer for eighty ...

Though all the children of the Church largely incur this fault, yet more to be blamed are the unworthy and wicked priests; for by the irreverence with which they treat the blessed Sacrament the other Catholics have been drawn to undervalue it. If the people see that their priests approach the divine mysteries with holy fear and trembling, they learn to treat and receive their God in like manner. Those that so honor Him shall shine in heaven like the sun among the stars; for the glor...

Mass Readings: June 4

PENTECOST BEGINS AT HOME

"They took him home." –Acts 18:26

"Within a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:5) or, if you have a...

In about the 700th year of Our Lord, in a monastery then named for St. Longinus, the Roman centurion who pierced the side of Christ with a lance, a priest monk of the Order of St. Basil was celebrating the Holy Mass according to the Latin Rite. Although his name is unknown, it is reported in ancient documents that he had recurrent doubts regarding transubstantiation (the change of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ). He had just spoken the solemn words of Consecration w...

Mass Readings: June 3

ASK FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT

"I give you My assurance, whatever you ask the Father, He will give you in My name." –John 16:23

Today begins nine days of prayer, the Pentecost Novena, to ask God to prepare our hearts to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. God pours out the Holy Spirit beyond measure and without ration (Jn 3:34; Eph 3:20). Nevertheless, we need t...

Acknowledgement

Our Lady's Promise would like to acknowledge that One Bread, One Body is reprinted from , a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:

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Cardinal Edouard Gagnon, former president of the Pontifical Council for the Family and presently president of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses, spoke at a Catholics United for Faith conference in the fall of 1993, in which he made an appeal for greater devotion to the Real Presence as a means of keeping the family together. He pointed out that Pope John Paul II is fostering belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist to "save the family." T...

Mass Readings: June 2

"OUR TOWN"

"Paul left Athens and went to Corinth." –Acts 18:1

St. Paul had been flogged and jailed during his evangelization in Philippi. Then he was run out of town (Acts 16:39). Next, after some initial success in the cities of Thessalonica and Berea, he was again forced to leave town (Acts 17:6-10, 13-15). After that, Paul was escorted to Athens, the major city in Greece,...

St. Justin was born about 110 A.D. in Palestine. He was converted to Christianity around 135 and turned his skills as a philosopher to a defense of the Faith. In the year 150 he wrote his great Apology. Although he was not an outstanding writer (his periodic Greek style tends to use what we would call "run-on" sentences), the work is of great interest because we find in it our first extant description of the Mass as it was celebrated in Rome in the second century.

(65)... And when ...

Mass Readings: June 1

TRUE BLUE

"When He comes, however, being the Spirit of truth He will guide you to all truth." –John 16:13

Jesus calls Himself "the Way, and the Truth, and the Life" (Jn 14:6). He promises that the truth will set us free (Jn 8:32). He prays for us to be consecrated in truth (Jn 17:19). Jesus asks the Father to send the Spirit of truth (Jn 14:16-17).

The Lord is c...