Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament

The Lord has indeed risen, Alleluia! (Lk 24:34). He Lives - Alleluia!!!

"The Cross had asked: 'Why does God permit evil and sin to nail Justice to a tree?' The Resurrection answered: 'That sin, having done its worst, might exhaust itself and thus be overcome by Love that is stronger than either sin or death.' "Thus there emerges the Easter lesson that the power of evil and the chaos of any one moment can be defied and conquered, for the basis of our hope is not in any construct of human power but in the Power of God, who has given to the evil of this earth its one mortal woundan open tomb, a gaping sepulcher, an empty grave." "And now by a beautiful paradox of Divine Love, God makes His Cross the very means of our salvation. We have slain Him; we nailed Him there; we crucified Him; but Love in His eternal Heart willed not to be defeated. He willed to give us the very life we slew; to give us the very food we destroyed; to nourish us with the very Bread we buried, and the very Blood we poured forth. He made our very crime a happy fault; He turned a Crucifixion into a Redemption; a Consecration into a Communion; a death into everlasting life." "God gave us two weapons: knees and hands. Knees--to spend an hour a day in reparation for sins. We begin a national plea for one hour a day of continuous prayer before the Blessed Sacrament . . . . How many of you will answer? (Quotes from the writings of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen).

"The Church and the world have a great need of eucharistic worship. Jesus waits for us in this sacrament of love. Let us be generous with our time in going to meet Him in adoration and in contemplation that is full of faith and ready to make reparation for the great faults and crimes of the world. May our adoration never cease" (Pope John Paul II, Dominicae Cenae, Chapter I, Section 2).

"The measure of the Church's vitality, the measure of its interior openness, will be reflected in the fact that its doors remain open, precisely because it is a church where there is constant prayer. The Eucharist, and the community that celebrates it, will be full in the measure in which we prepare ourselves in silent prayer before the presence of the Lord and become persons who want to communicate with truth. Eucharist means: God has responded. The Eucharist is God as response, as a presence that responds . . . . This is why, in the realm of Eucharistic Adoration, prayer reaches a totally new level; only now it involves both parties, and only now is it something serious. What is more, not only does it involve the two parties, but only now is it fully universal: When we pray in the presence of the Eucharist, we are never alone. The whole Church that celebrates the Eucharist prays with us. In this prayer we are no longer before a God we have thought about, but before a God who has really given himself to us; before a God who has made himself communion for us, who thus liberates us from our limits through communion and leads us to the Resurrection. This is the prayer we must seek again" from Il Dio Vicino (An Intimate God), Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

Resurrection of Our Lord, Easter, Sunday-April 20 The risen Jesus is himself our hope (1 Tim 1:1). And this our hope is literally embodied with his glorified humanity in the Eucharist, which is the living memorial of his death and resurrection [Vatican II: Presbyterorium Ordinis, 5]. Faith assures us that it is the selfsame risen Saviour who now sacramentally offers his life-sacrifice for us over and over again in the Mass, who offers himself to us in Communion as the bread of life, and who offers his perpetual presence for our adoration (Mary and the Eucharist, Fr. Richard Foley, S.J.).

Feast of Mercy, Second Sunday of Easter-April 27 Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy. Today I am sending My mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish an aching mankind, but desire to heal it, pressing it to My Merciful Heart. For them I dwell in the tabernacle as King of Mercy. Adore in the Blessed Sacrament, My Heart which is full of mercy. I want Adoration to take place . . . for the intention of imploring Mercy for the world. (Words of Jesus to St. Maria Faustina, as recorded in her Diary, 300, 1588, 367, & 1070). Through Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Jesus unleashes His rays of healing upon us, our families and the whole world! Jesus requested that the Feast of Mercy be celebrated on the second Sunday of Easter. This glorious day illumines Gods great Mercy, which He manifests in the Holy Eucharist! (From our new A-1 pamphlet The Eucharist & Divine Mercy).

Bl. Gianna Beretta Molla, Wife, Mother, Doctor (1922-1962), Italy-April 28 Bl. Gianna was a physician, wife, mother and martyr. She was from a large family with devout parents. From the age of 5, when she was allowed to receive her First Communion, Gianna attended daily Mass. At the age of 12 she became involved in the Catholic Action movement in Italy, which was centered on Eucharistic devotion. Receiving and adoring the Blessed Sacrament, Bl. Gianna was energized to care for the poor, sick and lonely and to help in the evangelization of the young, to whom she spoke of purity. Gianna was a holy physician with a great love of Jesus, Mary and children. When Gianna was pregnant with her fourth child she had fibrous tumors in her ovary and her Doctor wanted to terminate her pregnancy. Gianna refused, giving her unborn baby life. Gianna gave birth to a healthy daughter, and died soon after.

St. Pius V, Pope (d. 1572), Italy-April 30 When forces sought to destroy Christianity in Europe, in the Battle of Lepanto, Pope Pius V instructed all Churches to hold Forty Hours Devotions (Adoration) and pray the Rosary. They were victorious, and the Catholic faith was saved and preserved by prayer before our Lord in the Holy Eucharist and Our Blessed Ladys intercession!

We wish each and everyone of you a Blessed and Glorious Easter Season! Alleluia! Proclaim to the world that Jesus is risen, Alleluia! Thank you for your generous donations which help bring mercy to our world through Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration!

For additional materials and help starting Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration contact: M.B.S., P.O. Box 1701, Plattsburgh, NY 12901 Ph: 518-561-8193 Fax: 518-566-7103 ACFP2000@aol.com www.ACFP2000.com