“I look to you in the sanctuary to see your power and glory. For your love is better than life; my lips offer you worship!” (Ps 63:3-4).

“I heartily recommend to the Church’s pastors and to the People of God the practice of eucharistic adoration, both individually and in community. (194) Great benefit would ensue from a suitable catechesis explaining the importance of this act of worship, which enables the faithful to experience the liturgical celebration more fully and more fruitfully. Wherever possible, it would be appropriate, especially in densely populated areas, to set aside specific churches or oratories for perpetual adoration” (Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis, 67). On March 13, 2007 Pope Benedict XVI released his post-synodal apostolic exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, which speaks of the Holy Eucharist as the source and summit of the life and mission of the Church. Following are excerpts from the exhortation on the great love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament and our call to return His love through Adoration. “The sacrament of charity (1), the Holy Eucharist is the gift that Jesus Christ makes of himself, thus revealing to us God’s infinite love for every man and woman” (ibid, 1). “The Church is able to celebrate and adore the mystery of Christ present in the Eucharist precisely because Christ first gave himself to her in the sacrifice of the Cross. The Church’s ability to ‘make’ the Eucharist is completely rooted in Christ’s self-gift to her. Here we can see more clearly the meaning of Saint John’s words: ‘he first loved us’ (1 Jn 4:19). (14). “Receiving the Eucharist means adoring him whom we receive. Only in this way do we become one with him, and are given, as it were, a foretaste of the beauty of the heavenly liturgy. The act of adoration outside Mass prolongs and intensifies all that takes place during the liturgical celebration itself. Indeed, ‘only in adoration can a profound and genuine reception mature. And it is precisely this personal encounter with the Lord that then strengthens the social mission contained in the Eucharist, which seeks to break down not only the walls that separate the Lord and ourselves, but also and especially the walls that separate us from one another’” (66). “I also recommend that, in their catechetical training, and especially in their preparation for First Holy Communion, children be taught the meaning and the beauty of spending time with Jesus, and helped to cultivate a sense of awe before his presence in the Eucharist” (67). “Besides encouraging individual believers to make time for personal prayer before the Sacrament of the Altar, I feel obliged to urge parishes and other church groups to set aside times for collective adoration. Naturally, already existing forms of eucharistic piety retain their full value. I am thinking, for example, of processions with the Blessed Sacrament, especially the traditional procession on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Forty Hours devotion, local, national and international Eucharistic Congresses, and other similar initiatives. If suitably updated and adapted to local circumstances, these forms of devotion are still worthy of being practised today” (67). “The relationship of the Eucharist to the various ecclesial vocations is seen in a particularly vivid way in ‘the prophetic witness of consecrated men and women, who find in the celebration of the Eucharist and in eucharistic adoration the strength necessary for the radical following of Christ, obedient, poor and chaste’” (81).

Start Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in your Parish today!

St. Joseph the Worker—May 1 “St. Joseph, who by the sweat of your brow obtained the living Bread for your children, pray for us” (St. Peter Julian Eymard).

Bl. Damien Joseph of Molokai, Apostle to the Lepers, Belgium (1840-1889)—May 10 A member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, which is centered on the Holy Eucharist and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Bl. Damien brought the love of Jesus in the Sacred Host to the forgotten suffering lepers in Molokai, Hawaii, where he began Perpetual Adoration and spent his life for the lepers.

Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady of Fatima—May 13 At Fatima, Our Lady taught the children to pray: “O most holy Trinity, I adore you. My God, my God, I love you in the most Blessed Sacrament.” Our Blessed Mother calls the whole world to receive and adore her Son in the Holy Eucharist. Mary, Mother of The Eucharist and our mother, please pray for the Eucharistic Reign of Jesus your Son throughout the whole world!

The Ascension of The Lord—May 17 Lord, enthroned in heavenly splendor,

St. Rita of Cascia, Wife, Mother, Nun, Ptn. of Impossible, Italy (1381-1457)—May 22 From an early age Rita desired to become a nun, but her parents thought it best for her to marry. She suffered through a difficult marriage for 18 years, with an abusive husband. He converted shortly before his political murder. Their two sons wanted to avenge his death. Rita prayed that God would preserve them from committing this sin, they soon died of sickness. Rita became an Augustinian nun and had a deep devotion to the passion of Christ and the Holy Eucharist. She spent many hours in Eucharistic Adoration daily and sometimes lived on Holy Communion alone. She was a stigmatist who suffered a wound of Christ on her forehead. St. Rita’s incorrupt body is preserved in a shrine in Italy. She is also known as a peacemaker for solving an impossible family feud in Cascia. Many miracles occur by her powerful intercession!

St. Mary Magdalen de’ Pazzi, Carmelite Nun, Incorrupt (1566-1607)—May 25 “Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament is more powerful than in any other place because here is the real presence of God, just as He is in heaven” (St. Mary Magdalen de’ Pazzi).

St. Philip Neri, Priest, Patron of Rome, Oratory Founder, Italy (1515-1595)—May 26 Known as the Apostle of the Laity, St. Philip defended the Catholic faith during the reformation. His deep prayer life, centered on the Eucharist and Adoration, empowered him to begin 40 hours of Adoration, preach on the Sacraments, and lead the laity in care for the poor and sick. He founded the lay Oratory movement, which produced many vocations. He levitated after the consecration at Mass. A gifted confessor, many miracles result from his intercession.

Pentecost Sunday—May 26 “The Spirit descends on the Apostles gathered in prayer with Mary on the day of Pentecost (cf. 2:1-4) and stirs them to undertake the mission of proclaiming the Good News to all peoples. Thus it is through the working of the Spirit that Christ himself continues to be present and active in his Church, starting with her vital centre which is the Eucharist” (Sacramentum Caritatis, 12).

The Visitation of the Virgin Mary to Elizabeth—May 31 “Very significantly the Church grants a plenary indulgence, subject to usual conditions, if we recite the Rosary (five decades) in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Through the Rosary, the Visitation scenario is dramatically reproduced when we jointly honour her [Our Lady] who is blessed among women and the Infant now Eucharistically in our midst” (Fr. Richard Foley, S.J.).

The Most Holy Trinity—June 3 “God is a perfect communion of love between Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At creation itself, man was called to have some share in God’s breath of life (cf. Gen 2:7). But it is in Christ, dead and risen, and in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, given without measure (cf. Jn 3:34), that we have become sharers of God’s inmost life. (16) Jesus Christ, who ‘through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God’ (Heb 9:14), makes us, in the gift of the Eucharist, sharers in God’s own life. This is an absolutely free gift, the superabundant fulfilment of God’s promises. The Church receives, celebrates and adores this gift in faithful obedience. The ‘mystery of faith’ is thus a mystery of trinitarian love, a mystery in which we are called by grace to participate. We too should therefore exclaim with Saint Augustine: ‘If you see love, you see the Trinity’” (Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis, 8).

Corpus Christi, The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ—June 10 “When, in adoration, we contemplate the consecrated Host. . .we discover the greatness of this gift, but we also discover the Passion, the Cross of Jesus and His resurrection” (Pope Benedict XVI, Corpus Christi, 6/15/06). “The feast of Corpus Christi is a propitious occasion to deepen one’s faith and love of the Eucharist . . . . [Nourish yourselves] frequently with the Body and Blood of Christ, our spiritual food. You will advance on the path of holiness.” The Eucharist is “support, light and consolation in trial and suffering.” Find in this sacrament “the spiritual energy to live the great love of Christ of which he gave us proof when giving us his Body and Blood.” “I invite the Christian community to join this ceremony of profound faith in the Eucharist which is the precious treasure of the Church and of humanity” (Pope Benedict XVI, 6/14/2006).

St. Anthony of Padua, Church Doctor, Miracle worker, Italy (1195-1231)—June 13 “The Bread of Heaven satisfies every taste and hunger” (St. Anthony of Padua).

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus—June 15 “When we go to the Blessed Sacrament, let us trust in Jesus’ Sacred Heart, for it is truly present there.” “Jesus Christ, my Lord and my God, whom I believe to be really present in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, receive this most profound act of adoration to supply for the desire I have to adore You unceasingly, and in thanksgiving for the sentiments of love which Your Sacred Heart has for me in this Sacrament” (St. Margaret Mary Alacoque).

The Immaculate Heart of Mary—June 16 “As with prayer directed to the Father, so, too, when it is addressed to the Holy Spirit, a feast of faith and devotion beckons us, especially during adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. For the heart of Jesus beating there burns with love both divine and human—a love kindled within him by the Third Person. And his Eucharistic Heart is closely united with the Immaculate Heart of his mother—the masterpiece of the Holy Spirit” (Mary and the Eucharist, Fr. Richard Foley, S.J.).

St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Patron of Youth, Jesuit Seminarian, Italy (1568-1591)—June 22 “Delight of the Blessed Virgin, Pray for us. Most chaste youth, Pray for us Desirous of the salvation of souls, Pray for us. Perpetual adorer of the Holy Eucharist, Pray for us” (Litany).

Sts. John Fisher (1469-1535) & Thomas More (1478-1535), Martyrs, England—June 22 Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More gave their lives in witness to the Christ and the teachings of the Catholic Church. They both shared a deep devotion to the Holy Eucharist, at Mass and Adoration, and defended marriage and the truth in their writings, words and example to the end.

The Birth of St. John the Baptist—June 24 “Give thanks therefore to God the Father for having given you His divine Son not only as Brother in the Incarnation, as Teacher of truth, and as Savior on the Cross, but especially as your Eucharist, your bread of life, your heaven already begun . . . . Thank Him in all humility of heart, like Saint Elizabeth in the presence of Mary and the Word Incarnate; thank Him with the vibrant ardor of Saint John the Baptist when he felt the closeness of his divine Master, hidden like himself in His mother’s womb” (St. Peter Julian Eymard).

O, Holy Spirit, Beloved of my soul, I adore You. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what I should do . . . Give me Your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me and to accept all that You permit to happen to me. Let me only know Your will. Holy and divine Spirit! Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Your spouse, bring the fullness of Your gifts into our hearts. Comforted and strengthened by You, may we live according to Your Will and may we die praising Your infinite mercy. Through Christ our Lord.

The Sacred Eucharistic Heart of Jesus “Jesus is still with us on this earth . . . concealed in the Eucharistic Sacrament wherein His Sacred Heart is also present” (Pope Bl. John XXIII).

“What is the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus? What does it mean? We all know quite well, but we need, no less, to remind ourselves. We all realize that the heart is sensitive and beats more rapidly when it is under the impression of love. That is why the heart is the symbol of love. Really, the essence of love is the will and it can exist, with or without emotional feeling, and despite this, the heart remains the symbol of that love. “The symbol of love is also the Heart of Jesus. In It we come to know the love of Jesus. Everything is known through its effects. And our Lord said: ‘You will recognize a good tree by its good fruits . . .’ “The love of Jesus’ Heart is recognized in a variety of acts of love. Everything that surrounds us is an act of love on the part of Christ’s Sacred Heart. All that is within us, all that is without, is filled with God, with His Love. “The Blessed Sacrament is a fruit of Jesus’ love. Jesus’ entire life and all His ministry is the Love of His Sacred Heart.” (St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe)

The Immaculate Heart of Mary “It is from this fruit that other generation of this Immaculate Heart is to be fed, as Jesus said: ‘I am the bread of life. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As [...] I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me’ (Jn 6:48, 56-57). And to live thus because of Christ is also to live because of Mary, since Jesus had received his body and blood from Mary. It was in this Heart that the Father placed his Son, as if in the first Tabernacle. Mary was the first pyx that held him, and it was the blood of her Immaculate Heart which communicated to the Son of God his life and his human nature from which we all, in turn, receive ‘grace upon grace’” (Jn 1:16). (Sister Lucia of Fatima)

HEAVENLY FATHER: Lord of the harvest, we earnestly ask you to bless our diocese and our world with many priests who will love you fervently, and gladly and courageously spend their lives in service to your Son’s Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We pray that their lives may be always centered on our Eucharistic Lord, that they may be always faithful to the Holy Father, and that they may be devoted Sons of Mary, our mother, in making you known and loved; and that all may attain heaven. Bless our families and our children and choose from our homes those whom you desire for this holy work. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Healing Intentions: Send us the names of Mothers, Fathers,and loved ones you would like remembered before the Sacred Eucharistic Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary!

We need your prayers and financial help to continue on this most important work! Help us, please be generous. (Visa / MC accepted) M.B.S., P.O. Box 1701, Plattsburgh, NY 12901 (518)561-8193 www.ACFP2000.com