“Give thanks to

               the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures

               forever….

My strength and my courage

               is the Lord, and he has been my savior.” (Ps 117: 1 and

               14)

“I wish once more to recall this truth [the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist] and to join you, my dear brothers and sisters, in adoration before this mystery: a great mystery, a mystery of mercy. What more could Jesus have done for us? Truly, in the Eucharist, he shows us a love which goes ‘to the end’ (cf.Jn13:1), a love which knows no measure.” (St. Pope John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 11)

“You left us Yourself in the Sacrament of the Altar, and Your opened wide Your mercy to us. There is no misery that could exhaust You; You have called us all to this fountain of love, to this spring of God’s compassion. Here is the tabernacle of Your mercy, here is the remedy for all our ills . . . . In the Blessed Sacrament, You left us Your mercy; Your love deigned to arrange it so, that, going through life, suffering and toil, I might never doubt of Your goodness and mercy.” (St. Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament, Divine Mercy in My Soul, 1747 and 1748) (From A-1 “The Eucharist and Divine Mercy” pamphlet, available through us)

“In His great love for us, the Lord Jesus gave us a great miracle of mercy: the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. God did not only become man in the Incarnation to give His life for us on the cross and to rise again in glory. The Incarnation also looked forward to Jesus remaining with us to the end of time in the Eucharist. By this great miracle of Our Lord's love, the Real Presence of Jesus remains with us under the form of bread and wine.” (Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, Divine Mercy Message and Devotion)

Pope Francis Declares Year of Mercy: December 8, 2015 - November 20, 2016

Mass: “In the Mass and in Eucharistic Adoration we meet the merciful love of God that passes through the Heart of Jesus Christ.” (St. Pope John Paul II)

Eucharistic Adoration: “During a Holy Hour we grow more and more into His likeness.” (Ven. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen) “Unless we believe and see Jesus in the appearance of bread on the altar, we will not be able to see him in the distressing disguise of the poor.” (Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta)

Reconciliation: “Come and adore that Host of mercy and peace. Show Him your wounds, tell Him your faults, expose to Him your miseries. You do not insult Him who shed His blood for all the sins of the world, when you tell Him your sins to obtain forgiveness. Whatever their number and grievousness, in proportion to His infinite mercy they are less than a grain of sand lost in the immensity of an ocean.” (The Holy Eucharist, Jose Guadalupe Trevino)

Compassion: “These rays of mercy will pass through you, just as they have passed through this Host, and they will go out through all the world.” (Jesus to St. Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament, Divine Mercy in My Soul, 441)

Yearning: “Several times in herDiary,St. Faustina writes of seeing the red and pale rays coming, not from the Image, but from the Sacred Host; and once, as the priest exposed the Blessed Sacrament, she saw the rays from the Image pierce the Host and spread out from it all over the world (see 441). So too, with the eyes of faith, we should see in every Host the merciful Savior pouring Himself out as a fountain of mercy for us.” (Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, Divine Mercy Message and Devotion)

Modern Eucharistic Miracle at Lourdes

In 1999, during a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Bill, then archbishop of Lyon, the Host began to levitate just above the paten during Consecration. Famous Catholic writer Renzo Allegri, author of Padre Pio: Words of Hope, believes the miracle was real: “There were many bishops and priests present from around the world . . . . The celebrant had two large Eucharists on the altar for consecration. . . . At the beginning of the Mass the two appeared on film, one resting on the other. The two Eucharists appear to be one body. You couldn't tell they were two. They put them in the paten, in which they fit perfectly. At the moment of Consecration,when the priest stretched out his hand to invoke the Holy Spirit, is when the miracle occurred. One can see the large Eucharist separate from the other and rise. The moment was very impressive. The Eucharist rose like there was a spring below and oscillated three or four times before the Eucharist settled in a stationary position. It was about a centimeter away from the other Host, horizontally, and stay[ed] in that position until the end of the Consecration.” (From the publication Escatalogia) Allegri later wrote, “The movement of the image is impressive. I extracted some frames that I published. The film exists and is authentic. The ecclesiastic authorities have decided not to comment officially on the event but those who view it believe it was a miracle.”

Solemnity, Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God & World Day of Peace—Feast, Jan. 1:

“Mary continues to stand alongside her Redeemer-Son in the sacrament of the altar. It is consoling to recall that she who bears the title 'Mother of Fair Hope' keeps perpetual vigil before the Blessed Sacrament, ever ready to encourage her pilgrim children en route to the glorious world of the resurrection.” (Fr. Richard Foley, S.J.)

Sts. Basil the Great & Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops, Doctors, Cappadocia (4^thc.)—Feast, Jan. 2:

St. Gregory writes that to come before the Blessed Sacrament is “to approach to the approaching God.” St. Basil describes the Holy Eucharist as “Thy tremendous and heavenly mysteries.” Both early church fathers promoted the Real Presence of Jesus in their writings and by their example, through daily Mass, Communion and Adoration.

Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord—Feast, Jan. 3

“Little baby on the hay,/soon there’ll be another day

when nails shall pierce Your hands and feet/as You provide our sin’s defeat.

Risen Jesus on the throne,/we lift our praise to You alone—

for You’re the gift that we receive/the moment that our hearts believe.” (Roy Lessin)

Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus:Blessed be His holy name!— Feast, Jan. 3:

“By your gift of the Holy Eucharist, Jesus save your people.” (Litany of the Holy Name)

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Widow, Mother, Convert, Religious, U.S. (1774-1821)—Feast, Jan. 4:

A convert to Catholicism, St. Elizabeth was drawn to the church by the True Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist and devotion to Our Lady. She spent hours in Eucharistic Adoration throughout her life and, as she grew older, appeared to be in ecstasy before the Blessed Sacrament.

St. JohnNeumann, Redemptorist Priest, Bishop, Bohemia (1811-1860)—Feast, Jan. 5:

When St. John Neumann proposed the beginning of 40 hours of Eucharistic Adoration devotion, the idea was criticized by clergy and lay people as being too dangerous. They were afraid of anti-Catholic backlash. One night, St. John Neumann fell asleep at his desk. All of his papers burned except the paper on which the 40 hours idea was written. St. John took this as a sign and began 40 hours. People came out in droves to adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and were astonished that Bishop Neumann spent almost the whole time on his knees in Eucharistic Adoration.

St. Br. Andre Bessette, Miracle Worker, Holy Cross Brother, Montreal, Canada (1845-1937)—Feast, Jan. 6:

St. Br. Andre’s sister once commented that, as a youth, he spent hours every Sunday afternoon in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. His devotion to the Holy Eucharist continued as a religious brother; Br. Andre remained in Eucharistic Adoration at every opportunity. From the Blessed Sacrament, St. Andre drew strength to intercede for the healing of thousands of people, through the patronage of St. Joseph, his best friend.

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord—Feast, Jan. 10: As Jesus approached St. John the Baptist to be baptized, John cried, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

“Behold the Lamb of God/Behold the Lamb of God/Who takes away the sins of the world You are my Lord/It's you I adore/Nothing on earth could ever take your place . . . .

And now we see your sacrifice/The greatest gift, our greatest prize . . . .

We will not forget/We will stay awake/We will not abandon/The promise that you made.”

(Matt Maher, “Behold the Lamb of God”)

Day of Penance for Violations to the Dignity of the Human Person—Feast, Jan. 22:

“I want to promote Eucharistic adoration to fight abortion. The chapel is the spiritual center of all our pro-life work.” (Fr. Steve Imbarrato, Director of Project Life, Holy Innocents Chapel, Albuquerque, NM) Fr. Price Oswalt, a priest of the diocese of Oklahoma City, agreed with having a chapel near an abortion clinic, saying: “If we can get people praying with Our Lord on the front lines, we can change everything. Darkness cannot exist in light; the presence of God’s goodness will change hearts and minds.” Bl. Laura Vicuna, Virgin, Youth, Patronness of abuse victims, loss of parents, Argentina, (1891-1904), Feast, Jan. 22:

Bl. Laura’s father died a few days after she was born, leaving Laura, her mother and siblings alone, in the midst of war. Her mother decided to leave Chile and found work at a hacienda in Argentina. The owner was a womanizer and her mother succumbed to him. Bl. Laura went to the Salesian school and, under the Sisters’ care, became a leader, exhibiting kindness to all. She often prayed before the tabernacle for her mother and secretly dreamt of consecrating herself to God. Bl. Laura told God, “I offer you mylifefor that of my mother.” Bl. Laura became very sick and when she was near death told her mother, “Mamma, I'm dying, but I'm happy to offer mylifefor you. I asked OurLordfor this.” Her mother asked her forgiveness and said she would begin a new life.

St. Marianne Cope, Franciscan sister, a Foundress of St. Joseph’s Hospital, Syracuse, NY, United States, (1838-1918), Jan. 23:

St. Marianne was born in Germany and grew up in Utica, NY. She offered to go to the leper colony of Molokai, Hawaii, and spent 35 years of her life ministering there. “When Mother Marianne made her famous statement that she was hungry for the work, it was not because she needed more to do.It was because she knew that her own deep hunger pangs for the true bread of life would be better satisfied if she met the Eucharistic Lord in those she fed, in those she clothed, in those she nursed, and in those least of the least whom she set free from a prison of self-pity, no matter how justified it might be.Who will make the rest of the world as hungry as was our beloved St. Marianne?”(Bishop Larry Silva) St. Marianne drew her strength from Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest, Doctor of the Church, Italy, (c. 1225-1274)—Jan. 28:

St. Thomas wrote prolifically about the Blessed Sacrament and composed Eucharistic hymns for the liturgy. He taught, “The Eucharist is the consummation of the whole spiritual life.” “The Eucharist is the Sacrament of Love; It signifies Love, it produces Love.” “Christ has not left us without his bodily presence . . . he joins us to himself in this sacrament in the reality of his body and blood.”

The Presentation of the Lord—Feast, February 2: “If a well-known and trustworthy person were to go to a public square and tell all the idlers loitering there that on a certain hill they would find a gold mine and could take all they wanted, do you think anyone would shrug his shoulders and say he did not care? They’d be dashing there as fast as they could! “Well, now, doesn’t the tabernacle hold the most precious treasure ever to be found on earth or in heaven? Unfortunately, there are many who cannot see it because they are blind. Yet our faith unerringly tells us that endless riches are to be found there. People sweat and toil to make money, and yet, in the tabernacle dwells the Lord of the universe. He will grant you what you ask, if you really need it. Isn’t Our Lord Jesus Christ Lord and Master of all? Go to Him then. Ask and it shall be given you; knock and it shall be opened to you! Jesus longs to grant you favors, especially those you need for your soul.” (St. John Bosco)

Ash Wednesday: “Return to me with all your heart.”(Joel 2:12)—February 10:

Lenten Reflections:

“Go and find Him when your patience and strength run out and you feel alone and helpless. Jesus is waiting for you in the chapel. Say to Him, ‘Jesus, you know exactly what is going on. You are all I have, and you know all things. Come to my help.’ And then go, and don’t worry about how you are going to manage. That you have told God about it is enough. He has a good memory.” (St. Jeanne Jugan)

“Sciences falter and poetry fails, but love succeeds by grace.The love of Jesus impels the saints to awestruck silence but also to impassioned speech. It is Jesus whom the saints know in the Eucharist, the sacrament of the altar. There he is present, Body, Blood, soul, and divinity. Under the appearance of a small bit of bread, a drop of wine, God abides in his entirety. The finite contains all infinity, drawing us into communion, making us like himself, sharing his divine nature generously as once he took up our human nature.

“That infinite love is the power behind the words of the saints, the words of Catholics ancient and modern... The Eucharist inspired them to extend the range of science and art, to elevate human words beyond their ordinary reach, to raise them to heaven, as the Eucharist raises the Church even now....

“Through the Eucharist, God changes us as surely as he changed the elements of bread and wine into himself. He forms us as living stones in the temple of his Church. He builds up a Eucharistic culture to replace the culture of death.

“Think globally? Act Eucharistically. It's the sacrament that renews the earth.

“Asking what you can do for your country? Make a good Communion. Make a visit to the tabernacle. Much more will follow. God will make limitless poetry out of the prose of your life, and he will renew the face of the earth, beginning with your little corner.”(Mike Aquilina)

“In that little Host is the solution to all the problems of the world.”(St. Pope John Paul II)

“Jesus, I love You, I give You my heart…

To stay at Your feet, O hidden God, Is the delight and paradise of my soul. Here, You give me to know You, O incomprehensible One, And You speak to me sweetly: Give Me, give Me your heart.

“Silent conversation, alone with You, Is to experience what heavenly beings enjoy And to say to God, ‘I will, I will give You my heart, O Lord.’ While You, O great and incomprehensible One, accept it graciously.”

(St. Faustina, Diary 1718)

“There is much to adore in the Body of the Lord. As you allow your eyes to become fixed upon that little white host, think of the eternity that lies behind it . . . .

“Think of the hands that blessed the children and healed the sick, of the voice that calmed the storm and called Lazarus from the tomb; of the eyes that pierced with love the heart of the rich young man, that saw Nathaniel and Matthew from a distance before calling them to leave everything and follow him. Think of those feet that walked mile after mile to preach the Good News of salvation; ‘God is with you, forIam with you!’”(Peter Magee)

Our Lady of Lourdes, France—Feast, February 11:

“In Lourdes, the Eucharist is at the center of all pilgrimage-related activities. It alone gives meaning to the charity that is exercised in a special way toward the sick. The Eucharist sets Mary’s visit to Lourdes in the proper place—the place indicated by the feast’s Gospel reading on the wedding at Cana. Mary attentively is at her Son’s side when she says, ‘They have no wine,’ the wine that gives a taste for life; she is thus at the side of all persons in distress. ‘Do whatever he tells you,’ she says, and you will taste abundantly of the wine of the joy of salvation.” (Pierre-Marie Dumont, creator of Magnificat)

St. Katharine Drexel, Religious, Foundress, Philadelphia, PA, United States (1858-1955)—Feast, March 3:

“Ours is the Spirit of the Eucharist, the total Gift of Self.” (St. Katharine) Moved by the plight of African and Native Americans, St. Katherine gave up her 20 million dollar inheritance to build schools and minister to all in need. St. John of God, Religious, Confessor, Hospitallers Founder, Patron of Heart Patients, Portugal (1495-1550)—Feast, March 8: After his conversion, St. John founded a house to care for the poor, sick, and all in need of healing. He prayed unceasingly for conversions. Countless sick, dying, and alcoholics seek his intercession today. Many miracles are wrought through his intercession.

St. Patrick, Bishop and Patron of Ireland (d. 461)—Feast, March 17: St. Patrick brought the Catholic faith to Ireland, following his captivity there. He lived a life of constant prayer, proclaiming the truth of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist and the teachings of the Church. He wrote an autobiography and many prayers.

St. Joseph, Patron of Universal Church, Spouse of B.V.M.—Feast, March 19: “We have close to us as much as Joseph had at Nazareth; we have our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, but our poor eyes fail to see Him. Let us once become interior souls and we shall immediately see. In no better way can we enter into the Heart of our Lord than through Saint Joseph. Jesus and Mary are eager to pay the debts which they owe him for his devoted care of them, and their greatest pleasure is to fulfill his least desire. Let him, then, lead you by hand into the interior sanctuary of Jesus Eucharistic.” (St. P. J. Eymard)

Holy Thursday—March 24:

“I am close to you now, and you are close to Me in the Sacrament of My Love. I accept your presence here tonight as an offering of friendship and reparation for the sake of all My priests, your brothers. Tonight I look for them. I wait for each one to seek Me out. I continue to hope that My chosen ones, even those who have allowed their hearts to grow hard against Me, will be converted tonight and find their way to My tabernacles where I wait for them. There are graces destined for My priests in this the night of My agony and of My betrayal that are not given at any other time.

“The renewal of My priesthood in the Church will begin from the fire of love that blazes in the Sacrament of My Body and Blood. I call all priests to seek My Eucharistic Face and to abide in My presence. I want all My priests to discover My open Heart, My living Heart beating with Love for them, and pouring forth a purifying stream of Blood and of Water for their holiness, and for the life of the world. I summon all My priests into My Eucharistic presence . . . . I will not forsake a single priest who comes to Me in the Sacrament of My Love. There I wait for My priests. There I offer them My Divine Embrace. There I would draw them to My open Side, and through the wound in My Side, into the sanctuary of My Sacred Heart.

“Adore Me for the sake of your brother priests who do not adore Me. Let Me give you what I would give each of them. Accept My Love. Receive the gift of My Divine Friendship. Make My Eucharistic Presence the very heart of your life and the centre to which you return for warmth, for healing, for comfort, and for light. Seek My Eucharistic Face, and invite others to do the same.In the light of My Eucharistic Face great things take place in souls. You have only to present yourself before Me, and the light of My Countenance, veiled in the Sacrament of My Love, begins at once to work in your soul.” (FromIn Sinu Iesu, The Journal of a Priest)

Good Friday: Start the Divine Mercy novena today!—March 25:

“The current of love that originates in the heart of the crucified Christ, and circulates throughout all times and places in the Eucharist, is so powerful that every person who is saved, is saved through this sacred Mystery.” (Fr. Frederick L. Miller, STD)

Holy Saturday—March 26:

“Jesus, my God, I adore You, here present in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar, where You wait day and night to be our comfort while we await Your unveiled presence in heaven. Jesus, my God, I adore You in all places where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved and where sins are committed against this Sacrament of Love. Jesus, my God, I adore You for all time, past, present and future, for every soul that ever was, is or shall be created. Jesus, my God, who for us has endured hunger and cold, labor and fatigue, I adore You. Jesus, my God, who for my sake has deigned to subject Yourself to the humiliation of temptation, to the perfidy and defection of friends, to the scorn of Your enemies, I adore You. Jesus, my God, who for us has endured the buffeting of Your passion, the scourging, the crowning with thorns, the heavy weight of the cross, I adore You. Jesus, my God, who, for my salvation and that of all mankind, was cruelly nailed to the cross and hung there for three long hours in bitter agony, I adore You. Jesus, my God, who for love of us did institute this Blessed Sacrament and offer Yourself daily for the sins of men, I adore You. Jesus, my God, who in Holy Communion became the food of my soul, I adore You. ‘Jesus, for You I live. Jesus, for You I die. Jesus, I am Yours in life and death.’” (Reflections and Prayers for Visits with our Eucharistic Lord, by John J. Cardinal Carberry)

The Resurrection of the Lord—March 27:

“Celebrating this mystery, we not only renew what Christ did in the Upper Room, but we also enter into the mystery of His death! ‘We proclaim Your death!’- redeeming death. ‘Christ is risen!’ We are sharers in the Sacred Triduum and the night of Easter. We are sharers in the saving mystery of Christ as we await His coming in glory.” (St. Pope John Paul II)

We wish you a Happy and Holy Easter Season!

JESUS, EUCHARISTIC SAVIOR, WE ADORE YOU!

Prayer Intentions:Please send us the names of your family, relatives, loved ones, friends and any special intentions you would like us to pray for throughout these holy days before Jesus, Our Eucharistic Lord!

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