June 14 - Solemnity of the Body and Blood 0f Christ - Day 4 of Novena to the Sacred Heart through Mary

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Blessings on this beautiful Feast of Corpus Christ! The Mass Readings and especially the longer version of the Sequence are precious words to be heard and pondered. May God open the ears of our hearts that we may hear truly and do the Truth we hear. I will only quote parts of the liturgy but hopefully all may take time to prayerfully listen to what the Lord is saying in His Word today.

From Reading 1:

Moses said to the people:
"Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God,
has directed all your journeying in the desert,
so as to test you by affliction
and find out whether or not it was your intention
to keep his commandments.
He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger,
and then fed you with manna,
a food unknown to you and your fathers,
in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD.

"Do not forget the LORD, your God…( Deuteronomy chapter 8)

Reading 2:

Brothers and sisters:
The cup of blessing that we bless,
is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?
The bread that we break,
is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
Because the loaf of bread is one,
we, though many, are one body,
for we all partake of the one loaf. (1 Cor 10: 16-17)

From longer version of Sequence:

…Bad and good the feast are sharing,
Of what divers dooms preparing,
Endless death, or endless life.

Life to these, to those damnation,
See how like participation
Is with unlike issues rife.…

Gospel:

Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my flesh for the life of the world.”

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my flesh is true food,
and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me
will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever.” (Jn 6: 51 - 58)

Complete test of readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/061420.cfm
Novena Prayer: June 13 - Day 3 of Novena to the Sacred Heart through Mary

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Stephie,

Thanks so much for your Faith-FULL and loving heart! It is always a joyful sight!

Some years ago I read a life of St. Francis of Assisi and was so touched by St. Francis weeping in the streets - crying out , the words: “Love is not loved!” I thought of that after Mass this morning. At the early Mass today it seemed there were fewer people than has been there in the last 3 Sundays – I wondered why.

Jeus warns us in Mt. 24: 3 -14:

As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached Him privately and said, “Tell us, when will this happen, and what sign will there be of your coming, and of the end of the age?” Jesus said to them in reply, “See that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many. You will hear of wars and reports of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for these things must happen, but it will not yet be the end. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be famines and earthquakes from place to place. All these are the beginning of the labor pains. Then they will hand you over to persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. And then many will be led into sin; they will betray and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and deceive many; and because of the increase of evildoing, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come.

Do you think love in hearts is growing cold — not only toward one another but – even worse – toward Jesus and Mary? When I ponder Jesus’ appearances to St. Margaret Mary asking for Communions of Reparation and appearing as a Child with Mary asking for Reparation to her Immaculate Heart, I wonder how few have persevered in those devotions.

These are very difficult times. May God increase His Grace in us all who have been called to holiness. May His Church - both clergy and people – sincerely repent and grow in holiness as we come closer to our own “end” or to the end of the world. I do not think I ever connected this Scripture to the Feast of Corpus Christi before today. Perhaps praying the Novena, mindful of those Two Hearts Pierced for Love of us stirred something unexpected in my own heart during Mass and Holy Communion today.

May the Heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament be praised adored and loved with grateful affection at every moment in all the Tabernacles of the world even to the end of time. Sacred Heart of Jesus, we trust in You. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of God and of His Church pray with us, and for us. Amen