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  The Harvest (Breton Landscape) Émile Bernard [ Web Gallery of Art ] The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few;   therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest  (Matthew 9:37-38; Gospel). Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Matthew 9:36-10:8  ( English Standard Version Anglicised, India) When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.   Then he said to his disciples,  “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few;   therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.” And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.   The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who i

St Margaret Mary Alacoque Contemplating the Sacred Heart of Jesus Corrado Giaquinto [ Web Gallery of Art ] This morning I celebrated the Mass for the memorial of St Justin Martyr. He was born of Greek parents in Palestine around AD100, was a philosopher who taught and defended Christian teaching and was martyred around AD165. As I did not have a congregation I used the readings that may be used for this saint instead of the readings for Thursday of Week 8 in Ordinary Time. The readings for the memorial are extraordinarily apt for the first day of June, the beginning of the Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Christ in Agony on the Cross El Greco [ Web Gallery of Art] The First Reading is from  1 Corinthians 1:18-25 . Some quotations:  For the word of the cross is  folly to  those who are perishing, but to us  who are being saved it is  the power of God . . .  For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,   but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,

There is no excel spreadsheet in heaven of all the prayers or good works that you must do to be granted access to heaven.   We can do no action that benefits God in any way, because He is God, He is eternal, already complete and if we could do an action that benefited Him, then in some way He would be found to be lacking in something.   This is why the gift of the sacrifice of God's son, Jesus is completely, free and unmerited, because if all the human beings that have ever lived prayed constantly from their conception to their death could still not open the gates of Heaven and save us from the eternal suffering of hell they way that the blood of Jesus did.   Yet, God gives us an 'action' plan of salvation.  We are not to just stay in our... TO READ MORE CLICK HERE!

Just recently, I read  Ali Baba and the Forty thieves  for my children .  In this story, the wife of Ali Baba’s (unfortunate) brother and her servant girls lament and cry by his corpse, retrieved by Ali Baba from the thieves’ cave. Their lament announces to everyone the death of Ali Baba’s brother. This is just one of many examples of weeping done not only because of a spontaneous desire but with a specific and sometimes direct ritual meaning. And whenever there is a ritual, behind it lies the desire to express a deeper human reality. The ritual, the task, vocation or place, is there to encompass the entire human being when she (the soul) comes in contact with a reality beyond ordinary expression. Or in the words of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Gandalf, “not all tears are an evil…” The task of lamenting is one forgotten in the Western world, along with most meaningful rituals. .... In sharp contrast to this “liberated human” stands the Mother, weeping beneath the Cross... [Read more

A couple of weeks ago, I shared an excerpt from Pope Francis' Message for Lent 2015: During this Lent, then, brothers and sisters, let us all ask the Lord: "Fac cor nostrum secundum cor tuum": Make our hearts like yours (Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus). In this way we will receive a heart which is firm and merciful, attentive and generous, a heart which is not closed, indifferent or prey to the globalization of indifference. "Make our hearts like yours." How's that going? We're more than halfway through Lent, so it's time for a cardiac check-up. In what ways have our hearts grown more like the Heart of Jesus these past weeks? To reflect on this, we pay attention both to our own hearts and to the Heart of our Lord. Please join me at Praying with Grace for a heartfelt reflection.

Order Online! Pope Francis encourages us to pray from the heart. In his Message for Lent 2015, he invokes the Sacred Heart of Jesus: During this Lent, then, brothers and sisters, let us all ask the Lord: "Fac cor nostrum secundum cor tuum": Make our hearts like yours (Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus). In this way we will receive a heart which is firm and merciful, attentive and generous, a heart which is not closed, indifferent or prey to the globalization of indifference. I'm guessing a bunch of us have never seen--let alone prayed--the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, so let's get to it! Some words may be unfamiliar, so use the handy little glossary as needed. Join me at  Praying with Grace   to discover the version  available  from the Apostleship of Prayer, which accommodates group prayer or inspires profound  private prayer, just you and Jesus.

There is no room in the new economy of God for Arrogant Catholics. We are arrogant about our faith with Protestants, and even arrogant among our selves as we have the Latin Mass click who thinks there's is the only Holy Mass.  Somehow their Mass is 'better' than any other.   Catholics who are arrogant have no clue what it means to truly be a Catholic.   The demon LOVES to see these squabbles!     The Catholic is for the OTHER, not for themselves, that mean's everyone.  There is no Holy Mass greater than another, for it is the same Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, and the same Jesus offered to God.    Is the Latin Mass beautiful, yes.  Is it awesome to kneel and receive Holy Communion, yes, but these are gifts, we have no "rights" to them.  To READ MORE...CLICK HERE!

A man that takes the role of a Deacon is by faith shows himself by his submission, sacrifice and love to be extolling a purification of manhood.    Donning vestments, whether Priest or Deacon is the ultimate witness of manliness.  It is no coincidence that the first Christian Martyr was a Deacon.  By God’s grace, through a Deacon, God let open the heavens to let St. Stephen see the rewards of all those who die for the faith.  The grace of martyrdom is a joy of the will of God being fulfilled, for if we love God, we love Him and  those He loves to our last breath and our last drop of blood.   Those that are chosen for this gift are very few, and it is only by the love in their heart for others that they are chosen.  The martyr is prepared for death by the knowledge that their blood feeds the Church, and by the shedding of their blood, within God's will, they are given the greatest gift while still in the flesh; .... TO READ MORE...CLICK HERE!

Every Catholic Priest that walks the Earth had a mark placed on him at his conception for the Priesthood.   This is a gift by God as a reflection for what God did for Mary in her womb, because every Priest is her son.  The Priest is not immaculate, but only marked as one chosen for the Priesthood.  This is not a guarantee that he will become a Priest, it is up to God whether or not he is called later.  I am sure that there are a few Priests walking the earth that were not called, although they are very few.  But the Priest, whether called or not will always carry this mark as being chosen to the Priesthood from conception..... To Read More... CLICK HERE!

One day a new demon was asking questions of his demonic mentor, the elder demon assigned to show him the ropes so to speak.  "Why does the illustrious evil one hate humans so?"  asked the new demon. "You don't know?"   TO HEAR THE REST OF THE CONVERSATION...CLICK HERE!

First, a little riddle:  What am I? ... I've been considered the center, while holding many seats.  I reveal your emotions & intellect, both the physical & the spiritual.  Yet you might swear with me. And some will cross me... But I could melt, or become hardened.  Sometimes real, sometimes not...  Restless when wrong.  Cured when open.  I'll sing for you, but best at keeping beat.  In need of silence to hear well.  Heavy or broken at times.  Despised, pierced, forgotten.  Still, without me there is no life; yet humble I am ...  What am I to you? Yes.  Now that February is here, time to remember it once again... The one & only heart!  After all, we do have Valentine’s Day right at the very center of the month; But it’s also "American Heart Month"... Indeed it is, ever since 1964 (50 years now!).   And although the news makes mention of it each year, I'm hoping you'll still consider reading on because there is a much bigger and

Aimed at greater intimacy than the one-flesh union, married love "leads to forming one heart and soul,” states the Catechism. ( Section 1643 ). How do married couples become one in heart and soul, especially when the demands of daily life keep getting in the way? Becoming One Heart Talk to your beloved about what's in your heart. Sometimes men don't talk enough and women talk too much. What do you think about all day? Do you share those thoughts with your spouse? If not, why not? Take your concerns and preoccupations to prayer and ask God to help you share them with your spouse in a productive and positive way. Becoming unified with your spouse is a foretaste of becoming one with God, the Bridegroom of our soul. But union entails sorrow as well as solace. St. Catherine of Siena experienced a  mystical marriage  with Jesus, which both increased her love and familiarity with Jesus and gave her a more intimate participation in his sufferings. Do we offer to participa

I was wandering the woods in my amnesia,  Following the lights to scattered campfires, wandering to who knows where. The moon was full My heart was hungry Who am I? Where am I?  So lost, confused and crying. When my father held me as a baby, his heartbeat soothed my every tear. When I am close to Jesus, I am near his heartbeat too.  I am a baby in his arms and His Sacred Heart holds my heart in the safest place I'll ever be. As I grew older, my dad and I camped by the river. The heartbeat of the river soothed me in the intoxicating laurel thicket where we slept. Every evening, my dad's friend would say, “This is the life.” Years passed when I could not hear that heartbeat. All I could hear were chaotic sounds of need and fear, frantic crickets and cicadas seeking quickly fleeting mates. The moon was full My heart was hungry Starving, all alone. One day, I will find myself, floating on my back, nailed to my cross. I won't move there but I'll be f