Tom Mulcahy
BLESSED MOTHER TERESA'S FIRST HOLY COMMUNION
02 14 , 03:35 Filed in: Saints
By Thomas Mulcahy
"These desires to satiate the longings of Our Lord for souls of the poor — for pure victims of his love — goes on increasing with every Mass and Holy Communion" (Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta).
Sometimes we get into a rut and we almost begin taking Holy Communion for granted. We must resist this temptation towards tepidity because Holy Communion is a great gift from Jesus - a priceless treasure. One Holy Communion, says Father Faber, is enough to make a saint. Faber says, "No one can tell how much grace lies in a single Sacrament. In a single communion lies all grace; for in it is the Author and Fountain of all grace...." (The Precious Blood, page 116).
Blessed Mother Teresa was born on August 26, 1910 (about 50 years after Father Faber's death). The Church across the street from her house was named The Sacred Heart of Jesus. Mother Teresa - then known as Gonxha (Agnes) Bojaxhiu - made her First Holy Communion when she was only five and one half years old! But as Father Brian Kolodiejchuk M.C. (the postulator for her Canonization) relates, Mother Teresa received "an exceptional grace" on "the day of her first Holy Communion" which "fueled her desire to take this daring step into the unknown" (to form the Missionaries of Charity). Father Kolodiejchuk is referring to a letter written by Mother Teresa in 1947 to Archhbishop Perier of Calcutta wherein she related:
Saint Therese of Lisieux - Mother Teresa's namesake - also received exceptional graces when she made her first Holy Communion at age eleven. The Saint - describing her first Holy Communion "as a flood of divine joy" - relates the following in her autobiography, The Story of a Soul:
Returning to Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Gina Loeher describes Mother Teresa's profound Eucharistic faith in the quote which follows:
The next Communion you receive will be the first Holy Communion of the rest of your life. There is no greater privilege in your life than to receive Jesus in Holy Communion.
“If thou didst know the gift of God" (John 4:10).
Reference: The material for this note comes from the books referenced in the note. John 4:10,referring to the living waters of baptism (the prelude to the gift of the Eucharist). See Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, page 168.
"These desires to satiate the longings of Our Lord for souls of the poor — for pure victims of his love — goes on increasing with every Mass and Holy Communion" (Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta).
Sometimes we get into a rut and we almost begin taking Holy Communion for granted. We must resist this temptation towards tepidity because Holy Communion is a great gift from Jesus - a priceless treasure. One Holy Communion, says Father Faber, is enough to make a saint. Faber says, "No one can tell how much grace lies in a single Sacrament. In a single communion lies all grace; for in it is the Author and Fountain of all grace...." (The Precious Blood, page 116).
Blessed Mother Teresa was born on August 26, 1910 (about 50 years after Father Faber's death). The Church across the street from her house was named The Sacred Heart of Jesus. Mother Teresa - then known as Gonxha (Agnes) Bojaxhiu - made her First Holy Communion when she was only five and one half years old! But as Father Brian Kolodiejchuk M.C. (the postulator for her Canonization) relates, Mother Teresa received "an exceptional grace" on "the day of her first Holy Communion" which "fueled her desire to take this daring step into the unknown" (to form the Missionaries of Charity). Father Kolodiejchuk is referring to a letter written by Mother Teresa in 1947 to Archhbishop Perier of Calcutta wherein she related:
"From the age of 5 1/2 years, -when first I received Him [Jesus] - the love for souls has been within-It grew with the years - until I came to India - with the hope of saving many souls" (Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light, Doubleday, page 15)
Saint Therese of Lisieux - Mother Teresa's namesake - also received exceptional graces when she made her first Holy Communion at age eleven. The Saint - describing her first Holy Communion "as a flood of divine joy" - relates the following in her autobiography, The Story of a Soul:
"Oh how sweet the first kiss of Jesus was! It was a kiss of love. I knew that I was loved and I declared: 'I love you and I give myself to you forever!' ...on that day it was no longer a matter of gazing: it was a union. There were no longer two of us . Therese had disappeared like a drop of water in the depth of the ocean. Only Jesus remained...." (Image Books, page 52).
Returning to Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Gina Loeher describes Mother Teresa's profound Eucharistic faith in the quote which follows:
"Mother Teresa believes that the union the sisters experience with Jesus in Holy Communion is inseparable from their lives. He himself renews and refreshes them every morning at Mass. 'Our life is linked to the Eucharist,' [Mother Teresa] would say. She also stated simply that without beginning each day with Jesus in Communion, 'we could do nothing.'" (The Four Teresas, page 91)
The next Communion you receive will be the first Holy Communion of the rest of your life. There is no greater privilege in your life than to receive Jesus in Holy Communion.
“If thou didst know the gift of God" (John 4:10).
Reference: The material for this note comes from the books referenced in the note. John 4:10,referring to the living waters of baptism (the prelude to the gift of the Eucharist). See Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, page 168.
<HOW TO MEDITATE?
02 14 , 06:15 Filed in: Theology
By Thomas Mulcahy
"Knowing how much is at stake, the devil wants at all costs to keep us from being faithful to mental prayer." (Father Jacques Philippe)
"Mary treasured all these things [about Jesus], pondering them in her heart." (Luke 2:19)
The great Catholic spiritual writers agree that regular meditation is a crucial component of the spiritual life and of growth in holiness. Meditation is important because it helps us focus with intensity and depth on what is of utmost importance to our lives - the reign of Jesus Christ in our hearts. The focal point for our meditations should, in fact, be the life of Jesus Christ - he who came into the world to enlighten all men (see John 1:9 ). Admittedly, some of the books and manuals on meditation propose long and complex methods of meditation that may be more advisable to professional religious than busy lay men and women. Here is a very simple way to meditate which I am formulating from good books I have read.
Begin your meditation by placing yourself mentally - recollected - in the presence of God and ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to guide you through the meditation and make it profitable for you. The heart of the meditation will then be:
1. Read over slowly and carefully and with deep attention the written material (text) you have chosen to meditate on (for example: the Parable of the Prodigal Son or a few paragraphs from The Imitation of Christ or any suitable book);
2. When the meditation strikes at your heart, and you are moved, make acts of love, praise and thanksgiving to God. These "acts" are the beginning of prayer. The ultimate purpose of the meditation is to produce these acts of affection - to ignite the flame of love in our hearts for God and His truths, etc.
3. Full of love for God, enter into conversation with Him in a deeply personal manner. Converse with God. Talk to Him. Share your heart with Him. Listen. Rest in Him. Saint Teresa of Avila is very adamant that this conversing with the Lord through meditation is the fuel which propels the spiritual life to much greater growth! If helpful to your conversation, you can use your imagination to enter into a Bible scene to talk to Jesus or Mary (for example, kneeling before the Lord during his Agony in the Garden and talking to him and consoling him, and letting him console you).
When the meditation is over, you can then thank the Lord for the graces and love you have received through the meditation, and perhaps make a line or verse from the meditation into your "go-to" prayer for the day!
That's it! The length of the meditation depends upon the amount of time you have and your preference. However, even a fifteen minute meditation can be quite profitable. With practice you will develop your own style and method of meditating which need only incorporate acts of worship towards God and personal conversation with Him.
References: I am relying completely on four excellent books by four priests. The key point from these books is
that meditation should lead to acts of love and worship to our God, and also to deep and intimate conversation
with Him (telling Him, as well, our needs and difficulties). Here are the books:
1. Conversation with Christ by Thomas Rohrbach
2. Time for God by Jacques Phillippe
3. Progress through Mental Prayer by Edward Leen
4. Difficulties in Mental Prayer by Eugene Boylan
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO PERISH?
02 14 , 01:54 Filed in: Theology
By Thomas Mulcahy
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16)
The question was brought up the other day, "What does it mean to perish?" Besides John 3:16 (quoted above) we also have 2 Peter 3:9 letting us know that it is not God's will that anyone should perish. The verse says,"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." But the question is: what does it actually mean to perish?
Blessed Pope John Paul II (in his Apostolic Letter, SALVIFICI DOLORIS) has specifically addressed, in very sobering words, what it means to perish. In answering this question the Pope first says, "Salvation means liberation from evil, and for this reason it is closely bound up with the problem of suffering. According to the words spoken to Nicodemus, God gives his Son to 'the world' to free man from evil, which bears within itself the definitive and absolute perspective on suffering." A few lines later the Pope specifically tells us what it means to perish. The Pope says:
What, then, does it mean to perish? It means to enter into the definite and never-ending suffering of hell caused by sin. The only liberation from this sin-driven eternal death is Jesus Christ. The Pope explains:
"Christ goes towards his Passion and death with full awareness of the mission that he has to fulfill precisely in this way. Precisely by means of this suffering he must bring it about "that man should not perish, but have eternal life". Precisely by means of his Cross he must strike at the roots of evil, planted in the history of man and in human souls. Precisely by means of his Cross he must accomplish the work of salvation. This work, in the plan of eternal Love, has a redemptive character" (no.16).
Our escape from the ravages of sin is the Merciful Love of God manifested through His son, Jesus Christ, who died and gave his life for us (see Galatians 2:20), so that we need "not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Let us, therefore, draw closer to the Lord.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16)
The question was brought up the other day, "What does it mean to perish?" Besides John 3:16 (quoted above) we also have 2 Peter 3:9 letting us know that it is not God's will that anyone should perish. The verse says,"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." But the question is: what does it actually mean to perish?
Blessed Pope John Paul II (in his Apostolic Letter, SALVIFICI DOLORIS) has specifically addressed, in very sobering words, what it means to perish. In answering this question the Pope first says, "Salvation means liberation from evil, and for this reason it is closely bound up with the problem of suffering. According to the words spoken to Nicodemus, God gives his Son to 'the world' to free man from evil, which bears within itself the definitive and absolute perspective on suffering." A few lines later the Pope specifically tells us what it means to perish. The Pope says:
"Man" perishes" when he loses "eternal life". The opposite of salvation is not, therefore, only temporal suffering, any kind of suffering, but the definitive suffering: the loss of eternal life, being rejected by God, damnation. The only-begotten Son was given to humanity primarily to protect man against this definitive evil and against definitive suffering. In his salvific mission, the Son must therefore strike evil right at its transcendental roots from which it develops in human history. These transcendental roots of evil are grounded in sin and death: for they are at the basis of the loss of eternal life. The mission of the only-begotten Son consists in conquering sin and death. He conquers sin by his obedience unto death, and he overcomes death by his Resurrection" (no. 14).
What, then, does it mean to perish? It means to enter into the definite and never-ending suffering of hell caused by sin. The only liberation from this sin-driven eternal death is Jesus Christ. The Pope explains:
"Christ goes towards his Passion and death with full awareness of the mission that he has to fulfill precisely in this way. Precisely by means of this suffering he must bring it about "that man should not perish, but have eternal life". Precisely by means of his Cross he must strike at the roots of evil, planted in the history of man and in human souls. Precisely by means of his Cross he must accomplish the work of salvation. This work, in the plan of eternal Love, has a redemptive character" (no.16).
Our escape from the ravages of sin is the Merciful Love of God manifested through His son, Jesus Christ, who died and gave his life for us (see Galatians 2:20), so that we need "not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Let us, therefore, draw closer to the Lord.