He Has Answered My Heart

He has answered a question that has been in my heart for so long now.  He answered last night while reading, just after midnight.  And now today I learn that this is the day that John Henry Cardinal Newman died. Thank You, Jesus.  Thank you, +Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Thank you, +John Henry Cardinal Newman.

"Touch Me not," He says to St. Mary Magdalene, "I am not yet ascended to My Father..." Why might not our Lord be touched before His ascension, and how could He be touched after it? But Christ speaks, it would seem, thus (if, as before, we might venture to paraphrase His sacred words)-- "Hitherto you have only known Me after the flesh. I have lived among you as a man. You have been permitted to approach Me sensibly, to kiss and embrace My feet, to pour ointment upon My head. But all this is at an end, now that I have died and risen again in the power of the Spirit. A glorified state of existence is begun in Me, and will soon be perfected.  At present, though I bid you at one moment to handle Me as possessed of flesh and bones, I vanish like a spirit at another; though I let one follower embrace My feet, and say, 'Fear not,' I repel another with the words, 'Touch Me not.' Touch Me not, for I am fast passing for your great benefit from earth to heaven, from flesh and blood into glory, from a natural body to a spiritual body. When I am ascended, then the change will be completed.  To pass hence to the Father in My bodily presence, is to descend from the Father to you in spirit. When I am thus changed, when I am thus present to you, more really present than now, though invisibly, then you may touch Me- may touch Me, more really though invisibly, by faith, in reverence, through such outward approaches as I shall assign.  Now you but see me from time to time; when you see most of Me I am at best but 'going in and out among you.' Thou hast seen me, Mary, but couldst not hold Me; thou hast approached Me, but only to embrace My feet, or to be touched by My hand; and thou sayest, 'O that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come even to His seat! O that I might hold  Him and not let Him go!' Henceforth this shall not be; when I am ascended, thou shalt see nothing, thou shalt have everything. Thou shalt sit down under My shadow with great delight, and My fruit shall be sweet to thy taste. Thou shalt have Me whole and entire. I will be near thee, I will be in thee; I will come into thy heart a whole Saviour, a whole Christ- in all My fullness as God and man- in the awful virtue of that Body and Blood, which has been taken into the Divine Person of the Word, and is indivisible from it, and has atoned for the sins of the world- not by external contact, not by partial possession, not by momentary approaches, not by a barren manifestation, but inward in presence, and intimate in fruition, a principle of life and a seed of immortality, that thou mayest 'bring forth fruit unto God.'"

John Henry Cardinal Newman, Lectures on Justification

"...let your love lead your steps to Jesus wounded, to Jesus crowned with thorns, to Jesus fastened upon the gibbet of the cross."

"Since fervor of devotion is nourished and preserved in us by a frequent return of our thoughts to the passion of Christ, anyone who wishes to keep the flame of ardor alive within himself should frequently--or rather, incessantly--contemplate in his heart Christ dying upon the cross. That is why the Lord said of old: The fire on the altar is to be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest shall put firewood on it (Lev. 6:5) Listen Mother devout: your heart is the altar of God. It is here that the fire of intense love must burn always. You are to feed it every day with the wood of the cross of Christ and the commemoration of His passion. The prophet Isaiah says, You shall draw waters with joy out of the Savior's fountains (Isa 12:3); meaning that whoever wishes to obtain from God the waters of grace, the waters of devotion, the waters of tears, must draw from the fountains which are the five wounds of Christ.

 

"Therefore let your love lead your steps to Jesus wounded, to Jesus crowned with thorns, to Jesus fastened upon the gibbet of the cross. Not only see in His hands the print of the nails, with the apostle Thomas, not only put your finger into the place of the nails, not only put your hand into His side, but enter with your whole being through the door of his side into Jesus' heart itself. There transformed into Christ by your burning love for the Crucified, pierced by the nails of the fear of God, wounded by the spear of super-abounding love, transfixed by the sword of intimate compassion, seek nothing, desire nothing, wish for no consolation, other than to be able to die with Christ on the cross. Then you may cry out with the apostle Paul: With Christ, I am nailed to the cross. It is now no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me (Gal. 19-20)."

 

Saint Bonaventure 

On the Perfection of Life Addressed to the Sisters, The Works of Bonaventure

Before You

 

Before You

Before You,

it all seemed superficial.

Life seemed easy, yet restless.

My heart was walled.

My heart was careful,

seemingly broken beyond repair.

My heart was beyond bother,

relying on a strength that could not stand,

carrying a false hope in that which could not last.

Then I saw You, Jesus and now I know You.

You have revealed Your Love to me,

and my perception has changed.

You plunge into the depths with me.

You never abandon me.

Life is harder, yet Your yoke is easy,

Your burden light.

You tear down the walls in my heart.

You give me boldness and a new,

pure humility,

knowing Your Power,

giving strength to my weakness.

You bind up my wounds with Your Holy Touch.

Your Strength is ever present.

Your Hope is true. Your Love is eternal.

And I realize it was always You,

that there never was a before You.

You never change. You never left.

You have always been my Love, my Life, my Breath.

 

I Love You, Jesus.

Amen.

 

 

Prayer to St. Joseph for the Church Militant

 

O GLORIOUS St. Joseph, chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus, the chaste spouse of Mary ever Virgin and the head of the Holy Family, and then appointed by the Vicar of Christ to be the Heavenly patron and defender of the Church founded by Jesus, most confidently do I implore at this moment thy powerful aid for all the Church Militant on earth. Do thou shield with thy truly paternal love especially the Supreme Pontiff and all the bishops and priests who are in union with the Holy See of Peter. Be the defender of all who labor for souls amidst the trials and tribulations of this life, and cause all the peoples of the earth to submit themselves in a docile spirit to that Church which is the ark of salvation for all men.

Be pleased also, dear St. Joseph, to accept this dedication of myself which I now make unto thee. I dedicate myself wholly to thee, that thou mayest ever be my father, my patron and my guide in the way of salvation. Obtain for me great purity of heart and a fervent devotion to the interior life. Grant that, following thine example, I may direct all my actions to the greater glory of God, in union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary and in union with thee. Finally, pray for me that I may be a partaker in the peace and joy which were thine at the hour of thy holy death. Amen.

Refreshment for Our Souls (originally posted 11/8/11)

Originally posted 11/8/11:

One of the many things I love about our Catholic faith is the beauty of the liturgical year and various liturgical seasons and special monthly devotions providing a prayerful rhythm for our daily lives. November is a month we especially remember our beloved dead. This past week was the first time I had ever offered special prayers during the first week of November for our beloved souls in purgatory. Our Lord revealed to St. Gertrude:

"I accept with highest pleasure what is offered to Me for the poor souls, for I long inexpressibly to have near Me those for whom I paid so great a price. By the prayers of thy loving soul, I am induced to free a prisoner from purgatory as often as thou dost move thy tongue to utter a word of prayer!"

Four centuries before devotion of Our Lord's Most Sacred Heart was given to the world, Our Lord revealed to St. Gertrude His adorable Heart,

"at one time as a treasury in which all riches are contained; at another time as a harp which is played upon by the Holy Spirit, the sweetness of whose tones ravished the Blessed Trinity and all the heavenly court. Once it was represented to her as a fountain, the delicious and plentiful waters of which refresh the souls in purgatory, strengthen and enrich the just on earth, and fill the blessed in heaven with inebriating delights."

I love the way He revealed His Sacred Heart to St. Gertrude, with the imagery of the fountain providing for the Church Suffering, Church Militant, and Church Triumphant. We are all one Body and what a beautiful gift we have to offer prayers through Christ for one another. It was a blessing to be able to pray with you, and with Our Lady, in a special way last week for indulgences for our beloved souls.


UPDATE: Remember Me is a beautiful remembrance book available for purchase here. Here is a description from the website:

Remember Me is a family heirloom that is sure to be used again and again. It serves as a constant reminder to pray for loved ones who have gone before you. It is our hope that Remember Me will become a focal point of prayer for you and your family each and every month. As you use it, you will be filled with comfort and special memories — so that the souls of our faithful departed will live on and never be forgotten.

Prayer to Hearts of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

This is a beautiful prayer from my son's school work this morning!

 

+JMJ+

 

Heart of Jesus, I adore Thee.

Heart of Mary, I implore Thee.

Heart of Joseph, pure and just.

In these three Hearts, I place my trust.

A Prayer for our Priests

We thank You, God our Father, for those who have responded to Your call to priestly ministry.  Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf:  Fill Your priests with the sure knowledge of Your Love.  Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.  Lead them to new depths of union with Your Son.  Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.

Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, Your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder Your Word and follow Your Will.

O Mary, Mother of Christ and our Mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.  Intercede for our priests that, offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

St. John Vianney, pray for us and for our priests.



So thankful for our priests!

My Mother Mary

+JMJ+

My Mother Mary

Conceived by Grace,

All Grace in Grace.
Purity whole and Love to welcome
All Love in Love, your heart awaits.

To you, all innocence and beauty,

God’s messenger beckons, and
Your yes heaven awaits.
His Love He gives and you receive.

All Beauty while Incarnation rests,

You give yourself complete to Love.
Proceeding in haste to where He calls,
His Glory magnified by your willing heart.

Oh, the gift of His life,

As you await His sweet embrace
To hold His hand Divine while
Pondering His sweet face.

He depends on you,

His mother He trusts.
You give Him all of your mother’s heart
As you await the Cross Divine.

By your consent

His Heart opens to mine.
And you give your sorrowful heart
To him who knows his Love’s heartbeat.

By your yes again, you invite His bride

To rest in your Motherly Love
And in His grace Divine,
Make our hearts like unto thine.

His Fire in you, He gives us too.

All Love in Love,
All Grace in Grace
That we may ponder His sweet face.

And when your earthly walk dims

You surrender yourself wholly
And He brings you home
To dwell with Him.

~KS

Vultus Christi: Thou hast set Thy Heart on us

Thou hast set Thy Heart on us

From Father Mark Kirby at Vultus Christi:

"This he learned not by searching far and wide,
but by abiding there with Mary near the cross,
there to gaze on the 'one whom they have pierced' (Jn 19:37).
This he learned, John the eagle,
gazing unblinking into the Sun
that rose each day before his eyes
in the Breaking of the Bread.
"This is My Body which is given for you.
Do this for a commemoration of Me.
In like manner the chalice also,
after He had supped, saying:
'This is the Chalice, the new testament in my blood,
which shall be shed for you'" (Lk 22:19-20).

Teach us, John of the seeing heart,
how to gaze with unveiled faces
on the Face here veiled,
that we may discern in the Bread broken and given
the Eucharistic Heart, the water and the blood (cf. Jn 19:34)."

Read the rest here.  Thank you Father Mark.

Teach us, St. John, to abide with Mary near the cross, today in honor of her Immaculate Heart, and all days in His Eucharistic Heart.  In the Most Holy Name of Jesus, Amen.

Beginning to Pray: The Heart of Christ - Our Hope for Holiness

Dr. Lilles at Beginning to Pray has a beautiful post about the Heart of Christ and what happens when we "say 'yes' to the Sacred Heart in the midst of our defeats and failures."  Read it here.  Thank you Dr. Lilles!

St. Louis Marie de Montfort: Treasures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Hymn No. 40, from Hymns of St. Louis Marie de Montfort (pdf)

Treasures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus


1. Here is the greatest marvel
Expressed in my verses.
Chosen souls, listen
And mingle your voices with mine.

2. Rising far above myself,
I ascend even to the saints,
Higher still, to the Great High King,
Higher than all the heavens.

3. What do I see? All heaven admires it,
All heaven’s astonished!
I see what cannot be described.
Come, come and gaze, chosen souls.

4. Angels, tell me, I entreat you,
What is this lovely blazing fire?
It is the Heart of Mary’s Son,
And of the only Son of God.

5. Mortals, adore with angels
This Heart, which we too must adore,
Cry out and sing praises
To a Heart that love has rent.

6. O great mystery of glory
Not grasped here below!
Faith is needed to believe it
If a heart has yet to taste it!

7. This Heart, as man approaches,
Exalts God its Creator,
Glorifying His mercy,
Offering perfect homage.

8. How startling! The Heart is humble
At all times before its Father;
It praises, adores, entreats,
Speaking for us mightily.

9. O overwhelming marvel!
O Heart Most Divine,
Infinitely adorable,
Within the Trinity all holy!

10. O! What flames rise to the Father
From this Heart night and day!
O! how it loves man, his brother,
With pure and burning love!

11. O great Heart! O burning furnace!
O miraculous inferno
Shooting forth abundant flames
To set earth and heaven afire!

12. Since it is Heart, it loves us
Without ceasing for an instant;
It loves us as much as itself,
Exceedingly, infinitely.

13. It is the Heart of hearts sublime,
The Heart of the truly chosen,
The greatest of their victim souls,
Through Him, our sins are pardoned.

14. In this Heart, the holiest souls,
The best friends of the Savior
Have found their purest flames,
Their most inexpressible fervor.

15. Here is the real treasury
Of the grace of Jesus Christ,
Here is the admirable fount
Of all the Holy Spirit’s gifts.

16. Here is the fount of life
From which all the saints have drunk,
Here is the marvelous fire
Where their hearts became enflamed.

17. We find in this Heart all weapons,
It is the great arsenal;
We find in it the holiest delights
To charm, and conquer evil.

18. Here is the holiest hideaway
Where we avoid all sin,
Where even the imperfect soul
Becomes holy, at bargain prices.

19. Here is the town of refuge
Where no one is ever hurt,
And the true ark of deluge
Where no one ever drowns.

20. This pierced Heart enchants
And disarms the God of vengeance,
Its wound forms its divine mouth
Which victoriously pleads.

21. In this Heart, God the Father
Never strikes the sinner,
This Heart calms his anger,
Obtains his grace and favor.

22. Here is the sacred entrance
To the Spouse’s inner chamber,
Where the pure soul is inebriated
With love’s most pleasing wine.

23. In this Heart the soul is laced
With perfume’s sweetest scent.
In this Heart the soul is lit
With extraordinary fire.

24. This Heart is our living ark
Containing the entire law,
The innocent soul’s secrets
And the mysteries of the faith.

25. In this Heart our Master planned
All the secrets of his love,
Before disclosing them to us,
Before bringing them to light.

26. His Heart formed His oracles
Before He ever uttered them,
His Heart formed His miracles
Before He ever performed them.

27. In this fount of all light,
The favorites of Jesus Christ
Have drawn the deepest mysteries,
The Holy Spirit’s greatest gifts.

28. In this pure treasure of innocence
All the saints have been formed,
It is there that they were born
And accomplished all their plans.

29. This Heart is the rock’s cleft
Where gentle peace is found,
It is earth’s paradise
Where dwell all the elect.

30. This Heart is the bed of rest
For Jesus’ intimate friends;
In this Heart they acquire
Their most sublime virtues.

31. O great Heart, O deep abyss
Of profound humility!
O great Heart, O sublime throne
Of perfect charity!

32. Oh miracle of the world, great Heart
Which truly contains everything,
Heaven, earth and sea,
All the Holy Trinity!

33. Praising this adorable Heart,
I praise in proportion
The Heart of His admirable Mother,
So intense is their union.

34. It is you alone whom I adore,
Heart of my God, glorious Heart,
But, adoring you, I also honor
The Heart of heaven’s Queen.

35. Christians, by Mary’s Heart
We love the Heart of Jesus,
Since Jesus took life
In her most virtuous heart.

36. From the blood of her flaming heart,
The Heart of Jesus was formed;
They have but one heart, but one soul,
One and the other should be loved.

37. Soul, lose yourself entirely
In these two miraculous hearts,
One and the other convince you
To see but one in the two.

38. Dear soul, mount secretly,
By this tender heart to the Heart Most High.
You will soon become perfect,
Loving this Heart as one should.
GOD ALONE

From Collected Works of St. Louis Marie de Montfort, Hymns of Montfort

Lord, Make Your Will My Will

Our mission in this life is to know, love, and serve our God.  This is His Will for us.  We are all called to the front lines of both the spiritual battle and the physical battle, although in different ways.  As a wife and mother, I am called, with the blessing of my husband, to prepare my children for the battle ahead and to live my life in the way that God asks of me, without distraction, and in the Love of Christ.  I am ready to know, love, and serve Him and those people He places directly in our lives.   

We are not called only to know, or only to serve or only to know and serve God.  His Will for us is that we know, love, and serve our God.  It takes courage to truly Love.  It takes Saintly courage, Godly courage.  Love is a choice we make, and this freedom God gives us is the freedom to choose to do the right thing, and to do the right thing is always an act of Love.  I reclaim love in my heart for Christ, not a squishy, feel good, responsibility-shirking love, but Love as God, Who sent His Only Son to die on the Cross for us that we might have life.

Let us stand in unity with each other and be ready to go where Christ goes, without reservation.  Christ, our Mother Mary, Saint Joseph, and all of God's Angels and Saints have our back.

Prayer of Attachment, from Clarence Enzler in My Other Self:

Dear Lord,

I offer You my very life, and I willingly accept all the joys and sorrows it may contain.

I offer You my worldly goods; if it be Your will that I should lose my possessions, this is also my will.

I offer You my family and friends, accepting here and now the hour and circumstances of my parting from them.

I offer You my death with all the pains that may surround it.  I desire neither to lengthen nor to shorten my life by a single moment.

I offer You the sufferings of those I love, sufferings often harder for me to bear than my own.

I offer You all the disappointment, injustices, heartaches, that will come to my dear ones, in union with Mary offering Your sufferings on the cross.

Help me, dear Christ, to put off self.  Fill me with Your virtues.  Make Your Will my will.

You ask of me the greatest gift I can give: myself.  But You return to me the greatest gift God can give:  Yourself.

Help me, dear Master, to be generous, unselfish, persevering.

Transform me into Yourself.  As the priest changes bread and wine into Your Body and Blood, change me into an extension of Yourself, another Christ, Your other self.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.  Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.  St. Joseph, Head of the Holy Family, pray for us.  Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

Through Christ, Our Lord, Amen.

I Praise You with My Very Heart O Lord

O Lord, if all my inspirations fall to naught,

I praise you with my very heart. 

O Lord, if all Thine inspirations in my heart fall to naught,

 either by my own ineffectiveness or by Thine Divine Providence,

I praise You with my very heart, O Lord.

I offer all of my weak efforts to Your Sacred Heart.

Do with them what You will. 

I praise You with my very heart, O Lord.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.

Good St. Joseph, pray for us.

St. John, the beloved disciple, pray for us.

St. Augustine, pray for us.

St. Catherine of Siena, pray for us.

St. Gertrude, pray for us.

St. Helen, pray for us.

St. Michael, pray for us.

St. Raphael, pray for us.

St. Gabriel, pray for us.

Our guardian angels, pray for us.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

Enter into Life

I'll be honest with you.  Things are falling apart over here.  Big time.  And after staying up all night with my sick baby, it may not be the best time to make a big decision, or it may be the best time to make this decision.  In the early hours of the morning when I could do nothing but take care of Michael and think without a screen in front of my face, I spent some time pondering about how I spend my time during the day.  In some ways, it seems as though I'm really living out my vocation, but in reality, I am avoiding it every chance I get with needless distractions and a desire to "fit in".  But the problem is that I will never fit in anywhere but the Heart of God.  As St. Augustine says, "Our hearts are restless O Lord, until they rest in You."  He is out there in each one of you and I have had the privilege of meeting some wonderful people online.  For that I am so thankful and trust that God put certain people in my life for a reason.

Yesterday, I read a post at Vultus Christi, where Father Kirby wrote a letter to a novice Oblate (married with children) about how she, as a wife and mother, can enter into the their charism of Adoration and Reparation.  Here is how Father Kirby began his letter:

My dear daughter in Christ,


Praying at Home
Recently, you asked me how you, as wife and mother, with children to look after from morning 'til night seven days a week, can enter into our monastery's charism of adoration and reparation. It will be many years, I think, before you will have the freedom to spend any significant amount of time in adoration before the Tabernacle, or before the Most Blessed Sacrament exposed in the monstrance.


Your Divine Office
Your duty now, and the expression of your love for God, is to be fully present to your family. Your "Divine Office" is to cook, and clean, and change dirty diapers, and run errands, and keep the littlest ones amused, and find time to listen to the older children, and to bandage cuts, and look after bruises, and welcome guests -- and every now and then -- to steal a moment or two alone with your husband. Is this incompatible with your desire as an Oblate of our monastery to offer yourself to Our Lord in adoration, in reparation, and in supplication for the holiness of priests?

... Read more here.

This letter makes me weep in both joy and sadness.  I know God is calling me to enter fully into the life He has given me, and I trust that the relationships which God wants me to nurture are right here around me in my own living room, those with my husband and my children.  God has blessed me with a few really close friends and many acquaintances to encourage me and hopefully in some small ways I can encourage them as well.

This morning in my email inbox was an article from Matthew Warner at Fallible Blogma, "What's Your Idle?"  Well, my idle has been checking email, checking in on social media, reading blogs, writing blog posts and reading political news.  My husband is very generous in giving me the time I need to go to weekly Adoration of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, to attend daily Mass at least once or twice a week, and to go out with friends just for some down time.  But it is the daily idle time that has me falling apart.  And, like Matthew, I am going to change what I do with that idle time.  Here is a 40 second prayer that Father Kirby included in his letter to his daughter in Christ:

A 40 Second Prayer
Here is a prayer that I wrote for this purpose. It takes exactly 40 seconds to say. Over time, it can be memorized. Use it to mark the beginning of your hour of adoration and reparation and, then, go about your business, trusting that Our Lord has heard your prayer and received it into His Heart.

Lord Jesus Christ, although I cannot, during this hour, approach Thee physically in the Sacrament of Thy Love, I would approach Thee by desire and by faith.

Transport me, I beseech Thee, by the lifting up of my mind and heart, to that tabernacle in the world where Thou art, at this hour, most forsaken, utterly forgotten, and without human company.

Let the radiance of Thy Eucharistic Face so penetrate my soul that by offering Thee adoration and reparation, even as I am busy doing ordinary things in an ordinary way, I may obtain from Thy Sacred Heart the return of at least one priest to the Tabernacle where Thou waitest for him today. Amen.

I offer all of this to Your Sacred Heart, my Lord and my Love, through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, my Mother.

Daily Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Family Daily Prayer to the Sacred Heart

Dear Sacred Heart of Jesus, we renew our pledge of love and loyalty to You.  Keep us always close to Your loving Heart and to the most pure Heart of Your Mother.

May we love one another more and more each day, forgiving each other's faults as You forgive us our sins.  Teach us to see You in the members of our family and those we meet outside our home, and to love them, especially the poor and oppressed, that we may be instrumental in bringing about justice and peace.

Please help us to carry our cross daily out of love for You, and to strengthen this love by frequent Mass and Holy Communion.

Thank You, dear Jesus, King and Friend of our family, for all the blessings of this day.  Protect us and all families during this night.  Help us to live so that we may all get to Heaven.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
St. Joseph, pray for us!
Our Guardian Angels, pray for us!
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

From The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus 

edited and published under the direction of 

His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke 

Resting In Gratitude

The Mystery of His Love

God has drawn me to His Heart and to the Heart of His Mother in amazing ways.  He has sent me friends in St. John the Apostle, St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Gertrude the Great, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Catherine of Siena, just to name a few.  The most astounding fact is how these Saints found me, rather than me finding them.  God has given them to our family, to me.  He cares about every single detail of our lives, of my life.

From a broken heart, I have sought Him and His Love, but it is He Who has found me, his prodigal daughter, his lost sheep.  He drew me to His Most Sacred Heart in the Blessed Sacrament.  He drew me to Him through speaking directly to the ear of my own broken heart.  He drew me to His bosom, to the Shadow of His Wings.  He has hidden me in His Wounds, and will never let me be separated from Him.  He has given me a Mother to teach me, guide me, and love me in a way that was missing from the brokenness of my childhood.  How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place, Oh Lord!  How marvelous are your ways, how saving is Your Love, Your Mercy, Your Strength, Your Kindness, Your Beauty, Your Heart.

Tomorrow, our family will consecrate our hearts and home to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  We will enthrone a beautiful image of Christ giving us His Heart.  Please pray for us as we receive Christ into our very lives in this special and profound way.

St John was given to St. Gertrude as a special protector.  He told her in a vision, "Come, come, beloved spouse of My Master, let us repose together on the sweetest bosom of Our Lord, in which all the treasures of beatitude are hidden!"

From St. Gertrude, The Great, Herald of Divine Love (Tan Books):

St. John stood to the left, and St. Gertrude to the right of our Savior.  As they reposed on the sanctuary of His Heart, and were ravished with inexpressible delights at Its beatings, this dialogue took place between them:  "Well-beloved of the Lord, did these harmonious beatings which rejoice my soul also rejoice thine when thou didst repose during the Last Supper on the bosom of the Savior?"

"Yes, I heard them, and my soul was penetrated with their sweetness even to its very center."

.

.

. 

Gertrude wondered and feared because of this amazing goodness of her Lord.  She thought it too great a condescension for the adorable Heart to remain continually near her to supply for her defects.  But Our Lord consoled and encouraged her by this comparison:

"If thou hast a beautiful and melodious voice, and takest much pleasure in chanting, wilt thou not feel displeased if another person whose voice is harsh wishes to sing in thy stead, and insists on doing so?  Thus My Divine Heart, understanding human inconstancy, desires with incredible ardor to be continually invited, either by words or signs, to operate and accomplish in thee what thou art unable to accomplish thyself.  Its omnipotence enables My Heart to act without trouble.  Its impenetrable wisdom enables It to act in the most perfect manner.  And Its joyous and loving charity makes It ardently desire to accomplish this end."

Thank you for your prayers as we enter more deeply into the faith and hope that Christ gives us through His Holy Church and His Holy Mother.

For more information about this vision of St. Gertrude of St. Augustine and The Holy Trinity, portrayed so beautifully by Isidoro Arrendodo, go to Idle Speculations.