"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! ...
For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be glory forever. Amen" (Rom 11: 33-36).
"I am all yours, and all that I have is yours, O most loving Jesus, through Mary, your most holy Mother"
(True Devotion, 233).
DAY 19 of 33: SECTION 3:Entering
into the Mystery of Jesus' Agony in the GardenContemplating the Sorrowful Mysteries with Mary, St.
Maximilian Kolbe, St. Mother Teresa and St. Louis de Montfort as our guides.
Action: 1. Resolve to pray a complete set of mysteries of the Rosary every day - as an
act of love to God and in fulfillment of Mary's requests to us. So, therefore,
PRAY the Joyful mysteries of the Rosary today and every day - see day 8 for instructions/ guidance on how
to fit this into your day.
2. Skim through the accompanying pictures and the extraordinary wisdom of St.
Louis de Montfort and St. Mother Teresa and read through as much (below) as possible. 3.
Continue to choose to enter more deeply into the daily prayer program (below)
at least in this way: Ponder
and pray The Nicene Creed today and the accompanying Scripture texts as you
meditate and PRAY THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES AND ALL THE LUMINOUS MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY - while praying for the grace to
listen, to hear and respond to God as Mary does.
And to pray for the grace to surrender whatever is keeping us from responding
fully to God - in and through and with Mary’s love and help.
4.
Begin to take steps to make the Mass the center of your life.
5. Pray the 1st Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary: The Agony in the Garden
Let us begin by praying the Nicene Creed - with all of these mysteries in mind:
Nicene Creed
I believe in one God,the Father almighty,maker of heaven and earth,of all things visible and invisible.I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,the Only Begotten Son of God,born of the Father before all ages.God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;through him all things were made.For us men and for our salvationhe came down from heaven,and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,and became man.For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third dayin accordance with the Scriptures.He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.He will come again in gloryto judge the living and the deadand his kingdom will have no end.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,who proceeds from the Father and the Son,who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,who has spoken through the prophets.I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sinsand I look forward to the resurrection of the deadand the life of the world to come. Amen.
Today we contemplate the 1st Sorrowful Mystery - The Agony of Jesus in the Garden
O, how deeply Jesus loves us! So much so that He shed and sweated great drops of blood at the thought of us not accepting His Love and Sacrifice - at the thought of us not being with Him for eternity.
May we be moved to love Him in return - by consecrating ourselves completely to Him through His Mother Mary as He asks of us.
Because Jesus is God, eternal and outside of time, He revealed (to St. Faustina) that the meek and humble souls and the childlike were with Him, comforting Him in His agony in the garden.
May we be humble enough to submit ourselves to Mary as Jesus did and so continue to give Him comfort and to be filled with such great trust that we can abandon ourselves into His Heart and the heart of His Mother - trusting that God's Will is best for us - so we can always say with them, FIAT, "Not my will, but Thine be done."
Our
Blessed Mother, during her silent presence throughout that night, united her
mind and heart to the agony of her Son and to His free embrace of His Cross.
This
was His Hour. This was The Hour in which Jesus was to give the greatest glory
to the Father in Heaven. And it was also our Blessed Mother’s hour. She was
invited to freely offer her Son to the hands of evil men. Saint Peter and the
other Apostles lacked fidelity and commitment as this hour approached. But our
Blessed Mother, her Son’s first and greatest disciple, joined Jesus in a
complete surrender to the will of the Father.
On
Good Friday, as Mother Mary stood before the Cross of her Son, she would have
continued to pray in the way Jesus prayed in the Garden the night before.
“Father…not as I will, but as you will.” This must also become the most central
prayer in our own lives each and every day.
Reflect,
today, upon the chaos and confusion that began that night with Jesus’ arrest.
Reflect, also, upon moments of chaos and confusion in your own life. When you
feel the burden of the various crosses in your life, there is but one way to
properly embrace them. You must unite yourself with the prayer of Jesus in the
Garden which was also the perfect prayer of our Blessed Mother. Join them in
this prayer of perfect surrender.
Dearest
Mother Mary, you watched in sorrow as your Son was arrested and treated with
much cruelty. Yet your only prayer was the prayer your Son prayed in the
Garden. “Father, not as I will, but as You will.” Jesus’ agony was your agony
and His surrender was your surrender.
Pray
for me, dear Mother, that I may join you and your Son in prayer as I agonize in
this life. As I face the cruelty of the world, pray for me that I may also
daily choose the will of the Father in all things, never giving in to despair
and never wavering in my surrender.
My
suffering Lord, I choose to stay awake with You and to remain faithful to You
always. Give me the grace I need to live in complete surrender to the will of
the Father and to Your most holy will.
It
is important to make a commitment to strive to pray more deeply, more
intensely and with more of your heart during these days of preparation.
Here are some guidelines and suggestions for how to live these days.
Pray about how you can grow in each of these areas listed below and
while living out this prayer program it is especially important to
Trust in the Truth and Supernatural Reality of God’s Presence within each of them
1. Sacraments
• LIVE Grace and Renew our Baptism - renounce sin and Satan
• Mass and the Eucharist the Center of our lives
• Confession frequently
2. Scripture - Pray and Internalize it daily
• To Jelena: “I’m going to reveal a spiritual secret to you:
if you want to be stronger than evil, make yourself a plan of personal
prayer. Take a certain time in the morning, read a text from Holy
Scripture, anchor the Divine word in your heart, and strive to live it
during the day, particularly during the moment of trials. In this way,
you will be stronger than evil.” (Our Lady of Medjugorje, April 19,
1984)
• Rosary – With and in Mary, contemplating Scripture and the mysteries of God
3. Fill mind with wisdom of Mary and the Saints
• God is sending Mary to earth for she is the Crusher of Satan. Listen to her words.
• St. John Paul II – example of life given over – Totus Tuus
• St. Maximilian Kolbe – Militia Immaculata every soul consecrated to Mary will save the world
• St. Louis de Montfort – Mary will form the greatest saints
who ever lived – easiest shortest most sure way to sanctity
• St. Mother Teresa and many more
Day 19 Readings and Prayers for St. Louis de Montfort's 33 Day of Consecration to Jesus through Mary - An Online Guide
Readings and Prayers for St. Louis-Marie de Montfort's Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary
On this feast of the Miraculous Medal, I wanted to share one of my all time favorite conversion stories!
It is the story of Claude Newman, a death row inmate, who was converted and completely transformed through Mary and her Miraculous Medal in 1944 in Mississippi.
I share it often in my talks and retreats - and shared it again recently within my video Day 13 Total Consecration Formation Program as part of my teaching on Jesus' Transfiguration. I shared his story as an example of how we all can be transfigured and completely transformed by the grace of God and His Blessed Mother!
...I wanted to take just his story out of the teaching to share it with you today - because I know it holds great power to touch and move people to greater faith and love!
So, here is the Miraculous Conversion Story of Claude Newman:
The miraculous story of Claude Newman & his purported conversion through the intercession of the Virgin Mary
The remarkable story of the miraculous intercession of the Virgin Mary in 1944 to prisoner Claude Newman of Mississippi
The Virgin Mary purportedly appears in a series of visions through the intercession of the Miraculous Medal and converts two men on death row.
By: Glenn Dallaire
Claude Newman was an African American man who was born on December 1, 1923 to Willie and Floretta (Young) Newman in Stuttgart, Arkansas. In 1928, Claude’s father Willie takes Claude and his older brother away from their mother for unknown reasons, and they are brought to their grandmother, Ellen Newman, of Bovina, Warren County, Mississippi.
In 1939, Claude's beloved grandmother, Ellen Newman, marries a man named Sid Cook. Soon Sid becomes sexually abusive toward Ellen, which deeply angers Claude. In 1940, Claude works as a farmhand on Ceres Plantation in Bovina, Mississippi. The plantation is owned by a wealthy landowner named U.G. Flowers, and Sid Cook was born and raised on this plantation. One biographer also has Claude getting married also in 1940 at age 17 to a young woman of the same age.
On Dec.19, 1942, Claude is apparently still very angered by Sid's abusive treatment towards his grandmother Ellen, and egged on by dominant friend named Elbert Harris, Claude lies in waiting at Sid Cook’s house (Sid Cook and Ellen Newman have since separated). Claude shoots Sid as he enters, killing him, and takes his money, then flees to his mothers house in Arkansas, arriving on Dec 20th.
Claude is arrested and sent to prison on death row
In January 1943, Claude is apprehended in Arkansas and is returned to Vicksburg, Mississippi and makes a coerced confession on Jan. 13. Despite protests of Claude’s lawyer Harry K. Murray, his confession is admitted as evidence, and he is found guilty by jury, and is initially sentenced to die in the electric chair on May 14, 1943. Later an appeal to retry the case is rejected by State Attorney General and he is rescheduled to be executed on January 20, 1944.
Claude receives the Miraculous Medal of the Blessed Virgin Mary The majority of the information that will now be presented comes from a tape recording of a radio show interview of Father O'Leary- a priest who came to know Claude very well during Claude's imprisionment.
While Claude was in jail awaiting execution, he shared a cell-block with four other prisoners. One night, the five men were sitting around talking and eventually the conversation ran out. During this time, Claude noticed a medal on a string around one of the other prisoner's neck. Curious, he asked the other prisoner what the medal was. The young prisoner was a Catholic, but he apparently did not know (or did not want to talk) about the medal, and seemingly embarrassed, he appeared angry and suddenly took the medal off from around his own neck and threw it on the floor at Claude's feet with a curse and a cuss, telling him to "take the thing". Claude picked up the medal, and after looking it over, he placed it around his own neck, although he had no idea whose image it was on the medal; to him it was simply a trinket, but for some reason he felt attracted to it, and wanted to wear it.
During the night while sleeping on top of his cot, he was awakened with a touch upon his wrist. Awakening with a start, there stood, as Claude told Father O’Leary afterwards, ‘the most beautiful Woman that God ever Created’.
At first he was quite frightened, not knowing what to make of this extraordinary beautiful glowing Woman. The Lady soon calmed Claude down, and then said to
him, "If you would like Me to be your Mother, and you would like to be My child, send for a priest of the Catholic Church."
And after saying these words She suddenly disappeared.
Excited, Claude immediately started to yell "a ghost, a ghost", and started screaming that he wanted a Catholic priest.
Father Robert O'Leary SVD (1911-1984), the priest who tells the story, was called first thing the next morning. Upon arrival he went to see Claude who told him of what had happened the night before. Deeply impressed by the events, Claude, along with the other four men in his cell-block, asked for religious instruction in the Catholic faith.
Claude and some of the other prisoners receive instruction in the Catholic faith
Father O'Leary returned to the prison the next day to begin instruction for the prisoners. It was then that the priest learned that Claude Newman could neither read nor write at all. The only way he could tell if a book was right-side-up was if the book contained a picture. Claude told him that he had never been to school, and Father O’Leary soon discovered that his ignorance of religion was even more profound. He knew practically nothing about religion or the Christian faith. He knew that there was a God, but he did not know that Jesus was God. And so Claude began receiving instructions, and the other prisoners helped him with his studies.
After a few days, two of the religious Sisters from Father O'Leary's parish-school obtained permission from the warden to come to the prison. They wanted to meet Claude and hear his remarkable story, and they also wanted to visit the women in the prison. Soon, on another floor of the prison, the Sisters began to teach some of the women-prisoners the catechism as well.
A heavenly lesson about Confession
Several weeks passed, and it came time when Father O'Leary was going to give instructions about the Sacrament of Confession. The Sisters too sat in on the class. The priest said to the prisoners, "Ok boys, today I'm going to teach you about the Sacrament of Confession."
Claude said, "Oh, I know about that! The Lady told me that when we go to confession we are kneeling down not before a priest, but we're kneeling down by the Cross of Her Son. And that when we are truly sorry for our sins, and we confess our sins, the Blood He shed flows down over us and washes us free from all sins."
Hearing Claude say this, Father O'Leary and the Sisters sat stunned with their mouths wide open. Claude thought they were angry and said, "Oh don't be angry, don't be angry, I didn't mean to blurt it out."
The priest said, "We're not angry Claude. We are just surprised. You have seen Her again?"
Claude replied, "Come around the cell-block away from the others."
Proof that the Blessed Virgin Mary was appearing to Claude
When they were alone, Claude said to the priest, "She told me that if you doubted me or
showed hesitancy, I was to remind you that lying in a ditch in Holland in 1940, you made a vow to Her which She's still waiting for you to keep."
And, Father O'Leary recalls, "Claude then told me precisely what the vow was."
Claude's revelation absolutely convinced Father O'Leary that Claude was telling the truth about his visions of Our Lady. The promise Fr. O’Leary made to Our Lady in 1940 from a ditch in Holland (the proof Claude gave the priest that Our Lady really was appearing to him) was this: that when he could, he would build a church in honor of Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception. He did just that in 1947. He had been transferred to Clarksdale, Mississippi in 1945 when a group African American Catholic laymen asked to have a church built there. The Bishop of Natchez, Mississippi had been sent $5000 by Archbishop Cushing of Boston for the “Negro missions.” The Bishop and Father O’Leary commissioned the church of the Immaculate Conception to be built, and it is still there today (photo left)
Father O’Leary and Clark then returned to the catechism class on Confession. And Claude kept telling the other prisoners, "You should not be afraid to go to confession. You're really telling God your sins, not the priest”
Then Claude said,
"You know, the Lady said that Confession is something like a telephone. We talk through the priest to God, and God talks back to us through the priest."
A heavenly lesson about Holy Communion
About a week later, Father O'Leary was preparing to teach the class about the Blessed Sacrament. The Sisters were again present for this lesson too. Claude indicated that the Lady had also taught him about the Eucharist, and he asked if he could tell the priest what She said.
Fr. O’Leary agreed immediately. Claude related, "The Lady told me that in Communion, I will only see what looks like a piece of bread. But She told me that It is really and truly Her Son, and that He will be with me just as He was with Her before He was born in Bethlehem. She told me that I should spend my time like She did during Her lifetime with Him-- in loving Him, adoring Him, thanking Him, praising Him and asking Him for blessings. I shouldn't be distracted or bothered by anybody else or anything else, but I should spend those few minutes in my thoughts alone with Him."
Claude is received into the Catholic church and scheduled to be executed
As the weeks progressed, eventually they finished the catechism instructions and Claude and the other prisoners were received into the Catholic Church. The St. Mary’s parish (Vicksburg, MI) baptismal log has recorded his baptism on January 16, 1944. Fr. O’Leary officiated and a young nun, Sr. Bena Henken, served as his godmother.
Soon afterwards the time came for Claude to be executed. He was to be executed at five minutes after twelve, midnight, on January 20, 1944.
The sheriff, named Williamson, asked him, "Claude, you have the privilege of a last request. What do you want?"
"Well," said Claude, "all of my friends are all shook up. The jailer is all shook up. But you don't
understand. I'm not going to die; only this body. I'm going to be with Her. So, then I would like to have a party"
"What do you mean?” asked the sheriff.
"A party!" said Claude. "Will you give Father O’Leary permission to bring in some cakes and ice cream and will you allow the prisoners on the second floor to be freed in the main room so that we can all be together and have a party?"
"Somebody might attack Father," cautioned the warden.
Claude turned to the men who were standing by and said, "Oh no they won't, right fellas?"
The warden consented and posted additional guards for the party. So, Father O’Leary visited a wealthy patron of the parish, and she generously supplied the ice cream and cake, and everyone enjoyed the party.
Afterwards, because Claude had requested it, they made a Holy Hour, praying especially for Claude and for all of their souls. Fr. O’Leary brought prayer books from the Church, and they all said together the Stations of the Cross, and made a Holy Hour, without the Blessed Sacrament.
As the time neared for Claude’s execution, the men were put back in their cells. The priest then went to the chapel to get the Blessed Sacrament so that he could give Claude Holy Communion in the moment before his execution.
Father O'Leary returned to Claude's cell. Claude knelt on one side of the bars, the priest
knelt on the other, and they prayed together as the clock ticked toward Claude's execution.
A two week stay of execution is granted
Fifteen minutes before the execution, sheriff Williamson came running up the stairs shouting,
"Reprieve, Reprieve, the Governor has given a two-week reprieve!"
Claude had not been aware that the sheriff and the District Attorney were trying to get a stay of execution for Claude to save his life. But when Claude found out, he started to cry.
The priest and the sheriff assumed Claude’s reaction was that of joy because he was not going to be executed. However Claude said, "But you don't understand! If you ever saw Her face, and looked into Her eyes, you wouldn't want to live another day!"
Claude then continued, "What have I done wrong these past weeks that God would refuse me my going home?"
Father O’Leary then testified that Claude sobbed as one who was completely brokenhearted.
Bewildered, the sheriff then left the room. The priest remained and Claude eventually quieted down, then Father O’Leary gave Claude Holy Communion. Afterwards Claude said,
"Why Father? Why must I still remain here for two weeks?"
Claude generously sacrifices himself in an offering for a fellow prisoner
Father O’Leary then had a sudden inspiration. He reminded Claude about James Hughs, a white prisoner in the same jail who hated Claude intensely. This prisoner had led a horribly immoral life, and like Claude he too was sentenced to be executed for murder. James was raised a Catholic, but now he was a reprobate, and rejected God and all things Christian.
Father O’Leary then said "Maybe Our Blessed Mother wants you to offer this denial of being with Her for his conversion." And the priest continued, "Why don't you offer to God every
moment that you are separated from your heavenly Mother for this prisoner, so that he will not be separated from God for all eternity."
Claude thought for a moment, then agreed, and he asked Father O’Leary to teach him the words to make the offering. Father O’Leary complied, and he later testified that from that moment on the only two people on earth who knew about this personal offering were Claude and himself, because it was a private matter between God, the Blessed Mother, Claude and himself.
A few hours later (still on the morning after his reprieve of execution) Fr. O’Leary came once again to visit Claude, and Claude said to the priest, "James hated me before, but oh Father, how he hates me now!" (This was because James had heard about Claude’s reprieve and was jealous) To encourage him the good priest said, "Well, perhaps that's a good sign."
Claude’s execution
During his two weeks reprieve, Claude generously offered his sacrifice and prayers for his fellow prisoner, the reprobate James Hughs . Two weeks later, Claude was finally put to death by the electric chair on Feb.4, 1944.
Concerning Claude’s holy death Father O'Leary testified: "I've never seen anyone go to his death as joyfully and happily. Even the official witnesses and the newspaper reporters were amazed. They said they couldn't understand how anyone could go and sit in the electric chair while at the same time actually beaming with happiness."
Claude's death notice was printed in the Vicksburg Evening News on the day of his execution Feb. 4, 1944 (see photo left). His last words to Father O'Leary were, "Father, I will remember you. And whenever you have a request, ask me, and I will ask Her."
The miraculous conversion & execution of prisoner James Hughs
Three months later, on May 19, 1944, the white man named James Hughs--the who Claude had offered his sacrifice for, was to be executed. Father O'Leary said, "This man was the filthiest, most immoral person I had ever come across. His hatred for God and for everything spiritual defied description."
He would not allow a priest or any clergyman in his cell. Just before his execution, the county doctor pleaded with him to at least kneel down and say the "Our Father" before the sheriff would come for him. The prisoner spat in the doctor's face.
When he was strapped into the electric chair, the sheriff said to him, "If you have something to say, say it now."
The condemned man started to blaspheme.
All of a sudden he stopped speaking, and his eyes became fixed on the corner of
the room, and his face turned to one of absolute horror. Suddenly he screamed in terror--a horrible scream that shocked everyone present.
Turning to the sheriff, he then said, "Sheriff, get me a priest!"
Now, Father O'Leary had been in the room because Mississippi law at that time required a clergyman to be present at executions. The priest, however, had hidden himself behind some reporters because the condemned man had threatened to curse God if he saw a clergyman.
Upon calling for a priest, Father O'Leary immediately went to the condemned man. The room was cleared of everyone else, and the priest heard the man's confession. The man said he had been a Catholic, but turned away from his religion when he was 18 because of his immoral life. He confessed all of his sins with deep repentance and intense fervor.
While everyone was returning to the room, the sheriff asked the priest, "Father, what made him change his mind?"
"I don't know " said Father O'Leary, "I didn't ask him."
The sheriff said, "Well, I will never sleep tonight if I don't ask him."
The Sheriff went to the condemned man and asked, "Son, what changed your mind?"
The prisoner responded, "Remember that black man Claude – the one whom I hated so much? Well he's standing there [and he pointed], over in that corner. And behind him with one hand on each shoulder is the Blessed Virgin Mary. And Claude said to me, 'I offered my death in union with Christ on the Cross for your salvation. She has obtained for you this gift of seeing your place in Hell if you do not repent.'
I have been shown my place in Hell, and that's why I screamed."
James Hughs was executed as scheduled, but the heavenly appearence of our Blessed Mother with Claude Newman and the subsequent vision of hell had instantly converted his soul in the last moments of his life. With the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Father O'Leary had taught Claude to unite himself with the suffering of Jesus by offering his own sufferings to Him, just as we all can do for others, and Claude's suffering helped to pay the price for James' remarkable last minute conversion and repentance. Therefore we must never under-estimate the the value of our suffering joined with that of Jesus Christ’s, and also the power and loving intercession of Our Blessed Mother in heaven.
O’ Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee!
"I am all yours, and all that I have is yours, O most loving Jesus, through Mary, your most holy Mother"
(True Devotion, 233).
DAY 18 of 33: SECTION
2:Entering
into the Mystery, Power and Miracles of the Eucharist Contemplating the JESUS in the Eucharist and His Miracles with Mary, St.
Maximilian Kolbe, St. Mother Teresa and St. Louis de Montfort as our guides.
Action: 1. Resolve to pray a complete set of mysteries of the Rosary every day - as an
act of love to God and in fulfillment of Mary's requests to us. So, therefore,
PRAY the Joyful mysteries of the Rosary today and every day - see day 8 for instructions/ guidance on how
to fit this into your day.
2. Skim through the accompanying pictures and the extraordinary wisdom of St.
Louis de Montfort and St. Mother Teresa and read through as much (below) as possible. 3.
Continue to choose to enter more deeply into the daily prayer program (below)
at least in this way: Ponder
and pray The Nicene Creed today and the accompanying Scripture texts as you
meditate and PRAY THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES - while praying for the grace to
listen, to hear and respond to God as Mary does.
Let us
now also strive to pray also ALL THE LUMINOUS MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY as well,
as we pray for the grace to surrender whatever is keeping us from responding
fully to God - in and through and with Mary’s love and help.
4.
Begin to take steps to make the Mass the center of your life.
Let us begin by praying the Nicene Creed - with all of these mysteries in mind:
Nicene Creed
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Today's Teaching: FINAL PART IN A SERIES ON THE EUCHARIST: Part 1: Institution of the Eucharist Part 2: Jesus' Thirst for us! Part 3: Entering into the Mystery of the Holy Mass Part 4: ENTERING INTO THE MYSTERY, POWER AND MIRACLES OF THE EUCHARIST Jesus in the Eucharist is one of the greatest gifts of all time! He is Present with us everyday - in every consecrated Host at every Mass, on every Altar, in every Tabernacle, in every Adoration Chapel... and ALIVE within us in every Holy Communion!!! To help us believe, He also has given us numerous ASTOUNDING MIRACLES of the Eucharist over the centuries that cannot be explained away - each one demonstrating His Wondrous Love and the great lengths He is willing to go to be with us always! With the help of Mary, may we come to believe and fully live with and in and through Jesus Present to us in the Eucharist - may He truly become the center of our daily lives! May this video be a gift to you! ( For more Eucharistic Miracles see here: http://www.miracolieucaristici.org/en/Liste/list.html)
For further inspiration on the Eucharist, let us learn from Mother
Teresa's wisdom, whose community grew only after she began to take the time to adore Jesus daily:
"The
Spirituality of Mother Teresa of Calcutta -
In
Her Own Words
“Who is Jesus to me?Jesus is the Word made Flesh.Jesus is the Bread of Life.Jesus is the Victim offered for our sins on
the cross.Jesus is the sacrifice
offered at holy Mass for the sins of the world and for mine.Jesus is the Word - to be spoken.Jesus is the Truth - to be told.Jesus is the Way - to be walked.Jesus is the Light - to be lit.Jesus is the Life - to be lived.Jesus is the Love - to be loved,” wrote
Mother Teresa of Calcutta.Looking back
on the pages of Mother Teresa’s words, we find the echo of her life. To many
she was a little woman with tireless energy.She was a woman of joy, of tender compassion and of love. Yet, where did
Mother Teresa find the energy and the strength to serve the poorest of the
poor?What is it that makes us look to
her today?
The answer is simple and clear: Jesus in the
Eucharist.Without the Eucharist we are
nothing, but with the Eucharist - the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus -
we have everything.This was the secret
of Mother Teresa, the secret which is present in all of our Catholic
Churches.For she wrote, “Where will you
get the joy of loving?-in the Eucharist, Holy Communion.Jesus has made Himself the Bread of Life to
give us life.Night and day, He is
there.If you really want to grow in
love, come back to the Eucharist, come back to that adoration.”
She continued:
“In
our congregation, we used to have adoration once a week for one hour, and then in
1973, we decided to have adoration one hour every day.We have much work to do. Our homes for the
sick and dying destitute are full everywhere. And from the time we started
having adoration every day, our love for Jesus became more intimate, our love
for each other more understanding, our love for the poor more compassionate, and
we have double the number of vocations. God has blessed us with many wonderful
vocations.”
When people asked Mother how many convents she
had, she answered “We have 584 tabernacles.”Without the Presence of Jesus, the work of the Sisters would be impossible.
This is why she wrote: “We shall spend two hours a day at sunrise and sunset in
adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament exposed. Our hours of adoration
will be special hours of reparation for sins, and intercession for the needs of
the whole world, exposing the sin-sick and suffering humanity to the healing,
sustaining, and transforming rays of Jesus, radiating from the Eucharist.”It is through the Presence of Jesus in the
Most Blessed Sacrament that the life of Mother Teresa was transformed, to
remind us of God.It is through the
Presence of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament that her life ...radiate[d] His hope to the world."
Daily Prayer Program for these 33 Days:
It
is important to make a commitment to strive to pray more deeply, more
intensely and with more of your heart during these days of preparation.
Here are some guidelines and suggestions for how to live these days.
Pray about how you can grow in each of these areas listed below and
while living out this prayer program it is especially important to
Trust in the Truth and Supernatural Reality of God’s Presence within each of them
1. Sacraments
• LIVE Grace and Renew our Baptism - renounce sin and Satan
• Mass and the Eucharist the Center of our lives
• Confession frequently
2. Scripture - Pray and Internalize it daily
• To Jelena: “I’m going to reveal a spiritual secret to you:
if you want to be stronger than evil, make yourself a plan of personal
prayer. Take a certain time in the morning, read a text from Holy
Scripture, anchor the Divine word in your heart, and strive to live it
during the day, particularly during the moment of trials. In this way,
you will be stronger than evil.” (Our Lady of Medjugorje, April 19,
1984)
• Rosary – With and in Mary, contemplating Scripture and the mysteries of God
3. Fill mind with wisdom of Mary and the Saints
• God is sending Mary to earth for she is the Crusher of Satan. Listen to her words.
• St. John Paul II – example of life given over – Totus Tuus
• St. Maximilian Kolbe – Militia Immaculata every soul consecrated to Mary will save the world
• St. Louis de Montfort – Mary will form the greatest saints
who ever lived – easiest shortest most sure way to sanctity
• St. Mother Teresa and many more
PART 2: Day 18 Readings and Prayers for St. Louis de Montfort's 33 Day of Consecration to Jesus through Mary - An Online Guide
Readings and Prayers for St. Louis-Marie de Montfort's Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary
"I am all yours, and all that I have is yours, O most loving Jesus, through Mary, your most holy Mother"
(True Devotion, 233).
On a rainy night, on August 21, 1879, Mary McLoughlin and many of the
villagers of Knock, County Mayo, Ireland, saw Mother Mary, St. Joseph and St.
John at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with Jesus, the Lamb of God, standing
though slain on the altar
DAY 17 of 33: SECTION
2: Contemplating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with Mary, St.
Maximilian Kolbe and St. Louis de Montfort as our guides.
Action:
1. Resolve to pray a complete set of mysteries of the Rosary every day - as an
act of love to God and in fulfillment of Mary's requests to us. So, therefore,
PRAY the Joyful mysteries of the Rosary today and every day - see day 8 for instructions/ guidance on how
to fit this into your day.
2. Skim through the accompanying pictures and the extraordinary wisdom of St.
Louis and St. Maximilian Kolbe, and read through as much (below) as possible. 3.
Continue to choose to enter more deeply into the daily prayer program (below)
at least in this way: Ponder
and pray the Our Father today and the accompanying Scripture texts as you
meditate and PRAY THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES - while praying for the grace to
listen, to hear and respond to God as Mary does.
Let us
now also strive to pray also ALL THE LUMINOUS MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY as well,
as we pray for the grace to surrender whatever is keeping us from responding
fully to God - in and through and with Mary’s love and help.
4.
Begin to take steps to make the Mass the center of your life.
In the
light of our meditations on the Rosary, our contemplation on the Holy Mass and
the wisdom of the saints below, let us begin, then, by praying the Our Father,
this
most perfect prayer that Jesus taught us as well as the Nicene Creed - with all of these mysteries in mind:
Our Father
Our
Father, Who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy Will be done,
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give
us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Nicene Creed
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
To live
the Mass is one of the most urgent, insistent and vital requests of Our Lady as well
as the central pillar for living the Consecrated Life.
Today
we will seek to enter into its Mystery, Glory and Holy Sacrifice.
We ask for Mary's heart, mind and will to enter into and live these greatest of
mysteries.
as we
learn about and ponder the innumerable signs and symbols as well as the LIVING
REALITY of Jesus' Presence on the Altar, which we are able to receive as our
food.
Hear
the revelations of Jesus and Mary regarding the Mass, of Heavenly Worship, of
thousands of angels and saints surrounding the altar, of Jesus' Sacrifice
poured out, of the supernatural grace of the priesthood, etc...
See more about the revelations of the Mass referenced in the video above here: https://enteringintothemystery.blogspot.com/2019/11/revelations-from-jesus-and-mary-about.html
The video teaching
gives us countless things to ponder regarding the Holy Mass.
But, also, let us
consider Jesus and Mary's offering of themselves - their oblation to the Father
on behalf of all of us -
as the God man and as the masterpiece of creation -
the perfection of humanity -
Through their perfect offering they entered into a New Covenant of Love,
one in which all souls who wish to know God's love are brought into the Heart
of the Father.
By their offering they give also us an example to follow in our own
consecrations - striving to live to the fullest extent God's commands to love
one another as He first loved us and to take up our cross and learn from Jesus
and Mary... ,
Through their obedience and sacrifice, they draw us into the LOVE of the One
Who Created us and in Him alone we find our fulfillment -
IN THE HOLY MASS WE EXPERIENCE A FORETASTE OF HEAVENLY GLORY AND LOVE
- HERE AND NOW - ON EARTH
all the more perfectly if we enter into it in, and through and with Mary's
heart, mind and will.
Daily Prayer Program for these 33 Days:
It
is important to make a commitment to strive to pray more deeply, more
intensely and with more of your heart during these days of preparation.
Here are some guidelines and suggestions for how to live these days.
Pray about how you can grow in each of these areas listed below and
while living out this prayer program it is especially important to
Trust in the Truth and Supernatural Reality of God’s Presence within each of them
1. Sacraments
• LIVE Grace and Renew our Baptism - renounce sin and Satan
• Mass and the Eucharist the Center of our lives
• Confession frequently
2. Scripture - Pray and Internalize it daily
• To Jelena: “I’m going to reveal a spiritual secret to you:
if you want to be stronger than evil, make yourself a plan of personal
prayer. Take a certain time in the morning, read a text from Holy
Scripture, anchor the Divine word in your heart, and strive to live it
during the day, particularly during the moment of trials. In this way,
you will be stronger than evil.” (Our Lady of Medjugorje, April 19,
1984)
• Rosary – With and in Mary, contemplating Scripture and the mysteries of God
3. Fill mind with wisdom of Mary and the Saints
• God is sending Mary to earth for she is the Crusher of Satan. Listen to her words.
• St. John Paul II – example of life given over – Totus Tuus
• St. Maximilian Kolbe – Militia Immaculata every soul consecrated to Mary will save the world
• St. Louis de Montfort – Mary will form the greatest saints
who ever lived – easiest shortest most sure way to sanctity
• St. Mother Teresa and many more
PART 2: Day 17 Readings and Prayers for St. Louis de Montfort's 33 Day of Consecration to Jesus through Mary - An Online Guide
Readings and Prayers for St. Louis-Marie de Montfort's Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary
