Can We Fathom What the Apostles Endured to Establish The Church?

Today is the Feast of the Apostles Saints Philip and James!

Today, especially, let us please pray for our One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and ponder the faith and the witness of the Apostles.

Consider....

Each of the apostles going to the ends of the earth in order to form churches wherever God sent them.

Each laying hands on successors who would take their place and teach the same faith that Christ had first taught them.

(There is historical evidence of this apostolic succession from the very beginnings of the Church ... all the way back to Peter, James, Philip and all the rest.)

Each one holding fast to the command Jesus gave on the night before He died, when He gave them Himself at the Last Supper, saying:

"Take this, all of you, and eat it. This is my Body given up for you. This is the Cup of my Blood. All you must drink from it, for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, to be poured out in behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in remembrance of Me. As often as you eat and drink it, you proclaim my death until I come again!"(Cf. Matthew 26: 26-28; Mk. 14: 22-24; Lk 22: 14-20; 1 Cor. 11: 23-29). 

Consider how each Catholic Mass is the re-presentation of this Glorious Mystery --

in which God transforms Bread and Wine into His Very Self - through the grace He gave to His Apostles to speak and act in His Name!!!

O, there is nothing in the world that can compare to being able to take and eat God's own Body and Blood that was given up for us!!!

This was the basis of Christian worship from the very first days of the Church:

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." Acts 2: 42

Jesus explained in detail how eating and drinking His Body and Blood was essential to living in Him and being raised to eternal life, saying:

"I myself am the living bread come down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread he shall live forever; the bread I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." John 6: 51

Saying further:

"Let me solemnly assure you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you have no life in you. He who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has life eternal, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood real drink. The man who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him...." John 6: 53-55

Instead of clarifying His teachings when many of His disciples broke away and would no longer remain in his company, He simply asked the Twelve, "Do you want to leave me too?

At this, Peter replied: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe; we are convinced you are God's holy one!" John 6: 66-69

Consider how each apostle spent the rest of their lives living out this Truth!

Each sharing Jesus' Body and Blood through the Mass

Each proclaiming Jesus' death and resurrection

Each baptizing

Each calling all to repentance and forgiving sins as they had been forgiven

Consider how each gave their lives for Jesus

Each even "rejoicing when they were found worthy to suffer for the sake of Christ" (Acts 5: 41)

and share in the Cross of their Lord 

through persecution, mistreatment, imprisonment, abandonment, even death -  

all for the sake of the One Who loved them unto death and whom they loved beyond all others- 

for they knew to the very depth of their beings Jesus was God -

and He alone was worth living and worth dying for! 

Why else would each one give up his life?

Each apostle suffered the torments of martyrdom (even St. John for they attempted to martyr him many times - God just kept miraculously preserving his life) in order to fulfill Christ's final command before He ascended into Heaven:

"Go, make disciples of all the nations and proclaim the Good News. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to carry out everything I have commanded you. Know that I am with you always, until the end of the world!"(Cf. Matthew 28: 18-20; Mark 16: 15-20; Luke 24: 46-49; Acts 1: 8)

Can we fathom the torments the apostles endured? 

Can we fathom their blood that was shed and all the blood shed throughout these past 2000 years from the the martyrs throughout history? 

Can we fathom the sufferings they endured for us to still have our One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church to this day? 

Can we fathom the faith of the martyrs who sacrifice their lives to this day - as more Christians have died in the past century than all centuries before combined?

Can we fathom their presence that surrounds us within the communion of saints, for they are now in glory with Jesus and intercede with Him for our salvation?

No matter the trials and no matter the sin of her members, 

Jesus is still the One Who makes us Holy.  

In Him, we are united as One Body - thus we are One.

In Him, we are united in One Faith - founded in the churches and teaching of the Apostles - thus we are Apostolic!

In Him, His Apostles have gone forth unto the ends of the earth to share the Good News - and still do to this day - this makes us Catholic, (which means universal). 

Can we ever fathom the depths of pain Jesus endured in giving Himself to us in the Eucharist - to physically to remain with us always - even to the end of the world - just as He promised? 

O, how we should be filled with gratitude for the tremendous gifts we have been given in and through His Holy Church and for our opportunity to still receive and adore Jesus everyday!

O, how we should fight to preserve the Church's Holy Teachings handed onto us by the blood and sweat of millions who have gone before us, beginning first with Jesus and His Apostles! 

O, how He longed and pleaded for us to be One as He and the Father are One, may we hold onto this Unity of faith, praying:

"I pray for those who will believe in me through [the Apostles] word, that all may be one as You, Father, are in me, and I in you." John 17: 20-21

O, may we stand fast in hope and faith in the Promise of Christ, for He built His Church on Peter, saying: 

"You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." 

Saying further: 

"I will entrust to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you declare bound on earth shall be bound in heaven; whatever you declare loosed on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Matthew 16: 18-19

O, may we help preserve Our Holy Church through our prayers and sacrifices for Her Shepherds and through our obedience and faith to Her teachings. 

O, all you Apostles and Saints, pray for us!

Help us to stand fast to the faith you lived and died for. 

© Janet Moore. 2019. All Rights Reserved.

Our Lady Calls us to Fast! The Power of Fasting on Bread and Water Interview of Fr. Slavko

On this Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent, 
may these profound teachings of Fr. Slavko help us to fast, remembering:

The call to fasting is essential to Our Lady’s reported messages in Medjugorje. From the first reported appearances, she called us to pray and fast, saying:

“I would like the world to pray with me these days. As much as possible, to fast strictly on Wednesdays and Fridays…”

Here are a few notes I've taken from the above video to help us ponder and pray through Fr. Slavko's teachings, may they be a gift to you on this fast day:

"Fasting is to live life with bread and water for two days. 
Why?
To find simplicity in our life...
To detach ourselves...
For our organism (body) it is very good...
When we have too much, we are not free...
We become blind, we do not see...
Bread is the symbol of life
Water is the symbol of purification
Fasting has a deep connection with the Eucharist 
I AM the bread of life
This is My Body
Our Lady has only one task, only one desire, to lead us to Jesus.
We listen better, we hear better when we are fasting
It means we meet God in His Word better 
It is not only this, it is Eucharist, it is meeting Jesus in Bread, in the Eucharist, in the Daily Bread..."

How beautifully profound!!! 
I had never made the connection of Bread and Water fasting to the Eucharist before. 
May Jesus' True Presence in the Eucharist be the source and strength of our fasting, as well as our ultimate goal and desire!

I love you, Jesus, my love, above all things,
And I repent with my whole heart of having offended you.
Never permit me to separate myself from you again,
Grant that I may love you always, and then do with me what you will. (Traditional Prayer of the Stations of the Cross, by St. Alphonsus Liguori)

© Janet Moore. 2019. All Rights Reserved.

Happy Thanksgiving!

How thankful I am for the gift of Jesus in the Eucharist and for each of you! 

On Thanksgiving Day at Mass, the LOVE God poured out upon me in Holy Communion was so tangible and real that waves of infinite love, grace, mercy, light and life just flooded upon me again and again! The experience was so tremendous that I couldn't stop crying. I cried and cried and cried and cried. I cried in thanksgiving -- overwhelmed by how deeply God loves me and how intimately and tenderly He cares for me!!! 

I share this with you because I believe God wants to remind each of us of how deeply He loves us!!! 'God shows no partiality!' He knows and sees everything you are going through and holds you close to Himself in your every need. He is with you -- breathing life into you, into your family, into your situation, whether you can see it outwardly or not! He has a great plan for you and He is with you always, so know that you are never alone! (How much I pray for those who don't have family or friends to spend time with during the Holidays!) Know that not only God, but Mary and all the angels and saints also surround and protect you and guide you. 

Oh, Lord, open our eyes to see the power of our prayers and how you have ordained that they hold up the world through Your Grace. May we see a glimpse of Your Glory that hides so humbly before us in the Adoration Chapel, and how in each Communion and at our every invitation, You truly come to 'live and move and have your being' within us. 

How thankful we are that EVERY DAY the greatest miracle takes place on the altars of Catholic Churches throughout the world as bread and wine become 'Your Body given up for me', and 'Your Blood poured out for me'! 

No wonder the word Eucharist means Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!

The Heartbeat of God

Can you imagine the sound of blood pumping through a heart?
Can you hear it in your mind?

Try to imagine.

Perhaps you're a doctor and you listen to heartbeats daily through a stethescope - can you hear the whoosh of the blood going through the heart playing in your mind?

It's important to try, so to get an understanding of how God shared His Presence in me today.
I share it with you, because I know that it was not meant just for me alone.
God has made me realize everything that I have been given is a gift that I don't deserve and could never earn; and so I am to share it freely, so He may be able to touch others through me.

But first...
The Backstory: 

For many years,  I have had the incredible grace and privilege of receiving Jesus in Communion nearly everyday.  Many times upon receiving Communion, I've tried to place myself on the Heart of Christ -- trying to imagine I'm resting my head on Jesus' chest (like St. John, the Beloved Disciple).

I never experienced what this might have felt like for St. John in a sensible reality... until today.
Although in faith, I KNOW this happens and I KNOW that we are truly ONE with Jesus in Communion -- in a unity greater than we can ever conceive!

But, let me back up just a little bit more, to something I read that was life changing.  It was, in large part, because of this quote that I have tried to place myself on the heart of Christ.  A few years ago I read Jesus' Words to St. Faustina:

"When I come to a human heart in Holy Communion, My hands are full of all kinds of graces which I want to give to the soul. But souls do not even pay attention to Me; they leave Me to Myself and busy themselves with other things. Oh, how sad I am that souls do not recognize love. They treat me as a dead object" (Diary of St. Faustina, 1385). 

When I read these words, they cut me to the heart.  I knew that I had been one of the ones that had treated the LORD OF THE UNIVERSE as a dead object.  He DIED TO GIVE HIMSELF TO ME AS FOOD!  (Oftentimes we become so numb and preoccupied, this astonishing GRACE doesn't impact us like it should!)

So, each time I went to Mass and before receiving Him in Communion,  I would remind myself that Jesus is ALIVE and He is longing to pour out graces upon me!!!

And I would tell myself:

No matter my spiritual or emotional experiences, the fact remains -- Jesus has come to LIVE INSIDE ME in Communion!!!  There is no greater gift that Jesus could give me! On the night before He died, in anticipation of giving His Life for our salvation, He created an EVERLASTING COVENANT that we could participate in until the end of time.  Recognizing that we would no longer have His Physical Presence after He sacrificed Himself, (to bear the weight of our sins and our punishment!), in His Infinite Wisdom and Power, He made Himself Food in order to remain with us and for us to live in Him as He promised,  "Behold, I AM with you always, even unto the end of the age!" (Mt. 28:20).  The Last Supper was the first Mass.  And when He said,

"Take this, all of you, and eat of it,
for this is My BODY, which will be given up for you!"
"Take this, all of you, and drink from it,
for this is the chalice of my BLOOD,
the blood of the new and eternal covenant;
which will be poured out for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in memory of me"

-- HE MEANT IT!
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Word will never pass away!" (Lk 21: 33, Mt 24:35; Mk 13:31).

It is no longer bread or wine, it is TRULY His Body and Blood, as He said!
It was REAL then, and it is just as REAL NOW!
His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity are really is present in the Eucharist!  He is TRULY ALIVE AND WITH US!  God, forgive me... how often I act as if You aren't alive or real!

And so, knowing God is beyond all space and time, I began to ask forgiveness for all the times I went to Communion distractedly and not recognizing Him.  And I began to beg for all the graces that I had squandered -- all those times I didn't open myself up to receive them in the past.  I also began to ask for all the graces He couldn't give to others  -- due to souls' inattentiveness and their lack of love and desire.  I asked Jesus if I could come in place of those who weren't asking for the Graces He longed to give and begged that He give them to me.  Asking if I could be a channel of Grace for others,  in whatever way God wanted to use me,  realizing that "Freely you have received, freely you must give!" (Mt 10:8).

An Experience of God

This leads me to today, when I received an experience of God unlike anything else I've ever experienced.
Remember the heartbeat?
I'm attempting to describe the indescribable, so please ask Jesus, the Holy Spirit and our Mother Mary to come to your aid and imagine not really the sound of a heart beat, but the sound of blood flowing through the heart, because I don't just want to tell you about an experience I had.

I pray, as you read this, that it becomes an experience that you have...

After receiving Jesus in Communion, while in prayer...
I, again, tried to imagine myself resting on the Heart of Christ...

And I began to hear and experience in my heart
Whoosh...  (imagine something like the Wind blowing through the trees)
The Holy Spirit pouring into my soul
In prayer, I recognized it as the sound of Blood flowing
Whoosh...
It was Blood pumping through Jesus' Heart
Whoosh...
Upon each heartbeat, I heard and felt Blood pulsing through His Heart...
Whoosh....
The pulsation lasted a long time --- not like anything I'd ever heard before... it lasted several seconds...
The blood was pulsing through His Heart and into mine -- to the depths of my being
-- so much so that with each pulsation, I felt as if His Blood was PENETRATING MY SOUL
Whoosh...
Each beat was so STRONG...
Can you imagine?  For I don't have an adequate way of expressing it's strength...
Whoosh.....
Whoosh...
Whoosh....
Not only was it longer, but it was louder in my mind than I had ever heard the sound of a normal heartbeat ...
And I understood that its strength was so great because it was the Heartbeat of the LORD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH! It was the Heartbeat of the God of ALL Creation!

It continued to pour into me...
Whoosh...
and with each heartbeat,
I experienced LIFE
the LIFE FORCE of God, Who created the universe out of nothing!
Imagine!!! (Really, do try to imagine this!)
Whoosh...
I experienced FORGIVENESS flowing through my veins
Whoosh...
I experienced tremendous and incomprehensible HEALING
Whoosh...
POWER
Whoosh....
PEACE
whoosh...
And I understood the Heart of God BEATS FOR ME...
And His LOVE flowed through me and into my heart -- until we beat as ONE --
joining us irrevocably HEART to heart
 -- melting my soul with love
and fusing us together as the wax of two candles fuse together with the FIRE of His Love.

The depth of His love...
I had never experienced it quite in this way

And God's Glory entered into me and flowed through me
Whoosh....
over
Whoosh....
and over
Whoosh...
and over again
Whoosh....
"You are my Child, my Beloved, in Whom I am pleased... Listen to her." (Mk 1: 11)
(As each of us are called to listen to each other -- for in Baptism, we are all His Children).
The Blood and Water, which flowed from His side pulsed through me.
Whoosh...
Again and again, with every heartbeat, I felt the grace of His forgiveness washing me and making me clean!
Whoosh...

His Love touching and healing me in ways that are inexpressible.
Whoosh...

As His Life poured out and flowed into mine.
Whoosh...

Into sheer and incomprehensible unity...
Whoosh...

Regardless of how we think or feel,
or if we ever have a similar experience to this....
this is the REALITY of what happens to each of us each time we give ourselves to Jesus in Communion and truly open ourselves up to Him to receive Him in return.

So often, we don't really believe or open ourselves.
So often, we go through the motions without recognizing the Reality -- even in our will.
Yet, it is the Will that matters...
So often feelings and even thoughts come and go -- but do we WILL to believe?
Do we WILL to become ONE with Jesus at each Communion?
If we do, this is the REALITY that takes place regardless of our subjective experiences.

If we do WILL it, that's all that matters.

Jesus, becomes ONE with us and remains with us and makes His Home in us... just as He promised.

They say that Jesus remains physically present with us for 15 minutes. That's the time it takes for the Eucharist to dissolve and be assimilated into us.

I would say this incredible experience continued at least that long.
I longed for it to never end.
I knew this experience was meant to be shared.  It was not for me alone, but for all of God's people.  Each of us is loved in this incredible way!
This experience gave me (and I hope each of you) a glimpse into the REALITY that is beyond us.
How REAL God is and How close He is to us -- not only at Communion, but at ALL times!!!!

He wants to remain with us ALWAYS and so I continue to hear in my will (though the subjective experience has faded) as I write this and go about my daily duties...
The TRUTH that His Heartbeat is beating within me remains... and so I call to mind over and over again the experience

Whoosh...
Whoosh...
Whoosh...

As He tells me:
"I AM with you!"
What need is there for fear if I AM With You?!

Whoosh....

I hear the sound of His Heart beating, as it pumps STRENGTH into me, so I can do what needs to be done... "In Him Who is my Strength, I have strength for everything." (Phil 4:13). 
Whoosh....

I feel His Blood washing every sin away -- along with my shame.  I recognize I am made clean, I am FORGIVEN and FREE! "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; they they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." (Is 1: 18). 

With my sins washed away, I feel each beat of His Heart pouring into me PEACE: "Peace that surpasses understanding." (Phil 4: 7). (What an indescribable gift for those whose mind normally is at war!)
Whoosh...

I experience such strength, such power, such might, such LOVE, one can't help but be filled with HOPE AND TRUST!
And so, I respond:  Jesus, I trust in You!  O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a Fount of Mercy for us, I place all my trust in You!"
Whoosh...

To experience such life coursing through your body, one can't help but feel renewed and made new!  "Anyone who lives in me and I in Him becomes a new creation - the old has passed away! Behold, I make all things new!"  (cf. Jn 6:56; Jn 15:5; 2 Cor 5: 17; Is 43:19; Is 65:17; Rev. 21:5).

Whoosh...
With each beat of His Heart, each pulsation pours LOVE BEYOND ALL TELLING into me!  How "greatly He desires to share this Passover with us!" (cf. Lk 22:15).  
How He longs to pour forth His Love upon each of us!  O, How He loves us!  

What more could He do to show us His Love?  
Will we return Love for Love?  
Will we go to Him in faith and confidence in His Word: "This is My Body given for you! This is My Blood!"  
Will we go to Him in repentance -- so we are open to receive all the graces He longs to give us?

I pray it be so. Amen! So be it!
Jesus, thank You for your love!

@Janet Moore 2016. All Rights Reserved. 

How Did the Early Christians Celebrate the Last Supper?

Early Christian painting of Eucharist

I recently got into an online discussion about the Catholic faith with fellow Christians who are concerned that Catholics ask saints to pray for them.  This discussion led to a further discussion about the Last Supper and the Eucharist.  These discussions arose following my most recent posting of the eye-witness account of Justin Martyr's witness to the Christian faith and his subsequent martyrdom that occurred around 155 AD. 

It is amazing that we have access to what the early Church believed and what they witnessed to in historical documents that have preserved for us to this day.  I share these writings with all Christians in hope that the apologetics they provide will be of benefit to all those who seek to understand how the early Church first worshipped and believed. 

But first, regarding our prayers to early Christians martyrs, I asked:  

Do you ask your friends to pray for you? 
If we die with Christ, we will never die, but live forever.  This is our Christian faith. 
When we ask a holy man who died for our faith to pray for us, we do so because he is alive in heaven and he is our friend.  
"The prayer of a righteous person availeth much."  
Yes, Jesus is the only Way to the Father, as He is the Way, the Truth and the Life,  but He does not begrudge us from asking each other to pray for us.  He wants us to pray for one another. And yes, I prayed to Jesus when I prayed Lord, have mercy on us!  May He still find faith when He returns!

I wonder did you have a chance to read Justin's words of witness to Christ? They are bold and powerful and they proclaim the faith of the early Church. This is why I posted what I did. I'm sorry that it is concerning for you for me to ask Justin to pray for us. Would you ask a fellow Christian who was persecuted for their faith to pray for you and help you to withstand the world's persecution? 
I fear you mistake our request for prayers as something that it is not.  
WE WORSHIP ONLY JESUS CHRIST.  

Regarding your other comments: 

If we read the martyr Justin's writings we also read what the earliest Christians believed about the Last Supper and Jesus' words in the Gospel of John, where Jesus proclaims: 

"Let me solemnly tell you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. He who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has life eternal, and I will raise him up on the last day.  For my flesh is real food and my blood real drink.  The man who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.  Just as the Father who has life sent me and I have life because of the Father, so the man who feeds on me will have life because of me"  John 6: 53-57. 

Justin writes in his First Apology (written some time before 150 AD) about how Jesus' Words at the Last Supper were understood and celebrated in the early Church. Jesus said as He was celebrating the Passover on the night before He died: 

"Take and eat it... this is my body.... All of you must drink this ... for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant,  to be poured out for the forgiveness of sins." Mt. 26:26-28, see also Mk 14:22-24; Lk 22: 14-20; 1 Cor. 11: 23-29.  

Reflecting upon these words, and filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, the apostles and the earliest Church believed this (I quote Justin): 

"We do not consume the eucharistic bread and wine as if it were ordinary food and drink, for we have been taught that as Jesus Christ our Savior became a man of flesh and blood by the power of the Word of God, so also the food that our flesh and blood assimilates for its nourishment becomes the flesh and blood of the incarnate Jesus by the power of his own words contained in the prayer of thanksgiving.
The apostles, in their recollections, which are called gospels, handed down to us what Jesus commanded them to do. They tell us that he took bread, gave thanks and said: Do this in memory of me. This is my body. In the same way he took the cup, he gave thanks and said: This is my blood. The Lord gave this command to them alone. Ever since then we have constantly reminded one another of these things. The rich among us help the poor and we are always united. For all that we receive we praise the Creator of the universe through his Son Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit.
On Sunday we have a common assembly of all our members, whether they live in the city or the outlying districts. The recollections of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as there is time. When the reader has finished, the president of the assembly speaks to us; he urges everyone to imitate the examples of virtue we have heard in the readings. Then we all stand up together and pray.
On the conclusion of our prayer, bread and wine and water are brought forward. The president offers prayers and gives thanks to the best of his ability, and the people give assent by saying, “Amen”. The eucharist is distributed, everyone present communicates, and the deacons take it to those who are absent.
The wealthy, if they wish, may make a contribution, and they themselves decide the amount. The collection is placed in the custody of the president, who uses it to help the orphans and widows and all who for any reason are in distress, whether because they are sick, in prison, or away from home. In a word, he takes care of all who are in need.
We hold our common assembly on Sunday because it is the first day of the week, the day on which God put darkness and chaos to flight and created the world, and because on that same day our savior Jesus Christ rose from the dead. For he was crucified on Friday and on Sunday he appeared to his apostles and disciples and taught them the things that we have passed on for your consideration."(end quote).

ALL CHRISTIANS BELIEVED AND LIVED THIS FAITH UP UNTO THE REFORMATION!

I write this because I long for all Christians to understand each other and be united, remembering that on the night before Jesus died, He prayed fervently that WE BE ONE AS HE AND THE FATHER ARE ONE! 

He prayed: 

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” (John 17:20-16)

This is my prayer as well!

May all of us be one, loving one another, as God desires - KNOWING THAT WE MUST BE UNITED IF WE ARE TO STAND AGAINST THE EVIL THAT IS SEEKING TO DESTROY CHRISTIANITY FROM THE MODERN WORLD.

That is why I pray for Christian unity and for all Catholics to be ever ready to give an account for the hope they have in Christ Jesus -- remembering the words of St. Catherine of Siena,

"If you are what you are meant to be, you will set the world on fire!"

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, and through the love of the Father and the Son, let us pray:

Come, Blessed Trinity! Set the world on fire with Your Love and Truth! May all Christians know and believe in the Eucharist, God's love, ALIVE among us!

"This (Blessed) Sacrament above all inflames the soul with divine love. "God is love" (1 Jn 3:8). And He is the fire which consumes in our hearts all earthly affections: "The Lord thy God is a consuming fire" (Dt 3:24). Now the Son of God came precisely to kindle this fire of love: "I am come to cast fire in the earth"; and He added that He did not desire other that to see ignited this holy fire in our hearts: "and what will I, but that it be kindled?"(Lk 12:49). And oh what flames of divine love Jesus Christ ignites in each one who devoutly receives Him in this Sacrament!"(Saint Alphonsus Liguori)

There are literally millions of quotes, testimonies and inspiring stories to share regarding our faith in the Eucharist.  

Can you give a testimony of your faith in the Eucharist?

If you have a reason for your hope that has inspired you and others to grow in your faith and in the Eucharist, can you take a moment to share one below?  Whatever you share will be a gift of love for those reading them!

God love you and may you and your family greatly celebrate Corpus Christi not only on one day, but every day and at every Mass!

© Janet Moore 2015. All Rights Reserved. 

Photo Credit: Public Domain

There is NO BAN on Medjugorje Prayer Meetings -- IF We Adhere to the Papal Nuncio’s Directive

There is tremendous confusion surrounding the status of Medjugorje.  

I am writing this to provide some clarification.  

This clarification has received acceptance from my Diocesan office.  

There is much talk of Medjugorje being banned! 

However, we must stop speaking this way.  

There is NO BAN! 

Much of the confusion has stemmed from a directive written by the Papal Nuncio.  However, this confusion never needed to occur.

The latest directive from the Apostolic Nuncio stated that the faithful "are not permitted to participate in meetings, conferences or public celebrations during which the credibility of such 'apparitions' would be taken for granted." 

This directive was issued when a Catholic parish advertised an apparition of the Blessed Mother in its promotions of an event, in which Ivan Dragicevic (one of six alleged visionaries of Medjugorje), was to speak. This directive was sent to the local bishop (and subsequently forwarded to all U.S. bishops).  

The directive was written to address this specific occurrence, and to ensure that similar promotions -- advertising apparitions, and thus, taking for granted the credibility of these same apparitions -- would cease to occur. 

A more recent event scheduled in St. Charles, MO, advertised their event in the exact same way -- advertising that an apparition would occur -- and thus the event was prohibited from taking place.

However, if credibility of apparitions are not taken for granted,  

we are FREE to meet, and so we must stop saying there is a ban! 

The enemy wants there to be a ban, 

for us to believe it and

to go around saying there is one.  

But, there is no ban -- it’s a directive to not presume authenticity.  

Nothing more!  

It's a directive that states we cannot presume the credibility of the apparitions nor advertise that an apparition will take place.

Saying there is a ban is feeding into the enemy's plan 

--it's a charged word that the Papal Nuncio never wrote in his directive.  

Saying there is a ban is inciting misinformation 

it’s inaccurate 

and again, 

it’s feeding into the enemy's plan, 

which is to make everyone think that believing in or talking of Medjugorje is banned.  

This is not the case!  

We cannot presume Medjugorje’s authenticity nor presume an apparition will take place, but if we don't presume or advertise these things as if they have already been deemed authentic, (the Church has made no final judgment) we can still meet!

So, what does this look like? 

--Not taking the credibility of apparitions for granted in Medjugorje meetings, conferences and the like?  

1. Share the Papal Nuncio's directive with the group and explain the group's adherence to it.

2. Clarify that our faith does not rest on Medjugorje, but rests on Public Revelation and we need always be obedient to the Church's judgment. 

3. Recognize that we cannot advertise nor promote the reported apparitions as having full authenticity of the Church—

4. Know that we can share reports of healings, conversions, vocations, as well as the reported messages --as well as, our personal stories and experiences and our own beliefs regarding Medjugorje, IF we clarify that these are our own personal judgments.

Then, we are not taking for granted the official approval of the Church, and thus, meetings regarding Medjugorje cannot be banned!

While keeping all this in mind, 

we must also 

proclaim that in the 33+ years of reported ongoing apparitions, 

the Church has found nothing to condemn, 

nor does it condemn people reporting or having meetings in which 

we celebrate and speak of the tremendous fruits that have been documented –nor does it condemn those striving to live prayerful lives of conversion, Eucharist, Confession, Scripture and fasting. 

We may continue to live and report on the messages of Medjugorje that consist of conversion and peace, by praying with the heart through Scripture, the Rosary, prayer for our shepherds, of fasting, Eucharist and confession.  

And, I encourage everyone to live the reported messages ever more fully, as they are extraordinary effective means of living the Gospel message.  And to be even more humble and take the directive simply for what it is -- paying attention to what it says -- adding nothing more to it, nor taking anything away from it.

And, I reiterate, we must never speak of Medjugorje as being banned!  

Below are further clarifications regarding recent articles:

Regarding the article that calls into question the Papal Nuncio’s directive… I believe it is a mistake to speak of the papal nuncio's directive as a misquotation.  (Who are we to say such things?)

Regarding the misinformation about the reported visionary Ivan being banned from speaking:

I spoke to the organizers of the event in St. Charles, MO before it got canceled -- because I wanted to understand why they would advertise Ivan as a visionary as well as an apparition taking place --which is exactly what the Papal Annuncio's directive said we cannot do. In my opinion, the action is a reflection of the organizer's disregard for the directive that made the CDF step in to assure the directive was being adhered to.  The CDF's statement when it stepped in to halt this gathering specified Ivan by name because it was regarded Ivan in particular -- because it was Ivan who was supposed to speak and have an apparition each time. I tried to speak to the organizers in love-- suggesting they advertise it differently.  I believe if they would have had advertised Ivan as a "reported" visionary and not advertised that an apparition would take place, they would not have been prohibiting from having him speak.  They told me when I called they believed since they were holding the event in a public place the directive wouldn't be disobeyed. 

Thus, Ivan Dragevic is not banned from speaking if the Bishop's permission is obtained and all persons and promotions agree to adhere to the Papal Nuncio's directive of not advertising apparitions, nor taking their credibility for granted. 

If interested, here is the Papal Nuncio’s directive:

This will be one of a series of articles on Medjugorje.  

Please see my previous article, St. John Paul II and Medjugorje for more information. 

© Janet Moore 2015. All Rights Reserved.