"Our Lord does not come down from Heaven every day to lie in a golden ciborium. He comes to find another Heaven which is infinitely dearer to Him -- the Heaven of our souls, created in His image, the living temples of the Adorable Trinity."
                 ~ St. Therese of Lisieux







Our Lord wants to come to us in Holy Communion as much - no, more - than we want to come to Him! What an astounding thought to ponder. Let us not leave Him lying in a golden ciborium. Let us cleanse our souls by a good Confession, and receive Him into the Heaven of our hearts.

(First Mass of a new priest)

"How consoling, how sweet, the presence of Jesus to the longing, harassed soul! It is instant peace, and balm to every wound." ~ St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Happy Feast of St. Anthony!

The church built over the birthplace of St. Anthony - in Lisbon, Portugal

So is today the feast of St. Anthony of Lisbon, or St. Anthony of Padua? The answer to that depends on where you are. The Portuguese claim him because he was born there, and the Italians claim him because he spend many years there and is buried there. But both titles refer to the same man.

Our words of encouragement today from the pen of St. Anthony reference the Blessed Virgin Mary, his mother and ours:

"O name of Mary! Joy in the heart, honey in the mouth, melody to the ear!"

~ St. Anthony of Padua/Lisbon

Happy Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus!

(The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Paris. Photo courtesy of Ron McGuire.)

"The sorrows of Our Savior were greater for His Heart than for His Body -- His Soul suffered far more intensely and bitterly...Yes, my God, it is on this interior Passion of Thine that I wish to meditate. It is upon this afflicted Heart that I wish to bestow all my tenderness....Oh, Jesus, who can console this grief of Thine? If only we could save from Thy enemy the souls of which he would deprive Thee. Lord! We have each a soul, which up to this time has drawn little fruit from Thy sufferings. We will work to save it, so that Thou mayest not have the sorrow of seeing it perish with so many others...We will spare nothing, so that Thou mayest be spared the grief of losing [our souls]. O noble motive, worthy of a great and tender heart. In this way there can be nothing but sweetness in working out our salvation."

~ St. Claude de la Colombiere, in a sermon in the Chapel Royal of St. James' Palace, London.

Father Claude de la Colombiere was the blessed Jesuit to whom St. Margaret Mary confided Our Lord's wishes that a Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus be established, and devotion to His Heart spread. He preached, publicly and privately, this beautiful message of love and reparation.