(Pieta in the Cathedral of Lisbon, Portugal)

During this week that we particularly meditate on Our Lord's Passion and Death, we are drawn to the confessional..to make a good Confession of all our sins, and draw closer to Our Lord. The following quote applies to every one of us, not just those who have been away from the Sacraments:

"The Lord Jesus said to St. Bridget of Sweden, '...Therefore let sinners who wish to be reconciled to Me and to obtain My grace and friendship, first grieve with their whole hearts that they have offended Me, their Creator and Redeemer; then, let them purify themselves before the priest by an humble, sincere confession, and amend their lives, and make satisfaction according to the advice and discretion of the priest. If they have done this I will draw near to them and the devil will have to stay away. Next, it will benefit them to receive Holy Communion with devotion and true love, since they now have the will never more to return to their former sins and are resolved to persevere in well-doing to the end. Such as are thus minded, I will advance to meet as a mother runs to meet her erring children, and will receive them most gladly. I will be in them, and they shall be in Me and shall live and rejoice in Me throughout all eternity.'"

~ Consoling Revelations collected by the Ven. Benedictine Abbot Blosius

(Altarpiece in the home of St. Ignatius at Loyola, Spain. Photo Courtesy of Ron McGuire)

Today is the "other" feast of Our Lady of Sorrows...in addition to the one on September 15th. As a mother, I've come to understand my own mother's devotion to Our Lady under this title. Her seven Sorrows reflect what she suffered as a mother.

Mother of Sorrows, for the love of this Son, pray to Him for me!

"To the Virgin St. Catherine of Sienna, God the Father once spoke thus: 'Out of reverence for the Incarnate Word, My Goodness has granted to the glorious Mother of My only-begotten Son that every sinner who has recourse to her with devout veneration, shall in no wise become the prey of the infernal spirit. For she has been chosen, prepared and intended by Me to serve as a most sweet allurement with which to captivate men, and especially the souls of sinners.'"

~ Consoling Revelations collected by the Ven. Benedictine Abbot Blosius

(Beautiful statue of St. Joseph in the chapel of the Carmelite Fathers, Segovia, Spain)

The following quote should be tattooed on my arm! Okay, so we shouldn't tattoo our bodies, the temples of the Holy Ghost...so perhaps I could put these words on a large poster board so I could read them daily?

"All that troubles, confuses, or saddens, arises from the machinations of the demon. All thoughts that bring with them true joy, a veritable expansion of the heart, of well-being, come from God. Trouble of soul is the unique sign by which we can recognize the work of the demon. The thought that makes us downhearted, that grips us as in a vise, that upsets and throws our soul into discouragement, into worry, into anguish, infallibly comes from the demon."

~ Almire Pichon, S.J. (spiritual director of St. Therese of Lisieux),

Seeds of the Kingdom, imprimatur 1961.

"Go to Joseph" ~ St. Teresa of Avila

(Statue of St. Joseph, treasured by St. Teresa of Avila, Monastery of the Incarnation, Avila, Spain)

I was told that the above statue is miraculous. Apparently, one day St. Teresa of Avila was praying before this statue of St. Joseph, and the saint was answering her. Another Sister came down the corridor, and heard two voices, one male, one female. Alarmed, she turned the corner, and found only Mother Teresa de Jesus and the statue of St. Joseph. But the statue's mouth was open. It has remained so to this day.

"I am filled with amazement when I consider the great favors which God has given to me through this blessed Saint; the dangers from which he has delivered me, both of body and soul...O, that I could persuade all souls to be devoted to this glorious Saint!" ~ St. Teresa of Avila

Happy St. Patrick's Day tomorrow!

(Slemish Mountain, where St. Patrick tended livestock as a slave)

"But after I came to Ireland -- every day I had to tend sheep, 

and many times a day I prayed -- 

the love of God and His fear came to me more and more, 

and my faith was strengthened."

~ St. Patrick, the Apostle to the Irish

(St. John the Apostle, represented in stained-glass, Kildare, Ireland)

"There is much to be said on the subject of charity. Let us beg Our Lord to inspire us with a great love of this virtue. St. John, in his old age, repeated the same words over and over: 'Little children, love one another.'" ~ Almire Pichon, S.J., Seeds of the Kingdom, 1961.

The world has stolen the word "peace" and redefined it. They've also absconded with the word "love" and turned it into something immoral, or at the very least, only of the flesh. Let us think today of how we can love those around us in the true spirit which Our Lord inspired in the beloved disciple St. John. Let us "love each other to Heaven"!

(Sacred Heart Statue in St. Peter's Church, Drogheda, Louth, Ireland.)

(Photo courtesy of Ron McGuire)

In our meditation today, let us strive to know His Heart. This is all we need....

"A soul which has not learned to know the Heart of God profoundly, which is moved only by fear, has neither strength nor vigor; but once it has plunged its regard into the Heart of God, once it enters into the way of love, that soul is conquered. Oh, the happy conquests of the Heart of Jesus! 
"We have but this one thing to do: study to comprehend His adorable Heart, to penetrate the mysteries of His tenderness, and to unite our poor hearts with His Heart. In that will consist our happiness for life and for eternity." 

~ Almire Pichon, SJ, Seeds of the Kingdom, 1961.