In my prayers and offering up Mass this morning. Poor Bill, but how wonderful this happened while he was struggling to get to Mass Inspiring. He has a good heart.
Only just seeing this. What a ordeal. For all of you! I will keep you in prayer all day. Special prayers to St Michael.
Your Suffering Has Profound Meaning The sacrifice of Christ is the center of all human history and is the source of all transformation and renewal in the world. As Christians, we can actually participate in the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross and win grace for the world. When I’m doing hospital ministry, I’ll often meet people who have been suffering for a long time. There’s some good news I try to share with them. I say, “This time in the hospital bed is not spent in vain. You know how in Mass, the priest places bread and wine on the altar? And how he takes the bread in his hands and says, ‘This is My Body, which has been given up for you’? And how it becomes the Body of Christ? And how he lifts it up and offers it to the Father?” And they say, “Yes.” So, I say to them, “Ok. This very bed that you’re laying in, this hospital bed, is the altar. And you are a baptized Catholic. That means that you are a member of the Mystical Body of Christ. In a supernatural, mystical, yet very real way, your body is the Body of Christ. And every minute of every hour that you are lying in this bed, Jesus Christ — who is the great high priest — is within you, and He takes you in His hands, and He says, ‘This is my Body, which will be given up …’. And He lifts you, and your life, and your sufferings, and everything up, and He offers it all to the Father. You can join Christ in this act in which He, in you, is offering you up, like the host on the altar. You can offer your sufferings up for a particular intention, whatever intention is on your heart. In answer to that prayer, the Father pours out the Holy Spirit upon the people you offer it up for. And it has effects. The world is changed and transformed through this sacrifice. We can offer our suffering for big intentions, and great things will come to the world.” By Fr. James Brent, OP. Originally published in IMPRINT, Winter 2020 https://sistersoflife.org/2022/11/21/your-suffering-has-profound-meaning/
It is wonderful to think of Christ’s sacrifice as the center of our history, the fundamental event of our faith. I reflect on the example of Saint Longinus’s conversion as a direct connection to the devotion to Divine Mercy and the final ejaculatory of the chaplet in honor of the Most Precious Blood and Water that gushed forth from Jesus’ pierced side. Since time does not exist for God, in the Holy Mass, we become witnesses to that sacrifice. Even when we are not physically present, we are united in adoration of the Blood and Water, which served as instruments of healing and conversion for Longinus. I find it interesting that at the moment of the redemptive sacrifice, the center of our history, most of the apostles were in no position to judge one another, as they had fled, while John and Our Lady remained at the foot of the Cross until the end. However, this only highlighted the birth of devotion to Our Lady and her maternal role, the symbol of Marian unity in John, and the humility and contrition that led all the other apostles to follow the path of martyrdom. Furthermore, Christ’s triple call to Peter, in a way, reversed his earlier threefold denial, emphasizing the essential role of grace in salvation.
Please pray for my 7 yr old granddaughter who will undergo an operation on both eyes on Tuesday, April 29th. She has a nervous disorder and we do not know how she will handle this. She will have stitches in both eyes and must have drops put in 4 times a day for a week after the surgery and mustn't rub her eyes but she is most uncooperative on a 'good' day and my daughter is overwhelmed already and is fearing the worst. We had Fr Chris our parish priest bless her today and he asked for a complete healing through the intercession of St. Lucy along with St. Faustina and St. John Paul II and I offered the recent novena to Bl. Carlo Acutis as well. I am at peace about it for now but my daughter is struggling. Any prayers are greatly appreciated.
Prayers for your granddaughter and your daughter. You’ve taken your concerns to the right heavenly help! My daughter was the same age when she had her eye surgery, complete with stitches in the eyeball. The good thing is the eyes heal quickly and the stitches sound more awful than they turned out to be. I think it was more traumatic for me than my little girl. One question, was it ever discussed to do one eye at a time?
Prayers for a safe surgery & quick healing on your granddaughter. May the hand of God work through the surgeon's hand while operating the child & bless her with a good eyesight.
Thank you all - it went well and yes, it was harder for my daughter I think. They had to hold my granddaughter down to do her blood pressure but they let my daughter stay with her until she was out before the surgery so that was good. Everything seems fine so far, now just the drops in the eyes 4x a day and the nurse explained how important it was to let Mom do that so hopefully it won't be a fight! Special thanks to all of you prayer warriors, and St Lucy, St Faustina, St JPII and Bl. Carlo!
