Saturday, December 15, 2012

RORATE MASS 2012





The Rorate Mass takes its name from the first word of its introit : “Rorate, caeli, desuper, et nubes pluant iustum,” or “Drop down dew, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness.” It is a Mass in honor of Mary in which the interplay of light and darkness convey the meaning of Advent.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

DONATION TO OAKLAND TLM COMMUNITY


The TLM Community at St Margaret Mary Church in Oakland, CA gathers after every Sunday Mass for refreshments in the church hall.  It survives on people's donations; food or cash.  Some Sundays, they barely know where to get food to meet their needs.

So last Sunday, I gave $100 in your name (the TLM Community on Guam) to Arden Glass, the lady who coordinates the refreshments.  I think it's important for the different TLM communities to support each other.  I assisted at St Margaret Mary for a year and a half, and benefitted very much from my time there.

Here is Arden's response :

Dea Father Forbes and the Latin Mass Community of Guam-

When you gave our kitchen crew the amazing donation last Sunday
fromyour Traditional Laatin Mass community, I never thought it would take almost a week to tell all of you how surprised and overwhelmed we were by this unexpected generosity.

I have to say we aren't over it yet! It has waarmed our hearts to know there are such kind and generous friends who have thought of us. Now we will think of you always and hope to get to know all of you and whata you are able to do as a group.

You have to know that if we could steal Fr. Forbes we would do it in a minute. We hope you know how fortunate you are.

I apologize for the delay in writing but my e-mail (AOL) haad done something wrong with my account and it took msot of the week to get that stsraight, and then my son did something to my computer and I couldn't turn it on. But here we are at ;ast, finally able to to show our appreciation of your kindness.

Our kitchen crew would like to learn more about you and your Latin Mass community. It seems a wonderful thing to span so many miles to find you have the same love for our beautiful Mass as we do.

If someonewould like to e-mail us, you can send it to me for the time being. We would be happy to heaer from you.

We all thank you again for your gracios and generous gift. We will keep you in our prayers.

God bless all of you,

Margaret, Diana Joan and Arden                                                                          


Sunday, October 14, 2012

OCTOBER ROSARY AND POTLUCK






For the month of October, we prayed the Rosary before Sunday Mass today in a special way, with the singing of a traditional Chamorro verse before each mystery, which explains the mystery to be prayed.  Then we chanted the Litany of Loreto in Latin.





After Mass, a potluck to celebrate many birthdays among the community members....






Friday, September 28, 2012

MASS WITH UST STUDENTS


It was a joy to offer Holy Mass with students from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.  Mass was at a convent of Sisters of Mary Immaculate.  The traditional Mass is gaining many supporters among the UST students.








Wednesday, September 12, 2012

OUR SCHOLA


 
Our schola does a wonderful job singing at our Sung Masses.  Lord, give them increase!

FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS


FEAST OF THE EXALTATION OF THE CROSS
 
Friday, September 14
 
Mass at 6:30PM
 
followed by Veneration of the Relic of the True Cross

Thursday, September 6, 2012

FIRST FRIDAY MASS



Holy Mass 6:30PM
 
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Litany of the Sacred Heart
Consecration to the Sacred Heart
Benediction

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

WITH THE CONVENTUAL FRANCISCANS


Still in Manila, Pale' Eric spent an evening with his Franciscan brothers, the Conventual friars, giving the presentation on the Ceremonies of Holy Mass Explained.


A gift from the friars.

Monday, August 13, 2012

OUTREACH TO MANGALDAN COMMUNITY


Presenting a new copy of the 1962 Missal to the community

Mangaldan is a town in Pangasinan province in the Philippines with a small but fervent group of faithful attached to the Extraordinary Form (Traditional Mass).  This is Pale' Eric's 2nd time being with this community.  Through him, the Guam Latin Mass community is reaching out to assist the Mangaldan group.  A member of the Guam community recently donated a brand new copy of the 1962 Missal to give to the Mangaldan group.  A label has been put on the inside cover of the Missal so that the donor and the Guam community are spiritually with the Mangaldan group every time they have Mass.  Their one and only Missal before this was an old one in poor condition.


Pale' Eric also conducted two sessions for the group explaining the ceremonies of the Mass, as well as the veneration of a relic of Padre Pio.










The Mangaldan community says thanks and God bless to their brethren on Guam!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

AUGUST : IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY


August is traditionally dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary falls on August 22.  But, in addition to that, is the great Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15.

This month, we also observe the feasts of some very important saints :

St. Dominic (August 4)

St. John Mary Vianney (August 8)

St. Lawrence (August 10)

St. Augustine (August 28)

and many more! 

Besides the saints, one major feast of Our Lord - the Transfiguration on August 6.

August is truly RICH in feasts!

Some Short Prayers in Honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

May the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary be known, praised, blessed, loved, worshipped and glorified always and in all places!

Sweet heart of Mary, be my salvation!

Meditation

The Sacred Heart of Jesus thirsts for souls.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary yearns that all souls may be lead to her divine Son.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

BLESSING WATER


Sunday is the optimal time, liturgically, to bless water since holy water reminds us of our baptism, through which we were born again as adopted children of God through the suffering, death and resurrection of Our Lord.  This we celebrate every Sunday, which is liturgical Easter each and every week.

The Scripture lessons for this Sunday happened to be about baptism (Epistle) and the sacraments, especially the Eucharist (Gospel), so there was added relevance.

One of the prayers of the Rite of Blessing Water is so beautiful I wanted to put it on this blog :

O God, Who for the salvation of mankind has built Thy greatest mysteries on this substance, water, in Thy kindness hear our prayers and pour down the power of Thy blessing + into this element, made ready for many kinds of purifications. May this, Thy creature, become an agent of divine grace in the service of Thy mysteries, to drive away evil spirits and dispel sickness, so that everything in the homes and other buildings of the faithful that is sprinkled with this water may be rid of all uncleanness and freed from every harm. Let no breath of infection, no disease-bearing air, remain in these places. May the wiles of the lurking Enemy prove of no avail. Let whatever might menace the safety and peace of those who live here be put to flight by the sprinkling of this water, so that the healthfulness, obtained by calling upon Thy holy name, may be made secure against all attack.

MEET OUR SERVERS


ADAM CEPEDA

Adam just graduated from Okkodo High School.  From Dededo, he has been serving since he was in elementary school.  He hopes to study engineering in college, but he is also very skilled with the guitar.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

FRIARY MASS ON WIKKIMISSA




If anyone passing through Guam wanted to go to Mass in the Extraordinary Form, all they have to do is go here

http://honneurs.free.fr/Wikini/wakka.php?wiki=GuaM

to find out accurate information.

This is also a good resource for you who travel the globe.

Friday, July 6, 2012

BLESSING OF WATER


We are running low on the Holy Water that was blessed a while back. So I will be blessing a new container before Mass this Sunday. You may want to take advantage of this and bring your own water in clean and appropriate containers (no product labels, for example). You may want to write your name with a marker or make some other sign, if possible, on your container in case someone brings an identical or similar container. Bring them FILLED with water and I will bless them along with the big one we keep in the sacristy. It makes no sense for you to bring an empty one and fill it with the water I am blessing to replenish our sacristy supply! : )

BIG FAVOR!  Not all in our community use the internet.  If you know their house phone numbers, please give them a call and alert them to this notice in case they'd like to bring their own containers this Sunday.  Thanks!

HOW TO ADDRESS A PRIEST


When I was living and ministering in the US mainland a few years ago, people there in the traditional Mass communities found it very difficult to call me "Father Eric."  This was because the tradition is to call priests by their last names; e.g. Father Smith, Father Jones, Father Baker.

But the Capuchins, and a few other religious Orders, are different.  Our tradition is NEVER to use our last names.  The reason?  Because, when we joined the Order, we left the world.  Diocesan priests in a sense remain in the world because they are able to own their own property, have full use of their income and can inherit from their natural families.  We Capuchins do not.

Our last names reveal our natural origins; our natural families, our race and sometimes even our social standing depending on the culture.  As Franciscans, we have left all that behind and are brothers (the meaning of "friar") to everyone, regardless of family, race or social status.

So Capuchins traditionally are known by the town they were born in or associated with; Francis of Assisi, Anthony of Padua, Pio of Pietrelcina.  Before Vatican II, I would only be known as Father Eric of Sinajana, and I sometimes call myself that when I write books or articles.  Mostly, I just go by Pale' Eric as I am the only priest with that first name here.  You may notice that I avoid using my last name as much as possible.

But the traditional thing to do with diocesan (secular) priests and some priests of religious communities (like the Jesuits) is to call them by their last names : e.g. Msgr. Quitugua, Father Cristobal, Father McGrath, Father Moreau. 

On Guam, because the Capuchins were at one time the majority of the clergy, the local people got used to calling all priests, even the diocesans, by their first names, but this is not the tradition.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

JULY : THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS



"Because the life of the flesh is in the blood : and I have given it to you that you may make atonement with it upon the altar of your souls, and the blood may be an expiation for the soul."  Leviticus 17:11

The Life is in the Blood

We can barely fathom the immensity of the disaster that occured when Adam and Eve sinned against their very Maker.  In a world of beauty, order and blessing - which God pronounced good - the sin of Adam and Eve introduced into the world the ugliest defilement of all - they slapped the very good God in the face with hands that God Himself had made and given them!

What could atone for this unspeakable horror?  Only the most perfect, infinitely holy act of love for God.  Only God could atone for this sin against God, but a God who became flesh.  The Second Person of the Trinity, the Word by whom all things were made, had to take on the nature of things made, in order to, as both man and God, atone for the sins of man against God.

Oh precious Blood of Jesus!  When you poured every last drop, you atoned for our sins.  You gave up your life, in order to save us who are bound for death.  What unspeakable love! 

Is it any wonder that, as in the picture above, the angels gather every drop of this Precious Blood?  It is His gift for the life of the world.

Let us remember at our next Communion : I am receiving all of Christ Himself, Body, Blood, soul and divinity.  His Precious Blood is coming into me; saving me, washing me clean, sharing with me His holiness.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

AN INDULGENCED PRAYER ON SS PETER & PAUL



The Church grants an indulgence of 300 days when the faithful pray this prayer in honor of SS Peter and Paul :

"Defend, O Lord, Thy people : and as they put their trust in the patronage of Thy holy apostles, Peter and Paul, keep them ever by Thy protection.  Through Christ our Lord. Amen."

"Protege, Domine, populum tuum : et Apostolorum tuorum Petri et Pauli patrocinio confidentem perpetua defensione conserva.  Per Christum Dominum nostrum.  Amen."

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

SS PETER & PAUL


This Friday's feast, that of SS Peter and Paul, is a Solemnity in the Church calendar, with its own Vigil, and is a Holy Day of Obligation for the universal Church, though it is NOT a Holy Day of Obligation in this Archdiocese nor in the entire U.S.

Still, it is a feast of great importance.  Notice that it is not a feast of Saint Peter alone, nor of Saint Paul alone, nor of the two of them that just happens to be the same day.  It is their partnership that is the essence of this feast, because that partnership was sealed with the blood of both their martyrdoms in the same city - Rome - for the same reason - Christ.  Thus, in the holy card above, they float over the heart and center of the Christian religion, Rome.  The Queen City of the Faith is sprinkled with the blood of the Princes of the Apostles.


So from all antiquity, the Church, especially Rome, always celebrated SS Peter and Paul together.  Even when one of these two saints is the focus, such as the feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Saint Paul is commemorated in the traditional Mass.  Or on the feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Saint Peter is commemorated.  They are the Twin Apostles, as it were, the Church rarely separating them in her liturgical practice.  In most of our bodily activities, we work with pairs; pairs of eyes, ears, hands, lungs, feet.  And the Church began her work, as it were, with these Twin Apostles.


In many churches in Europe, the statues of SS Peter and Paul are very prominent.  They often occupy a place of honor in churches.  Sometimes one of them will be on the left of the sanctuary, the other on the right, acting as if they were sentry guards of the holy sanctuary.  Whenever I see them, I say to myself that these images are asking us who enter this church, "Do we have the same faith that these two Apostles preached and died for?"  One, holy, catholic and APOSTOLIC.

Here on Guam, devotion to Saint Peter (San Pedro) is not absent, as there were enough men named Pedro to keep that devotion going on island.  But the dual devotion to both saints is less known.  It's a pity, since it would strengthen our unique Catholic identity if, by promoting their veneration, we could constantly ask the other churches if they are founded on Peter the Rock, and if they believe the same things Saint Paul taught; all of them, and not just pick and choose from his teachings.  It would help modern-day Catholics, who are often tempted to seek what is new and different to "improve" their experience of church,  to ask themselves, does my Catholic faith today echo what has been taught for 2,000 years, since the days of Saints Peter and Paul?

Friday, June 22, 2012

THE NINE PRIVILEGES....

...OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST



The Birth of Saint John the Baptist
St. Elizabeth wonders at his birth; Zechariah writes down his name

1. His birth was announced by the same angel who announced the birth of Christ.

2. He leaped in the womb of his mother.

3. He was lifted in the womb of his mother by the voice of the Virgin Mary, carrying Jesus.

4. At his birth, he loosed his father's tongue.

5. He originated baptism.

6. He proclaimed the mission of Christ.

7. He baptized Christ.

8. He was praised above all others by Christ.

9. He announced to the souls in limbo the coming of Christ.

(from Jacopo de Voragine)

JUNE 24 IS THE FEAST OF THE BIRTH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

12TH PROMISE



"I promise thee in the excess of the mercy of My Heart, that its all-powerful Love will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of Nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving the Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour."

Death is indeed a fearsome, unknown frontier where we leave the passing comforts of this world to face our Maker and Judge, with all of our sins and failings.  No matter how good we think we may be, we know all too well we are nothing compared to the supreme holiness and goodness of God.  How can we dare face Him?  It is only the encouraging words of Jesus Himself which make it possible for us to go before God, knowing that Jesus is with us as our mediator and intercessor; our "assured refuge" as He says in this promise.

To keep this spiritual bond with Him strong, Jesus gives us one more means by way of the First Fridays of nine consecutive months.  The practice is to receive Holy Communion on these First Fridays.  "Without me, you can do nothing," Jesus said, and so we need the grace of His Body and Blood in order to save our souls.  "He who eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood shall never die."  This assumes, of course, a worthy communion in the state of grace, after confession if it was needed, and the proper dispositions of soul.

To do this for nine consecutive months implies great commitment on our part, and is evidence of a soul genuinely seeking his or her salvation.

The grace we receive from this practice is to die in the state of grace, in repentance.  It does not mean that the person will definitely receive the Last Rites; but it does mean that the dying person would have received some sacraments prior to death, whether it be confession, Holy Communion or the Last Rites.

We do not merit this great grace.  It comes from, as Jesus Himself says in this promise, "the excess of mercy" coming from His Sacred Heart.  All is grace; we claim nothing of our own.  But grace is never forced on us.  God gives us the grace to freely accept the grace offered.  It only makes sense to use this grace Jesus is offering us in First Friday devotion.  But no one can force us; not even God.  So decide today to start making this devotion!

Monday, June 18, 2012

MEET OUR SERVERS


Rico Chaco hails from the village of Agat and functions as our Master of Ceremonies at our Sung Masses, and serves on occasion at other times.

Rico has been serving as an altar boy at his home parish for many years.  He just graduated from high school as valedictorian.  He is discerning a vocation to the Capuchins.

Congratulations Rico and thank you for your service to our community.  God bless you.

11TH PROMISE


"Those who propagate this devotion shall have their name written in my heart, and it shall never be effaced."

Just as the priest devoted to the Sacred Heart will be rewarded with pastoral success, anyone in general - priest, religious or layperson - who promotes this devotion shall have the best of all rewards; to be engraved into the very Heart of Jesus, never to be erased.  You become a permanent fixture in the Heart of Jesus.

All of us want to be included in that list of all lists, the Book of Life wherein the names of those going to heaven are recorded.  That Book is the Heart of Jesus.  We are all saved by Him, by the Sacred Blood He poured out for us, because His Heart loved us.  When we accept that salvation and return His love, our names are engraved on His Heart and are written in the Book of Life.

But true promoters of this devotion are not simply those who encourage others to love the Sacred Heart by their words alone.  We do more to turn people away from the faith when we do the opposite of our holy words.  True promoters live what they preach.  They strive for perfection, and as they do so, they do it with utmost humility, always accusing themselves of their faults and failings and always in the state of repentance, striving to be better each day with the grace of God through prayer and the sacraments.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

10TH PROMISE


"I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts."

The only power a priest has is to bring Jesus to others.  Of course, in a unique and special way; as someone delegated the authority from Jesus Himself to act in His Name - sanctifying, teaching, absolving.  But this power goes nowhere unless the heart of the other opens itself to the power of the priest to sanctify, teach or absolve him or her.  Until then, a priest is powerless in the face of indifference or even hostility.

What can open a closed heart?  Only an open one.  As wide open as the Heart torn open by the stab of a spear as He hung upon the cross.  No matter how closed a human heart is, it naturally responds to love.  The more closed the heart, the more that love must prove itself. 

The priest, being human, is always tempted to give up on stubborn hearts and move on to the next.  He cannot do so, if he is to follow the Good Shepherd who leaves the safe sheep in search of the lost.  The priest must lay down his life, not just for the safe and sound sheep, but for the lost one.   Where will the priest find this supernatural love and will power to do this?  He will find it, if the priest is devoted to the Sacred Heart.  If the priest opens his heart to the One Heart that alone can truly save.

Then it will be the Sacred Heart who works through the priest, and not just the priest preaching, teaching and working with his natural abilities alone.  How often has Jesus used the less talented priest to win so many souls!  Less talented perhaps, but a priest more fully devoted to Jesus and therefore a better instrument of the Lord.  Truly, nothing depends more for the success of a priest than his total surrender to Jesus, who will work through the such a priest despite his limitations.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

9TH PROMISE



"I will bless the homes in which the image of my Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honored."

To a certain extent, the saying is true. "Out of sight, out of mind."  We are creatures with five senses.  We learn about the world through these five senses.  We soon forget, and thus value less, what we don't readily see, or hear, or touch.  For this reason, Holy Mother Church not only allows but recommends the proper use of sacred images as an aid to prayer and devotion.  These images remind us of the holy people they represent, and help us to remember, love and imitate these holy people.

It is also true that, as the saying goes, some things are "hidden right under our noses."  We see, but we do not remember.  We pass the sacred image a hundred times in a day, and not once do we raise our minds and hearts to the person represented therein.  But will we do better if there were no image at all?

Thus, we need both the image and the recollection.  We need to pray when we see the image of the Sacred Heart on our walls or on our home altars.  We need to remember whose Heart it is; what it stands for; how it suffered; how it loves; how it is a human heart like ours; how it is filled with divine love; how our hearts are meant to be filled with the same love.  Doing so will do us a lot of good.

But there is a second motive.  Jesus Himself attached a great promise to those who prayerfully keep this image exposed and honored in the home.  He promises His own blessing.

Remember, this blessing is made to those who don't just "have" an image at home, but to those who 1) expose it and to those who 2) honor it.  It should be visible and noticeable to all who live in and visit the house.  It should be honored by regular acts of prayer and devotion.

Monday, June 11, 2012

WE'RE ON FACEBOOK


Facebook : Traditioguam


DON'T FORGET TO LIKE THE PAGE
and receive automatic updates

SHE LIKES HER VEIL



This little girl was recently given a veil for Mass, and she has become a great promoter of its use!  She loves wearing it, even when Mass is over.

1 Corinthians 11:10 : "Therefore ought the woman to have a power over her head, because of the angels."

"Power over her head" meant a veil of some sort.  It was a sign that the woman belonged to her husband and was thus a visible expression of modesty and propriety.

"Because of the angels."  The angels minister to God in heaven in worship and adoration.  In that heavenly worship, there is the utmost reverence and propriety.  When we worship in Mass, the angels are with us.  Therefore, in our Mass, the utmost reverence and propriety must be seen by the angels.

Little girls and unmarried women do not belong to a husband yet.  But Saint Paul teaches other reasons for wearing the veil, and states that it is a command of the Lord, a custom of the primitive churches.  It is good to start forming our women in the custom and meaning of wearing the chapel veil while they are still very young.

This little girl's enthusiasm is proof of the wisdom of that practice.

8TH PROMISE


"Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection."

Momentum.  It is a word often used in sports or even in political campaigns.  The more one gains speed, the faster one gains it.  In the spiritual life, the great accelerator is divine love.

A wayward man, steeped in vices, reforms in an instant it seems, throwing away all former bad habits.  Why?  He has fallen in love, and the woman he loves, who won't have him along with his vices, is worth the change.

Those devoted to the Sacred Heart find in It a vast ocean of sacrificial love.  The poor human soul, so weak in virtue, stands in awe as it tries to fathom how could Almighty God, so pure and holy, suffer so much, love without limit, such a poor soul.  But, poor though it is, the human soul was created by God with a capacity for love and for holiness.  What it needs is the attraction, the acceleration, the momentum that grace provides.  The Sacred Heart is the source of that grace; it is the grace itself.

In the natural, speed is gained by following the law of gravity downwards.  In the supernatural, speed is gained by following the law of love upwards.  Those who rise, rise higher still, as long as love is the driving force and the goal.  In the spiritual life, Jesus is everything : He is the road, the vehicle and the destination.  We walk in the ways of love; we walk with the power of love that overcomes all difficulties; when the road ends, we have arrived at perfect love.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

7TH PROMISE


"Tepid souls shall become fervent."

None of us appreciate half-measures and half-heartedness in others when it comes to things we value greatly.  We put our 100% into something, be it family life, our jobs or some cause, and we see many others dragging their feet.  How must Jesus feel when He sees the multitude of souls which are neither hot nor cold but lukewarm.  We know how He must feel, for in Revelations it is said that God will vomit them out of His mouth.  God, who loves us infinitely, and gives all of Himself to us, will not be happy with something less than all of ourselves.  Love is paid with love.

Spiritual lukewarmness is not the dry spells in feeling or fervor that good souls often experience when in prayer.  Those dry spells are often the very thing God wants us to undergo, so that we do all things for genuine love of God, not because doing the good gives us an emotional high.

Tepidity is a real attitude of indifference and carelessness; of going through the motions and moreover not being concerned that one is merely going through the motions.  It is to walk by the edge of a cliff, and not even realize it.

But the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a burning furnace ablaze with love.  Just as fire melts away the outer frozen shell first, till the inner flesh is exposed and enjoys the warmth of the fire, the love of Jesus first destroys the hardened outer shell of the tepid soul, attacking its indifference and apathy, jolting the soul out of its stupor with remembrances of eternal damnation versus the eternal joys of heaven.  It exposes the soul's longing for love, and directs that longing to the perfect love of Jesus.  Then the human heart takes on the warmth of the Sacred Heart to which it is exposed.

Friday, June 8, 2012

6TH PROMISE


"Sinners shall find in my heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy."

Have you ever been so aware of your sinfulness that you believed God could never forgive you?  Or perhaps, God will forgive, but God could never really love you as much today as He did before, because of your sin?

Especially near death, when one becomes acutely aware that they will stand before God very soon and render an account for everything they ever did while on earth, many people are tempted to despair of God's mercy.  It is truly a temptation; Satan tries to make souls move away from God, making them think that God could never really embrace them, with all of their sins.

But our subjective judgments and feelings ought to be corrected by the objective actions of God.  Actions speak louder than words, and what has God done?  Over and over, He shows mercy.  Even in the Old Testament, God showed Himself abundantly merciful and forgiving.  Time and again, God forgave Israel when it sinned against God.  He punished Israel, and when Israel suffered and came back to God, God restored Israel.

But in Jesus, God's mercy reaches its perfection in outward manifestation.  Jesus is Mercy Itself.  The whole reason why the Son of God became man and was born among us was to bring us God's free gift of mercy.  In the Gospels, Jesus forgives, forgives, forgives.  Even on the cross, He forgives.

Why does Jesus always forgive?  Because mercy is a fruit of love.  Love is the source of mercy, and His love is summed up in His Sacred Heart.  It is an infinite ocean of love we find there, to the extent that, in order to spare man the full strength of divine retribution, the Heart of Jesus took all the punishment we deserved.  The Heart of Jesus stood between us and God's wrath, taking the punishment for us.  Only an infinite ocean of love could do this.  Therefore, how can one despair of God's mercy?  Jesus did not come for the righteous, but for the worst of us.


Thursday, June 7, 2012

CORPUS CHRISTI


It was a perfect night for a procession!

No rain.  Light, gentle breeze so our candles did not all blow out quickly.

Yet cool.