The Name of their Office is Angel

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Tom Perna

Today is the Feast of the Archangels – Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and in some circles, Uriel. The Archangels are one of the nine choirs of angels that reside in the Heavenly Kingdom. To learn more about the choirs of angels, go here. Only three of the seven angels who stand before the Lord – Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel, and Saint Raphael are mentioned in the Canon of Scripture.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 329 states – “St. Augustine says, “’Angel’ is the name of their office, not of their nature. If you seek of their nature, it is ‘spirit’; if you seek the name of their office, it is ‘angel’: from what they are, ‘spirit,’ from what they do, ‘angel.’” With their whole beings the angels are servants and messengers of God. Because they “always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven” they are the “mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word.”

On angels in the Scriptures, Mother Angelica says, “When we talk of angels being pure spirits, we are talking about intelligences. Every one is a different species, every one is unique. The angelic nature is different from ours. Scripture tells us an awful lot about the angelic nature. Now, modern theologians keep saying there are not angels, and I feel sorry for them. We should feel sorry for anyone that lives half a lie.”

First, let’s discuss Saint Michael. The name, Michael, means who is like God? Many of Early Church Fathers regarded Saint Michael the Archangel as chief of the angels. He is the general, the quarterback, that leads all of the other angels. The Holy Scriptures speak of him four times. In Christian Tradition, Saint Michael has four important offices: first, to fight against Satan, second, to rescue souls from Satan’s power, especially at the hour of death, third, to be the champion of God’s people, both Israel and the Church, and fourth to bring all souls to judgment before the Lord.

After seeing a vision of evil in the world, Pope Leo XIII wrote the St. Michael the Archangel Prayer. It is a prayer that I recite at the end of Mass and I would encourage everyone to learn it and recite it daily.

Second, let’s discuss Saint Gabriel. The name, Gabriel, means God is my strength. In the Old Testament, God sent the archangel Gabriel to help Daniel the Prophet understand his visions, and to give him a prophecy. What Saint Gabriel is really most known for happens in the New Testament when he announced to Zechariah the birth of John the Baptist and he is the angel who also appeared to the Blessed Virgin Mary with the news that God had chosen her to bear the Messiah. Gabriel is blessed beyond measure when he said the words, “Hail Mary, Full of Grace.”

The third archangel is Saint Raphael. The name, Raphael, means God is my healer. He appears only in the Deuterocanonical book of Tobit, where, disguised as a man, he accompanies Tobias on his journey, shields him and his new wife Sara from demonic attack and brings healing to Tobias’ father Tobit. Raphael describes himself thusly: “ I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels who present the prayers of the saints and enter into the presence of the glory of the Lord.” (Tobit 12:15)

As I stated above, there is a fourth archangel that is named, and he is Uriel. His name means, God is my light or the fire of God. According to the Jewish apocryphal Book of Enoch, other apocryphal sources, and the Eastern Orthodox Church, Saint Uriel is the name of the fourth archangel. As a saint, Uriel has the symbol of an open hand bearing a flame.

On this special feast of the Archangels, let us ask for their intercession, that along with our guardian angels, that they will protect us and give us the strength to combat against Satan and all of his demons that seek to do us harm. For assistance, see my blog post – Prayers to the Archangels – Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.

“Mondays with Mary” – ‘Woman Clothed with the Sun’

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Tom Perna

A few weeks ago, I kicked off our Saturday Morning Speaker Series at the parish with a talk titled, The Blessed Virgin Mary in the Sacred Scriptures. One of the points that I mentioned in that talk was that Mary is seen as the woman in the verses of Revelation 12 – “And a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun [italics mine], with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars…”

To explain this scripture to you, below is Pope Emeritus Benedict’s homily from the Assumption of Mary on August 15, 2007 at St. Thomas Villanova Parish in Castel Gandolfo. Focusing on Mary being “clothed with the sun” and her Assumption into Heaven, the future Doctor of the Church explains how the two are so closely connected. At the end, he gives a very insightful lesson based on the life of Mary, and which we all must learn to do –

“Without any doubt, a first meaning is that it is Our Lady, Mary, clothed with the sun, that is, with God, totally; Mary who lives totally in God, surrounded and penetrated by God’s light. Surrounded by the 12 stars, that is, by the 12 tribes of Israel, by the whole People of God, by the whole Communion of Saints; and at her feet, the moon, the image of death and mortality.

Mary has left death behind her; she is totally clothed in life, she is taken up body and soul into God’s glory and thus, placed in glory after overcoming death, she says to us: Take heart, it is love that wins in the end!

The message of my life was: I am the handmaid of God, my life has been a gift of myself to God and my neighbor. And this life of service now arrives in real life. May you too have trust and have the courage to live like this, countering all the threats of the dragon.

This is the first meaning of the woman whom Mary succeeded in being. The “woman clothed with the sun” is the great sign of the victory of love, of the victory of goodness, of the victory of God; a great sign of consolation.

Mother of Mariazell

Yet, this woman who suffered, who had to flee, who gave birth with cries of anguish, is also the Church, the pilgrim Church of all times. In all generations she has to give birth to Christ anew, to bring him very painfully into the world, with great suffering. Persecuted in all ages, it is almost as if, pursued by the dragon, she had gone to live in the wilderness.

However, in all ages, the Church, the People of God, also lives by the light of God and as the Gospel says is nourished by God, nourishing herself with the Bread of the Holy Eucharist. Thus, in all the trials in the various situations of the Church through the ages in different parts of the world, she wins through suffering. And she is the presence, the guarantee of God’s love against all the ideologies of hatred and selfishness.

We see of course that today too the dragon wants to devour God who made himself a Child. Do not fear for this seemingly frail God; the fight has already been won. Today too, this weak God is strong: he is true strength.

Thus, the Feast of the Assumption is an invitation to trust in God and also to imitate Mary in what she herself said: Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; I put myself at the Lord’s disposal.

This is the lesson: one should travel on one’s own road; one should give life and not take it. And precisely in this way each one is on the journey of love which is the loss of self, but this losing of oneself is in fact the only way to truly find oneself, to find true life [italics mine].

Let us look to Mary, taken up into Heaven. Let us be encouraged to celebrate the joyful feast with faith: God wins. Faith, which seems weak, is the true force of the world. Love is stronger than hate. And let us say with Elizabeth: Blessed are you among women. Let us pray to you with all the Church: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

“Mondays with Mary” – Our Lady of La Salette

Posted on September 19, 2016 by Tom Perna

Traditionally, in the Roman Liturgical Calendar, September 19 was the day we honored the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title, Our Lady of La Salette. For today’s “Mondays with Mary”, I will briefly explain to you the story about the La Salette, the apparition witnessed by Maximin Giraud and Melanie Calvat, and the aftermath and approval of the devotion.

On Saturday, September 19, 1846, Maximin, eleven years old, and Melanie, fourteen years of age, were blessed to see a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the town of Corps close to Grenoble, in the southeast part of France. They saw Mary high up above the pasture, above La Salette, as they were tending to cattle and sheep for their employer.

They explained that they witnessed seeing a beautiful, tall, woman who was wearing a long, white, pearl covered sleeved dress, covered by a white shawl with a crown on her head adorned with roses. She wore white shoes that were decorated in roses of many different colors. Her arms were folded over her breast. Around her neck was a crucifix, which was large, and was covered with a small hammer and pincers. The figure of Christ on the crucifix shined very brightly. The entire image – the woman along with the very bright crucifix were covered in light. The children also said that the woman was seated on a stone and her head was in her hands.

Speaking with a melancholic voice and tears from her eyes, Our Lady explained to the children that she was sad because people were not repenting of their sins and that the arm of her son was becoming heavy. She did not know how long she could hold it up. She explained that she was praying hard for the people, even though they continued to blaspheme and worked on Sundays. She declared that punishments were coming in the form of famines and blights to the crops.

Our Lady secretly shared information with each of the two children, which were not to be shared with anyone, however, in-time, the secrets were shared with Pope Pius IX in 1851. The secret given to Maximin was eventually published in “Annales du Surnaturel” in 1888. The secret given to Melanie was shared (Our Lady said it could be) in 1858; the same year Our Lady appeared in Lourdes.

Before disappearing from the children’s sight, she asked them to spread her message. Once they returned home, accounts were written down. As often happens in cases like this, opposition and skepticism began to grow rapidly. And as often, the witnesses of such apparitions remain steadfast in their accounts – this case is no different. Both Maximin and Melanie maintained that their story was true, despite the opposition they faced in the form of bribes, teasing, threats, and nasty tricks. Every time they were asked to explain their accounts (often separately), the accounts came out exactly the same.

Bishop Bruillard also faced opposition, but after five years of intense investigation examining the facts, with two different commissions of inquiry, he approved devotion to Our Lady of Salette. On September 19, 1851, Bishop Bruillard declared that a miraculous event did occur and said,

“We declare that the apparition of the Blessed Virgin to two shepherds, on September 19, 1846, on a mountain in the Alps in the parish of La Salette, bears in itself all the marks of truth and that the faithful are justified in believing without question in its truth. And so, to mark our lively gratitude to God and the glorious Virgin Mary, we authorize the cult of Our Lady of La Salette.”

In 1852, a new religious order was founded by the Bishop, the Missionaries of La Salette. Melanie also started her own religious community and may have used the Rule given to her by Our Lady. A new basilica was being built to honor Our Lady of La Salette, as Bishop Bruillard laid the cornerstone. Pilgrims quickly began to descend upon the small town. Our Lady became known as “Reconcilatrix of sinners.” Many people developed a great devotion to Our Lady of La Salette, including three great saints – St. John Bosco, St. John Vianney, and St. Madeleine Sophie Barat.

Even though this apparition happened 170 years ago, the messages given to these two young children should ring loudly with us today. Our Lady said that materialism; atheism, spiritualism, and secularism would increase on a large scale. Many people, including those who whole-heartedly believed in Jesus Christ, would lose their faith. Blaspheming of the Sunday Sabbath would continue and people would place other things in front of that time with God. War and destruction would come and go, particularly in the beginning of 20^th century.

Our Lady of La Salette, appearing only four days after Our Lady of Sorrows, truly is the Mother of Sorrow, because she is weeping for the sins of humanity.

Our Lady of La Salette…Pray for Us.

Sources:

Fongemie, Pauly. “Our Lady of La Salette.” Our Lady of La Salette. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.

“Lady of La Salette.” Lady of La Salette. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.

“Secret of La Salette – Our Lady of La Salette (France).” ~Secret of La Salette -Our Lady of La Salette (France)~. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.

“What Is the Story of Our Lady of La Salette? – Catholic Straight Answers.”Catholic Straight Answers. N.p., 22 May 2013. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.

A Whole Lot of Writings on Our Lady of Sorrows

Posted on September 15, 2016 by Tom Perna

Today in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, we celebrate the Marian memorial known as Our Lady of Sorrows. This traditional devotion, which helps us understand Mary’s role in the suffering of Our Lord Jesus Christ, began in 1814 by Pope Pius VII. Many of the Church Fathers and other saints wrote on how Mary is united with Christ in his suffering and how we are to suffer with Christ as well. In this Apostolic Letter, Salvific Doloris, Pope St. John Paul II said,

“Suffering is also an invitation to manifest the moral greatness of man, his spiritual maturity. Proof of this has been given, down through the generations, by the martyrs and confessors of Christ, faithful to the words: “And do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul.”

If you don’t know or haven’t realized it yet, suffering is very much a part of the Christian lifestyle, and although following Christ brings us happiness and joy, suffering is something that we all must learn to embrace. We are reminded of this every time we walk into a Catholic Church and see the crucifix in the sanctuary. As she is in all things that pertain to the Christian faith, the Blessed Virgin Mary is the perfect example for us when it comes to suffering. Although she was free of all sin because of her Immaculate Conception, she still had to endure great pains and great suffering as she watched Her Son and Our Lord suffer to and on the cross.

Our Lady of Sorrows by Carlo Dolci

So for today’s blog post on the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, here are the many blog posts I have written in the past that speak about the Blessed Mother as the Mother of Sorrows –

1. “Mondays with Mary” – 7 Quotes by Pope St. John Paul II on Our Lady of Sorrows

2. “Mondays with Mary” – Our Lady of Sorrows

3. “Mondays with Mary” – Marian Reflections from St. Alphonsus Ligouri

4. “Mondays with Mary” – The Burial of Our Lord, and the Loneliness of the Blessed Virgin

5. “Mondays with Mary” – The Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ and Mary at the Foot of the Cross

6. “Mondays with Mary” – The Suffering of Mother Mary

7. “Mondays with Mary” – Jesus, Mary, and the Cross

8. “Mondays with Mary” – Mary Under the Cross

9. “Mondays with Mary” – The Method of Praying the Rosary of the Mater Dolorosa

10. “Mondays with Mary” – Pope St. John Paul II on the Suffering of Mary

11. “Mondays with Mary” – The Prophecy of Holy Simeon

12. “Mondays with Mary” – Litany of the Mater Dolorosa

Our Lady of Sorrows…Pray for Us.

“Mondays with Mary” – The Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Tom Perna

Today is the optional memorial for the Most Holy Name of Mary. It began as a feast in the year 1513 in the country of Spain. In 1671, it was extended to all of Spain as well as to the Kingdom of Naples. It was recognized by Pope Innocent XI in 1683 to commemorate the besieging of Vienna, whereupon the Christian forces defeated the Muslims.

This memorial is to remind us of how great the name of MARY truly is in salvation history. Her name brought glory to God the Father and God the Son. She is the Mother of the Savior and her name must be remembered for all time. Her name is a name of honor and should be highly venerated. She is the Mother of God, the greatest and holiest of all of God’s creations. Mary is the Queen of Heaven and Earth and reigns with Christ for all eternity.

Although the feast fell out of the Roman Calendar in 1969, Pope St. John Paul II restored the memorial in 2000 when the third typical edition of the Roman Missal was published.

If you want to pray the Litany of the Holy Name of Mary privately today here it is –

Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Son of Mary, hear us.
Son of Mary, graciously hear us.

Heavenly Father, of Whom Mary is the Daughter,
Have mercy on us.
Eternal Word, of Whom Mary is the Mother,
Have mercy on us.
Holy Spirit, of Whom Mary is the spouse,
Have mercy on us.
Divine Trinity, of Whom Mary is the Handmaid,
Have mercy on us.

Mary, Mother of the Living God, pray for us.
Mary, daughter of the Light Eternal, pray for us.
Mary, our light, etc…
Mary, our sister,
Mary, flower of Jesse,
Mary, issue of kings,
Mary, chief work of God,
Mary, the beloved of God,
Mary, Immaculate Virgin,
Mary, all fair,
Mary, light in darkness,
Mary, our sure rest,
Mary, house of God,
Mary, sanctuary of the Lord,
Mary, altar of the Divinity,
Mary, Virgin Mother,
Mary, embracing thy Infant God,
Mary, reposing with Eternal Wisdom,
Mary, ocean of bitterness,
Mary, Star of the Sea,
Mary, suffering with thine only Son,
Mary, pierced with a sword of sorrow,
Mary, torn with a cruel wound,
Mary, sorrowful even to death ,
Mary, bereft of all consolation,
Mary, submissive to the law of God,
Mary, standing by the Cross of Jesus,
Mary, Our Lady,
Mary, Our Queen,
Mary, Queen of glory ,
Mary, glory of the Church Triumphant,
Mary, Blessed Queen,
Mary, advocate of the Church Militant,
Mary, Queen of Mercy,
Mary, consoler of the Church Suffering,
Mary, exalted above the Angels,
Mary, crowned with twelve stars,
Mary, fair as the moon,
Mary, bright as the sun,
Mary, distinguished above all,
Mary, seated at the right hand of Jesus,
Mary, our hope,
Mary, our sweetness,
Mary, glory of Jerusalem ,
Mary, joy of Israel,
Mary, honor of our people,
Mary, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception,
Mary, Our Lady of the Assumption,
Mary, Our Lady of Loreto,
Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes,
Mary, Our Lady of Fatima,
Mary, Our Lady of Czestochowa,
Mary, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal,
Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel,
Mary, Our Lady of the Angels,
Mary, Our Lady of Dolors,
Mary, Our Lady of Mercy,
Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary,
Mary, Our Lady of Victory ,
Mary, Our Lady of La Trappe,
Mary, Our Lady of Divine Providence,

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord Jesus.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord Jesus.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us, O Lord Jesus.
Son of Mary, hear us.
Son of Mary, graciously hear us.
V. I will declare thy name unto my brethren.
R. I will praise thee in the assembly of the faithful.

Let Us Pray.

O Almighty God, Who beholds Thy servants earnestly desirous
of placing themselves under the shadow of the name and protection
of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, vouchsafe, we beseech Thee,
that by her charitable intercession, we may be delivered from all
evil on earth, and may arrive at everlasting joys in Heaven,
through Jesus Christ Our Lord. R. Amen.

“Mondays with Mary” – 10 Quotes on the Blessed Mother from St. Teresa of Calcutta

Posted on September 5, 2016 by Tom Perna

For the past five days, I have written five different blog posts focusing on the words of the newest saint in the Catholic Church’s arsenal, St. Teresa of Calcutta. On day one, I focused on work and evangelization; day two, I wrote about family life; day three, I focused on faith and holiness; day four, yesterday, I wrote about her words on prayer; and finally today, we will focus on her words that speak about Blessed Virgin Mary. Since today is a Monday, it fell perfectly to include this last blog post as part of my “Mondays with Mary” series.

In her book, Total Surrender, St. Teresa of Calcutta says the following about Mary’s Example –

“The Magnificat is Our Lady’s Prayer of thanks. She can help us to love Jesus best; she is the one who can show us the shortest way to Jesus. Mary was the one whose intercession led Jesus to work the first miracle. ‘They have no wine,’ she said to Jesus. ‘Do whatever he tells you,’ she said to the servants. We take the part of the servants. Let us go to her with great love and trust…”

Like many of the saints before her, including her contemporary, Pope St. John Paul II, she had a deep devotion and a relationship rooted in love with the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Teresa of Calcutta (“Tiny T”), like her Teresa predecessors, St. Teresa of Avila (“Big T”) and St. Therese of Lisieux (“Little T”), knew the importance that the Blessed Mother played not only in the life of Jesus Christ, but the important role she plays in all of salvation history. She knew well if there were no Mary, there would be no Jesus. Mary’s role in the Church, yesterday, today, and tomorrow is always about leading us closer to Jesus Christ.

To conclude this quintuple of blog posts, here are 10 quotes focusing on the Blessed Virgin Mary from the words of the Saint of Calcutta –

From a letter written on the day of her death –

1. “Loving trust and total surrender made Our Lady say ‘yes’ to the message of the angel. And cheerfulness made her fun in haste to serve her cousin Elizabeth. That is so much our life: say ‘yes’ to Jesus and running in haste to serve him in the poorest of the poor. Let us keep very close to Our Lady and she will make that same spirit grow in each of us.”

2. “Pray especially to Our Blessed Mother Mary, placing all your intentions into her hands. For she loves you as she loves her Son. She will guide you in all your relationships so that peace may fill your life.”

3. “Let us ask Our Lady, in a very special way: Mary, mother of Jesus, be a mother to each of us, that we, like you, may be pure in heart, that we, like you, love Jesus; that we, like you, serve the poorest for we are all poor. First let us love our neighbors and so fulfill God’s desire that we become carriers of his love and compassion.”

4. “Mary is our mother, the cause of our joy. Being a mother, I have never had difficulty in talking with Mary and feeling close to her.”

Speaking about electricity and wires, and where the power of our ‘light’ comes from, she says the following –

5. “Our Lady was the most wonderful wire. She allowed God to fill her to the brim. By her surrender ‘Be it done to me according to thy word’ she became ‘full of grace.’ The moment she was filled by the current, by the grace of God, she went in haste to Elizabeth’s house to connect the wire, John, to the current, Jesus. As his mother said, ‘This child, John, leapt up with joy at your voice.’ Let us ask Our Lady to come into our lives also and make the current, Jesus, use us to go round the world – especially in our own communities so that we can continue connecting the wires of the hearts of men and women with the current, Jesus.”

6. “Even Almighty God cannot fill what is already fill. We must be empty if we want God to fill us with fullness. Our Lady had to be empty before she could be full of grace. She had to declare that she was the handmaid of the Lord before God could fill her. So also we must be empty of all pride, all jealousy, of all selfishness before God can fill us with his love.”

7. “Mary showed complete trust in God by agreeing to be used as an instrument in his plan of salvation. She trusted him in spite of her nothingness because she knew he who is mighty could do great things in her and through her. Once she said ‘yes’ to him, she never doubted. She was just a young woman, but she belonged to God and nothing nor anyone could separate her from him.”

8. “Mary did not feel ashamed. She proclaimed Jesus her son. At Calvary we see her standing upright – the mother of God, standing next to the cross. What a deep faith she must have had because of her love for her son! To see him dishonored, unloved, an object of hatred. Yet, she stayed upright.”

9. “How much we need Mary to teach us what it means to satiate God’s Thirsting Love for us, which Jesus came to reveal to us. She did it so beautifully. Yes, Mary allowed God to take possession of her life by her purity, her humility, and her faithful love…Let us seek to grow, under the guidance of our Heavenly Mother…”

10. “If we stand with Our Lady, she will give us her spirit of loving trust, total surrender, and cheerfulness.”

As the Catholic Church celebrates this newest Saint, please pray for the work of the Missionaries of Charity throughout the world, pray for the pilgrims returning home from the Canonization, and pray that all people, even our enemies, may they come to know the love and mercy of Jesus Christ through His Holy Mother and the Saints in Heaven.

10 Quotes on Prayer from St. Teresa of Calcutta

Posted on September 4, 2016 by Tom Perna

Since today is the Canonization Day for St. Teresa of Calcutta, I am going to be as plain as I can with you and say that prayer is simply a conversation with God. If you are interested in reading more about prayer I would suggest checking out my QLC’s – The Way of Prayer, Expressions of Prayer, and The Battle of Prayer. She can say things a lot better than I can on this subject.

So with this being said, let’s focus on 10 quotes on prayer from St. Teresa of Calcutta –

1. “Prayer is as necessary as the air, as the blood in our bodies, as anything to keep us alive – to keep us alive to the grace of God.”

2. “Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at this disposition, and listening to his voice in the depths of our hearts.”

3. “I always begin my prayer in silence, for it is in the silence of the heart that God speaks. God is the friend of silence – we need to listen to God because it’s not what we say but he says to us and through us that matters.”

The fourth quote is something a lot of people don’t think about when it comes to prayer, but the saints speak of it –

4. “You can pray while you work. Work doesn’t stop prayer and prayer doesn’t stop work. It requires only that small raising of the mind to him: I love you God, I trust you, I believe in you, I need you now. Small things like that. They are wonderful prayers.”

5. “Love to pray. Take the trouble to pray. Prayer opens your heart until it is big enough to hold and keep God. We must know Jesus in prayer before we can see him in the broken bodies of the poor.”

6. “Deep down in every human heart there is knowledge of God. And deep down in every human heart is the desire to communicate with Him.”

Silence is something our modern culture struggles with greatly. St. Teresa of Calcutta says it’s essential part of our prayer life –

7. “If we neglect prayer and if the branch is not connected with the vine, it will die. That connecting of the branch to the vine is prayer. If that connection is there then love is there, then joy is there, and we will be the sunshine of God’s love, the hope of eternal happiness, the flame of burning love. Why? Because we are one with Jesus. If you sincerely want to learn to pray: keep silence.”

8. “My secret is very simple: I pray. Through prayer I become one in love with Christ. I realize that praying to him is loving him.”

9. “Prayer must come from the heart and must be able to touch the heart of God. See how Jesus taught his disciples to pray: Call God your Father; praise and glorify his name; do his will as the saints do it in heaven; ask for daily bread, spiritual and temporal; ask for forgiveness of your own sins and for the grace to forgive others; ask for the grace to resist temptations and for the final grace to be delivered from the evil which is in you and around you.”

This is another very important part of prayer and place to do it. If you have a Perpetual Adoration Chapel, pray there —

10. “Every moment of prayer, especially before our Lord in the tabernacle, is a sure, positive gain. The time we spend in having our daily audience with God is the most precious part of the whole day.”

St. Teresa of Calcutta…Pray for Us.

TOM PERNA

Evangelization. Catechesis. JP2 Generation.