Virgin Mary and the Holy Rosary

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, 

In October we honor the Virgin Mary and the Holy Rosary. I encourage all to come to Holy Mass early to pray the Rosary whenever possible. I also encourage families, couples and prayer groups to pray the Holy Rosary together as a way of growing in the Holy Spirit and the knowledge of the love of God! Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, pray for us! 

October is also Respect Life Month. I encourage you to pray for an end to the practice of abortion in our country and the entire world! Let us pray for healing and mercy for those who have had abortions and for conversion for those who promote and profit from abortion. Let us resolve in our hearts to show compassion for those who suffer from the affects of abortion. Let us also allow our good Lord to use each of us to give a voice to those who do not have a voice in our society, especially unborn children. 

Please see elsewhere in this bulletin for an invitation to participate in a special event as part of the 40 Days for Life. This event will take place Sunday, October 23, 2016. All parishioners are invited to participate. 

This week I continue with looking at ways to grow in our love for Jesus, truly present in the Holy Eucharist as offered by St. Peter Julian Eymard in his book: How to Get More Out of Holy Communion. 

One suggestion offered by St. Peter to grow in love with Jesus in the Eucharist is to receive Jesus in Holy Communion as a friend. St. Peter wrote: “Man, having sinned, felt an instinctive fear of God. Immediately after yielding to the tempter, he dared not answer the voice of His Creator but hid himself and fled from His visage… Sacred Scripture show us this fear (is) so dominant in mankind that even the holiest persons trembled if God appeared to them or spoke to them… (through) an angel… For thirty-three years only, Jesus gave evidence to us of His goodness, and we may say that if He had deprived us of His presence after this short period of time, we would be as subject to fear… Could the Incarnation, work of salvation though it was and a sublime testimonial of the love and power of God, suffice to establish the confidence of friendship between the Creator and His creature? No, friendship demands constant personal communion. Therefore, our Lord instituted the Most Holy Eucharist. By means of this sacrament, His is in our thought, in us, with us, be-side us, continuing and perfecting His work of making us His intimates and friends. Hiding His glory, He comes to us in the incognito of friendship, just as if a king were to assume the guise of a poor man and, seating himself at his table, say to him, “I belong to your family; treat me as one of you.” Yet Jesus Christ does even more; He comes to us under the appearance of bread. Who can be afraid of a grain of wheat? Could God find a better way to veil His majesty?... Oh, yes, happy fault! When man was in the state of innocence, God was our Lord and Master; now He is our Friend, our Guest, and our Food.” 

St. Peter also reminds us that Holy Communion lets us approach God with confidence. “The purpose of the Eucharist is not only to bring man back to God by destroying the instinctive fear that rules him, but, in addition, to fill his heart with confidence. Strictly speaking we might be able to bear the presence of God, but who would dare address our Lord unless He first mercifully veiled Himself? He dis-charges all debts, wipes out all inequalities. Before, on earth, the splendor of the Godhead was so hidden beneath human features that neither sinners nor little children feared to approach Jesus. They saw only His goodness and mercy. But who will dare speak to our Lord today in the glory and triumph of His Resurrection? He has received the title of Judge of the living and the dead, and, as such, He wishes to be feared and adored. Certainly He is still the good God, the God of mercy; but His state is changed, and if we did not have the Eucharist, we would be unable to speak to Him with simple confidence. Our Lord instituted His Sacrament so that we might love Him, so that He might meet with the same tenderness and affection He received during His mortal life.”

My brothers and sisters, as we learn from St. Peter, Jesus is present of us in the Holy Eucharist for our sake. He loves us so much that He waits for us day and night to think of Him, visit Him, console Him, love Him. Let always thank Him and love Him in this wondrous sacrament as He deserves!

Through the intercession of Mary, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, St. Joseph, St. Paul and St. Michael, may love for the True Presence of Jesus and a desire to spend eternity with Him in Heaven continue togrow in our hearts, our homes, our parishes and our world!

In Christ through Mary, Fr. Kasel