Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Book 4 Chapter 14: On the Ardent Desire Some Devout People Have for the Body of Christ

“How great is Your goodness, O Lord, which You have stored up for those who fear You.” (Psalm 31:20)

Have you ever met that person who just exudes righteousness?  They seem to be always focused on Christ and are extremely devout in their worship and practices. These people should become the example from which we desire to emulate.  We are all called to approach the Holy Eucharist with a devout and humble heart.  We are called to be focused on the face of Christ as we process forward to the Altar to receive the Eucharist.  We should be ashamed to approach the Eucharist with anything less than absolute wonder and awe for what we are about to receive.  My heart should be on fire for Christ presence is about me and soon to be within me.  I should be drawn into His love in a deep manner as to be only focused on Him.  It is in this moment that I should be intensely close to our Lord.  Yet I still find myself approaching the Altar absolutely numb to the presence of God. My mind wonders in Mass and I lose focus on His presence. I must find a way to stir my heart as those devout people I see.  They become my teachers and my guides.  It is because of them that I know God is present.  Why else would they find great peace in the Sacrament of the Eucharist?  Why else would they pray with such fervor if He did not exist in their heart?  I must pray that the smallest spark of His love that dwells in me will become a great fire which causes me to love you just like the other devout people around me. 

A Simple Prayer

O Lord, most gracious God,

Be merciful on my soul and grant me knowledge of Your love

So that I too may be a devout servant of Yours.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon

 

Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Book 4 Chapter 13: A Devout Soul Should Long with the Whole Heart to be United to Christ in the Blessed Sacrament

“This is my one desire and what I pray for: to be entirely united to You.”

What a profound desire, to be entirely united to Christ.  Jesus left us the Holy Eucharist so that we could not only share in His Passion, but that we could be in communion with Him. When we participate in the Mass and receive Holy Communion, we are profoundly connected with God and all the rest of the world who participated in the Eucharist Meal. If we truly desire the outpouring of grace from the Eucharist, we are desiring to be completely united with Him and all the Angels and Saints who have gone before us. It is in the Eucharist that I begin to “delight in the eternal things of heaven.” While our God is a truly hidden god (Isaiah 45:15), we are exposed to His love through the participation in the Mass.  He speaks to the humble and simple of heart through the Scriptures and nourishes our souls through the eternal offering of His Body and Blood.  It is in the offering of His Body and Blood that we are given “food and drink for our daily refreshment.” When we sit back and think about what God has done for us, we should marvel in His love for us.  What other people on the earth are as fortunate as the Christian people?  We get to share directly in His love through the Sacrament of the Eucharist and the sacrifice of the Mass.  God comes to us in the Mass in order to feed us His own glorious Body and Blood.  We should cry out, “O grace unspeakable, O marvelous condescension, O love without measure, bestowed only on human beings.” When we receive His glorious love through the Sacrament of the Eucharist, we are now commanded to “go forth” and share His love with those who have not received Him.  They will receive His love through us. We become the vessel through which they can participate in the Holy Eucharist.  There is nothing I can offer to God except myself when I receive Him.  It is in this reception that I should give my heart entirely to Him.  Then all that is in me is filled with joy.  This is the joy that I must take out into the world.  This is the only communion that nonbelievers will experience.  We must go forth with the joy of knowing that through us God is made present to the rest of the world.

A Simple Prayer

“Stay with me, Lord, I implore you;

For my desire is to be with You.

This is my whole desire: that my heart be united to You.”

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon   

 

Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Book 4 Chapter 12: On How We Should Prepare to Receive Christ in Holy Communion

“If you want Me to come to you and remain with you, rid yourself of the old leaven and cleanse the dwelling pace of your heart.”

What does Christ ask of us before we receive Holy Communion?  That we purify our heart and prepare our soul for His arrival.  Truly, we are not worthy that He should enter under our roof, yet He enters into us through this most blessed Sacrament.  Therefore, we should “shut out the whole world and the clamor of evil passions” in silent preparation before Mass.  When we arrive at church, we must take time to quite our hearts and reflect on the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  It is during the preparation that we should reflect on the sins that stain our soul and ask God to cleanse us, to make us ready for the reception of the Mass.  We must realize that there is nothing we can do to perfectly prepare ourselves for what we are about to receive.  Just being there should be considered a great honor.  It is purely through His “generosity and grace” that you are allowed to approach the His altar.  We are no better than the beggars on the side of the street with the sign that reads, “Hungry, I need something to eat.” I should pray that Christ will give to me what I do not deserve.  And for this great treasure, I must realize that all I can do is give thanks for the kindness that He poured out for me.  There is nothing I can do to merit what He provides for me.  But this is all He asks of us.  He asked that we approach the Altar of His sacrifice with humility because we know that He has taken pity on our soul.  We must find the strength in our devotion to Him to stir in our heart the desire to be purified by His love.  When we approach the altar, we are asking God to alter us.  We are asking to be transformed by the grace of His love.  We must realize that we need Him.  It is Him through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that sanctifies and changes us.  Therefore, we must carefully prepare our heart and then bring it to the altar for His transformation.  Once we receive Holy Communion, we also have an obligation to carry this transformation forward.  We must be careful to guard the gift that was just given us.  By doing so, we continue to ask for the grace of God to flow into us. 

A Simple Prayer

O Lord, Who is Creator of all,

You who created the Universe for me,

Cleanse me and purify me.

Make me worthy to receive you into my heart. 

Make my heart on fire for you now and forever.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon

 

Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Book 4 Chapter 11: The Body of Christ and Holy Scripture are most Necessary to the Faithful

“What a delight it would be for me if I could weep before You, with deep humble love, washing Your feet with my tears as did the devoted Mary Magdalene.”

How is it that we hear the voice of God except through Holy Scripture.  So many times people tell me, “If only I could hear God speak.”  And I tell them they can, all they need to do is open the Bible and read Holy Scripture.  Our Father in Heaven, His glorious Son and the Holy Spirit come to life in the Holy Scripture allowing us to fall in love with His words. These are the same words that become flesh in the Incarnation and walk among us on this earth.  He is truly present in and throughout the words Sacred Scripture. His words are the silent whispers that speak to our souls when we open our hearts to hear His words.  Not only do we hear Him through Sacred Scriptures, but we encounter the Body of Christ through the Holy Sacraments.  Not only do we hear, but we can actually encounter Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit in the Blessed Sacraments.  While He is concealed in the Sacraments, it is my faith that allows me to see and hear Him.  It is in this encounter with Christ that my heart burns for Him “until the day of everlasting glory breaks upon me.”  It is in Heaven that my joy will be without end as I endlessly “gaze upon the glory of God, face to face.”  On my knees I hope for the glorious encounter, that I will “taste the Word of God made Man, as He was from the beginning and will be forever.” I must now be content to encounter and fall in love with Him in the Scriptures and in His Holy Sacraments. This will have to satisfy my burning love for Him until that day that I encounter Him face to face.  I must learn to wait patiently for this day.  In my waiting, let me find a deeper devotion to your Sacred Heart.  I must learn to “walk in faith, strengthened by the examples of Your Saints.”  I must learn to find comfort in the Holy Scriptures and nourishment in Your Blessed Sacraments.  While I walk through the valley of tears in the shadows of darkness, I need two things; food and light. Knowing that I am weak, you provided Your Body for my nourishment and “Your word as a lamp for my feet” (Psalms 119:105). It is at the Table of the Lord that we are fulfilled.  We should find refuge at the altar in the most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist.  It is at this same Altar that our souls are enlightened with the Word of God.

A Simple Prayer

“O Lord Jesus, Eternal Light, I thank You for this table of holy doctrine,

Which You have set before us by the ministry of Your servants,

The Prophets and the Apostles, and all the Holy teachers.”

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon

We must realize that the Sacrament of the Eucharist is not possible unless we have priests.  The following is a prayer for our priests.

“O Almighty God, help them by Your grace, that they who have received the office of priesthood may serve You worthily and devoutly in all purity and with great conscience. And if they cannot live in as great innocence as they ought, grant them at least the grace to mourn the sins they have committed, so that in the spirit of humility and the resolution of a good will, they may serve You in the future with greater fervor.”

Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Book 4 Chapter 10: That We Must Not Lightly Refrain from Holy Communion

“Frequently go to the fountain of grace and divine mercy – the fountain of goodness and all purity – where you can be cured of your passions and vices.”

What a great topic to meditate on following the Solemnity of Corpus Christi yesterday.  In the Gospel Reading from yesterday, we learn that Jesus was the Bread of Life – the Manna sent down from heaven to nourish our bodies and souls.  We must realize that Holy Communion is the sacred food that gives us the strength to defend ourselves from “the temptations and deceit of Satan.” Those who find great solace in this Sacrament will experience the worst attacks and deceits when preparing to receive Holy Communion. Satan comes to distract our prayers and divert our eyes from grace that is being poured out for us in the source and summit of our faith.  We must learn to ignore his suggestions and deceits so that we do not lose focus on the true gifts of life being offered to us.  We should never avoid the Sacrament of Holy Communion because of his deceits. Satan will try to create apathy in our lives and sloth in our faith.  He will try to make us lazy in our faith where we begin to feel that Holy Communion is nothing more than bread and wine.  To help defeat Satan, we must be willing to go to confession to cleanse ourselves, to spit out the poison that has been placed in our thoughts, to prepare us to receive Holy Communion worthily.  It is amazing the difference in the amount of grace that you receive after receiving Holy Communion following confession.  You feel the joy and relief of forgiveness followed by the pure joy that fills the spirit after receiving Holy Communion.  We should always desire to receive Holy Communion, it is in the desire to receive God’s grace that it is poured out for us.  We should desire to receive it with a pure heart and clean soul.  It is in this state that we receive the greatest blessing from our Father.  It is in our desire that we will find that spark that lights the fire within us.  “As often as you communicate mystically and devoutly recall the mystery of Christ’s Incarnation and Passion, your heart will be inflamed with the fire of His love.” It is through the fire of His love that our soul is ultimately purified to receive the grace of His love.  It is in the Sacrament of Holy Communion that His love is poured out through the celebration of His Passion and Resurrection.

A Simple Prayer

Lord, I long to be joined in communion with you.

Increase my desire to seek you, help me to find the solace of confession

So that my heart if purified to receive you worthily into soul.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon  

 

Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ”

Book 4 Chapter 9: We must Offer Ourselves and All that is Ours to God, and Pray for All People

“I desire to give myself to You in willing abandonment, and remain Yours forever.”

In the Book of Genesis, God tells man that he is to go forth and tame the world. God created everything on this earth for us so we can us these things to honor Him.  He does not say to Adam and Eve, I have created the heavens and the earth and they belong to you.  Everything He created is a gift given temporally to us to do His will.  We must be willing to abandon everything on this earth for His glory. Until we can release the earthly treasures, we can never fully unite ourselves with the heavenly treasures God has waiting for us.  Eventually our life on this earth will end and all the earthly treasures will fade away.  All we will have left is our soul.  This is the only treasure we carry forward into the Kingdom of God.  Therefore, you need to fall on your knees and offer to God all your sins and offenses that were committed before Him from the very first sin you committed to the sins of today.  We need to place these sins on His “altar of reconciliation” and ask Him to consume these sins in the fire of His love. There is nothing else you can do with your sins.  There is no way to reverse time so you can avoid that occasion of sin. The only thing you can do is “humbly confess and deplore” what you have done.  Through the daily examination of conscience and mediation, you can begin to understand the seriousness of even the smallest of your sins.  It is in the examination of conscience that your sins and their consequences will become clearer.  We also have to acknowledge that it is only through the grace of God that your sins are forgiven. And even more importantly, it is only through the grace of God that you will have the power to never commit them again.  I must be willing to do penance and receive my just punishment for these offenses. I must realize that my soul was redeemed through the precious Blood which Christ shed for us on the cross.  It is in this great sacrifice, that my sins are forgiven.  More important, it is in this great sacrifice that all the sins of the world are redeemed.  Therefore, we must also pray for the souls of “our parents, brothers, sisters, friends, and all who are dear to me; and all who have shown kindness to me or others for Your love, or who have asked me to pray for and offer Masses for them and those dear to them – living or dead.” Yes, we must pray for all souls whether they are friend or foe.  We must also be willing to pray for those who have “hurt me, offended me, abused me; and for all, too, whom I have at any time burdened, grieved, troubled or prevented from good – by word or deed, knowingly or unknowingly.”

A Simple Prayer

O, Lord, drive from my heart all suspicion, perversity, anger, dissention, and whatever else may wound my charity or lessen the love I have for others. I ask that you be merciful `not only to me, but to all my brothers and sisters so that we can be united as one in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon

 

Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Book 4 Chapter 8: On the Offering of Christ on the Cross, and the Resignation of Ourselves

“I ask nothing more of you than this: your efforts to surrender yourself wholly to Me.”

Jesus was stripped naked, whipped, beaten and nailed to the cross in the greatest sacrifice of all.  With His outstretched hands and nothing remaining in Him, He offered Himself up to God the Father for us in this sacrifice for our sins so that the gates of heaven could be reopened.  He died on the cross so our sins would be forgiven and that we could be freed from the pains of eternal death.  Should we not be willing to offer ourselves to Him in Mass? Should we not be willing to offer up one hour to show God how much we appreciate the sacrifice that He made for us? If we really think about it, is one hour enough? Whenever we go to Mass, the offering should be made with all our strength and devotion.  We should approach Mass with a total committal to participate fully in the Sacrifice He made for us.  We must be willing to “surrender ourselves wholly” in the liturgy of the Mass. He is only asking one thing, that we give of ourselves.  In surrendering our heart, we open the doors of our soul to let Him completely into our lives.  If we are to imitate Christ, we must realize that it is not in the material giving that appeases Him but in giving totally one’s own self.  Unless you do this, any other offering has no value.  When we approach the altar of His sacrifice, we must be willing to place our entire self, all our imperfections on that altar, so that we can be united with Him and the Church in the Holy sacrament of the Eucharist.  Christ offered Himself wholly to His Father so that His Body and Blood could become the food of life for us.  In giving yourself wholly to Him, you participate in the perfect communion of the souls of the Church.  We not only become enjoined with God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, but all the Angels and Saints and the people who have united themselves with the Church. Therefore, you must make “a willing offering of yourself into God’s hands, if you wish to obtain grace and freedom.” Thomas a Kempis tells us this is why “so few are inwardly free and enlightened.”  “Anyone of you who does not renounce all of his possessions cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33).  We must surrender absolutely everything at the altar if we are to be received wholly into His arms.

A Simple Prayer

Lord, I come to you damaged and afraid.

Give me the strength to abandon myself at the foot of your altar,

For I know that it is in your arms only that my heart will find rest.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon

 

Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Book 4 Chapter 7: On the Examination of Our Conscience and on the Firm Purpose of Amendment

“Examine your conscience carefully and, to the best of your ability, cleanse and purify it by sincere contrition and a humble confession.”

Why is confession so important?  Because it frees us of anything that will cause remorse in our heart when we approach God.  A daily examination of conscience allows us to reflect upon our lives and to determine those things in our lives which separate us from God.  By identifying these things, we can make a conscience effort to avoid these occasions of sin and redirect our lives toward the narrow gate of heaven.  We should take the time to tell God that we are sorry for all the unruly passions that have afflicted our heart that day.  It is in lamenting over our sins that you will realize that you are still attached to the flesh of this world; that our passions are attached to things that create barriers between us and God.  In our examination, we should recognize just how easily we are moved to sin by the temptations of the evil one.  It allows us to understand just how unprepared we are to do battle in this world without the aid of our Father in Heaven.  It is in the examination of our conscience that we begin to understand just how much we are “inclined to relaxation and bodily comforts, so slothful to austerity and fervor of spirit.”  We begin to see just how attached we are to the things of this world. We become so easily distracted from the face of God.  It is in the examination of conscience that we regain our focus and place our sights back on God.  It is in the examination of conscience that our life becomes recentered.  It is in the confession of our sins, that we recognize our faults and ask God to enter into our lives.  It is in our act of contrition that we resolve to amend our lives and to lead a life of holiness.  It is in the complete abandonment of your will that you should offer up everything on the altar of your heart into God’s safe keeping.  It is only in His arms that you will find rest and comfort. “There is no more worthy oblation, no greater means to wash away sin, then to offer yourself purely and wholly to God, together with the offering of the Body of Christ in Holy Mass and Communion.” It is in His arms that all is forgive.  Rest in Him O children of God.

A Simple Prayer

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you, and I detest all my sins, because of Your just punishments, but most of all because they offend You, my God, who are all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to sin no more and to
avoid the near occasion of sin.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon

Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Book 4 Chapter 6: On the Question of Proper Preparation before Communion

“I am fearful, O Lord, and inwardly confused, when I think of Your greatness and my own wretchedness.’

Today we look at two extremes regarding Holy Communion.  The first extreme is failing to receive Holy Communion and the second is receiving Holy Communion unworthily.  Both are equally wrong and are grave sins.  Under the first situation, when I fail to attend Mass and receive Holy Communion, “I run away from life”.  I run away from the one food that provides both spiritual and physical healing for my soul. I am telling God that I do not want Him and that I do not need Him.  I can go and tackle the world on my own.  In the second extreme, I receive Holy Communion unworthily and “I incur God’s wrath.”  God asks us to be purified and clean when we approach the altar.  He asks us to recognize our sinfulness and to be contrite in our hearts. If we have mortal sin on our hearts, we are to go to confession to remove the stain.  This would beg the questions, “What then must I do before I receive the Body and Blood?”  Can I ever be perfect?  The answer is no, but I can sure make every effort to try to be. If you have mortal sin on your soul, you must go to confession before receiving communion.  In doing so, you are telling God that you recognize your unworthiness and do not want to offend His greatness with your weakness.  You are telling Him that you want to align your soul with His will.  Before Mass, meditate on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  Meditate on His Passion which you are about to celebrate.  During the Mass, participate fully and actively so that the Holy Spirit can infuse your body.  Lastly, when approaching the altar, acknowledge your weakness and ask for the strength and the healing to be fully purified before receiving Him. We should ask God to inspire us through His words that we listen to during the Liturgy of the Word.  We should ask that the words of the priest make our heart restless for His love. In doing these simple things, you are preparing your soul “with reverence and devotion” to receive His great and divine sacrifice through the offering of the Mass.

A Simple Prayer

Lord, help me find purity in my life.

Infuse me with wisdom so I can truly understand the Sacrifice of the Mass.

In doing so, my heart will desire to be properly prepared to receive you into my house.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon

 

Meditation Minute

Book 4 Chapter 5: On the Dignity of the Sacrament and on the Priestly Office:

“If you had the purity of an Angel and the holiness of St. John the Baptist, you would not be worthy to receive or to touch this Holy Sacrament.”

Today, we meditate on the great mystery of the priestly office. When I think about the great mystery of Holy Eucharist and realize that the Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of Christ, I realize that absolutely no one is worthy to hold the Eucharist within their hands.  It was the Blessed Mother Mary whose womb held what the universe could not that held within her the original Eucharist.  She is also the one that held His Body and washed away His Blood after He was taken off the cross.  She was conceived without sin and led an absolutely pure life. How can we even begin to compare to the Holiness of her heart. When we think about this, we can only begin to understand that how tremendous the mystery, and great is the dignity conferred to priest through their sacred office. “For it is only priests, validly ordained in the Church, have this power of offering Holy Mass and consecrating the Body of Christ.” The priest, who stands in the place of Christ, says the words, but it is God Himself working through the priest’s hands that is the “unseen Worker in this Sacrament”.  Through the hands of the priest, God works His Great Mystery.  It is through the hands of man that Christ says, “Take this, and eat.”  The priest, dressed in the sacred vestments takes the place of Christ, offering “humble prayer and supplication to God for himself and for all his people.”  The priest is adorned with the cross to remind him that He walks in the footsteps of Christ and must strive to follow Christ fervently.  The cross also reminds him that he must “suffer for God whatever injuries are done to him by others.”  In the great Sacrifice of the Mass, the priest is placed “between God and humankind in order to mourn over the sins of others with compassion.”  It is in the continue offering of prayers by the office of the priests that reassures us that the Church is eternal.  When a priest offers Mass, “he honors God, gives joy to the Angels, builds up the Church, helps the living and obtains rest for the departed, making himself a sharer of all good things.  Today, we should take the time to send an email to our parish priest, lifting them up and thanking them for bringing about the Great Mystery of the Eucharist.

A Simple Prayer

My Dearest Jesus Christ,

It is You who instituted the priestly office. It is You who elevated these men to Bishop so that they could hand down the Holy Mass through the centuries. Bestow your special grace upon these men that they may be made worth of the office which they hold.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon

 

Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Crist:

Book 4 Chapter 4: On the Many Benefits Bestowed on Those Who Communicate Devoutly

“O Lord, my God, grant Your servant the blessing of Your kindness, that I may be worthy to approach your sublime Sacrament with true devotion.”

When you go to Holy Communion, what is going through your mind? Are you thinking about things outside church?  Are you distracted by the world around you?  So often we approach Communion with a less than worthy attitude.  We should ask God to “rouse us from the sloth and idleness which grips us.”  We should ask our Lord to shake us so our senses are awakened to the sweetness, “which lies hidden in the most Blessed Sacrament.” We must realize that while the bread and wine were made from human hands, it is only God who has the power to transform these gifts into the Living Bread of Life.  While this action is far beyond our human comprehension, it is our faith that allows us to accept these gifts from God.  It is with the “simplicity of heart, in good and stable faith, and at God’s command, I approach Him – truly believing that He is present in this Sacrament.”  It is in our approach, our willingness to rise and process forward to His alter, that our faith is put into action.  It is in our walking forward that we should cry out, “Yes Lord, it is I who hear your calling to come forth and receive You, Your Body and Blood, in this most Blessed Sacrament.”  It is in the nourishment of the Sacrament, that our souls are healed and made whole again.  It is in this Sacrament that my soul is lifted giving me hope of Your eternal protection.  I am renewed in the reception of the Sacrament because I now know that I am not alone in this world.  I know that You are within me and protecting me from the evil which exists in this world.  While at times I approach with doubt, I know that I will walk away with some taste of the sweetness you pour out in this Sacrament. It is in the fire of your love, that I will feel the warmth of your presence.  It is should be our prayer that this brief encounter with the Risen Lord will strengthen our belief and affirm our faith in Him who created all the Universe. I must realize that I labor on this earth due to the sins of our first parents.  We must realize that we are “tormented by a sorrowful heart, burdened by sins, troubled with temptations, and caught up in and oppressed by many evil passions.” But it is only through the healing powers of His presence within us that we are healed.  This is the healing power of the Eucharist. It is only God that can deliver us from our sins and those burdens which weigh us down.

A Simple Prayer

“You, Who have prepared Your Body and Blood for my food and drink,

Save me, receive me, for the praise and glory of Your Name,

And bring me to everlasting life.

Grant me, O Lord, my Savior, a daily increase in devotion,

Through the frequent reception of Your sacred mystery.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon

Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Book 4 Chapter 3: On the Advantage of Frequent Communion

“In You is all that I can or should wish for; You are my salvation and my redemption, my hope and my strength, my honor and my glory.”

How often should we receive Holy Communion?  According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season” which “guarantees as a minimum the reception of the Lord’s Body and Blood in connection with the Pascal feast, the origin and center of the Christian liturgy”.  Just once a year?  Really! Has the church lost its mind?  I think we must look back to the early disciples in the church to understand this wisdom.  In the past, the reception of the Eucharist was considered very sacred by the faithful and was only received when the heart was truly in a state of grace.  We have somewhat lost that conviction in our heart and receive the Eucharist whether we are properly prepared or not.  In this chapter, Thomas a Kempis focuses on our desire; a desire that leads us to purify our heart so that we can worthily receive Him into our house.  We should desire to receive the Eucharist – “Give joy to the soul of Your servant, for to You, I lift up my soul.” (Psalm 86.4).  We are called to desire Christ to enter within us, but are we worthy that He should enter under our roof.  It is in my desire for the Eucharist that I should want to purify my heart.  We should long for His Body and Blood so that we can be made one with Him. Therefore, you must come to Him frequently for the health of your soul.  In doing so, I must desire to be purified so that my soul becomes a worthy vessel to receive Him.  Jesus fed the multitudes with so little. “And they all ate and were satisfied.” (Matthew 14:20) Their bodies were completely nourished and their souls were satisfied.  Those who receive Him worthily with purified heart “will share in the inheritance of everlasting glory.” Those who receive Him frequently with a worthy heart, will be strengthened to do battle with Satan.  We must realize that we are naturally drawn to evil due to our original sin.  Seeking the Eucharist helps strengthen us through His divine medicine.  “Therefore, Holy Communion draws people away from evil and strengthens them in goodness.”  Even though you are not able to receive the Eucharist daily, you should desire so.  Even when you do attend Mass and you are not properly prepared or have the proper disposition to receive the Lord, your desire should have the desire to be united with Him always.  This same desire should draw you into the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a preparation of the soul to receive the grace of His Body and Blood, the medicine that will give us eternal life. So happy are the souls that are in the proper state and receive the Lord God with devotion and dedication.  These are the people who experience the true joy of communion with God.  

A Simple Prayer

“O my dearly Beloved,

Let the heavens and the earth, with all their adornment, be silent before you;

For whatever beauty or glory they possess is the gift of Your generous goodness,

And they can never attain to the beauty of Your Name,

You, Whose wisdom is without limit.”

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon

Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Book 4 Chapter 2: On the Great Goodness of God Shown Human Beings in the Blessed Sacrament

“O sweetness and kindest Jesus, how great must be your reverence, the thanks and unending praise shown to You for this great gift of receiving Your sacred Body, whose dignity no human can express in words!”

My mission in life should always be to move closer to Jesus Christ.  He is all I should seek in this world.  Yet in all my unworthiness; in all my sinfulness, He is always approaching me. While I forget Him at times, He never forgets me with His unlimited love. He has poured out everything for me.  When I think of this, I am awed by the love God Christ has shown for me in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist.  When I think of His greatness, my soul is humbled “forever praising His infinite goodness to me.”  While Christ is the King of all the Saints, He still bows Himself down to wash my feet, the lowest of all sinners.  It is through His eternal grace and love for us that He provides the Bread of Angels (Psalm 78:25) to give life to this world and to free us from the darkness.  Christ, the Bread of Life broken for us, is the source of all love.  If it does not originate in God, it cannot be love. How great ought to be our praises for Him who gave up everything to become Man so He could come to us in person.  What a wonderful thing the Sacrament of the Eucharist.  This great mystery is far beyond human understanding “that You, my Lord and my God, true God and True Man, are wholly contained beneath the form of bread and wine, eaten yet not consumed, by whoever receives You”. It is because of this that you should strive to keep yourself free of sin with a “happy and clean conscience”.  I should pray that I come to you as worthily as I can realizing that I am unworthy to receive this eternal gift.  You should rejoice and thank God for such a precious gift that He gave us to help us through “this valley of tears”.  We must realize that Christ’s love for us is never diminished “nor is the greatness of His atonement ever consumed.”  This is why whenever you participate in the celebration of the Mass, “it should seem to you as great, as new, and as joyful, as if Christ that same day had first come down into the womb of the Virgin Mary and became Man; or as if He that same day – hanging on the cross – suffered and died for our salvation.”

A Simple Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, the source of all love,

You poured yourself out for me, the lowest of all sinners.

Give me the strength to come to you and worthily praise your name

So I can share the treasures of your bounty.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon

 

Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ

Book 4 Chapter 1: The Great Reverence with which Christ should be Received

“The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”

Christ told us, “Take this and eat” (Matthew 26:26). This is My Body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:24).   These are the words spoken by Christ commanding us to “take and eat” His body.  These words should fill our heart with great joy that Christ has provided Himself in a perpetual form for our eternal salvation.  It is through the Eucharistic feast that we can encounter Christ on a daily basis.  Paul tells us that we should approach the Eucharist with great reverence.  To approach it without a clean heart is a grave sin. We should be terrified by our sins when we approach the Eucharist because in our sinfulness we are unworthy to receive, but we know that Christ still calls us forth.  He calls us forth to the table of life.  But who am I, the “poor and needy” to approach this table.  When I approach the altar, I must acknowledge that I am unworthy.  It is in our humility that we proclaim, “I am unworthy that should enter under my roof, but only say the words and my soul shall be healed.”  Even in our unworthiness, Christ says to us, “Come to me, all you who are burdened.”  It is through our own acknowledgment that we are unworthy that we share in the great humility of this sacrifice.  I must realize that at this great altar, all the Angels and Saints sit in awe of God, yet He calls me forth.  As I approach the altar, my heart should burn with love for God while at the same time I should be full of tears knowing my unworthiness.  When you go to Mass, you must realize that the one hour prior to Communion is not adequate time to prepare yourself for what you are about to receive. Before Mass, you must acknowledge that you do not deserve to be in His house and beg for His forgiveness.  We must acknowledge our sinfulness and more importantly we must find it in our heart to forgive those who have offended us.  We must take this hour of time before communion to adequately prepare ourselves.  We must realize that it is truly God that we receive in this Sacrament.  The Lord enters into our house to purify us.  We should pray with a contrite heart that He be merciful; we must beg for his forgiveness.  When we approach the altar, we should approach with great joy knowing that Christ has called us forth to “Come to me”. He has called you individually to come to the table of life and to receive Him who is King of all the Angels and Saints.  All of Heaven stands on bended knee before Him who we are about to receive into our heart. “In the Sacrament of the altar, you are wholly present, God and Man; and here also, in all its abundance, is the fruit of eternal salvation… To this Sacrament we are drawn not by curiosity, levity or sensuality, but only by firm faith, devout hope, and pure charity.”

A Simple Prayer

Lord, I am unworthy to receive you into my heart, yet you call me forth.

Lord, I am unworthy to receive you into my soul, yet you forgive me my sins.

Lord, I am unworthy to receive you into my body, yet you provide me with everlasting life.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon

 

Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and overburdened, I will give you rest.”

The Easter Season has come to an end and we now return to Ordinary Time in the Church.  For the past fourteen weeks, we have spent time going through the first three books of Thomas a Kempis in the Imitation of Christ.  We began in Lent with Book 1 which focused on the benefits of a spiritual like.  We then reflected on the treasures to be found in living an interior life.  The last book centered on conversion of heart and the importance of submitting to God’s will.  This last Sunday, we celebrated the birth of the church during Pentecost Sunday.  On this Sunday over 2000 years ago, the Holy Spirit came and filled the Apostles with the fire of God.  More importantly, on this day, the Holy Spirit was given to us to guide us and teach us about the Church that was left to us.  The gift of the Holy Spirit was one of the greatest gifts left for us.  It allows the Church to be continually renewed in our hearts.  In addition to the Holy Spirit, Jesus left us something else of equal value; the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.  Everything we do, every celebration we have, every Sacrament that is celebrated is centered on this one gift.  In the Eucharist, the Bread of Life never abandons us.  Jesus tells us, “Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood dwells in Me, and I dwell in him.” (John 6:56).  He gave us His Flesh “for the life of the world”.  Without the Holy Eucharist, the world would be dead.  We would experience the same death of Adam and Eve.  We would spend eternity in the darkness of the grave.  But instead, He left us this eternal gift of life.  The last Book in the Imitation of Christ series focuses on The Blessed Sacrament and Devout Exhortations for Holy Communion.  We are commanded by Christ to “take and eat” (Matthew 26:26). Unfortunately, many could not accept these words and turned away sad.  As you have probably realized by now, it is not easy to “take and eat” the body of Christ.  It is not easy to fully surrender oneself to Christ.  However, we are asked to do so daily.  Not just on Sundays and not just on Holy Days, but 24/7 365 days a year were are commanded to “take and eat” and to have Christ live within us.  The only way Christ can live within us is if we surrender to the His grace which was poured out for us during that last supper.  When we go to Mass and celebrate the Eucharist, we are like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, “Did not our hearts burn.” (Luke 24:32) It is through the Sacrament of the Eucharist, gifts created with human hands and transformed into the body of blood of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit that our souls are set on fire.  It is through this most Blessed Sacrament that Christ becomes a perpetual gift of eternal life. It is through the Eucharist that Christ will dwell in us.

A Simple Prayer

It is through the Body of Christ that I say Amen.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon

 

Easter Meditation

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ

Book 3 Chapter 30: On Asking the Divine Assistance and on Confidence of Recovering Grace

Christ tells us, “Come to Me when all is not well with you.”

Today, the last meditation for this Easter Season tells us to seek God needs and to ask Him for help.  Thomas a Kempis tells us that what keeps us from “receiving heavenly consolation is your slowness in turning to God in prayer.”  Oh how true a statement. You must have confidence to seek God and to ask Him for assistance.  You must realize that it is God alone who delivers.  When you approach God in prayer, be specific where you need assistance.  Do not be bashful to ask Him for things for nothing is impossible for God (Jeremiah 32:27).  God is not like humans who promise but do not always deliver.  God never abandons us and is always there to help us.  You must have courage and wait patiently for your comfort will come when you most need it, not necessarily when you most want it. You must realize that God answers every one of our questions, but they are answered on His time and within His plan for your salvation.  You must not worry about the future but trust in God that He will do what is necessary.  You should not worry about the future, for the future is not here.  “This anxiety about future events brings you nothing but grief and more grief.”  You should live in the moment because there are enough things that you must deal with now.  It is a waste of time and energy to worry about the future because only God knows what the future will bring.  How often do you daydream about the future to have those dreams crushed or the events never happen?  This diverts our focus on the present and is a tool of the Evil One to divert us from God.  Jesus tells us that we should have confidence in Him and to trust in His mercy.  He left us the Holy Spirit to live with us and to guide us.  When you think He is far away, He is actually closest to you.  Just because the things in your life do not go according to your plan, you must realize that they are going according to God’s.  Many times when you feel you are at rock bottom, you will find that great reward from God.  It was patience that allowed you to experience this great treasure. If you always have it your way, you will become “too elated with success and, through pride, imagine yourself to be what you really are not.”  When God gives you a treasure, it still belongs to Him.  When He takes it away from you, you must realize that it never belonged to you.  Sometimes He needs to take things away from us so we can grow in Him. “As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you” (John 15:9).  If The Father loved Jesus enough to allow Him to suffer on the Cross, Jesus loves us enough to allow us to suffer with Him.  You are being sent into the world to spread the joy of the Gospels.  You will labor and experience sorrow.  Embrace the pain and suffering so you can become closure to Jesus Christ who died for us.

A Simple Prayer

Father, we are approaching the end of the Easter Season. 

Please send the fires of the Holy Spirit upon me so I can go forth and do your will.’

Give me the strength to endure the pain and suffering of spreading the Gospel

For it is You who will ultimately deliver me from this World into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon

 

Easter Meditation

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Book 3 Chapter 29: How We Should Call Upon God and Bless Him in Time of Tribulation

“Lord, may Your Holy Name be blessed forever, for You have willed to send me this temptation and tribulation.”

We cannot escape the trials and tribulations of this world.  They were set in motion when our original parents ate from the tree of knowledge. From that day forward, man has been inflicted with the trials and tribulations of this fallen world.  If God allows these trials to happen to us, then there must be for a purpose for them.  The main reason we face trials is so that we learn to rely upon God for our protection.  The evil was set free on this earth through our original disobedience.  The only way to be protected from the evil is in the arms of God. To rest in His arms, we must be obedient to His will.  Today, you will face a trial, albeit small compared to some and great compared to others.  Today you will have to the choice to seek God for your protection or to seek the world.  How you chose tells God where you place your trust.  When we seek the world, we put our trust in things that will fail us.  It is when we find rest in the arms of God that we are delivered from the evils of this world.  While evil may try, it will not prevail if we put our trust in God.  Bad things will still happen, but it is in trusting in God that you find peace in the suffering.  Like when Jesus asked the Apostles, “Will you leave me too?”  Peter responded, “Who else is there?”  It is only in the Lord that we are saved.  It is only in His arms that evil will not prevail over us. 

A Simple Prayer

Lord, teach me to trust in you as I fly to your protection.

Give me patience to withstand the tribulation.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon

 

Easter Meditation

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Book 3 Chapter 28: Against Slanderous Tongues

“Do not take it seriously, my child, if people think evil of you and say things about you that you do not want to hear.”

After reading today’s passage from Thomas a Kempis, I am reminded of the childhood saying, “Stick and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me.”  Unfortunately this is far from the truth.  We put so much value in the opinions of others.  Their words can cut deep and create wounds that are very hard to heal.  Yet today we are given the advice to avoid concerns about what others say.  This is almost as difficult as the command that Christ gave us, “Go and sin no more.”  It is hard for us because as humans we want to be loved and for others to like us. We put so much value in the opinions of others.  Thomas says, “You ought to have a worse opinion of yourself and to think that no one is weaker than you are.”  This advice seems so counter intuitive.  I should speak badly about myself.  Why would I do that?  Because, “if you are recollected within, you will take no notice of fleeting words from without.”  You will not care about what others say about you because you understand that you are weak and without God you are nothing.  You should not let the peace within you be centered on what others think, but only what God thinks about you.  The only place you can find “true glory and true peace” is in God.  “The person who neither aspires to please others nor fears to displease them will enjoy much peace.”  Any time you feel unrest because of the opinion of others, you have allowed your soul to become disordered.  Disordered affections become the tool of the Evil One to lure you away from our Heavenly Father.  It is in this groundless fear that you can turn away from God.  Instead, you must realize that God always loves you even though you are a lowly human. 

A Simple Prayer

Oh Father in Heaven, you love me without condition.

Give me the grave to be at peace with the world.

Give me the grace to understand that even though I am a lowly person,

You accept me for who I am.

Easter Meditation

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ

Book 3 Chapter 27: Nothing Holds Us from God as much as Self Love

“My child, you must give all for all and keep nothing for your own.”

Last night I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a sending away party for a Consecrated Woman from Regnum Christi who served in our parish for the past year.  The young lady who we celebrated last night fulfills the essence of the commandment from God that we must “give all for all.” As we reminisced about her time at St. Ignatius, it became quite clear that she reflects the light of Christ in such a special way as she has given everything for the Glory of God.  She has taken on Christ as her spouse and in so doing has committed everything to serving Him. When we become attached to the things of this world and our own worldly glory, it is difficult for us to be for God and to do His will.  Self-love leads to self-pride and vain-glory.  It is in our vanity that we become the center of our own life.  As I looked at Meagan and gave her a hug god bye, I realized that her love is pure, simple and moderate.  Her life is not complicated with earthly treasures because she is not a “slave to any earthly creatures”. In her consecrated life, she has given up the earthly treasures so that she can focus her love towards God in services to others.  This frees her to love God with all her heart, all her soul and all her mind and to reflect these towards all who meet her.  Her love is directed away from her and towards Her Spouse, Jesus Christ. In doing so, she reflects the light of Christ on all who are around her.  How often do we clutter our lives with worldly desires to make us look better?  We seek out things that make us look better instead of things that center us on Christ.  We look to position ourselves so that we can “get ahead in life” instead of focusing on what it takes to be least.  It is not where we are in society, but where we are in the eyes of Christ that really matters.  In the end, this world will fade away and become the ashes from which it was formed.  Our memories will slowly become forgotten and the only one who will still love us is God.  If this is true, why are we not all Consecrated to our Lord Jesus Christ?

A Simple Prayer (Compliments of Meagan)     

Lord, Jesus,

I given you my hands to do your work.

I give you my feet to follow your path.

I give you my eyes to see as you do.

I give you my tongue to speak your words.

I give you my mind so you can think in me.

I give you my spirit so you can pray in me.

Above all, I give you my heart, so in me you can love your Father and all people.

I give you my whole self so you can grow in me, ‘til it is You, Lord Jesus,

Who live and work and pray in me. – Amen, Amen, Amen.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon

 

Easter Meditation

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ

Book 3 Chapter 26: On the Excellence of a Free Mind, the Reward of Humble Prayer Rather than of Reading

“Lord, it is the work of perfect persons never to let their minds slacken from the consideration of heavenly things.”

Today, Thomas a Kempis challenges us to free ourselves from our earthly treasures and desires. He wants us to give up all our luxuries because they can only burden the mind with needless worry.   We are challenged to free ourselves from the “cares of this world, so that I do not become overinvolved in them.”  He challenges us to seek our pleasures in the Lord and not in the flesh.  We must realize that the earthly treasures which are coveted by so many are not going to get us into heaven, but instead provide barriers which are difficult to cross.  We must realize that these earthly treasures only provide temporal joy followed by misery.  The reason these treasures do not satisfy us is because they are empty.  They bring no lasting happiness because they fade away.  Even the most grandest of palaces and magnificent of earthly treasures will decay and return to the earth.  Nothing on this earth is permanent except the human soul.  Therefore, we must seek our happiness in the thing that will not go away.  God has placed His love within us for eternity.  It is up to us to choose it. The carnal pleasures which surround us are used by Satan to lure us away from “the love of eternal things.”  We have to work hard and humble ourselves to avoid “letting flesh and blood and blood prevail over me.”  We must ask God for “the courage to resist, the patience to endure and the steadfastness to preserve.” Instead of the worldly comfort, we should seek the sweet anointing love of Your Holy Spirit.  We are currently on the way to finishing the Easter Season with Pentecost Sunday.  What a great day to call upon the Holy Spirit to overwhelm us and to free us from our earthly desires so we can rest purely and totally in the arms of God. 

A Simple Prayer

“Come Holy Spirit, fill the heart of your faithful

And enkindle in me the fire of your love.”

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon