What Is a Miracle? – Continuation His Name with a Generic "Conscience" That Allows Whatever by Rev
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Volume I Number 6 Wednesday, 27 June 2012 Meaning of Eucharist? At the first century of Chris- Mark 16: 15 – Go into the tianity, St. Ignatius of An- world and preach the Gos- tioch (35-107 AD) called the pel. – the final command Eucharist the one bread that Jesus left us before ascend- provides medicine of immor- ing to Heaven. tality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us In contrast, Luke writes in live forever in Jesus Christ. Acts 4:18—the world warns us not to speak or teach in In the Eucharist, Jesus keeps the name of Jesus. It does His promise to be with us not want to hear Jesus’ ab- always as head of His Body, solute Truth: Obedience to the Church, guiding us till God is good; stealing, ly- the end-times. May He al- ing, adultery and fornica- ways lead us through all the tion are evil. It insists there storms of our life, marriage is no absolute good and and family. – Bro. Edelberto evil, only shades of gray. M. Cuenca, Section 28 Makati. The world hates the name of Jesus and wants us to replace What Is A Miracle? – Continuation His Name with a generic "conscience" that allows whatever by Rev. Fr. John Anthony Hardon, S.J., S.T.D. we want. His Name is now forbidden in certain public Let us now discuss the second of these three levels of schools. Sculptures and signs of His Ten Commandments and miraculous phenomena – moral miracles. the Crucifix of Jesus in public places are deemed offensive. In teaching theology to my own Jesuits for 25 years, I But, we, Easter people, saved and beloved by Jesus, in love spent weeks explaining to them the need for the and gratitude, boldly speak His Name and live lives that pro- Blessed Sacrament to work moral miracles. claim His Gospel. And, we expect to face many challenges. The lives of the saints are eloquent testimony to the super-human Mission … to proclaim Gospel of Jesus … is not for the faint- graces Christ confers on those who come to Him and believe in His hearted. Missionaries are bold and courageous in Christ. Let Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist. Among these graces none is us challenge our limits even as our faith is challenged by peo- more exalted than the power of extraordinary patience in suffering. ple, events and circumstances. Let us not allow these chal- lenges to box us in. St. Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorists and the official patron of moral theologians has written a lot on the Holy Eucharist: Let us pray: Lord Jesus, You are the potter, I am the clay. Earth is a place for meriting … a place for suffering. Our true coun- Mold me, shape me, break me. Expand my limits to the full- try is Paradise where God has prepared an everlasting repose for ness of my potential. Amen! -- Thanks to Bro. Edelberto M. us. In our short stay in this world, we have many labors to undergo. Cuenca of Section 28 Makati. All must suffer … the just and sinners alike. Each must carry his cross. He who carries the cross with patience is saved. He who does The WORD: Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks and dis- not, will not reach Paradise. tributed them (John 6: 11). Jesus' miraculous feeding of 5,000 men with a few pieces of bread is the only miracle of Jesus St. Augustine said: He who humbles himself under tribulation and is recorded in all four Gospels. This miraculous meal happened resigned to the will of God is wheat for paradise. He who is enraged at an annual Passover feast in Galilee — an early hint of the and forsakes God because he has so much to suffer is chaff for hell. Last Supper in Jerusalem, the first Christian Passover meal. There, Jesus would institute the Holy Eucharist, a piece of Patience produces saints and impatience leads to everlasting separa- bread miraculously transformed by Jesus into His Flesh to tion from God. We obtain the patience even heroic endurance of suf- fering from Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. See page 2, Column 1 feed over a billion believers worldwide today. See next column Ipa-xerox po natin itong Newsletter at ipamahagi sa ating mga Turno/Section/Council members/officers. Salamat po! Page 1 2 The Real Presence NEWS What is A Miracle? Christ endured the agony of the Cross to Continuation: Why Eucharistic Adoration? make the Holy Eucharist possible. And, from Him present in by Rev. Fr. Robert Goedert, O. P. the Holy Eucharist, we obtain a share in His power of endur- We propose that you consider pledging a certain ing our crosses as the prelude of eternal glory. number of hours of adoration. The key is to start Jesus in the Holy Eucharist confers the power of heroically small – say, an hour a week. Why? Because – enduring pain and suffering, especially, suffering and agony One of the best aspects of Eucharistic adoration is from those we love. And, we are able to love them, which is this: how you spend your time with Jesus is up to humanly impossible, because Jesus performs the moral mira- you. But, remember, you are there to visit your cles of providing us with the strength we need to follow His friend, Jesus. Talk with Him; tell Him your prob- example of embracing our cross — as He did. lems, your needs or your concerns. Tell Him about Immediately on receiving the grace of Baptism, we also re- your joys, too. Chances are He doesn't hear about ceived the virtue (which means the power) to live with people those very often! I think all Jesus hears from us is who are not amiable and not lovable ... not just putting up the complaints and the gimmes. Lord, gimme this with, but loving those who positively hate us. If we are going and Lord gimme that. It is important to stop, be silent and listen. Let to practice the virtues Christ demands of those who claim Jesus do some of the talking. He's been waiting for a chance to visit they love Him, we need miraculous graces (from the Holy you, but your life is so full of work, family and school; your line is Eucharist) beyond the capacity of the human will to practice. always busy. Jesus can't get through to you. Give yourself a break. Take a little time out for a private visit with your best friend, Jesus. The Catholic Church will survive only when we believe that The whole purpose of our human existence is to live forever with the what is humanly impossible is possible with the grace that Blessed Trinity in heaven, to enjoy forever, the victory of Jesus over Jesus Christ gives through the Blessed Sacrament. Without sin and death. We get a foretaste of that eternal happiness and peace the Blessed Sacrament at the Sacrifice of the Mass, as Holy when we visit and adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Eucharist and as Real Presence, we cannot, repeat, we cannot practice the moral virtues that we must perform to be saved. Thousands will testify that an hour each week with Jesus in the Holy And, we obtain the grace to live a heroically moral life only Eucharist is the most peaceful, the most satisfying hour of the week. from our Lord Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Finally, we go back to our subject: Why Eucharistic Adoration? Why spend time visiting Jesus in the Eucharist? Because Jesus, your Continuation: Angels, Archangels best friend, invites you? He said it so warmly: Come to me, you who and Guardian Angels are weary and burdened and I will refresh you. Will you refuse an (Condensed from A Book of Angels by Sophy invitation from your very best friend? God Bless You. Burnham; Breakfast with Angels by Traci Mul- lins; and Angels by Mario Bucaglia) Pope Benedict XVI. Benediction at the end of the St. Gabriel the Archangel, Fortitudo Dei, Corpus Christi procession in Rome, 07 June 2012. the Power of God, is recorded in the Bible 50th International Eucharistic Congress as appearing four times to human beings carrying the messages of God. In Daniel, The 7-day 50th International Eucharistic Con- Gabriel portends the destruction of the Per- gress took place 11-17 June 2012 at the Royal sian Empire by the Macedonian, Alexander Dublin Society (RDS) Arena and also marked the Great. In the New Testament, he brings prophecy to Zach- the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of the ary of the birth of the Precursor, and to Mary that of 2nd Vatican Council. The Congress was built the Saviour, becoming known also as the angel of the Incar- around the daily celebration of the Eucharist. nation. Each day had a theme of its own, related to the main theme - The Eucharist: Communion St. Gabriel is the angel of the Power of God. The Jews attrib- with Christ and with One Another. ute to Gabriel the destruction of Sodom, as the angel who buried Moses, and as the man deputed to mark the figure Tau Excerpts from the Holy Father: My dear brothers and sisters, I pray on the foreheads of the elect (Ezekiel 4). St. Gabriel's own that the Congress be a spiritually fruitful experience of communion words: I am Gabriel, who stands before God (Luke 1:19), with Christ and his Church. And, I invite you to join me in praying lead us to think that he belongs to the highest rank of for God’s blessing upon the 51st International Eucharistic Congress, which will take place in 2016 in the city of Cebu! To the people of Prayer Request the Philippines, I send warm greetings and an assurance of my Bro.