Adoration Is Magical

 Feel The Magic

Having celebrated Thanksgiving last week I hope we all were able to spend time consciously thanking God for His many blessings and demonstrate our faith in His continued support and the gifts He bestows on us.  

At the time, immersed in busy holiday schedules, we may not have been thinking: “can we ever thank Him enough; can we ever out give Him; or ever love Him to the same level He loves us?”

As you head to Adoration this week remember how blessed we are to live in a place and at a time we do.  In spite of our troubles, our misguided direction, and the selfish movements of entitlement and relativism, there is still one practice that will nourish and help you grow in this world and prepare you for a better life in the next … and that is the gift to simply sit in His real presence.  It’s magical - you don’t have to do anything in Adoration - just sit in His presence and He does the work, and you leave a better person.  When was the last time you did nothing and became a better person?  God can make this happen.

Advent starts next week … why not make a commitment to spend time each week in His presence in preparation for Christmas.  It doesn’t have to be the same block of time each week and you don’t have to sign-up to be a permanent adorer.  Choose a time convenient for you and go sit in His presence and feel the magic.  On Christmas morning you will be able to give Him a gift He truly appreciates - your time!

What’s the Secret?

 What’s the Secret?

Father Jose’ Calveras, was a Jesuit priest who had a reputation of teaching people how to pray.  Fr. Jose’ is quoted as saying:  “The key to the art of prayer is the prayer of petition.  Many people never learn how to pray because they have never learned to make effective use of petitionary prayer.  The hand outstretched to beg obtains what the hand pressed against ones’ head to think does not.”

If you have not succeeded in prayer it’s not because prayer does not work.  It may be because you’ve not learned how to pray well.

The first law of prayer is: FAITH.  Have you noticed the habit Jesus had of saying to anyone who came to Him for a favor: Do you believe I can do this?  In other words, He always insisted on faith in His power to heal and cure and work miracles.

This teaching of Jesus is no different today than it was 2000 years ago.  So if you are questioning the effectiveness of your prayer heed His teaching when He said, “Have faith in God.  I tell you this: if anyone says to this mountain …”  You know the story.  But there is an important point at the end where Jesus goes on to say “I tell you then, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.”  (Matt 11:20)

Jesus continues to work miracles in response to faith in our day.  Believe and expect only the best.  Chapel time builds Faith.

www.adorationpro.org/ihmmi

Mary Is Our Model Of Faith And Our Perpetual Help

Mary Is Our Model Of Faith And Our Perpetual Help

The Blessed Virgin lived in such physical proximity and loving intimacy with her divine Son as no one ever has or can hope to experience.  She was with Him, near Him and close to Him physically and emotionally as only a loving mother can be close to the child whom she brought into the world. Mary was always thinking of Jesus.

She believed that this Infant, this Child, this young Man was no mere human being. She knew He was human, but she believed in His divinity because her mind penetrated beyond the veils of what her eyes and ears and hands could experience. Faith penetrates. Faith sees. Faith knows what the senses cannot perceive and even the human reason cannot comprehend. Mary saw. It cannot be too strongly emphasized or too often insisted that Mary had to live by faith. She saw only a helpless, speechless baby, yet she believed He was the almighty Word of God.

This is the first foundational lesson we learn from Mary in our veneration of the Holy Eucharist. Like her, we must come before the Blessed Sacrament with total undiluted faith. We believe that which the pagan, sophisticated, over-educated world tells us is a dream. When we come before the Blessed Sacrament, we need to break through the crust of what the senses perceive and what the mind rationally would tell us, believing more than we can see, believing more than we can touch, believing more than we can experience with our senses or even fathom with our minds. This is why we speak of Our Lady as the model of our faith. “Oh Mary, Virgin most faithful, pray for us that our faith may become more and more like yours.”

If you need to grow your faith visit the Adoration Chapel and ask Mary for her help.  As our heavenly Mother she is committed to help.  Our Adoration Chapel is available to everyone.

www.adorationpro.org/ihmmi

More Time Spent .. Greater Reward

 More Time Spent .. Greater Reward

“Do you want the Lord to give you many graces?  Visit Him often.  Do you want Him to give you few graces?  Visit Him rarely. 

Do you want the devil to attack you?  Visit Jesus rarely in the Blessed Sacrament.  Do you want him to flee from you?  Visit Jesus often.  Do you want to conquer the devil?  Take refuge often at the feet of Jesus.  Do you want to be conquered by the devil?  Forget about visiting Jesus.  My dear ones, the visit to the Blessed Sacrament is an extremely necessary way to conquer the devil.  Therefore, go often to visit Jesus and the devil will not come out victorious against you.”  (St John Bosco)

Heed St John’s advice by visiting Jesus in our Adoration Chapel.  Sign up as a committed adorer and let Jesus know you will do your best to visit Him same time, same day, every week and begin to have a greater appreciation of how God helps you conquer the devil.

www.adorationpro.org/ihmmi