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There is no need for irreverent liturgies to be offered to youngsters, in the hope of sparking an interest in religion. It is better, in Christ's sight, to prepare joyful social events for them, followed by thorough catechesis, and opportunities for Reconciliation. Then there can be a beautiful inspiring Mass, or Adoration and Benediction.
There are a thousand ways in which the enemies of Christ try to draw us away from prayer, or from His service. Horrible images can be driven away by the use of Holy water and prayer, and the sign of the cross.
It is no small matter that many Christian bodies do not have the 'fullness of the means of salvation' which the Catholic Church has, as the 'one true Church'. In a matter of life and death, in bodily care, people take the tablets which are of known origin, proven efficiency, and correctly proportioned good ingredients. And so, for the spiritual life, for Eternity, we take 'medicine' from the Church of known origin - coming from Christ, known to have saints, and with valid sacraments.
Christ said that many Catholics who should pray every day cannot be bothered to do so: cannot be bothered to turn in regular conversation to the one Who created them, died to save them, sustains them in being, and will one day judge them.
Some people treat the Sacred Host as if it is merely a bit of bread and not Christ Himself with us in sacramental form under the appearance of bread. They neither respect nor adore Christ, whether from ignorance, carelessness or indifference: yet He is our Saviour and our God.
Some people treat the Sacred Host as if it is merely a bit of bread and not Christ Himself with us in sacramental form under the appearance of bread. They neither respect nor adore Christ, whether from ignorance, carelessness or indifference: yet He is our Saviour and our God.
Catholics, more than other people, have so many opportunities for prayer, yet many cannot be bothered to praise Christ for Creation, or for His Incarnation, or for His Church, or when receiving Him in Holy Communion, or when near the tabernacle, or during each day as He sustains our lives, or at death when we shall meet Him and find out what we have done with our lives and whether we are ready for Heaven.
Mary, the Immaculate Virgin Mother of Christ, has a purity which is extraordinary; and we, who are not so pure, need to do penance for our sins, as well as to pray for help and forgiveness.
God and His holy Angels look on with joy, wherever Christ and His mother Mary are present, where Christ is adored and Mary honoured, and where people follow their example - as in the Domaine, at Lourdes.
Each priest should be 'another Christ' for us; yet we should not be surprised if we are treated unjustly by a priest. Christ Himself was hustled towards the edge of a cliff by men who were pillars of the local synagogue. Christ escaped, then; but until we die, we are in danger of treating others unjustly, and must resist temptation.
Christ showed me that from every floor of the hospital of St Frai in Lourdes we can see the sunlight and the Heavens. At every Mass, likewise, we are in contact with the Father - Who reaches out to us - and with Heaven, no matter whether the Mass has to be conducted outdoors, or underground, or in any sort of building, because of unusual circumstances.
It is strange, in the Church today, that many priests who encourage parishioners to go on processions which honour the Blessed Virgin Mary are reluctant to take part in, or allow, devotion and processions which honour her Son, Jesus Christ, in the Blessed Sacrament. Surely, those who love Mary should be even more glad to show love for her Divine Son!
Lourdes is not just an example of care of the sick. In looking at the Domaine in Lourdes, we have a picture of the Church which is in the world but not of it. We have a place for the sacraments, and for Reconciliation, a place for Adoration of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, a place for devotion to Mary, a place where contemplatives pray for Church members - and much mutual help between pilgrims during our pilgrimage, including care of strangers.
The Lord illustrated for me the result of prayer. When I prayed for a troubled soul, the Lord showed me that He was sitting between me and that person, with His arm round each of us. The troubled person had been brought closer to Christ by my intercessionary prayer; and I had been drawn closer to Christ through my act of charity.
Our Lady lives in Heaven, close to Jesus Christ her Divine Son. She longs for us to reach Heaven. When she sees sincere people who do good and try to honour their Creator but who do not know Christ or His Way, it is as though she leans over to pull those people onto the right trajectory for Heaven, at the last moment.
Wearing His chasuble, Christ sits beside us in our Holy Communion, inviting us to remain silently in His company, enjoying His Presence, in utter peace and delight.
The Lord told me that I can more easily avoid distraction during Holy Communion if I remember that to meet Christ in Person, flanked by His holy Angels, is a far greater privilege than if I were to meet the Queen in person, in her palace, flanked by her companions.
Christ is pleased to be honoured by preparation for His visit in Holy Communion to the housebound. Jesus stood in my room, as I waited to receive Him in Holy Communion. He showed me how joyful He was to be here. He gazed around Him, looking at the crucifix and the candles put out in His honour, and at the pictures of His Mother, and other Saints, nearby. He said: "IT IS GOOD TO BE HERE, WHERE I AM HONOURED". He meant, in a place where He is plainly held in high esteem as our God and Saviour: our joy and strength.
Christ said to me, about the mantilla I was wearing in Church: "This is what I want every woman to do" - as a mark of respect for Him. Or we can wear a headscarf, hat or veil; so long as we cover most of our hair, just as St. Paul recommends, and as has been customary in the Church for two thousand years.
A person who has welcomed the Spirit of Christ into his soul can count on the Holy Spirit to carry him across the Abyss when he dies, to meet Christ and to make his way into Heaven - even if through Purgatory. But the man who has persisted in saying to God: "I don't need you", will find, at death, that he falls into the Abyss.
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