A Year of Daily Offerings by Fr. James Kubicki, SJ

 

Would you like to grow in your faith but feel that you can't make time for one more activity in your busy day?  Do you want to gain a greater understanding of the church but feel that most of what's available to read is too hard to understand?  Do you want to deepen your prayer life but don't know where to begin?  Well here's the answer to all of those questions!

Fr. James Kubicki, SJ, National Director of the Apostleship of Prayer and author of the bestseller A Heart on Fire, has compiled his daily Relevant Radio Prayer Reflection recordings into a book format called A Year of Daily Offerings. Now those who aren't able to tune in to the radio to hear Fr. Jim share a few words for the day may read them over and pray with them at their leisure.  What a great way to start the New Year and each day!

My preordered copy arrived last month and I have now been praying with and enjoying Fr. Jim's reflections every day.  Fr. Jim's easy-to-understand explanations about the saint or feast of the day bring a deeper understanding of the Catholic faith to my often frazzled mind.  Fr. Jim follows the explanation with a prayer for the day, just a few words to draw me closer to God. The prayer is followed by a "Word for the Day", a thought that I keep in the back of my mind throughout my busy day to help me stay connected to the offering of the day.  He closes the reflection with an "Evening Review", a question to ponder in my daily examen.  A Year of Daily Offerings has been a delight to begin my mornings with before rushing off to work.  I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to grow in my faith with Fr. Jim's words of wisdom and prayer to start each day!  I'm sure that this book will soon be well-worn as it will be  faithfully used each day for many years to come!

From Ave Maria Press: "A Year of Daily Offerings is a prayerful 366-day experience immersed in the lives of the saints, the rhythm of the Church calendar, and the stories of ordinary people who lived the Eucharist in their daily lives. It will help you reorder not just your devotional life, but the entire way of looking at your day.

This thoughtful, yearlong book of morning meditations from Rev. James Kubicki, S.J.—national director of the Apostleship of Prayer and bestselling author of A Heart on Fire—provides a rich array of reflections based on Ignatian spirituality that invite you to begin each day with a sincere offering of your life to God.

Combining a contemporary tone with a strong Biblical understanding, Fr. Kubicki shows you how to live your Eucharistic offering each day. He provides a fresh perspective on the promise of connecting with God through the practice of morning prayer by using prayers of the saints, a word to carry throughout the day, and an evening reflection to reflect on the day you offered to God."

You can order A Year of Daily Offerings, as well as A Heart on Fire, from Ave Maria Press.

The Lord's Prayer with Fr. James Kubicki, SJ

The Milwaukee Catholics United for the Faith Chapter (CUF), had their annual day of reflection with their spiritual advisor, Fr. James Kubicki, SJ, the National Director of the Apostleship of Prayer, who also happens to be one of my closest friends, so I was happy to clear my calendar and attend the talk, pen and notebook in hand.

Fr. Jim, who had just flown in from a retreat he had given in warm and sunny California to cold and snowy Wisconsin, gave a brilliant talk on The Lord's Prayer with reflections from St. Teresa of Avila and Pope Benedict XVI.  His talk was so fascinating that two hours flew quickly by as if I had only been listening for ten minutes!  

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Fr. Jim said that two versions of The Lord's Prayer could be found within the bible, a longer version in Matthew as part of the Sermon on the Mount, and a shorter version in Luke, Chapter 11, right after the story of Martha and Mary in which Martha was worried and anxious about many things and Jesus rebuked her for her anxiety stating that Mary chose the better part.  Martha wasn't really worried about serving Jesus, but she was more worried about herself and how she cooked and the work she was doing.  Whenever we're worried, Fr. Jim pointed out, it's because we are thinking about ourselves.  Jesus teaches us the great prayer of trust that counters Martha's worry and anxiety.

St. Teresa tells us that The Lord's Prayer is the prayer that we should esteem the most and can apply to our own needs stating, "I marvel to see that in so few words everything about contemplation and perfection is included."  And Pope Benedict states that "When we pray the Our Father we are praying to God with words given by God."

Our Father

Beginning with the name "Father", St. Teresa tells us that "this one word alone should lead to contemplation."  Every human person is made in the image and likeness of God and is a child of God with an immortal soul.  Adopted children don't have the same DNA as their adoptive parents, but as adopted children of God, flooded with sanctifying grace at our baptisms, we are filled with His DNA. As St. John tells us, "See what love God has bestowed upon us that we may be called the children of God, and yet, so we are."

It's natural for men and women to identify themselves with their success or their appearance.  Jesus tells us not to lose our identity on something that will come and go, but to find your identity in the love of God for you.  Rejoice because your names are written in heaven!  The Lord's Prayer reveals us to ourselves and reveals the Father to us. God loves us so much that he changes us and makes us His sons and daughters.  St. Cyprian teaches us that when we call God our Father, we ought to behave and act as sons and daughters of God with humility.  

We don't say "my" Father but "our" Father.  There is no individualism here.  God loves each one of us as though we were the only child made in His image and likeness, yet God's image is not just One but Three.  We recognize that we are called to love our brothers and sisters.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that when we pray the Our Father, we leave concern for ourselves behind, oppositions and divisions have to be overcome.  The baptized cannot pray the Our Father without bringing before Him all of His beloved children and the needs of all the Church and the world.

Who Art in Heaven

This line reminds us of our ultimate goal.  We are not made just for life on this earth.  St. Teresa says that "God is sought in many places but found ultimately within yourself.  Therefore, recollection is so important.  We collect our thoughts and find God in a quiet place, the chamber of our hearts." Heaven is within.  Heaven is not a place, but a way of being. God is within the hearts of the just as in His holy temple.

The Eucharist is the closest thing to heaven.  It's heaven on earth.  We find the entire communion of saints in the Eucharist, therefore, we should receive the Eucharist as often as possible.

Hallowed Be Thy Name

There is a sense of control and power in knowing another person's name.  Teachers, for example, can more effectively discipline their students by saying their name out loud.  But calling others by their name is also a sign of care.  To know a person's name is to be in relationship with that person.

In the second commandment we are told not to take the name of the Lord your God in vain but to treat that name as a holy name.  So in keeping this commandment we commit ourselves to only speak God's name in prayer, not as a word of surprise.

When we give scandal through our actions, we also give dishonor to God's name.  When we publicly sin people ask incredulously, "And you're a Christian?"  God said that we bring dishonor to His name when we rebel against Him and act sinfully.  We are responsible for the sanctification of God's name.

Thy Kingdom Come

Pope Benedict tells us that we acknowledge first and foremost the primacy of God.  Where God is absent, nothing can be good.  This refers primarily to the final coming.  This prayer engages us, this desire commits us all the more strongly to living Kingdom values in our own lives.  We ask God to reign here in our hearts and then to extend that reign to our friends and family through us.

Thy Will Be Done

Our Father desires that all people be saved and come to knowledge of the truth.  This is good and pleasing to God who wills that everyone be saved.  Pope Benedict tells us that where God's will is done, that's heaven.  Earth becomes heaven in so far as God's will is done.  We're here to learn to love God totally.  Jesus perfectly fulfilled the will of the Father.  Union with Jesus gives us grace and power to do the will of God perfectly.  St. Teresa  states that she believes that "the only way to come to heaven is to want only what God wants.  Let us place ourselves in His hands so that His will is done in us.  We cannot err with this attitude.  Trust that God's will is the best."

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

This is the most human of all petitions.  Give us the trust of children who look to their Father for everything, in contrast to the way of the world which is all about self-sufficiency and independence.   God told the Hebrews to gather manna in the desert, but to only gather enough for one day.  We have a human tendency to hoard and to find our security in things.

Epiousios, a Greek word not found anywhere else in the Bible but here is translated as "daily". But St. Jerome translated it as "superstansiolis" meaning "superstantial".  St. Jerome pointed to the higher substance that God gives us in this passage of the prayer.  This fourth petition of The Lord's Prayer is a Eucharistic petition; we are asking to receive the Eucharist daily.  This presents a challenge.  Do we value the Eucharist enough to participate as much as possible, even attending daily Mass during the week?  St. Thomas Aquinas said that what happened at the last supper was the greatest miracle of Jesus.  If we really believe that, how can we not be at Mass and receive the Eucharist every single day?

St. Teresa tells us that unless we give our wills entirely to the Lord we will never be allowed to drink from the fount of good prayer, that is, contemplation.  We can't do it on our own.  We're too weak and self-centered.  But when we receive the Eucharist we get the strength to unite our will with Christ.  We are more able to fulfill the will of the Father as Jesus did.  St. Teresa, speaking in this passage about herself said, "I know a person with serious illnesses.  Because the wonders this Sacred Bread effects in those who receive it, the Lord had given her such living faith that when someone said that they wished they could have lived at the time of Christ, she laughed, because when they receive the Eucharist, they have Him now, and not just one last supper, but He can do that for us everyday.  This person, though she wasn't perfect, strove to live His will every day.  Spend time after Communion to be with Him and converse with Him.  Strive to close the eyes of the body and open those of the soul and look into your own heart."

If we can't receive Communion every day, we should make a spiritual communion.  Say, "Lord, I wish I could receive You now.  Come to me spiritually." Then spend time reflecting on His Eucharistic presence.  With this we grow to perfection, not so much in how we are feeling, but in how we act; how we love.

Forgive Us Our Trespasses

Having received daily Bread we now have the power to forgive as Jesus did.  Pope Benedict tells us that forgiveness is a theme that pervades the whole Gospel.  It's astonishing because it makes a strict requirement of us.  When hurt or attacked our tendency is to hold on to a grudge.  But our petition will not be heard unless we have first met this strict requirement of forgiveness.  If we say we are without sin, we are liars, St. John tells us.  So with bold confidence we pray to Our Father begging Him to forgive us.  This is daunting.

Jesus often used the word "as" such as  "Be merciful as your Heavenly Father is merciful."  Holiness means loving and forgiving as Jesus did.  It is not in our power to forget or not to feel hurt, but the heart that offers itself to the Holy Spirit turns injury into compassion.  Jesus transformed his hurt into intercession.  "Father, forgive those who are doing this to me."

It takes two to be reconciled.  The only sin that is retained is the one that we don't bring to the Lord for forgiveness.

We need to pray for the conversion of sinners.  We pray for the conversion of every human soul, not for their condemnation or destruction.  Being ready to forgive our enemies means praying for them and their ultimate conversion.

St. Teresa tells us not to trust too much in prayer that isn't forgiving.

Lead Us Not Into Temptation

God doesn't lead us into temptation.  But God allows temptation, the temptation that comes from the devil.  We don't know why He allows it.  It could be for our self-knowledge and humility.  It could be as a penance that we experience temptation to dampen our pride and avoid forming too high of an opinion of ourselves.  It could be so that we grow in compassion because we suffer.  When we see others who are tempted we can say, "There but for the grace of God go I."  Because Jesus was tempted he can help others who are tempted, and so we can do the same, to help others who are tempted like us.

Finally, He could allow temptation for our growth.  To make real progress on the path from superficial piety with God's will, man needs to be tried and tested.  If you can identify your temptations, then God is calling you to grow in a particular virtue.  Exercise that virtue and grow in it.  St. Teresa tells us that the foundation of life consists in not only prayer, but also in virtue.  Look for virtue, not in the corners away from the din, but right in the midst of the occasion of sin.  We grow in union with Jesus when we fight temptation.  The greatest saints had the greatest temptation.  Jesus suffered our temptations to the bitter end.

Deliver Us From Evil

This last petition is also included in Jesus' prayer, "Don't take them out of the world but away from the evil one."  It touches each one of us individually, bu it is always "we" who pray for the conversion of "all."  With this petition we need to ask for nothing more.  We've come to the end of our prayer.  The last petition brings us back to the first three.  St. Teresa tells us that evils will continue but through the Eucharist we are given the Bread that helps us to overcome the world.

Happy Birthday Blessed Mother/And in Her Morning

Photo from Roses for Our Lady's Mass in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary, 2013

I'm so excited about the Blessed Mother's birthday this year!  Roses for Our Lady will be celebrating in a big way with a Mass and outdoor Eucharistic Rosary Procession by candlelight at Divine Mercy Parish in South Milwaukee.  Mass with Bishop Donald Hying, Fr. Bob Betz, Fr. Joseph Sebastian, Fr. Tim Kitzke and Fr. Luke Strand is at 7 pm.   The beautiful and talented Grace Urbanski, who works and writes for the Apostleship of Prayer, (listen to Grace sing the Ave Maria here), and the St. Stanislaus Schola, will provide the music.  Then we'll have a Eucharistic procession by candlelight while praying the rosary in the lovely Divine Mercy neighborhood.  The weather forecast looks perfect!  And we'll finish off the celebration with a birthday party complete with cake and punch.  For more details, visit this link.

One of my favorite poets, Jessica Powers, aka Sr. Miriam of the Holy Spirit, wrote a beautiful and moving poem about our Mother, and in honor of her September 8th birthday, as my own gift to her, I invite you to pray with it here.

And in Her Morning by Jessica Powers
from The Selected Poetry of Jessica Powers

The Virgin Mary cannot enter into
my soul for an indwelling.  God alone
has sealed this land as secretly as His own;
but being mother and implored, she comes
to stand along my eastern sky and be
a drift of sunrise over God and me.

God is a light and genitor of light.
Yet for our weakness and our punishment
He hides Himself in midnights that prevent
all save the least awareness of Him.
We strain with dimmed eyes inward and perceive
no stir of what we clamored to believe.
Yet I say:  God (if one may jest with God),
Your hiding has not reckoned with Our Lady
who holds my east horizon and whose glow
lights up my inner landscape, high and low.
All my soul's acres shine and shine with her!
You are discovered, God; awake, rise
out of the dark of Your Divine surprise!
Your own reflection has revealed Your place,
for she is utter light by Your own grace.
And in her light I find You hid within me,
and in her morning I can see Your Face.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLESSED MOTHER MARY!

How I Fell in Love with the Sacred Heart of Jesus

There is a beautiful new blog, O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, which will be offering a First Friday link-up to honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  I am thrilled to the bottom of my very own heart about this blog and the opportunity to give honor and praise to my beloved Sacred Heart of Jesus!  The suggested topic for this month's post is "How did you first learn about the Sacred Heart."  I choose to go beyond that topic and share not only how I learned about the Sacred Heart, but also, how I fell in love with the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

As a child, my family and I were members of Sacred Heart Parish in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.  My parents were deeply devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and we were sure to attend First Friday Mass and devotions each month without fail.  An image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was displayed prominently in our home with the words, "I will bless every house where an image of My Heart will be exposed and honored."

So the Sacred Heart of Jesus was a big part of my life for as long as I can remember, but I can't say that I had a deep devotion until I met Fr. Jim Kubicki, SJ, who is the National Director of the Apostleship of Prayer.  One of the goals of the Apostleship of Prayer is to promote devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and I would say that Fr. Jim excels in this task.  It was Fr. Jim who inspired me to read as many books as I could get my hands on about the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and St. Margaret Mary Alocoque and St. Claude de la Columbierre, the saints who are best known for spreading this devotion.  And it was Fr. Jim who gave me a precious relic of St. Margaret Mary, and who came to my house to assist my family in enthroning the Sacred Heart of Jesus in our home.  And, as if that weren't enough, Fr. Jim also wrote a fabulous book, A Heart on Fire:  Rediscovering Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  So, Fr. Jim gets the credit for fanning the flames of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus within my own heart, preparing me to fall in love with the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  And here's where the love story really begins...

Heart of Glass

It was three years ago when I was praying the novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in preparation for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  I am blessed to live near Lake Michigan, and I love to spend time walking the shore, searching for sea glass.  Sea glass are little pieces of broken glass that have been discarded in the water, and over time are tumbled smooth by the rocks, waves and sand.  It had only been the second day of the novena, and I was feeling a bit down, when I went to the shore to search for the treasured bits of shards.  There I discovered a beautiful red piece of sea glass lying all by itself just on the edge of the shore.  Red sea glass is extremely rare.  As I inspected it more closely, I noticed that not only was it heart shaped, but it also had a gash in one side and scratch marks that made me think of the crown of thorns!  I took this to be a sign of love from Jesus, a gift from His Heart to mine,  and I knew that whether or not my novena intention was answered favorably, the love of my Sacred Heart of Jesus would remain with me forever.  I made my sea glass Sacred Heart into a necklace and I wear it every single day as a reminder of His love for me.  Safely hanging about my neck, I can frequently reach for it during the day whenever I am in need of a reminder of his love, and He never fails me.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, be King of my heart!

For more stories about devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, be sure to visit O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, and while you're there, share your own story of devotion to His Heart as well!

Three Reasons I Love Catholicism Vol. 2

I think if I were ever to decide that I had enough of blogging and would be tempted to hang it up, I would still hold on to this sweet little meme.  Thinking of the reasons why I love Catholicism brings me so much joy!  Even when I get mad at the Church for her problems, I couldn't imagine being any religion other than Catholic because there is just an endless list of wonderful things about this faith.  So here I am linking up with Micaela at California to Korea  who offers this great meme at the beginning of each month, with a short list of Three Reasons I Love Catholicism...

1)  The Sacred Heart of Jesus

 When anxiety, fear, sorrow, and loneliness infringe upon my peace of mind and soul, I fly to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  I place everything that bothers me into His pierced side and He burns all my troubles into ash within the fire of His Holy Love.  Then He gently draws me into His Sacred Heart as well and warms my soul with peace.  Nothing can hold me back and I can conquer the challenges of this world knowing that I am always held within the love of His Most Sacred Heart.

2)  The Holy Mass

 I've gotten myself into the habit of attending Mass, not just on Sunday, but nearly every day of the week.  Joining with the community of Catholics at Mass, my prayer is strengthened and my soul is soothed.  Listening to the Word of God and holding on to a small part of it to ponder and pray with throughout the day, watching as a simple piece of bread and cup of wine is converted into the very Body and Blood of my Savior and then receiving Him into my own miserable body in a Kiss of Love, is powerful beyond belief.  I can't imagine life without the Mass, and I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to attend so often.


3)  The Morning Offering

Sometimes it can be difficult to keep the command to "pray without ceasing."  The Morning Offering is such a simple way to pray always even when I am preoccupied with the busy activities of the day.  Starting each morning with a few words of prayer and then calling to mind all of those people and situations that are close to my heart as well as remembering Pope Francis and all of his intentions, I give it all to God and my day is covered in prayer.  Simplicity!!!  I am so grateful to my friend, Fr. Jim Kubicki, SJ and the Apostleship of Prayer for promoting this easy way of life.  Visit this link to learn more.


Visit Micaela's blog for more reasons to love Catholicism and add your own reasons.

Apostleship of Prayer

My sisters and I spend the first Wednesday morning of every month helping stuff envelopes with the Pope's monthly prayer intentions at the Apostleship of Prayer. The thousands of letters are sent out throughout the United States and beyond, so I was delightfully surprised when I began to recognize some of the names on the envelopes that I was filling on the most recent volunteer day...I had the box of envelopes that were addressed to recipients in the Milwaukee area! In fact, I was able to simply reach across the table and hand deliver one of the letters to Julie, my coworker! But the biggest surprise was when I drew an envelope from the stack that was addressed to Archbishop Jerome Listecki! I offered an extra prayer for him as I placed his letter inside the envelope, but thought of it too late to stick an additional note inside letting him know that his envelope was filled with more than the letter alone, it was also filled with my prayer!

What follows is my most recent contribution to my parish newsletter-an informative piece about the Apostleship of Prayer...

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“O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart: the salvation of souls, reparation for sin, and the reunion of all Christians. I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all Apostles of Prayer, and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month.”

The above prayer is the traditional morning offering of the Apostleship of Prayer, an organization that seeks to encourage Christians to make a daily offering of themselves to the Lord. “The Apostleship of Prayer began in France in 1844. At that time Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet told a group of Jesuit seminarians who were eager to work on the missions: "Be apostles now, apostles of prayer! Offer everything you are doing each day in union with the Heart of our Lord for what He wishes, the spread of the Kingdom for the salvation of souls." (From the Apostleship of Prayer Website)

Through uniting ourselves in prayer to Christians every where, and giving every occurrence of our daily lives to the Lord, our entire lives and our complete selves become a Eucharistic prayer of love and sacrifice. In this way, each moment you spend working is a prayer for all of the apostles of prayer throughout the world, each kind word spoken with love is a sacrifice for the Pope and his intentions, each hardship or difficulty which you undergo can be used by God to unite all Christians, and each joy or happiness that you experience can benefit the souls of others and atone for our own sins and the sins of the world. It’s so simple, and that is what makes the Apostleship of Prayer so beautiful! A few words prayerfully whispered from the heart at the beginning of each day can change the world! How very powerful we become when we allow God to use us in this way!

Since 2003, the United States office of the Apostleship of Prayer has been under the guidance of Fr. James Kubicki, SJ, whose office is in Milwaukee. With the help of a small staff and several volunteers, the National Office of the Apostleship of Prayer sends out thousands of letters each month, letting all of the apostles of prayer throughout the United States, and many in other countries as well, know about Pope Benedict’s specific prayer intentions for the month. The Pope’s prayer intentions change monthly but are always sure to include a general intention as well as a mission intention each month. In keeping the Pope’s intentions in our daily prayer of offering, we are truly uniting ourselves to the universal Church.



The Apostleship of Prayer is an organization which is very devoted to the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 1673, St. Margaret Mary Alocoque, a Visitation Sister, had visions of Jesus who asked her to promote devotion to His Most Sacred Heart. St. Claude la Columbiere, a Jesuit, was chosen to be her confessor. In a later vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she was asked to give her message to the Jesuits to spread it throughout the world, and thus the Apostleship of Prayer has always been under the direction of the Jesuit order and they have always promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Won’t you become an apostle of prayer and unite every moment of your day to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the good of our universal Church?

For more information about the Apostleship of Prayer please visit their website at: http://www.apostleshipofprayer.org/ or contact them at:

Apostleship of Prayer
3211 South Lake Drive, Suite 216
Milwaukee, WI 53235
Phone: 414.486.1152 (9:00 AM to 4:30 PM CST)

May Crowning

The following words are those of Fr. James Kubicki, SJ, the Director of the National Apostleship of Prayer, from his May letter to the Apostles of Prayer:

"Have you ever wondered why May is Mary's month? To answer that question, the famous Jesuit Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote a poem entitled "May Magnificat." Mary is like the spring, he wrote, causing "growth in everything." A mother herself, Mary sympathizes with that "world of good, Nature's motherhood."

The new life springing up all around us this month gives glory to God. So too the new life developing in Mary's womb caused her to rejoice from the time of her conception until the birth of her child. That child, Jesus, is the very "image of the invisible God," St. Paul wrote. Jesus embodied God's endless love for us, and we rejoice in the everlasting life he shares with us.

Also in May comes the joy of First Holy Communions. In that sacrament, Jesus gives his Body and Blood to little ones for the first time. They receive his life. Again, this is only possible because Jesus first took flesh in the womb of Mary."

What better way to honor our blessed Mother during her most special month of May and on the day that is set aside to honor all mothers, than to crown her with roses-both literally and figuratively. Roses for Our Lady will be holding our 31st Annual May Crowning and Eucharistic Rosary Procession on Sunday, May 8th. If you are in the Milwaukee area why not come and join in the celebration!

May Crowning Celebration
Spend Mother's Day with the Blessed Mother!

Sunday, May 8th, 2:00 PM
Archdiocesan Marian Shrine
68th and Stevenson, Milwaukee (2 blocks south of Bluemound Rd.)

Presider: Very Rev. Donald Hying, Rector of St. Francis de Sales Seminary and Roses for Our Lady's Spiritual Director
Assisting Clergy: Fr. James Kubicki, SJ, Fr. Matthew Widder, Deacon Christopher Klusman

First Communicants are encouraged to wear their First Communion attire.

This is an outdoor event- please bring a lawn chair to sit on.
In case of rain, please go to St. Vincent Pallotti-west, 201 N. 76th St.

Sponsored by Roses for Our Lady

Take Heart

"Take courage, it is I. Do not be afraid." Matthew 14:27

Today I learned that the Latin root word for courage is 'cor' or heart, and I think of the young girl who was told to rest her head upon His breast, to take His heart for her own. While adoring our Lord in the exposed Eucharist, He came. He showed His heart to her and asked her to spread devotion and love to Him through His Sacred Heart, pierced for our sins and on fire with love for all. He gave her a special friend, Fr. Claude de la Columbierre, SJ, to be her spiritual director and to help her promote this devotion. And reflecting upon the experience that St. Margaret Mary had with our Blessed Savior, I am inspired to take heart in my own life.













I've had a few rough weeks at work recently that included some difficulty getting along with co-workers resulting in misunderstandings, humiliating treatment from my supervisor, and the need to own up to my own sinfulness and mistakes that contributed to those problems. On top of that, the kids have been bringing home more than the usual difficulties from their schooldays like excessive projects that require the purchase of seasonal items that are hard to find at this time of year and their own misunderstandings with their teachers.

But God; God knows what to do to ease my worries and sufferings. He shows me that it's important to 'take heart' through the trials at work, because the clients that I serve, well, they really need and benefit from the WIC program and I so enjoy serving God by listening to the concerns and worries of these young mothers and by showing them a little compassion and care to help them meet the burdens of raising their families in poverty. And just when things seem black and ugly and I begin to wonder if I would be better off searching for a new job, He sends me some very special women who share their gratitude for the WIC program with me and my heart melts, and I remember the passion I have for my work, and begin to forget about the behind-the-scenes stress.

And then, as if He feels that He needs to prove His love to me beyond the visits from grateful women at work, He gives me a tangible sign, something that I can always hold on to when the going gets rough, something that will easily cause me to "take heart."

During the past year, I have been developing a particularly DEEP devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Last June, during the month of the Feast of the Sacred Heart, I began a Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and on the second day of the Novena, I was blessed to find a red piece of sea glass that looks just like a heart with a gash in the side where sword of steel pierced the heart of my Lord. In gratitude for this precious sign, my family and I enthroned our home and consecrated ourselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus with the help of a very special priest. I feel that Jesus' heart, throbbing with love, letting drops of precious blood fall with every pulsing beat for me, blood that saves me from my sinful nature and purifies me-slowly, steadily, unceasingly-is forever united to my own, and He uses his Sacred Heart to give me rest and to keep me close to Him by guiding me to others who also have a DEEP devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
















So, when God united me in friendship with Fr. Jim Kubicki, SJ, it was no mere coincidence. I believe that God meant to bring Fr. Jim into my life because He knew that this was a man whose own heart beat in constant love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus and all of the mysteries and beauty contained within that lovely vessel stabbed through to the very center and crowned, not with gemstones, but with sharp, prickling thorns. Jesus knew that Fr. Jim would encourage and nurture my devotion to His Sacred Heart, and through him and his kind and gentle words and beautiful loving actions, I would delve ever more DEEPLY into the world of love contained within His Most Sacred Heart. Recently I had shared a beautiful story with him from the blog Evlogia about a relic of the Holy Innocents. I told him that I wish that I had a relic of a special saint that would look over me with love and care, someone that I could turn to in times of need and look up to as a role model in faith.

Today my sisters and I spent some time helping at the Apostleship of Prayer's monthly volunteer day. After Mass and a pleasant morning spent working and visiting with the other volunteers, Fr. Jim, who is the National Director of the Apostleship of Prayer, told me that he had something very special for me. It was a relic of St. Margaret Mary, the very saint to whom Jesus entrusted His Most Sacred Heart devotions! He said that he was so happy to share the relic with me because of my own devotion to the Sacred Heart and because he felt that with this relic, St. Margaret Mary would help me to fall DEEPER into love with Jesus, to move DEEPER in hope and joy and faith to the very heart of God. At the very moment when Fr. Jim placed the relic in my hands, I felt a shift in my own heart, a DEEPENING, an awareness of the presence and love of God like I had never known before.
















With this gift, I take courage; I take heart, and feel as though I have spent time resting on His breast just like St. Margaret Mary did. I am renewed and I know that with the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, I do not need to fear trials at work or difficulties with my children and their education; I know that His perfect love will cast out all of my fears and together both Jesus and I will strengthen our wounded hearts until the day when we are permanently united in heaven with hearts that beat in unison for all of eternity.

"From the DEPTH of my nothingness, I prostrate myself before Thee, O Most Sacred, Divine and Adorable Heart of Jesus, to pay Thee all the homage of love, praise and adoration in my power. Amen." - - St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Fatima and the Apostleship of Prayer

It's such a blessing to meet a blogging friend in real life, and this past Sunday I had the opportunity to do just that! Fr. James Kubicki, who is the head of the National Apostleship of Prayer and writer of the blog Offer It Up, gave a talk about his recent trip to Fatima to our local chapter of Catholics United for the Faith (CUF). I haven't had the chance to attend one of the local CUF meetings before, but this time, when I saw who was speaking, I knew I had to make room in my schedule to attend. I am so glad that I did!

Fr. Kubicki had an antiquated copy of an Apostleship of Prayer Card from 1909 in which the intention was to pray for Portugal. I found that to be extremely fascinating considering all of the miraculous events which took place in that country within a few years after that prayer card came out. Another fascinating tidbit that Fr. Kubicki shared was regarding the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II. After he had healed from his injuries, the great Pope journeyed to Fatima with the bullet that had been meant to kill him. He offered the bullet as a gift to be added to a special crown that was on display in Fatima. Everyone wondered whether the bullet would blend in with the crown of gold, or would it stand out and look inappropriate. Believe it or not, the bullet fit perfectly into the crown, as if the bullet and the crown belonged together!

My favorite part of Fr. Kubicki's talk didn't consist of miracles or wonders, but rather in something very ordinary. Fr. Kubicki shared an anecdote from his college days when he had the chance to meet with a well loved priest, Fr. Cletus Healy. Fr. Kubicki asked Fr. Healy what he thought the Third Secret of Fatima might be (at that time it had not yet been revealed). Fr. Healy wisely answered, "Don't worry about the third secret; it's enough to worry about the first two! Work on prayer, fasting and penance for the Conversion of Russia!" Wise words indeed! Don't worry about the future or focus on the extraordinary. We would all do well to focus on daily prayer and penance, works of love and mercy and uniting our souls to God.

To learn more about Fr. James Kubicki and the Apostleship of Prayer, visit Offer it Up or the Apostleship of Prayer webpage.