Christmas in June

If you think I'm going to read my way into heaven, you're right :) All these are from Sophia Institute Press. I have another box coming from Tan Books! I'm such a glutton for books and I feel a mite guilty given that Michael and I just began Imitation of Christ as our morning read-aloud and the first meditation states: "Indeed it is not learning that makes a man holy and just, but a virtuous life makes him pleasing to God... Vanity of vanities and all is vanity."

I console myself by remembering that I'm helping spread the word on good Catholic books, that I will give many of these away after I've read them (and try not to scribble in them) but yeah, guilty as charged. It's all vanity. But God is so good! I get to sit out on my screened in back porch and read in the evenings and watch glorious sunsets. What an Artist! Deo gratias!

Strawberries and the Sacred Heart

June, the month of strawberries and rhubarb, is also the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I've written many times about it-- Vijaya Bodach: June is the Month of the Sacred Heart and Vijaya Bodach: Feast of Corpus Christi and Vijaya Bodach: Feast Days --because I'm still trying to fathom the depths of our Savior's love for us poor sinners. I think I'll never know because my own heart is so poor. And I'm about to exhibit my poverty. I'm finding it very difficult to love the sinner but hate the sin. In the past few years the culture is hell-bent on celebrating sin, especially the deadliest--pride. And the more you look at pride month, the more you see demon. Let us remember that it is pride that changed angels into demons. This server would not let me upload a picture showing it. Funny how that works. Not really. But here's something that's truly funny: Eccles is saved: It's WRATH Pride! (ecclesandbosco.blogspot.com) 

Speaking of demons, we saw Nefarious. Talk about truth bombs coming from a demon. Really well done; only two scenes were really difficult to watch but not at all gratuitous. It's really a conversation between the demon and the psychiatrist who's an atheist, more along the lines of My Dinner with Andre or Sunset Limited. What struck me was the progression of evil; the starting point is often parents not baptizing their children and well-meaning people inadvertently opening the door to the demonic by giving children toys like Ouija boards. Michael remembers getting one as a kid. They played only a few times but it didn't hold their interest. Thanks be to God. Still he was completely unprotected until his conversion, when he was baptized. I wish he would write his testimony. It would give parents much hope for their adult children who are far from the Lord, because truly, nothing is impossible for Him. Indeed, with God's grace, even middle-aged people can change, choose virtue over vice. Deo gratias! 

Today is the Feast of Corpus Christi; we had a beautiful High Mass followed by a procession and benediction. Deacon Ludlam gave an outstanding homily on both marriage and the Eucharist. Marriage is the closest analogy for what is occurring in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Our Lord instituted the Eucharist because He loves us so much, He wanted to give us Himself--His most Holy Body and Blood--in a real, physical, tangible way.

It's only in the last year that I began praying this beautiful prayer regularly. I first saw it in a Padre Pio prayer book; it was his favorite way to pray for all the people who asked him to pray for them. This is a wonderful novena to begin tonight and end of the Feast of the Sacred Heart next Friday.