The New Wine of Christ's Blood

 

When one honors someone and gives a feast, one offers bread and wine, which is equivalent to a lavish meal, a banquet. Sirach counts among the essentials of life wheat, flour, and blood of the grape along with milk and honey, oil and salt, and these are meant for a life that is not simply survival (39:26)…. Wine is a pleasure, a “perk” that we add to food. Wine is also simple and noble, and can be full of meaning. As a pleasure, it ­represents the useless aspect of life, [which] can be more important than the useful. So wine represents the poetry alongside the prose. It is like color compared with a world of black and white. It is like music compared with sounds and noises. It is like dancing compared with walking. It is playing compared with working. It is art and craft compared to simple technique. It is the humorous as opposed to the serious: What is the life of those who have no wine, for wine was created at the beginning to make us glad? (Sir 31:27). Wine is joy: Their heart shall be glad, as if drunk with wine (Zec 10:7); You make the food of the earth grow, and wine to gladden the human heart (Ps 104:14-15); Joy of the heart and joy of the soul is wine drunk duly and in moderation (Sir 31:28); Wine and music gladden the heart, but more again does love make it glad (Sir 40:20).

The last text suggests that wine is friendship and love. A new friend is like a new wine, when it is aged you will drink it with pleasure (Sir 9:10)…. Because it signifies love and has the color of blood, it also represents sacrifice [and is] suggestive of the mysterious relationship that exists in human beings between love and ­sacrifice. Love is not authentic if it refuses self-sacrifice. A sacrifice has no value unless it is born of love. Because wine is also gladness it reveals to us the joy and satisfaction of self-sacrifice for love. It is a ­paradox that human ­beings can delight in that for which they suffer, but love resolves the paradox. Wine is joy, it is sacrifice, it is love; it is the joy of sacrifice out of love. Finally, wine derives from the transformation of ­sweetness into ­alcohol or spirit. It enters our bloodstream as a new spirit or ­feeling, as a dynamism that liberates and ­encourages, as long as we take it in ­moderation. All this is the meaning of wine…. God accepts the wine [we offer] and transforms it into the glorified blood of his Son…. He let himself be trampled on and crushed. He shed all his blood out of love.

Father Luis Alonso Schoekel, s.j

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Father Schoekel († 1998) was a Spanish Jesuit priest and Scripture scholar. / From Celebrating the Eucharist: Biblical Meditations. Translated by John Deehan & Patrick Fitzgerald-Lombard. Copyright © 1988 by Luis Alonso Schoekel, The Society of St. Paul, ST PAULS/Alba House, Staten Island, NY. www.stpauls.us. Used with permission.

Pray That Pope Francis's Successor Returns To The Apostolic Tradition Of The Faith

My brothers and sisters in Christ, Let us continue to pray for the repose of Pope Francis and hope that the Lord may look mercifully upon his soul. While we may hope he is in heaven, we know that every man will be judged according to his words and deeds, and that Christ judges without prejudice. So let us aid him with our prayers, who is certainly most in need of them. 

At the same time, we should pray that the Lord raise up for a holy pontiff, a kind and loving shepherd who will safeguard and promulgate with fidelity the teaching of the Church and the Apostolic Tradition. In this time of error and confusion, when even many nominal Catholics desire to radically transform Mother Church into something She is not, to teach doctrines completely foreign to the Christian way of life we have enjoyed for the past 2,000 years, we hope and pray for a spiritual father who will conform his life and teaching not after the ever-changing currents of worldly creeds and fashions, but after the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ which is without error and not subject to change. 

During and leading up to the conclave (which will begin May 7th), I hope you will join me in praying and fasting for the Sacred College to select a Pope who will be, above all, faithful to Christ and His Church. To this end, here is Fr. Chad Ripperger’s prayer for the conclave: 

Lord Jesus Christ, by entrusting to St. Peter and his successors the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, Thou didst established the office of the papacy. 

Grant to Thy Church, we beseech Thee, a pope who, in his dedication to the Sacred Tradition of the Church, will seek to govern the Church according to the Deposit of Faith and for the salvation of souls. 

Immaculate Mary, Mother of the Church and Queen of Confessors, we consecrate to thee the conclave and the election of the Holy Father. Blessed Mother, look not upon our sinfulness or upon the infidelity of many Catholics who do not accept the teaching of thy Son, but upon the Church which is the spotless Bride of thy Son, so that we do not get the leader we deserve, but a Holy Father who will guide the Church for the glory and honor of thy Son. 

Amen. 

God bless you all, In Christ, 

Fr. Nick Ward

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Observing Silence At The Portiuncula Chapel

Photo of the Portiuncula Chapel in Ozark, Ohio

Located at the Immaculate Conception Cemetery

on Ozark Eddy Bridge Road

Saint Francis said to the Lesser Brothers concerning the Portiuncula; "Let them do as the old brothers did. This is already a holy place; they preserved its holiness by praying there continually night and day and by observing silence there constantly. And if they sometimes spoke after the time determined for the beginning of silence it was always to converse about God and the salvation of souls with much uplifting fervor"...

Saint Francis of Assisi

Legend of Perugia - 9

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My Franciscan Rosary Has Our Little Portiuncula Chapel On It

 

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Sister Briege McKenna, OSC

Thank you, my dear Sister Briege! After nearly 20 years of yours and our prayers, our loving God has finally brought them to fruition with the building of the Portiuncula Chapel next to the Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Ozark, Ohio. Now please pray that the evil attacks by the devil against it be dealt with in Jesus' Holy Name. Amen 

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Altissimu, Omnipotente, Bon Signore

 

The Portiuncula is the womb of Saint Francis' charism and his Order, dedicated to Santa Maria degli Angeli (Our Lady, St. Mary of the Angels). Here Francis died on October 3, 1226.

It was at his Baptism, amidst all the splendor and wealth of the Cathedral of San Rufio, that Saint Francis received the Holy Ghost, but it was here in this poor, crumbling, forgotten ruin that he met God face to face.

We have built a replica of the Portiuncula at the Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Ozark, Ohio

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Footprints In The Water

 

To say that the road the soul travels to God is through the sea (the Prophet Baruch) and that His footsteps are in the many waters and so unknowable is to say that the way to God is as hidden to the inner senses as would be footprints on the water of the outer senses. The traces God leaves on the souls He wants to bring to Himself are unrecognizable. Secret.

St. John of the Cross
Dark Night of the Soul

 

Your Cell Will Teach You Everything

 In Scetis, a brother went to see Abba Moses and begged him for a word. The old man said, "Go and sit in your cell and your cell will teach you everything."

Saying From the Desert Fathers

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Portiuncula Chapel Prayer

 

Lord God, we have set aside the Portiuncula Chapel for an assembly of Your people. We ask Your blessings on this place that it might serve effectively as an area to promote unity, peace and the furthering of Your kingdom. We command in the name of Jesus that all spirits of discord or evil of any sort depart and we ask, O God, that You send Your angels to guard and protect the Portiuncula Chapel and all who participate in the events held here. We pray through the intercession of Holy Mother Mary and the Saints and in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen

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The Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center

P.O. Box 34

Jerusalem, Ohio 43747

The Portiuncula Chapel is located adjacent to the 

Immaculate Conception Catholic Cemetery 

on Ozark-Eddy Bridge Road in Ozark, Ohio 

Wear His Crown Of Thorns As A Crown Of Glory!

 

by
Fra Chris Dickson, F.L.A.
of the Portiuncula Hermitage

I was in an area of complete and utter darkness. Then a mist appeared, through which two hands appeared that were handing me a crown of thorns.

I took the crown of thorns from the outstretched hands and placed it upon my head. As the crown was being seated upon my head, I prematurely winced, fully expecting searing pain from those thorns to shoot through my head and throughout my entire body.

But instead of pain, a warm and wonderful feeling of joy and peace settled over me. I was being bathed in God’s love.

Simultaneously with the crown of thorns being placed upon my head, a vision appeared before me of a glass mirror “unfurling” like a window shade, even though it was glass.

Jesus then appeared in the glass before me.

I was immediately filled with shame because Jesus had caught me wearing his crown, and I immediately pulled it from my head.

As I did, Jesus disappeared.

I then placed the crown back onto my head.

As I did, the glass unfurled before me, and again Jesus was standing before me.

At that moment, the realization hit me that I was looking into a mirror and seeing my own reflection, and that reflection was my Savior and my Lord! And me! One and the same!

This vision greatly troubled me. After all, who did I think I was, anyway? Was I so vain as to think myself equal to Jesus? God forbid! The vision continued to frighten me long afterwards, fearing that my attitude was obviously not right with God…that is, until I heard these words:

“Do not be afraid to put on my crown of thorns.

It is My crown of glory!

Wear it as I did.

I will bear the pain so that you have none.

Then, and only then, will you see Me in glory.

Then we shall meet face to face.

You in me, and I in you.

People will see me in your image.

Give yourselves to Me fully,

And I will come to you in glory…”

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The Pilgrim's Credo

 

I am not in control.

I am not in a hurry.

I walk in faith and hope.

I greet everyone with peace.

I bring back only what God gives me.

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We Want Spiritual Fruit, Not Religious Nuts!

 

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Holiness Is A Spiritual Pilgrimage

 

Holiness is the truth of who we are: one person, whole and entire, and not a dichotomy of body and soul, or worse, of body versus soul.

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"Rebuild My Church"

 

When Saint Francis heard those words from the mouth of the Lord, speaking through the San Damiano crucifix in a small, dilapidated church, he took them to mean simply rebuilding that little church outside Assisi. It was in the Portiuncula that he founded the Friars Minor; there that he clothed Clare in the religious habit and began the Order of Poor Clares; and there that Francis yearly gathered the friars in chapter to discuss the rule and renew their dedication to the Gospel life. And it was at the Portiuncula where St. Francis died in 1226.

That first tiny Portiuncula, a holy place and the center of St. Francis’ activity, is recreated here on Heavenly Acres, LLC in Ozark, Ohio as a grace-filled haven for quiet meditation and eucharistic adoration. Nestled in a grove of trees opposite Immaculate Conception Cemetery, the Portiuncula beckons visitors  to “come and spend an hour with the Lord” in prayer.

This small chapel completed in on October 4th, 2024, the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, like St. Francis’ 13th-century original, has become a place of adoration, conversion, and prayer. The simple beauty of the small stone structure reverberates with the power of the Lord’s presence. The stillness, imbued with the peace of the Lord’s tender concern, draws visitors in and focuses attention on the eucharistic Lord.

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HOC EST ENIM CORPUS MEUM (FOR THIS IS MY BODY)

 

After pronouncing the words of Consecration, the priest never disjoins his fingers and thumbs, except when he is to take the Host, until after washing his fingers at the ablutions after Communion.

Then came the "Protestant Revolution" called "Vatican II"

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Ash Wednesday

 

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Gregorian Chants Honor and Praise God - The Rite of Prayer

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FRANCISCANS DESTROYED by NEW AGE RELIGION

 

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Pray the Mysteria Gloriosa (Glorious Mysteries) of the Rosary with Cardinal Burke

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Seized With Fear For A Morsel Of Bread

 

Our whole being should be seized with fear, the whole world should tremble and heaven rejoice, when Christ the Son of the Living God is present on the altar in the hands of the priest! What wonderful majesty! What stupendous condescension! O sublime humility! O humble sublimity! That the Lord of the whole universe, God and the Son of God, should humble himself like this under the form of a little bread, for our salvation!

Saint Francis of Assisi

LETTER TO THE GENERAL CHAPTER

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Inspired By Silence

 

One day, Theophilus of holy memory, the bishop of Alexandria, came to Scetis (the Upper Nile of Egypt). And the brothers who gathered said to Abba Pambo, "Say a word to the bishop so his soul may be benefited here." The old hermit replied, "If he is not inspired by my silence, he will not be inspired by my words either."

Saying From the Desert Fathers

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The Coal Carried By The Seraph Cleansed The Lips Of Isaiah

 

"In the ancient Syriac Church, the rite of Communion distribution was compared to the scene of the purification of the Prophet Isaiah by the seraph In one of his sermons, St. Ephrem puts these words on Christ's lips.

"The coal carried [by the seraph] cleansed the lips of Isaiah. It is I Who, carried now to you by means of bread, have sanctified you. The tongs which the Prophet saw and which the coal was taken from the altar, were the figure of Me in the great Sacrament. Isaiah saw Me, as you see Me now extending My right hand and carrying to your mouths the living Bread. The tongs are My right hand. I take the place of the seraph. The coal is My Body. All of you are Isaiah."

DOMINUS EST - It is the Lord!

by

The Most Reverend

ATHANASIUS SCHNEIDER

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Exorcism Prayer For The Portiuncula Chapel

 

Lord God we have set aside the Portiuncula Chapel for an assembly of Your people. We ask Your blessings on this place that it might serve affectively as an area to promote unity, peace and the furthering of Your kingdom. We command in the name of Jesus for all spirits of discord or evil of any sort to depart and we ask, O God, that You send Your angels to guard and protect the Portiuncula Chapel and all who participate in the events held here. We pray through the intercession of Holy Mother Mary and the Saints and in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

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Christ is the Lord and Savior of the Earth and there is no other

 

Dear Parishioners,

 I trust you are enjoying these balmy temperatures. Nice to have a break from the single digits. 

This Sunday also happens to be the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Jesus is presented to God His Father in the Temple, and Simon the prophet declares Jesus to be “A light of revelation to the Gentiles and the Glory of your people Israel.” 

What was once shown in the homage of the magi from the East is now proclaimed by the prophet in the temple: Jesus is the savior of all peoples, men and women, rich and poor, Jew and gentile. The end of the 40-day Christmas cycle ends on a note which resonates with what Christmas had been teaching us, that Christ is the Lord and Savior of the earth, and there is no other. 

Like the sword of sorrow which Simeon predicted would pierce Mary’s Immaculate Heart, this truth of who Jesus is should pierce us also to the very core of our being. It is a joyful but also a painful thing; to admit that Jesus is Lord of our lives is something which fulfills us but also calls us to suffer. We must die to ourselves in order to acknowledge that we are not our own masters, or the masters of our own fates. Jesus is our Lord and master. Only through Jesus can we have eternal life and the forgiveness of sins. Only Jesus can show us the way to true peace and fulfillment and everlasting joy in Heaven. 

May Christ, the light of the world, continue to enlighten our minds and hearts with the joy and peace of God who has come into the world to save us from our sins and lead us to everlasting life. God bless you all, 

In Christ, 

Fr. Nick Ward

Pastor of the Immaculate Conception in Ozark, Ohio

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What Do You Want Of Us?

 

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I can't imagine how many churches would thrive around the world if they served Christ this way.

 

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"Francis, Go and Rebuild My Church, which as you see is falling into Ruin!"

While St. Francis was praying before the painted Crucifix of San Damiano, he heard the verbal voice of Jesus speaking to him: "Francis, Go and Rebuild My Church, which as you see is falling into Ruin!"

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Merry Christmas From The Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage And Retreat Center!

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It has taken us nearly 20 years to complete our building of the Portiuncula Chapel, but to quote Jesus' last word from the cross  "τετέλεσται" (tetelestai), “It is finished” (John 19:30).

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The Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center Fundraiser

We at the Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center in Jerusalem, Ohio are raising funds through Go Fund Me to continue having "Come To The Quiet" retreats while reaching out to those less fortunate in Appalachia.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-portiuncula-franciscan-hermitage-and-retreat-center

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Franciscan Spirituality