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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Your Cell Will Teach You Everything

 

Photo of the Altar at the Portiuncula Chapel in Ozark, Ohio

Next to the Immaculate Conception Cemetery

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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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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