Giovanni Gasparro
[h/t Amish Catholic]
"The Son of man will be given over into the hands of sinful men."
I think I mentioned once or twice how I often ponder those words of Our Lord when I approach Holy Communion, which is why I always ask Our Lady to receive Him for me. In thanksgiving, I also think of 1 John: "... what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked upon and our hands have touched... the word of life." What a thrill it is for me to be able to touch our Lord - the word made flesh - and to receive Him, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.
And what a beautiful thing that today June 18, is the "feast day" of Venerable Matt Talbot who found so much strength for his sobriety and recovery in the holy Eucharist!
ReplyDeleteI forgot that! How could I/ Although I'm not sure I did - or that he let me do so - since I've been thinking of him very much. Especially since he predates any self-help group, or therapy plan to achieve sobriety. He's an inspiration for me that he found his support in the Blessed Sacrament - feeding upon the Eucharist, and good spiritual direction. I'm convinced that those who shy away from groups - or anyone - can find all they need in the Church - the ordinary means of salvation. People disagree with me on that - but it worked for Matt. Have a great day my friend!
DeleteThanks, you have a great day as well! I don't think there is any shocking difference between Matt's sobriety and those that come later with advent of the 12 steps, because the 12 steps are not some kind of magic formula (as some in the movement tend to believe). What both have in common is the REAL "secret" of recovery: authentic daily surrender to God, turning one's life and will over to Him; gut-honesrty with God, oneself and others in confession and reparation; dedicating time for daily prayer and meditation asking onky to know God's will and the strength to live it; and being of serviceto others. Those are the 12 steps in a nutshell. I try and get Catholics to add the Eucharist, Confession & devotion to Our Lady/Saints into that mix and then you've got a powerful winning solution! Interestingly, when 2 Jesuits who did mot know much about AA first saw the 12 Steps back in the 40s or 50s, I believe, they thought the originator of them had been reading the writings of St. Ignatius Loyola!
DeleteYou are right - thanks. Yep, Jesuits were certain it followed Ignatian Spirituality. I love that. A local Jesuit Dick Rice approached AA in this way and helped many in recovery. He's dead now, but many people were helped by him. He was supposedly a liberal... ;)
DeleteCan you explain how Mary receives for you?
ReplyDeleteNo, I can't.
DeleteWonderful new book Nicholas Gilroy Our Lady and the Guardian please read and share with others. Excellent Catholic story that promotes the Holy Eucharist and Vocations
ReplyDelete