Sacred Heart of Jesus

Thus the entire Holy Trinity lives in the Heart of Jesus, the power of the everlasting Father, the beauty and wisdom of the Eternal Word, and the self-giving love and riches of the Holy Spirit. They live there in a human heart. (St. Arnold Janssen)

Our Founder had a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He knew that the Divine Heart was the most worthy dwelling and most noble throne of the three divine persons. It is only when our hearts are like this Heart that they are capable of becoming a dwelling and throne of God. His prayer, "May the Heart of Jesus live in us," expresses one of St. Arnold's most precious thoughts for the practice of the spiritual life. The Heart of Jesus burns with glowing zeal for the honor of the Father and also for the salvation and sanctification of souls. We should allow the heart of Jesus to live in us: we should become more and more agile members of the Mystical Body of Christ so that Christ will live in us, direct us, and use us according to the wishes and intentions of his Heart. May we devote ourselves to the service of the holy triune God and burn wih zeal for God and souls!

Corpus Christi

An excerpt from the Corpus Christi homily of Pope Benedict XVI:

We return, in our meditation, to the Eucharist, which in a while will be the center of our liturgical assembly and of the subsequent solemn procession. In it Jesus anticipated his sacrifice, not a ritual sacrifice but a personal one. In the Last Supper he acted moved by that "Eternal Spirit" with which he will offer himself later on the Cross (cf. Hebrews 9:14). Giving thanks and with a blessing, Jesus transformed the bread and wine. It is divine love that transforms: the love with which Jesus accepts in advance to give himself completely for us. This love is none other than the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Father and of the Son, which consecrates the bread and wine and changes their substance into the Body and the Blood of the Lord, rendering present in the Sacrament the same sacrifice that is made later in a bloody manner on the cross.

We can conclude that Christ was a true and effective priest because he was full of the power of the Holy Spirit, he was the culmination of all the fullness of the love of God "on the night he was betrayed," precisely in the "hour of darkness" (cf. Luke 22:53). It is this divine power, the same that brought about the Incarnation of the Word, which transformed the extreme violence and the extreme injustice [of his death] into a supreme act of love and justice.

This is the work of the priesthood of Christ, which the Church has inherited and continues to perpetuate, in the twofold form of ordinary priesthood of the baptized and that of the ordained ministers, to transform the world with the love of God. All, priests and faithful, are nourished by the same Eucharist, all of us prostrate ourselves to adore it, because present in it is our Teacher and Lord, present is the real Body of Jesus, Victim and Priest, salvation of the world. Come, let us exult with hymns of joy. Come, let us adore! Amen.

Trinity Sunday

All three Persons have manifested their love for men in a completely unheard-of manner: the Eternal Son by becoming man himself, the Holy Spirit by coming down to dwell in the hearts of men, the heavenly Father by sending those Two so dear to his heart in order to reveal his love." (St. Arnold Janssen, SVD)

The spiritual heritage we received from our Founder, St. Arnold Janssen, is firmly anchored in the mystery of the Trinity. He saw the Word as coming from the Father, coming in the power of the Holy Spirit, to share the human condition. The Trinitarian starting point of his theology developed into the devotion to the triune God living in us through grace. Through sanctifying grace, the Blessed Trinity lives in us: the Lord God pitches his tent in the human soul.
The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is not only a mystery of immensity which transcends the grasp of the human mind. It is also a mystery of the highest love worthy of adoration. The members of the Trinity are not, so to speak, three kings on three thrones or a static unity, but a mutually related dynamic of love. It is the vocation of every Christian to enter into this dynamic of love. Divine Love must vibrate with every beat of our heart, and accompany all our desires and passions. May the Holy Triune God live inhearts of all and may he lead you more and more into the mystery of his divine love!

Pentecost Sunday

Rushing wind, tongue of fire, living water: the images of the Holy Spirit are so rich and varied. He embraces all of creation, but is most especially present in the rich indwelling in the heart of every baptized person. As Servants of the Holy Spirit, we thank and praise the Spirit for his gifts and graces. We pray that all who have been baptized will grow in the sevenfold gifts of the Spirit until the fruits flow out over all the earth. Come, Holy Spirit, renew the face of the earth!

I Vow to You, Holy Triune God

"Nothing is more practical than finding God,
that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way.

What you are in love with,
what seizes your imagination,
will affect everything.

It will decide what will get you out of bed in the mornings,
what you will do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekends,
what you read, who you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.

Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything."

Our two Sisters in temporary vows renewed them yesterday...a commitment to follow their Spouse in "poverty, chastity, and obedience according to the Constitutions of the Sister-Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration" for another year. These five years of temporary vows are a preparation for the final, irrevocable commitment that will take place with perpetual profession.
In our culture, which has a greater than 50% divorce rate, these two Sisters are quietly witnessing to the permanence and sacredness of a spousal bond. In our materialistic culture that judges a person's worth on what they are able to produce, our hidden life of constant prayer is a gentle reminder that seeking God is the "one thing necessary" and the "better part."
As our young Sisters renewed their vows, each Sister in the community re-lived in her own heart the vows she made any number of years ago, but we also renew daily that love which called us and keeps us faithful to Him.
Falling in love, staying in love, renewing that love: the grace of God who is faithful.

Happy Mother's Day!

Mary is our model for motherhood, whether one is a single mother, married, or a religious. Mary was a single mother: pregnant before marriage and raising Jesus alone after the death of Joseph, her spouse. She was married and took care of Joseph too. (I'm sure she would get annoyed with Joseph!) She knew what it was like to be poor and to long to give her son the best. She knew the joys and sorrows of being a mother. She enjoyed his laughter, feeding him, "Mothering" him. She saw her Son ridiculed. She was hurt unintentionally by him as he grew older and more independent (Lk 2:48). She was a spiritual mother, especially after his death. She was the mother of the Apostles, the early Church, and the Church today.
Now a question...from whom did Mary learn all these things as her motherhood changed? Who else but from God. And if God taught Mary how to be a mother, how motherly must God be? Isaiah 66:13: As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you. Isaiah 49:15: Can a woman forget her sucking child?...I will not forget you.

Holy Mother Church

We refer to the Catholic Magisterium as Holy Mother Church. Like a mother, she wants our happiness, disciplines us, and is in sorrow over her children's trials and pains, wanting all her children to enjoy eternal bliss. Faithful to Christ her Spouse, she teaches us, admonishes us, and nurtures us: she is our Mother.
Let us pray for our Mother Church and for her priests, who by the Sacrament of Holy Orders have been conformed to Christ her Spouse. Let us pray they remain faithful to her, the Pope, and to us — the people of God whom they lead.