Today on the Liturgical Calendar
A Mystic Vision of the Holy Mass – Conclusion
Catalina’s Testimony on the Holy Mass
Author: Catalina Rivas
Conclusion
The following is taken from the writings of the Bolivian mystic Catalina Rivas. The visions described below are the product of divinely inspired mystical experiences. Through these moving images, God seeks to underscore the importance of the Sacrament of the Eucharist and tell the whole truth about what transpires during every Holy Mass.
On returning to my seat, I knelt down, and the Lord said to me: “Listen!” A moment later, I heard the prayers of the woman seated in front of me. She had just received Communion… Jesus said in a sad voice: “Did you hear her prayer? Not once did she tell Me she loved Me. Not once did she thank Me for the gift of bringing My Divinity down to level of her poor humanity, that I might then raise her up to Myself. Not once did she say, ‘Thank You, Lord.’ It was merely a litany of requests. So it is with almost all those who receive Me. I died out of love for you, then rose again. Out of love I wait for each of you. Out of love I remain with you. But you do not realize that I too need your love. Remember that in this sublime hour of the soul I am the Beggar of Love.”
When the celebrant was about to impart the Blessing, the Holy Virgin said: “Be attentive, take care. Instead of the Sign of the Cross, you make any old sign. Remember that this blessing might be the last one you will ever receive at hands of a priest. You do not know, upon leaving this place, if you will die or not… Those consecrated hands are blessing you in the Name of the Blessed Trinity. Therefore, make the Sign of the Cross with respect, as though it were the last you make in your life.”
At the end of Mass, Jesus asked me to stay with Him a while longer. He said: “Do not be in such a hurry to leave. Stay a while in My company. Take delight in it and give Me an occasion to take delight in yours.” Then I asked Him, “Lord, tell me truly, how long do You stay with us after Communion?” The Lord replied: “For as long as you wish. If you speak to Me throughout the day, exchanging words with Me during your daily chores, I will listen to you. I am always with you. It is you who leave Me. You leave the Mass and the day of obligation is behind you. You have observed the Lord’s Day and now it is over… I read the deepest secrets of your hearts and minds. But I enjoy your telling Me about your life, your allowing Me to be a member of your family, being your closest friend. If you only knew how many graces you lose by not giving Me a place in your life!”
Jesus said to me: “You should exceed the angels and archangels in virtue, because, unlike you, they do not have the joy of receiving Me as nourishment. They drink a drop from the Spring, but you, who have the grace of receiving Me, have an entire Ocean to drink from.”
The Lord also spoke to me with pain in His heart about those who meet Him out of habit, who have lost their sense of awe at each encounter with Him. Routine makes many people lukewarm so that they have nothing new to tell Him when they receive Him. He also told me that there are many consecrated souls who have lost their enthusiasm over loving the Lord. They have turned their vocation into a job, a profession to which nothing is given beyond the minimum demanded of them.
Then the Lord spoke to me about the fruits that ought to come from frequent reception of Communion. There are people who receive the Lord daily, but whose lives do not change. They spend many hours at prayer, doing many works, yet they do not continue to grow in love. A life that does not mature cannot bear true fruits for the Lord. The merits received in the Eucharist should yield fruits of conversion in us. They should bear fruits of charity toward our brothers and sisters.
A Mystic Vision of the Holy Mass – Pt IV
Catalina’s Testimony on the Holy Mass
Author: Catalina Rivas
Part 4
The following is taken from the writings of the Bolivian mystic Catalina Rivas. The visions described below are the product of divinely inspired mystical experiences. Through these moving images, God seeks to underscore the importance of the Sacrament of the Eucharist and tell the whole truth about what transpires during every Holy Mass.
The moment of the Consecration – that most marvelous of Miracles – drew near. Another great multitude appeared in a diagonal line behind the Bishop, this time to his right. They were similarly clad, but in various shades of pastel: rose, green, light-blue, lilac, and yellow. Their faces were blissful and shone radiantly. All seemed to be of the same age. Somehow you knew they were of different ages, but their faces looked the same – without wrinkle and joyous. They too knelt down at the intoning of the Sanctus, “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord…” Our Lady said: “These are the Saints and the Blessed of Heaven. Among them you will find the souls of your relatives who already enjoy the Beatific Vision.” Then I saw Her, at the Archbishop’s right elbow, one step behind him. She hovered over the floor, kneeling on an exquisite piece of fabric, clear and bright, like pellucid water. Hands joined, she looked attentively and respectfully at the celebrant. From that position, she murmured directly into my heart, without looking at me: “It surprises you to see Me standing behind the Archbishop, does it not? This is as it should be. For all the love that My Son bestows upon Me, He has not accorded Me the honor of confecting the daily Miracle with My hands as priestly hands do. Because of this, I feel a deep respect for priests and for the miracle that God accomplishes through them. This compels Me to kneel behind them.”
Before the Altar, shadows of people appeared, all in gray, their hands raised. The Holy Virgin said to me: “These are the blessed souls of Purgatory, who await your prayers in order to be refreshed. Never cease to pray for them. They pray for you, but they cannot pray for themselves. You must pray for them, in order to help them leave Purgatory, that they may be with God and enjoy Him for eternity.” Mary added: “Now you have seen it; I am here all the time. People go on pilgrimages to the sites of my apparitions. That is good, because they will receive many graces there. But at none of my apparitions, at no other site, am I more present than at the Altar during Holy Mass. You will always find Me at the foot of the Altar, where the Eucharist is celebrated. I remain at the foot of the Tabernacle, with the angels, because I am always with Him.”
To see Our Blessed Mother’s beautiful face at the intoning of the Sanctus, to see all those others present, faces radiant, hands joined, eagerly awaiting the Miracle that is ever made present – to see this was to be in Heaven itself. “And to think there are those who can be distracted in conversation at such a moment. It hurts me to say that many remain standing, arms crossed, paying homage to the Lord as if they were His equal. Tell men especially that they are never more manly than when they bend their knee to God.”
The celebrant pronounced the words of the Consecration. Though he was a man of average height, he began suddenly to grow in stature. A supernatural golden-white light seemed to suffuse him. It proceeded to envelop him completely, growing especially bright around the face. Because of this, I could not make out his features. As he raised the Host, I saw his hands. The back of them showed marks from which great beams of light emanated. It was Jesus! It was He, wrapping His Body around the celebrant. It was as if He were lovingly surrounding the hands of the Archbishop. The Host began growing to enormous size. Upon it, the marvelous face of Jesus appeared. He looked down upon His people. Instinctively, I bowed my head, but Our Lady said: “Do not look down. Look up; view and contemplate Him. Exchange your gaze with His and repeat the Fatima prayer: ‘Lord, I believe, I adore, I trust and I love You. I ask pardon for those who do not believe, who do not adore, or trust, or love You.’ Now tell Him how much you love Him. Pay homage to the King of Kings.”
It seemed to me that I was the only one looking at Him as He gazed down from that enormous Host. But then I understood that this was how He gazes at every person. He loves all with a boundless love. Then I bowed my head to the very floor, as did all the Angels and Heavenly Saints. As the celebrant lowered the Host, it returned to its normal size. Tears ran down my cheeks. I could not recover from my astonishment. As the Bishop repeated the words of the Consecration of the wine, lightning appeared from the heavens… The church walls and ceiling had vanished. All was dark but for that brilliant light from the Altar.
(To be Continued)
Read the complete article (PDF format)
A Mystic vision of the Holy Mass – Pt III
The following is taken from the writings of the Bolivian mystic Catalina Rivas. The visions described below are the product of divinely inspired mystical experiences. Through these moving images, God seeks to underscore the importance of the Sacrament of the Eucharist and tell the whole truth about what transpires during every Holy Mass.
Soon it was time for the Offertory, and the Blessed Virgin said: “Pray in this manner: ‘Lord, I offer You all that I am, all that I have, all that I am able to do. I entrust everything to Your Hands…Almighty God, transform me by the merits of Your Son. I beg You on behalf of my family, my benefactors… all those who struggle against us, and those who have commended themselves to my poor prayers.’”
Suddenly, figures I had not noticed before began rising out of the pews. It was as if another person were coming out of the side of each person sitting in the Cathedral. Before long, the building was full of beautiful young beings clad in snow-white robes. They moved to the center aisle and processed toward the altar.
Our Blessed Mother said: “Observe. They are the Guardian Angels of everyone present here. This is the moment when your Guardian Angel brings your offerings and petitions before the Lord’s Altar.”
I was utterly astonished. These beings had beautiful faces, radiant beyond imagining. Despite the feminine-like beauty of their faces, their bodies, hands, and stature were clearly masculine. Their bare feet seemed to glide over the floor. Some of them carried golden, bowl-like objects that gleamed with a golden-white light. The Virgin Mary said to me: “These are the Guardian Angels of those who are offering up this Holy Mass for many intentions. They know what the Divine Liturgy means. They have something to offer to the Lord… Avail yourself of this moment to make an offering of yourself. Offer your sorrows, your pains, your hopes, your sadness, your joys, and your petitions. Remember the Mass has infinite value. Therefore, be generous with your offerings and petitions.”
Behind the first group of angels came others who had nothing in their hands…The Virgin Mary said: “These are the angels of those present here who never have anything to offer. They have no interest in experiencing each liturgical moment of the Mass. They have no gifts to bring to the Lord’s Altar.”
I was utterly astonished. These beings had beautiful faces, radiant beyond imagining. Despite the feminine-like beauty of their faces, their bodies, hands, and stature were clearly masculine. Their bare feet seemed to glide over the floor. Some of them carried golden, bowl-like objects that gleamed with a golden-white light. The Virgin Mary said to me: “These are the Guardian Angels of those who are offering up this Holy Mass for many intentions. They know what the Divine Liturgy means. They have something to offer to the Lord… Avail yourself of this moment to make an offering of yourself. Offer your sorrows, your pains, your hopes, your sadness, your joys, and your petitions. Remember the Mass has infinite value. Therefore, be generous with your offerings and petitions.”
Behind the first group of angels came others who had nothing in their hands…The Virgin Mary said: “These are the angels of those present here who never have anything to offer. They have no interest in experiencing each liturgical moment of the Mass. They have no gifts to bring to the Lord’s Altar.”
At the end of the procession came other angels with sorrowful-looking expressions. They walked with their hands joined in prayer, their eyes downcast. “These are the Guardian Angels of those who are present here but who do not wish to be; that is, those who have been forced to come, who come out of a sense of obligation but without any real desire to take part in the Holy Mass. The angels walk sadly because they have nothing to bring to the Altar, except their own prayers… Do not sadden your Guardian Angel. Ask for much; ask for the conversion of sinners, for peace in the world, for your families, your neighbors, for those who ask for your prayers. Ask; ask for much, not only for yourselves, but for others as well. Remember the offering that most pleases the Lord is the one in which you offer yourself as a holocaust, so that upon His descent Jesus may transform you by His own merits. What do we have to offer the Father on our own? Nothing but sin. But the offering of ourselves united to the merits of Jesus, that offering is pleasing to the Father.” (to be continued)
A Mystic Vision of the Holy Mass – Pt II
The following is taken from the writings of the Bolivian mystic Catalina Rivas. The visions described below are the product of divinely inspired mystical experiences. Through these moving images, God seeks to underscore the importance of the Sacrament of the Eucharist and tell the whole truth about what transpires during every Holy Mass.
The church authorities of Cochabamba, headed by Archbishop René Fernandez Apaz, have endorsed Catalina’s mystical experiences and given their permission for these writings to be published.
When I arrived at church on the feast of the Annunciation, the Archbishop and priests had already processed out of the sacristy. The Virgin Mary said in her soft, sweet, feminine voice: “Today is a day of learning for you. I want you to pay close attention to what you experience today, for you will be sharing it with all of mankind.”
The first thing I noticed was the distant sound of beautiful choir voices. The music seemed to draw nearer, then recede like the sound of the wind. The Archbishop began Mass. When he reached the penitential rite, the Blessed Virgin said: “Now ask the Lord from the bottom of your heart to forgive you your sins, for they are offensive to Him. This way you will be able to participate worthily in the privilege of attending Holy Mass.” I thought, “Surely I am in a state of sanctifying grace. Didn’t I go to confession last night?” But the Blessed Mother answered: “You think you have not offended God since last night? Let Me remind you of a couple of instances… And you say you have not hurt the Lord? You arrived here at the last minute, when the celebrants were processing to the altar to say Mass. You were going to take part without preparing yourself… Why do you come at the last minute? Come earlier to pray and ask the Lord to send His Holy Spirit, that He may grant you His peace and cleanse you of the spirit of the world, your worries, problems, and distractions. It is He who disposes you to the proper experience of so sacred a moment… This is the greatest of all Miracles. You are about to experience the moment when God the Most High bestows His supreme gift upon you, yet you are unable to appreciate it.”
Since this was a feast day and the Gloria was to be recited, Our Lady said: “Glorify and bless the Holy Trinity with all your love. Acknowledge yourself as one of Its creatures.
Now came the Liturgy of the Word. The Virgin Mary bade me repeat: “Lord, today I desire to listen to Your Word and yield abundant fruit. May Your Holy Spirit clean the interior of my heart so that Your Word may grow and mature in it…” Then Our Lady said: “I want you to attend to the readings and homily. Remember Holy Scripture says that the Word of God does not return to His mouth without bearing fruit. If you are attentive, something of what you have heard will remain with you. Try all day long to recall the words that made an impression on you. It may be two verses, or the entire Gospel reading, or perhaps only a single word. Whatever it is, savor it for the rest of the day. It will become a part of you. That is the way to change your life, by allowing the God’s Word to transform you.”
Read the complete article (PDF format) . . .
A Mystic Vision of the Holy Mass – Part I
This is a multi-part series on the Holy Mass taken from the writings of the Bolivian mystic Catalina Rivas. The visions described below are the product of divinely inspired mystical experiences. Through these moving images, God seeks to underscore the importance of the Sacrament of the Eucharist and tell the whole truth about what transpires during every Holy Mass. The church authorities of Cochabamba, Bolivia, headed by Archbishop Rene` Fernandez Apaz, have endorsed Catalina’s mystical experiences and given their permission for these writings to be published.
Part I – Preparation for Mass & Entrance Rites
Catalina writes, “When I arrived at church on the feast of the Annunciation, the Archbishop and priests had already processed out of the sacristy. The Virgin Mary said in her soft, sweet, feminine voice: ‘”Today is a day of learning for you. I
want you to pay close attention to what you experience today, for you will be sharing it with all of mankind.’”
“The first thing I noticed,” continues Catalina, was the distant sound of beautiful choir voices. The music seemed to draw nearer, than recede like the sound of the wind. The Archbishop began Mass. When he reached the Penitential Act,
the Blessed Virgin said: ‘”Now ask the Lord from the bottom of your heart to forgive your sins, for they are offensive to Him This way you will be able to participate worthily in the privilege of attending Holy Mass.’” I thought, Catalina
continues, “surely I am in a state of sanctifying grace. Didn’t I go to confession last night?” But the Blessed Mother answered: ‘”You think you have not offended God since last night? Let Me remind you of a couple instances…And you say
you have not hurt the Lord? You arrived here at the last minute, when the celebrants were processing to the altar to say Mass. You were going to take part without preparing yourself…Why do you come at the last minute? Come earlier
to pray and ask the Lord to send His Holy Spirit that He may grant you His peace and cleanse you of the spirit of the world, your worries, problems, and distractions. It is He who disposes you to the proper experience of so sacred
moment…This is the greatest of all Miracles. You are about to experience the moment when God the Most High bestows His supreme gift upon you, yet you are unable to appreciate it.’”
Since this was a feast day and the Gloria was to be recited,
Our Lady said: ‘”Glorify and bless the Holy Trinity with all your love. Acknowledge yourself as one of Its creatures’”
What Is a Conscience?
In the New Testament the word “synedesis” appears twenty-five times in the writings of St. Paul. For Paul, it is the awareness of the difference between good and evil, and it derives from Stoic thought, which considers synedesis or conscientia to be the ultimate and autonomous judge of human actions. For Paul, the Christian has a strong conscience, which identifies which is truly good and truly evil, but others have a “weak” conscience by which they cannot tell the difference. A pure conscience brings forth pure love and genuine faith. False apostles have seared and insensitive consciences. For Paul, to the pure of conscience all things are pure, but to those of bad conscience see all things in a twisted fashion. And for him, Christ purifies the conscience, which the law is unable to do.
For St. Thomas Aquinas, brilliant theologian of the Middle Ages, a “conscience is the judgment of practical reason reached by human intelligence seeking to know what is the morally permissible and commended form of action in a given practical situation.” For Aquinas, conscience is based on synderesis, which is a natural inclination or openness to the moral good. Modern understandings of conscience make it as an absolute and unrestrictive reality. In other words, “do whatever you feel like doing or what the conscience tells you to do!”
The Second Vatican Council resisted this tendency, holding that authentic conscience had to be formed in accord with the dictates of “right reason” and the authentic moral teachings of the Church. It is extremely important for every follower of Christ before making any important decisions, must have an “informed conscience”, i.e., formed by the teachings and values of Christ
and His Gospel.
Who is Saint Valentine?
What we seem to be able to say for sure is that the one associated with February 14th died in 270, and was a priest in Rome. He assisted St. Marius with tending to the sick and wounded Christians who were imprisoned during the reign of Claudius II. Later, he was arrested and asked to renounce his faith. He
would not do this and so was sentenced to be beaten with clubs and then beheaded. This execution was done on February 14, which is the day we celebrate this Feast.
While little is known about the lives of any of the early Valentines, we can speculate a little more about why the name and date became associated with romantic love. Some historians recount the early Roman custom of boys drawing girl’s names on February 15th as a celebration to honor the pagan goddess of fertility, Februata Juno. The bishops supposedly “baptized” this holiday by substituting the girl’s names with the names of Saints, Valentine being the most popular name because of the proximity of his feast day.
For our modern practice of exchanging cards and gifts and calling your sweetheart “Valentine”, we must look for a more recent origin. In the Middle Ages, in France and England, it seems that February 14th was first associated with lovers because that was the date tradition had it that birds would pair off to mate for the spring. According to the romantic literature of the 14th and 15th centuries, it was common on this day to send a love token or a letter to your desired mate, in imitation of the birds. Since this day also was the feast day of St. Valentine, the practice arose of calling the one you sent the token to your “Valentine”. So it turns out that the cards we exchange have nothing to do with the Saint at all, although I am sure he would be pleased at the expression of
love done in his name.
Some people today might look at the pagan origins of this holiday and write it off as un-Christian and therefore something we should discourage. You find the same thing being said about Halloween and even Easter and Christmas! But the early Church absorbed many pagan celebrations and made them holy, by turning the purpose of the festivities towards God. And certainly God wants us to love one another. Christ himself, when asked what the greatest commandment is, replied, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt 22:37-39)
What is the “World Day of Prayer for the Sick?”
On February 11, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, we observe once again the “World Day of Prayer for the Sick.” Illness—our own or that of a loved one, in whatever form and at whatever age—is a real challenge to all, for through illness we are reminded of our own mortality.
The Church in her ministry to the sick and their families seeks to help make the time of illness a unique and an opportune time to help the ill person to find adequate responses to the ultimate questions abut human life—questions on the meaning of pain, suffering and death itself, considered not only as an enigma difficult to face, but as a mystery in which Christ incorporates our lives into Himself, opening them to a new and definitive birth for the life that will never end. And so, to those who are injured or sick, the Church through her ministry of pastoral care says: courage, God has not forgotten you. Christ suffers with you. And by offering up your sufferings, you can collaborate with Him in the redemption of the world. In this way, Jesus gives meaning to all human suffering.
Pope Benedict XVI has released his message for the 2012 ”World Day of Prayer for the Sick.” The day’s theme is “Stand Up and Go; Your Faith Has Saved You” (Luke 17:19). The Holy Father focuses on the sacraments of healing: the Sacrament of Penance – “the medicine of confession” – and the Anointing of the Sick. Pope Benedict, in speaking of the latter, says, ”Anointing of the Sick should not be held to be almost a ’minor sacrament’ when compared to the others.” Attention to and pastoral care for sick people, while on the one hand, a sign of God’s tenderness towards those who are suffering, on the other brings spiritual advantage to priests and the whole Christian community as well, in the awareness that what is done to the least, is done to Jesus Himself (cf. Mt. 25:40).
Human Life & Dignity
For the Church, there is no distinction between defending human life and promoting the dignity of the human person.
Pope Benedict XVI writes in his encyclical Caritas in Veritate, that “The Church forcefully maintains this link between life ethics and social ethics, fully aware that ‘a society lacks solid foundations when, on the one hand, it assets values such as the dignity of the person, justice and peace, but then, on the other hand, radically acts to the contrary by allowing or tolerating a variety of ways in which human life is devalued and violated, especially where it is weak or marginalized” (no. 15).
As a gift from God, every human life is sacred from conception to natural death. The life and dignity of every person must be respected and protected at every stage and in every condition. The right to life is the first and most fundamental principle of human rights that leads Catholics to actively work for a world of greater respect for human life and greater commitment to justice and peace. The Bishops of United States have pledged to affirm the intrinsic (fundamental] value of human life and the dignity of every human being in a way that transforms the culture by implementing “The Life and Dignity of the Human Person” priority plan for 2010-2021. To achieve this goal, the priority plan includes ongoing education, prayer, policy, and advocacy efforts to mobilize the Catholic community on issues of life, justice, and peace. In this way, the community celebrates the gift of human life and witnesses to the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Changes to the Missal
#1 – The Roman Missal is going through the Third Edition. The Roman Missal is the book of prayers and responses prayed by the celebrant and the people during any given Mass. There re two significant changes, which we will look at for the next two weeks. Today we want to offer a background explanation as to why we’re having a Third Edition. The first English translation of the Roman Missal after Vatican II aimed at easy intelligibility in the vernacular, putting greater value on what is called “functional equivalence” with the original Latin than on word-for-word fidelity. The resulting texts became quite understandable, but often at the expense of the full richness and meaning of the words that the Christians of the early centuries of the Church used to celebrate the Mass. The revised edition of the English Missal seeks to recover the full original meaning, rich in poetry, theology, and biblical allusions. To make the transition more fruitful, it is valuable to give some attention to two of the changes that people have found most confusing.
#2 – “And with your spirit” – The first change concerns the response to the priest’s greeting “The Lord be with you.” The faithful will begin to respond “And with your spirit,” instead of the now—customary “And also with you.” The Lord (be) with you (Dominus vobiscum) is a powerful biblical greeting, used in both Old and New Testaments, especially when a messenger from God, such as an angel or an apostle, meets someone to whom he was sent. Most famously, these are the words with which the angel greets Mary (Lk 1:28). He states the fact that the Lord God is with Mary in a uniquely intimate way– but he also expresses the wish that the Lord may be even more powerfully present in her when she will conceive the child Jesus in her wwomb. The greeting, then, is an acknowledgment of the Lord Jesus’ presence in the congregation and the minister, and a wish that His presence may fill us with His Spirit and transform us unto His image and likeness.
#3 – The second possibly confusing change coming up in the Roman Missal, concern’s the priest’s repetition of Christ’s own words at the consecration of the chalice. In the phrase “this is the cup of my blood… which will be shed for you and “for all,” the last word will be changed from “all” to “many” (in accord with the Latin term “multis” ). When Pope Benedict explicitly requested this change in translation, confusion arose among some Catholics: they were afraid that such wording might create the false impression that the Church believed that Jesus did not die for all human beings. However, the change in translation was not because it is wrong to say Jesus died ?for all, but because saying that he would die “for many” is a more faithful translation of what Jesus actually said. When quoting Jesus at the Last Supper, the Greek Bible and the earliest Greek and Latin Masses, the closest witnesses we have to Jesus’ own words, all clearly choose phrases that mean “for many” and not “for all”. It seems that Jesus choose to say “for many” at the Last Supper to show that He fulfills the role of the Suffering Servant as foretold by Isaiah: the one Servant who would take away the sins of “many”, and will justify “the many” by his vicarious suffering and death (53:11,12). The “many” means here an indefinitely large multitude consisting of both Israel and many other nations.
A final thought to ponder: It would seem that at the Last Supper Christ said “for you and for many” instead of “for you and for all” to remind us that the Eucharist is a Covenant meal, one which must be embraced by both the offerer and the recipient. Entry into the New and Eternal Covenant is truly open to all, but the benefits of the Covenant belong to those who have freely accepted it!