"The priest goes into the church, kneels before the Blessed Sacrament, speaks mentally to Jesus and listens to him.  He asks for fervor, for spiritual strength, he asks pardon and he asks for grace.  The Visit is an intimate communication with Jesus-Host, not spiritual reading, not only an exam of conscience, not the recital of the Rosary or his Office."

~November 2009 with Blessed Alberione

This really struck me when I read it.  How often have I limited the beneifits of a Visit by reciting numerous prayers or sticking my nose in a spiritual book without also sitting in His presence and just listening and speaking from the heart?

I pray for priests and all who make the Visit to remember who it is they are coming to see and what it is He wants to give.

 Happy Thanksgiving all.

 In Jesus Master through Mary Queen of Apostles and St. Paul,

A little more from Zenit...

 Pope: Paul's Conflict With Peter Taught Dialogue

Explains Apostles Were Seeing Two Different Perspectives

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 1, 2008 (Zenit.org).-The relationship between Sts. Peter and Paul helped the two apostles to learn that only sincere dialogue, open to the truth of Christ, can guide the path of the Church.

The Pope affirmed this today during the general audience in St. Peter's Square, in which he continued with his series of catecheses on the Apostle Paul. The Church is celebrating through June the Pauline Jubilee Year, which marks the 2,000th anniversary of the Apostle's birth.

The Holy Father spoke of two main encounters between Paul and Peter: first at the Council of Jerusalem and then in the well-known encounter where Paul rebuked the first Pope.

Regarding this second episode, Benedict! XVI explained that the perspectives of the two apostles were different, though both were eager to protect the faith of believers.

The incident arose over the question of what to do when Christians of both Jewish and pagan origin share at one table.

The Pope recalled that initially, "Peter, shared the table with both, but with the arrival of some Christians linked to James […] Peter had begun to avoid contact at the table with pagans, so as not to scandalize those [of Jewish origin] who continued observing the rules regarding food purity. […] That choice deeply divided the Christians come from circumcision and those come from paganism."

Concerns

The Holy Father noted that Peter's decision "brought a fiery reaction from Paul, who arrived to the point of accusing Peter and the rest of hypocrisy."

But, the Pontiff clarified, in reality "the concerns of Paul, on one hand, and Peter and Barnabas on the other, were different."

He explained: "For [Peter], the separation of the pagans represented a way to teach and avoid scandalizing the believers coming from Judaism. For Paul, it constituted, on the other hand, the danger of a misunderstanding of the universal salvation in Christ offered as much to the pagans as to the Jews.

"If justification was brought about only in virtue of faith in Christ, of conformity with him, without any work of the law, then what sense was there in still observing the [rules on] purity of food when participating at the table?"

Thus, Benedict XVI contended, it is likely that Peter and Paul simply had taken different perspectives: "For [Peter], not losing the Jews who had embraced the Gospel, for [Paul], not diminishing the salvific value of the death of Christ for all believers."

The Pope mentioned, however, that Paul would later face the same dilemma, and espouse a perspective similar to that which he rebuked.

"Writing to the Christians of Rome a few years later -- around the middle of the decade of the 50s -- Paul will find himself before a similar situation and he will ask the strong that they not eat impure food so as not to lose the weak or cause scandal for them," the Holy Father recalled.

A lesson

Thus, Benedict XVI concluded, the Antioch event "showed itself to be a lesson both for Peter and for Paul. Only sincere dialogue, open to the truth of the Gospel, could guide the path of the Church."

And, he affirmed, the same lesson needs to be learned today: "With the distinct charisms entrusted to Peter and Paul, let us all be guided by the Spirit, trying to live in the liberty that finds its orientation in faith in Christ and is made tangible in service to our brothers.

"It is essential to be ever more conformed to Christ. It is in this way that one is truly f! ree, in this way the deepest nucleus of the law is expressed in us: the love of God and neighbor. Let us ask the Lord to teach us to share his sentiments, to learn from him the true liberty and evangelical love that embraces every human being."

This came to me through my e-mail from Zenit and I thought I'd share it.  Father Jeff, please let me know if this is not ok to do. 

In Jesus the Divine Master through Mary Queen of Apostles and St. Paul,

marlicia

 Paul Is No Inventor of Christianity, Says Pope

Notes Apostle's Faithful Transmission of Tradition

VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 24, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The importance that Paul gave in his letters to sacred Tradition proves false the claim the Apostle invented Christianity, says Benedict XVI.
The Pope affirmed this today during the general audience in St. Peter's Square, which he dedicated to a continuation of his series of catecheses on St. Paul. Some 15,000 people gathered for the audience, including several groups from Eastern Europe and Oceania.

The Holy Father spoke about St. Paul's relationships with the Twelve, which he said were "always marked by profound respect and by the frankness that in Paul stemmed from the defense of the truth of the Gospel."

He particularly stressed the relationship with Peter, notin! g that the Apostle to the Gentiles stayed with the first Pope for 15 days to learn about Christ's earthly life.

During Paul's time with the Twelve, the Pontiff explained, he received teaching on central elements of the Christian tradition. He then transmits this Tradition faithfully. Benedict XVI particularly noted passages from Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians where the Apostle explains the Christian faith on the Eucharist and the Resurrection.

"The words of Jesus in the Last Supper really are for Paul the center of the life of the Church," the Pope explained.

And the "other text, on the Resurrection, transmits to us again the same formula of fidelity," he continued.

"The importance that [Paul] bestows on the living Tradition of the Church, which she transmits to her communities, demonstrates how mistaken is the view of those who attribute to Paul the invention of Christianity," the Holy Father contended. "Before proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he encountered him on the road to Damascus, and met him in the Church, observing his life in the Twelve, and in those who had followed him on the roads of Galilee. [...]

"The mission received on the part of the Risen One in order to evangelize the Gentiles must be confirmed and guaranteed by those who gave him and Barnabas their right hand, in sign of approval of their apostolate and evangelization, and of acceptance in the one communion of the Church of Christ."

The Pontiff concluded by affirming that faith is born from an experience of the risen Christ.

"The more we try to follow in the footsteps of Jesus of Nazareth on the roads of Galilee, so much the more will we understand that he has taken charge of our humanity, sharing in everything except sin," he said. "Our faith is not born from a myth or an idea, but from an encounter with the Risen One, in the life of the Church."

It's hard to believe the Triduum is over for another year.  It is hard for me to express how much I enjoyed the spiritual growth and fellowship I experienced there.  I became acquainted with new people and got to know returning members better.  Father Jeff's talks were wonderful, as always and I learned a great deal from them.  The ceremonies were beautiful and I offer my most sincere congratulations to all who entered the novitiate or made their Professions, first, subsequent or perpetuals.   I'm so excited for all of you!

Yesterday was a bit of a let down without all of you, but I kept busy trying to catch up with work and preparations for my CCD class.  Today things returned to normal (whatever that is. *smile*)  I managed to get back to my routine, at least to some extent after the wonderful experience of the Triduum.  It felt odd not to see everyone on Tuesday when I went to adoration.  Some of that faded when I walked into Mass this morning and saw Kristen and her family who were visiting friends before returning home.  We were able to chat for a few minutes before I had to get home to start work and she and her family had to get started with their schedule of visiting friends and family.  Despite the brevity of the encounter, it was a pleasant and welcome one.

I look forward to the possiblity of seeing two more members of the HFI on Monday evening during a presentation by Scott Hahn on "The Gospel According to St. Paul".  I can't think of a better topic or a better speaker to share with members of my extended Pauline family.

I thank God for leading me to the Pauline Family in general and the Holy Family Institute and I can't wait for next year's Triduum.