Good Friday and Sacred Heart Friday

O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in you!

And so goes the  ‘Divine Mercy 3 O’Clock Prayer,’ which all devotees of the Divine Mercy Devotion typically say at 3PM local time every day.

That is the time when Jesus died on the Cross to redeem us for our sins. Soon after, a Roman centurion threw a lance at his side to ensure He was dead; as the lance pierced Him blood and water flowed from His side.

John 19:34 Instead, one of the soldiers opened his side with a lance, and immediately there went out blood and water.

Courtesy: Sacred Bible: Catholic Public Domain Version

Divinemercyvilniusimage

On this Sacred Heart Friday, we honor the Passion and Death of Our Lord. For today is Good Friday. On this day he trod the Way of the Cross and was finally nailed to it, suffering the horrific pain and humiliation for three hours until He died.  

On this day we also begin the Divine Mercy Novena, which leads up to the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday. This my favorite Novena to pray, even more so than those to the Immaculate Conception or St. Maximilian Kolbe! Given what I subjected other to and what I myself endured as a consequence of my alcoholism, Divine Mercy Sunday has a very special meaning for me. (I was also married on the Vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday in 2008; so there’s another dimension to the holyday.) I’ll post more on Divine Mercy Sunday when we get closer to it.

Good Friday reminds us of the unity of the Sacred Heart Devotion and the newer Divine Mercy Devotion. They go hand-in-hand and complement each other. The visual imagery of the lance that pierced His side and the blood and water that flowed out and the Image of the Merciful Jesus (“Jesus, I trust in You.”) bind the two devotions. If you are a devotee of one, you really should be also of the other. There is a fulness or completion in uniting the two…

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Today is the feast day of Servant of God Fr. Wenanty Katarzyniec, possible patron of alcoholics

Today is the feast day of Servant of God Fr. Wenanty Katarzyniec. He died March 31, 1921. A Franciscan friar of the same branch as St. Maximilian Kolbe, he died ‘in the odor of sanctity’ as they said back then of people who’ve lived a holy life.

Dyplomik01

I thought I had written about him before but a diligent search of this blog doesn’t turn up anything. The reason for my assumption is that I had read St. Maximilian’s Complete Writings a few years ago and came across several passages about Fr. Wenanty. In one of them, St. Maximilian had written that while at a parish Fr. Wenanty was assigned to, he worked with a Catholic organization that helped people who suffered from alcohol addiction. St. Maximilian never identified the organization. Perhaps it was an abstinence society where people took the pledge to abstain?

Some items crossed my Facebook feed today which alerted me that today was the anniversary of his passing into eternal life. So, naturally, given that he could be yet another patron of us ex-drunks, I looked around for material on him.

I found this nice website: Venanty Katarzyniec. It is in Polish and English. Some pages are yet to be translated into English but if you use a browser that has a translation function, those become readable (although some of the translations are humorous, such as a reference to a magazine they founded back then called “The Last Jedi.” I assume the translation code misinterpreted ‘knight.’)

It is a fairly comprehensive site, replete with biography and notes from St. Maximilian. It details his path to sainthood. He is still ‘only’ a Servant of God.

On April 26, 2016 Pope Francis agrees to publish a decree on the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Wenanty Katarzyniec during a meeting with the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints of God. Canonization, in the presence of the postulator general Fr. Angel Paleri. Henceforth Father Wenanty Katarzyniec is entitled to the title of Venerable Servant of God.

So his cause is moving forward! While perusing the site, in a biography there was this tidbit:

On August 28, 1908, he received a religious habit in Lviv with a new name: Venanty and began a one-year novitiate there, after which he took religious vows. He loved the Franciscan Order with all his soul and tried to consistently realize its ideal in life. At the retreat, he decided to himself: “I will be guarded by the slightest sin, even if I die.” Chastity shone on his face, he loved poverty and mortification, even made a vow of abstinence from vodka, and in practice he did not drink any alcohol. 

That vow of abstinence predates his ordination to the priesthood and subsequent assignment to whatever parish he was at where he worked with alcoholics. So, there was something in his life and background which caused him to avoid alcohol and assist others in doing so. What that was, is unknown and speculation is pointless. 

Here is the Prayer for his Beatification (taken from the site above.)

Prayer for the Beatification of Fr. Venanty

338584366 783146279841425 2843581973415282825 n

(The prayer which was placed on the picture printed by St. Maximilian:)

Lord Jesus Christ, Who said, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me, “behold, your servant, Venanty, obedient to the evangelical councils, left everything for love of You, took up the yoke of religious life, and after your example became everything to all; Grant, we beseech you, to quickly bring about his elevation to your altar, for your greater glory, for the good of your holy Church, and for the salvation of souls.

Mary, our Immaculate Mother, it has never been heard of the that anyone fleeing to you, has ever been left unaided; We trust You in humble intercession, intercede and now to the Most Holy Trinity, so that your servant Venanty, may as soon as possible be counted among the blessed of the Lord, as a sign for us of God’s intercession, grant us this grace which we humbly ask of you… (here place or think of your intention).

Through Christ our Lord. Amen

There is even a Novena for the Intercession of Servant of God Fr. Venanty Katarzyniec!

So we may have another patron for us!

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

The Sacred Heart devotion is a summary of the spiritual life and of religion

For this Sacred Heart Friday, there is a great article from Aleteia on “How the Sacred Heart devotion is a summary of the spiritual life.”

Indeed, if you look at the Devotion, with its central theme being the redemptive love of Jesus to all of Humankind, our response to that love as a means or reparation, and all the devotional acts (prayer, Mass the Blessed Sacrament,) one can see that it is a basic summary of the practice of the Catholic religion.

Want to better practice your Catholic Faith? Just work out the Sacred Heart Devotion.

 

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Sober Catholic Blog Discussion Group on MeWe

As a companion to the Sober Catholic Page on Facebook, I am starting a similar thing on MeWe. MeWe is probably the largest and best known of the ‘alternative to Facebook’ social networks out there. I’ve been a member since early 2015 and am fairly active. 

Screenshot 2023 03 26 at 7 12 57 PM

Matt talbot The Sober Catholic Blog Discussion Group is where readers of SoberCatholic.com can come together and discuss posts. Discussion will initially just center around posts, but hopefully within that framework people can expand and talk about the Matt Talbot Way of Sobriety and anything related to alcoholism and addiction recovery from a Catholic perspective.

Please click on this to join: CLICK ON ME TO JOIN THE SOBER CATHOLIC BLOG DISCUSSION GROUP ON MEWE.

Img

Although it is a Group, it will at first behave like a Brand Page. MeWe charges for Brand Pages and I’m not interested in paying $1.99 a month. Call me cheap, but Facebook and LinkedIn don’t charge. Of course, they advertise and harvest your data, and MeWe doesn’t. So, maybe someday I’ll fork over the loot, but not right now. At the moment, a Group will suffice, especially since the settings can be manipulated to make it act like a Page; that is, with posts and shares by the owner, and members just commenting on things. I may open up discussion to things as a whole, where people can create posts in the Group, but for now, I’m not yet willing to do that.

Thank you, and I hope to see you around! Click on this to connect with me there: Contact me on MeWe!

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Three Drops of Blood: The Creation of the Sacred Heart

On this Sacred Heart Friday, I am relating to you something about the creation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This is appropriate given that as this is posted, it is the Vigil of the Solemnity of the Annunciation.This comes from a private revelation, and thus is not binding on Catholics. However, my personal opinion regarding approved private revelations is that they are not binding on the faithful in much the same way that putting on a parachute is not binding on you when you jump out of a plane. You don’t have to wear one, but it’s a good idea anyway.

It comes from “The Mystical City of God,” by the Venerable Mary de Jesus de Agreda. Mary de Agreda was a Franciscan nun who served as abbess of a cloistered convent in Agreda, Spain, in the 17th Century. She experienced a series of visions during which the Blessed Mother communicated her life to the abbess. It’s the most complete biography of the Virgin Mary ever written and there are quite a lot of deep insights into theology and doctrine, as well as a host of mystical meditations and…. well, words don’t do it justice but the volumes are incredible and worth getting. “The Mystical City of God” comes in four volumes and is 2,700 pages long. Don’t let that intimidate you. If you read a lot, it’s like the equivalent of 8-10 books. You’re gonna read at least that many this year, ain’t you? Well, these are better! You can pace yourself, if needed. Eight pages a day will get you done in one year. One chapter a day (more sensible a task than 8 pages/day) will take you through it in seven months. They are available for sale through various publishers, as well as free PDFs online (the books are public domain.) I’ve read the four volume unabridged edition twice, and am embarking upon a third reread. (There is an abridged version.)

It happens immediately after Mary gave her consent for the Holy Spirit to overshadow her causing the Incarnation. Here is an image of the passage from “The Incarnation,” the volume from which it was taken (the “Incarnation,” the second of the four volumes.)

Three Drops of Blood Passage

Three drops of blood from Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart gathered and deposited in her sacred womb. From this, Jesus drew His genetic material and His Sacred Humanity. 

The issuing of the blood from her heart symbolized her Sorrowful Heart, which was to suffer much as prophesied by Simeon. So, there in a connection between her Sorrowful Heart and His Sacred Heart. This makes sense, given her sorrow was over His passion and death for the love of us that emanated from His Sacred Heart; and our devotion to the Sacred Heart serves as a reparation for sins committed against Him, and, by extension, Our Lady. When we make reparation to the Sacred heart, we are also consoling her.

The Solemnity of the Annunciation can be considered a celebration of the union of the Two Hearts – The Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Our Lady and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. (There is a devotion to the Two Hearts (as well as prophecies), which I’ll look into and write about later (May/June?)

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Blog overhaul UPDATE! (new from yesterday’s post)

UPDATE: (new from yesterday’s post) Due to some massive new updates to WordPress that are appearing next week (see embedded video if you care), some changes will be delayed, such as the new theme and the subscription thingy. I’ve asked a question in a MeWe WordPress Group about the latter, (admin is the same guy in the video, I think) so hopefully that’ll be resolved soon, too.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Blog Overhaul (almost) done

The blog overhaul I mentioned earlier is mostly done. There are only two things left: figure out the subscription thingy and edit a page on St. Maximilian Kolbe and the Militia of the Immaculata. 

The changes are across the top. See:

Screenshot 2023 03 21 at 8 11 37 PM

They’re all those blocky things below the Sober Catholic: Catholicism, Recovery, Sobriety, etc. stuff and above the most recent post.

Just click on them and see what’s there. I think it’s an improvement over the links-in-sidebar model, plus you can share the pages!

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Addiction and Mental Health Resources Page is up!

As a part of my overhaul of this blog, I’ve deleted many resources along the sidebars and moved them over to their own page; this would make it easier for readers using mobile devices to navigate around as well as for anyone to share it.

You can access the page along to tabs across the top, or go here: Addiction and Mental Health Resources Page

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Adoration Sodality

I was watching EWTN Mass the other day and Fr. Joseph mentioned an initiative of the nuns there concerning establishing an “Adoration Sodality.” It is an organization where members sign up and commit to a Holy Hour.

I immediately went to the site he mentioned and signed up (if you go to that link, you’ll be redirected to another site.)

There’s more here:

I bring this for a variety of reasons, but mainly that today is Sacred Heart Friday and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is at the core of the Sacred Heart Devotion. Those who adore Our Lord in the Blessed Sacramant are performing one of the essential acts of the devotion: Loving Jesus. He Ascended in to Heaven after He completed his mission on Earth and left behind the Sacrament of His love for us. Adoring returns that love. Love for love. 

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Another story posted to Medium!

And….. here’s another little ditty I posted to Medium today:

Tales Towards the Eternal Realm

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Posted in Me