A Prayer Postcard from Portugal

Dear Friends
I have arrived in Portugal after a two day journey by car from Great Britain.
Driving through Spain was an amazing experience. The part I loved the most was Castille. I could imagine St Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross travelling along and thinking of heaven. The countryside itself is so mystical and the sky was blue without a cloud! I saw the magnificent Cathedral of Burgos from the motorway aswell.

I hope to stop off at the Carmelite Nuns of Burgos on the way back in 3 weeks time. The Carmel there was founded by Teresa herself,.

Tomorrow I'm off to Fatima. I will pray for you all there. I hope to make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament chapel. They have Perpetual Adoration there. So I will remember you all before Our Eucharistic Lord and before His Most Blessed Mother too.

God bless

Off on holiday!

Dear friends,
This blog is barely a week old and it's going off "on a well earned break"!!!
I am off to Portugal to visit my family and to have a holiday. I will pray for you all in Fatima.
I will try my best to post from there but no promises!
God bless you all and thanks for your support so far.
Michael

Doctors for life and Christians for genuine change.

According to a report that I read more than 80% of Portuguese Doctors will refuse to perfom abortions as the new legislation takes effect. EWTN has reported that most doctors will object on grounds of conscience since, as doctors, they have vowed to save life not destroy it. I have quite a personal interest in this. One I am a Catholic and two I am half Portuguese. My father comes from Madeira and virtually all my family live in Portugal. I go to Portugal every year to visit my family. In fact I'm off there next week (I'll pray for you all at Fatima!) I, over the years, have seen a deterioration in the way Portugal is run. The country is getting richer and materialism is rapidly gaining ground. But I'm always impressed by the faith of the ordinary people who live in small villages. There is a huge devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. However, it does seem that there is a determined attack on Catholicism in Europe and Portugal is not exempt from this. I remember going to Fatima two to three years ago. I was absolutely shocked at seeing an advert for contraception strategically placed right in front of the grounds of the shrine. I have to say that it was NOT in the grounds but it was directly facing the shrine and basilica. There's no doubt that contraception, homosexuality and abortion go hand in hand. These three evils of modern society attack the heart of the family. I'd like to add though, that we must show compassion and mercy to people trapped in sin whilst being clear and firm on the immorality of such deeds. Transformation is possible. But we need to point people in the right direction. The majority of the Portuguese Doctors have shown courage so far in this aspect. How are we doing in our witness? Please have a look at EWTN news and also at Father Tim Finigan's blog, the Hermeneutic of Continuity. He has some great articles on sin, repentance and transformation. One interesting story is the transformation of a man who was a staunch gay activist. Have a look: www.ewtn.com/news/index.asp the-hermeneutic-of-continuity.blogspot.com

May your Adoration never cease!

This is what Pope John Paul II cried out in Dominicae Cenae. This is the source and summit of our faith. The Blessed Sacrament is so important and central to our beautiful Catholic faith that it is said that the one suffering St. John of the Cross found unbearable when he was imprisoned was being away from the Eucharist. How deep is our love for the Eucharist? Do we take full stock of the fact that many of our brothers and sisters died for it during the Reformation? Do we realise that many still suffer for their fidelity to the Mass in many parts of the world?

Time spent before the Blessed Sacrament just gazing at Jesus will reap an unimaginable harvest. I am sure that Our Lady spent many hours just looking at Jesus as He lay sleeping in her arms. The Eucharist is a love affair. It is the Marriage of the Lamb and His Bride. The Church is His Bride but John of the cross says that the soul is too.

Adoration is at the heart of a Contemplative revival taking place in the Church. It may seem strange to some but the Church needs Contemplative Mystics.

Mysticism isn't about wonderful visions and experiences in prayer. It is about the Marriage Union of the Beloved (Jesus) and the Soul. This is what will lead us right into the heart of the Trinity.

So many, however, run away. They immerse themselves in good works (which are important). Doing the Master's work gets in the way of being with the Master of the work. The real danger is activism. Helping this charity and doing that person a good turn.

Please don't think that I am rubbishing good works. God forbid! But what I am saying is that prayer and being with Jesus must come first. When we put Jesus and prayer first then our love is more pure and our work more effective.

Jesus wants lovers. Only then can His love shine in the world.

We are Catholic Christians. If our Adoration is ceaseless so will our love be. Then the world will be able to see Jesus, God Incarnate.

Conversion and the Eucharist

I was baptised a Catholic when I was 6 months old. After that I never really darkened the door of a Church except for weddings, baptisms and funerals. When I was 11years old I got a job as a paper boy. My mum had a friend who had just become a Jehovah's Witness at the time. He spoke to me about God. So I thought I'd give God a test! Everyday on my paper round I used to pass an Anglo-catholic Church. On the front there was a crucifix. I decided to touch the feet of Jesus and say: If you exist give me a brother! I was an only child at the time. Lo and behold, a year and a half later my mum announced that she was expecting a baby. Wow! God really does answer prayers, I thought. Then one month short of my 13th birthday my SISTER was born! At first I was a little disappointed. It wasn't what I asked for! But I was happy enough and just assumed that God knew what He was doing! So as my parent prepared to have my sister baptised I asked my mum if I could go to Mass. She said yes and here I am many years later. My sister and I are very close. She goes to Mass regularly despite being a teenager! I am now trying to discern a vocation. I have been in love with Eucharistic Adoration for many years now. I love the silence. I love the fact that the Incarnation is right in front of my eyes. It's Bethlehem, Gethsemane, Calvary and the Resurrection before me and I can behold it all in the awe of mystery. Our faith is absolutely amazing. What God is as close to us as Our God? To me the Eucharist makes no sense if there is no Real Presence. Transubstatiation has, for some people that I have met, become a dirty word. But in my experience the Eucharist is nonsense without this power mystery. It's key to our faith and our identity. What is needed now is for us who believe in His Real Presence to go out and proclaim it. Our proclamation has to be seen and silent. Silence is so powerful that it really does speak louder than words. What we need is more Eucharistic Processions and much much more Adoration. Where the Blessed sacrament is Exposed and Adored love for the Sacrifice of the Mass flourishes. Priests and people begin to celebrate it with greater reverence, love and faith. And vocations just boom. I read once that in every 10 parishes that has Perpetual Adoration NINE have vocations to the Priesthood. What power the Eucharist has! It's because it is truly Jesus. If we adore the Blessed Sacrament then our faith in the Divinity of Christ will deepen. We will believe more and more that Jesus Christ is truly God made flesh. The Eucharist leads to Conversion and Conversion leads to the Eucharist. It is my experience that Adoration leads to Confession. Confession (reconciliation with God through the Sacrament of Penance) leads to Communion. Communion leads to a deeper yearning to Adore. So it becomes a sort of "Holy Circle" instead of a vicious one! I often joke with friends that I'd love to be a Tyburn Nun! Don't worry it is a joke! But there is much truth said in jest. NO I don't want to be a woman! But I DO want to devote my life to the Eucharistic Kingdom and to Adoration. I really feel that it is the way forward in the Evangelisation that both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have called for. May our Adoration never cease!!!

Hi!

Hi, my name is Michael. I started this blog at the suggestion of a friend because I am trying to discern my vocation to Religious Life. Actually I'm trying to discern my vocation as to which community I am called to. This blog is really aimed at reaching out to other young people (I'm 27!) thinking of a vocation to Religious Life.The community that I'd like to join would have to be contemplative and based firmly on Perpetual or near Perpetual Adoration. The problem is that all the orders in England that are based on Adoration are for women so that kind of counts out 27 year old men!!!I have had the complete random idea that by meeting up with other like-minded men one might just be formed under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit! Most people blink when you say that. But hey, Religious Orders have to start somewhere and it's the Holy Spirit that does it. This blog isn't aimed at being polemical. I am Catholic and believe in fidelity to the teachings of the Church and the Magisterium. I don't consider myself to be "Trad" and I am not a Liberal. I don't use labels to describe myself. I am a Catholic who just wants to serve Jesus Christ by being faithful to the Church and all that she teaches. I believe in faithful orthodoxy, nothing more and nothing less.I love good liturgy well celebrated. I believe that what the Church needs at the moment is the mystical. The Mass should lead us into Contemplative union with the Trinity. People are searching for mystery and the greatest mystery of all is the Incarnation of God the Son. For this reason I believe that what is urgent at the minute is the Proclamation of the Eucharistic Kingdom.The best way to do this is through excellent liturgy and Exposition and Adoration. Please feel free to come here and read and leave your thoughts.If you are discerning a similiar vocation then please keep in touch. Thanks and God bless