Youth/Prayer books
Jesus, to Peter
His white hat is called a zucchetto, and he wears red shoes. But what does the Pope have to say to me? What popes say and pray is interesting and inspiring, but the words they use can be unfamiliar. With the approval of Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Adoring Jesus with the Holy Father brings you the thoughts and prayers of the popes in language that is easy to understand and pray. Through this book you’ll be able to meet and adore Jesus with twelve Shepherds of the Church whom we call “Holy Father.”
www.JClubCatholic.org
AdoringHF_cover.indd 1
PAULINE Books & Media
$9.95
Adoring Jesus with the Holy Father
“Feed my sheep.”
Thoughts and prayers of the popes for young Catholics
“I am the living bread...” Jesus, to the crowds
6/11/11 11:54:45 AM
ngHF_interior.indd 1
Adoring with theJesus Holy Father Compiled and edited by Jaymie Stuart Wolfe With an Introduction by Mary Lea Hill, FSP
Boston
6/9/11 2:21:55
gHF_interior.indd 3
Thoughts and Prayers of the Popes for Young Catholics
∂
Praying with the Holy Father Honoring Mary with the Holy Father Adoring Jesus with the Holy Father
∂
6/9/11 11:55:19
gHF_interior.indd 4
Table of Contents Introduction... . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..
1
Prayers for Exposition... . .. . .. . .. . ..
4
Time for God... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..
6
Really Here ... . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..
14
Given Up for Us... ... ... ... ... ... ... 22 Holy Communion... . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..
30
6/9/11 11:55:25
gHF_interior.indd 5
Loving Jesus... . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..
38
The Mass... . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..
46
Becoming the Body of Christ ... ... ... 54 Food for the World... . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..
62
Prayers for Benediction... ... ... ... ... 70 Meet the Popes You’ve Prayed With...
74
6/9/11 11:55:30
gHF_interior.indd 6
6/9/11 11:55:37
gHF_interior.indd 1
Introduction One of the first things that happens in a classroom is the taking of attendance. The roll call might be done by the seating chart or simply by going alphabetically through the list of names. When your name is called you are expected to answer with a nice clear, “Here!” or “Present!” We all know why teachers check the list of students each day: to make sure we arrived safely and on time; to keep a record of who missed that particular day’s class; and especially to acknowledge each one’s presence. Being present is very important. For one thing it means that a student is serious about receiving an education. It also shows that the student is disciplined and has a plan for his or her life. Being present is important also to Jesus. When he was preparing to return to his Father, he promised his followers something that seems impossible: he would leave them, but remain with them at the same time. We know this amazing promise as the Holy Eucharist or the Real Presence. At the Last Supper, Jesus blessed a piece of bread saying: “This is my 1
6/9/11 11:55:43
gHF_interior.indd 2
Body.” And over a cup of wine he said: “This is my Blood.” Jesus gave his priests the ability to say these same words in his name. He honors their prayer by being present in the holy sacrament on our altars. Jesus is present not only at Mass, but always in the tabernacle of every church. In a sense, this is his classroom. When we visit Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament we are spending time with the best teacher. We adore him as God and we learn from him as Man. We praise and bless him, and pray for our needs and the needs of our family, friends, and the world. We ask his advice, we think about his examples, we pray for his virtue. Jesus will make us his true disciples, the best lesson we can learn. The popes through all of Church history have taught us how to pray, especially to celebrate the Holy Eucharist well and to adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. In this book you will discover beautiful teachings from twelve different popes. You don’t need to read this book all at once. In fact, don’t read it at all! Take one page or one section at a time, and pray with the Holy Father who wrote the words on that page. Make him a part of your prayer time, and become part of his prayer time, too! If that sounds impossible, remember that prayer places us all in God’s presence. So, through prayer, we can be together even with people who lived hundreds of years before we were born! What the popes have to tell us is interesting and inspiring. But the words popes use can be hard to 2
6/9/11 11:55:46
gHF_interior.indd 3
understand. Sometimes the vocabulary is formal or unfamiliar. Sometimes the meaning of what a pope says is challenging. That is why we have made this book. Approved by Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Adoring Jesus with the Holy Father gives you the teachings and prayers of the popes in bite-sized pieces, and in language that is easier to pray and understand. The thoughts and prayers in these pages come from many times and were written by popes who lived very different lives. At the end of this book is a section of very short biographies, so that you can learn something about the popes you have prayed with. So, find a place to be with God, and invite a pope to come along. After all, the Holy Fathers—if they could—would certainly take time to adore Jesus with you. —Sister Mary Lea Hill, Daughters of St. Paul
3
6/9/11 11:55:48
gHF_interior.indd 4
Prayers for Exposition O Salutaris —Saint Thomas Aquinas
(English) O Saving Victim, opening wide The gate of heav’n to us below! Our foes press on from ev’ry side: Thine aid supply; thy strength bestow. To thy great name be endless praise, Immortal Godhead, One in Three; Oh, grant us endless length of days In our true native land with thee. Amen.
4
6/9/11 11:55:52
gHF_interior.indd 5
(Latin) O salutaris Hostia, Quae caeli pandis ostium: Bella premunt hostilia, Da robur, fer auxilium. Uni trinoque Domino Sit sempiterna gloria, Qui vitam sine termino Nobis donet in patria. Amen.
5
6/9/11 11:55:56
gHF_interior.indd 6
Time for God
6
6/9/11 11:56:01
God
gHF_interior.indd 7
7
6/9/11 11:56:07
gHF_interior.indd 8
W
e cannot throw God a few crumbs of our time or our heart, because he is too great, and deserves too much from us. God is infinite goodness and he will be our happiness forever. Money, pleasure, and the fortunes of this world cannot be compared to him. They are just small pieces of good and moments of happiness that do not last. It would not be wise to give so much of ourselves to these things and so little of ourselves to Jesus. —John Paul I
General Audience September 27, 1978
8
6/9/11 11:56:11
gHF_interior.indd 9
A
lways have a warm and deep love for the Blessed Sacrament. Visit our Lord at the tabernacle as often as you can. Receive Jesus in Holy Communion frequently. Ask him to make you good, to make you holy, to make you ever more and more like himself. —Paul VI
Address to Altar Boys Bombay, India, December 5, 1964
9
6/9/11 11:56:15
gHF_interior.indd 10
I
t is pleasant to spend time with Jesus and to feel the infinite love in his heart. . . . How can we not feel the need to spend time with him in conversation, in silent adoration, and in heartfelt love before Christ present with us in the Most Holy Sacrament? Dear brothers and sisters, I have experienced this many times, and have always found strength, comfort, and support in it! —John Paul II
Ecclesia De Eucharistia, 25 April 17, 2003
10
6/9/11 11:56:19
gHF_interior.indd 11
D
ear friends, when you go back home, make the Eucharist the center of your own life and the life you share with others. Love the Eucharist. Adore the Eucharist. Celebrate the Eucharist especially on Sundays, the Lord’s Day. And live the Eucharist by witnessing to God’s love for every person. —John Paul II
Homily, World Youth Day Rome, August 20, 2000
11
6/9/11 11:56:23
gHF_interior.indd 12
N
othing is nearer to my heart than the desire to see love for the Holy Eucharist grow from day to day throughout the world. —Attributed to Benedict XV
Y
ou must spread adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament with all your strength, because devotion to the Holy Eucharist is the queen of all devotions. —Attributed to Benedict XV
12
6/9/11 11:56:27
gHF_interior.indd 13
E
very time I hear anyone talk about the Sacred Heart of Jesus or the Blessed Sacrament, I feel a joy that is beyond description. It is as if a wave of precious memories, sweet feelings, and joyful hopes sweeps over me. It makes me tremble with happiness and fills my soul with tenderness. These are all loving invitations from Jesus. He wants me to be there with my whole heart; there, at the source of all goodness, at his Sacred Heart mysteriously beating in the Eucharist. —John XXIII
Journal of a Soul, 1965
13
6/9/11 11:56:31