April is the Month of the Holy Eucharist

April begins with the joyful and festive Octave of Easter. Yes, this is the time we pray the Novena of the Divine Mercy (as Our Lord requested of Saint Faustina) and this year, we prepare for the “X” Eclipse, what seems like a warning that we best pay attention to. And yet, we must always remain joyful. It is an insult to Our Blessed Lord, Whom we receive in Holy Communion, to be anything less than exceedingly happy, even in the midst of sorrows and uncertainty.

Divine Mercy Sunday (also Low or Quasimodo Sunday in the trad) is the 7th. The day after, the feast of the Annunciation, is the Great North American “X” Eclipse. One sword pierced the heart of America 7 years ago and another pierces again. Perhaps these represent the swords which pierce both the hearts of Our Lady and Our Lord, due to our sins. Together they make a cross. As we pray in the Divine Mercy Novena:

“Oh Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in Thee!”

Let us seek to console Our Two Hearts and to draw down mercy, not wrath.

The 21st is Good Shepherd Sunday in the new. The 25th is April’s Major Rogation Day in the trad, a day for prayer and penance, very similar to the Ember Days, with a different origin. The Litany of the Saints is recited on the Rogation Days.

How may we honor and celebrate the Holy Eucharist this month? The many unworthy Communions of unrepentant Catholics is probably one of the main reasons we’re getting the “X.” Offering reparation and properly instructing your loved ones, even when it’s difficult, are some ways we can console the pierced Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.

Calendar of trad feasts for April: calefactory

April is the Month of the Holy Eucharist

April comes in with a bang this year with Holy Week. Let us observe the best Holy Week we can, so as to obtain mercy, not wrath for the world. Let us not forget the precious unborn, as they go to their own crosses, on Good Friday. And let us make ourselves deserving of the Solemnity of Solemnities, Easter Sunday. We then have the wonderful Octave of Easter, traditionally a time of great joy and feasting…for we have seen the suffering, the self-denial and the Holy Cross, leading ultimately to the ineffable Resurrection!

This month, we also celebrate the feast of Divine Mercy (Quasimodo Sunday in the trad), the Major Rogation Day and Good Shepherd Sunday in the new.

As for the month of the Holy Eucharist, what can we do to honor this greatest of heavenly gifts? We must begin to see everything through the lens of the Signs of the Times. One thing one might consider is this: Do I know anyone among friends or family who is receiving Holy Communion unworthily? If so, what can I do to defend our Blessed Lord and help this person to a greater life of holiness? Perhaps some instruction on Easter Duty, proper reception of Communion and examination of conscience, would be a good place to start. Obviously, we always proceed with prayer and discernment. We may do well to consider these words of genius…

“Let us not shun and suppress the earnest words of the calling voices, or those who are our executioners today may be our accusers once again tomorrow, because we silenced the truth.”

Father Alfred Delp, German Martyr under Hitler

Does it hurt us more to be vocal or to be silent?

Please see our LENT button to the right, which includes full meditations on the Sorrowful Mysteries, with a concluding thesis. Great wishes for a most blessed Holy Week and Easter Sunday!

Your friendly trad calendar: Month of April

April is the Month of the Holy Eucharist

[Due to personal circumstances, this month’s post will be brief.]

We continue with Lent, culminating in the amazing spiritual blessings of Holy Week and the Easter Triduum. Let us receive abundant graces and give the Most Holy Trinity our very best this year, so we may be deserving of the glorious celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord…and in so-doing may experience our own resurrections!

How may we honor the Holy Eucharist this month? A few ideas: try to receive more devoutly and attentively, it is so easy to take the Eucharist for granted…there are countless Eucharistic prayers to learn…Eucharistic reading…and one of the most difficult things is to defend the Holy Eucharist from sacrilege, since this tragically has become so prevalent-if you know someone who is receiving and probably shouldn’t be, pray on how you might address this with this person…you may also know someone who isn’t receiving and should be-scrupulosity is a terrible problem for some people and can deprive them of a lifetime of grace-sometimes these problems require great patience and continued prayer, but don’t give up hope!

Here is the traditional calendar for this month of April: calefactory.org

April: Month of the Holy Eucharist

“Iesus Hominum Salvator”

J e s u s, S a v i o r o f M a n k i n d

The image above is the most wondrous gift in all the world, the Presence of Christ Himself. This Sacred Host shows the traditional Christogram (symbol for the Name of Christ) IHS, as it has often been depicted, with the surrounding design. This is a particularly stunning example. This Christogram has its origins in Greek, but later took on the Latin meaning above. Please see an informative article by Fr. William P. Saunders.

This month of the Holy Eucharist begins with Holy Thursday and the Easter Triduum. Traditionally, as of Septuagesima, we have entered The Easter Cycle, when we celebrate the Mystery of the Redemption. This is the second part of the Liturgical Year. We begin the meditation on our Redemption in sorrow and penance, but as of the Easter Vigil, we turn to joy and festivities, as Christ has achieved the victory on the Cross and is now Risen! This begins the Season of Eastertide, which lasts about 2 months, at which time we move to the Time After Pentecost. Easter Week is an octave of solemnities, which includes Easter Friday. The following Sunday celebrates Our Lord’s Divine Mercy, shown to us by Saint Faustina.

April gives us 5 Doctors of the Church, including Saint Catherine of Siena, one of only 4 women Doctors (the other 3 are Saint Therese, Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint Hildegard of Bingen).

What can we do to specially honor the greatest of Privileges, the Most Blessed Sacrament, this month? In keeping with the feast of Divine Mercy, please see Divine Mercy for America’s suggestions on this page: Devotion to the Holy Eucharist Adoration, receiving Holy Communion and Reparation are discussed, along with wonderful quotes from Saint Faustina. Here is an excerpt:

The life story of Saint Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament provides us with many shining examples of true devotion to the Holy Eucharist…devotion to Christ Himself, present throughout the centuries in the Sacred Host. Herein is contained “the whole spiritual good of the Church”…and herein lies St. Faustina’s greatest devotion, so much so that she added “of the Blessed Sacrament” to her name.

Here is an exquisite prayer composed by Saint Faustina:

“O Treasure of my heart, the only object of my love and entire delight of my soul, I want to adore You in my heart as You are adored on the throne of Your eternal glory. My love wants to make up to You at least in part, for the coldness of so great a number of souls. Jesus, behold my heart which is for You a dwelling place to which no one else has entry. You alone repose in it as in a beautiful garden.”

+ + +

Here is a sampling of this month’s notable feasts:

4/1-HOLY/MAUNDY THURSDAY, evening begins the EASTER TRIDUUM

4/2-GOOD FRIDAY (fast & abstinence) / First Friday

4/3-HOLY SATURDAY / First Saturday

4/4-+++ EASTER SUNDAY, THE SOLEMNITY OF SOLEMNITIES +++ / St. Isidore of Seville, Doctor, Schoolmaster of the Middle Ages

4/11-DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY / Quasimodo Sunday / Pope St. Leo the Great, Doctor of the Unity of the Church

4/16-St. Bernadette, Seer of Lourdes

4/21-St. Anselm, Doctor, Father of Scholasticism, Defender of the Rights of the Church

4/25-Good Shepherd Sunday / Rogation Day (prayer & penance) / St. Mark the Evangelist, Martyr

4/26-OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL

4/27-St. Peter Canisius, Doctor of the Catechism

4/28-St. Louis de Montfort / St. Gianna Molla, 20th Century

4/29-St. Catherine of Siena, Doctor, The Seraphic Virgin, Mystic of the Incarnate Word, Mystic of the Mystical Body of Christ (new)

4/30-St. Catherine of Siena (trad)

Image courtesy https://frbonnie.com

April is the Month of the Holy Eucharist

The Church dedicates this month to Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament.  It is a time to renew our appreciation for this great privilege.  It is easy, when we receive Him every week, to begin to take this for granted.  But we must guard against this, lest the precious Body of Christ be taken from us!  How can we deepen our love and devotion to the Holy Eucharist this month?  We may receive Him more frequently, we may perform any of the many Eucharistic devotions, we may visit Him in Adoration, we may begin the Nine First Fridays Devotion (given to Saint Margaret Mary, which requires that Holy Communion is received on nine consecutive first Fridays), we may make reparation to Him for all the outrages against this great Sacrament (see prayer on Home page from the LItany of Reparation to Our Lord in the Blessed Eucharist)...just a few ideas! 

What other unique features does this month of April bring to us?  It is a month of special weeks:  the traditional Passion Week, Holy Week and the joyful Easter Week.  We celebrate 3 Doctors of the Church, 2 20th Century saints (both Italian women!) and the Major Rogation Day, a traditional day of prayer and fasting, very similar to the Ember Days, but with a different origin.

After our 40 days of penance and the contemplation of Our Lords terrible sufferings, may be all celebrate a happy and holy Easter Sunday.  What a great joy!  Isn't it wonderful to be Catholic?  Here's a sampling of this month's feasts:

4/1-First Saturday-Our Lady of Fatima requested that we observe the First Saturdays

4/2-Passion Sunday, commencing Passion Week

4/4-Saint Isidore of Seville, 636-Doctor of the Church

4/7-First Friday/Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary-say the Seven Sorrows Chaplet, it's a wonderful devotion!

4/9-Palm Sunday, commencing Holy Week/Saint Mary of Cleophas, 1st Century

4/10-Saint Ezechiel, 6th Century BC-Old Testament Patriarch

4/11-Saint Leo the Great,461-Doctor of the Church/Saint Gemma Galgani, 1903

4/12-Spy Wednesday

4/13-Holy Thursday

+++ EASTER TRIDUUM +++

4/14-Good Friday-fast and abstinence

4/15-Holy Saturday/Easter Vigil

4/16-Easter Sunday, The Solemnity of Solemnities, commencing Easter Week-Happy Easter!/Saint Bernadette, 1879

4/21-Saint Anselm, 1109 (Easter Friday is a solemnity, therefore no penance is required)

4/23-Divine Mercy Sunday-Saint Faustina, pray for us!  What a beautiful day of devotions!/Quasimodo Sunday

4/25-Saint Mark, 74/Major Rogation Day-great day to do special prayers and crafts with children relating to the season of Spring

4/26-Our Lady of Good Counsel

4/28-Saint Louis de Montfort, 1716/Saint Gianna Molla, 1962

4/29-Saint Catherine of Siena, 1380-Doctor of the Church

4/30-Saint Catherine of Siena (trad)

this blog provides both new and traditional feasts

April: Month of the Holy Eucharist!

Traditionally, as of Easter Sunday, we are in "Eastertide," "Easter Time," or "Paschal Time."  This extends to the Saturday after Pentecost.  In the New, "Easter Time" begins Easter Sunday and ends on Pentecost.  We continue to contemplate the Mystery of the Redemption.

April is dedicated to the Holy Eucharist (see prayer on Home page).  It is a great time, as the earth comes back to life, to celebrate the Bread of Life.  There are innumerable ways to do this-your imagination is the only limit!  More frequent reception of Holy Communion, Eucharistic prayers and devotions, spiritual reading, a Eucharistic emphasis in catechesis, exercises in reparation to the Real Presence, etc.  Here are some notable feasts of this month (preppers take note that Saint Catherine of Siena in invoked for fire protection!):

4/1-Easter Friday, Solemnity-no penance

4/3-Divine Mercy Sunday/Quasimodo Sunday

4/4-The Annunciation (moved from 3/25 this year)

4/5-Saint Vincent Ferrer, Angel of the Apocalypse

4/10-Saint Ezechiel, Old Testament Patriarch

4/16-Saint Bernadette, Seer of Lourdes

4/25-Saint Mark, Evangelist/The Greater Litanies

4/26-Our Lady of Good Counsel

4/28-Saint Louis de Montfort, Founder Sisters of Divine Wisdom & Missionaries of the Company of Mary

4/29-Saint Catherine of Siena, Patroness of Italy and Fire Protection (New)

4/30-Saint Catherine of Siena (Trad)