God desires our whole hearts, not simply our actions. We can do good acts but still keep our hearts far from him. But if we lift up our hearts, the power of Jesus’ resurrection can transform us overtime to actually become more like him. Then our actions will flow seamlessly from who we are in our hearts.

SEPTEMBER is a significant month for the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette around the world. OUR LADY OF LA SALETTE visited the world in September 19, 1846, in a small village, called La Salette in Southeastern France. And this year (2018), we are celebrating the 172nd Anniversary of the Apparition of OUR LADY OF LA SALETTE.

The word “Christian” literally translates to mean “follower of Christ”. That means we are followers of Christ, but many of us have probably not ever thought about what it actually means to follow him. Maybe we never even consciously decided to follow him, but we have always gone to Church because that’s how we were raised, or that’s what our spouse does.

My invitation to husbands and wives in our midst is: “Be ‘submissive’ to each other to live ONE LOVE as ever, and enjoy ONE LIFE forever.”

In the Gospel readings over the past few weeks we have witnessed the unfolding of Jesus’ discourse on the Eucharist. Today we reach the climax of his teaching and get to meditate on his words about the Bread from heaven that he longs to feed us with. These are words of deep riches that unveil to us how desperately God desires intimacy with each one of us.

If today, you say: “I am hungry,” Jesus tells you with certainty: “Eat this bread [and you will] remain in me and I in [you]… [and you] will live forever.” (JN 6:51,56,58)

Have you ever heard something that sounded completely outlandish? The Jews in today’s Gospel are not just shocked by Jesus’ teaching, they are likely disgusted and offended. Is Jesus of Nazareth really telling them that He IS the Bread of Life, he is the fulfillment of all the Scriptures? He is the “New Passover”? This is scandalous to them. Often times, living our faith can cause scandal. It’s radical for us to cling to the truths of the faith and to Christ in today’s culture. Let’s take some time to learn more about the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith, today. Jesus knew we need physical signs, and so he gave us his very self, hidden under the appearances of bread and wine, to nourish us on our journey in this life.

As we gather around the Eucharistic table today, please do create a space in your hearts where Jesus can write his life sustaining words: “I am the bread of life… [if you] eat this bread, [you] will live forever…” (Jn 6:41,51)

Have you ever asked yourself why God doesn’t just perform miracles all the time to reveal his presence so that everyone will believe in him? It’s a valid question, but one of those questions that we might ignore or push to the back of our mind because we don’t think there’s a good answer. But these questions have answers in Catholic theology, and we are called to pray about these questions, because God will illuminate the answers to them.

Jesus is the ultimate image of God’s generosity. What he has given to us: blessed life and energized spirit are not just gifts to behold, but as values to be shared to others without any reservation at all.