Offering Up My Sufferings

 It's been a rough couple of days for me due to depression. Thank God I still have my faith. I am offering up my sufferings for the intentions of the Passionist Nuns. It brings value to my pain which helps me to tolerate it.

There is physical pain, too. It is difficult for me to rise from a seated position and to walk once I get up. I am thanking God that I can participate in His Cross, that graces may flow.

"The more deeply the cross penetrates, the better; the more deprived of consolation that your suffering is, the purer it will be; the more creatures oppose us, the more closely shall we be united to God." 

- St. Paul of the Cross

Sunday Catholic Mass Today | Daily TV Mass, Sunday July 21, 2024

 

Dealing With Stage Four Neuroendocrine Cancer and Advanced Fibrosis

 

Image: Wikipedia - Philippe de Champaigne's Vanitas (c. 1671) is reduced to three essentials: Life, Death, and Time

Dear Readers,

Since my last post here something really big has happened. As you already know, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroendocrine Cancer. You can learn more about Neuroendocrine Cancer here. So far, the cancer is in a lymph node between my lungs, my bones (but not the marrow), and most notably in my liver. As it turns out, I recently learned that I also have advanced fibrosis of the liver which is one step down from cirrhosis. The fibrosis, according to my oncologist, "can be as life-limiting as the cancer." In short, it's not good news at all.

Right now, I don't really know what my prognosis is. It is possible that I could live for two years or live a long life depending on the progress of the disease. I have been on chemo for 18 months and am taking a break from it now. The cancer has remained "stable." That is, neither growing nor shrinking. We are monitoring it with a CT scan every three months. Right now, the biggest concern is the fibrosis and I hope to get in to see a GI specialist soon. I understand that the wait for an appointment can be months long.

In the meantime, I ask for your prayers. I have committed, thanks to the suggestion of the Passionist Nuns, to pray the Surrender Novena. You can find it here. I am leaving everything in the hands of Jesus and I am offering all of my sufferings for the intentions of the Passionist Nuns.

So teach us to number our days
    that we may get a heart of wisdom. - Psalm 90:12

Going Through It

 Dear Readers,

I'm sorry I've once again been away for a while. It's because I'm going through a serious bout of depression. It's all I can do to keep Pierced Hearts updated.

See Today's Readings here.

God bless you all.

With Love in Christ,

Lisa

June 10 - Today's Readings: Saturday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

 

The Angel Raphael refuses wages from Tobit and Tobias.

In today's readings, we find the Angel Raphael refusing wages from Tobit and Tobias. Raphael says to them that they need to give alms for expiation of sins. He then reveals himself to be an angel of God.

In the Gospel, Jesus points to the widow who has given all she has in comparison to the rich who have given much but not enough of what they have. This is also known as the story of "The Widow's Mite." 

He sat down opposite the treasury
and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury.
Many rich people put in large sums.
A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.
Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them,
"Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more
than all the other contributors to the treasury.
For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had,
her whole livelihood."

How many of us are willing to give all that we have to the Church? It must take great faith to do such as this. There is an article today at The Federalist about a family who is sacrificing their livelihood for the sake of living a Godly life in the face of great persecution. Please pray for the McKnight Family.

As is our tradition, enthrone the Sacred Heart in your home this month, and place your family under the protection of the furnace of Christ's most merciful love.

God bless you all.

June 9: Today's Readings - Friday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

 

St. Ephrem of Syria, Doctor of the Church

St. Ephrem of Syria, pray for us. Today is his day on the calendar.

Read today's readings here.

I am very weak today and unable to offer any commentary on the blog. I'll be lying down a lot. Thanks for prayers.

June 8: Memorial of Our Lady of Sunday and Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

 

Our Lady of Sunday

Today, June 8, is the Memorial of Our Lady of Sunday. From the Patron Saints Index, we read: 

An apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Auguste Arnaud on 8 June 1873 and 8 July 1873. Arnaud was married, the father of two, and a winemaker who regularly skipped Sunday Mass to work his vineyards. Our Lady appeared to him in the vineyard on 8 June and reminded him “You must not work on Sundays.” In honour of this blessing, Arnaud placed a cross and a statue of Mary at the site in the field. On 8 July Our Lady appeared again, this time to both Auguste and his neighbors who had gathered there, and told them, “You must never work on Sunday! Blessed are those who believe.”

A very brief but efficacious message this is! Because of the wide variety of Mass times, on both Saturday nights (which fulfills the Sunday obligation) and Sunday mornings, it is very rare that someone has to skip their Sunday Mass obligation to go to work. What does the catechism say about working on Sundays? Let's take a look.

2185 On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord's Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation of mind and body. Family needs or important social service can legitimately excuse from the obligation of Sunday rest. The faithful should see to it that legitimate excuses do not lead to habits prejudicial to religion, family life, and health.

It seems very simple. There are times when an employer requires someone to work both Saturday night and Sunday morning, and one is legitimately excused from their Sunday obligation in these cases, but it is still our duty to do everything possible to attend our Sunday Mass obligation. The Church even calls on us to work with our legislature to ensure that Sundays and Holy Days are considered to be holidays. 

In today's readings, we continue in the Book of Tobit to learn about God's provision of a husband for Sarah. The Angel Raphael brings Tobiah, son of Tobit, to marry Sarah whose seven previous husbands died before the marriage could be consummated. Yesterday, we learned that St. Raphael got rid of the demon which had killed those men. Today, both Tobiah and Sarah kneel in prayer to God before going to bed, and thus the marriage is blessed from its beginning. What a wonderful example for newly married couples.

In today's Gospel, we learn the two greatest commandments:

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
"Which is the first of all the commandments?"
Jesus replied, "The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these."

Indeed, whether it is in arranging our work schedule so that we can worship God for our Sunday Mass obligation, or putting off the joys of the honeymoon to tell God that you marry not for lust but to fulfill God's will for man and woman, we should always seek to put God first in our lives.

As the Psalm today says:

Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

Amen.

Today's Readings: Wednesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

St. Anthony Mary Gianelli, pray for us.

There is so much that can be said today about today's readings but I will try to be as brief as possible. 

Yesterday, birds pooped in Tobit's eyes causing him to go blind. Today, he proclaims that all his punishments from God are just but he cannot bear to live anymore, so he asks God to let him die. 

"Lord, command me to be delivered from such anguish;

let me go to the everlasting abode;

Lord, refuse me not.

For it is better for me to die

than to endure so much misery in life,

and to hear these insults!"

At the same time, Raguel's daughter Sarah was enduring harsh insults, as well, and was being attacked by a demon. She, too, proclaimed that God's punishments are just and asks God to let her die. As a great sign of His love for us, God sends the Angel Raphael to heal Tobit's eyesight and to drive the demon from Sarah.

There is so much that can be learned from this alone.

I was having a conversation with my protestant brother the other day about redemptive suffering. That is, our sufferings have value in God's eyes. This is true because He loves us so much. All of humanity's sufferings are just punishments from God, whether for our own sins or because of the sins of others. God does not allow suffering without just cause because He is all-just. Tobit and Sarah both acknowledged that their sufferings were just, not necessarily because of their own sins but also because of the sins of their people. We are all connected to each other as members of humanity. 

In like manner, we are all connected to Christ because He became a member of humanity. He took all of our sufferings onto Himself for all of our sins. He was able to do this because of His spiritual connection to us in His humanity and in His Divinity. But we still suffer. He did not take our sufferings away. Instead, He made them redemptive, provided that we offer up our sufferings in union with His on the Cross.

Paul said, 

"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh, I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church."

The only thing that is lacking in Christ's sufferings is our participation in them.

In today's Psalm we learn:

No one who waits for you shall be put to shame;

those shall be put to shame who heedlessly break faith.

Job was rewarded for his faith. So we shall be rewarded when we suffer in faith. God sends His graces to console us as we console Christ on the Cross.

The same principle holds true for the resurrection of our bodies. In the Gospel, Jesus says:

He is not God of the dead but of the living.

In like manner, God is not a God of suffering but of grace among the living.

Today's saint is St. Anthony Mary Gianelli.

Founder of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Garden 1829, a women‘s teaching order that also worked with the sick, and which continues its work today in Europe, the United States, and Asia. Bishop of Bobbio, Italy in 1837. 

There is a great prayer to him for our bishops that I would like to share with you.

 Saint Anthony Gianelli, who through your work have shown such great love to all, intercede for the bishops of the world and especially my bishop {name of your bishop}. Help our bishops to spread the Gospel to all men so that through them all men may find the way to salvation. I ask you to intercede on my behalf so that through your powerful intercession I may obtain the grace that I so ardently desire {name your intention}. Intercede for me and for all those who are dear to me peace of mind, perseverance in good works and a holy death. Amen. –

It is so important for us to pray for our bishops. It is doubly important for us to offer up our sufferings for them and for others in need of graces.

May the Lord be with you today.

 

Today's Readings: Tuesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

 

St. Norbert

Today's calendar includes many saints, including St. Norbert, Founder of the Norbertines.

In the reading from Tobit today, we learn that it is not okay to be discouraged when the weight of the world's problems weigh heavily on us. The Psalm calls us to "be firm, trusting in the Lord." In the Gospel, we find Jesus being tested by the Pharisees and Herodians on whether or not one should pay taxes.

Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them,
"Why are you testing me?
Bring me a denarius to look at."
They brought one to him and he said to them,
"Whose image and inscription is this?"
They replied to him, "Caesar's."
So Jesus said to them,
"Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God."
They were utterly amazed at him.

For some of us, there is nothing more valuable to us than money. In fact, we are dependent upon it for survival. Even this, however, does not ultimately belong to us or to God. We must be willing to give up everything for God's glory.

It's a tough ask. Give up everything? Do people actually do that? My sisters in Christ, the Passionist Nuns, and other cloistered religious have done just that. They are great examples to us lay people of giving up everything for God. 

Today, let us call to mind our great value to God, that He wants us to make a gift of ourselves to Him on a daily basis. Again, it's a tough ask, but in the end, we, too, will be "amazed" at what God is doing for us.

Today's Readings: Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr

 

In today's readings, on this feast of St. Boniface the martyr, we learn that though we suffer greatly in this life for doing the will of God, He will reward us.

The Gospel today is greatly worthy of reflection, but I have to mention that as a convert who was raised protestant, it is good for me to see the reading from Tobit. Growing up, I was not allowed the opportunity to read the Deuterocanon of the Old Testament.

In the story from Tobit, we find Tobit acting righteously though he is ridiculed by the people. He is a great example to us, especially during this time of a great culture war, to remain steadfast in our love for God's truth and to live out His will for us in the public square. 

It is right and good that we have these readings on the Feast Day of St. Boniface and his companions. Here is a famous story about St. Boniface from Patron Saints Index:

Once in Saxony, Boniface encountered a tribe worshiping a Norse deity in the form of a huge oak tree. Boniface walked up to the tree, removed his shirt, took up an axe, and without a word he hacked down the six foot wide wooden god. Boniface stood on the trunk, and asked, “How stands your mighty god? My God is stronger than he.” The crowd’s reaction was mixed, but some conversions were begun.

Today, do not be deterred from living a life worthy of being called "Christian." God will reward your service.

PHOTO CREDIT: Lawrence OP