Mass, Sunday 20 Jan 2019, CCRNSW Retreat

Fr Hugh Thomas CssR was the celebrant for this Sunday Mass during the #CCRNSW retreat weekend. You can learn a bit more about him here and here.

The readings were taken from Sunday Week 2 in Ordinary Time, Year C.

The first reading came from the Prophet Isaiah beginning, 'About Zion I will not be silent'. The Psalm response was, 'Proclaim His marvellous deeds to all the nations'. The second reading came from 1 Corinthians 12 about the variety of gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel came from the section of St John where Jesus changes the water into wine at the wedding at Cana.

Fr Hugh Thomas

Today in most churches we talk about marriage because of the setting of the Gospel at a wedding feast. The ministry of Jesus began by His attending a marriage of a man and a woman.

Bride and bridegroom is a theme running all through Scripture beginning in Genesis when He made them male and female. God uses this image of marriage to illustrate His love for us.

We are a people constantly unfaithful to God, but constantly called back to Him. God only chose one race at that time, the Jewish people, yet they were rebellious and inconstant. Sometimes He had to punish them to bring them back to their senses. Despite everything, He still loved them. He still delights in them, and in us. He never took back His choice.

Marriage is important in God's eyes. That's why it is under so much attack.

God loves marriage so much! Is it irreparably damaged? God is able to change things. How? Through us.

Even if you have been wounded, you still have a part to play.

Our witness shows that Christian marriage is still possible, whether it be 15 years to 58 years.

Jesus wanted the guests at the wedding and the wedding couple to have a good time, because marriages are worth celebrating.

These things equally apply not only to Israel but to each of us individually too. In God's eyes we are a princely crown, 'not forsaken, My delight'. God delights in us, even when we are messing it all up.

Some of the Saints have had the mystical marriage experience. He has this for each and every one of us.

It was the Mother of God who noticed that there was a problem with the wine supplies. She knew He would never refuse her. We ask her to pray for all the families who are here – especially for those who are struggling and for families broken but still loved. One day He will restore everything. Believe it!!
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The final session of the CCRNSW Retreat wasn't exactly a prayer meeting. The chairs were rearranged into circular formation with an altar-table in the middle. After a brief explanation, Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance was brought in and put on the altar-table, and participants were free to just have some 'me and God' time, or to join in the praise and singing that accompanied the Eucharistic adoration. Passages from Rev 5 about the throne room of God, and from Rev 21 about the new heavens and new earth were read out. 'You are the people of Revelation. This is now.' Sometime later prayer teams went around quietly praying over the targets on our individual backs. Following that prayer time people were invited to give testimony to how God had been working in them and speaking to them during the retreat.
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​And here is the PDF of the notes from the whole Retreat weekend. They run to 18 A4 pages. 

A little while ago @merecatholicism contacted me via Twitter and asked if I'd put together a guest post. Here it is:

St Faustina and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

The Diary of St Faustina contains many treasures that as the people of God we have yet to unpack. Some of them are the insights and experiences she received during adoration and about adoration.

What is adoration? Spending time in the Eucharistic presence of Jesus – hidden in the tabernacle or exposed in a monstrance. Whether it is a stolen moment, a few minutes, an hour of prayer, or an extended time of prayer, each visit is an act of faith in His Real Presence, and an act of love because we have sacrificed doing other things in order to linger with Jesus. When we sit in adoration we learn that prayer is something God does in us independent of our own efforts, and that choosing to spend time with Him this way is following in the footsteps of St Mary Magdalene who chose the better part.

Adoration has intercessory power

St Faustina had a practice of offering up each hour of adoration for a particular intention. Passage 319 'For the conversion of hardened sinners, especially for those who have lost hope in God's mercy', 'To make amends for ingratitude'. Passage 346 'For parents and whole family', 'For the intentions of my spiritual director, thanking God for him and asking that he be given the necessary light to guide me with', 'For the Holy Church, for clergy, for the missions, for religious of my order', 'For the holy souls in purgatory'. Passage 355 'For a sister who asked me to pray for her', 'For the conversion of sinners', 'In expiation for insults against God', 'For my spiritual director'. Passage 1061 'In thanksgiving for the graces granted me and in thanksgiving for a time of illness and for the graces granted during that time of illness'.

If one of these intentions rarely crosses your mind, then make it your intention for the rest of the day or your special intention for tomorrow.

Adoration has consequences

From St Faustina's diary we see that she had a regular hour of adoration of a Thursday evening. It was during this hour that so many spiritual lights, encouraging messages, and inspirations came to her. Once Jesus permitted St Faustina to experience the wrath of the demons following her hour of adoration so that she would learn that many souls hardened in sin had been snatched from them due to that hour of prayerful atonement. Passage 320

If you are someone who likes using a highlighter pen, go through her Diary and highlight the things that happened on Thursdays, 'during adoration' or 'during Holy Hour' and discover how much good all of us have received through her faithfulness to adoration.

Adoration is not something you do alone

Even if you think you are alone in the chapel, there will be angels, saints and holy souls with you. St Faustina recognised this and often united her adoration with theirs. Passage 319 'I called upon the whole of heaven to join me in making amends to the Lord'. Passage 691 'I remained in prayer for a whole hour and united myself in spirit with those souls who are already worshipping God in the perfect way.' She found doing this very helpful, especially when having difficulty in praying.

When next you have an important intention to pray for, ask some of the saints to intercede with you.

Adoration matters to Jesus

During a time of adoration, Jesus told St Faustina, 'My daughter, know that your ardent love and the compassion you have for Me were a consolation to Me in the Garden' Passage 1664. He even rebuked her gently when one day she completely forgot to go to her hour of adoration, 'I have been waiting to share My suffering with you, for who can understand My suffering better than My spouse?' Passage 348

If you haven't yet committed yourself to a weekly hour of adoration, work out how to make it a part of your weekly routine.

Adoration doesn't depend upon our feelings

Even if you are very tired, unable to pray, and unable to kneel, and you still remain with Him for an hour, still go because you may hear what Jesus said to St Faustina when she felt like that, 'Your prayer is extremely pleasing to Me' Passage 691.

Sometimes there is sweetness, consolation and inspiration. Sometimes there is struggle, pain and desolation. Sometimes there are no feelings at all. Being with Jesus is what matters, what happens – if anything – is up to Him.

Don't give up. Even a Hail Mary prayed in spiritual aridity is far more valuable than a Hail Mary prayed when the presence of God brings you joy. We prove that we love Him when we continue to love Him when consolations are absent.


When we can be like St Faustina, and be delighted to have three hours of free time to spend with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, Passage 346, then we can say that we have truly unpacked a treasure from her diary.
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St Faustina Kowalska, patron of WYD 2016, pray for us.