First Friday Mass + My J.C.L. Thesis

A lane just outside the convent.

Two devotional candles lit before the main altar.

Dear Friends and Family,

This past Friday morning--the first Friday of the month--I offered the Holy Sacrifice for all of my benefactors (including anyone who prayers for me, which is hopefully all of you!). Each first Friday the Mass is offered for you. While you all, and many others, are in my daily prayers (I tuck each of you inside the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady, and ask Her to always bring you to the altar, to the Divine Office as I pray it, etc. so that you might received graces from those prayers. In this way, even if I don't name you specifically, which of course would be impossible to do with all of you, each day, you are present in my prayers), it is particularly nice to be able to offer the First Friday Mass for you each month.

The Holy Mass is such an amazing, wonderful thing. When preparing to celebrate it, it is a particular joy to realize that Jesus Himself is about to renew His offering on the Cross and pour out graces upon the world. Regardless of how imperfectly I offer it (though I try to do my best), He is the one who will be acting, offering the Sacrifice. I've recently been thinking a lot of the words God spoke to St. Catherine of Sienna: "You are she who is not. I am He who Is." There is something simple, true, and very practical in those words. Recalling them helps me realize how I am not really the one who matters, but rather God and His action, and it is so wonderful to think of Him and His action, His presence... to have faith and trust in Him.

The two candles in the photo were lit by some unknown person(s), who must have visited the monastery chapel in the early afternoon, before I arrived back from Plymouth. They are a nice sign of the quiet graces of the monastery, of people who come to pray quietly and leave, but in whom God likely does much hidden work.

I also have a gift to make for all those with insomnia: my canon law thesis (for the J.C.L.) can now be found online here: http://www.valtorta.org.au/index-of-forbidden-books.html. It's not very exciting. However, I was pleased that Fr. Leo Maasburg, one of Mother Teresa's spiritual directors and a canon lawyer himself, read it and wrote to me that he found it to be well done. Since a few of you had asked me about this, there you are--but don't complain if you find it dry, as it is canon law!

Here, it is very good to now be digging into a steady routine of prayer, work, and study, without another trip for a while. Today was a wonderful day, with the two Masses, Confessions, and speaking with various people--it's great being a priest! But I'm going to head out for a jog now, which is always refreshing at the end of a day. Hopefully I'll make it down to the ocean and back.

May Jesus and Mary bless you and watch over you.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari