Conference 2: Healing Gifts and Transforming Moments – Yearning for Healing /w Msgr. John Esseff & Sr. Cor Immaculatum Heffernan

Conference 2: Healing Gifts and Transforming Moments – Yearning for Healing /w Msgr. Esseff & Sr. Cor Immaculatum Heffernan – Discerning Hearts Online Retreat

Retreat Directors: Monsignor John A. Esseff and Sister Cor Immaculatum Heffernan, IHM

Conference 2: Healing Gifts and Transforming Moments

    1. Unity of Jesus in Heaven with the Church on Earth through

    Baptism…with Mary as the one who connects/joins/links the Body on earth with Jesus, the Head.

    1. Mary’s love for the people of earth: encouraging, teaching, warning, appearing, interceding
      • Message to Juan Diego

    My dearest son, hear and let it penetrate into your heart: Let nothing discourage you, nothing depress you.

    Let nothing trouble your heart or your mind.

    Do not fear any illness or worry, anxiety or pain. Am I not here who am your Mother?

    Are you not under my shadow and protection?

    Are you not in the folds of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Is there anything else that you need?

    During these past months of pandemic – in isolation and uncertainty we have come face-to-face with our beautiful yet fragile world. We have come to realize more deeply than ever before that we are living in a world of poverty, pain, illness, grief, and death…in a world of uncertainty, division, injustice, anger, and frustration…in a world of spiritual darkness where peoples are yearning for light…where there is so much need for healing.

    Now is the time to live with courage, to accept our individual brokenness, to embrace our own wounded-ness – physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual – and to seek healing. Only then can we put our wounded-ness at the service of others. Only then can we become

    WOUNDED HEALERS.

    1. Transforming Moments when people encounter Jesus in their lives
      • Mark 5: 1-­‐20  -­‐ Healing of the Gerasene Demoniac

    After healing, Jesus sent him home to proclaim the power of Jesus.

    Today, the power of Jesus to drive out devils resides in His exorcists.

    Acts 9: 1-­‐22   Conversion of Saul powerful transformation Once he encountered Jesus, he became Paul, enflamed with Divine love

    Many Saints had transforming encounters with Jesus in their lives and radiated Christ, shining forth with the Divine Power of grace. They are beautiful examples for us -­‐ and powerful intercessors for our healing.

    1. Sources of Healing
      • The power of the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist
      • The power of healing in the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick
      • The power of healing prayer, novenas, Rosary, Stations of the Cross
      • Sacramentals: Sign of the Cross, holy water, blessings
      • Devotional prayer
      • Prayer and protection of the angels
    1. Building a Kingdom of Love Msgr. John A. Esseff Someday Teilhard de Chardin, S.J.

    (see quotations in Handouts)

    Suggestion for personal reflection and prayer

    1. Can I recall some transforming moment in my life where I personally encountered Jesus’ love for me?
    2. How has it changed me, impacted my life?

    HANDOUTS: Quotes

    Building a Kingdom of Love -­‐ Msgr. John A. Esseff

    “A war is raging. Heaven and hell are on a collision course. Because

    many of Jesus’ soldiers are wounded, we need healing. After the healing comes the conquest of love. Muslims are not the enemy. Sinners are not the enemy. Satan is the enemy.

    At first we will be a rag-tag army. Vicious enemies will come against us but we will never abandon the struggle to place the light of Jesus’ love in the lampstand of the world.

    Our weaknesses do not matter. We are earthen vessels, but held by Jesus. Let us work to establish Jesus’ Universal Kingdom of Love. If you believe that the reign of the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart will cover the whole world, it will take place.”

    _________________________________________________________________________________________________

    Someday -­‐ Teilhard de Chardin, S.J.

    SOME DAY

    after mastering the winds, the waves,

    the tides and gravity,

    we will harness for GOD the energies of LOVE and then…

    for the second time in the history of the world

    man will have discovered

    FIRE


Msgr. John A. Esseff is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Scranton. He served as a retreat director and confessor to St. Teresa of Calcutta. He continues to offer direction and retreats for the sisters of the missionaries of charity.  He has lived in areas around the world, serving in the Pontifical missions, a Catholic organization established by St. Pope John Paul II to bring the Good News to the world especially to the poor. He is a founding member of the Pope Leo XIII Institute. He continues to serve as a retreat leader and director to bishops, priests and sisters and seminarians, and other religious leaders.

Sister Cor Immaculatum Heffernan, IHM is a member of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Scranton, PA. “ She holds several degrees: a Bachelor of Arts in English/Art and a Master of Science degree in Counseling, both from Marywood; a Master of Arts degree in Sculpture from the University of Notre Dame; and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Illustration from Syracuse University. Her multi-faceted life is in itself a masterpiece: she is a teacher, a mentor, and a consultant; she is a sculptor, a harpist, a calligrapher, and a creator of mosaics; she is a counselor, a spiritual director, and above all, she is a servant of God to others”.

Conference 1: Gifts of the Holy Spirit – Yearning for Healing /w Msgr. John Esseff & Sr. Cor Immaculatum Heffernan

Conference 1: Gifts of the Holy Spirit – Yearning for Healing /w Msgr. Esseff & Sr. Cor Immaculatum Heffernan – Discerning Hearts Online Retreat

Retreat Directors: Monsignor John A. Esseff and Sister Cor Immaculatum Heffernan, IHM

Conference 1: Gifts of the Holy Spirit

  1. Opening Prayer:

Praise of the God the Father, Creator of our world…

God the Son…Redeemer who established His Body, the Church and God the Holy Spirit who has gifted us to minister to others

  1. We, the baptized in this time of need look up to heaven to Mary…and pray: Hail, Holy Queen
  1. We are all in need of healing…we are all wounded…

God has not left us orphans… but has given us gifts in Baptism and Confirmation, gifts for us to use to minister to others, to teach, to heal, to preach, to serve…

  1. 1 Cor: 12: 4-­‐11  -­‐ Different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit
  1. Called to holiness in our different vocations in life healing power of blessings and prayer
    • Single life examples of holiness
    • Religious life – “ “ “
    • Married life
      • Parents called to bless their children, throughout their lives, family prayer,
      • Baptism blessing of child by the family, community of the Church
  1. Blessings in the Old Testament through all generations
    • Genesis 26: 1-­‐5 Isaac’s blessing of Abimelech
    • Genesis 27: 26-­‐29 Isaac’s blessing of Jacob
    • Genesis 49: 25-­‐26 Jacob’s blessing of his sons
    • Exodus 20: 6 God’s blessing to Moses -­‐ the 10 Commandments
    • Numbers: 6:24-­‐27 Blessing of the priests
  2. Through the union of Baptism, we the Church Militant in the world today -­‐ are surrounded by the Church Triumphant and the Church Suffering -­‐ our prayers to them for their assistance are powerful

2

  1. Pope Francis’ decree that Latin-­‐rite Catholics observe the feast “Mary, Mother of the Church” on the Monday after Pentecost.  John 19: 25-­‐31 (see quote in handouts)
  1. Matthew 5: 1-­‐12   The Beatitudes

The Beatitudes are our challenge, our call to live the Gospel today…to LOVE everyone in the entire world

10) The Holy Spirit has given us many gifts…the Greatest Gift is LOVE– all healing is because of LOVE…healing comes through love

Paul’s exhortation: 1 Cor 13: 1-­‐13

Suggestions for individual reflection and prayer:

1, Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the special gifts that you have been given…make a list of them

  • How can I use those gifts for others?
  1. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the special gifts He has given to your spouse,,,your children…your grandchildren…your friend/neighbor
    • How can I affirm them?
  2. Reflect on the personal challenge to you to LOVE everyone as you are called in 1 Cor: 13: 1-­‐13.  Prayerfully, make a resolution.

HANDOUT: Quote

MARY, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH

Awaiting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the first disciples were had perfectly

accepted and made fruitful the singular grace with which importantly, the grace of being the Mother of God. All of the Church’s children can admire her complete docility to the action of the Holy Spirit: faultless docility in faith and transparent humility. Mary, therefore, testifies fully to the obedient and faithful reception of every gift of the Holy Spirit.

Moreover, as the Second Vatican Council teaches, the Virgin Mary, by her maternal charity, “cares for the brethren of her Son, who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and cares, until they are led into the happiness of their true home”.[117] Since she “let herself be guided by the Holy Spirit on a journey of faith towards a destiny of service and fruitfulness, today we look to her and ask her to help us proclaim the message of salvation to all and to enable new disciples to become evangelizers in turn”.[118]

For this reason, Mary is recognized as the Mother of the Church and we, powerful intercession, the charisms, abundantly bestowed by the Holy Spirit among the faithful, may be received with docility and bear fruit for the life and mission of the Church and for the good of the world.

The Sovereign Pontiff Francis, in the Audience granted to the undersigned

Cardinal Prefect on 14 March 2016, approved the present Letter, adopted in the Plenary Session of this Congregation, and ordered its publication.

Rome, from the Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, May

15, 2016, the Solemnity of Pentecost.


Msgr. John A. Esseff is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Scranton. He served as a retreat director and confessor to St. Teresa of Calcutta. He continues to offer direction and retreats for the sisters of the missionaries of charity.  He has lived in areas around the world, serving in the Pontifical missions, a Catholic organization established by St. Pope John Paul II to bring the Good News to the world especially to the poor. He is a founding member of the Pope Leo XIII Institute. He continues to serve as a retreat leader and director to bishops, priests and sisters and seminarians, and other religious leaders.

Sister Cor Immaculatum Heffernan, IHM is a member of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Scranton, PA. “ She holds several degrees: a Bachelor of Arts in English/Art and a Master of Science degree in Counseling, both from Marywood; a Master of Arts degree in Sculpture from the University of Notre Dame; and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Illustration from Syracuse University. Her multi-faceted life is in itself a masterpiece: she is a teacher, a mentor, and a consultant; she is a sculptor, a harpist, a calligrapher, and a creator of mosaics; she is a counselor, a spiritual director, and above all, she is a servant of God to others”.