from the Barnhard Post (click here for original website)

The rotors are spinning at full speed, the manure is loaded into the trebuchet and the slack is out of the firing trigger.

Nervous? Troubled? Afraid? Don’t be. There is Someone who is thoroughly in charge. And no, it ain’t Valerie Putin or Vladimir Jarret. (Yes, you should be laughing. It’s okay.)

Deep breath. Read this and remember it tomorrow and next week. Your sanity may depend on it.

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And Jesus came and touched them: and said to them, Arise, and fear not.
-Matthew 17:7

There are 100,000,000,000 (100 billion) stars in our galaxy.

It is estimated that there are 100,000,000,000 (100 billion) galaxies in the universe.

That means that there are 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (10 sextillion) stars in the universe, or so I estimate.

Our sun, which we will consider an average star, burns 607,000,000 (607 million) tons of hydrogen per second in fusion reactions.

If we take the 10 sextillion stars in the universe multiplied by an average hydrogen burn of 607 million tons per star per second, we get a universal hydrogen burn of:

6,070,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (6.07 nontillion) tons of hydrogen per second.

1 gram of hydrogen contains 602,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (602 sextillion) atoms. Remember “moles” from chemistry class?

There are 454 grams in a pound.

There are 2000 pounds in a ton.

Therefore, there are 908,000 grams in a ton.

If we take the 602 sextillion atoms in one gram of hydrogen and multiply that by 908,000 grams per ton, we get:

546,616,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (546 octillion) hydrogen atoms per ton.

Multiply the 546 octillion atoms per ton by the universal hydrogen burn of 6.07 nontillion tons per second, and you get:

3,317,959,120,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (3.318 novemdecillion) atoms of hydrogen consumed every second in the universe.

Because every fusion reaction is fusing 2 atoms of hydrogen into one atom of helium (plus an energy yield), we divide 3.318 novemdecillion by 2 and get:

1,658,979,560,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (1.659 novemdecillion) fusion reactions per second in the universe.

God is specifically and infinitely conscious of every single one of those fusion reactions because He is the cause, driver and sustenance of every single one of them. If He doesn’t will it or permit it, it doesn’t happen.

This is the same God that spends every nanosecond of your life in a state of burning, aching, consuming love for YOU. Correction. He didn’t start loving you when your life began. He has loved you FOR ALL ETERNITY. There has literally never been a “time” when He didn’t love you. This is the same God that is so desperately and – dare I say it – pathetically in love with you that He died for you. In fact, He let YOU kill Him, because that was the only way that His love could be consummated.  It had to be. And He knew it had to be that way from all eternity. And He still willed you into existence and knit you together atom by atom, cell by cell, in you mother’s womb WHILE He was driving 1.659 novemdecillion fusion reactions per second – just so you could maybe look up into the night sky and see this:

The Perseus Cluster.
Every point of light in this image is NOT one star, but one GALAXY.

Please remember this the next time you see Him.

Gospel from John 8:51-59
(Our Lord Jesus Christ speaks more about His Divinity and His Father)

Excerpt from the Reflections and Practices
of the Seventeenth Hour:  From 9 to 10 AM of the Hours of the Passion.

From 9 to 10, crowned with thorns, Jesus is mocked as king and subjected to unheard-of insults and pains.  He Repairs in a special way for the sins of pride.  And we—do we avoid sentiments of pride?  Do we attribute to God the good that we do?  Do we consider ourselves inferior to others?  Is our mind always empty of any other thought in order to give rise to Grace?  Many times we do not give rise to Grace by keeping our mind filled with other thoughts.  Then, since our mind is not completely filled with God, we ourselves cause the devil to bother us, and maybe we even foment temptations.  When our mind is filled with God, as the devil approaches us, not finding the place toward which to direct his temptations, confused, he flees.  In fact, holy thoughts have so much power against the devil that, as he is about to approach us, they wound him like many swords, and cast him away.

Gospel is John 8:31-42
(Our Lord Jesus Christ talks about his Father)

From the  Twentieth Hour:  From 12 to 1 PM in the Hours of the Passion

And forced by Your (Our Lord Jesus Christ’s) Love that torments You more than the pains themselves, with strong and moving voice, You (Our Lord Jesus Christ) speak as the God You are; You raise Your dying eyes to Heaven, and exclaim, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing!”  And, again, You close Yourself in silence, immersed in unheard-of pains.

Crucified Jesus, how can so much Love be possible?  Ah, after so many pains and insults, Your first Word is of Forgiveness; and You excuse us before the Father for so many sins!  Ah, You make this Word descend into each heart after sin, and You are the first to offer Forgiveness.  But how many reject it and do not accept it; Your Love is then taken by follies, because You anxiously desire to give Your Forgiveness and the Kiss of Peace to all!

Today’s Gospel from John 8:21-30
Our Lord Jesus Christ said:  “When you shall have lifted up, the Son of man,
then shall you know that I am he and that I do nothing of myself,
but as the Father hath taught me, these things I speak.”

Excerpt from Twenty-Second Hour: From 2 to 3 PM,
the Reflections and Practices, of the Hours of the Passion

On the Cross Jesus fulfills the Will of the Father in everything, and He Breathes His last with a Perfect Act of Abandonment in His Most Holy Will.  And do we fulfill the Will of God in everything?  Do we abandon ourselves perfectly in His Volition without looking at whether it is advantageous for us or not—just being content to find ourselves abandoned in His Most Holy Arms?  Is our dying to ourselves continuous for love of Jesus?  Can we say that, although we live, we do not live; that we are dead to everything in order to live not from our own life, but only from the Life of Jesus?  Does everything we do, think, desire and love call the Living of Jesus within us, so as to make our word, our step, our desire and our thought die completely in Jesus?

Gospel is from John 11:1-45
Our Lord Jesus Christ raises Lazarus from the dead

Excerpt from the Virgin Mary in the Kingdom of the Divine Will, Day Twenty-Eight

Now, My daughter, O, how I (Blessed Mother) wish you to be present in the Act in which My Son (Our Lord Jesus Chirst) Rose Again. He was all Majesty; His Divinity, United to His Soul, unleashed Seas of Light and of Enchanting Beauty, such as to Fill Heaven and earth; and, as Triumpher, making use of His Power, He Commanded His dead Humanity to receive His Soul again, and to Rise, Triumphant and Glorious, to Immortal Life. What a Solemn Act! My Dear Jesus Triumphed over death, saying: “Death, you will no longer be death—but Life.”

With this Act of Triumph, He placed the Seal that He was Man and God; and with His Resurrection, He confirmed His Doctrine, His Miracles, the Life of the Sacraments, and the whole Life of the Church. Not only this, but He obtained Triumph over the human wills, weakened and almost extinguished to True Good, to make Triumph over them the Life of that Divine Will which was to bring to creatures the Fullness of Sanctity and of all Goods. And at the same time, by virtue of His Resurrection, He cast into the bodies the Seed of Resurrection to Everlasting Glory. My daughter, the Resurrection of My Son encloses everything, says everything, confirms everything, and is the Most Solemn Act that He did for Love of creatures.

Gospel of John 5:1-3,5-16
Our Lord heals the man who had been infirm 38 years, by the pool of Bethsadia

Excerpt from The Hours of the Passion
Seventh Hour:  From 11 PM to Midnight
Third Hour of Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane

Jesus, my Love, who can resist in seeing You in these extreme conditions (Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane)?  What heart would ever be so hard as to not break in seeing You so drowned in Blood?  Who would not pour bitter tears in torrents, upon hearing Your sorrowful accents, looking for help and comfort?
My Jesus, be consoled, I now see that the Father sends You an Angel as comfort and help, that You may leave this state of agony and give Yourself into the hands of the Jews.  And while You are with the Angel, I will go around Heaven and earth.  You will allow me to take this Blood that You have shed, that I may give It to all men, as pledge of salvation for each one, and bring You as comfort and in exchange, their affections, heartbeats, thoughts, steps and works.
My Celestial Mama, I come to You in order to go to all souls, to give to them the Blood of Jesus.  Sweet Mama, Jesus wants comfort, and the greatest comfort we can give Him is to bring Him souls.
Magdalene, accompany us!  All of you, Angels, come and see how Jesus is reduced!  He wants comfort from all, and His state of exhaustion is such that He refuses no one.
My Jesus, while You drink the chalice full of intense bitternesses, which the Celestial Father has sent You, I hear You sigh, moan, rave more, and with suffocated voice, You say, “Souls, souls, come, relieve Me!  Take a place in My Humanity; I want you, I long for you!  O please, do not be deaf to My Voices; do not render vain My Ardent Desires, My Blood, My Love, My Pains!  Come, souls, come!”
… And after having given this Blood to all, let us go to Jesus again.  Angels, Saints, come with us.  Ah, He sighs for souls; He wants to let them all enter His Humanity, to give to all the fruits of His Blood.  Let us place them around Him, and He will feel restored to life, and repaid for the most bitter agony He has suffered. 

On this Laetare Sunday the priest may wear rose vestments.  Laetare means “Rejoice” in Latin, and the Introit (entrance antiphon) in both the Traditional Latin Mass and the Novus Ordo is Isaiah 66:10-11, which begins “Laetare, Jerusalem” (“Rejoice, O Jerusalem”).The Mass reminds us to deepen and purify our religion:  to overcome our spiritual blindness and return to our loving, forgiving Father.

Today’s Gospel is from John 9:1-41
(A dramatic miracle, Jesus giving sight to the man born blind, illustrates the growing hostility between Jesus and His enemies.  It also illustrates the need to have our spiritual blindness cured by the Light of the World.)

Excerpt from the Hours of the Passion:

But, O my Jesus, always intent upon defending us with the enrapturing force of Your Love, You constrain the Father to look at Your Most Holy Face covered with all these insults and scorns, and say to Him, “My Father, do not look down upon the poor creatures.  If You reject them, You reject Me.  Ah, be placated!  I have all these offenses on My Face, which responds to You for all.  My Father, arrest Your Fury against poor creatures.  They are blind and do not know what they are doing.  Therefore, observe Me well, how I am reduced for their cause!  If You are not moved to Compassion for the miserable creature, be moved to Pity by this Countenance of Mine, all slimy with spit, covered with Blood, colorless and swollen from the so many slaps and blows received.  Have Mercy, My Father!  I was the Most Beautiful of all and now I am so disfigured that I no longer recognize Myself.  I have become the abjection of everyone.  Therefore, at any cost I want the poor creature saved!”