With the threat of nuclear war hanging over our heads we need to return to the fundamentals, and this includes prayer and help from heaven. God does not abandon us; He only asks that we think of Him, that we turn to Him for help. God is love, and a beggar for love. He loves us infinitely, and wants us to love Him and our neighbor, our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ.
In fact, God's desire is to unite Himself with us as intimately as possible and share His divine life with us by making Himself food for us; food that transforms us. "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me and I in him" (John 6:56). This is the miracle of the Holy Eucharist: that bread and wine is transformed into the body and blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ (see page 4).
It is through the Eucharist that Jesus becomes present with us until the end of time. In heaven, we will spend eternity worshiping and giving thanks to Jesus. Since the Eucharist is an intimate union with Jesus, we can say that receiving Holy Communion is already the beginning of heaven on earth.
God making Himself present, body and soul, in a piece of bread remains a great mystery. To help us believe, in His great mercy, God comes to the rescue of our incredulity with signs. For example, Carlo Acutis, who died at the age of 15 and will be canonized in 2025 (see page 9), has recorded over 130 Eucharistic miracles. There are miraculous communions, one of which involved Blessed Imelda Lambertini, who literally died of love for Jesus at the age of 12 (see page 8).
Another sign that God doesn't abandon us is that He has given each of us a guardian angel to guide and protect us (see page 22). Remember to pray to our guardian angel and ask for his help every day!
The most recent pontiffs, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis, have repeatedly emphasized that true devotion to the Eucharist necessarily leads to love of the poor and neighbor. It lifts us out of our selfishness and indifference, and gives us the strength to devote ourselves to justice and the common good despite obstacles and contradictions.
This is true in the lives of the founders of MICHAEL, who had to overcome many obstacles and make sacrifices to free people from the slavery of the bankers' money-debt system, above all by education (see page 10). This is true in the life of Louis Even (see page 13) and also in that of Gilberte Côté-Mercier (see page 16). Without this love of God, and without this love of the poor, they would never have consented to their many sacrifices.
Economic Democracy, or Social Credit (see page 24), was a beacon of light for our founders, making them realize that money is nothing more than a number. Money is the ticket to obtain things (see page 14). The principles were also a beacon for our friend François de Siebenthal from Switzerland who passed away recently (see page 23).
Putting ourselves at the service of the 'least of these' is also what a new Canadian saint, Marie-Léonie Paradis, did (see page 27). May her example help us to persevere in the good fight for justice. As we know, the final victory belongs to God, and is already assured. So let's have courage and bear witness to the truth for the coming of the Kingdom of God.
Alain Pilote, Editor