Thursday, March 9, 2006
St. Patrick Novena


Around 1,500 years ago, a 16-year old boy was kidnapped from Britain forced to work as a slave for six years in Ireland until he escaped. His name was St. Patrick. During his time in slavery, St. Patrick frequently prayed. He was not very religious before this time, and his family was not wealthy either. However, St. Patrick was given a vision.

St. Patrick became a priest and later a bishop. He returned to Ireland to convert his people to Christianity. Pope Saint Celestine saint him to evangelize England, then Ireland, during which his chariot driver was Saint Odran, and Saint Jarlath was one of his students. He advocated against slavery for women's rights in the 5th Century! St. Patrick didn't drive snakes out of Ireland; rather, he brought God to the country and converted many. In his 33 years in Ireland, he converted nearly the entire country. Because of his work, Ireland became know as the Land of Saints

Please join me in praying the Novena to St. Patrick starting today and ending on his feastday, March 17th.
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Wednesday, March 8, 2006
St. John of God


Optional Memorial (1969 Calendar): March 8
Double (1954 Calendar): March 8

Today the Church remembers and invokes St. John of God (1495-1550).  As a young man, he lived a raucous life and one devoid of emphasis on Our Lord and God. St. John of God lived as a mercenary and fought with the army under Charles V throughout Europe and Northern Africa. It was not until he was more than forty years old that he realized the severity of his sins.

He received a brilliant vision of the Infant Jesus, who called him "John of God". To make up for all the misery he caused others as a soldier, he rented a house in Granada, Spain to care for the poor, needy, and unwanted. He lived completely for Jesus Christ during this time and served the Lord. St. John of God gave whatever he had or begged for what he needed. He even converted his patients and those who saw him work with them. St. John of God founded the Order of Charity and the Order of Hospitallers of Saint John of God, building two hospitals through only the alms he raised. He was a friend of St. John of Avila. St. John of God even had the stigmata.

On March 8, 1550, St. John of God died in Granada while praying before a crucifix from an illness contracted while saving a drowning man. He was canonized on October 16, 1690, by Pope Alexander VIII. Pope Leo XIII added his name to the Litany for the Dying.

Dom Gueranger writes of this saint in his "Liturgical Year" volume:
The charity which the world has set up, which it calls philanthropy, and which it exercises not in the name of God, but solely for the sake of man, is a mere delusion; it is incapable of producing love between those who give and those who receive, and its results must necessarily be unsatisfactory. There is but one tie which can make men love one another: that tie is God, who created them all, and commands them all to be one in Him. To serve mankind for its own sake, is to make a god of it; and even viewing the workings of the two systems in this single point of view—the relief they afford to temporal suffering—what comparison is there between mere philanthropy, and that supernatural charity of the humble disciples of Christ, who make Him the very motive and end of all they do for their afflicted brethren? The saint we honour today, was called John of God, because the name of God was ever on his lips. His heroic acts of charity had no other motive than that of pleasing God; God alone was the inspirer of the tender love he had for his suffering fellow-creatures. Let us imitate his example, for our Lord assures us that He considers as done to Himself whatsoever we do even for the least of His disciples.
Prayer:

O God, Who didst cause blessed John, burning with Thy love, to pass through flames unharmed, and dist enrich Thy Church with a new offspring through him: grant in view of his merits: that our sins may be destroyed in the first of Thy love and we ourselves healed unto life everlasting. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal
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Tuesday, March 7, 2006
Prayer Intentions this Evening

As I pray this evening's Liturgy of the Hours, I also pray for the following intentions:

  1. For Ed from "To Jesus Through Mary" to receive God's healing
  2. For the success of the Catholic Relief Services
  3. For Lent to rekindle the hearts and dedication of all Catholics
  4. For the abortion ban in South Dakota to succeed in becoming permanent law
Image Source: Images in the Public Domain. If you are interested in obtaining all of the images of this series in high resolution, please click here to visit my post to obtain them.
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The Story of Dreams

This is one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read. I read it several years ago and was so happy to find it again to share it here.

Do not miss any line from this...............Sometimes we get what we need and not what we want..........

Once there were 3 trees on a hill in the woods.They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the 1st tree said, "Someday, I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems and be decorated with intricate carvings. Everyone would see my beauty."

The 2nd tree said, "Someday, I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of other world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally, the 3rd tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look upto my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time, and people will always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. One came to the 1st tree and said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter," and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the 2nd tree, one of the other woodsman said,"This looks like a strong tree. I should be able tosell it to the shipyard." The 2nd tree was happy,because he knew he was on his way to becoming amighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the 3rd tree, the tree was frightened, because it knew that, if it cutsdown, its dream would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree, so I'll take this one," and he cut it down.

When the 1st tree arrived at the carpenter's, he was made into a feed box for animals, placed in a barnand filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for.

The 2nd tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end.

The 3rd tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one filtered day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth, and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose, and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe.The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace," and the storm stopped. At this time,the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat. Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets, and the crowd mocked the man who was carrying it.

Finally, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as possible, because Jesus Christ had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that, when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God hasa plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not inthe way they had imagined.

We don't always know what God's plans are for us.We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best Keep it moving...pass it on, so it could inspire more people. Sometimes the heart sees what the eyes can't. GOD BLESS . . . .

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain
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Stational Churches

St. Ignatius Church, Rome, Italy (c) A Catholic Life Blog, 2016

Stations of Lent:

Ash Wednesday
Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Friday after Ash Wednesday
Saturday after Ash Wednesday

First Sunday of Lent
Monday in the First Week of Lent
Tuesday in the First Week of Lent
Wednesday in the First Week of Lent
Thursday in the First Week of Lent
Friday in the First Week of Lent
Saturday in the First Week of Lent

Second Sunday of Lent
Monday in the Second Week of Lent
Tuesday in the Second Week of Lent
Wednesday in the Second Week of Lent
Thursday in the Second Week of Lent
Friday in the Second Week of Lent
Saturday in the Second Week of Lent

Third Sunday of Lent
Monday in the Third Week of Lent
Tuesday in the Third Week of Lent
Wednesday in the Third Week of Lent
Thursday in the Third Week of Lent
Friday in the Third Week of Lent
Saturday in the Third Week of Lent

Laetare Sunday
Monday in the Fourth Week of Lent
Tuesday in the Fourth Week of Lent
Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Lent
Thursday in the Fourth Week of Lent
Friday in the Fourth Week of Lent
Saturday in the Fourth Week of Lent

Passion Sunday
Monday in the Fifth Week of Lent
Tuesday in the Fifth Week of Lent
Wednesday in the Fifth Week of Lent
Thursday in the Fifth Week of Lent
Friday in the Fifth Week of Lent
Saturday in the Fifth Week of Lent

Palm Sunday
Monday in Holy Week
Tuesday in Holy Week
Wednesday in Holy Week
Holy Thursday
Good Friday
Holy Saturday

Stations of Easter Week:

Easter Sunday: Saint Mary Major
Easter Monday: Saint Peter’s in the Vatican
Easter Tuesday: Saint Paul outside the Walls
Easter Wednesday: Saint Laurence Outside the Walls
Easter Thursday: Twelve Apostles
Easter Friday: Saint Mary of the Martyrs (the Pantheon)
Easter Saturday: Saint John in the Lateran
Low Sunday, the Octave Day of Easter: Saint Pancras on the Janiculum Hill

Stations from Ascension through Pentecost:

Ascension Thursday: Saint Peter’s in the Vatican
Saturday, the Eve of Pentecost: Saint John in the Lateran
Pentecost Sunday: Saint Peter’s in the Vatican
Pentecost Monday: Saint Peter’s in Chains
Pentecost Tuesday: Saint Anastasia
Pentecost Wednesday: Saint Mary Major
Pentecost Thursday: Saint Lawrence outside the Walls
Pentecost Friday: Twelve Apostles
Pentecost Saturday: Saint Peter’s in the Vatican

Stations of Advent:

First Sunday of Advent: Saint Mary Major (on the Esquiline Hill)
Second Sunday of Advent: Holy Cross in Jerusalem
Third Sunday of Advent: Saint Peter’s in the Vatican
Wednesday: Saint Mary Major (on the Esquiline Hill)
Friday: Twelve Apostles (near Piazza Venezia)
Saturday: Saint Peter’s in the Vatican
Fourth Sunday of Advent: Twelve Apostles (near Piazza Venezia)

Stations of the Christmas Season:

First Mass of Christmas at Midnight: Saint Mary Major (in the Chapel of the Crib)
Second Mass of Christmas at Dawn: Saint Anastasia
Third Mass of Christmas at Midnight: Saint Mary Major (on the Esquiline Hill)
December 26rd: Saint Stephen on the Celian Hill
December 27th: Saint Mary Major
December 28th: Saint Paul outside the Walls (on the Ostian Way, Metro ‘San Paolo’)
January 1st: Saint Mary in Trastevere
January 6th: Saint Peter’s in the Vatican
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Change the World This Lent

The National Catholic Register has a good list of ideas on how to Change the World This Lent. I also highly recommend the Catholic Herald's 40 Ways to Improve Your Lent.
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Sts. Perpetua and Felicity


Double (1955 Calendar): March 6
Optional Memorial (1969 Calendar): March 7

Since this feastday often occurs during Lent, the feast of Sts. Perpetua and Felicity is kept as a Commemoration at Mass and in the Office.

St. Perpetua was young, beautiful, and well-educated a noblewoman of Carthage. She also was the mother of an infant son. Some of St. Perpetua's writings remain: “When my father in his affection for me was trying to turn me from my purpose by arguments and thus weaken my faith, I said to him, ‘Do you see this vessel—waterpot or whatever it may be? Can it be called by any other name than what it is?’ ‘No,’ he replied. ‘So also I cannot call myself by any other name than what I am—a Christian.’”

During a period of persecution, Perpetua, Felicity (a slavewoman and expectant mother) and their three companions, Revocatus, Secundulus and Saturninus were all martyred because of their refusal to denounce their faith in Christ. Perpetua and Filicity were beheaded and their three companions were devoured by beasts. Felicity was martyred just three days after giving birth. Perpetua's mother also refused to denounce her faith so Perpetua's pagan father had her imprisoned.
"For the young women there was prepared a fierce cow. Perpetua was first led in. She was tossed, and when she saw her tunic torn from her side, she drew it as a veil over her middle, rather mindful of her modesty than of her sufferings. Then the was called up again, and bound up her dishevelled hair, for it is not becoming for a martyr to die with dishevelled hair, which is a sign of mourning. She saw Felicity wounded, and took her hand and raised her up, and at the demand of the populace they were given a respite. 
"Now all the prisoners were to be slain with the sword, and they went to the center of the arena, first exchanging a farewell kiss of peace. The others died unmoving and silent, but when the awkward hand of the young executioner bungled her death-stroke, Perpetua cried out in pain, and herself guided his hand to her throat. Possibly such a woman could not have been slain unless she herself willed it, because she was feared by the impure spirit" (Quote from The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 3 edited by Rev. Alexander Roberts)
Imagine that - these five willingly refused to deny Our Lord and chose giving up their lives instead. We too must have that faith! We must not be afraid of losing our reputation or jobs for our faith in Christ and His Church. Sts. Perpetua and Filicity refused to give up their faith in Christ and earned eternal reward.

"Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11-12)

As Sts. Perpetua and Felicity illustrate, we must not be afraid to stand firm to our beliefs. We must never back down from the firm truths of the Catholic faith, the same faith that for which those two saints died. This is same faith that proclaims that Jesus Christ must be the center of our lives and hearts.

Here is an account of their coming deaths:
Now the day had arrived when they were to be thrown to the wild beasts. Felicitas began to be sorrowful because she feared she would have to wait longer than her companions. For eight months she had been pregnant and therefore, according to Roman law, could not be executed before the birth of the child. But the prayers of her fellow sufferers hastened her time and she gave birth to a baby girl.

While she was suffering from the pains of childbirth, one of the guards called out to her, "If you are suffering so much now, what will you do when you are thrown to the wild beasts?" "Now I suffer," she answered, "but there Another will be in me, who will suffer for me, because I will suffer for Him." When she was in travail she had sorrow, but when she was set before the wild beasts she rejoiced" (Roman Martyrology).
Prayer:

O Lord, our God, grant us the grace to honor with unfailing veneration the glorious martyrdom of SS. Perpetua and Felicitas; and, if we cannot sing praises worthy of these Saints, may we at least offer them our lowly homage. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal
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Mother Teresa Wisdom for March 7, 2006

Let us try to live by Blessed Mother Teresa's words of wisdom today:

"Love until it hurts; it takes deep sacrifice to proclaim the word of God. "
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Monday, March 6, 2006
Prayer Intentions for This Evening

I end this day in the Prayer for the Liturgy of the Hours and pray for the following Intentions:

  • That all people may receive the opportunities they need to reach their full potential
  • For the poor and the poor souls in purgatory
  • For the Intentions of the Catholic forum that I put together

(There is a pious story that soon after the death of a certain Poor Clare nun, she appeared to her Mother Superior - who was praying for her soul - and made the following revelation: " I went straight to heaven because I paid all my debts by virtue of this prayer (below)." Please note that this prayer is not meant to take the place of making a sincere Confession. It is meant only as a prayer to foster true contrition and reparation.)

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with al its love, all its sufferings and all its merits.
To expiate all the sins I have committed this day and during all my life.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

To purify the good I have done poorly this day and during all my life.
Glory be, etc.

To supply for the good I ought to have done, and that I have neglected this day and all my life.
Glory be, etc.

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St. Benedict on Lent

"Let us devote ourselves to tearful prayers, to reading and compunction of heart, and to abstinence. During these days, therefore, let us add something to the usual amount of our service, special prayers, abstinence from food and drink, that each one offer to God 'with the joy of the Holy Ghost' (1 Thes 1:6), of his own accord, something above his prescribed measure; namely, let him withdraw from his body somewhat of food, drink, sleep, speech, merriment, and with the gladness of spiritual desire await holy Easter."

Image Source: Image believed to be in the Public Domain.
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