Mother Teresa Wisdom for the Day

Mother Teresa -

A day alone with Jesus is apt to spur us on in the vigorous pursuit of holiness through personal love for Jesus. Jesus desires our perfection with unspeakable ardor. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification." We are but instruments that God deigns to use; these instruments bring forth fruit in the measure that they are united to God......

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Prayer by St. Gregory of Nazasazus

Jesus began His ministry by being hungry,
Yet He is the Bread of Life.

Jesus ended His earthly ministry by being thirsty,
Yet He is the Living Water.

Jesus was weary,
Yet He is our rest.

Jesus paid tribute,
Yet He is the King.

Jesus was accused of having a demon,
Yet He cast out demons.

Jesus wept,
Yet He wipes away our tears.

Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver,
Yet He redeemed the world.

Jesus was brought as a lamb to the slaughter,
Yet He is the Good Shepherd.

Jesus died,
Yet by His death He destroyed the power of death.

------------ Written by St. Gregory of Nazasazus A.D. 38

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain, Image of Christ the King

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Beware of "Conversations with God"

 

I received this warning in an email and wanted to share it to my readers. After reading this review, I urge my readers to neither buy nor read this book.

Beware of the book, Conversations with God...Two particular books, "Conversations with God" and "Conversations with God for Teens," written by Neale D. Walsch, sound harmless enough by their titles alone. These books have been on the New York Times best sellers list for a number of weeks, and! these publications make truth of the statement, "Don't judge a book by its cover/title." The author purports to answer various questions from kids using the "voice of God". However, the "answers" that he gives are not Bible-based and go against the very infallible word of God... [One girl] poses the question "I am living with my boyfriend. My parents say that I should marry him because I am living in sin. Should I marry him?" His reply is, "Who are you sinning against? Not me, because you have done nothing wrong." Another question asks about God's forgiveness of sin[s]. His reply "I do not forgive anyone because there is nothing to forgive. There is no such thing as right or wrong and that is what I have been trying to tell everyone, do not judge people. People have chosen to judge one another and this is wrong, because the rule is "'judge not lest ye be judged.'" And the list goes on. Not only are these books the false doctrine of devils, but in some instances even quote (in error) the Word of God. These books (and others like it) are being sold to school children (The Scholastic Book Club), and we need to be aware of what is being fed to our children. Our children are under attack. So I pray that you be sober and vigilant about teaching your children the Word of God, and guarding their exposure to worldly mediums, because our adversary, the Devil, roams about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). And how many of us know that lions usually hunt for the slowest, and weakest and YOUNGEST of its prey. Pass this on to every Believer you know. God bless! And, if in doubt, look at the books yourself.

I wanted to pass this warning along. The sad truth is that there are numerous "spiritual" books that go completely against the Word of God. Please be cautious and vigilant in all you read. Trust God and the Church for anything spoken against either of them is a lie.

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Monday in the Fourth Week of Lent

Today's Stational Church is dedicated to the Four Crowned Martyrs:

The Station is on Mount Caelius, in a church erected in the seventh century in honor of four officers of the Roman army, who having refused to adore a statue of Aesculapius, received the crown of martyrdom. These were the "Four Crowned Ones," whose relics are venerated in this sanctuary together with the head of St. Sebastian, an officer of the army of Diocletian. Under the leadership of the Four Crowned Martyrs let us celebrate the divine Sacrifice.

May the Eucharistic Action "refresh us and defend us," as it refreshed these great athletes and filled them with heavenly fortitude to go forth to make the supreme sacrifice for a true ideal, for their faith, for Christ, the King of Martyrs.

Let us pray: Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that as we keep with devotion year by year this holy fast, we may please Thee both in body and soul. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

(Source: St. John Cantius Parish)

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Pray for the Repose of Tom's Father's Soul

I am a member of the Catholic Community Forum and have prayed for Tom's father before. Tom has posted about his father's ailing condition for a few months, and today I read the sad news that his father has left this world for the next.

Please pray for my dad who passed away earlier this evening. As many of you regular visitors know, he had been sick with pulmonary problems for some time, and had a problem back in December. We are thankful dad had a good day today, and are quite naturally devastated by his loss. Thank you all for all your prayers and thoughts for my dad and our family. Please keep us in your thoughts over the next few days and weeks.

Love in Christ, Tom

Please offer your prayers and indulgences for this soul. Mary, in your arms, carry him to your Son, our savior.

In paradisum deducant te Angeli:

in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres,

et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem.

Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat,

et cum Lazaro quondam paupere aeternam habeas requiem.

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Mary's Way of the Cross

I am a member of the Holy Souls Prayer Group online, where I pray each day for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. A few weeks ago a poster there emailed me this excellent link to Mary's Way of the Cross. It is basically the traditional Stations of the Cross but from Mary's point of view. I wanted to share it with everyone here though I do most commonly pray the Traditional Stations of the Cross.  The Traditional Stations of the Church are the ones that have the indulgences attached to them.

The Stations of the Cross is a beautiful devotion during lent especially on Fridays.

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A Catholic Priest was Murdered in India

Exactly two weeks ago I posted about Catholics murdered in 2005 for their faith - they are examples that the Age of Martyrs Continues. Today, however, I came upon another story of a Catholic priest that was murdered - this one in 2006.

Father Eusebio Ferrao was a parish priest in Macasana, India. When he did not show up for Mass on March 18th, several parishioners went to his home to check on him. He was found in his room on the ground with a pillow on his head and a towel in his mouth. He was smothered and strangled to death. There were also 27 stab wounds in his back and chest.

This 61 yr-old priest died of asphyxiation according to forensic reports, and how painful it must have been. Again, we have another example of a man forced to die for serving Christ. Fr. Ferrao's funeral was March 21st, last Tuesday; 8,000 people attended the Mass.

Please say a prayer for his soul.

Update: I just learned through Zenit that Fr. Ferrao's killers were found. There were two men, Amit Shukla and Manish Dubey, that killed the priest. Amit Shukla had visited the priest several times looking for a job, and Fr. Ferrao was trying to help him find employment.

This particular evening, Fr. Ferrao invited them over for dinner and let them sleep in an adjoining room because they had no way home. When Fr. Ferrao went to check on them, the two men jumped on the priest and murdered him. They quickly locked the room and boarded a train and were later caught.

How could a man murder the very priest who was helping him. How horrible and tragic. Again, please pray for the soul of his priest.

In paradisum deducant te Angeli:

in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres,

et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem.

Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat,

et cum Lazaro quondam paupere aeternam habeas requiem.

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Today's Stational Church: The Third Saturday of Lent

Today's stational church is at the Church of St. Susanna:

Today's liturgy places before us three women—one in the white garment of virginity, the other in the blue mantle of chastity and the third in the purple robe of penitence. The first shows the triumph of Christ's redemption, the second, the power of faith in the coming Messiah, the third, the compassion of the Good Shepherd, who came to seek what was lost.

The first is today's stational guide—St. Susanna, to whom the vow of virginity and consecration to Christ, the royal Bridegroom, meant more than the princely hand of the unprincely Galerius Maximianus. She refused his hand in marriage and was put to death.

The other Susanna is the chaste wife of Joachim living in Babylon in the days of Daniel, the prophet. Two adulterous men, ever to be remembered as a disgrace to manhood, two judges, who perverted justice and drowned their manly honor in the pool of perjury, were this pure women's adversaries. But Susanna prefers to be a victim of the hellish vengeance of her accusers than sin against her God.

And now the third one—the woman caught in adultery. She lost her virginity, her chastity, and has broken fidelity to her marriage vows. "she must be stoned," was the cry. She was an outcast in the eyes of her merciless accusers, who themselves were whitened sepulchers inwardly full of worms. Jesus, the new Daniel, came to her rescue. He condemned her sin, but raised her from an erring sheep to a penitential follower. "Has no one condemned you, woman? No one, Sir. Neither will I condemn you. Now sin no more."

Let us pray: Extend to Thy faithful the right hand of heavenly help, that they may seek Thee with their whole hearts and deserve to obtain what they ask for worthily. Through Christ, Our Lord.Amen.

(Source: St. John Cantius Parish)

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The Annunciation of the Lord

Annunciation by Paolo Veronese
Solemnity (1969 Calendar): March 25

1st Class (1962 Calendar): March 25
Double of the I Class (1954 Calendar): March 25

Today is the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, where we recall that through Mary's obedience Jesus came was conceived in her womb. Today is March 25nd, 9 months before Christmas day.  The Annunciation, set nine months before Christmas on March 25, was formerly such a great feast day in Christendom that it was the beginning of the civil/legal year in England until their transition to the Gregorian calendar in 1752, and remained a holy day of obligation for American Catholics until 1884. March 25th is the most important day in human history 3 times over!

This important feastday in the Church is of great importance, even if it is not currently a Holy Day of Obligation.  On years in which the 25th of March falls on a Sunday during Lent, the Annunciation is transferred to the following Monday, March 26th. However, if March 25th falls during Holy Week, the Feast is transferred to the Monday after Low Sunday, since that is the first day after March 25th that is not a 1st Class Feast. Some years the Feast of the Annunciation falls during Passion Week, the week before Holy Week, and in which case, the images of our Lady continue to remain veiled. Annunciation Day though is still a day of fasting and abstinence during Lent.

At the Annunciation our salvation began - Our God came down and became one of us, destined to die for us. Through Mary's fiat (her "yes"), God became man and for nine months rested in her womb. Sadly, many mothers today do not understand the gift of life in their wombs so they resort to abortion. But was Jesus alive and fully human in Mary's womb! Abortion kills a living human person. Let us meditate on Jesus' love and an end to abortion today as well as Mary's role as Co-Redemptrix.

Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

"The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end." But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" And the angel said to her in reply, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God." Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her."

Collect:

O God, Who, by the message of an angel, willed Your Word to take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant that we, Your suppliants, who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may be helped by her intercession with You. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

Prayer to Our Lady of the Annunciation:

Queen of heaven and earth, daughter of the Father, Mother of the divine Son, spouse of the Holy Spirit, I praise God for the unique grace given to you. Mary, you became the great Mother of our divine Savior, our Master, true Light of the world, uncreated Wisdom, source of all truth and first Apostle of truth. You gave the world the book to read, the eternal Word. For this I bless the holy Trinity and I ask you to obtain for me the grace of heavenly wisdom, to be a fervent disciple of Jesus and to be lovingly devoted to the Church, the pillar of truth. Make the light of the Gospel shine to the farthest bounds of the earth. Queen of the Apostles, pray for us!

Prayer Source: Fr. James Alberion

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Pope Benedict XVI Installs New Cardinals

Today Pope Benedict XVI formally installed the 15 New Cardinals to the College of Cardinals bringing their number to 193. However, only 120 would be able to vote for the next pope as of now; only cardinals under 80 years old are eligible to vote.

During the beautiful Mass at St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome, each new Cardinal received the three-cornered biretta hat as well as a nomination scroll.

The new Cardinals are as follows:

1. William Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
2. Franc Rode, prefect of the Congregation for the Institutes for Consecrated Life.
3. Agostino Vallini, prefect of the Tribunal for the Apostolic Signatura.
4. Carlo Caffarra, archbishop of Bologna, Italy
5. Stanislaw Dziwisz, archbishop of Krakow, Poland
6. Nicolas Cheong-Jin-Suk, archbishop of Seoul, Korea
7. Joseph Zen, bishop of Hong Kong
8. Gaudencio B. Rosales, archbishop of Manila
9. Antonio Canizares Llovera, archbishop of Toledo, Spain
10. Sean Patrick O'Malley, archbishop of Boston
11. Jean-Pierre Ricard, archbishop of Bordeaux, France
12. Jorge Liberato Urosa Savino, archbishop of Caracas
13. Andrea Cordero Lanza Di Montezemolo
14. Peter Poreku Dery
15. Rev. Albert Vanhoye

Photo Source: CBS (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

More Images:


Image Sources: Boston Globe Staff Photo/ David Ryan

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