Stational Church for Tuesday in the 4th Week of Lent

Today's Stational Church is at the Church of St. Lawrence in Damaso

We celebrate the holy mysteries in spirit in the church of St. Lawrence in Damaso, built by the "poet-Pope" and "lover of the catacombs," St. Damasus, whose remains rest in this venerable edifice.

Mother Church points today to two leaders: Moses and Christ—figure and fulfillment. Both of them were unappreciated by their flock. Both of them were unmoved in their consecration to God and their holy calling. Their people were superficial, proud and selfish, while they, the leaders, were filled with the spirit of prayer, humility and the love of God.

In the spirit of our prayerful, humble and God-loving leader, St. Lawrence, let us make a sincere oblation of ourselves. Then the Divine Victim, through the prayers of this holy deacon, will increase in our souls what is so strikingly expressed in today's Mass:1. Humility—"With expectation I have waited for the Lord and he was attentive to me."2. Prayerfulness—"And He heard my prayer."3. Love—"And He put a new canticle in my mouth, a song to our God."

Let us pray: Hear, O God, my prayer and despise not my supplication. Be attentive to me and hear me. Through Christ, Our Lord.Amen.

(Source: St. John Cantius Parish)

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New Features

I've just started a new poll at my blog (available near the bottom of my right hand sidebar). Please vote and in two weeks I will take the end results into consideration for my daily posting. Above all, I want this place to be a "daily dose" of the Catholic faith. Our life must be built on Jesus Christ and I try to get this across each day here.

Thanks everyone!

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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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