Portugal's Parliament has just voted and liberalized the abortion law: now "the new law will set no restrictions on women seeking to end their pregnancies up until the 10th week, though it does require a mandatory three-day reflection period before an abortion will be performed" (Christian Post)
Father V writes something that I wholeheartedly agree with:Think of a pan of a crowd in a news segment that catches a priest or sister in religious garb. For that instant, thoughts of Church, God, and Catholicism pop into mind.
When I was a baby priest, occasionally I would be walking down the street and catch a glimpse of myself with my collar on in a store window. It would jolt me into remembering that I was living a very public Catholic life involving powerful symbols and that my actions meant something to other people. It is not about me, a humbling lesson to learn, but about that collar and what it is supposed to represent.
With March 19th being the Solemnity of St. Joseph, today is the official date to being The Novena to Saint Joseph.The following explanation of Novenas is from The Treasury of the Sacred Heart Abridged from the Larger Work, With Epistles and Gospels for All Sundays and Festivals of the Year, published by Charles Eason, Middle Abbey Street, Dublin in 1860:
"By a Novena, is meant a devotion of nine days in honour of some mystery of our Redemption, to obtain a particular request: or in honour of the Blessed Virgin, or any of the Saints; to beg their intercession in obtaining a favour from God.It may be made of any prayer according to each person's devotion, and is certainly a holy practice, which has often been found successful in obtaining favours from God. Those who perform it with the conditions necessary for prayer; in particular with a lively hope of having their request granted, and perfect resignation, should it be refused, may be assured that Christ, who has said ask and you shall receive, will grant them some grace or blessing as the fruit of their prayer, though, in his infinite wisdom and mercy, he may refuse the particular favour which they implore.
'If," says Saint Augustine, 'he seems deaf to their cries, it is only to grant their main desire, by doing what is more expedient to them.' God alone knows what is good for us: how often is the refusal of our requests a far greater favour than would be the grant of them!'"
The Novena:
O St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all of my interests and desires. O St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession, and do obtain for me from your Divine son, all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, our Lord, so that having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of Fathers. O St. Joseph I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach while he reposes near your heart. Press him in my name and kiss his fine head for me, and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, Patron of departing souls, pray for us. Amen
The stational Mass brings us to another basilica, St. Lawrence Outside the Walls, erected by the Emperor Constantine in the year 330. As the basilica is near the Verano cemetery and above ancient catacombs, where the bodies of the martyred St. Lawrence, St. Stephen and St. Justin were laid to rest, the penitential character of the Lenten Station takes on particular significance.
On this day, the catechumens of old were taken to the tomb of St. Lawrence, the illustrious deacon whose "eyes were ever towards the Lord." Today, they had to decide whether they were "for Christ or against Him." If for Him, then "all fornication and uncleanness, covetousness, obscenity, foolish talking, gossip must be laid aside," "for no fornicator, or unclean or covetous person has inheritance in the kingdom of Christ Jesus."
We have made our decision years ago. On the day of our baptism, we renounced Satan, his pomps and his works. "Heretofore we were darkness," but by the waters of baptism "were made light in the Lord."
If we are not keeping our baptismal oath, then "the last state of that man becomes worse than the first, for the unclean spirit will return into the house from whence he came, together with seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and dwell there." The result will be a scattering, a breaking up of the supernatural life, a separation from Him who is our blessed hope in this life and our eternal joy in the next.
Let us pray: Pluck my feet out of the snare. Look upon me and have mercy on me for I am alone and poor. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Today's Words of Wisdom are taken from the Greatest Theologian in the history of the Catholic Church - St. Thomas Aquinas:
"Man cannot live without joy; therefore when he is deprived of true spiritual joys it is necessary that he become addicted to carnal pleasures."There is a page at the Vatican's website for Sacramentum Caritatis.Papal document on Eucharist due March 13
Vatican, Mar. 6, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict’s apostolic exhortation on the Eucharist will be released on Tuesday, March 13, the Vatican has announced.
The new papal document, entitled Sacramentum Caritatis, summarizes and concludes the deliberations of the Synod of Bishops, which met in October 2005 to discuss the Eucharist.
The apostolic exhortation will be introduced to the press at a briefing hosted by Cardinal Angelo Scola of Venice, who was the relator general for the Synod assembly; and Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, the secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops.
The Synod of Bishops met in October 2005 to discuss the theme, “The Eucharist: Living Bread for Peace in the World,” with 256 bishops from 118 countries participating in the discussions. In a break from the usual practice, the Synod fathers made public an “unofficial” list of the 50 propositions approved at the conclusion of their deliberations. Ordinarily the propositions remain confidential, to be used by the Pope in preparing an apostolic exhortation on the topic of the Synod's deliberations. But Pope Benedict approved the public release of the conclusions from this assembly.
During a February 22 meeting with priests in Rome, Pope Benedict had said that the release of his apostolic exhortation was imminent.
CWNews goes on to think out loud what the rest of us are thinking about:
Some Vatican sources have suggested that the unveiling of the apostolic exhortation could clear the way for another long-awaited papal document: a motu proprio allowing wider use of the pre-conciliar liturgy. In announcing the release of Sacramentum Caritatis, the Vatican press office made no mention of that other document
This Station is in the basilica founded by St. Helen on the Via Lavicana, in which were buried the bodies of St. Marcellinus, priest, and St. Peter, exorcist, martyred at Tome during the Diocletian persecution. Their names are mentioned in the Roman Canon of the Mass.
May today's stational saints, not brothers in the flesh, but in spirit, obtain for us the gift of gratitude both for our holy calling—God's free gift—as well as for the grace of conversion, our homecoming to the Father. For the remainder of our life may "the unspotted law of the Lord, which converts souls, and the testimonies of our faithful Lord fill us with such wisdom that we shall show forth the glory of God, and declare the works of His hands."
Let us pray: Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord, a saving virtue to our fast; that the chastisement of the flesh, which we have taken upon us may bestow new life to our souls. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Mother Church points today to the "Great Friday" on which our High Priest and Redeemer obtained for us eternal redemption. She takes us today to the church of St. Vitalis—father of the holy martyrs, Gervase and Protase. For his loyalty to Christ, St. Vitalis was first buried up to the waist in an old cistern and then stoned to death.
Here at the altar of this martyr — his name means "full of life" — Holy Mother Church directs our attention to the life-giving death of the Savior. In four weeks we will celebrate the life-begetting Passion of Christ. Pointing to this great mystery, the Church prays that we continue to prepare for it; that the holy fast may chasten us and make our hearts pure, so that when the vintage time of the Paschal solemnity arrives, the divine householder may not be obliged to say: "I looked that my vineyard should bring forth grapes, and it has brought forth thorns."
May St. Vitalis, who drank so abundantly of the sacred winepress of the Lord's Passions, accompany us today to the Eucharistic Banquet in which this most Holy Passion is rendered present and the fruits thereof applied to our souls. Here all of us will become "Vitales"—living members of Christ—the Fountain of all life and holiness.
Let us pray: Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that cleansed by this holy fast, we may be brought by Thee with pure hearts to the holy season, which is to come. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
