St. Angela Merici

Optional Memorial (1969 Calendar): January 27
Double (1954 Calendar): May 31
Class III (1962 Calendar): June 1

Today the Church remembers St. Angela Merici, virgin. St. Angela was born in 1474 in Italy and ended up forming the Order of Ursulines, which was the first teaching order for women to be approved by the Church.

Early on in her life, St. Angela devoted her life to Christ as His bride. This deep love for God led her to a deeper prayer life and love beyond today's standards. When her parents died, St. Angela lived for Christ and His Gospel every day in solitude. In 1524, St. Angela journeyed on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. She visited Pope Clement VII, in Rome, who desired for her to remain in the city. So, in 1516, she founded a society for girls under St. Ursula's protection, which later became the Ursuline Order. At age 70, St. Angela Merici died, and her body remained perfectly incorrupt for 30 days afterward. A remarkable event also happened at her burial in the Church of St. Afra.

In 1954, Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen setting it on May 31st, and to make room for it, he moved the feast of St. Angela Merici to June 1 from May 31st.

Traditional Matins Reading:

Angela de Merici was born of virtuous parents at Decenzano, a town in the diocese of Verona, near lake Benago, in the Venetian territory. From her earliest years she kept the strictest guard over the lily of her virginity, which she had resolved should never be taken from her. She had a thorough contempt for those outward deckings on which so many women set their hearts. She purposely disfigured the beauty of her features and hair, that she might find no favour save with the Spouse of our souls. Whilst yet in the bloom of youth, she lost her parents; whereupon she sought to retire into a desert, that she might lead a life of penance; but being prevented by an uncle, she fulfilled at home what she was not permitted to do in a wilderness. She frequently wore a hairshirt, and took the discipline. She never ate flesh-meat, except in case of sickness; she never tasted wine, except on the Feasts of our Lord’s Nativity and Resurrection; and, at times, would pass whole days without taking any food. She spent much time in prayer, and exceedingly little in sleep, and that little on the ground. The devil having once appeared to her in the form of an angel of light, she at once detected his craft, and put him to flight. At length, having resigned her right to the fortune left her by her parents, she embraced the rule of the Third Order of St Francis, received the habit, and united evangelical poverty to the merit of virginity.

She showed her neighbour every kind office in her power; and gave to the poor a portion of her own food, which she procured by begging. She gladly served the sick. She gained the reputation of great sanctity in several places, which she visited either that she might comfort the afflicted, or obtain pardon for criminals, or reconcile them that were at variance, or reclaim sinners from the sink of crime. She had a singular hunger for the Bread of Angels, which she frequently received; and such was the vehemence of her love of God, that she was often in a state of ecstasy. She visited the Holy Places of Palestine with extraordinary devotion. During her pilgrimage, she lost her sight on landing on the isle of Candia, but recovered it when leaving. She also miraculously escaped shipwreck and falling into the hands of barbarians. She went to Rome during the Pontificate of Pope Clement the Seventh, in order to venerate the firm Rock of the Church, and to gain the great Jubilee Indulgence. The Pope had an interview with her, at once discovered her sanctity and spoke of her to others in terms of highest praise; nor would he have allowed her to leave the city, had he not been convinced that heaven called her elsewhere.

Having returned to Brescia, she took a house near the church of Saint Afra. There, by God's command, which was made known to her by a voice from heaven and by a vision, she instituted a new society of virgins under a special discipline, and holy rules, which she herself drew up. She put her Institute under the title and patronage of Saint Ursula, the brave leader of the army of virgins: she also foretold, shortly before her death, that this Institute would last to the end of the world. At length, being close upon seventy years of age, laden with merit, she took her flight to heaven in the year 1540, on the sixth of the Calends of February (January 27). Her corpse was kept thirty days before being put in the grave, and preserved the flexibility and appearance of a living body. It was laid in the church of Saint Afra, amidst the many other relics wherewith that church is enriched. Many miracles were wrought at her tomb. The rumour of these miracles spread not only through Brescia and Decenzano, but also in other places. The name of Blessed was soon given to Angela, and her image used to be placed on the altars. St Charles Borromeo affirmed, whilst preaching at Brescia, a few years after Angela’s death, that she was worthy of canonization: Clement the Thirteenth ratified and confirmed the devotion thus paid her by the faithful, which had already received the approbation of several bishops, and the encouragement of several Indults of Sovereign Pontiffs. Finally, after several new miracles had been juridically proved, Pius the Seventh enrolled Angela in the list of holy virgins, in the solemn canonization celebrated in the Vatican Basilica, on May 24 in the year 1807.

Litany to St. Angela Merici for private recitation:

God the Father of heaven, Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, and faithful Guardian of our Mother Saint Angela, Pray for us.

Saint Angela Merici, Pray for us.
St. Angela, favored with the choicest gifts of God from thy infancy, Pray for us.
St. Angela, who didst give thyself to the practice of all the virtues from thy tenderest years, Pray for us.
St. Angela, who didst always preserve a spotless purity, Pray for us.
St. Angela, who by thy love for holy purity, didst merit to receive thy name, Pray for us.
St. Angela, who from childhood found thy delight in solitude, Pray for us.
St. Angela, who led an angelic life in the house of thy parents, Pray for us.
St. Angela, who didst daily hear on thy body the mortification of Jesus, Pray for us.
St. Angela, whose gift it was to reconcile the bitterest enemies, Pray for us.
(St. Angela, who at thirteen become a Tertiary of St. Francis and ever remained faithful,) Pray for us.
St. Angela, gifted with the graces of prayer and contemplation, Pray for us.
St. Angela, who visited the Holy Land, and there followed the bloody footprints of Jesus, Pray for us.
St. Angela, who triumphed over the illusions of the devil, Pray for us.
St. Angela, who wast not afflicted at the loss of thy sight in visiting the holy places, Pray for us.
St. Angela, whose sight was miraculously restored in the Island of Candia, Pray for us.
St. Angela, whom the love of God had wounded and whom this same love cured, Pray for us.
St. Angela, model of perfect self-denial and true humility, Pray for us.
St. Angela, who, like Jacob, wast permitted to see the mysterious ladder, Pray for us.
St. Angela, chosen by God to be the mother of many holy virgins, Pray for us.
St. Angela, Foundress of the illustrious Order of the Ursulines, Pray for us.
St. Angela, to whom God promised that this Order should always subsist, Pray for us.
St. Angela, who, filled with joy, didst give up thy soul in the embrace of the Lord, Pray for us.
St. Angela, whose body remained incorruptible after death, Pray for us.
St. Angela, Patroness of Christian mothers, Pray for us.
St. Angela, Protectress of young girls, Pray for us.
St. Angela, our Mother and Advocate, Pray for us.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world: Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world: Hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world: Have mercy on us.

V. Pray for us, O glorious Mother Saint Angela:
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray.

O God, Who by means of our blessed Mother Saint Angela didst cause a new Order of holy virgins to flourish in Thy Church: grant, through her intercession, that we may imitate her angelic virtues, and, forsaking all earthly things, may be found worthy of eternal bliss. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord. R. Amen.

Litany Source: Kyrie Eleison — Two Hundred Litanies by Benjamin Francis Musser O.F.M., The Magnificat Press, 1944

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Final Day for the Novena for Chrisitian Unity

Please join me in praying the 9th and final day for the Novena for Christian Unity. Yesterday was the Feast of St. Paul's Conversion, and we remember how anyone can be converted. We must pray for everyone.

Also, today is the 4th day in the Novena to St. John Bosco.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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The Conversion of St. Paul

Today's Readings:

And he saith: I am a Jew, born at Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the truth of the law of the fathers, zealous for the law, as also all you are this day: Who persecuted this way unto death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. As the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the ancients: from whom also receiving letters to the brethren, I went to Damascus, that I might bring them bound from thence to Jerusalem to be punished.

And it came to pass, as I was going, and drawing nigh to Damascus at midday, that suddenly from heaven there shone round about me a great light: And falling on the ground, I heard a voice saying to me: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered: Who art thou, Lord? And he said to me: I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And they that were with me, saw indeed the light, but they heard not the voice of him that spoke with me. And I said: What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me: Arise, and go to Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things that thou must do.

And whereas I did not see for the brightness of that light, being led by the hand by my companions, I came to Damascus. And one Ananias, a man according to the law, having testimony of all the Jews who dwelt there, Coming to me, and standing by me, said to me: Brother Saul, look up. And I the same hour looked upon him. But he said: The God of our fathers hath preordained thee that thou shouldst know his will, and see the Just One, and shouldst hear the voice from his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness to all men, of those things which thou hast seen and heard. And now why tarriest thou? Rise up, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, invoking his name. Acts 22:3-16 (Douay Rheims)

So Saul was baptized and took the name Paul, by whom the epistles were written and the Church spread a hundred-fold over across the world. I could not help but post the great story of conversion.

While meditating on this passage of Scripture, I'd like to ask my readers, What was your story of conversion? I didn't have a great one as Paul did. I wasn't struck with light, but I knew in my heart the truth of the Catholic faith. I was raised Christian and after visiting a Catholic Mass, my family and I enrolled in RCIA and became Catholic officially at the Easter Vigil in 2002.

Image Source: Photo believed to be in the Public Domain

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Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul

Feast (1969 Calendar): January 25
Greater Double (1955 Calendar): January 25

Today the Church celebrates its only feast that is centered on someone's conversion. Today is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. We remember and also realize how extraordinary it was. Through God's divine light on the Road to Damascus, St. Paul came not only to believe in Jesus but serve Him until his death. Through St. Paul's preaching, the Church was formed. His conversion was fundamental but others have in our time experienced this same conversion.

Today is also the final day in the Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Acts of the Apostles 9:1-22

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he journeyed he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed about him. And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to Him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?" And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And He said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting; but rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul arose from the ground; and when his eyes were opened, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord." And the Lord said to him, "Rise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for a man of Tarsus named Saul; for behold, he is praying, and he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight." But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to thy saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon thy name." But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine to carry My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of My name." So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized, and took food and was strengthened.

For several days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And in the synagogues immediately he proclaimed Jesus, saying, "He is the Son of God." And all who heard him were amazed, and said, "Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called on this name? And he has come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests." But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.

THE CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL by Dom Gueranger

We have already seen how the Gentiles, in the person of the Three Magi, offered their mystic gifts to the Divine Child of Bethlehem, and received from Him, in return, the precious gifts of faith, hope, and charity. The harvest is ripe; it is time for the reaper to come. But who is to be God's laborer? The Apostles of Christ are still living under the very shadow of mount Sion. All of them have received the mission to preach the gospel of salvation to the uttermost parts of the world; but not one among them has, as yet, received the special character of Apostle of the Gentiles. Peter, who had received the Apostleship of Circumcision (Gal. ii. 8), is sent specially, as was Christ Himself, to the sheep that are lost of the house of Israel (Matt. xv. 24). And yet, as he is the Head and the Foundation, it belongs to him to open the door of Faith to the Gentiles (Acts, xiv. 26); which he solemnly does, by conferring Baptism on Cornelius, the Roman Centurion. 

But the Church is to have one more Apostle--an Apostle for the Gentiles--and he is to be the fruit of the martyrdom and prayer of St. Stephen. Saul, a citizen of Tarsus, has not seen Christ in the flesh, and yet Christ alone can make an Apostle. It is then, from heaven, where He reigns impassible and glorified, that Jesus will call Saul to be His disciple, just as, during the period of his active life, He called the fishermen of Genesareth to follow Him and hearken to His teachings. 

The Son of God will raise Saul up to the third heaven, and there will reveal to him all His mysteries: and when Saul, having come down again to this earth, shall have seen Peter (Gal. i. 18), and compared his Gospel with that recognized by Peter (Gal. ii. 2)--he can say, in all truth, that he is an Apostle of Christ Jesus (Gal. i. I), and that he has done nothing less than the great Apostles (II Cor. xi. 5). 

It is on this glorious day of the Conversion of Saul, who is soon to change his name into Paul, that this great work is commenced. It is on this day, that is heard the Almighty voice which breaketh the cedars of Libanus (Ps. xxviii. 5), and can make a persecuting Jew become first a Christian, and then an Apostle. This admirable transformation had been prophesied by Jacob, when, upon his death-bed, he unfolded to each of his sons the future of the tribe of which he was to be the father. Juda was to have the precedence of honor, since from his royal race, was to be born the Redeemer, the Expected of nations. Benjamin's turn came; his glory is not to be compared with that of his brother Juda, and yet it was to be very great-- for from his tribe is to be born Paul, the Apostle of the Gentile nations. 

These are the words of the dying Prophet: Benjamin, a ravenous wolf, in the morning shall eat the prey, and in the evening shall divide the spoil (Gen. xlix. 27). An ancient writer (long thought to have been St. Augustine) asks, Who is he, that in the morning of impetuous youth, goes like a wolf in pursuit of the sheep of Christ, breathing threatenings and slaughter against them? Is it not Saul on the road to Damascus, the bearer and doer of the high-priest's orders, and stained with the blood of Stephen, whom he has stoned by the hands of all those over whose garments he kept watch? And he, who, in the evening, not only does not despoil, but with a charitable and peaceful hand, breaks to the hungry the bread of life--is it not Paul, of the tribe of Benjamin, the Apostle of Christ, burning with zeal for his brethren, making himself all to all, and wishing even to be an anathema for their sakes? 

Oh! the power of our dear Jesus! how wonderful! how irresistible! He wishes that the first worshipers at His Crib should be humble Shepherds--and He invites them by His Angels, whose sweet hymn was enough to lead these simple-hearted men to the Stable, where lies, in swaddling-clothes, He who is the hope of Israel. He would have the Gentile Princes, the Magi, do Him homage--and bids to arise in the heavens a Star, whose mysterious apparition, joined to the interior speaking of the Holy Ghost, induces these men of desire to come from the far East, and lay, at the feet of an humble Babe, their riches and their hearts. 

When the time is come for forming the Apostolic College, He approaches the banks of the sea of Tiberias, and with this single word: Follow me, He draws after Him such as He wishes to have as His Disciples. In the midst of all the humiliations of His Passion, He has but to look at the unfaithful Peter, and Peter is a penitent. 

Today, it is from heaven that He evinces His power: all the mysteries of our redemption have been accomplished, and He wishes to show mankind that He is the sole author and master of the Apostolate, and that His alliance with the Gentiles is now perfect. He speaks; the sound of His reproach bursts like thunder over the head of this hot Pharisee, who is bent on annihilating the Church; He takes this heart of the Jew, and, by His grace, turns it into the heart of the Apostle, the Vessel of election, the Paul who is afterwards to say of himself: I live not I, but Christ liveth in me. (Gal. ii. 20) 

The commemoration of this great event was to be a Feast in the Church, and it had a right to be kept as near as might be to the one which celebrates the martyrdom of St. Stephen, for Paul is the Protomartyr's convert. The anniversary of his martyrdom would, of course, have to be solemnized at the summer-solstice. Where, then, place the Feast of his Conversion if not near Christmas, and thus our own Apostle would be at Jesus' Crib, and Stephen's side? Moreover, the Magi could claim him, as being the conqueror of that Gentile-world, of which they were the first-fruits.

St. Paul's conversion is "The Example" of how anyone can come to believe and follow our Savior. While we may not be struck by a blinding light on the Road to Damascus as St. Paul was, we too must experience the light of the Gospel changing our hearts.

Remember too, that St. Paul persecuted Christians as is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. The first martyr, St. Stephen, was sentenced to death by St. Paul. But, through God's love each of us can be converted. Conversion is a life-long process where the end result of a true conversion is Heaven. Just like St. Paul, anyone can find God, and likewise, we must pray for unbelievers.

Prayer:

O God, Who hast taught the whole world by the preaching of blessed Paul the Apostle: grant, we beseech Thee, that we who this day celebrate his conversion, may through his example draw nearer to Thee.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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Novena Reminders: Christian Unity and St. John Bosco

Please keep praying!

Today is the 8th Day in the Novena for Christian unity and since today is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, it's a great day to pray for unity. Also, today is the 3rd day of the Novena to St. John Bosco, whose feast day is January 31st.

Please keep praying with me.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain, Title Unknown

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Pope Benedict XVI's First Encyclical is Here!

Today was the release of Pope Benedict XVI's first encyclical - "Deus Caritas Est" (God is love).

I just learned from one of the readers of my blog that the Vatican has now made all Encyclicals copyrighted. This means I can't publish it here, but I can link to the document and read it free of charge. So please go ahead and read, but remember that it is now a copyrighted document along with all encyclicals going back to Pope John XXIII. I don't agree with this because I think that the words of our Holy Father should be free, but that's just me.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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St. Francis de Sales

Memorial (1969 Calendar): January 24
Double (1954 Calendar): January 29

Today the Church celebrates the life of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (1567-1622). St. Francis was a lawyer before he felt called to the priesthood. He received the message, "Leave all and follow Me," so he left to be ordained a priest. His family fiercely opposed his vocation, but he still followed God. Through a devoted prayer life and his gentle manners, he won over his family.

At 35 years of age, St. Francis became bishop of Geneva. He was a preacher, writer, and spiritual director. He was also a good friend to St. Vincent de Paul. St. Francis died on December 28, 1622, and was canonized on April 19, 1665. He is a Doctor of the Church. He is the author of many works that continue to work for the good of souls even today.

The Office of the Church shares the following account of his life:

Francis was born of pious and noble parents, in the town of Sales, from which the family took their name. From his earliest years, he gave pledge of his future sanctity by the innocence and gravity of his conduct. Having been instructed in the liberal sciences during his youth, he was sent early to Paris, that he might study Philosophy and Theology; and in order that his education might be complete, he was sent to Padua, where he took, with much honour, the degree of doctor in both civil and canon law. He visited the sanctuary of Loreto, where he renewed the vow he had already taken in Paris of perpetual virginity, in which holy resolution he continued till death, in spite of all the temptations of the devil and all the allurements of the flesh. 

He refused to accept an honourable position in the Senate of Savoy, and entered into the ecclesiastical state. He was ordained Priest, and was made Provost of the Diocese of Geneva, which charge he so laudably fulfilled that Granier, his Bishop, selected him for the arduous undertaking of labouring, by the preaching of God's word, for the conversion of the Calvinists of Chablais and the neighbouring country round about Geneva. This mission he undertook with much joy. He had to suffer the harshest treatment on the part of the heretics, who frequently sought to take away his life, calumniated him, and laid all kinds of plots against him. But he showed heroic courage in the midst of all these dangers and persecutions, and by the divine assistance converted, as it is stated, seventy-two thousand heretics to the Catholic faith, among whom were many distinguished by the high position they held in the world and by their learning. 

After the death of Granier, who had already made him his Coadjutor, he was made Bishop of Geneva. Then it was that his sanctity showed itself in every direction, by his zeal for ecclesiastical discipline, his love of peace, his charity to the poor, and every virtue. From a desire to give more honour to God, he founded a new Order of Nuns, which he called of the Visitation, taking for their Rule that of St Augustine, to which he added Constitutions of admirable wisdom, discretion, and sweetness. He enlightened the children of the Church by the works he wrote, which are full of a heavenly wisdom, and point out a safe and easy path to Christian perfection. In his fifty-fifth year, whilst returning from France to Annecy, he was taken with his last sickness, immediately after having celebrated Mass, on the Feast of St John the Evangelist. On the following day, his soul departed this life for heaven, in the year of our Lord 1622. His body was taken to Annecy, and was buried, with great demonstration of honour, in the Church of the Nuns of the above mentioned Order. Immediately after his death, miracles began to be wrought through his intercession, which being officially authenticated, he was canonized by Pope Alexander the Seventh, and his Feast was appointed to be kept on the twenty-ninth day of January, and he was declared a Doctor of the Universal Church by Pope Pius IX, after consultation with the Sacred Congregation of Rites.

Rerum Omnium Perturbationem:

Whoever attentively reviews the life of St. Francis will discover that, from his earliest years, he was a model of sanctity. He was not a gloomy, austere saint but was most amiable and friendly with all, so much so that it can be said of him most truthfully, "her conversation (wisdom) hath no bitterness, nor her company any tediousness, but joy and gladness." (Wisdom, viii, 16) Endowed with every virtue, he excelled in meekness of heart, a virtue so peculiar to himself that it might be considered his most characteristic trait. His meekness, however, differed altogether from that artificial gentility which consists in the mere possession of polished manners and in the display of a purely conventional affability. It differed, too, both from the apathy which cannot be moved by any force and from the timidity which does not dare to become indignant, even when indignation is required of one. This virtue, which grew in the heart of St. Francis as a delightful effect of his love of God and was nourished by the spirit of compassion and tenderness, so tempered with sweetness the natural gravity of his demeanor and softened both his voice and manners that he won the affectionate regard of everyone whom he encountered.

Encyclical of Pope Pius XI promulgated on January 26, 1923

Prayer by St. Francis de Sales:

Lord, I am yours, and I must belong to no one but you. My soul is yours, and must live only by you. My will is yours, and must love only for you. I must love you as my first cause, since I am from you. I must love you as my end and rest, since I am for you. I must love you more than my own being, since my being subsists by you. I must love you more than myself, since I am all yours and all in you. AMEN.

Prayer Source: Treatise on the Love of God by Saint Francis de Sales

Prayer:

O God, by Whose will blessed Francis, Thy Confessor and Bishop, became all things to all men in his zeal for souls: graciously fill us with the sweetness of Thy love, and grant that by the light of his counsel and with the help of his merits we may attain eternal joy. Though our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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Blessed Mother Teresa's Words

"We need to give Christ a chance to make use of us to be his word and his work. If we do not radiate the light of Christ around us, the sense of darkness that prevails in the world will increase. The people around us should be able to recognize him by our union with God."

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain, Title Unknown

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Today's Novenas: Christian Unity and St. John Bosco

Today is the 7th Day of the Novena for Christian Unity. Thank you to Darren and all others that are praying spiritually with me.

Also, today is the 2nd day in the Novena to St. John Bosco. Please join me in prayer to St. John Bosco if you have not already.

Image Source: Photo believed to be in the Public Domain

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Our Lady of Perpetual Help

With today being Tuesday, January 24th, I wanted to continue my Tuesday tradition to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Please join me in prayer:

O Mother of Perpetual Help, thou art the dispenser of all the gifts which God grants to us miserable sinners; and for this end He has made thee so powerful, so rich, and so bountiful, in order that thou mayest help us in our misery. Thou art the advocate of the most wretched and abandoned sinners who have recourse to thee: come to my aid, for I recommend myself to thee.

In thy hands I place my eternal salvation, and to thee I entrust my soul. Count me among thy most devoted servants; take me under thy protection, and it is enough for me. For, if thou protect me, I fear nothing; not from my sins, because thou wilt obtain for me the pardon of them; nor from the devils, because thou art more powerful than all hell together; nor even from Jesus, my judge, because by one prayer from thee He will be appeased.

But one thing I fear: that in the hour of temptation I may through negligence fail to have recourse to thee and thus perish miserably. Obtain for me, therefore, the pardon of my sins, love for Jesus, final perseverance, and the grace ever to have recourse to thee, O Mother of Perpetual Help.---3 Hail Marys.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain, Title Unknown

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A Rosary for Life

The Rosary has been attributed to many, many miracles. Please join me today in praying for an end to abortion as we recall the sad reality of 33 years of legalized murder of the unborn.

"Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world." Pope Pius IX

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Prayer for the Helpless Unborn

Prayer for the Helpless Unborn

Heavenly Father, in Your love for us, protect against the wickedness of the devil, those helpless little ones to whom You have given the gift of life. Touch with pity the hearts of those women pregnant in our world today who are not thinking of motherhood.

Help them to see that the child they carry is made in Your image - as well as theirs - made for eternal life.

Dispel their fear and selfishness and give them true womanly hearts to love their babies and give them birth and all the needed care that a mother can give.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, Your Son, Our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen.

Source: EWTN

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2005 Pro-life Year in Review

I watched EWTN last night for their Solemn Mass for Life from the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC. It was amazing. So many people and so many priests were there. It took around 20 minutes just for all the concelebrants to enter for the Mass [no comment on that liturgical issue at the moment though].

And during the Mass, William Henry Cardinal Keeler, spoke of the greatest successes this past year. He is the chairman of the pro-life committee for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and he during the homily he spoke of successes.

He said that 52 pro-life laws were passed last year. Nineteen parental notification laws were proposed. There are so many victories from 2005!

As of the end of 2005, this is true:

"Twenty-nine states mandate that a woman seeking an abortion be given counseling including information intended to discourage her from obtaining the procedure, such as a purported link with breast cancer; 24 states require a woman seeking an abortion to wait a specified period of time, usually 24 hours, between when she receives counseling and when the procedure is performed.

Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia prohibit the use of public funds to pay for abortion for low-income women, even when it is medically necessary, generally making exceptions only in cases of life endangerment, rape or incest. Only 17 states use their own funds to pay for all or most medically necessary abortions for Medicaid enrollees.

Thirty-four states require some type of parental involvement in a minor’s decision to have an abortion: Twenty-one states require one or both parents to consent to the procedure, while 13 require that a parent be notified. "

Source: Guttmacher Institute

Yet, there is still so much to be done! Please join me in supporting life this year in supporting pro-life legislation. Pro-life legislation does make a difference! Again, here is a link to NARAL's grades for states on abortion. Let's strive to fail more states this year and stand up for life.

Please let me know of any pro-life legislation passed by your state this year as I make this master list of pro-life laws from 2005:

Federal:
The Cord Blood Stem Cell Bill became Federal Law

Arkansas:
Parental Consent Law

Illinois:
Born Alive Infant Protection Act signed into law on Aug 12, 2005

Minnesota:
Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act passed

Mississippi:
Prevents minors from crossing state lines & requiring abortion centers within a 30 mile radius of a hospital.

South Dakota:
5 great laws passed

Texas:
Parental Consent Law

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6th Day of the Novena for Unity

Today is the 6th day of the Novena for Unity. Please join me in praying that all our brothers and sisters may one day unite with us in the Catholic Church.

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Novena to St. John Bosco

I love reading up on St. John Bosco. One of the most inspirational stories I've ever read has come from him when St. John Bosco raised a boy back to life from death. I'm asking my readers to please join me in praying the Novena to St. John Bosco from today, Jan 23rd to Jan 31st.

The Novena Prayer:

Father and teacher of Young, In need of special help, I appeal with confidence to you, O Saint Don Bosco, for I require not only spiritual graces, but also temporal ones, and particularly... (add your own personal intentions here)

May you, who on earth had such great devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and to Mary Help of Christians, and who always had compassion for those who were suffering, obtain from Jesus and His Heavenly Mother the grace I now request, and also a sincere resignation to the Will of God.

Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father

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Catechism of the Catholic Church on Abortion

ABORTION STOPS A BEATING HEART!

The Catechism of the Catholic Church:

2271. "Since the first century, the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law: You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish. [Didache 2, 2: SCh 248, 148; cf. Ep. Barnabae 19, 5: PG 2, 777; Ad Diognetum 5, 6: PG 2, 1173; Tertullian, Apol. 9: PL 1, 319-320.] God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves. Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes. [GS 51 # 3.]"

2272. "Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. 'A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae,' [CIC, can. 1398.] 'by the very commission of the offense,' [CIC, can. 1314.] and subject to the conditions provided by Canon Law. [Cf. CIC, cann. 1323-1324.] The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society."

2274. "Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being. Prenatal diagnosis is morally licit, 'if it respects the life and integrity of the embryo and the human fetus and is directed toward its safe guarding or healing as an individual.... It is gravely opposed to the moral law when this is done with the thought of possibly inducing an abortion, depending upon the results: a diagnosis must not be the equivalent of a death sentence.' [CDF, Donum vitae I, 2.]"

2322. "From its conception, the child has the right to life. Direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, is a 'criminal' practice (GS 27 # 3), gravely contrary to the moral law. The Church imposes the canonical penalty of excommunication for this crime against human life.

Do Aborted Babies Go to Heaven or Hell?

The Catechism of St. Pius X states, "There should be the greatest anxiety to have infants baptized because, on account of their tender age, they are exposed to many dangers of death, and cannot be saved without Baptism."

In the way in which God has created the world, it is necessary to receive Baptism in order to see God in Heaven. Seeing God and being present with Him in Heaven is the beatific vision. It is the greatest joy of Heaven. There are three types of Baptisms: Baptism by water (the Sacrament of Baptism), Baptism of desire (what happens if someone who is a catechumen studying for entry into the Church dies before receiving the Sacrament), and Baptism of blood (what happens if someone who is martyred for the Faith before receiving the Sacrament of Baptism). 

Of course, not everyone who is baptized will be saved. To be saved requires dying in the state of sanctifying grace. That is why we must work out our salvation our entire life and have frequent recourse to the Sacrament of Confession so that we may be forgiven for our sins and restored to sanctifying grace. Heaven is not possible for those who die without sanctifying grace.

Because a baby who was born and who was baptized can not commit any actual sins, we know without any doubt that these children, if they die before they are old enough to know right from wrong, will go straight to Heaven. They are truly saints

What does this mean for unbaptized children? What does it mean for aborted children?

The answer is that we are not as certain about these. Some have proposed that these children go to Hell. But that is not the position of the Church. We believe that in God's mercy these children will not suffer the pains of Hell, through no fault of their own, but they are nevertheless unable to go to Heaven.

This is what we call the Limbo of the Infants (not to be confused with the Limbo of the Fathers where the Old Testament saints waited until Christ opened Heaven). This is a place of perfect natural happiness - imagine a life of happiness on a place like earth. They will not suffer the flames of hell. They will not be in pain. But, they are not in Heaven. They will never see the face of God. They will never have a chance to enter Heaven. 

This sad reality is one of the many reasons that we must reject abortion completely - it deprives a human soul of Heaven. While the child will not suffer, he/she will never see God. And the guardian angel that God has appointed to guard that child weeps. 

Not only does the sin of abortion, which is the willful murder of a human being, cry out to Heaven for vengeance, but it also deprives a soul of seeing God forever.

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Two Anniversaries: Swiss Guard Foundation and Roe v. Wade

Today we celebrate two anniversaries.

First, today is the anniversary of the founding of the Swiss Guard 470 years ago. This group is composed of Swiss Catholic men, who guard the Pope. I've always loved seeing them on television.

Second, on a more somber note, today is the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in 1973. Please pray for the unborn. As Catholics, we believe life exists from conception to natural death. Please pray for the unborn with me:

Heavenly Father, in Your love for us, protect against the wickedness of the devil, those helpless little ones to whom You have given the gift of life.Touch with pity the hearts of those women pregnant in our world today who are not thinking of motherhood.Help them to see that the child they carry is made in Your image - as well as theirs - made for eternal life.Dispel their fear and selfishness and give them true womanly hearts to love their babies and give them birth and all the needed care that a mother can give.We ask this through Jesus Christ, Your Son, Our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain, Title Unknown

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5th Day of the Novena for Christian Unity

Today is my 5th day of the Novena for Christian Unity. If you have not already, please join me in praying this novena for all Christians to be united in Christ's Church.

Who is already praying this with me?

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Pray for Religious Vocations

Please say a prayer for an increase in vocations to religious life. I just read this:

"Let's look at the numbers in the US first. In 1965, at the end of the Council, there were 58,000 priests. Now there are 41,000. By 2020, if present trends continue (and there is no sign of a dramatic upsurge in vocations), there will be only 31,000 priests, and half of those will be over 70. (To offer a personal example of the effect of these demographics, I was ordained in 1981 at the age of 27. Today, at the age of 52, I can still attend gatherings of priests and find myself one of the younger members present.) In 1965, 1,575 new priests were ordained. In 2005, the number was 454, a decrease of more than two-thirds — and remember that the Catholic population in the US increased during these years from 45.6 million in 1965 to the 64.8 million of 2005, a rise of almost 50%."

by Father John McCloskey
The State of the US Catholic Church at the Beginning of 2006

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Stand Up for Life on Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Tomorrow, Jan. 22nd, we remember one of the saddest moment in our history. In 1973, the United States allowed mothers to murder their own unborn children. This horrendous and murderous attack on the dignity of life has lead to the murder of millions of babies - 1.3 mil annually in the US and 46 mil. globally in a year!

Stand up for life! Faith demands action!

One abortionist, George Tiller, must be stopped. His actions led to the death of a 19 year old disabled girl! Read on the story through this list, and please write to the District Attorney of that county.

Tomorrow we remember the day the US opened the door for murder. Take a stand against this! Stand up for life, for Our Lord came to save all. He said, "Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it" (Matthew 10:14-15)

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain, Title Unknown

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St. Agnes

Double (1954 Calendar): January 21
Memorial (1969 Calendar): January 21

Today the Church celebrates the sainthood of St. Agnes, virgin and martyr. St. Agnes lived around 250 AD and died very young at 12 or 13 years old.

She was a very beautiful girl with many men offering marriages. But, St. Agnes wished to remain pure to God as a virgin, so one of these men, the son of the governor, contacted Roman officials about her being a Christian. She was dragged to a Roman temple and threatened with rape, but she refused to reject Jesus Christ as Our Lord.

The Governor tried to persuade Agnes to change her mind by forcing her to walk naked through the Roman city naked, but her hair miraculously grew to cover her body. The Governor ordered St. Agnes to be burned at the stake, but the flames did not harm her. She was then sent to the lions, but they refused to attack her. The son of the Governor entered and was immediately attacked by the lions. Agnes prayed for the man's health and he was restored. The Governor then had St. Agnes beheaded. She was buried in a catacomb in Rome that was named after her.

"But if as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name" (1 Peter 4:16)

Please learn more about the special tradition by the Pope to bless two lambs on the feast day of St. Agnes.  Also, see the special post on the Agnus Dei Sacramental.

Prayer:

Almighty and everlasting God, Who dost choose the weak things of the world to confound the strong: mercifully grant that we who keep the solemn feast of blessed Agnes, Thy Virgin and Martyr, may experience her advocacy with Thee. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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4th Day of the Novena for Christian Unity

Today is the Fourth Day of the Novena for Christian Unity. If you have not started yet, please join me in praying this novena.

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Please Pray for Speeches Tomorrow

Tomorrow I will be going out again and giving speeches. But, tomorrow is different. It's an extremely important day. There will be many others there, and I not only want to do well in my speaking but also to serve God completely.

Please pray for me that I might succeed in both. I'll be gone all day on this one.

Thank you all for your prayers.

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Anniversary of Roe V. Wade Approaching

News Update: The man who shot Pope John Paul ll in the early 1980s has now been re-arrested. When he was arrested he said, "I am the messiah." How sad... May he see the light of Christ espeically through John Paul ll, who knew the real Messiah - Jesus Christ.

Also, The anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the decision that legalized abortion, is approaching. On January 22, it will have been 33 years of legalized murder of the unborn.

"The cemetery of the victims of human cruelty in our century is extended to include yet another vast cemetery, that of the unborn. " - Pope John Paul ll

There are 46 million abortions globally each year. Thankfully some countries have outlawed abortions, but other have not. [Click here for abortions laws]

Let us pray especially with the anniversary of abortion approaching in the US. In the US, 1.3 million of our brothers and sisters are murdered! Let us unite in Christ! Let us be one in the same spirit and fight against this! Faith demands a response. Don't sit idlely go out an peacefuly protest, pray, and preach. Go out - faith demands action!

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St. Sebastian

Double (1954 Calendar): January 20
Optional Memorial (1969 Calendar): January 20

Today the Church remembers St. Sebastian (c. 257- c. 288). St. Sebastian was a convert to Christianity and died a martyr for his faith. Sebastian helped imprisoned Christians during this time of persecution and converted many others. After learning of St. Sebastian's acts, the emperor ordered Sebastian murdered. Sebastian was pierced with numerous arrows and left to die, but a widow named Irene found him and healed him.

He came before Emperor Diocletian again and was then sentenced to death. He was martyred by being beaten to death with clubs. He refused to give up his love for Jesus Christ.

Traditional Matins Reading:

Sebastian, whose father was of Narbonne, and his mother a lady of Milan, was beloved by Diocletian on account of his noble birth and his virtues. Being a captain of the pretorian cohort, he was able to give assistance and alms to the Christians, whose faith he himself followed, though privately. When he perceived any of them trembling at the great tortures of the persecutors, he made it his duty to encourage them; and so well did he do it, that many, for the sake of Jesus Christ, would freely offer themselves to the executioners. Of this number were the two brothers Mark and Marcellian, who were in custody under Nicostratus, whose wife, named Zoe, had recovered her speech by the prayer made for her by Sebastian. Diocletian, being told of these things, summoned Sebastian before him; and after upbraiding him in very strong words, tried every means to induce him to turn from the faith of Christ. But finding that neither promises nor threats availed, he ordered him to be tied to a stake, and to be shot to death with arrows.

Everyone thought he was dead; and a pious woman named Irene gave orders that his body should be taken away during the night and buried; but she, finding him to be still alive, had him taken to her house, where she took care of him. Not long after, having quite recovered, he went before Diocletian, and boldly chided him for his wickedness. At first the Emperor was struck dumb with astonishment, for he had been told that Sebastian was dead; but at length the strange event and the Martyr's sharp rebuke so inflamed him with rage, that he ordered him to be scourged to death with rods. His body was thrown into a sewer, but Lucina was instructed by Sebastian, in her sleep, both as to where his body was, and where he wished to be buried. Accordingly she buried him at the Catacombs, where, afterwards, a celebrated Church was built, called Saint Sebastian's.

A Prayer to St. Sebastian:

Dear Commander at the Roman Emperor's court, you chose to be also a soldier of Christ and dared to spread faith in the King of Kings, for which you were condemned to die. Your body, however, proved athletically strong and the executing arrows extremely weak. So another means to kill you was chosen and you gave your life to the Lord. May athletes be always as strong in their faith as their Patron Saint so clearly has been. Amen.

Prayer:

O Almighty God, have regard to our weakness: and since the weight of our own evil deeds is oppressive, may the glorious intercession of Thy blessed Martyrs, Fabian and Sebastian, protect us. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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Protect Marriage in Illinois

I just got an email about this great site, Protect Marriage Illinois. If you are from the state of Illinois, please visit this site and sign the petition to "place a referendum on the November 2006 ballot calling on the Illinois General Assembly to pass a Marriage Protection Amendment permanently defining marriage as one-man, one-woman."

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3rd day of the Novena for Christian Unity

Today is my 3rd day for the Novena for Christian Unity. Especially since we are now in the Week of Prayer for Christian unity, please join me in this novena.

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Pope St. Fabian

Double (1954 Calendar): January 20
Optional Memorial (1969 Calendar): January 20

Today the Church remembers St. Fabian along with St. Sebastian. St. Fabian was a Roman layman, who was coming in from the fields one day when the clergy were preparing to elect a new Pope. As soon as St. Fabian came into the assembly, a dove came and rested upon his head - a sign for the laity and clergy. St. Fabian was chosen as Pope.

He led the Church for 14 years and died in 250 AD as a martyr. St. Fabian is remembered for baptizing the emperor Marcus Julius Philippus, known as Philip the Arab, along with his son. Pope St. Fabian helped build in the catacombs, improved the organization of the Church in Rome, and appointed officials to register the deeds of the martyrs. His grave, though broken into four pieces, is still readable today in the catacombs of Saint Callistus: "Fabian, bishop, martyr"

As we continue down our journey in this world, please don't forget all of our past. For hundreds of years, Catholics were murdered for their faith. Let us not forget the martyrs who gave their lives to Christ and His Church. Even today, men and women die for their faith in Christ. Let us praise God and know that He is life (John 14:6); no one else is pure joy.

May Christ reign in His Church and may we pray for the unity of all Christians, especially during this week of prayer for Christian Unity. 

Traditional Matins Reading:

Fabian, a Roman by birth, governed the Church from the reign of 'Maximian to that of Decius. He divided the City into seven parts, which he consigned to as many Deacons, and to them he gave the charge of looking after the poor. He created also a like number of Subdeacons, who were to collect the Acts of the Martyrs, written by seven Notaries. It was he who decreed that every year, on the fifth Feria of our Lord's Supper, the Chrism should be renewed, and the old should be burnt. At length, on the thirteenth of the Kalends of February (January 20), he was crowned with martyrdom, in the persecution of Decius, and was buried in the cemetery of Callixtus, on the Appian Way, after reigning fifteen years and four days. He held five ordinations in the month of December, in which ordinations he made two and twenty Priests, seven Deacons, and eleven Bishops for divers places.

St. Fabian, ora pro nobis! “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church” (Tertullian).

Prayer:

O Almighty God, have regard to our weakness: and since the weight of our own evil deeds is oppressive, may the glorious intercession of Thy blessed Martyrs, Fabian and Sebastian, protect us. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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Believe in the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church

If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself. - St. Augustine

It is especially during this week of prayer for Christian Unity that I appeal to you. We all are entitled to our own opinions, but that doesn't mean they are right.

Look at all of the various beliefs out there - but realize there can only be one right answer. And, I can say, without any sense of arrogance but rather with pure joy of heart, that Jesus Christ is the answer! The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - Our One God is the true answer. People can twist the Gospels and believe what they want, but realize that only one set of beliefs is right. And, I firmly believe this for Our Savior said His Church would be protected from the fires of hell (Matthew 16:18) We feel the Holy Spirit in life - in the joy of the Eucharist. We know the truth and if you hold the truth in your heart, don't hold it back but share this light of life with others. For a light dispels the darkness of ignorance and sin. Share this light of Christ with others.

Read the Gospels - believe in Him, in His Church!

"About Jesus Christ and the Church, I simply know they're just one thing, and we shouldn't complicate the matter." - St. Joan of Arc

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US Abortion Ruling: Parental Notification Law in New Hampshire

Yesterday the United States partially sidestepped an abortion ruling. But, the Court did say that the parental notification law in New Hampshire, which was ruled unconstitutional, was struck down prematurely. They sent the law back to the lower court to reconsider whether it was appropriate to strike down the law.

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Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Today, January 18, begins the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, lasting until January 25. Let us remember to pray that all of us, as believers in Christ, may be brought to the fullness of the Truth - the Catholic Faith. Let us pray as Our Savior prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before His passion: "That they might be one."

Update: See my 2007 post for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity for more information.

Please join me in this Novena for Christian Unity:

O Lord Jesus Christ, who said unto Your Apostles, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you," regard not our sins, but the faith of Your church, and grant unto her that peace and unity which are agreeable to Your will, who live and reign, God, forever and ever. Amen. O Lord, increase in us the faith. My God, unite all minds in the truth and all hearts in charity Amen

Source: Catholic Culture

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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Blessed Mother Teresa Wisdom

"Every time you sacrifice something at great cost every time you renounce something that appeals to you for the sake of the poor you are feeding a hungry Christ.You are clothing His nakedness.You are offering shelter to a homeless Christ. Every time we are concerned about the poor whether they are near or far away we do it all for Him. "

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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Our Lady of Perpetual Help

With today being Tuesday, January 24th, I wanted to continue my Tuesday tradition to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Please join me in prayer:

O Mother of Perpetual Help, thou art the dispenser of all the gifts which God grants to us miserable sinners; and for this end He has made thee so powerful, so rich, and so bountiful, in order that thou mayest help us in our misery. Thou art the advocate of the most wretched and abandoned sinners who have recourse to thee: come to my aid, for I recommend myself to thee.

In thy hands I place my eternal salvation, and to thee I entrust my soul. Count me among thy most devoted servants; take me under thy protection, and it is enough for me. For, if thou protect me, I fear nothing; not from my sins, because thou wilt obtain for me the pardon of them; nor from the devils, because thou art more powerful than all hell together; nor even from Jesus, my judge, because by one prayer from thee He will be appeased.

But one thing I fear: that in the hour of temptation I may through negligence fail to have recourse to thee and thus perish miserably. Obtain for me, therefore, the pardon of my sins, love for Jesus, final perseverance, and the grace ever to have recourse to thee, O Mother of Perpetual Help.---3 Hail Marys.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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Supreme Court Upholds Oregon Assisted Suicide Law

Some bad news...

The United States Supreme Court today upheld the Oregon law allowing physician assisted suicide. Let me reiterate the Catholic Church is opposed to this intrinsic evil because it allows the murder of a human being - it is an attack on the culture of life.

The only promising part of the 6-3 ruling to uphold the law, was that Supreme Court Justice Roberts voted to strike down the law. He is a Catholic and I was so happy to hear that he stood up for life.

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St. Anthony of Egypt

Memorial (1969 Calendar): January 17
Double (1954 Calendar): January 17

Today is the feastday of St. Anthony of Egypt (251-356). After the death of his parents, St. Anthony, only 20 years old, left the world and its riches after hearing the Gospel: “Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor” (Mark 10:21). St. Anthony sold his house, furniture, and the land he owned, and he gave the proceeds to the poor. He joined the anchorites who lived nearby. At age 35 he moved alone to the desert and lived for 20 years in an abandoned fort.

Although he barricaded himself inside in order to achieve solitude, admirers broke in. St. Anthony miraculously healed people while agreeing to be the spiritual counselor of others. He also founded two monasteries on the Nile: one at Pispir, one at Arsinoe. In 311 AD, he left his solitude in order to combat Arianism and comfort the victims of Emperor Maximinus' persecution. While there, he again met his sister, who had also left the world and lived as a nun.

St. Anthony was modest and courteous. He died in solitude in 356 AD at Mount Colzim of natural causes at the age of 105; his relics are located near Vienne.

Prayer:

May the intercession of blessed Anthony the Abbot commend us unto Thee, we beseech Thee, O Lord: so that what we cannot acquire by any merits of ours, we may obtain by his patronage. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

Traditional Matins Reading:

Antony was born in Egypt, of noble and Christian parents, who left him an orphan at an early age. Having one day entered a Church, he heard these words of the Gospel being read: If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell all thou hast, and give to the poor. He took them as addressed to himself, and thought it his duty to obey these words of Christ his Lord. Selling therefore his possessions, he distributed all the money among the poor. Being freed from these obstacles, he resolved to lead on earth a heavenly life. But at his entrance on the perils of such a combat, he felt that besides the shield of faith, wherewith he was armed, he must needs fortify himself with the other virtues; and so ardent was his desire to possess them, that whomsoever he saw excelling in any virtue, him did he study to imitate.

Nothing, therefore, could exceed his continency and vigilance. He surpassed all in patience, meekness, mercy, humility, manual labour, and the study of the Sacred Scriptures. So great was his aversion for the company of, or conversation with, heretics, especially the Arians, that he used to say that we ought not even to go near them. He lay on the ground when necessity obliged him to sleep. As to fasting, he practised it with so much fervour that his only nourishment was bread seasoned with salt, and he quenched his thirst with water; neither did he take this his food and drink until sunset, and frequently abstained from it altogether for two successive days. He very frequently spent the whole night in prayer. Antony became so valiant a soldier of God that the enemy of mankind, ill-brooking such extraordinary virtue, attacked him with manifold temptations; but the Saint overcame them all by fasting and prayer. Neither did his victories over Satan make him heedless, for he knew how innumerable are the devil’s artifices for injuring souls.

Knowing this, he betook himself into one of the largest deserts of Egypt, where such was his progress in Christian perfection that the wicked spirits, whose attacks grew more furious as Antony’s resistance grew more resolute, became the object of his contempt, so much so indeed, that he would sometimes taunt them for their weakness. When encouraging his disciples to fight against the devil, and teaching them the arms wherewith they would vanquish him, he used often to say to them: 'Believe me, Brethren, Satan dreads the watchings of holy men, and their prayers, and fasts, and voluntary poverty, and works of mercy, and humility, and above all, their ardent love for Christ our Lord, at the mere sign of whose most holy Cross he is disabled and put to flight.' So formidable was he to the devils that many persons in Egypt who were possessed by them were delivered by invoking Antony's name. So great. too, was his reputation for sanctity, that Constantine the Great and his sons wrote to him, commending themselves to his prayers. At length, having reached the hundred and fifth year of his age, and having received a countless number into his institute, he called his Monks together; and having instructed them how to regulate their lives according to Christian perfection, he, venerated both for the miracles he had wrought, and for the holiness of his life, departed from this world to heaven on the sixteenth of the Calends of February (January 17).

St. Anthony Receives His Vocation by St. Athanasius:

When Anthony was about eighteen or twenty years old, his parents died, leaving him with an only sister. He cared for her as she was very young, and also looked after their home.

Not six months after his parents’ death, as he was on his way to church for his usual visit, he began to think of how the apostles had left everything and followed the Saviour, and also of those mentioned in the book of Acts who had sold their possessions and brought the apostles the money for distribution to the needy. He reflected too on the great hope stored up in heaven for such as these. This was all in his mind when, entering the church just as the Gospel was being read, he heard the Lord’s words to the rich man: If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor – you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me.

It seemed to Anthony that it was God who had brought the saints to his mind and that the words of the Gospel had been spoken directly to him. Immediately he left the church and gave away to the villagers all the property he had inherited, about 200 acres of very beautiful and fertile land, so that it would cause no distraction to his sister and himself. He sold all his other possessions as well, giving to the poor the considerable sum of money he collected. However, to care for his sister he retained a few things.

The next time he went to church he heard the Lord say in the Gospel: Do not be anxious about tomorrow. Without a moment’s hesitation, he went out and gave the poor all that he had left. He placed his sister in the care of some well-known and trustworthy virgins and arranged for her to be brought up in the convent. Then he gave himself up to the ascetic life, not far from his own home. He kept a careful watch over himself and practised great austerity. He did manual work because he had heard the words: If anyone will not work, do not let him eat. He spent some of his earnings on bread and the rest he gave to the poor.

Having learned that we should always be praying, even when we are by ourselves, he prayed without ceasing. Indeed, he was so attentive when Scripture was read that nothing escaped him and because he retained all he heard, his memory served him in place of books.

Seeing the kind of life he lived, the villagers and all the good men he knew called him the friend of God, and they loved him as both son and brother.

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Why Are Faith With Works So Important in the Catholic Faith?

Q: Why are faith and works so important in the Catholic faith?

A: It takes both faith and works to successfully live our lives for Christ. First, I must stress, though, that the works don't save us. These works of good-will do not save us; only through God's grace and faith in Him are we saved. Good Works allow us to become followers of Christ and serve him.

Look to Matthew 25 that we can be condemned for not being charitable enough. Our Lord said, "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me." And then He shall say, "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."

And to those that didn't help others Our Lord shall say, "Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me."

As those words illustrate, we can lose our salvation without good works unless of course there are exceptions in a person's abilities. Again, faith are so important in the Catholic faith because that is what Jesus Christ taught. He didn't just have faith; Jesus Christ had the greatest of all works - the Cross. Faith in Christ leads to our salvation, but to serve Him and follow Him we must do good. We are saved by grace- the freely given supernatural gift of God bestowed on us out of love. We are saved by grace.

James 2:17-18 "So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Indeed someone might say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. "

Epistle of St. James:

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well," but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Indeed someone might say, "You have faith and I have works." Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble. Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called "the friend of God." See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by a different route? For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Do you really believe that someone that harms others and hates everyone else will still reach Heaven if he believes? Faith demands action.

Action isn't a lot - Our Lord died for us! His skin and was torn open all of of love for us. Dismas, the good thief, confesses Jesus is the Christ and is saved. He is saved through his faith and his baptism of desire:

Above all, we are saved though through God's friendship. If we do not know Christ and find Him on our deathbed, then we can't have any works. But, if you claim to have faith in Christ then you certainly must follow His Commandments. Following the Commandments is doing something - it's a work. We too must follow the Commandments and serve God. He gave us the Sacraments to lead us to Him. They are gravely important.

Yet, what I find most important is for us to put aside these differences. What we should do is spread Christ to others - to those that do not know him. We must convert atheists, Buddhists, Muslims, and Jewish people to our true faith in Our Savior. We will all have differences and I will always know that Christ's Church is the Catholic Church, but if we don't do anything to bring the unbelievers to God then so many souls could be lost.

Reflection by Father Franz Schmidberger entitled "The Errors of Luther and the Spirit of Today"

An important objection against this Protestant error can also be raised here, first of all from Scripture itself.

a) In the Epistle of St. James we read that faith without works is dead; in the Apocalypse the dead are praised, ". . . for their works follow them." And in the Second Book of Maccabees we see the great hero Judas taking a collection for the fallen, that a sin-offering may be made; that it is a good and pious thought to pray for the dead.

b) Human nature itself reveals a connection between faith and works, as it consists of body and soul, whereby the soul is expressed in the body, the body is an instrument of the spiritual soul, and an exchange between body and soul cannot be denied. For example, if I make a genuflection before the Blessed Sacrament, I proclaim the faith of the Church, that Christ truly, really and powerfully, with His divinity and humanity, body and soul under the appearances of bread, is present among us. By the same token every outward gesture, every sign of the cross and every bow, helps us to strengthen our faith. The soul is inwardly nourished by these outward signs. In this connection it is not to be forgotten that the separation of body and soul in death is only a temporary arrangement until the last day, when body and soul will again find their unity, yet distinct from one another.

Exactly the same relationship holds between faith and works. Faith expresses itself in works, as works without faith are dead, like the body without the soul. At the same time works are a true prolongation of faith, reflect back upon it, strengthen it and shape it.

c) As works belong essentially to faith, a blinding flash of light occurs in the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Godhead; God comes visibly among us; He walks around for thirty-three years in our earthly flesh, He performs miracles and makes use of outward elements as, for instance, a mud plaster in the healing of a blind man, His finger in the healing of a deaf-mute; He cries out and prays aloud for the apostles' sake in the raising of Lazarus.

And thus the Church is His visible Body; the Sacraments are visible signs, which contain and bestow an inner, invisible grace and mediate it through the work itself; works are faith made visible; our cathedrals and churches, processions and pilgrimages, our seminaries and convents, all proclaim the eternal, living Truth which has broken into time.

Because God became man, therefore we bend the knee; because He went down into the dust of the earth, we throw ourselves on the ground in holy fear. All of nature should proclaim His works, all art should be put at His service and sing the praise of the Eternal One.

When we reverence the relics of the saints, we are praying to that uncreated Love which took weak man to Itself, opened Its throne to them and surrounded them with Its grace.
Not to be overlooked in this regard, the Catholic priest binds himself to celibacy and wears the black cassock, in order to show himself to other men as a man chosen from among men, to make visible in the world the presence of God.

It is therefore clear that works are not only a short-term or a long-lasting consequence of faith; they are part of faith and thus also a part of justification. Because parts of Holy Scripture are a direct contradiction to the sola fides theory of Luther, he did away with the Epistle of St. James, calling it an epistle of straw, the Apocalypse of doubtful authenticity, and the Books of Maccabees as definitely apocryphal. He himself not only attacked celibacy, but did not hesitate as a monk with perpetual vows, to marry an ex-nun...

If we see work therefore as sign and fruit of Christian love, then the sola fides theory must become the gravedigger of that beautiful principle which, according to St. Paul, surpasses and survives faith and hope; and it alone remains, because it is eternal.

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Special Rosary Today for the Philippines

The Philippines has a bill in their Government that would promote artificial contraception and establish a 2 child per limit for each family. This policy has caused China to force abortions and sterilizations.

Please, the Philippines are 87% Catholic, let us pray against this. Please join me in a special Rosary today. "Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world" (Pope Pius IX). The Rosary is extremely powerful. Pope John Paul ll called it the second greatest prayer after the Holy Mass. Please join me today for a special Rosary for the Philippines.

Please spread the word!

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Sydney: World Youth Day 2008

A new website, although in the early stages, has been set up for the next international World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia.

The theme for this 2008 World Youth Day is: "You will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses" (cf Acts of the Apostles 1:8) For themes for the World Youth Days at the diocesan level for 2006 & 2007 just follow that link.

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Please Pray for Fr. McKenna

I have been saying prayers for a priest who recently went through surgery. The woman who knows him and asked for prayers through a Yahoo Group that I frequent, sent this email today. I ask all of my readers, to please say a prayer for him:

"A quick thank you to all of my prayer warrior friends who have been praying for our Pastor Emeritus James McKenna. I wanted to update you on his condition. He is out of surgery and is now taking chemotherapy and radiation to his lungs and brain respectively, and he DEMANDS more prayers from all of us. He is in good spirits and he humbly thanks everyone for their steadfast and continual prayers. I truly wish you could all know him personally. You would indeed love him as his parishioners have. He has never left the side of those in the hospital when they needed him."

February 7th Update: I posted an update on Fr. McKenna
April 15th Update: Prayers are needed desperately
May 6th Update: Fr. McKenna has not improved.
May 28th Update - Fr. McKenna has died.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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Eucharistic Adoration

“The eternal spring is hidden in this living bread for our life's sake ... It is here calling out to creatures; and they satisfy their thirst” (St. John of the Cross).

"It moves me to see how the joy of Eucharistic adoration is increasing throughout the Church, and how its fruits are appearing. During the period of liturgical reform, Mass and Eucharistic adoration outside of Mass were often seen as being in opposition." "[However,] receiving the Eucharist means adoring Him Whom we receive." (Pope Benedict XVI, Dec. 22, 2005)

I love Eucharistic Adoration. My parish has 24/7 adoration in our chapel and Eucharistic Adoration in the Church for about 1 1/2 hours each weekday. Eucharistic Adoration is the greatest experience for me.

Yes, God is always with you, but He is with you differently at different places. In the Eucharist, Jesus Christ is truly there - Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity! At no other moment can we get closer to Heaven in this life than we we receive and adore Our Savior.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain, From the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX)
Do any of you go to Adoration or does your parishes at least offer the opportunity?

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