Now the Word of the Lord came to me saying: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I consecrated you; a prophet to the nations I appointed you. Jeremiah 1:5
"It is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life, upon which all the other inalienable rights of individuals are founded and from which they develop." Pope John Paul II, The Gospel of Life
At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a child over, placed it in their midst and said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:1-4
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a "Gospel of life." It invites all persons and societies to a new life lived abundantly in respect for human dignity. God entrusted His Son to Mary for the redemption of the world.
Mary, patroness of America, renew in us a love for the beauty and sanctity of the human person from conception to natural death; and as Your Son gave His life for us, help us to live our lives serving others. Mother of the Church, Mother of our Savior, open our hearts to the Gospel of life, protect our nation, and make us witnesses to the truth.
August 29, 2013
August 28, 2013
Saint Augustine
Today is the Feast Day of Saint Augustine. Through trust and persistent prayer of Saint Monica, his mother, Augustine converted and became one of the most influential thinkers of the Church. Saint Monica's life can never be separated from that of her son, the great Saint Augustine, convert, bishop, and Doctor of the Church. What we know of her, for the most part, is the account that Augustine gives of her in his Confessions. The story of Augustine's life, up until his conversion, is written in the autobiographical Confessions, the most intimate and well-known glimpse into an individual's soul ever written, as well as a fascinating philosophical, theological, mystical, poetic and literary work.
Monica's almsgiving and her habits of prayer annoyed her husband, but he treated her with a sort of reverence. By Monica’s sweetness and patience, she began a successful apostolate among the wives and mothers of her native town. They knew that she suffered, as they did, and her words and example had a proportionate effect. All Monica's anxiety centered on her son Augustine. He was wayward and lazy. Monica prayed constantly to God for the soul of her son. She went tearfully to the bishop to ask him to help and he responded famously,
"the child of those tears shall never perish."
Augustine went to Rome and then Milan in 386. Monica followed him and they met Saint Ambrose, who was able to see the conversion of her son and his Baptism after Monica's years of tears and prayer. Saint Ambrose, the bishop and Doctor of the Church, gave sermons that inspired Augustine to look for the truth he had always sought in the faith he had rejected. He received baptism and soon after, his mother, Saint Monica, died with the knowledge that all she had hoped for in this world had been fulfilled.
On a visit to Hippo, he was proclaimed priest and then bishop against his will. He later accepted it as the will of God and spent the rest of his life as the pastor of the North African town, from where he spent much time refuting the writings of heretics. Saint Augustine grew to become one the most significant and influential thinkers in the history of the Catholic Church. Augustine was a great seeker of truth. His teachings were the foundation of Christian doctrine for a millennium.
Words of Pope Benedict XVI
"Saint Augustine understood that it was not he who had found Truth, but that Truth itself, which is God, pursued found him," the Pontiff reflected. Referring to a passage from Augustine's Confessions, in which the saint is with his mother and both "for a moment touch the heart of God in the silence of creatures," the Holy Father said: "creatures must be silent so that there will be a silence in which God can speak. This is also true in our time: Sometimes there is a sort of fear of silence, of recollection, of reflecting on one's acts, on the profound meaning of one's life. There is fear of seeking the Truth, or perhaps there is fear that the Truth will find us, will grip us and change our life, as happened to St. Augustine."
"Dear brothers and sisters," the Pope concluded, "I would like to say to all, also to those in a difficult moment in their faith journey, those who do not participate much in the life of the Church, or those who live 'as if God did not exist' that they not be afraid of the Truth, that they never interrupt their journey toward it, that they never cease to seek the profound truth about themselves and about things with the internal eyes of the heart. God will not fail to give Light so that one can see," he said, "and Warmth to feel the heart that loves us and that wants to be loved."
Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would not have been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace. Excerpt from the Confessions of Saint Augustine
Saint Augustine and Saint Monica, pray for us and for all the names we receive through this prayer ministry.
Monica's almsgiving and her habits of prayer annoyed her husband, but he treated her with a sort of reverence. By Monica’s sweetness and patience, she began a successful apostolate among the wives and mothers of her native town. They knew that she suffered, as they did, and her words and example had a proportionate effect. All Monica's anxiety centered on her son Augustine. He was wayward and lazy. Monica prayed constantly to God for the soul of her son. She went tearfully to the bishop to ask him to help and he responded famously,
"the child of those tears shall never perish."
Augustine went to Rome and then Milan in 386. Monica followed him and they met Saint Ambrose, who was able to see the conversion of her son and his Baptism after Monica's years of tears and prayer. Saint Ambrose, the bishop and Doctor of the Church, gave sermons that inspired Augustine to look for the truth he had always sought in the faith he had rejected. He received baptism and soon after, his mother, Saint Monica, died with the knowledge that all she had hoped for in this world had been fulfilled.
On a visit to Hippo, he was proclaimed priest and then bishop against his will. He later accepted it as the will of God and spent the rest of his life as the pastor of the North African town, from where he spent much time refuting the writings of heretics. Saint Augustine grew to become one the most significant and influential thinkers in the history of the Catholic Church. Augustine was a great seeker of truth. His teachings were the foundation of Christian doctrine for a millennium.
Words of Pope Benedict XVI
"Saint Augustine understood that it was not he who had found Truth, but that Truth itself, which is God, pursued found him," the Pontiff reflected. Referring to a passage from Augustine's Confessions, in which the saint is with his mother and both "for a moment touch the heart of God in the silence of creatures," the Holy Father said: "creatures must be silent so that there will be a silence in which God can speak. This is also true in our time: Sometimes there is a sort of fear of silence, of recollection, of reflecting on one's acts, on the profound meaning of one's life. There is fear of seeking the Truth, or perhaps there is fear that the Truth will find us, will grip us and change our life, as happened to St. Augustine."
"Dear brothers and sisters," the Pope concluded, "I would like to say to all, also to those in a difficult moment in their faith journey, those who do not participate much in the life of the Church, or those who live 'as if God did not exist' that they not be afraid of the Truth, that they never interrupt their journey toward it, that they never cease to seek the profound truth about themselves and about things with the internal eyes of the heart. God will not fail to give Light so that one can see," he said, "and Warmth to feel the heart that loves us and that wants to be loved."
Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would not have been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace. Excerpt from the Confessions of Saint Augustine
Saint Augustine and Saint Monica, pray for us and for all the names we receive through this prayer ministry.
August 27, 2013
Saint Monica
Next to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Monica is one of the best examples of Christian motherhood. Today we celebrate her Feast Day. For years, she prayed for the conversion of her son. Her persistence was answered with abundant grace. Her son, Augustine, became a saint and a Doctor of the Church. Like all God's saints Monica is a woman "for all seasons." Her advice and her powerful example as a wife can be an inspiration and a model for domestic peace and stability. Monica's years of caring and crying, coupled with continual prayer, speak eloquently of her perseverance and trust in God's providence. Monica did not plead for a miracle; she prayed and sacrificed for the conversion of her son. Her prayers, disappointments, and tears were all means of drawing her closer to God. In her heroic efforts for her son's conversion, she herself became a saint. Monica's whole life, as well as her sanctification, was inextricably bound up with Augustine's, her faith, hope, and love were heroically tested and proved pure in the crucible of suffering.
Her marriage to Patricius, a pagan Roman official, does not appear to have been a particularly happy one, but it was peaceful and stable due mainly to the patience and prudence of Monica. Patricius was often a volatile man, and though he was often unfaithful to Monica, at heart he was a good father to Augustine. With Monica, he made many personal sacrifices to educate their promising son. This cooperative effort probably brought them together. Patricius became a Christian before he died. When her circle of friends asked her how she lived with such an excitable man and not be battered, Monica replied that there were two things necessary for domestic peace: firstly, she recalled the matrimonial contract which they agreed to; secondly, she counseled silence when the husband was in a bad mood. Augustine adds that those women who took her advice found peace and better treatment from their husbands.
Saint Monica faced a culture in which Christianity had not yet fully taken hold. We live in a culture in which Christianity is increasingly marginalized and children are pulled from the Faith. This prayer for her intercession, therefore, is particularly appropriate today.
Prayer to Saint Monica for Mothers
Exemplary Mother of the great Augustine, you perseveringly pursued your wayward son not with wild threats, but with prayerful cries to heaven. Intercede for all mothers in our day so that they may learn to draw their children to God. Teach them how to remain close to their children, even the prodigal sons and daughters who have sadly gone astray.
Prayer of Adoration
Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and magnify thy name? For thou only art holy: for all nations shall come, and shall adore in thy sight, because thy judgments are manifest. Revelation 15:4
Prayer and Meditation: Praise to You, Heavenly Father, to Jesus Christ Your Son, and to the Holy Spirit. We adore and thank you for the gift of the Blessed Mother. As I walk with the Mother of Jesus today, I honor her sorrow and her tears. As she is known to do with all her children who make such journeys, she ultimately brings me here, to the Father's throne room and to the feet of Jesus. I beg you to honor my efforts as I join with the Blessed Mother and ask that the hearts of prodigal Catholics be softened and opened to allow them to search for and discover the truth. I pray this prayer in the Jesus' name. Amen.
Glory Be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen
Saint Monica, pray for us and for all the intentions we receive.
O Mary, Queen of the angels and saints, pray for us and for our children.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, we place our trust in You.
Her marriage to Patricius, a pagan Roman official, does not appear to have been a particularly happy one, but it was peaceful and stable due mainly to the patience and prudence of Monica. Patricius was often a volatile man, and though he was often unfaithful to Monica, at heart he was a good father to Augustine. With Monica, he made many personal sacrifices to educate their promising son. This cooperative effort probably brought them together. Patricius became a Christian before he died. When her circle of friends asked her how she lived with such an excitable man and not be battered, Monica replied that there were two things necessary for domestic peace: firstly, she recalled the matrimonial contract which they agreed to; secondly, she counseled silence when the husband was in a bad mood. Augustine adds that those women who took her advice found peace and better treatment from their husbands.
Saint Monica faced a culture in which Christianity had not yet fully taken hold. We live in a culture in which Christianity is increasingly marginalized and children are pulled from the Faith. This prayer for her intercession, therefore, is particularly appropriate today.
Prayer to Saint Monica for Mothers
Exemplary Mother of the great Augustine, you perseveringly pursued your wayward son not with wild threats, but with prayerful cries to heaven. Intercede for all mothers in our day so that they may learn to draw their children to God. Teach them how to remain close to their children, even the prodigal sons and daughters who have sadly gone astray.
Prayer of Adoration
Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and magnify thy name? For thou only art holy: for all nations shall come, and shall adore in thy sight, because thy judgments are manifest. Revelation 15:4
Prayer and Meditation: Praise to You, Heavenly Father, to Jesus Christ Your Son, and to the Holy Spirit. We adore and thank you for the gift of the Blessed Mother. As I walk with the Mother of Jesus today, I honor her sorrow and her tears. As she is known to do with all her children who make such journeys, she ultimately brings me here, to the Father's throne room and to the feet of Jesus. I beg you to honor my efforts as I join with the Blessed Mother and ask that the hearts of prodigal Catholics be softened and opened to allow them to search for and discover the truth. I pray this prayer in the Jesus' name. Amen.
Glory Be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen
Saint Monica, pray for us and for all the intentions we receive.
O Mary, Queen of the angels and saints, pray for us and for our children.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, we place our trust in You.
August 26, 2013
Our Lady of Czestochowa The Black Madonna
Today we celebrate the Feast Day of Our Lady of Czestochowa. Legend says that after Jesus' crucifixion, when the Virgin Mary moved to Saint John's home, she took with her some personal articles, among them a table made by Jesus in Saint Joseph's workshop. The story continues and says that when the pious women of Jerusalem asked Saint Luke to do a painting of the Mother of God, he used this table to paint the image. The image remained in Jerusalem for a time, until the Romans began to destroy the city. Divine providence guided the image to Constantinople, where it was carefully protected by the Christians there. By 802, the image appeared in White Russia.
During a war in the middle of the fourteenth century, the image was struck by an enemy arrow. Prince Wladyslaw, in order to prevent the destruction of the image, decided to transport it to the land of his birth. While traveling through Poland, with the image in a horse drawn carriage, the horses refused to go any further when they reached the town of Czestochowa. The prince went up to the chapel on top of the hill Jasna Gora to pray, since he saw the horses' refusal to go on as a divine message. In a dream, Our Lady appeared to him, and told him she wanted the image to be venerated there in Czestochowa. This was in the year 1382. The prince ordered the building a a bigger and more elaborate Church, along with a monastery. Pilgrims began traveling from all over to venerate the image. She has been in Czestochowa since this time, and has become a national treasure of the Polish people, who venerate her as the Queen of Poland. The present Basilica in which the image resides was built in 1902.
A star with six vertices is depicted on Mary’s forehead. Both the Virgin and Jesus have golden halos. Given the dark color of the face and hands of Our Lady, the image has been fondly called “the Black Virgin,” a phrase which reminds us of the Song of Songs, “I am dark-skinned but beautiful.” Her darkness can be attributed to many reasons, one being the poor conditions of the places where she has been hidden to safeguard her. In addition, numerous candles have been lit before her, causing her to be constantly amidst smoke. As well, she most likely has been touched by a multitude of people. In the image, the wounds on her face were caused by some bandits who tried to steal the image in 1430. The wound on her throat was caused by the Tartars who besieged the castle of Belz; one of the enemy’s arrows went through the Chapel’s window and hit the icon. The two cuts on the cheek of the Virgin, along with the harm previously caused by the spear through her throat, always reappear despite the repeated attempts to restore the image.
Throughout the history of the icon, our Blessed Mother has manifested her powerful intercession in the midst of many dangers. One of the most well-known occurred on September 14th, 1920 when the Russian army set up camp near the Vistula River, where they were preparing to invade the city of Warsaw. As a result, the people turned to the Virgin Mary. The next day on the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, the Russian army withdrew its troops after an image of the Virgin appeared in a cloud over the city. The Polish refer to this victory as The Miracle of Vistula.
The miracles attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Czestochowa are numerous and spectacular, including resurrections. Princess Anna Wisniowiecka in 1613 was boating and fell into a raging river in the midst of a storm. She cried out to Our Lady of Czestochowa to save her, and Our Lady appeared and helped her safely to shore. At the end of the seventeenth century, there were a series of deadly epidemics that swept their way through Europe, including Poland. However, the city of Czestochowa was never touched by any. The Pauline fathers prepared for them, but they never came. These are just a few of the many miracles attributed to the icon and the intercession of Our Lady. The record of all the miracles attributed to this icon are kept by the Pauline fathers in Czestochowa.
Our Lady of Czestochowa, we entrust all the petitions we receive to your loving care and protection.
During a war in the middle of the fourteenth century, the image was struck by an enemy arrow. Prince Wladyslaw, in order to prevent the destruction of the image, decided to transport it to the land of his birth. While traveling through Poland, with the image in a horse drawn carriage, the horses refused to go any further when they reached the town of Czestochowa. The prince went up to the chapel on top of the hill Jasna Gora to pray, since he saw the horses' refusal to go on as a divine message. In a dream, Our Lady appeared to him, and told him she wanted the image to be venerated there in Czestochowa. This was in the year 1382. The prince ordered the building a a bigger and more elaborate Church, along with a monastery. Pilgrims began traveling from all over to venerate the image. She has been in Czestochowa since this time, and has become a national treasure of the Polish people, who venerate her as the Queen of Poland. The present Basilica in which the image resides was built in 1902.
A star with six vertices is depicted on Mary’s forehead. Both the Virgin and Jesus have golden halos. Given the dark color of the face and hands of Our Lady, the image has been fondly called “the Black Virgin,” a phrase which reminds us of the Song of Songs, “I am dark-skinned but beautiful.” Her darkness can be attributed to many reasons, one being the poor conditions of the places where she has been hidden to safeguard her. In addition, numerous candles have been lit before her, causing her to be constantly amidst smoke. As well, she most likely has been touched by a multitude of people. In the image, the wounds on her face were caused by some bandits who tried to steal the image in 1430. The wound on her throat was caused by the Tartars who besieged the castle of Belz; one of the enemy’s arrows went through the Chapel’s window and hit the icon. The two cuts on the cheek of the Virgin, along with the harm previously caused by the spear through her throat, always reappear despite the repeated attempts to restore the image.
Throughout the history of the icon, our Blessed Mother has manifested her powerful intercession in the midst of many dangers. One of the most well-known occurred on September 14th, 1920 when the Russian army set up camp near the Vistula River, where they were preparing to invade the city of Warsaw. As a result, the people turned to the Virgin Mary. The next day on the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, the Russian army withdrew its troops after an image of the Virgin appeared in a cloud over the city. The Polish refer to this victory as The Miracle of Vistula.
The miracles attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Czestochowa are numerous and spectacular, including resurrections. Princess Anna Wisniowiecka in 1613 was boating and fell into a raging river in the midst of a storm. She cried out to Our Lady of Czestochowa to save her, and Our Lady appeared and helped her safely to shore. At the end of the seventeenth century, there were a series of deadly epidemics that swept their way through Europe, including Poland. However, the city of Czestochowa was never touched by any. The Pauline fathers prepared for them, but they never came. These are just a few of the many miracles attributed to the icon and the intercession of Our Lady. The record of all the miracles attributed to this icon are kept by the Pauline fathers in Czestochowa.
Our Lady of Czestochowa, we entrust all the petitions we receive to your loving care and protection.
August 24, 2013
Blessed Mother Mary and Five Ways to Holiness
Just as God gave David five stones with which to defeat Goliath, Our Lady of Medjugorje, Queen of Peace, gives us five stones or weapons we can use to defeat satan.
Daily Prayer and the Rosary
Message of June 12, 1986 “Dear children! Today I call you to begin to pray the Rosary with a living faith. That way I will be able to help you. You, dear children, wish to obtain graces, but you are not praying. I am not able to help you because you do not want to get started. Dear children, I am calling you to pray the Rosary and that your Rosary be an obligation which you shall fulfill with joy. That way you shall understand the reason I am with you this long. I desire to teach you to pray. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
Fasting on Wednesday and Fridays
Message of July 21, 1982 “The best fast is on bread and water. Through fasting and prayer one can stop wars, one can suspend the natural laws of nature. Works of charity cannot replace fasting …Everyone except the sick, has to fast.”
Daily Reading of the Bible
Message of October 18, 1984 “Dear children! Today I call on you to read the Bible every day in your homes and let it be in a visible place so as always to encourage you to read it and to pray. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
Monthly Confession
Message of June 26, 1981 “Make your peace with God and among yourselves. For that, it is necessary to believe, to pray, to fast, and to go to confession.” Message of November 7, 1983 “Do not go to confession through habit, to remain the same after that. No, it is not good. Confession should give an impulse to your faith. It should stimulate you and bring you closer to Jesus. If confession does not mean anything for you, really, you will be converted with great difficulty.”
Holy Communion
Message of May 16, 1985 “Dear children! I am calling you to a more active prayer and attendance at Holy Mass. I wish your Mass to be an experience of God. I wish especially to say to the young people: be open to the Holy Spirit because God wished to draw you to Himself in these days when Satan is at work. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
Message of April 25, 1988 “Dear children! God wants to make you holy. Therefore, through me He is inviting you to complete surrender. Let Holy Mass be your life. Understand that the church is God’s palace, the place in which I gather you and want to show you the way to God. Come and pray. Neither look at others nor slander them, but rather, let your life be a testimony on the way of holiness. Churches deserve respect and are set apart as holy because God, who became man, dwells in them day and night. Therefore, little children, believe and pray that the Father increase your faith, and then ask for whatever you need. I am with you and I am rejoicing because of you conversion and I am protecting you with my motherly mantle. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
Our Lady’s plan is for everybody. “I have come to tell the world that God exists. He is the fullness of life, and to enjoy this fullness and peace, you must return to God”. Our Lady’s goal is the reign of love, and the return of souls to God. Our Lady tells us that our personal role is “Great.” We cannot do enough to live the messages. We must be willing to abandon ourselves completely.
Our Lady of Medjugorje, Queen of Peace, pray for us and for all those for whom we pray through this prayer ministry.
Daily Prayer and the Rosary
Message of June 12, 1986 “Dear children! Today I call you to begin to pray the Rosary with a living faith. That way I will be able to help you. You, dear children, wish to obtain graces, but you are not praying. I am not able to help you because you do not want to get started. Dear children, I am calling you to pray the Rosary and that your Rosary be an obligation which you shall fulfill with joy. That way you shall understand the reason I am with you this long. I desire to teach you to pray. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
Fasting on Wednesday and Fridays
Message of July 21, 1982 “The best fast is on bread and water. Through fasting and prayer one can stop wars, one can suspend the natural laws of nature. Works of charity cannot replace fasting …Everyone except the sick, has to fast.”
Daily Reading of the Bible
Message of October 18, 1984 “Dear children! Today I call on you to read the Bible every day in your homes and let it be in a visible place so as always to encourage you to read it and to pray. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
Monthly Confession
Message of June 26, 1981 “Make your peace with God and among yourselves. For that, it is necessary to believe, to pray, to fast, and to go to confession.” Message of November 7, 1983 “Do not go to confession through habit, to remain the same after that. No, it is not good. Confession should give an impulse to your faith. It should stimulate you and bring you closer to Jesus. If confession does not mean anything for you, really, you will be converted with great difficulty.”
Holy Communion
Message of May 16, 1985 “Dear children! I am calling you to a more active prayer and attendance at Holy Mass. I wish your Mass to be an experience of God. I wish especially to say to the young people: be open to the Holy Spirit because God wished to draw you to Himself in these days when Satan is at work. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
Message of April 25, 1988 “Dear children! God wants to make you holy. Therefore, through me He is inviting you to complete surrender. Let Holy Mass be your life. Understand that the church is God’s palace, the place in which I gather you and want to show you the way to God. Come and pray. Neither look at others nor slander them, but rather, let your life be a testimony on the way of holiness. Churches deserve respect and are set apart as holy because God, who became man, dwells in them day and night. Therefore, little children, believe and pray that the Father increase your faith, and then ask for whatever you need. I am with you and I am rejoicing because of you conversion and I am protecting you with my motherly mantle. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
Our Lady’s plan is for everybody. “I have come to tell the world that God exists. He is the fullness of life, and to enjoy this fullness and peace, you must return to God”. Our Lady’s goal is the reign of love, and the return of souls to God. Our Lady tells us that our personal role is “Great.” We cannot do enough to live the messages. We must be willing to abandon ourselves completely.
Our Lady of Medjugorje, Queen of Peace, pray for us and for all those for whom we pray through this prayer ministry.
August 15, 2013
The Assumption of Mary
Today is the Feast of the Assumption of Our Blessed Mother Mary. This day has always been loved by the children of Mary who try to live each day in the School of Mary. It is a sign to us that someday, through God's grace and our efforts, we too may join the Blessed Mother in giving glory to God. The Assumption is a source of great hope for us because it points the way for all followers of Christ who imitate her fidelity and obedience to God's Holy Will. Where she now is, we are meant eventually to be, and may hope to be through Divine grace. Mary was taken to heaven, body and soul, after her life on earth was ended because of her Immaculate nature, uniquely protected by God's grace from personal sin. May we seek to imitate her self-sacrificing love, her indestructible faith and her perfect obedience. Mary chose, with the God’s grace, to preserve her God-given purity throughout the whole of her life. It is fitting that she who knew no sin should know no decay and no delay in enjoying the full fruits of her Son’s work. It is fitting that she who stood by Christ under the Cross should stand by him bodily at the right hand of the Father.
The Queen stands at your right hand, in gold of Ophir. Psalm 45
Blessed is she who trusted that the Lord's words to her would be fulfilled. May we see heaven as our final goal and come to share her glory. Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth, pray for us and all those for whom we pray.
August 14, 2013
Saint Maximilian Kolbe
(here mention prayer requests)
Through the Militia Immaculata movement, which Maximilian founded, he spread a fervent devotion to Our Lady throughout the world. He gave up his life for a total stranger and loved his persecutors, giving us an example of unselfish love for all men, a love that was inspired by true devotion to Mary.
Grant, O Lord Jesus, that we too may give ourselves entirely without reserve to the love and service of our Heavenly Queen in order to better love and serve our fellowman in imitation of your humble servant, Maximilian. Amen. Pray 3 Hail Marys and a Glory Be
Saint Maximilian Kolbe, pray for all the intentions we receive, through the intercession of Immaculate Mary.
August 08, 2013
Saint Dominic and the Rosary
Saint Dominic certainly led an eventful life. Today is his Feast Day. He unsuccessfully tried to convert non-believers to Catholicism, experienced apparitions of Blessed Mother Mary, was directly linked to the Middle Ages Inquisition by the Catholic Church, the Saint Dominic rosary provided the structure of the modern day Holy Rosary, and he founded the Order of Dominicans.Dominic was born of Spanish parents in Spain and spent his early years there. In neighboring southern France in those same years was a religious sect called Cathars. This sect had some elements of the Catholic faith, but held a fundamental belief which Catholicism considered heresy. Cathars believed there was an evil god that created the material world and a good god that created the spiritual world. Cathars main heresy was their belief in dualism: the evil God created the materialistic world and the good God created the spiritual world. The Pope dispatched missionaries to southern France, including Saint Dominic, to convert the Cathars, accept Catholic teaching and cease belief in separate gods.
Saint Dominic was especially devoted to what is now considered the predecessor of the modern rosary. This was simply a tallying mechanism to count the number of prayers recited which in early times was called paternoster, which translates roughly from Latin as father (pater) and ours (noster). Often the person reciting a penance would recite 150 Our Fathers and use the paternoster to keep an accurate count. In the year 1214, Saint Dominic was in anguish because his attempt to convert the Cathars was basically a failure because he converted so very few. Saint Dominic attributed this to the deepness and gravity of sinfulness of the people. He went alone in to the forest and wept and prayed continuously for three days to appease the anger of Almighty God. After three days of this, he passed in to a coma.
Dominic experienced an apparition of Blessed Mother Mary while in the coma, which forever links Saint Dominic and the rosary. Mary appeared and asked St. Dominic : "Dear Dominic, do you know which weapon the Blessed Trinity wants to use to reform the world?" Dominic's response was Blessed Mary knew better than he because she is a part of our salvation.
Mary continued : "I want you to know that, in this kind of warfare, the battering ram has always been the Angelic Psalter which is the foundation stone of the New Testament. Therefore if you want to reach these hardened souls and win them over to God, preach my Psalter" which is the rosary.
Shortly after this apparition he preached the Holy Rosary to the unconverted Carthars. To modify the paternoster (150 Our Fathers) and in compliance with the instruction in the apparition, the design of the Saint Dominic rosary came in to being. He set apart 15 mysteries of the rosary, grouped them in to 3 sets of 5 decades each.
From the Encyclical of Pope Benedict XV on Saint Domonic, FAUSTO APPETENTE DIE "Saint Dominic had a most zealous piety towards the Mother of God by Divine revelation of the victory of Lepanto achieved at that very moment when through the Catholic world the pious sodalities of the Holy Rosary implored the aid of Mary in that formula initiated by the Founder of the Friar Preachers and diffused far and wide by his followers. Loving the Blessed Virgin as a Mother, confiding chiefly in her patronage, Dominic started his battle for the Faith."
Mother of Grace, Mother of Mercy, help us turn to you by praying the Rosary.
Our Lady of the Rosary, Saint Dominic, pray for us.
August 02, 2013
The Real Presence of Jesus
From the writings of Saint Peter Eymard
We have a Father in Heaven, and we address this prayer for bread directly to Him. But our Lord Jesus Christ has begotten us to the life of grace, to the supernatural life, and has thereby merited the title of Father. Our heavenly Father lives in Heaven; Jesus lives in this church. He is our Father on earth, and He wants to fulfill all the duties of a good father towards His children. A Father lives with his family. He is the center and pivot of it. All its members are under his protection and act under his orders. He is the leader, the head of the family. He has supreme authority, even over the mother, who represents what there must be of tenderness in the direction of the family.
Now, Jesus Christ, our Father, owns a home, which is the Church. You are His family, His privileged family. In a family some of the children work for strangers, and others with their father, under his eyes: you are these happy children. Ah! Without our Lord, Who is your Father, this home, which has such an atmosphere of piety and presents such a fine idea of a family, would be nothing but a prison-house, or a workshop for girls bowed down beneath a joyless labor. It would lack the center, the source of love, which is the tabernacle of this chapel.
O Jesus, we adore You in the Blessed Sacrament. Bless and protect all the little ones and the families we pray for through this ministry.
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