Neither are the souls of the pious dead separated from the Church which even now is the kingdom of Christ. Otherwise there would be no remembrance of them at the altar of God in the communication of the Body of Christ. -- Saint Augustine of Hippo from “The City of God

Please Note

Whenever you use the links on my blog's to make purchases, such as from Mystic Monk Coffee, CCleaner, and others, I earn a small commission. This commission does not have any effect on your costs.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

ON THE VENERATION OF ST. JOSEPH (From Goffine's Devout Instructions)




St. Alphonsus Liguori writes that the example of Christ who so highly venerated St. Joseph while on earth, and who during his whole life was obedient to him, should suffice to inspire all hearts with devotion to this great saint; and he, whom the King of kings placed so high, indeed deserves especial veneration from man. To encourage this veneration, St. Theresa wrote: “I do not remember that I ever prayed to St. Joseph for anything which he did not procure for me; the great graces God has given me through him, and the many dangers of body and soul from which he has preserved me, are indeed truly wonderful. It seems as if God has given to other saints the grace to assist in some special manner those who seek their intercession; but of this glorious saint my experience is that he assists in every need. The Lord appears to show by this, that as He was subject to him on earth, so in heaven he does every thing which St. Joseph requests of Him. Others, whom I have advised to have recourse to him, have experienced the same thing. I would gladly so advise every one.” “I have a great devotion to this saint,” continues St. Alphonsus, “because I have so often experienced that he can obtain so much from God. For many years I have been accustomed to ask a special grace on his festival, and my prayer is always answered. As we must all die, we should all have a special devotion to St. Joseph, for all Catholics consider him as the patron of the dying, who assists in the hour of death those who have venerated him, and this for three reasons: because Jesus loves Him, not only as a friend, but as His father, on which account he is a more powerful intercessor than any other saint; because St. Joseph has a special power against evil spirits who attack us in the hour of death; for since he freed our Saviour from the snares of Herod, God has given him the power to guard the dying from the attacks of the devil; lastly the assistance which Jesus and Mary rendered him in the hour of death, gives him the right to procure a sweet and holy death for his servants. If they, therefore, invoke him in the hour of death, he will not only aid them himself, but procure aid for them from Jesus and Mary.” Should not these words of so great a saint encourage us daily to honor St. Joseph? Should not this hope of being assisted in the hour of death by Jesus, Mary and Joseph, move us to devotion to the foster-father of Christ?

PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH. O St. Joseph, Mary’s pure bridegroom, who because of thy purity and love of justice wast chosen for the foster-father of Jesus Christ, do not leave me, I beseech thee, in my necessities and cares; ask for me the grace to live a just and pure life like thine, and grant, that I may obtain the happiness of dying, like thee, in the arms of Jesus and Mary. Amen.

-- Goffine's Devout Instructions


Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Guest Post From Father Juan R. Vélez : Blessed John Henry Newman



Blessed John Henry Newman, A Great Teacher and Catechist

During the Year of the Faith convoked by Pope Benedict XVI we can draw inspiration from great teachers and catechists. One of these was Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890) who founded both a school for boys and a university.

Today Catholic parents are sometimes confronted with the dilemma of choosing a school for either its catholic identity or for its academic excellence and sports programs. This is a sad and unacceptable dichotomy. As gifted educator and catechist, Newman paid equal attention to educating the both intellect and the soul.

A catechist is someone who teaches others the Faith while embodying the beliefs and practices himself. The Greek word katecho means to hold on to or to teach. A catechist is a person who holds on to what he has received and transmits it faithfully to others (not only in word but by their example). John Henry Newman was a true catechist. He knew the Faith very well and taught it with great clarity and abundant examples. Just as importantly, he did so with gentleness and charm. Newman worked as a teacher and catechist at Oxford, Dublin and Birmingham.

Newman studied at a boarding school just outside of London and then at Trinity College, Oxford. Afterwards he became a tutor, what we call an associate professor at the prestigious Oriel College, Oxford. He soon had a following of students who looked up to him. Newman was concerned not only with their intellectual life, but also with their character formation and their spiritual life. When he became Roman Catholic in 1845 some followed his footsteps; others had preceded their teacher who was more cautious and deliberate.

During his teaching time at Oxford Newman was pastor of St. Mary, the University Church, and its chapel at Littlemore. Newman preached hundreds of sermons on Christian life to the college students and professors. Many of the sermons focused on the mysteries of Christ, in His death and Resurrection, and the daily practice of following Christ in prayer, sacrifice, and on the Christian virtues. Newman also preached on the individual lessons that the Apostles and Martyrs, exemplars of the Christian life, give us. As a good teacher, Newman covered almost all the subjects of the Christian Faith.

Newman developed his sermons from Sacred Scriptures and frequently quoted it, explaining the figures of the Old Testament and resolving apparent difficulties (between the Old Testament and New). He spoke quietly from the pulpit of St. Mary's but with such depth and conviction that (the congregation remained deathly silent). All ears and eyes were on this teacher who was gentle and exacting at the same time. Newman was teaching the listeners and helping them to lead virtuous lives.

In addition to caring for the intellect and the spirit, Newman was concerned for the physical needs of his students, old and young. At Littlemore there was a Sunday school for children. Newman was concerned with the children's hygiene and appearance. He asked his sisters for advice on the girls' dress, and bought them aprons. He arranged for the children to learn how to sing religious hymns, and rehearsed with them. He installed beautiful stained glass windows in the little church at Littlemore which helped those attending to give fitting praise to God.

Once he became a Roman Catholic on October 9, 1845, founded the English Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Birmingham through which he aspired to be of service in the education of many youth. In 1852, while directing the Oratory, he began one of the most important and difficult projects of his life: the founding of the Catholic University of Ireland. At the petition of the Irish bishops he prepared study plans, hired professors and sought students. He was the founder, rector, administrator, fundraiser, and builder, all in one.

Newman had the extraordinary vision of university education as formation of both the mind and character. He explained the need for theology studies for a university to aspire to universal learning (comprising all learning, not just some spheres of learning). And he indicated what the usurpation of theology in a university would do for learning; the place of theology would be falsely occupied by another science. He extolled the value of knowledge for knowledge's sake. Newman transmitted these ideas in various lectures before the actual opening of the University, and they were later published in his seminal work, Idea of a University. Newman knew from his years at Oriel College that men need real mentors. He established houses or residences in which the students would live with a mentor who would take them under his wing. Students were offered guidance in the proper exercise of their freedom.

Newman's extraordinary work at Dublin was not well appreciated, and it was hampered by the very ones who had asked him to carry it out. In 1858 he returned full time to his home at Birmingham. As a born educator, however, he was anxious to communicate the truth, and soon undertook another important work, the foundation of the Oratory School. At the time the only secondary schools (or high schools) were the Protestant public schools and some Catholic colleges. The public schools were primarily for children from wealthy families. The few catholic colleges were run by various religious orders such as the Benedictines and the Jesuits. In the former there was a lack of discipline and poor religious formation. In the latter, students who were seminarians were mixed together with lay students, and the education was not academically as rigorous as in the public schools.

Urged on by his friends, Newman forged on with plans to start something like a Catholic Eaton (Eaton being the premier English Public School). He and his friends Edward Bellasis and James Hope-Scott worked hard to secure the necessary funds, support, and students. (A Catholic Eaton? Newman's Oratory School, Paul Shrimpton, Gracewing 2005). In May 1859 the school opened. Newman was not the headmaster; he had appointed an Oratorian Father, Nicholas Darnell to this role, but Newman was the inspiration and soul of the school. His prestige drew the students and patrons. The school had serious difficulties due to the faults of the headmaster, but Newman was able to set it back on good track.

The students were all boys. Newman made sure that the younger ones had the care of a woman, and that the headmaster exercised appropriate discipline. He insisted that the students receive both a good religious education as well as a classical liberal arts education. This was the very reason for the school, namely providing youth with a complete human and spiritual formation. Their intellect should be formed and they should learn piety. Running a school was a difficult task, and Newman persevered in the endeavor. He participated in school events, including arranging classical plays which the students acted. Some famous persons were associated with the school. The poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, whom Newman had received in the Church, was a teacher (1867-1868) and Hilaire Belloc was a student in 1887.

Some years later Belloc wrote: They [the boys] were taught to be as free - as self-reliant and as free - as any of the young Englishmen who were growing up around them in the great public schools; but with it there was an atmosphere of healthy religion, an unconstrained frequency in the approaching of the Sacraments, a sincere faith and high code both of morals and of honour, which appeared so natural and so native to the place, that it would have been called spontaneous by anyone who did not know that the founding of the school, its influence, and its spirit were due to Cardinal Newman. ('John Henry Cardinal Newman,' The Lamp 39, 1890, pp. 138-139 quoted from A Catholic Eaton? pp. 284-285).

Through his entire life Newman led by example. He taught what he first practiced, and people were drawn by that unassuming and committed life. After many years of teaching university students, and a short time teaching children at the Littlemore Sunday school, he ended teaching boys at Birmingham Oratory School. He was an educator and a catechist all his life. Those who knew him felt his affection and influence. Thus, Cardinal Newman's knowledge of the faith was lived and transmitted to others with the gentle persuasion of the truth. He truly was a great teacher, catechist, and mentor.

Fr, Juan R. Vélez, author of Passion for Truth, the Life of John Henry Newman (TAN/St. Benedict's, 2012)

Note:

This guest post was graciously written by Father Juan R. Vélez, author of "Passion for Truth, The Life of John Henry Newman". Father Vélez is a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei who resides in San Francisco. He holds a doctorate in dogmatic theology from the University of Navarre. His doctoral thesis was on John Henry Newman’s Eschatology.

His interest in the life and works of Cardinal Newman began with his doctoral studies under Prof. José Morales, author of John Henry Newman (1801-1890).

Fr. Vélez has a medical degree, also from the University of Navarre, and was previously board certified in internal medicine.





Saturday, March 16, 2013

Doctors of the Church (A List)



The following is an alphabetical list of the 35 "Doctors of the Church" of the Roman Catholic Church.

Before we get to the list, here is the definition of Doctor of the Church from "The Modern Catholic Dictionary" by Father John A. Hardon, S.J.:

DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH. A title given since the Middle Ages to certain saints whose writing or preaching is outstanding for guiding the faithful in all periods of the Church's history. Originally the Western Fathers of the Church, Gregory the Great, Ambrose, Augustine, and Jerome, were considered the great doctors of the Church. But the Church has officially added many more names to the original four.

The following are Doctors of the Church
  • Albert the Great
  • Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
  • Ambrose of Milan
  • Anselm of Canterbury
  • Anthony of Padua
  • Athanasius
  • Augustine of Hippo
  • Basil the Great
  • Bede the Venerable
  • Bernard of Clairvaux
  • Bonaventure
  • Catherine of Siena
  • Cyril of Alexandria
  • Cyril of Jerusalem
  • Ephrem of Syria
  • Francis of Sales
  • Gregory Nanzianzen
  • Gregory the Great
  • Hilary of Poitiers
  • Hildegard von Bingen
  • Isidore
  • Jerome
  • John Chrystostom
  • John Damascene
  • John of Avila
  • John of the Cross
  • Lawrence of Brindisi
  • Leo the Great
  • Peter Canisius
  • Peter Chrysologus
  • Peter Damian
  • Robert Bellarmine
  • Teresa of Avila
  • Therese of Lisieux
  • Thomas Aquinas

Friday, March 15, 2013

St. Louise de Marillac



There is some mystery to Louise’s birth, but what we do know is that even though Louise's Mother died soon after giving birth, Louise herself was then raised by her Aristocratic father. It was soon after that Louise’s father remarried, but unfortunately, Louise never enjoyed a close relationship with her step mother, so it was decided to send the young Louise to a Dominican convent.

This was a difficult time for Louise and never an exuberant child, she became even more introverted as she studied her lessons under the guidance of the Sisters of that Order, for Louise did display a curious mind and a propensity for intellectual pursuits. Living among the Nuns also fostered within her soul a deep desire to become a Religious herself, but fate intervened, and her wish was not to be met just yet.

Louise instead embarked on an arranged marriage in 1613 to Antoine LaGras who was also of noble standing and was secretary to Queen Marie de Medici. Their married life was comfortable but Antoine suffered many ailments, and so the shadow of death was not far away from the LaGras family.

During this difficult and worrisome time, Louise was to meet a very holy priest by the name of Francis de Sales, who provided much help to the distraught Louise.

Sadly Antoine LaGras died in the year 1625, leaving Louise a widow, but also leaving her free to work amongst the poor, which she had been doing for quite some time.

It was through her meeting with Francis de Sales that Louise met, Fr. Vincent de Paul, who inquired of her if she wished to help him in his enterprise, the Confraternities of Charity to work within the different parishes around France.

Louise had a great devotion to the poor, and even though born of noble birth, she mixed easily in all social classes, and with her quiet and humble spirit, many felt comfortable in her reassuring presence.

Louise took great delight in her work alongside Fr. Vincent, and with her skills as a homemaker, she was able to take charge of the day to day finances, so that everything ran smoothly, and the poor would receive the greatest benefits.

It was in 1633 that Louise decided to train a small group of women to serve the poor, and trained them to show respect and compassion, but also common sense when dealing with the destitute of France. And it was from these humble beginnings that the Daughters of Charity began.

Louise along side Fr. de Paul worked hard to establish this Order of Religious who were not confined to Convents, but, instead worked amongst the poorest of the poor. Louise was to teach all her sisters to have a deep respect for the poor, lonely and the widowed and to serve the poor as if they were serving Jesus Himself.

And as Louise de Marillac and Fr. Vincent worked side by side in this endeavour, so too, did they die within months of each other.

Louise de Marillac died in 1660. St. Vincent de Paul died six months later.

Louise was canonized on 11th March 1934 by Pope Pius XI.

Some Quotes

Prudence consists in speaking about important matters only and not relating a lot of trifles that are not worth saying.

How good it is to trust God! Turn to Him often, as children look to their father and mother in their needs.

One of the most powerful reasons to induce us to love God is the conviction we enjoy that He loves us.
And from these two great Saints, Vincent and Louise, yet another Frenchman would step forward to fulfill their vision of 'serving the poor'.




Monday, February 04, 2013

Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr



Saint Agatha (also known as: Agatha of Sicily; Agatha of Palermo; Agatha of Catania) has been honored since ancient times, and her name is included in the canon of the Mass. We have little reliable information about her, except that she was a martyr. The following is according to her Latin Acts which is from around the sixth century.

Saint Agatha was a young, wealthy and beautiful woman who lived a life consecrated to God. When the Roman Emperor Decius (Caius Messius Quintus Trajanus Decius 249-251) announced his edicts against Christians, the Roman magistrate Quinctianus tried to profit by Agatha's sanctity; he planned to blackmail her into sex in exchange for not charging her. Saint Agatha was handed over to a brothel, but she refused to accept customers. After rejecting Quinctianus' advances, she was beaten, imprisoned, tortured, her breasts were crushed and cut off. One version says that Saint Peter appeared to her and healed her. She was imprisoned further and rolled onto live coals. She was near death when an earthquake struck. In the earthquake the magistrate's friend was crushed, and the magistrate fled. Agatha thanked God for an end to her pain, and died. Her death occurred around 250 A.D.

Legend says that carrying her veil, taken from her tomb in Catania, in procession has averted eruptions of Mount Etna. Her intercession is also reported to have saved Malta from Turkish invasion in 1551.

Her popular veneration is of a very early date; her name occurs in the prayer, "Nobis quoque peccatoribus," in the Canon of the Mass, and in some places bread is blessed after the Consecration of the Mass on her feast and called Agatha bread.