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

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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Saint Ignatius of Loyola



Saint Ignatius of Loyola (also known as Inigo Lopez de Loyola) was born in 1491A.D. at Loyola, Guipuzcoa, Spain, as Inigo Lopez de Loyola. He was Spanish nobility, and the youngest of twelve children. He was a page in the Spanish court of Ferdinand and Isabella, and he received a military education.

He entered the army in 1517, and served in several campaigns. He was seriously wounded in the leg by a cannonball at the siege of Pampeluna on May 20, 1521, an injury that left him partially crippled for life.

During his recuperation, the only books he had access to were “The Golden Legend”, a collection of lives of the saints, and the Life of Christ by Ludolph the Carthusian. These books, and the time spent in contemplation, changed him.

Upon his recovery, he took a vow of chastity, hung his sword before the altar of the Virgin of Montserrat, and donned a pilgrim's robes. He lived in a cave from 1522 to 1523, contemplating the way to live a Christian life. He wrote about his religious experiences, and later made them the foundation for the spiritual exercises, which he drew up for his Order.

He was a pilgrim to Rome and the Holy Land in 1523, where he worked to convert Muslims. In 1528, he began studying theology in Barcelona, Alcala, and Paris, receiving his degree in 1534. His meditations, prayers, visions and insights led to forming the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus in August of 1534, and the order received papal approval in 1541.

Ignatius was a friend of James Lainez, Alonso Salmerón, Nicholas Bobadilla, Simón Rodriguez, Blessed Peter Faber, and Saint Francis Xavier, the group that formed the core of the new Society. He never used the term Jesuit, which was coined as an insult by his adversaries. Today the Society uses the term with pride.

He traveled Europe and the Holy Lands, and then settled in Rome to direct the Jesuits. His health suffered in later years, and he was nearly blind at death.

Today the Jesuits have over 500 universities and colleges, 30,000 members, and teach over 200,000 students each year.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola died of fever in 1556 at Rome, Italy. His relics are at the Gesu in Rome, Italy.

Below are some quotations from Saint Ignatius of Loyola:

Do not let any occasion of gaining merit pass without taking care to draw some spiritual profit from it; as, for example, from a sharp word which someone may say to you; from an act of obedience imposed against your will; from an opportunity which may occur to humble yourself, or to practice charity, sweetness, and patience. All of these occasions are gain for you, and you should seek to procure them; and at the close of that day, when the greatest number of them have come to you, you should go to rest most cheerful and pleased, as the merchant does on the day when he had had most chance for making money; for on that day business has prospered with him.



If God causes you to suffer much, it is a sign that He has great designs for you, and that He certainly intends to make you a saint. And if you wish to become a great saint, entreat Him yourself to give you much opportunity for suffering; for there is no wood better to kindle the fire of holy love than the wood of the cross, which Christ used for His own great sacrifice of boundless charity.



Idleness begets a life of discontent. It develops self-love, which is the cause of all our miseries, and renders us unworthy to receive the favors of divine love.



He is generous even to exhaustion; and what is most wonderful is, that He gives Himself thus entirely, not once only, but every day, if we wish it. Every fresh Communion is a new gift which Jesus Christ makes of Himself. 




Few souls understand what God would accomplish in them if they were to abandon themselves unreservedly to Him and if they were to allow His grace to mold them accordingly.



Sunday, July 20, 2014

Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church



Saint Lawrence of Brindisi (also known as Julius Caesar Rossi; Laurence of Brindisi; Lorenzo da Brindisi) was born in 1559 A.D. at Brindisi, Italy as Julius Caesar Rossi. He was a son of Guglielmo de Rossi and Elisabetta Masella. He felt an early call to the religious life, and was educated by the Friars Minor Conventuals of Brindisi. Lawrence's father died when the boy was twelve.

Saint Lawrence joined the Capuchin Friars in 1575 at the age of 16, taking the name Brother Lorenzo. His studies at the University of Padua included theology, the Bible, Bohemian, French, German, Greek, Spanish, Syriac, and Hebrew. He was a brilliant student known for his facility with languages. Lawrence was a priest, and he taught theology. He served as linguist and military chaplain. He became a famous, effective and forceful preacher in any of his several languages. Lawrence became head of his order and founded convents at Vienna, Prague, and Graz.

Lawrence was chaplain of the army of the Holy Roman Empire in 1601. He rallied the German princes to fight a superior Turkish force, and was asked to lead the army into battle at Stuhlweissenburg (modern Albe-Royal) carrying no weapon but a crucifix. The Turks were completely defeated.

Saint Lawrence was the master general of his order from 1602 to 1605 and he was the choice for another term, but turned it down. He was assigned in 1605 to evangelize in Germany, where he had great success. He also convinced King Philip III of Spain to join the German Catholic League. Lawrence was the commissary general of his order for the provinces of Tyrol and Bavaria, and he was spiritual director of the Bavarian army.


Saint Lawrence of Brindisi died of natural causes on July 22, 1619 at Lisbon, Portugal. He is buried in the cemetery of the Poor Clares at Villafranca. In 1956, the Capuchin Order compiled fifteen volumes of his sermons, letters and writings. Pope John XXIII proclaimed Lawrence an Apostolic Doctor of the Church in 1959. 




Monday, June 23, 2014

Feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (From Goffine's Devout Instructions)





SAINT JOHN could not have had any greater panegyrist than Jesus Christ Himself, Who said: "There hath not risen, among them that are born of women [in the natural manner], a greater than John the Baptist" (Matthew 11:11). The Lord made him great, even from his mother's womb, by causing his birth to be foretold by an angel, by giving him his name, and by sanctifying him while yet in his mother's womb through the presence of Christ. To escape from the world and its allurements he withdrew to the desert, and there occupied himself only with God and with what concerned his vocation. His food was locusts and wild honey; his clothing a garment of camel's hair, fastened by a leathern girdle; his bed the hard ground. Thus he lived till his thirtieth year, in which, by the command of God, he was to proclaim the coming of the Messias, Whom he himself afterwards baptized and pointed out to men as the Lamb of God. With extraordinary zeal and earnestness he preached the necessity of true penance.

For having reproved Herod for living in adultery he was thrown into prison, and finally, at the instigation of Herodias, was beheaded.

We celebrate the day of his birth rather than that of his death, as is the case on most saints' days, because, while other saints arrive at sanctity only through long and difficult contests, John was already sanctified in his mother's womb.

The Introit of the Mass is as follows:
"The Lord hath called me by my name, from the womb of my mother, and hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He hath protected me, and hath made me as a chosen arrow. It is good to give praise to the Lord, and to sing to Thy name, O Most High."
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Prayer

O God, Who, by the birth of John, made this day worthy to be honored by us, grant to Thy people the grace of spiritual joys, and guide the minds of all the faithful in the way of eternal salvation. Through our Lord, etc.

Epistle: Isaias 49:1-3, 5-7

Give ear, ye islands, and hearken, ye peoples from afar. The Lord hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother He hath been mindful of my name. And He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He hath protected me, and hath made me as a chosen arrow; in his quiver He hath hidden me. And He said to me: Thou art my servant Israel, for in thee will I glory. And now saith the Lord, that formed me from the womb to be His servant, that I may bring back Jacob unto Him, and Israel will not be gathered together, and I am glorified in the eyes of the Lord, and my God is made my strength. And He said: It is a small thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to convert the dregs of Israel. Behold I have given thee to be the light of the gentiles, that thou mayest be My salvation even to the farthest part of the earth. Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, His holy One, to the soul that is despised, to the nation that is abhorred, to the servant of rulers: Kings shall see, and princes shall rise up and adore for the Lord's sake, because He is faithful, and for the holy One of Israel, Who hath chosen thee.

Explanation

This prophecy refers, it is true, to Christ, Whom God has made the head, teacher, ruler, and salvation of all nations. The greater part of it, however, may be applied to Saint John, as is evident from his life.

Gospel: Luke 1:57-68

Elizabeth's full time of being delivered was come, and she brought forth a son. And her neighbors and kinsfolk heard that the Lord had showed His great mercy towards her, and they congratulated with her. And it came to pass that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they called hIm by his father's name, Zachary. And his mother answering, said: Not so, but he shall be called John. And they said to her: There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. And demanding a writing-table, he wrote, saying: John is his name. And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came upon all their neighbors; and all these things were noised abroad over all the hill-country of Judea. And all they that had heard them laid them up in their heart, saying: What an one, think ye, shall this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him. And Zachary, his father, was filled with the Holy Ghost, and he prophesied, saying: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, because He hath visited and wrought the redemption of His people.

Explanation

The neighbors and kinsfolk of Elizabeth rejoiced with her at her happiness, and gave her joy. We too, in like manner, should be glad when anything good happens to our neighbor, and thank and praise God therefor.

Prayer

Saint John, blessed forerunner of Jesus Christ, mirror of true penance, burning and shining light, who by thy teaching and example didst show to men the way to Christ, I beseech thee, by thy penitential life, that thou wouldst obtain for me, from Him Whom thou didst point out as the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world, grace that, fearing God's wrath against the impenitent, I may at last do true penance for my sins, mortify my sinful flesh according to thy example, serve God in purity and sanctity, and finally, in the land of eternal happiness, follow forever the Lamb Who on the altar of the cross was slain for me. Amen.
-- Goffine's Devout Instructions




Saturday, April 26, 2014

Saint Faustina of Divine Mercy Memorial


Saint Faustina of Divine Mercy



Saint Faustina brought to the world a Divine Message of Epic proportion, one cannot underestimate the impact this one woman has had upon the twentieth century.

She was born into a poor Polish family and given the name Helena Kowalska. No one could have then predicted how God would work in this woman's soul. Her family were very devout Catholics and they loved Helena as their favourite daughter, so it was with trepidation that they at first refused Helena her dearest wish to become a religious and devote her life in the service of God, for they could not bear the pain of separation from this most loving of daughters. So in an effort to please her parents and to try and ignore the 'inner calling Helena threw herself into her work as a nanny for a more wealthier family.

But Gods call was much stronger and more insistent, and it was during a social event when their was a dance that Jesus appeared to her and said to her "How long will I put up with you, and how long will you keep putting me off?" Helena knew she could no longer resist this calling nor could she refuse her Lord who she loved above all others, and upon hearing our Lord say to her, "Go immediately to Warsaw; you will enter a convent there." Helena then made sure her affairs were in order and once this was done she confided to her sister her plans to enter the Convent, and with a last goodbye to her sister she embarked on a course that would not only change her life, but would impact and change the world. Upon reaching Warsaw, Helena worked as a servant until she saved the dowry needed to enter the Order of The Sisters of Mercy, a year later, on August 1, 1925, she entered as a postulant. On April 30, 1926, Helena became a novice, taking as her "name in religion," the name "Sister Mary Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament."

Life was not easy for this most obedient of daughter of God, and upon receiving what would be her mission her life became even more difficult, when she started to receive messages and visions of our Lord requesting her to reveal to the world His most Divine Mercy and the Love which Jesus has for each soul. Sister Faustina faced much ridicule and open contempt from some of her fellow Sisters, but even though this pained her deeply she never lost focus on what was essential, Sister Faustina kept her eyes on our Lord and kept her note book in which she wrote down this most astounding and also most important message for the world.

Eventually Sister Faustina's health became fragile, and her Superiors doubted her ill health which quickly detoriated over time, but even when she was under so much pressure and intense suffering Sister Faustina trusted in her Lord and Savior and kept working on the note book which would become 'Divine Mercy in My Soul', Sister Faustina died on October 5, 1938 a most Holy and devoted soul. The task of spreading her message then fell to Father Sopocko, who worked tirelessly on this most Divine and most Intimate of Messages.

Many years later when our late Beloved Pope John Paul was shot in St Peters Square he requested that this book 'Divine Mercy in My Soul' be brought to him, the Holy Father as he recovered from the wound that nearly ended his life reflected much on this Divine Message.

Sister Faustina, as St. Faustina was beatified on April 18, 1993 and canonized on April 30, 2000.

I would encourage ALL to read her book and the Revelations found within from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.




Divine Mercy Poster
Divine Mercy Poster by stvsmith2009
Find more Divine mercy Posters at Zazzle




Thursday, April 03, 2014

Decrees For The Causes Of Saints


Vatican City, 3 April 2014 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father Francis received in audience Cardinal Angelo Amato, S.D.B., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, during which he extended the liturgical cult of the following blesseds to the universal Church, inscribing them in the book of Saints:

-Francois de Laval, French bishop of Quebec, Canada (1623-1708).

-Jose de Anchieta, Spanish priest of the Society of Jesus (1534-1597).

-Maria de la Encarnacion (nee Marie Guyart), French (1599-1672).

He also authorised the Congregation to promulgate the decrees concerning the following causes:

MIRACLES

- Servant of God Giovanni Antonio Farina, Italian bishop and founder of the Institute of the Sisters of Saint Dorothy, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts (1803-1871).

- Blessed Kuriacose Elias Chavara, Indian professed priest and founder of the Congregation of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (1805-1871).

- Blessed Nicola da Longobardi, (ne Giovanni Battista Clemente Saggio), Italian oblate friar of the Order of the Minims (1650-1709).

- Blessed Euphrasia of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (nee Rose Eluvathingal), Indian professed religious of the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel (1877-1952).

- Servant of God Luigi della Consolata (ne Andrea Bordino), Italian professed religious, Brothers of Saint Joseph Benedict Cottolengo (1922-1977).

HEROIC VIRTUES

- Servant of God Francisco Simon Rodenas, Spanish professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, bishop of Santa Marta (1849-1914).

- Servant of God Adolfo Barberis, Italian priest and founder of the Institute of Sisters of Christian Servanthood (1884-1967).

- Servant of God Marie-Clement (ne Joseph Staub), French professed priest of the Assumptionists and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joan of Arc (1876-1936).

- Servant of God Sebastian Elorza Arizmendi, Spanish professed religious of the Order of St. Augustine (1882-1942).

- Servant of God Maria Teresa of the Eucharistic Jesus (nee Dulce Rodrigues dos Santos), Brazilian foundress of the Congregation of the Little Missionary Sisters of Mary Immaculate (1901-1972).

- Servant of God Clara de la Concepcion (nee Juana de la Concepcion Sanchez Garcia), Spanish professed religious of the Order of St. Clare (1902-1973).

- Servant of God Maria Magdalena (nee Maria Giuseppina Teresa Marcucci), Italian professed religious of the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ (1888-1960).

-Servant of God Luigi Rocchi, Italian layperson (1932-1979).


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