CAPG's Blog 

Saint Angela Merici (1474-1540) as a teacher, devotional picture (pastel on paper) by Pietro Calzavacca (1855-1890), Merician Museum, Brescia, Italy.

"Saint Angela Merici, foundress of the Ursulines. She was born at Desenzano, near Lake Guarda, on the 21st of March, 1470. Her early impulse of piety led her, as a child, to seek to live as a hermit; and on growing up she entered the Third Order of Saint Francis, at Salo. Returning to her native place after the death of her uncle, who had become her guardian, she felt an earnest desire to devote herself to the education of girls. A little community was soon formed, and she was invited to Brescia, where she extended her good work. On the 25th of November, 1535, her order took its definite form, and was dedicated to Saint Ursula. She was made superior against her will, and, after governing with supernatural light, died January 27, 1540. Her order spread greatly in Italy, and was extended to France and America, where it has done incalculable good. The Ursuline Convent at Quebec has existed since 1639, and that at New Orleans is the oldest convent in the United States. Saint Angela was beatified by Clement XIII., April 30, 1768." NB: Canonized: 24 May 1807, by Pope Pius VII

Source:  The Lives and Times of the Roman Pontiffs, from St. Peter to Pius IX., Volume 2 By Artaud de Montor 1866

The Beauty of Catholic Prayer: If we understand well that which is admirable and beautiful in Catholic prayer, we should always pray. This is why I am about to unfold to you, my child, as far as possible to one whose intelligence is yet confined to earth, the magnificence of prayer, I am about to speak to you of its Catholic and Divine character, and of its supernatural principle. Tomorrow I will speak of its infallible efficacy.

The prayer of the children of the Church is a Catholic prayer, that is to say, when you pray it is not only you who pray, but the whole Church with you. The Church is a family, whose members are united by faith, and by the love of our Lord, so that all are but as one. There is amongst them a communion of spiritual things, so that all good works done in the Church, and all the holy dispositions which grace produces, profit each of her children. When, therefore, you pray do not consider yourself isolated on the earth, but say to God, "Lord, I am a child of the Church, I unite myself to it, soliciting your mercy. Each moment of the day she offers the Divine victim, and from her altars the prayers of all her children ascend. I trust then that Thou wilt hear my prayers, since they are supported by all the members of Thy Holy Church."

(Fr. Reilly note: It must not be forgotten that the sun rises each moment on certain quarters of the globe, whilst at the same time he sets in others, thus when he sets here he rises in different regions in America, and there is not one moment of the day or night in which there are not a great many priests, at many altars, offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. There are celebrated in the Church nearly two thousand masses in the day, more than four thousand for every half-hour of the day or night")

Catholic prayer is infallibly efficacious: I have shown you, my child, the character of truly Catholic and Christian prayer, so that you will understand our Lord's words: "Ask and you shall receive, whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give it you." These words are words of life, they have proceeded from the lips of truth itself. Every persevering and supernatural prayer then must be heard, persevering, because our Lord had made this condition supernatural, because without this no prayer can be offered in the name of the Lord.

A few explanations will show you why we sometimes complain of not being heard. We ask for instance for temporal advantages, which we value above the will of God. We ask for health, or for riches and we long so for these advantages, that we desire to possess them at any price, and would procure them for ourselves if we could, though even there would be reason to believe they would be injurious to the soul. It is clear that in this case the will of him who prays is bad, consequently the prayer which offends God does not proceed from the Holy Ghost; it is not the work of grace, but the fruit of cupidity, of a disorderly attachment to the goods of earth. It is not made in the name of Our Lord, it is not supernatural, or Catholic. Such a prayer had not for its end to become more holy, and such ought to be the end of every supernatural prayer. Consider that our Lord came upon earth in order to detach mankind from earthly things and raise their hearts towards heaven; if then He had engaged to grant temporal blessings to those who desired them, He would have destroyed His work and would have contradicted Himself.

You have, perhaps, prayed for the health or the preservation of one who is dear to you, with a true submission to the Divine will, nevertheless you say that which you have begged for, that prayer which you made with so many tears has not been heard. You are mistaken, my child for you asked for what was best for you, or for those whom you recommended to God; and you may rest certain that God has granted you what was best in His sight. But you will still say, how shall I be sure of this? Ah, my daughter, rest assured that the boundless goodness of God, your true friend and father, who possesses a heart, as He Himself says, more tender than that of a mother, and who is infinitely holy, will never be faithless to His promises.

Frequently we wish to be heard as soon as our prayer is offered. If we have made a Novena very frequently, as we believe, and at the end of our prayer we do not obtain the favor we have asked, we become discouraged and cease to pray. But depend upon it, my child, that if God makes you wait it is in mercy, and I will illustrate this by an example probably known to you.

Saint Monica prayed for her son, who had strayed far from a virtuous life, but the more she prayed the more distant seemed the conversion of Augustine. The pious mother redoubled her prayers, her tears, and her alms, and it was only after twenty years passed in these pious practices that her prayer was heard. What would have happened had she ceased to pray after a few days? Probably one of two things. She herself would not have been pious, fervent and given up to good works, as she was all her life, in the hope of obtaining the conversion of her son. Once heard, she would perhaps soon have forgotten this benefit, as frequently is the case. Who knows even if she would have worked out her own salvation; at all events, it is probable that she owes her great sanctity to the delay of Divine Providence, in hearing her prayer.

It is not at all unlikely that she owes to this delay the great holiness of Saint Augustine; had her prayer been at once heard her son would probably have become an ordinary christian; but twenty years of prayers, tears, and good works shed a torrent of grace over this long rebellious soul; and Augustine became a holy Bishop and one of the most illustrious doctors of the Church. He did an immense deal of good during his life, and left his example to us to follow, and his writings also which will continue to do good till time shall be no more."

wikipedia, Saint Polycarp

From the Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians

"Chapter 6. The duties of presbyters and others:  And let the presbyters be compassionate and merciful to all, bringing back those that wander, visiting all the sick, and not neglecting the widow, the orphan, or the poor, but always "providing for that which is becoming in the sight of God and man;" (Romans 12:17; 2 Corinthians 8:31) abstaining from all wrath, respect of persons, and unjust judgment; keeping far off from all covetousness, not quickly crediting [an evil report] against any one, not severe in judgment, as knowing that we are all under a debt of sin. If then we entreat the Lord to forgive us, we ought also ourselves to forgive; (Matthew 6:12-14) for we are before the eyes of our Lord and God, and "we must all appear at the judgment-seat of Christ, and must every one give an account of himself." (Romans 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:10). Let us then serve Him in fear, and with all reverence, even as He Himself has commanded us, and as the apostles who preached the Gospel unto us, and the prophets who proclaimed beforehand the coming of the Lord [have alike taught us]. Let us be zealous in the pursuit of that which is good, keeping ourselves from causes of offense, from false brethren, and from those who in hypocrisy bear the name of the Lord, and draw away vain men into error.

Chapter 7. Avoid the Docetæ, and persevere in fasting and prayer: "For whosoever does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is antichrist;" (1 John 4:3) and whosoever does not confess the testimony of the cross, is of the devil; and whosoever perverts the oracles of the Lord to his own lusts, and says that there is neither a resurrection nor a judgment, he is the first-born of Satan. Wherefore, forsaking the vanity of many, and their false doctrines, let us return to the word which has been handed down to us from the beginning; "watching unto prayer," (1 Peter 4:7) and persevering in fasting; beseeching in our supplications the all-seeing God "not to lead us into temptation," (Matthew 6:13; Matthew 26:41) as the Lord has said: "The spirit truly is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38)."

Prayer:

Watch over the purity of our holy Faith, and preserve us from being deceived by false teachers. The error which thou didst combat, and which teaches that all the mysteries of the Incarnation are but empty symbols, has risen up again in these our days. There are Marcions, even now, who would reduce all religion to myths; and they find some few followers; may thy powerful prayers rid the world of this remnant of so impious a doctrine. Amen.

Dom Gueranger, The Liturgical Year, St. Polycarp

Saint Paul, Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, Raleigh NC. 

  Prayer to Saint Paul: O Glorious Saint Paul, after persecuting the Church you became by God's grace its most zealous Apostle. To carry the knowledge of Jesus, our divine Savior, to the uttermost parts of the earth you joyfully endured prison, scourgings, stonings, and shipwreck, as well as all manner of persecutions culminating in the shedding of the last drop of your blood for our Lord Jesus Christ.

May your example inspire our parish priests today to be zealous in their service to God's people. Obtain for our priests the grace to labor strenuously to bring the faith to others and to accept any trials and tribulations that may come their way. Help them to be inspired by your Epistles and to partake of your indomitable love for Jesus, so that after they have finished their course they may join you in praising him in heaven for all eternity. Amen.

Painting of Saint Anthony, by Piero di Cosimo, c. 1480

"Wrath is about to strike the Church and she is about to be delivered up to men who are like to senseless beasts. For I saw the table of the Lord's house, and mules around it standing on all sides in a ring and kicking up their hoofs at what was within, the same as the kicking you have when a frisking herd runs wild. You surely heard," he said, "how I moaned; I heard a voice saying: "My altar shall be desecrated."

So spoke the old man; and two years later came the present assault of the Arians and the plundering of the churches, when they took the vessels by force and had them carried away by the pagans; when, too, they forced the pagans from the shops to their meetings and in their presence did as they pleased on the sacred table. Then we all realized that the kicking of the mules presaged to Antony what the Arians are now doing like so many senseless beasts.

When he saw this vision, he consoled his companions, saying: "Do not be discouraged, Children, for as the Lord has been angry, so will He bring us recovery later. And the Church will quickly regain the beauty that is hers and shine with her wonted splendor. You will see the persecuted restored and irreligion retreating again to its proper haunts and the true faith asserting itself everywhere with complete freedom. Only, do not defile yourselves with the Arians. This their teaching is not of the Apostles, but of the demons and their father, the Devil. Indeed, it is sterile and unreasonable, and it lacks right sense - like the senselessness of mules."(...)
"He exhorted them "not to grow lax in their efforts nor to lose heart in the practice of the ascetic life, but to live as though dying daily; and, as I have said before, to work hard to guard the soul from filthy thoughts; to emulate holy men. Do not go near the Meletian schismatics, for you know their wicked and unholy teaching. Have nothing to do with the Arians, for the irreligion of these is plain to everyone.And if you should see the judges supporting them, you must not permit yourself to be confused: this will come to an end - it is a phenomenon that is mortal and bound to last for but a short time. Therefore, keep yourselves clean from these and watch over the tradition of the Fathers, and, above all, the orthodox faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, as you have learned it from the Scriptures and as you have often been put in mind of by me."

Source:The Life of Saint Anthony, by St. Athanasius, Newman Press, 1950.

Biography:

Prayer: " We unite, great Saint, with the universal Church in offering you the homage of our affectionate veneration, and in praising our Emmanuel for the gifts He bestowed on you. How sublime a life was yours, and how rich in fruit were your works! Verily, you are the Father of a great people and one of the most powerful auxiliaries of the Church of God. We beseech you, therefore, pray for the Monastic Order, that it may re-appear in all its ancient fervor, and pray for each member of the great Family. Fevers of the body have been often allayed by your intercession and we beg for a continuance of this your compassionate aid — but the fevers of our soul are more dangerous and we beg your pity and prayers that we may be delivered from them. Watch over us, in the temptations which the enemy is unceasingly putting in our way. Pray for us that we may be vigilant in the combat, prudent in avoiding dangerous occasions, courageous in the trial and humble in our victory.

    The angel of darkness appeared to you in a visible shape, but he hides himself and his plots from us. Here again, we beg your prayers that we be not deceived by his craft. May the fear of God’s judgements and the thought of eternity penetrate into the depth of our souls. May prayer be our refuge in every necessity, and penance our safeguard against sin. But above all, pray that we may have that which you counseled above all —the love of Jesus — of that Jesus who, for love of us, deigned to be born into this world so that He might merit for us the graces with which we might triumph — of that Jesus who humbled Himself even so far as to suffer temptation that so He might show us how we were to resist and fight."

Source: The liturgical year by Dom Prosper Gueranger,1908.