Saint Romanus, Martyr
by VP
Posted on Friday August 09, 2024 at 12:00AM in Saints
COURAGEOUS FAITH.-How many Christians are there who will have to blush before God for their utter weakness in presence of the prejudices and maxims of the world, which they in their heart condemn, but to which they have with cowardly submission bowed down their souls! Let such craven spirits reflect on the following example:-St. Lawrence was in fetters; on seeing the hour approach wherein he was to suffer for Christ's sake, he could not refrain from manifesting his joy. One of the soldiers charged with his safe custody, by name Romanus, moved at the sight, entreated Lawrence to make known to him the truths of Christianity; the holy deacon instructed and baptized him. Romanus, having now become a Christian, displayed openly the happiness that pervaded his soul. Neither human respect nor fear of the torture to which he exposed himself, nor any other consideration, could restrain him; he proclaimed his faith, saying openly, "I am a Christian!" This was tantamount to pronouncing his own sentence of death, as he well knew. He was handed over to the executioner, tortured in many ways, and finally beheaded the day previous to that when St. Lawrence had to appear before the tribunal, and thus preceded his master in the glorious triumph of martyrdom, in the year 258.
MORAL REFLECTION.- "Neither height, nor depth, nor
any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Jesus Christ our Lord."-(Rom. viii. 39.)
Pictorial half hours with the saints. By Fr. Auguste François Lecanu 1865
Saint John Vianney
by VP
Posted on Thursday August 08, 2024 at 12:00AM in Saints
Prayer to God to save the Church by Sanctifying His priests who have fallen away
O God, our Lord, we obey without delay
to Thy gracious invitation to pray. Encouraged by Thy desire, we worship
at your sacred feet, crying out to Thee for our guilty priests. Deign
to be reminded, Lord, that Thy priestly Body is Thy crown of
predilection, the splendor of Thy glory, the chosen part of Thy
heritage. We implore Thee to arm Thyself with holy indignation
against Satan, who dared to plant the banner of sin in Thy own
sanctuary, and to chase him away in shame from Thy solemnly dedicated
domain. What would it cost Thee, O Lord, to turn the most
hardened hearts into penitents? Only one simple glance at Peter was
enough to retrieve him from the abyss of a three times apostasy; would
it cost Thee more to touch and convert those who have had the misfortune
to imitate his weakness? O Jesus, our King and Pontiff, we
beseech Thee on behalf of Mary, Thy Mother and ours, save the Church,
save Thy faithful, save Thy blessed honor, by saving priests! Amen.
Source: The Priest according to the Doctrine and the Examples of the Servant of God J.M.B. Vianney, Curé dʼArs." J.H. Olivier, (1870) in French
The Eucharist: offering the Mass, communion, adoration
8. The two Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist remain closely linked. Without a continually renewed conversion and reception of the sacramental grace of forgiveness, participation in the Eucharist would not reach its full redemptive efficacy.(12) Just as Christ began his ministry with the words "Repent and believe in the gospel,"(13) so the Cure of Ars generally begins each of his days with the ministry of forgiveness. But he was happy to direct his reconciled penitents to the Eucharist. The Eucharist was at the very center of his spiritual life and pastoral work. He said: "All good works put together are not equivalent to the Sacrifice of the Mass, because they are the works of men and the Holy Mass is the work of God."(14)
It is in the Mass that the sacrifice of Calvary is made present for the Redemption of the world. Clearly, the priest must unite the daily gift of himself to the offering of the Mass: "How well a priest does, therefore, to offer himself to God in sacrifice every morning!"(15) "Holy Communion and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass are the two most efficacious actions for obtaining the conversion of hearts."(16) Thus the Mass was for John Mary Vianney the great joy and comfort of his priestly life. He took great care, despite the crowds of penitents, to spend more than a quarter of an hour in silent preparation. He celebrated with recollection, clearly expressing his adoration at the consecration and communion.
He accurately remarked: "The cause of priestly laxity is not paying attention to the Mass!"(17) The Cure of Ars was particularly mindful of the permanence of Christ's real presence in the Eucharist. It was generally before the tabernacle that he spent long hours in adoration, before daybreak or in the evening; it was towards the tabernacle that he often turned during his homilies, saying with emotion: "He is there!" It was also for this reason that he, so poor in his presbytery, did not hesitate to spend large sums on embellishing his Church. The appreciable result was that his parishioners quickly took up the habit of coming to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, discovering, through the attitude of their pastor, the grandeur of the mystery of faith. (...)
The Eucharist is the source and summit of all the Christian life."(19) Dear brother priests, the example of the Cure of Ars invites us to a serious examination of conscience: what place do we give the Mass in our daily lives? Is it, as on the day of our Ordination - it was our first act as priests! - the principle of our apostolic work and personal sanctification? What care do we take in preparing for it? And in celebrating it? In praying before the Blessed Sacrament? In encouraging our faithful people to do the same? In making our Churches the House of God to which the divine presence attracts the people of our time who too often have the impression of a world empty of God?"
Source: Catholic Culture. From the Vatican, 16 March 1986, the Fifth Sunday of Lent, in the eighth year of my Pontificate. Joannes Paulus PP. II
Saint Catherine of Sienna, Rev. Fr. Paul Parkerson and Rev. Fr. Philip Tighe
"To draw his people more effectually to the holy Eucharist, the Cure d'Ars had endeavored to communicate to them a taste for all holy things, and his efforts were not in vain. Sunday after Sunday these good people feasted their eyes on beautiful banners and vestments.
("In the minutes of the pastoral visitation held at Ars by the Bishop of Belley, on Monday, June 11, 1838, we read as follows: "After saying Mass and giving confirmation, His Lordship contented himself with giving Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and reciting the prayers for the departed. He deemed it unnecessary to examine the interior of the church, the chapels, vestments and sacred vessels, because everything is so beautiful and so rich that the beholder is filled with admiration" Msgr. Convert. Le Frere Athanase.)
For a long time the saint himself trained the altar boys, and achieved wonderful results. He carried out with gravity, dignity, and the utmost care all the ceremonies of the rite of Lyons, which at that time was likewise in use in the diocese of Belley. Nor was the behaviors of the altar servers less admirable when, in 1849, Frere Athanase undertook the functions of master of ceremony.
He had so fine a liturgical spirit, and he drilled the children with so much precision and good taste, that Mgr. de Langalerie, during a clergy retreat, held him up as a pattern to the clergy of the diocese. "Do you wish to see a church where all the ceremonies are carried out to the letter? Go to Ars; Frere Athanase is a living and unerring ceremonial. His example will show you what you can achieve yourselves if you will only take the means."
There were days when the people of Ars gave special edification to the pilgrims. On Maundy Thursday, in order to commemorate the institution of the Holy Eucharist, M. Vianney insisted on providing a splendid altar of repose, and his heart rejoiced at sight of the decorations which enhanced the majesty of the tabernacle. The whole of the chancel, which had been considerably enlarged in 1845, was draped with banners. Numerous and tastefully arranged lights transfigured the scene. However, he took every precaution lest these decorations should be a hindrance instead of a help to the interior recollection of the people."Source: The Cure d'Ars, Abbe Trochu
Saint Cajetan, Confessor A.D. 1547
by VP
Posted on Wednesday August 07, 2024 at 12:00AM in Saints
"HE was born in Italy, and after his youth spent in virtue and learning, invested with ecclesiastical dignity, and brought into the court of Rome. But soon renouncing this state, he applied himself to the care of the poor and sick. Being desirous to revive the discipline of the apostles, he founded an Order of regular clergy, who depending wholly on Divine Providence, should possess nothing, but live on such alms as were freely brought by the faithful without being asked. In this method he lived many years, charitable in all Christian offices, fervent in prayer, and so rigorous in all manner of mortification, that as he had often professed, so he was resolved to make good that death should never find him but in sackcloth and ashes. At length, an excessive trouble, occasioned by the wickedness of the people, brought his last sickness upon him, of which he died at Naples, in the year 1547.
Pray for all of this Order, that they may live up to the spirit of their founder. Be as charitable to the poor
and sick, as your condition will allow. This was his first step to that
great virtue, which God was pleased to raise him; and you may hope for
plenty of heavenly blessings from the like practice. Imitate something of his mortification; and if you cannot approve of treating your body with his rigors, at least let it not be your daily study
to please it. It is an enemy, and has very treacherous inclinations,
and cannot receive your favors without abusing them to your ruin. Pray
and endeavor to obtain some degree of his confidence in God, and to be freed from all excesses of solicitude.
It is very prejudicial to all Christian duties, and you are bound to
fight against it, as an enemy. This you are called to by Christ himself.
Despise not his advice: he that gave it knew better the extent of this evil than you do. It is hard for some to observe it; but where the difficulty is greater, there must be greater efforts by labor and prayer to stand against it." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
THE ORIGIN OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE PERPETUAL ADORATION AND THE EXPOSITION OF THE FORTY HOURS. A.D. 1517.
Several Fathers of the Theatine Order, taking example by the zeal of their saintly founder, could not endure that our Divine Redeemer, who in His love tarrieth with us poor men in the Most Holy Sacrament under the form of an insignificant Host, should be so little sought, honored, and praised with thanksgiving. The thought therefore occurred to them to found a congregation whose members should undertake in turns to pray before the Blessed Sacrament. All the hours of the year were distributed amongst the members, so that every hour of the year the Most Holy Sacrament should be adored in deepest humility.
Besides the devotion of the perpetual adoration, which was the result of the love of our Lord, the same congregation founded that of the Exposition of the Quarant' Ore, or Forty Hours, in honor of the forty hours during which the body of Jesus lay in the grave. ( Legends of the Blessed Sacrament: Gathered from the History of the Church and the Lives of the Saints, Emily Mary Shapcote Burns and Oates, 1877, p 63)
Prayer to the Most Holy Sacrament for the first Thursday of the Month. (attributed to St. Cajetan)
Look down, O Lord, from thy sanctuary and from the high habitation of thy glory, and behold this sacred oblation, which our great High Priest, thy holy servant, the Lord Jesus, immolates unto thee for the sins of his brethren, and be propitious to the multitude of our iniquities. The voice of Jesus, our brother, cries to thee from the cross; graciously hear it, O Lord! and be appeased. Delay not to show us thy mercy, because thy name is invoked upon this city, and upon thy people!
I profoundly adore thee, O Lord Jesus, really present in the most holy sacrament. I acknowledge thee to be true God and true man; and, by this act of adoration, I desire to make amends for the coldness of the multitude of Christian, who pass indifferently before thy temples, and even before thy tabernacles, showing by their insensibility that, like the Hebrews in the desert, they loathe the sacred manna of heaven. I ardently wish I could repair the tepidity and ingratitude of all creatures, and I beseech thee to receive my fervent desire that "glory, honor, and eternal praise" be given to thee, in the adorable sacrament of thy love. Amen
The Treasury of Prayer; a New Manual of Devotional Exercises. With the Masses and Prayers Used by the Society of Saint Vincent of Paul, and the Epistles and Gospels for the Sundays and Holy Days, 1853 page 281
Dedication of the Church of Our Lady of the Snow
by VP
Posted on Monday August 05, 2024 at 12:00AM in Saints
"A FEAST in memory of a church built and dedicated to Almighty God, in honor of the Blessed Virgin by a special revelation. The church is called St. Mary Major, or the Greater, because it is the oldest and most important of those dedicated in honor of our Blessed Lady. It is also called St. Mary ad Nives, or at the Snow, from a popular tradition that the Mother of God chose this place for a church under her invocation, by a miraculous snow, which fell upon this spot on this day, when the heat is greatest at Rome, and by a vision in which she appeared to a patrician named John, who munificently founded and endowed this church in the time of Pope Liberius, in 385. Give thanks to God for all his wonders, and recommend yourself to the prayers of the Blessed Virgin, whom God was pleased to honor this day with so signal a miracle. Pray that her innocence and virtue may be the model of your life. The greatest honor which you can shew her, is in the imitation of her sanctity: and without this, all other acknowledgments are vain. On this dedication, examine your behavior in the house of God. See whether it be always with that decency and reverence which becomes the presence of God.
Can you expect blessings from his hands, if you are there affronting
him to his face? And what else is your talking and idle gazing about in
that holy place? His awful majesty fills the church, and so it ought to do your heart, as long as you are there. If your thoughts or eyes are fixed on any other, is it God whom you then adore? Or may you not fear that you have other gods besides him? Be severe with yourself in this point: banish all manner of levity and disrespect: let a true sense of God
command your whole behavior. Be there as a criminal before his judge,
as a poor helpless creature before his sovereign Lord. Thus you will honor your God, and render him propitious in hearing and granting your
petitions." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Finding of the Body of St. Stephen, THE FIRST MARTYR, A.D. 415.
by VP
Posted on Saturday August 03, 2024 at 12:00AM in Saints
"A FESTIVAL in memory of that day, when by divine revelation the body of St. Stephen, the first martyr, mentioned in the Acts, was found at Jerusalem, together with the bodies of Nicodemus, Gamaliel, and his son Abibas, in the year 415, under the Emperor Honorius. Upon the opening of St. Stephen's coffin, the earth shook, and there came from it so agreeable an odor, that no one remembered any thing like it. Seventy-three persons, afflicted with various distempers, recovered their health upon the spot. The sacred relics were removed with great solemnity by the Christians into the church of Sion; afterwards to Constantinople, under Theodosius the younger; and at length to Rome, in the time of Pelagius I. At the removal of this sacred body, God was pleased to work many miracles, by giving sight to the blind, and health to the sick, as recorded by St. Augustin in his book Of the City of God, and by other writers of those primitive times. Bless God in his saints, for all his graces bestowed on them, and for all his wonders wrought by them. Revive this day in your mind the virtues of St. Stephen, his great zeal for the faith of Christ, his patience in suffering, and wonderful charity in praying for his enemies, even those who stoned him. Pray that on this day of miracles, God would work one more o you, by changing your obstinate and rebellious heart, and subjecting it entirely to the impression of his grace and the accomplishment of his holy will. Pray for the zeal, patience, and charity of this saint. Offer yourself to do and suffer whatever your profession of a Christian, and the obligations of your state call you to; for this is the manifest will of God Pardon all your enemies, and pray for them. Depart not from your prayers, till this perfect charity be wrought in you. Admit of no false coloring or pretexts to disguise your passion. Resolve to speak freely to those who seem averse to you, and never permit yourself in discourse, to express any resentments, or dislike of them, If this be hard, the difficulty is from the corruption and pride of your heart: pray for remedy." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
St. Alphonsus Liguori, BISHOP AND CONFESSOR, A.D. 1787.
by VP
Posted on Friday August 02, 2024 at 12:00AM in Saints
" If Priests and Religious did all recite the Office as it ought to be recited, the Church would not behold herself in the miserable state to which she is reduced. How many sinners would be delivered from the slavery of the devil, and how many souls would love God with much greater fervor! And how would priests themselves not find themselves ever the same, imperfect, irritable, jealous, attached to their own interests, and led away by vanities! Our Lord has promised to hear every one who prays to him. (Luke xi. 10).
And how comes it that a priest offering up so many prayers in a day, were it only in the Office which he recites, is yet never heard? He is always the same, as weak and prone as ever to fall not only into slight sins (to which he is habituated, and takes neither pains nor care to correct himself of them,) but into grievous sins against charity, justice, or chastity; hence when he recites the Office, he pronounces sentence of condemnation against himself, in these words: Maledicti qui declinant a mandatis tuis. And what is still worse, he feels little remorse, excusing himself as being of the same flesh and blood as other men, and not able to restrain himself.
But if he said the Office with fewer distractions and less negligence, accompanying with his heart the many prayers which he offers to God in reciting it, he certainly would not be so weak but would acquire fortitude and strength to resist all temptations, and to lead a holy life, such as becometh a Priest of God." Source: Sacerdos sanctificatus; or, Discourses on the Mass and Office by Saint Alphonse de Liguori
Biography: "He was born near Naples in the year 1696. His mother instilled into him a tender piety, and particularly a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and great zeal for the glory of God. He embraced the profession of the law, and soon rose to great eminence. But he ever preserved the strictest justice, and practiced the most exemplary virtue. He heard Mass every morning before going into court, and punctually observed the fasts and other precepts of the Church. He approached to the Sacraments every week, and made a spiritual retreat every year.
St. Alphonsus was advancing to the highest degree of professional eminence, when he determined to abandon all his temporal prospects, and embrace the ecclesiastical state. From the moment that he was ordained priest, his life became a continual exhortation to virtue. In the year 1732, he founded the congregation of our most Holy Redeemer, whose members
were to employ themselves in preaching to the poor, and affording the comforts of religion to those deprived of them. He surpassed all his companions in the exact observance of rule; and it was a wonder how he could live considering his severe fasts and mortification. He wore continually rough hair shirts with small iron chains, and a girdle of camel's hair. He rose early to meditation, and his prayer was unceasing. He consecrated all his actions to the glory of God, to whom he often turned by fervent ejaculations and aspirations. His whole demeanor breathed devotion and edification.
His wonderful life and apostolic labors made many dioceses wish to have him for their bishop. He was appointed to the see of St. Agatha of the Goths, and consecrated bishop in 1762. He continued to practice the same rigid poverty. He slept, as before, upon a straw bed, and his rooms were quite unfurnished. His food was of the most inferior kind, and even this he sprinkled with bitter herbs.
It may be easily conceived with what zeal he labored to extirpate scandals from his diocese, and to propagate virtue and piety. He expelled a company of players from his diocese, lest they should corrupt his flock; and he converted many bad women and public sinners. He gave all to the poor, except a small sum for his own support, and other necessary expenses. He suffered much in his bodily health for many years; but persevered in performing all the duties of his office. At length, on account of his declining health, and earnest entreaties, he was permitted by Pope Pius VI. to resign his bishopric, and retired to a house of his order in 1775. There he still preached and instructed the faithful, particularly the poor, and composed many works of theology and piety. After a long and fervent preparation for eternity, he passed to the glory of Jesus, and the peace of the saints, on the 1st of August, 1787, in the ninety-first year of his age." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
- "Unless a Priest esteem the Holy Sacrifice as it deserves, he can never celebrate it with suitable devotion. Assuredly there is no action, which man can perform, so sublime, so sacred, as the celebration of Mass. God Himself could not enable a man to perform anything greater than the celebration of Mass." Source: Sacerdos sanctificatus; or, Discourses on the Mass and Office, St. Alphonsus Liguori 1861
- "The entire Church cannot give to God as much honor, nor obtain so many graces, as a single priest by celebrating a single Mass; for the greatest honor that the whole Church without priests could give to God would consist in offering to Him in sacrifice the lives of all men." Source: St. Alphonsus Liguori (The Dignity and Duties of the Priest)
Holy Name Cathedral, Raleigh NC, TLM Sept 14, 2017
Prayer for Priests (St. Alphonsus Liguori): My God, I believe in the sublime dignity
conferred on Thy ministers by priesthood – the supreme dignity of all,
says St. Ignatius; a divine dignity says St. Denis; a dignity surpassing
that of kings and angels, says St. Ambrose. O my God! Thy priests are
the leaders of Thy people (St. P. Damian), the guardians of Thy Church
(St. Bernard), the light of the world (Matt. V. 14), the dispensers of
the sacraments (St. P. Damian,) the vicars of Jesus Christ (St.
Augustine), and His coadjutors in the work of salvation (1 Cor. iii 9).
I believe, O Lord! That at the very instant when Thy priest
consecrates, the Incarnate Word makes it a duty to obey him by coming
into his hands under the sacramental species; I also believe that at the
moment when the priest gives absolution to a penitent sinner, that
sinner is changed from being an enemy of God and a slave of hell into
being an inheritor of heaven, and that thus the priest may indeed be
rightly named the door-keeper of heaven (St. Prosper).
Grant then, O Lord, to me and to all the faithful, to have the same
respect and submission to the person, words, and counsels of Thy
ministers as for Thine own, since Thou Thyself didst say to them: “He
that heareth you heareth Me, and he that despiseth you despiseth Me”
(Luke x .26).
Lastly, my God, I ask of Thee for all the priests in the world, and
specially for those who have done any good to my soul, by seeking to
sanctify it, the grace of loving Thee much and making Thee to be loved
by others, so that by their piety, their virtues, and the ardor of their
zeal they may merit a place with Thy apostles and most faithful
servants.
O Mary, Mother of Jesus! Do thou second the efforts of all thy Son’s priests, and sanctify their lives and souls. Amen
St. Alphonsusʼ Prayer Book by Father Edward Saint Omer, Redemptorist. 1888
St. Peter's Chains.
by VP
Posted on Thursday August 01, 2024 at 12:00AM in Saints
"A DAY in memory and honor of St. Peter's sufferings for Christ; when to oblige the Jews, he was imprisoned by Herod, and bound in chains, as it is related in the 12th chapter of the Acts; and from which he was delivered by an angel. This festival was instituted in the year 438, when the Empress Eudoxia, wife of Theodosius the younger, having gone in pilgrimage to Jerusalem, had these chains presented to her by the Christians of that city. She afterwards sent them to Rome to her daughter Eudoxia, wife of the Emperor Valentinian. Two churches were afterwards erected in memory of them, one at Constantinople, the other at Rome; and many miracles were wrought by them.
Give thanks to God for the miraculous deliverance of his apostles, for the good of His Church. Pray for the relief of all those who suffer for their faith throughout the world, as the Christians then did for St. Peter. Pray for all in captivity and prison, that God would be their comforter, preserve them from the too common dangers and contagion of those places, and teach them by his grace to sanctify all their sufferings. Pray for all, who living in habitual sin, are slaves to the devil. Their misery is of all the greatest, and demands your compassion and prayers.
They have evil spirits to keep them in their
chains: beseech God to send his angels to disengage them. Pray for
yourself, to be delivered from all oppression, spiritual and temporal.
Remember not to be discouraged at any difficulties. For what is there
that you may not hope for, when you see both guards and gates of iron yield to the command of God If you are in the sleep and bonds of sin, beseech God to awaken you, and that his light may shine upon you. Pray for the present successor of St. Peter, and for all the pastors of God's Church; that as they are Christ's vicegerents, so they may be ever mindful of the charge which they have undertaken, and perform it with a holiness becoming Him, whose ministers they are." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
St. Ignatius of Loyola, CONFESSOR, A.D. 1556.
by VP
Posted on Wednesday July 31, 2024 at 12:00AM in Saints
Peter Paul Rubens: Miracle of Saint Ignatius of Loyola
"It was now, during these last days of a glorious life, that the saint expressed his happiness that, by the holy thought of those Loreto fathers who were on a mission at Macerata, the people had been attracted from an immodest play acting at the theater to the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in a church which was magnificently decorated for the occasion. This was during the carnival, when mirth often degenerated into excess and sin; and this was the origin of the forty hours' exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, which is now commonly made during the last days of Shrovetide. The saint ordered the practice to be continued in all the houses of the Society. It was one of the last expressions of his will that was to be given to his children." The Life of St. Ignatius of Loyola By Gertrude Parsons
Souls detached from Earth: God takes special care to detach those whom He loves with special predilection from the passing pleasures of this world, by sending them desires after heavenly bliss, and by the Sorrows and bitterness of the present life. (Light from the Altar, p 268)
Patience in sufferings: 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 these 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. (Light from the Altar p 264)
"He was born at Loyola, of a noble family in Spain; and having for some time followed the court, and afterwards the camp, he received a fortunate wound in a siege, which obliged him to retirement. Here it was, that by reading pious books which Providence put into his hands, he began to entertain thoughts of engaging in a better cause. These he improved so far, that throwing up his arms he put on sackcloth, confined himself to bread and water, lay on the ground, and was even cruel to himself in the severity of most rigorous mortification: but these were all sweetened by the refreshment of heavenly comforts.
Pray for all who are engaged in a sinful and worldly life, that God would touch their hearts, and make them sensible of their errors. Accustom yourself to the reading of pious books, and be constant in this exercise. Recommend the same to all under your care; and pray that it may bring forth fruit. Learn from this saint the method of a true conversion. Trust to no signs of repentance, unless they be accompanied with a change of life. And how can this be changed, if you throw not by your arms, and renounce not all the occasions of your sins? Let some mortification follow your repentance: there cannot easily be a true sense of past crimes, if you do not think the offender deserving of punishment. How can your resolutions be sincere of keeping peace with God, if you do not take effectual means for overcoming your passions, and bringing the inward man into subjection? And how can this be without mortification? Rebellious tempers are not to be reduced but by force; first weaken them, and then you may command them.
Being now inflamed with a zeal of doing good to others, and having qualified himself with sufficient learning, beginning with the first rudiments in his riper years, he laid the foundation of the Society of Jesus, with nine companions, men of piety and learning. Thus he declared war against infidelity and error, and with wonderful charity studied by every means to do good to the faithful, in promoting all kinds of instruction, by preaching and catechizing, erecting schools, and making provision for orphans and all others, whose necessitous condition exposed them to danger. In these exercises he spent his life; and having seen his endeavors blessed with unspeakable success in the conversion of nations, and the reformation of great abuses among believers, he was called to the reward of his labors on the last day of July, 1556.
Give thanks to God for the apostolic spirit of this holy man, and pray for all his followers, that the same spirit may rest on them, and the blessing of heaven attend them in all their pious and charitable undertakings." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
SS. Abdon and Sennen, MARTYRS, A.D. 250.
by VP
Posted on Tuesday July 30, 2024 at 12:00AM in Saints
Pray for all in persecution and trouble,
that they may be supported with heavenly comforts. And since the suffering of the martyrs is a reproach of all
impatience, confess your weakness in this point, and pray for remedy.
But let your endeavours accompany your prayers, and forget not your duty
in the time of trial. Be watchful against all manner of anger and dejection. These are two mischievous passions, which enslave the mind, darken the understanding, and hinder all the effects of grace.
Make your first opposition against these; and let no deceitful
reasoning flatter you into them. Having gained ground here, you have in
this removed the greatest obstacles, and may hope by degrees to advance, so as to stand constant under the most oppressing evils. This is the constancy of the martyrs: pray for it daily, and on this day especially beseech these holy martyrs to procure it for you." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Saint Martha
by VP
Posted on Monday July 29, 2024 at 12:00AM in Saints
James Tissot: Mary Magdalene at the Feet of Jesus
"She was the sister of Mary Magdalen and Lazarus, who entertained Christ at her house at Bethania, and being busy in making preparation for him, asked that Mary, who sat at the feet of Christ, might be desired to help her. To whom Christ made answer: "Martha, Martha, thou art careful, and art troubled about many things. But one thing is necessary: Mary hath chosen the best part." After Christ's ascension, being seized by the Jews, as it is related in her life, she was forced on board a ship with all belonging to her, and having no other pilot but Providence, arrived at Marseilles, where she spent her days in prayer, and all the exercises of a holy life, and thus waited till death carried her to be his guest, whom, she had before entertained.
Pray for the spirit of Martha in all your labours; that whatever you do may be designed for the entertainment of Christ. This has been the practice of many servants of God,
who being obliged to an active and laborious life, have always
endeavoured to direct and offer all their labours to Christ, in the person of those whom they served, according to his own precept: "Whatsoever you do to any of these little ones, you do it to me." For this end, in all business avoid solicitude, as much as possible. Go on with peace and submission to the will of God, and often remember the one thing necessary. That is a happy family, where Martha calls in Mary to her help; where prayer and the love of retirement sanctify their labours and all exterior employments. For the mind is so easily taken up with these, either through desire of success, or the solicitude of giving satisfaction, or escaping reproof, or seeking the esteem of others,
that if it be not recalled by prayer and seasonable retreats, it will
be wholly dissipated, and so occupied with this world, as to lose the greater concern of the next. Be therefore watchful against this evil, and pray for remedy. Your time in this world is to be short, but your being in the next is to be eternal. Provision must be made for both; but let that which is the greater, be your greater concern: so that being busy about many things, you may still remember the one thing necessary." The Catholic Year, by Fr. John Gother
Novena Prayer to Saint Martha: O admirable Saint Martha, I have recourse to thee and I depend entirely on thy intercession in my trials. In thanksgiving, I promise to spread this devotion everywhere. I humbly beg thee to console me in all my worries and my difficulties. By the immense joy that filled thy soul when thou didst receive the Redeemer of the world at thy home in Bethany, be pleased to intercede for me and my family, in order that we may keep God in our hearts and therefore, deserve to obtain the remedy to our necessities, especially the present situation that overwhelms me. (mention request) I implore thee, O helper in all needs, help us to overcome our difficulties, thou who so victoriously fought the devil. Amen
Say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory Be and three times the invocation "Saint Martha, pray for us."
