Please keep our Holy Father in prayer as he nears the end of his papal duties.

He certainly looks worn.

Thank you and God bless you, Pope Benedict!

 

When beset by the temptations of the devil, let us call upon the Saints, who reign with Christ. They were powerful during their lives against the devil and his angels. They are more powerful now that they have passed from the Church on earth to the Church triumphant. (amen to that!!)

St. Michael and the Archangels Gabriel and Raphael

I have spoken about the Archangels in an earlier post and have found more information on them that I wanted to share ... As revealed in scripture, these fiercely protective celestial beings far surpass anything that you or I could create in art or imagination. We need to give them thanks for their invisible yet holy tangible presence in our lives. And while we are at it, let's not forget our own personal guardian angels! They too certainly deserve our gratitude for all the protection that they have afforded us!

 

 

Angels are appointed messengers of God and St. Michael is considered the most powerful archangel among them. The Eastern Church, in fact, regards Michael as Prince of the Seraphim, the angel closest to God.

 

As the angel who stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, the angel through whom God handed the Ten Commandments to Moses, and the angel who fought Satan for the body of Moses, Archangel Michael is the guardian of Israel as well as "Defender of the Catholic Church."

 

Archangel Michael reigns supreme among angelic warriors; charged with rescuing souls from evil, and leading the principalities and powers into battle against Satan - something to ponder the next time you invoke "the powers that be."

 

Finally, St. Michael escorts all souls to eternity. (I didn't know that!) The old funeral liturgy included this prayer: "May the standard-bearer Michael conduct the departed into the holy light which was promised to Abraham and his seed." Is it any wonder that his name means "Who is like God" and he's the first angel to rate a feast day?

 

Archangel Gabriel, "Hero of God," or "Strength of God", appears throughout scripture, petitioning God to part the Red Sea, informing the prophet Daniel when the Babylonian exile of the ancient Israelites would end. In the New Testament, he announces the birth of St. John the Baptist to Zechariah and greets Mary with the news that she has been blessed among women to bear the Christ. According to legend, Archangel Gabriel will herald the second coming of Christ with a trumpet.

 

Archangel Raphael (God has Healed) appears in the Book of Tobit. As divine medic, Archangel Raphael restored sight to Tobit, is said to have visited Abraham after his circumcision, and healed the world after it was defiled by the sins of the fallen angels.

 



Spending Lent With Mary

She’s not a distant figure from two thousand years ago.

She’s not a woman on a pedestal in my parish church. She’s not an image of perfection that’s impossible to attain. Instead, she’s covered in dust and shaking with silent sobs. Her hands are clasped, and perhaps the only prayer she can find words to is the line from Psalm 13: “How long must I carry sorrow in my soul, grief in my heart day after day? How long will my enemy triumph over me?”

 

This isn’t a woman who’s been protected from life and sheltered from reality. Here’s someone who has learned to feed her family, bear single parenthood, juggle the demands of her Son’s mission while staying out of the limelight herself, and has faced torture and grief in ways none of us can appreciate.

Who better to turn to, this Lent, than Mary?

Try a new devotion.

Maybe you have less than five minutes each day for the Little Crown of the Blessed Virgin, which is easily prayed on your fingers during a shower. Perhaps the novena (nine day prayer) to the Virgin Mary as the Undoer of Knots speaks to the challenges you face or intentions you hold dear.

 

It might just be a one-line prayer, asking for Mary’s help, like the one I use on certain days of the week: “Mother Mary, guide me to Jesus, lead me to God, HELP ME RIGHT NOW!”

 

Or maybe you’ve never really done much in the way of asking Mary to intercede for you and your intentions. Start with a Hail Mary at some repeatable point in the day–when you’re going upstairs, when you brush your teeth, when you close or open a door.

 

Whatever you choose, don’t overwhelm yourself. Let your devotion grow, watered by the habit of doing it daily. Devotion to Mary can draw us deeper into the life of Christ, if we let it, and help us participate in His life.

Bless the ordinary tasks and mundane moments.

Whether it’s dishes or diapers, phone calls or filing, spreadsheets or silence, your day can be blessed with more of Mary. You don’t have to free your hands, but it might lighten your load.

 

How about memorizing part of one of the Psalms? Mary must have prayed the Psalms as a devout Jewish girl and woman. Try using it as the refrain for those moments when you’re most tempted to throw up your hands in frustration.

 

While you’re doing that repeatable task you most hate, offer a decade of the rosary for the souls in Purgatory, your family, or some intention that’s close to your heart. When you find yourself rolling your eyes at the “excitement” of your day (whether or not it deserves the quotes), offer a pause and a Hail, Holy Queen for whatever the source of your stress.

 

Life is composed more of the ordinary and mundane than it is the exciting and overwhelming. We have far more laundry than drama over the course of our lives. There’s no reason, though, that we can’t bless those times and gain deeper spiritual advancement from them.

Ask for her help.

There is no shortage of online resources (including Celebrating Lent with Mary), no lack of books, no absence of ideas. And here is where I find my weakness: the desire to do too much.

 

I can always find that “one more thing” that will make my Lent just “perfect.” If I’m honest with myself, though, the real perfection in Lent doesn’t come from me at all.

 

Ask Mary to help you as you continue through your Lent. She will. In fact, if you pay attention, she probably already has.

By Sarah Reinhard

God Does Not Call the Equipped,

He Equips the Called

The Next Time You Feel Like God Did Not Make You For A Grand Purpose, remember:

Noah got drunk, Genesis 9:20-22.

Abraham was too old, Genesis 17.

Jacob was a liar, Genesis 27:19.

Leah was considered ugly, Genesis 29:17.

Joseph was abused, Genesis 37:24-36.

Moses stuttered, Exodus 4:10.

Gideon was afraid, Judges 6:21-23.

Samson had long hair and was a womanizer, Judges 14.

Rahab was a prostitute, Joshua 2:1.

Jeremiah and Timothy were too young, Jere.1:6-7 and 2Timothy 1:2.

David had an affair and was a murderer, 2Samuel 11:3-27.

Elijah was suicidal, 1King 19.

Isaiah preached naked, Isaiah 20:2-4.

Jonah ran from God, The book of Jonah.

Naomi was a widow, Ruth 1:3.

Job went bankrupt, The Book of Job.

Peter denied Christ, Matt.26:69-70.

The Disciples fell asleep while praying, Matthew 26:40.

Martha worried about everything, Luke 10:40.

Mary Magdalene was cleansed of seven demons, Mark 16:9.

The Samaritan woman at the well had five husbands, John 4:18.

Zaccheus was too small, Luke 19:3.

Paul was too religious, Acts 8:1.

Timothy had an ulcer, 1Timothy 5:23.

Lazarus was dead! John 11.
*********************************************************

God desires for you to reach your full potential.

Are you available? You are not the message. You are the messenger!

St. Padre Pio, pray for us!

Saturday of the First Week of Lent
Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio): Signed With Christ’s Love

Deuteronomy 26:16–19;
Psalm 119:1–2, 4–5, 7–8;
Matthew 5:43–48  

Padre Pio was spiritual inspiration for the older Italian members of my family. He was for that generation what Mother Teresa is to mine. I recall reading stories and seeing photos of Padre Pio in the Italian religious magazines my Nonna received, and hearing from my cousin in Italy of a visit to the saint’s shrine after his canonization.

Francesco Forgione entered the Capuchin Franciscans as a teenager. He received the name Pio and was ordained in 1910. In 1918, praying after Mass, Fr. Pio saw Jesus in a vision and afterward saw that he had received the wounds of Christ—the stigmata—in his hands, feet, and side.

His condition, like that of all modern stigmatics, was a cause for caution among his superiors, and Pio had to endure investigations by doctors and church officials. When he was at last allowed to do public ministry, his Masses and long hours in the confessional drew hundreds each day. He also was known for physical and spiritual healings worked through him.

Padre Pio knew many trials, but he understood that God’s grace and love were available to all. He helped mediate that love and forgiveness through years of ministry, until his death in 1968. His bearings of the wounds of Christ reminds those entering the church this Lent that they are to identify completely with our Lord. Padre Pio understood, in the words of today's Gospel, how to "be perfect ... as your Heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48)

Today's Action

Consider how God's covenant of love (today's first reading) with us in Jesus is made visible in your life.

Prayer

God, who gave the Law to Moses, teach us the Law's perfection in Jesus. Show us how to be merciful to enemies and to those who hate us. In imitation of Jesus, may we embrace the sinner and forgive those who do us harm. Amen.

Friedman O.F.M., Greg (2011-11-30). Lent With the Saints: Daily Meditations. St. Anthony Messenger Press Books. Kindle Edition.

Fra Angelico's The Virgin of Humility

In Paradise there are many saints who never gave alms on earth:

their poverty justified them. There are many saints who never mortified their

bodies by fasting or wearing hair-shirts: their bodily infirmities excused

them. There are many saints, too, who were not virgins:

their vocation was otherwise.

 

 

But in Paradise there is no saint who was not humble.

God banished angels

from heaven for their pride; therefore how can we pretend to enter therein if we do not keep ourselves in a state of humility?

To be humble is to be truthful before God, for what is humility but a

recognition of ourselves as totally dependent on Him?

 

Saint Vincent de Paul said:

"The reason God is such a great lover of humility is that He is a great lover of truth. Humility is, in fact, truth, while pride is nothing but lying."

from Humility of Heart by Father Cajetan

 

Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart (Matt 11:29)

Thursday of the First Week of Lent
Queen Esther: A Royal Request

Esther C:12, 14–16, 23–25;
Psalm 138:1–2ab, 2cde–3, 7c–8;
Matthew 7:7–12  

The tale of Queen Esther has all the elements of a great story. We can imagine her, the beautiful bride of a pagan king, ruler of Persia, reigning in a lavish Middle Eastern court. Into this scene of elegance and splendor comes a threat to Esther’s kin—the Jewish people who are exiled in her land.

The drama, essential to any good story, develops as the king’s advisor, Haman, is angered by the refusal of Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, to bow down to Haman in the court. In revenge, Haman plots to destroy all the Jews in the land.

When Esther learns of the plot, she risks her life to go to the king, her husband, and plead on behalf of her people, after praying the prayer found in our First Reading. Her prayers, and her pleas to the king, are answered positively, and the Jews in Persia are saved.

The Gospel follows with the simple assurance given us by Jesus about our prayer. “Ask, and it will be given to you; search and the door will be opened for you” (Matthew 7:7).

It’s a promise based on a relationship, the relationship of Jesus to his Father, a relationship that we’re invited to share.

Today’s Action

Reflect on Jesus’ words about how God, our loving parent, treats us. Then write a prayer of petition for some special need.  

Prayer

Generous Father, may we believe what Jesus has told us about your willingness to hear our prayer. May we never fear to ask, seek, and knock, confident in your love. Amen.

Friedman O.F.M., Greg (2011-11-30). Lent With the Saints: Daily Meditations (p. 18). St. Anthony Messenger Press Books. Kindle Edition.

Wednesday of the First Week of Lent
Jonah: The Sign of God’s Mercy

Jonah 3:1–10;
Psalm 51:3–4, 12–13, 18–19;
Luke 11:29–32  

Most of us know the story of Jonah and the whale. But today’s readings give us the rest of the story. Jonah’s mission as a prophet was to deliver a warning from God to the pagan city of Nineveh; his watery adventure was part of his wish to escape that mission. God ensures that Jonah does deliver the message, and when he does the results are overwhelmingly positive. Sadly, Jonah cannot accept the mercy God shows in the face of the surprising repentance of a whole city—including the livestock. (Jonah’s disappointment is related in another part of the biblical book not given in today’s selection.)

The point of this delightful and humorous story is precisely the merciful response of God. (The gracious nature of that mercy is emphasized in the tale in the repentance of the Assyrians, one of the most dreaded nations of the ancient Near East.)

So often we find it difficult to understand how God can be God. God seems to be able to show mercy to people we’d rather not forgive or even tolerate. It was the same for the opponents of Jesus. They could not accept him and how he brought God’s forgiveness.

As today’s Gospel shows, God had yet another surprise—the “sign of Jonah” present in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Today’s Action

List three people in your life you haven’t yet forgiven for some slight or offense. Ask God to help you to forgive them.  

Prayer

God of the prophets, pursue us until we are ready to accept your call. Then grace us to be bold in proclaiming your love and forgiveness in the world. Amen.

Friedman O.F.M., Greg (2011-11-30). Lent With the Saints: Daily Meditations (p. 16). St. Anthony Messenger Press Books. Kindle Edition.

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent
Isidore the Farmer: Prayer in the Midst of Our Labors

Isaiah 55:10–11; 
Psalm 34:4–5, 6–7, 16–17, 18–19;
Matthew 6:7–15  

An old joke defines a farmer as someone “outstanding in his field.” St. Isidore the Farmer not only stood out for his work in tilling the soil but was also a deeply prayerful man.

Today’s First Reading uses images familiar to farmers. Isaiah describes the fertility of the word of God, comparing its power to that of the rain and snow in watering the earth, allowing it to bear fruit, producing seed for the sower and bread for the hungry.

Isidore lived from 1070 to 1130 in the vicinity of Madrid, Spain, where he worked on the estate of a wealthy landowner. He was generous to the poor, helping to feed them, and sensitive to the care of beasts of burden. But it is his spirit of prayer that is remembered—whether rising early to pray in church or praying as he plowed his fields. He is honored today as patron of Madrid and of the U.S. Bishops’ Rural Life Conference.

Legend has it that Isidore’s coworkers grumbled when he was late for work because he had stayed in church praying; the tales go on to relate how angels then came to take up the slack in his work. We may have trouble finding time this Lent to pray. Isidore can teach us that it’s possible to find the time for prayer in the midst of a busy life.

Today’s Action

Decide how you will make time to pray this Lent.  

Prayer

Word enfleshed, be fertile and fruitful in us, that we may come to know how you reveal the Father, and come to fulfill the divine will on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

Friedman O.F.M., Greg (2011-11-30). Lent With the Saints: Daily Meditations (p. 14). St. Anthony Messenger Press Books. Kindle Edition.

Monday of the First Week of Lent
Frances of Rome: When You Did for the Least Ones

Leviticus 19:1–2, 11–18 ;
Psalm 19:8, 9,10, 15;
Matthew 25:31–46  

The first days of Lent feature scriptural selections that emphasize the lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Today Moses articulates the love of neighbor as part of God’s law. The people’s conduct is motivated by the holiness of the God they worship. Jesus makes that motivation even more personal, in the famous Matthew 25 passage, in which he identifies himself with the poor and needy to whom we should minister in the world.

 

Frances of Rome, in the fourteenth century, can easily be patron of our lenten almsgiving, as we seek the face of Jesus in hungry, naked, homeless, ill, or imprisoned people. Married to a wealthy young nobleman, Frances teamed up with her sister-in-law to help the poor, with their husbands’ support. Frances balanced her charity with care for her family, but when a severe plague broke out in Italy and spread to the city of Rome, Frances turned all her possessions into alms for the suffering. After her two children died, she turned part of her home into a hospital. Eventually, she received permission to found a society of women not bound to traditional vows of religious life, dedicated to serving the poor. After her husband’s death, Frances went to live with the society she founded, spending the rest of her life in finding Christ in those she helped.  

 

Today’s Action

 

Choose some kind of lenten almsgiving that will involve you in hands-on service with the poor.  

 

Prayer

Jesus, visible in our neighbor, show us your face in the hungry and thirsty, the naked and homeless, the prisoner and the stranger. Move us to action so we may fulfill the ancient law to love God and neighbor. Amen.

 

Friedman O.F.M., Greg (2011-11-30). Lent With the Saints: Daily Meditations (p. 12). St. Anthony Messenger Press Books. Kindle Edition.

Do You Remember Why We, As Catholics, Don't Eat Meat on Fridays (during Lent or before 1966)?


Since Jesus sacrificed His flesh for us on Good Friday, we refrain from eating flesh meat in His honor on Fridays. Flesh meat includes the meat of mammals and poultry, and the main foods that come under this heading are beef and pork, chicken and turkey. While flesh is prohibited, the non-flesh products of these animals are not (like milk, cheese, butter and eggs).

Fish do not belong to the flesh meat category. The Latin word for meat, “caro,” from which we get English words like “carnivore” and “carnivorous,” applies strictly to flesh meat and has never been understood to include fish.

First Sunday of Lent
Noah: A Creation Covenant

Year A: Genesis 2:7–9, 3:1–7;
Psalm 51:3–4, 5–6, 12–13, 17;
Romans 5:12–19;
Matthew 4:1–11

Year B: Genesis 9:8–15;
Psalm 25:4–5, 6–7, 8–9;
1 Peter 3:18–22;
Mark 1:12–15

Year C: Deuteronomy 26:4–10;
Psalm 91:1–2, 10–11, 12–13, 14–15;
Romans 10:8–13;
Luke 4:1–13  

Author’s Note: The Old Testament readings for the lenten Sundays in all three cycles present the history of salvation, one of the teaching themes of Lent. I’ve chosen a figure from the Old Testament for several of these Sundays to assist you in your lenten prayer.  

 

We can’t help but look at Noah through the lens of our modern sense of what’s acceptable behavior. Building an ark in your neighborhood is probably not calculated to win the approval of your neighbors. Comedian Bill Cosby, as well as the film Evan Almighty, saw the potential for humor in the story of Noah.

 

In reality, though, Noah’s response to God’s call is seen by the scriptural text as an act of faith. The risk Noah took, whatever his neighbors thought about his strange building project, made possible the display of God’s care for Noah and his family. It also helped introduce the biblical theme of covenant. Following the flood, God makes a promise never to destroy his creation again by a flood (apocalyptic filmmakers, take note!). God’s promise takes the form of a “covenant,” a promise on God’s part, which in turn calls forth a response on the part of humanity. Creation on God’s part is an act of love, and the covenant with Noah reinforces that love.

 

The notion of covenant will surface again and again, until we hear it at the Last Supper. Jesus will offer us his Blood, poured out in a new covenant of love, helping to make each of us a new creation in Christ.  

Today’s Action

 

Step out today to observe God’s creation and make your own covenant response to help protect that creation.  

 

Prayer

 

God of the covenant, stretch your rainbow above us as a sign of your faithfulness. In the beauty of creation may we see your love written large and make a response of faith, with your help. Amen.

 

Friedman O.F.M., Greg (2011-11-30). Lent With the Saints: Daily Meditations (pp. 9-10). St. Anthony Messenger Press Books. Kindle Edition.

Saturday After Ash Wednesday
Levi (Matthew) the Tax Collector: Sinners Are Welcome

Isaiah 58:9b–14;
Psalm 86:1–2, 3–4, 5–6;
Luke 5:27–32  

Luke—and Mark—tell us the story of Levi, a tax collector whom Jesus calls as a follower in today’s Gospel passage. Levi promptly throws a party for Jesus. More tax collectors and others show up as well, prompting criticism from the Pharisees and scribes. Their disapproval draws one of Jesus’ most important responses: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31–32).

 

Why did Levi not get numbered among the disciples of Jesus whose stories are told in the Gospel, such as Peter, Andrew, James, and John? We don’t know. In Matthew’s Gospel the evangelist (who was probably not the apostle Matthew) borrowed the story from Mark and changed Levi’s name to “Matthew.” Scholars suggest that the evangelist possibly wanted to match up this dramatic story of the conversion of a tax collector with “Matthew, the tax collector” who appears in all the listings of apostles.

 

This bit of biblical trivia is less important than the lesson Jesus gives. The Gospels are full of stories where Jesus meets and dines with sinners. In doing so, he overturned the expectations of “religious” people and proclaimed the reign of God through mercy and forgiveness. We are welcome in the company of Jesus, even though we are sinners.

 

Today’s Action

 

When in your life have you been called by Jesus to follow him? Reflect on your own vocation story.  

 

Prayer

 

God of forgiveness, surprise us today with the call to a change of heart. May we hear the voice of Jesus inviting us to follow him. Amen.

 

Friedman O.F.M., Greg (2011-11-30). Lent With the Saints: Daily Meditations (p. 8). St. Anthony Messenger Press Books. Kindle Edition.

Friday After Ash Wednesday
Sharbel Makhluf: Fasting With a Purpose

Isaiah 58:1–9a;
Psalm 51:3–4, 5–6ab, 18–19;
Matthew 9:14–15  

Fasting is one of the three traditional ways to observe Lent (prayer and almsgiving are the other two), based on Jesus’ description of them in our Ash Wednesday Gospel. Today the Scripture readings focus on fasting. The prophet Isaiah chides the people for their behavior on fast days, pursuing evil and not God’s ways. The Lord wants works of justice and compassion connected with fast days.

 

In the Gospel, Jesus explains to the followers of John the Baptist that while he (Jesus) is with his disciples, they will not fast; only after he has left them will they fast. Sharbel Makhluf was known for both his fasting and his care for those who sought him out for prayer and blessing. Born in a tiny village in Lebanon, he lived as a hermit in the second half of the nineteenth century, in connection with the Monastery of Saint Maron in Annaya, Lebanon. While maintaining his hermit life, he did occasionally bring the sacraments to villagers near the monastery. After his death at age seventy, his tomb became a destination for pilgrims seeking healing.

 

St. Sharbel is revered in both the Maronite and Roman rites. He offers us guidance for our lenten fasting as it is combined with both prayer and works of charity.  

 

Today’s Action

 

Consider some kind of fasting as a lenten practice—but make sure it leads you to a deeper awareness of and charity toward those in need.  

Prayer

God of our fasting, show us how our hunger unites us with those in need of bread, how letting go of life’s comforts can aid those lacking necessities for life. Amen.

 

Friedman O.F.M., Greg (2011-11-30). Lent With the Saints: Daily Meditations (p. 6). St. Anthony Messenger Press Books. Kindle Edition.

Just like me, a day late and a dollar short ... =)   Maybe, if you like these ideas, we can do Day 1 and Day 2 today or 2 days of your choice since we are already in the second day of Lent ... I hope your church was as packed as mine was yesterday and I pray that the trend continues not only thoughout Lent, but always ... Have a very blessed day today!

40 Ideas for Keeping a Holy and Saintly Lent

Day 1: Pray for your enemies.
Day 2: Walk, carpool, bike or bus it.
Day 3: Don’t turn on the car radio.
Day 4: Give $20 to a non-profit of your choosing, such as St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

(Sunday)

Day 5: Take 5 minutes of silent prayer at noon.
Day 6: Look out the window until you find something of beauty you had not noticed before.
Day 7: Give 5 items of clothing to Goodwill.
Day 8: No complaining today.
Day 9: Do someone else’s chore without them knowing about it.
Day 10: Buy a few $5 fast food gift cards to give to homeless people you encounter.

(Sunday)

Day 11: Call an old friend.
Day 12: Pray the Paper (pray for people and situations in today’s news).
Day 13: Read Psalm 139.
Day 14: Attend Mass.
Day 15: Donate a pint of blood.
Day 16: Pay a few sincere compliments to strangers.

(Sunday)

Day 17: Forgive someone.
Day 18: Internet diet.
Day 19: Change one light in your house to a compact florescent.
Day 20: Check out morning and evening prayer at http://dailyoffice.wordpress.com.
Day 21: Ask for help.
Day 22: Tell someone what you are grateful for.

(Sunday)

Day 23: Introduce yourself to a neighbor.
Day 24: Read Psalm 121.
Day 25: Prepare a meal or bake a cake for your priest.
Day 26: No shopping day.
Day 27: Light a virtual candle http://rejesus.co.uk/spirituality/post_prayer/.
Day 28: Light an actual candle.

(Sunday)

Day 29: Write a thank you note to your favorite teacher.
Day 30: Invest in canvas shopping bags.
Day 31: Use Freecycle www.freecycle.org.
Day 32: Donate art supplies to your local elementary school.
Day 33: Read John 8:1-11.
Day 34: Offer a Mass for the Poor Souls in Purgatory.

(Sunday)

Day 35: Confess a secret.
Day 36: No sugar day – where else is there sweetness in your life?
Day 37: Give $20 to a local non-profit.
Day 38: Educate yourself about a saint www.catholic.org/saints (Yes! Hurray!)
Day 39: Pray for peace.
Day 40: Pray for your enemies and then decide which of these exercises you’ll keep for good.

Thursday After Ash Wednesday
Thomas More: What Does It Profit Us?

Deuteronomy 30:15–20;
Psalm 1:1–2, 3–4, 6;
Luke 9:22–25  

In the movie (based on the play by Robert Bolt) "A Man for All Seasons", Sir Thomas More is on trial on trumped-up charges, having angered King Henry VIII, who had set himself up in place of the pope as head of the church in England. A young protégé of More, Richard Rich, supports the king and commits perjury to give evidence that condemns More to death. Rich’s reward for his treachery is appointment as attorney general for Wales. More looks at Rich and asks, “Why, Richard, it profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world.... But for Wales?”

In today’s Gospel, Luke gives the source of the line More is quoting, as Jesus declares: “What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?” (9:25). Thomas More was a scholar, author, lawyer, family man, and chancellor of England. His intense spiritual convictions led him to oppose Henry’s divorce and break with Rome. More’s choice led to his death as a martyr in 1535. Thomas More’s courage and convictions offer us inspiration as Lent begins to work with the grace of God over forty days, remain focused on who we are as followers of Christ, withstand the world’s distractions, and make the “man for all seasons” a great role model to follow.

Today’s Action

How are you being challenged to conversion during this Lent? List one or two of your greatest temptations.  

Prayer

God of our self-denial, show us how to embrace the cross of Jesus. Give us the wisdom to reorder our priorities so that we might gain eternal life. Amen.

Friedman O.F.M., Greg (2011-11-30). Lent With the Saints: Daily Meditations (p. 4). St. Anthony Messenger Press Books. Kindle Edition.

Today was my first attempt at downloading a book on my PC Kindle ... it worked!

 

The book is Lent With the Saints: Daily Meditations. St. Anthony Messenger Press Books. Kindle Edition, by  Greg Friedman O.F.M., (2011-11-30).

 

Amazon gave me a "quick look" inside the book before I bought it and I really liked what I saw. I think it is going to be an amazing help for everyone interested in their journey to their heavenly, promised reward.  You will be seeing this for the next 40 days.  Thank you so much Father Friedman! I hope you enjoy it as much as I will ...

Ash Wednesday
Do You Want to Be a Saint?

Joel 2:12–18;
Psalm 51:3–4, 5–6, 12–13, 17;
2 Corinthians 5:20—6:2;
Matthew 6:1–6, 16–18  

In The Seven Storey Mountain, the Trappist monk and spiritual writer Thomas Merton explains how, when asked by his friend Robert Lax what he, Merton, wanted to be, he replied that he wanted to be a good Catholic. Lax, a poet and mystic, told him, “What you should say is that you want to be a saint.”

 

Merton deferred, conscious of his own failings and inadequacies. But Lax persisted: “All that is necessary to be a saint is to want to be one.” By desiring sainthood, Lax said, we consent to become what God has created us to be. God, in turn, will make us saints.1

 

As we begin these lenten meditations with the saints, it may be helpful to remember that the foundation of Lent is our baptismal identity with Christ. This season prepares those who seek Christ for baptism; those already baptized use this time to renew that identity. In singling out exceptional followers of Christ, we don’t want to forget that all Christians should desire to live forever in the eternal life of God. Such a goal is the fulfillment of our Christian identity. That’s another way to describe sainthood. And it’s also a good goal for our lenten prayer and practice.

Today’s Action

Who is your favorite saint?

Read the life of that saint, whether online or in a book about saints, and choose some of the saint’s qualities that might influence your lenten observances.  

 

Prayer

 

God of our conversion, lead us to sainthood through our lenten journey. May we embrace this time of penance in a spirit of prayer. May we fast from all that distracts us from you. May we come to the aid of those in need. At journey’s end, may we find ourselves renewed as members of the body of Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.    

 

1. Thomas Merton, The Seven Storey Mountain: An Autobiography of Faith (New York: New Directions, 1948), p. 260.

 

Friedman O.F.M., Greg (2011-11-30). Lent With the Saints: Daily Meditations (p. 2). St. Anthony Messenger Press Books. Kindle Edition.

 

February 12th

Saint Ethelwald of Lindisfarne

Saint Ethelwald, you had such love and reverence for God's Word that you had the Book of Gospels decorated with the finest of precious metals and stones. Instill in me a similar love for the Word of God, and remind me that it is more valuable than any collection of gold or jewels. Teach me to read it daily, and help me to learn from God's Word the way of love. I pray in the name of Jesus, our Lord, the Living Word. Amen.

 

died c. 740: Ethelwald was one of Saint Cuthbert's chief helpers. Prior and then abbot of Old Melrose in Scotland, Ethelwald finally succeeded to the see of Lindisfarne. He commissioned Saint Bilfrid to embellish the famous Lindisfarne Book of Gospels with gold, silver and precious stones.

Be Mindful of Us, Prayers to the Saints - Anthony F. Chiffolo

"Strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me."

 

 

May we, as Catholics, come together to share our gratefulness that we had Pope Benedict for almost 8 years, and now, along with our Patron Saints, to pray for an amazing successor, to keep our Church on the right path and to bring back all the fallen and lost souls.

 

Pope John Paul II, pray for us.

All you Angels and Saints, pray for us.

Holy Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven, pray for us.



What the Saints Say About the Rosary
 

Our Lady speaks about the Rosary and the Hail Mary. . . "Continue to pray the Rosary every day." Our Lady of Fatima to Lucia

"When you say your Rosary, the angels rejoice, the Blessed Trinity delights in it, my Son find joy in it too, and I myself am happier than you can possibly guess. After the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,

there is nothing in the Church that I love as much as the Rosary." Our Lady to Bl. Alan de la Roche

"‘Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee!’ No creature has ever said anything that was more pleasing to me, nor will anyone ever be able to find or say to me anything that pleases me more."

Our Lady to St. Mechtilde

What the saints have said about the Rosary and the Hail Mary. . . "If you persevere in reciting the Rosary, this will be a most probable sign of your eternal salvation." Bl. Alan de la Roche

"The greatest method of praying is to pray the Rosary." St. Francis de Sales. "When the Holy Rosary is said well, it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and is more meritorious than any other prayer."

 St. Louis de Montfort

"The Holy Rosary is the storehouse of countless blessing."  Bl. Alan de la Roche

"One day, through the Rosary and the Scapular, Our Lady will save the world." St. Dominic

"Never will anyone who says his Rosary every day be led astray. This is a statement that I would gladly sign with my blood." St. Louis de Montfort

"If you say the Rosary faithfully unto death, I do assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins, 'you wil receive a never-fading crown of glory' (1 Peter 5:4)." St. Louis de Montfort

"The Rosary is THE weapon." Blessed Padre Pio

(I personally love this!) "You must know that when you ‘hail’ Mary, she immediately greets you! Don’t think that she is one of those rude women of whom there are so many - on the contrary, she is utterly courteous and pleasant. If you greet her, she will answer you right away and converse with you!" St. Bernardine of Siena

"Recite your Rosary with faith, with humility, with confidence, and with perseverance." St. Louis de Montfort

Ash Wednesday is coming fast! And we all know that it signals the beginning of 40 days of Lent, a time to take a good look and see what we can do to improve ourselves.  Have you given any thought on what you are going to do? The Church asks us to make some sort of sacrifice along with some act of goodness during this time ... perhaps we could try to do one or more of the things that Gabriel Garcia Moreno did every day of his life or we could emulate our  own patron saint and try to live one or more days as they did!

 

My patron saint this year is the Blessed Virgin Mary ... wow! What an amazing woman to shadow! And what a HUGE difference I will have to make each and every day of my life!

Even just beginning with "Fiat ... Thy will be done" ... Looks like I have a lot of work to do!

 

Thank you to the Universal Living Rosary Association for this great article!

 

Thanks Be To God For His Infinite Goodness To Me!

 

Gabriel Garcia Moreno was a Catholic, an Ecuadoran President and a Martyr. He valued his precious Faith more than anything in his life and, in his youth, he formed a program of spirituality that he kept all the days of his life in spite of the horrendous demands made upon his time and energies. He lived in times violent and corrupt, and is a wonderful ideal of father, husband and soldier of Jesus Christ.

 

The continual realization of the greatness of God filled his soul with a sovereign contempt for earthly things and, hence, his absolute disinterestedness: His joy at being able to give to the poor, the sick, the widows and the orphans. His patience in trials was most edifying and no complaint was ever heard to pass his lips.

 

The RULE of LIFE he wrote in his own hand was kept until his death:

• Every morning when saying my prayers, I will ask especially for the virtue of humility.
• Every day, I will hear Mass, say the Rosary, and read a chapter from the Imitation of Christ.
• I will take care to keep myself as much as possible in the presence of God, especially in conversation, so as not to speak useless words. Before beginning any action, I will offer my heart to God.
• I will say to myself continually: "I am worse than a demon and deserve Hell"; when I am tempted, I will ask myself: "What will you think of this in the hour of your last agony?"
• In my room, I will never sit to pray when I can do so on my knees or standing. I will practice little acts of humility, like kissing the ground for example, and desire all kinds of humiliations, while taking care at the same time not to deserve them, I will rejoice when my actions or my person are abused or censured.
• I will never speak of myself, unless it be to own my defects or faults.
• I will make every effort, through the thought of Jesus and Mary, to restrain my impatience and contradict my natural inclinations, striving to be patient and amiable even with people who bore me. Never will I speak evil of my enemies.
• Every morning, before beginning my work, I will write down what I have to do, being very careful to distribute my time well, to give myself only to useful and necessary business and to continue it with zeal and perseverance. I will scrupulously observe the laws of justice and truth, and have no intention in my actions save the greater glory of God.
• I will make a particular examine, twice a day, on my exercise of different virtues, and a general examination every evening. I will go to Confession every week.
• I will avoid all familiarities, even the most innocent, as prudence requires. I will never pass more than an hour in any amusement and, in general, never before eight o'clock in the evening.

Those who knew him, bear witness to his scrupulous fidelity to this Rule of life. No matter what the demands of office, home or war obliged, he lived up to the Rule. He never omitted any pious practice, in camp or on a hurried journey; he would kneel in some hut or corner of the tent, or in the woods, and say the Rosary with his aide or anyone else who was present.

 

When it drew time for Holy Mass, he would often prepare the vestments for the priest and serve Mass. In the evening surrounded by his family, servants and aides-de-camp, he would read night prayers, read from pious books and express to all his love and confidence in God.

 

The one ambition of his noble soul was the reign of God in the souls of men. He had a great and tender love for Our Blessed Mother. He restored the shrine of the Lily of Quito. He would ask his people, visitors or workers, "Do you love the Blessed Virgin Mary? If they answered, "Oh! YES, with all our hearts," he would say, "Well then, my children, let us kneel down all together and pray Her Rosary that we may persevere in loving and serving God."

 

The Catholic Church universally applauds this President of Ecuador, Gabriel Garcia Moreno. Honor and glory be to him who dared to say:

"A Catholic People Cannot Socially Deny Jesus Christ!"

 

The secret society of Freemasonry seeks to unite itself with the devil to destroy the reign of Jesus Christ upon earth, to destroy Christianity. It is the great enemy. Their rage against Garcia Moreno was universal and all Freemasonic newspapers throughout the world held him up for execution and he was solemnly condemned to death by their Great Council. At the opportune moment, the assassins attacked him, cutting off his arm and his hand and inflicting deadly wounds to his body. He was laid at the feet of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows where he expired.

 

The body of Garcia Moreno was placed in a secretly and provisionally unknown grave in order to protect it from the risk of sacrilegious profanation.

 

While we may not have the courage today to die for the faith, let us begin simply with the Rule of life set out by Garcia Moreno in his youth. Faithful to this Rule, with the strength of God, we will rise to the height of martyrdom, if and when we are called.

 

A LITTLE WHILE LONGER, AND THEN ETERNITY!

OH WOW!
14 More Reasons That I LOVE Being Catholic!

Just as you should assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with the proper dispositions, so also you should have the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered for yourself, for your own intentions, for your loved ones-both living and deceased-and for the Poor, Suffering Souls in Purgatory. Here are a few points to consider.

1. At the hour of death, the Holy Masses at which you have piously and devoutly assisted, and those which you had offered for yourself and others, will be your greatest consolation.

2. By every Holy Mass, you can diminish the temporal punishment due to your sins, or of less, according to your religious fervor.

3. Every Holy Mass will go with you to the your Judgement when you stand before the Just Judge. These Holy Masses will plead for pardon for you.

4. By piously and devoutly assisting at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, you render the greatest act of worship which is possible to each of the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity.

5. Through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Jesus Christ supplies for many of your negligences and omissions.

6. Through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Jesus Christ forgives you all of your venial sins which you are sincerely determined to avoid. Christ forgives you all of your unknown sins which you never confessed in the Sacrament of Penance.

7. Through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the power of Satan and other evil spirits over you is diminished.

8. By piously and devoutly assisting at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and by having as many Masses as possible offered for the Souls in Purgatory, you obtain the greatest possible relief for the Poor, Suffering Souls in Purgatory.

9. Devoutly assisting at just one Holy Mass, or having one Holy Mass offered for yourself during your life, will be of more benefit to you than many (Some say as many as one thousand!) offered for you after your death. Of course, the more Holy Masses, the better!

10. By piously and devoutly assisting at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, or by having the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered for yourself, you are preserved from many dangers and misfortunes which would otherwise have befallen you.

11. Your time in Purgatory will be shortened by the number of times at which you piously and devoutly assisted at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the number of Masses which you had offered for the Poor, Suffering Souls in Purgatory while still in this life.

12. During the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, you kneel amid a multitude of Holy Angels who are present at the Most Adorable Sacrifice with reverential awe. It is said that there are 3,000 Holy Angels present just from the Choir of Thrones!

13. By piously and devoutly assisting at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and having the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered for yourself and your loved ones and the Poor, Suffering Souls in Purgatory, you are blessed in your temporal affairs and material possessions.

14. By having a Holy Mass offered for yourself and/or by assisting at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in a pious and devout manner and offering it, through the Infinite Principal Celebrant, Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest, to the Most Holy Trinity, in honor of a specific Angel or Saint, and thanking God for the favors He has bestowed on this particular Angel or Saint, and such-like, you give that Angel or Saint a new degree of honor, joy and happiness in Heaven and bring upon yourself the special love and protection of this Angel or Saint!

Profile of St. Blaise 
Memorial - February 3rd

Physician. Bishop of Sebaste, Armenia. Lived in a cave on Mount Argeus. Healer of men and animals; according to legend, sick animals would come to him on their own for help, but would never disturb him at prayer.

Agricola, governor of Cappadocia, came to Sebaste to persecute Christians. His huntsmen went into the forests of Argeus to find wild animals for the arena games, and found many waiting outside Blaise’s cave. Discovered in prayer, Blaise was arrested, and Agricola tried to get him to recant his faith. While in prison, Blaise ministered to and healed fellow prisoners, including saving a child who was choking on a fish bone; this led to the blessing of throats on Blaise’s feast day.

Thrown into a lake to drown, Blaise stood on the surface and invited his persecutors to walk out and prove the power of their gods; they drowned. When he returned to land, he was martyred by being beaten, his flesh torn with wool combs (which led to his association with and patronage of those involved in the wool trade), and then beheading.

Blaise has been extremely popular for centuries in both the Eastern and Western Churches. In 1222 the Council of Oxford prohibited servile labour in England on his feast. He is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers

Born

• Armenian

Died

• flesh torn by iron wool-combs, then beheaded c.316

Canonized

• Pre-Congregation

Patronage

• against coughs
• against goitres
• against throat diseases
• against whooping cough
• against wild beasts
• animals
• builders
• carvers
• construction workers
• healthy throats
• stonecutters
• veterinarians
• wool-combers
• wool weavers
• Dalmatia
• Anguillara Sabazia, Italy
• Bovolone, Italy
• Camastra, Sicily, Italy
• Cassano allo Ionio, Italy
• Castellania, Italy
• Doues, Italy
• Dubrovnik, Croatia
• Militello, Sicily, Italy
• Montecatini Val di Cecina, Italy
• Palombara Sabina, Italy
• Pietrasanta, Italy
• Revello, Italy
• Sacrofano, Italy

Prayers

• Prayer I to Saint Blaise
• Prayer II to Saint Blaise
• Novena in honour of Saint Blaise

Representation

• wool comb representing the item used to torture him
• hermit tending wild animals
• candle
• iron comb
• man healing a choking boy
• man with two candles
• two candles
• two crossed candles
• wax

Images

• Gallery of images of Saint Blaise

Storefront

• Commercial Links related to Saint Blaise

Additional Information

• Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
• Goffine’s Devout Instructions
• Golden Legend, by Jacobus de Voragine
• Lives of the Saints, by Father Alban Butler
• New Catholic Dictionary
• Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
• Pictorial Lives of the Saints
• Turismo Parma
• Wikipedia

Readings

Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from ailments of the throat and from every other evil. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. - blessing of Saint Blaise