Catholic Spiritual Living Journal

Fourth meditation for Tuesday : Blessed Saint Joseph

2006-10-17T22:50:00.000+02:00

PLACE yourself in the presence of God, kneeling with your hands clasped.
Read slowly and devoutly :

"Fools say in their hearts, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is no one who does good. The LORD looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God. They have all gone astray, they are all alike perverse; there is no one who does good, no, not one. Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon the LORD? There they shall be in great terror, for God is with the company of the righteous. You would confound the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge. O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad."

Meditate :

Bring all you have read before you at once, as if you saw our Lord.

Then say to Him whatever comes into your mind to say; for instance:

Joseph was pure and innocent in a way unlike any other man who ever lived, our Lord excepted. His soul was as white as snow. He had nothing whatever within his heart to make him ashamed, and he would have found it most difficult to find matter for confession.

0 Blessed Joseph, make me so blameless and irreproachable that I should not care though friends saw into my heart as perfectly as Jesus and Mary saw into thine. 0 gain me the grace of holy simplicity arid affection, so that I may love thee, Mary, and, above all, Jesus, as thou did love Jesus arid Mary.

Joseph was as humble as he was sinless. He never thought of himself, but always of the Infant Savior, whom he carried in his arms.

0 Holy Joseph, make me like thee in purity, simplicity, innocence and devotion.

Jesus, Mary, Joseph, pray for me.

Third meditation for Monday : dedicated to Guardian Angel

2006-10-16T22:55:00.000+02:00

PLACE yourself in the presence of God, kneeling with your hands clasped.

Read slowly and devoutly : Psalm 91

"You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust."
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence;
he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day,
or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
You will only look with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
Because you have made the LORD your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place,
no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name.
When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.
With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation."

Before meditation :

Bring all you have read before you, as if you saw the Angels protecting you, especially your Guardian Angel.

Then say to God whatever is suggested to you; for instance:

"He has given His Angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. In their hands they shall bear thee up, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone."

Prayer :

O my God, I will go forward in Thy way, for my Guardian goes with me. I am very blind; I know not what is before me. I know not what will happen to me in life. I do not know whether I shall live long, or die young. But this I know, that in health and sickness, in joy and sorrow, in youth and age, Thou wilt be with me.

O my sweet Guardian, how beautiful thou art. I wish I could see thee. And thou art as pure and holy as thou art beautiful, and thy breath inspires chaste thoughts. And as gentle and kind as thou art pure.

God of Angels, have mercy on me. Queen of Angels, pray for me.

Second Meditation for Sunday : OUR LORD

2006-10-15T23:00:00.000+02:00

PLACE yourself in the presence of God, kneeling with your hands clasped.
Read slowly and devoutly

Apocalypse, chap. i, verses 11-18. I was," & down to " of death and of hell." *

"
Apocalypse 1:10: I was in the spirit on the Lord's day and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

Apocalypse 1:11 Saying: What thou seest, write in a book and send to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamus and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.

Apocalypse 1:12 And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks:

Apocalypse 1:13 And in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, one like to the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the feet, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

Apocalypse 1:14 And his head and his hairs were white as white wool and as snow. And his eyes were as a flame of fire:

Apocalypse 1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as in a burning furnace. And his voice as the sound of many waters.

Apocalypse 1:16 And he had in his right hand seven stars. And from his mouth came out a sharp two-edged sword. And his face was as the sun shineth in his power.

Apocalypse 1:17 And when I had seen him, I fell at his feet as dead.

And he laid his right hand upon me, saying: Fear not. I am the First and the Last,

Apocalypse 1:18 And alive, and was dead. And behold I am living for ever and ever and have the keys of death and of hell.

Meditation :
Bring all you have read before you at once, as if you saw our Lord.

Then say to Him whatever comes into your mind to say; for instance:--

" His eyes were as a flame of fire," and " His countenance shone as the sun shining [at full] strength."

O my God, the day will come when I shall see that countenance and those eyes, when my soul returns to Him to be judged,

Those eyes are so piercing: they see through me; nothing is hid from them. You count every hair of my head; You know every breath I breathe; You see every morsel of food I take.

Those eyes are so pure. They are so clear that I can look into their depths, as into some transparent well of water, though I cannot see the bottom; for You art infinite.

Those eyes are so loving; So gentle, so sweet; they seem to say, " Come to Me."

15 October 2006 : Feast of Saint Teresa of Avila

2006-10-15T09:37:00.000+02:00

Saint Teresa of Avila experienced what the Church has always taught regarding Jesus presence. He is actually present Body, Soul, Blood and Divinity on our altars and holy tables through the consecrated bread and wine. And He remains in all Catholic Churches around the world where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in the tabernacles. He is also present in a special manner in the soul and body of every creature on the face of the earth. He is present in God's word and many other manners. God is ubiquitous and His Sacred Humanity stays with us in an ineffable manner.
The saint's writings and your prayer will furthermore inspire you to spend more time and reflection on this divine Person who dwells with us on earth as He is in Heaven. St Teresa's mystical writings lived out will steep you in unforgettable contemplation of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Sincere prayer is unitive and Trinitarian and encourages and impels you to show and have love for God and all of God's creatures .
God promised and sent the Holy Spirit to his believers from the very beginning of recorded history and he gave us the prophets and holy women. Later Christ sent the fathers, apostles, martyrs, saints and doctors, like St Teresa, to help us in the transmission and transformation of that holy faith through their example, writings and life so that we might imitate them.

Dear wonderful saint, model of fidelity to vows, you gladly carried a heavy cross following in the steps of Christ who chose to be crucified for us. You realized that God like a merciful Father chastises those whom He loves — which to worldings seems silly indeed. Grant to N. relief from great pains if this is in line with God's plan.
Amen.

God, You raised up St. Teresa by Your Spirit so that she could manifest to the Church the way to perfection. Nourish us with the food of heaven, and fire us with a desire for holiness.
Amen.

O Wonderful daughter of Spain, you taught us to walk the way of Christian perfection which is the Way of the Cross. You inspired innumerable men and women by your writings as well as your conduct, deserving the title of Doctor of the Church. Ever faithful to St. Peter's successors, inspire fidelity to religious vows on the part of those who have taken them and make them ever true to their vocation.
Amen.

O God, who by your Holy Spirit moved Teresa of Avila to manifest to your Church the way of perfection: Grant us, we pray, to be nourished by her excellent teaching, and enkindle within us a keen and unquenchable longing for true holiness; through Jesus Christ, the joy of loving hearts, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen

Litany of St. Theresa of Avila

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven,
Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, the Sanctifier,
Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God,
Have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us.
Holy Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel,
Pray for us.
Saint Teresa of Avila,
Pray for us.
St. Teresa, whose heart was transverberated by the love of God,
Pray for us.
St. Teresa, most humble servant of God,
Pray for us.
St. Teresa, most zealous for the glory of God,
Pray for us.
St. Teresa, woman truly strong in mind,
Pray for us.
St. Teresa, truly detached from all created objects,
Pray for us.
St. Teresa, great light of the Catholic Church,
Pray for us.
St. Teresa, reformer and glory of the Carmelite Order,
Pray for us.
St. Teresa, queen of mystical theology,
Pray for us.
St. Teresa, lustrous name of Avila and Spain,
Pray for us.
St. Teresa, who didst forever glorify the name of Teresa,
Pray for us.
St. Teresa, wishing to suffer or to die,
Pray for us.
St. Teresa, exclaiming, "O Lord, how sweet and pleasing are Thy ways!"
Pray for us.
St. Teresa, desiring so much the salvation of souls,
Pray for us.
St. Teresa, tasting and seeing how sweet is the Lord, even in this vale of miseries,
Pray for us.
St. Teresa, exclaiming, "O death, who can fear thee who art the way to true life!"
Pray for us.
St. Teresa, true lover of the Cross of Christ,
Pray for us.
St. Teresa, who didst live to love, who didst die to love, and who wilt love eternally,
Pray for us.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.

V. Pray for us, O holy Saint Teresa,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Prayer meditation :
O God, Who didst replenish the heart of Thy blessed servant St. Teresa with the treasures of Thy Divine love, grant that, like her, we may love Thee and suffer all things for Thee and in union with Thee, that we may gain souls for Thee, and that we may secure the salvation of our own soul. This we beg through the merits of our Savior and the intercession of Thy glorious virgin Teresa.
Amen.

First Meditation for Saturday : Mary Immaculate Mother of God

2006-10-14T16:40:00.000+02:00

1. PLACE yourself in the presence of God, kneeling with your hands clasped.
2. Read slowly and devoutly

Isaiah xxxv :

Isaiah. 35:1 ff. NRSV. "The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you." Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God's people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

3. Think of Mary as robed in white, like the lily.
4. And say:

(1) Thou, Mary, art the Virgin of Virgins. To have a virgin soul, is, to love nothing on earth in comparison of God, or except for His sake. That soul is virginal which is ever looking for its Beloved who is in heaven, and which sees Him in whatever is lovely upon earth, loving earthly friends very dearly, but in their proper place, as His gifts, and His representatives, but loving Jesus alone with sovereign affection, and bearing to lose all, so that she may keep Him.
(2) 0 Mary, I wish I could see how you used to behave towards father and mother, especially towards St. Anne; and then how you behaved towards the priests of the temple; and then towards St. Joseph; and towards St. Elizabeth, and St. John Baptist; and afterwards towards the Apostles, especially towards St. John. I should see how sweet and lovely you were to every one of them; but still your heart was with Jesus only. And they would all feel and understand this, however kind you were to them.

5. Conclusion.-0 Mary, when will you gain for me some little of this celestial purity, this true whiteness of soul, that I may fix my heart on my true love?

8 Days Meditation

2006-10-14T16:27:00.000+02:00

"Meditation is above all a quest. The mind seeks to understand the why and how of the Christian life, in order to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking... We are usually helped by books [especially scripture]."

"To meditate on what we read helps us to make it our own by confronting it with ourselves."

In these meditations, Cardinal Newman suggests you use your imagination to enrich scripture and prayer. "Don't forget that it was St. Ignatius of Loyola who strongly promoted the use of imagination in meditation. His work, the Spiritual Exercises, is a monumental classic of the Catholic Tradition. In it he shows how fantasy will enhance our understanding and appreciation of Scripture, and how we can talk to Christ using the imagination.

When we read something, a story or a novel, we create a picture of it in our minds. St. Ignatius simply builds on this natural tendency. Thus, in the material for the second week of the Spiritual Exercises he says, " The first Prelude is a composition, seeing the place: ...here [we] see with the sight of the imagination, the synagogues, villages and towns through which Christ our Lord preached."

Weeked meditation remembering our Holy Father John Paul II ( I miss you so much )

2006-10-14T13:44:00.000+02:00

If you knew the gift of God

31. "If you knew the gift of God" (Jn 4:10), Jesus says to the Samaritan woman during one of those remarkable conversations which show his great esteem for the dignity of women and for the vocation which enables them to share in his messianic mission.

The present reflections, now at an end, have sought to recognize, within the "gift of God", what he, as Creator and Redeemer, entrusts to women, to every woman. In the Spirit of Christ, in fact, women can discover the entire meaning of their femininity and thus be disposed to making a "sincere gift of self" to others, thereby finding themselves.

During the Marian Year the Church desires to give thanks to the Most Holy Trinity for the "mystery of woman" and for every woman - for that which constitutes the eternal measure of her feminine dignity, for the "great works of God", which throughout human history have been accomplished in and through her. After all, was it not in and through her that the greatest event in human history - the incarnation of God himself - was accomplished?

Therefore the Church gives thanks for each and every woman: for mothers, for sisters, for wives; for women consecrated to God in virginity; for women dedicated to the many human beings who await the gratuitous love of another person; for women who watch over the human persons in the family, which is the fundamental sign of the human community; for women who work professionally, and who at times are burdened by a great social responsibility; for "perfect" women and for "weak" women - for all women as they have come forth from the heart of God in all the beauty and richness of their femininity; as they have been embraced by his eternal love; as, together with men, they are pilgrims on this earth, which is the temporal "homeland" of all people and is transformed sometimes into a "valley of tears"; as they assume, together with men, a common responsibility for the destiny of humanity according to daily necessities and according to that definitive destiny which the human family has in God himself, in the bosom of the ineffable Trinity.

The Church gives thanks for all the manifestations of the feminine "genius" which have appeared in the course of history, in the midst of all peoples and nations; she gives thanks for all the charisms which the Holy Spirit distributes to women in the history of the People of God, for all the victories which she owes to their faith, hope and charity: she gives thanks for all the fruits of feminine holiness.

The Church asks at the same time that these invaluable "manifestations of the Spirit" (cf. 1 Cor 12:4ff.), which with great generosity are poured forth upon the "daughters" of the eternal Jerusalem, may be attentively recognized and appreciated so that they may return for the common good of the Church and of humanity, especially in our times. Meditating on the biblical mystery of the "woman", the Church prays that in this mystery all women may discover themselves and their "supreme vocation".

May Mary, who "is a model of the Church in the matter of faith, charity, and perfect union with Christ",63 obtain for all of us this same "grace", in the Year which we have dedicated to her as we approach the third millennium from the coming of Christ.

With these sentiments, I impart the Apostolic Blessing to all the faithful, and in a special way to women, my sisters in Christ.

Given in Rome, at Saint Peter's, on 15 August, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the year 1988, the tenth of my Pontificate.

More in :
APOSTOLIC LETTER
MULIERIS DIGNITATEM
OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF
JOHN PAUL II
ON THE
DIGNITY AND VOCATION
OF WOMEN
ON THE OCCASION
OF THE MARIAN YEAR
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_15081988_mulieris-dignitatem_en.html

Papal Mission Intentions of the Month

2006-10-13T17:35:00.000+02:00

Each month, through the Apostleship of Prayer, the Holy Father asks Catholics throughout the world to pray for two special intentions: a general and a mission. Pope Benedict XVI has asked that these intentions be included in the prayer of daily offering.

General Intention

For peaceful co-existence among Christians, Jews and Muslims in the Holy Land.

Mission Intention

That In Oceania priestly and religious vocations for evangelization in the local Churches may receive special care.

Prayer

Oh Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.

I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart: the salvation of souls, reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians.

I offer them for all the intentions of our bishops and of all the Apostles of Prayer and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month.

Inspiration for a better day

2006-10-12T23:54:00.000+02:00

A young man was at the end of his rope, seeing no way out, dropped to his knees in prayer. "Lord, I can't go on," he said. "I have too heavy of a cross to bear."
The Lord replied, "My son, if you can't bear its weight, just place your cross inside this room. Then, open that other door and pick out any cross you wish."
The man was filled with relief and said, "Thank you, Lord," and he did as he was told. Upon entering the other door, he saw many crosses, some so large the tops were not visible. Then, he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall. "I'd like that one, Lord," he whispered. And the Lord replied, " My son, that is the cross you just brought in."

When life's problems seem overwhelming, it helps to look around and see what other people are coping with. You may consider yourself far more fortunate than you imagined.

Your Cross

Whatever your cross, whatever your pain,
There will always be sunshine after the rain..

Perhaps you may stumble, perhaps even fall,
But God's always there to help you through it all.

This day gospel

2006-10-12T22:05:00.000+02:00

Saint Symeon the New Theologian (around 949-1022), Orthodox monk
Invocation to the Holy Spirit, Introduction to the Hymns

“How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

Come, Holy Spirit. Come, true light. Come, eternal life. Come, hidden mystery. Come, nameless treasure. Come, ineffable reality. Come, unending happiness. Come, light that never sets. Come, you who awaken those who are asleep. Come, resurrection of the dead. Come, oh Powerful One, who always makes and remakes and transforms everything simply by your will. Come, you who always remain motionless and who nevertheless are entirely in movement at every moment, so as to come to us who are lying among the dead, oh you who are above the highest heavens.

Come, eternal joy. Come, you who desired and desire my destitute soul. Come, you who are the Only One to the one who is alone, since as you see, I am alone. Come, you who separated me from everything and who made me solitary in this world. Come, you who yourself became desire in me, who caused me to desire you, the absolutely inaccessible One. Come, my breath and my life. Come, consolation of my poor soul. Come, my joy, my glory, my unending delight.

I give you thanks for having become one single spirit with me (Rom 8:16), without confusion, without change, without transformation, you the God above everything, and for having become for me all in all (1 Cor 15:28)… I give you thanks for having become for me the light that never sets, the sun that does not go down; for you have nowhere to hide, you who fill the universe with your glory! No, you have never hidden from anyone, but it is we who always hide from you, refusing to go with you…

So come, oh Master, set up your tent in me today (Jn 1:14); build your house and dwell in me, your servant, constantly, inseparably, until the end, oh you who are very good. And when I leave this world, may I also find myself again in you, oh you who are very good, and may I reign with you, God, who are above everything.

Daily Reading & Meditation

2006-10-12T22:01:00.000+02:00

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 11,5-13.

And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,'
and he says in reply from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.'
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.
And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him?"

2006-10-12T12:56:00.000+02:00

for my long missing to all who eventually were passing through my catholic journal .

God bless you all !

Prayer for The Feast of The Day : St. Rose of Lima

2006-08-23T08:47:00.000+02:00

God, our protector, keep us in mind; always give strength to your people.
For if we can be with you even one day, it is better than a thousand without you. (Ps 83)

Lord Jesus, we celebrate the feast of St. Rose of Lima who devoted her life to prayer and fasting. We pray for all those who live in fear of their lives, who search for food for their families and who face the hardship of injustice and war. May they know of your love for them and may they reach out to you in their pain. We ask this in your name. Amen.

God our Father, for love of you Saint Rose gave up everything to devote herself to a life of penance. By the help of her prayers may we imitate her selfless way of life on earth and enjoy the fullness of your blessings in heaven. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Daily Reading & Meditation

2006-08-23T08:12:00.000+02:00

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12a

1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him.
2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven .

Meditation:

What is the good life which God intends for us, and the ultimate end or purpose of life? Is it not happiness, which is none other than the complete good, the sum of all goods, leaving nothing more to be desired? Jesus addresses this question in his sermon on the mount.

The heart of Jesus' message is that we can live a very happy life. The call to holiness, to be saints who joyfully pursue God's will for their lives, can be found in these ten beatitudes. Jesus' beatitudes sum up our calling or vocation -- to live a life of the beatitudes. The word beatitude literally means "happiness" or "blessedness".

What is the significance of Jesus' beatitudes, and why are they so central to his teaching? The beatitudes respond to the natural desire for happiness that God has placed in every heart. They teach us the final end to which God calls us, namely the coming of God's kingdom (Matt. 4:17), the vision of God (Matt. 5:8; 1 John 2;1), entering into the joy of the Lord (Matt. 25:21-23) and into his rest (Hebrews 4:7-11). Jesus' beatitudes also confront us with decisive choices concerning the life we pursue here on earth and the use we make of the goods he puts at our disposal. God alone satisfies. Do you seek the highest good, the total good, which is above all else?

The beatitudes which Jesus offers us are a sign of contradiction to the world's understanding of happiness and joy. How can one possibly find happiness in poverty, hunger, mourning, and persecution? Poverty of spirit finds ample room and joy in possessing God as the greatest treasure possible. Hunger of the spirit seeks nourishment and strength in God's word and Spirit. Sorrow and mourning over wasted life and sin leads to joyful freedom from the burden of guilt and spiritual oppression. God reveals to the humble of heart the true source of abundant life and happiness. Jesus promises his disciples that the joys of heaven will more than compensate for the troubles and hardships they can expect in this world. Thomas Aquinas said: "No one can live without joy. That is why a person deprived of spiritual joy goes after carnal pleasures." Do you know the happiness of hungering and thirsting for God alone?

"Lord, increase my hunger for you and show me the way that leads to everlasting peace and happiness. May I desire you above all else and find perfect joy in doing your will".

Psalm 24:1-6

1 The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein;
2 for he has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God of his salvation.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob

Prayer on the Beatitudes

Lord Jesus, You said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Keep us from being preocuppied with money and worldly goods, and with trying to increase them at the expense of justice.

Lord Jesus, You said, "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth."
Help us not to be ruthless with one another, and to eliminate the discord and violence that exists in the world around us.

Lord Jesus, You said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
Let us not be impatient under our own burdens and unconcerned about the burdens of others.

Lord Jesus, You said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be filled."
Make us thirst for you, the fountain of all holiness, and actively spread your influence in our private lives and in society.

Lord Jesus, You said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."
Grant that we may be quick to forgive and slow to condemn.

Lord Jesus, You said, "Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God."
Free us from our senses and our evil desires, and fix our eyes on you.

Lord Jesus, You said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God."
Aid us to make peace in our families, in our country, and in the world.

Lord Jesus, You said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of justice, for the kingdom of heaven in theirs."
Make us willing to suffer for the sake of right rather than to practice injustice; and do not let us discriminate against our neighbors and oppress and persecute them.

Proverbs31: 28 - 31

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Proverbs31_2831, originally uploaded by jade blue.

Meditation on The Queenship Of Mary

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1. Mary, Mother of God, I believe that you are Mediatrix with Jesus you share also in His sovereign dominion over the universe. You are Queen because you are the Mother of the Word Incarnate. Christ is universal King because He rules all creatures by His personal union with the divinity. You brought Him into the world that He might be King, according to the words of the archangel: "And of His kingdom there shall be no end." By consenting to His birth, you made Him King.

Mary, My Mother, you are Queen also because your are Co-Redemptrix. Jesus reigns over us not only by natural right, but also by the right of redemption. As
cooperator with your Son in that work of redemption, you also acquired the right to reign with Him. God chose you to be His Mother and by that very choice has associated you with Himself in the work of the salvation of men. Since you had your place beside Jesus when there was question of ransoming us and meriting for us all the graces necessary for our salvation, you must in like manner have your place beside Him now, when there is question of securing for us by your prayers in heaven the graces prepared for us in view of the merits of Christ. This is my hope that you will be a Mother to me and obtain for me the grace I need to save my soul.

2. Mary, Mother of God, yours is a queenship of goodness. You add a degree of motherly sweetness to the joy of the angels and saints and to the blessed of the Church triumphant. To the Church suffering you bring consolation, relief, deliverance, to the Church militant you offer aid, confidence, victory.

Yours is a queenship of dominion. You exercise your queenly dominion over the minds, the hearts, the wills and even over the bodies of your subjects. You rule over their minds, by making them understand better the teaching of Christ, over their hearts, by turning them to Jesus through the charm of your motherly affection, over their wills, by gently inclining them to observe all the commandments of your Son; over their bodies, by teaching men to subject their members to the law of God through the practice of temperance and chastity. The more fully you are Queen in a soul, the more does Jesus reign there as King. Reign over my mind and heart and will and body, so that I may belong completely to Jesus through you.

Mary, My Mother, yours is a queenship of conquest. How many souls have still to be brought under the rule of Christ the King! Fulfill your apostolic mission of winning the world for Christ. As formerly the shepherds and the magi found Jesus close to you, so now may all sinners, unbelievers and pagans find Jesus through you, His Mother. Hasten the reign of Christ by ruling over all of us, your children.

3. Mary, Mother of God, the apostolic mission confided to you as Queen by your Son is to help Him to the end of time in the sanctification and the salvation of all the souls that come into the world. This apostolic mission is a consequence of your office as Mother, as Co-Redemptrix and as Dispenser of all graces.

As Mother, it is your mission to preserve your children from sin and to make them live the supernatural life. You are the first apostle of your children not only because you are the most perfect of mothers, but especially because you are our spiritual Mother. Your apostolic work-to snatch souls from Satan and from sin to make them live the supernatural life-is the very reason for your motherhood.

As Co-Redemptrix, you must finish your work by applying the grace of redemption to each individual soul, for only then the redemption is achieved. This is the very heart of your apostolate. No apostolic act bears fruit without grace. But all graces come through you. Through your prayers all graces have come to the apostle and to the souls converted or sanctified. By granting them these graces you have performed a work of the apostolate. Your apostolate is universal because you are the spiritual Mother of all men and the universal Co-Redemptrix. All other apostles and workers for the salvation of souls depend upon you for blessing upon their missionary work. Bless the work of those who spend themselves to bring souls to your loving Son. Through your powerful intercession obtain for them the graces they need. Sanctify them first, so that they may then more effectively sanctify others.

Mary, My Mother, as Dispenser of all graces, you make the world share in the infinite merits of the redemption. You are the Mediatrix of our peace with God and the Giver of heavenly graces. You have entered into the highest state of power and glory in Heaven in order that you may help us in our journey through so many dangers to the kingdom of Heaven. I believe with the Church that from the great treasury of graces that Jesus has merited for us, nothing comes to us, by the will of God. except through you. Hence, it is through you that we must go to Christ, almost in the same way as through Christ we approach our Heavenly Father. You are our Mediatrix with our Mediator.

We do not attribute to you the power of producing supernatural grace, even though you are the Mother of God, for this power belongs to God alone. But, because you surpass all other creatures in holiness and in the closeness of your union with Jesus and. because you have been, according to the Divine Plan, associated with Jesus in the work of Redemption, you have merited by a merit of fitness all that Christ has merited by a merit of justice, and God has made you the Giver of His Graces.

You are Queen of the universe, not by force, but by the power of love. You embrace the universe in the realm of your love and enrich it through your unfailing intercession. You are "Suppliant Omnipotence" because your prayer obtains all graces from the infinite treasures of God.

From your heart we hope to obtain the love of God that He expects from His creatures, and also the pardon that guilty but repentant creatures ask from their merciful Creator. All souls belong to you and your Son. He is King and you are Queen of all hearts. Rule over us by the queenly power of your love that the Kingdom of your Son-the Kingdom of Truth and Life, Holiness and Grace, Justice, Love and Peace-may come upon earth.

Today is the Feast of Holy Mother of God , Queen of Peace

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Queen of Peace
Written by Pope Benedict XV

The following two excerpts from the early twentieth century pontiff, Pope Benedict XV, a pope renowned for his great Marian love and his untiring efforts for peace and reconciliation, reveal his extraordinary love for Our Lady, his articulation of her role as Queen of Peace and Mediatrix of all graces, and the Pope's belief in her intercessory power to bring peace during a troubled time for the world (World War I). Let us invoke this former pontiff for the pontificate of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, to follow the pattern of his predecessor of name in calling upon Our Lady, Queen of Peace, for the spiritual and global peace so needed in our present day. – Ed.

Mediatrix of Peace

The scene of Jesus' birth is complete through the presence of Mary. The faith of her believers and her children's love consider her not only God's Mother, but also the Mediatrix with God.

Mother of the Prince of peace, Mediatrix between rebellious man and the merciful God, she is the dawn of peace shining in the darkness of a world out of joint; she never ceases to implore her Son for peace although His hour is not yet come (John 2:4); she always intervenes on behalf of sorrowing humanity in the hour of danger; today she who is the mother of many orphans and our advocate in this tremendous catastrophe will most quickly hear our prayers.

In view of these considerations and the better to direct Christian thought and trust in the most powerful intercession of the Mother of God We, in answer to the requests of many children far and near, consent that they address the Blessed Virgin in the Litany of Loreto with the invocation, "Queen of Peace." And will Mary, who is Queen of a kingdom of peace and not of wars and disasters, reject the desires and prayers of her trusting children?

On this holy night in which the prophetic promises of the golden age and of blessed times were fulfilled and on which the very Author of peace gave us the heavenly child, will she not smile on hearing the voices of innocent children called by the Episcopate and by Us to the Eucharistic Table on this lovely solemnity?

When man has hardened his heart and hate has overrun the earth, when fire and sword convulse the world and make it resound with clash of arms and of wailing, when human plans have proved misleading, and when all social well-being is upset, faith and history point to Mary as the only refuge, the all powerful intercessor, the Mediatrix of all grace… therefore, let us say with sure trust: Queen of Peace, pray for us!

Delivered to the Consistory of Cardinals, December 24, 1915.

Queen of Peace

…And since all the graces which God deigns to bestow in pity upon men are dispensed through the most holy Virgin, We urge that more than ever in this terrible hour, the trusting petitions of her most afflicted children be directed to the august Mother of God.

Hence we direct Your Eminence to make known to all the bishops of the world that it is our fervent desire that mankind turn to the Sacred Heart of Jesus—the Throne of Grace—and that recourse to this Throne be made through Mary. Accordingly We ordain that beginning with the first day of June this year, there be placed in the Litany of the Blessed Virgin the invocation: Queen of Peace pray for us….

From every corner of the earth—from the majestic churches and the humble chapels; from the mansions of the rich as well as from the huts of the poor; from wherever dwells a faithful soul; from the bloodstained battlefields and war swept seas, may this pious and ardent invocation arise to Mary, the Mother of Mercy who is all-powerful in grace! To Mary may be brought each anguished cry of mothers and wives, each tear of innocent children, each longing of generous hearts! May her loving and most merciful solicitude be moved to obtain for this convulsed world the peace so greatly desired! And may the ages yet to come remember the efficacy of Mary's intercession and the greatness of her blessings to her suppliants!

First day of meditation : Guardian Angel

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1. Place yourself in the presence of God, kneeling with your hands clasped.

2. Read slowly and devoutly Psalm 91

"You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust."
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence;
he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day,
or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
You will only look with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
Because you have made the LORD your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place,
no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name.
When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.
With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation."

3. Bring all you have read before you, as if you saw the Angels protecting you, especially your Guardian Angel.

4. Then say to God whatever is suggested to you; for instance:

"He has given His Angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. In their hands they shall bear thee up, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone."

(1) 0 my God, I will go forward in Thy way, for my Guardian goes with me. I am very blind; I know not what is before me. I know not what will happen to me in life. I do not know whether I shall live long, or die young. But this I know, that in health and sickness, in joy and sorrow, in youth and age, Thou wilt be with me.

(2) 0 my sweet Guardian, how beautiful thou art. I wish I could see thee. And thou art as pure and holy as thou art beautiful, and thy breath inspires chaste thoughts. And as gentle and kind as thou art pure.

5. Conclusion. God of Angels, have mercy on me. Queen of Angels, pray for me.

Eight Day Meditation ( John Cardinal Newman )

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The Catholic Catechism states that "meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion and desire. This mobilization of faculties is necessary in order to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ." Sec. 2708 (emphasis added). "Meditation is above all a quest. The mind seeks to understand the why and how of the Christian life, in order to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking... We are usually helped by books [especially scripture]." Sec. 2705. "To meditate on what we read helps us to make it our own by confronting it with ourselves." Sec. 2706. Catechism of the Catholic Church.

In these meditations, Cardinal Newman suggests how to enrich your soul with scripture and prayer. "Don't forget that it was St. Ignatius of Loyola who strongly promoted the use of imagination in meditation. His work, the Spiritual Exercises, is a monumental classic of the Catholic Tradition. In it he shows how fantasy will enhance our understanding and appreciation of Scripture, and how we can talk to Christ using the imagination.

When we read something, a story or a novel, we create a picture of it in our minds. St. Ignatius simply builds on this natural tendency. Thus, in the material for the second week of the Spiritual Exercises he says, " The first Prelude is a composition, seeing the place: ...here [we] see with the sight of the imagination, the synagogues,[5] villages and towns through which Christ our Lord preached."

Things are not always as they seem

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let your light shine in, originally uploaded by Sara Heinrichs (awfulsara).

There are lots of things that can make us say what we just heard Paul say in the epistle: "These are evil days." If you doubt that, watch the TV news for ten minutes. Or closer to home, take a look in the mirror: It's either pimples or wrinkles! You finally get rid of the one and then the other starts to show up - and the wrinkles don't go away, they just invite in all their friends!

Trials and tribulations, irritations, aggravations: That's life, but only one side of life. Because hidden inside every trouble and every aggravation is an opportunity just waiting to be noticed and taken hold of. That's what Paul is telling us ever so subtly. Every one of life's difficulties and challenges is an invitation from God to let go of what doesn't matter or doesn't work, and to search for what does matter and what can bring us joy and freedom.

And so for example, whether we're looking at pimples or wrinkles, what's really in front of us is God's invitation to let go of our worrying about appearances and to focus on straightening out what's behind the face, what's inside the head and the heart.

Sometimes we have to face a pain or frustration that just has to be lived with; we can't make it go away. What's the opportunity there? Perhaps it's an invitation to relax in the Lord, to give ourselves over to him at long last; perhaps it's an invitation to let go of our obsessive perfectionism or our excessive need to control.

We each have our own special collection of stresses and hurts, and we know them well. But have we looked behind them? Have we searched in faith for the invitation God has wrapped inside them? If we haven't, we're wasting a lot of pain. And that isn't what God wants for us. God is offering us joy and freedom for the taking, here and now. Look a little deeper and you'll find it, wrapped discretely inside your troubles. If you look, you'll find it. It's there!

Today meditation : A New Life

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Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

John 6:51-58

Jesus said to the crowds: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."

Introductory Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I firmly believe in your Real Presence in the Eucharist. I ask that this meditation be an act of praise and thanksgiving for the great gift you give us of yourself under the species of bread and wine.

Grant, Lord, that I may grow in faith in the Eucharist.

1. A New Life.

It is always good to reflect on the basic and most fundamental truths of our faith. We can get so used to them that we lose the sense of marvel before them. God became man that we might participate in the very life of God. We who, thanks to our First Parents’ sin, were born with a life that was doomed, have by God’s mercy received the gift of a new life, a life that will never end. This new life we received at baptism when we were incorporated into the Mystical Body of Christ, becoming children of God. We participate in the divine life of the Holy Trinity through the Son of God who became man for our sakes. What an extraordinary gift we have received! All of us need to reflect on it in God’s presence so as to grow in appreciation and love for God whose mercy toward us is boundless.

2. New Life – New Food.

We have received life, the very life of God. We have this new life in Christ. It comes entirely from him, not from the world, not from men and not from angels. Christ became man that we might have this new life. But as is always the way of human beings, we are weak and we need food so as to live. No earthly food that can sustain such a life. So we should marvel at the food that we have received as nourishment for this new life. In fact, Christ has given himself to be our “true food.” A new food for a new life is what we have received. In the Eucharist he has become our food and our drink. Let us stop and wonder in silent adoration before the generosity of the Son of God.

3. The Food of Promise.

The Eucharist is an extraordinary gift. We cannot fathom its infinite riches, as it is the Son of God himself. The bread is no longer bread and the wine is no longer wine. We are in the presence of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. He came that we might have life and have it to the full. He came and gave us himself to sustain on our journey. The food he gives – himself – is also the food of promise, for whoever eats his sacred Body and drinks his precious Blood will have eternal life and will be raised up on the last day. All other food is rendered useless at death. The Eucharist brings about the triumph over death; it is a new food for a new life – Eternal Life.

Daily talk with our Saviour and Redeemer Jesus

Lord, to whom shall we go? You are the Bread of Life! Lord Jesus, there are not enough days in this life to thank you for your love. There is not enough time to spend in thanksgiving for the greatness of the Eucharist. Here I am; I come to love you as best I can. I trust that through your Mother Mary’s help I will be able to love you.

I will invite my family to make a Eucharistic visit or to make a spiritual communion.

The Prayer of Longing ( St. John Chrysostom )

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"Prayer is the light of the spirit "

Prayer and converse with God is a supreme good: it is a partnership and union with God. As the eyes of the body are enlightened when they see light, so our spirit, when it is intent on God, is illumined by his infinite light. I do not mean the prayer of outward observance but prayer from the heart, not confined to fixed times, or periods but continuous throughout the day and night.

Our spirit should be quick to reach out toward God not only when it is engaged in meditation; at other times also, when it is carrying out its duties, caring for the needy, performing works of charity, giving generously in the service of others, our spirit should long for God, and call him to mind, so that these works may be seasoned with the salt of God's love, and so make a palatable offering to the Lord of the universe. Throughout the whole of our lives we may enjoy the benefit that comes from prayer if we devote a great deal of time to it.

Prayer is the light of the spirit, true knowledge of God, mediating between God and man. The spirit, raised up to heaven by prayer, clings to God with the utmost tenderness; like a child crying tearfully for its mother, it craves the milk that God provides. It seeks the satisfaction of its own desires, and receives gifts outweighing the whole world of nature.

Prayer stands before God as an honored ambassador. It gives joy to the spirit, peace to the heart. I speak of prayer, not words. It is the longing for God, love to deep for words, a gift not given by man but by God's grace. The apostle Paul says: "We do not know how we are to pray but the Spirit himself pleads for us with inexpressible longings." Rom. 8:26.

When the Lord gives this kind of prayer to [someone]; he gives him riches that cannot be taken away, heavenly food that satisfies the spirit. One who tastes this food is set on fire with an eternal longing for the Lord: his spirit burns as in a fire of the utmost intensity.

Practice prayer from the beginning. Paint your house with the colors of modesty and humility. Make it radiant with the light of justice. Decorate it with the finest gold leaf of good deeds. Adorn it with the walls and stones of faith and generosity. Crown it with the pinnacle of prayer. In this way you will make it a perfect dwelling place for the Lord. You will be able to receive him as in a splendid palace, and through his grace you will already possess him, his image enthroned in the temple of your spirit. "

CONTEMPLATING CHRIST WITH MARY

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The contemplation of Christ has an incomparable model in Mary.

In a unique way the face of the Son belongs to Mary. It was in her womb that Christ was formed, receiving from her a human resemblance which points to an even greater spiritual closeness. No one has ever devoted himself to the contemplation of the face of Christ as faithfully as Mary. The eyes of her heart already turned to him at the Annunciation, when she conceived him by the power of the Holy Spirit. In the months that followed she began to sense his presence and to picture his features. When at last she gave birth to him in Bethlehem, her eyes were able to gaze tenderly on the face of her Son, as she “wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger” (Lk 2:7).

Thereafter Mary's gaze, ever filled with adoration and wonder, would never leave him. At times it would be a questioning look, as in the episode of the finding in the Temple: “Son, why have you treated us so?” (Lk 2:48); it would always be a penetrating gaze, one capable of deeply understanding Jesus, even to the point of perceiving his hidden feelings and anticipating his decisions, as at Cana (cf. Jn 2:5). At other times it would be a look of sorrow, especially beneath the Cross, where her vision would still be that of a mother giving birth, for Mary not only shared the passion and death of her Son, she also received the new son given to her in the beloved disciple (cf. Jn 19:26-27). On the morning of Easter hers would be a gaze radiant with the joy of the Resurrection, and finally, on the day of Pentecost, a gaze afire with the outpouring of the Spirit (cf. Acts 1:14).

Mary's memories

11. Mary lived with her eyes fixed on Christ, treasuring his every word: “She kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19; cf. 2:51). The memories of Jesus, impressed upon her heart, were always with her, leading her to reflect on the various moments of her life at her Son's side. In a way those memories were to be the “rosary” which she recited uninterruptedly throughout her earthly life.

Even now, amid the joyful songs of the heavenly Jerusalem, the reasons for her thanksgiving and praise remain unchanged. They inspire her maternal concern for the pilgrim Church, in which she continues to relate her personal account of the Gospel. Mary constantly sets before the faithful the “mysteries” of her Son, with the desire that the contemplation of those mysteries will release all their saving power. In the recitation of the Rosary, the Christian community enters into contact with the memories and the contemplative gaze of Mary.

The Rosary, a contemplative prayer

12. The Rosary, precisely because it starts with Mary's own experience, is an exquisitely contemplative prayer. Without this contemplative dimension, it would lose its meaning, as Pope Paul VI clearly pointed out: “Without contemplation, the Rosary is a body without a soul, and its recitation runs the risk of becoming a mechanical repetition of formulas, in violation of the admonition of Christ: 'In praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think they will be heard for their many words' (Mt 6:7). By its nature the recitation of the Rosary calls for a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace, helping the individual to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord's life as seen through the eyes of her who was closest to the Lord. In this way the unfathomable riches of these mysteries are disclosed”.14

It is worth pausing to consider this profound insight of Paul VI, in order to bring out certain aspects of the Rosary which show that it is really a form of Christocentric contemplation .

( APOSTOLIC LETTER ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF JOHN PAUL II TO THE BISHOPS , CLERGY AND FAITHFUL ON THE MOST HOLY ROSARY )

Trusting Jesus ! He's my Saviour and Lord

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Trusting Jesus ! He's my Saviour and Lord, originally uploaded by jade blue.

We are like children, who stand in need of masters to enlighten us and direct us; and God has provided for this, by appointing his angels to be our teachers and guides.
~Saint Thomas Aquinas

For He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. ~~ Psalm 91:11

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Little angel, originally uploaded by jade blue.

Make yourself familiar with the angels, and behold them frequently in spirit; for without being seen, they are present with you.
~St. Francis De Sales

But if these beings guard you, they do so because they have been summoned by your prayers.
~Saint Ambrose

The angels are the dispensers and administrators of the divine beneficence toward us; they regard our safety, undertake our defense, direct our ways, and exercise a constant solicitude that no evil befall us.
~ John Calvin

Meditations on the Beatitudes

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Lord Jesus, You said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Keep us from being preocuppied with money and worldly goods, and with trying to increase them at the expense of justice.

Lord Jesus, You said, "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth." Help us not to be ruthless with one another, and to eliminate the discord and violence that exists in the world around us.

Lord Jesus, You said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Let us not be impatient under our own burdens and unconcerned about the burdens of others.

Lord Jesus, You said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be filled." Make us thirst for you, the fountain of all holiness, and actively spread your influence in our private lives and in society.

Lord Jesus, You said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." Grant that we may be quick to forgive and slow to condemn.

Lord Jesus, You said, "Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God." Free us from our senses and our evil desires, and fix our eyes on you.

Lord Jesus, You said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God." Aid us to make peace in our families, in our country, and in the world.

Lord Jesus, You said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of justice, for the kingdom of heaven in theirs." Make us willing to suffer for the sake of right rather than to practice injustice; and do not let us discriminate against our neighbors and oppress and persecute them.

Today meditation : Reconciliation Through Charity

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August 16, 2006

God is always attentive to our prayer when it is done with faith and love.

Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 18:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ´every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.´ If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

Prayer:

Lord, help me trust that you will guide my conscience and direct my heart according to your will. Teach me your truth and take away from me any doubt or skepticism.

Lord, grant me the confidence that you will answer my prayers every day. Teach me to pray that your will be done.

1. Witness to Charity.

One of the most urgent tasks for every Christian is to seek reconciliation with our brothers and sisters in a spirit of true charity according to the Gospel. We must go to great lengths to restore trust and confidence in each other in order to be a witness to the world of the transforming power of the Gospel. In the early Church, unbelievers were converted by the testimony of love the Christians had for one another, explainable not merely in human terms but only as a fruit of a relationship with Jesus Christ. We have to let the grace and love of Christ lead us to look for reconciliation with everyone.

2. Win Over Your Brother.

Sometimes we need to say the difficult and awkward truths; sometimes people need to hear them. All too often we are drawn along by a “live and let live” philosophy that is not true tolerance based on respect, but rather an indifference to the fate of others, a closing-in on ourselves. Sometimes we lack the courage and the loving commitment to charitably admonish and remind others that they are children of God with responsibilities toward him. We need to pray for true charity, which seeks the good of our brothers and sisters without regard to ourselves.

3. Pray Always.

God is always attentive to our prayer when it is done with faith and love, with confidence in his mercy and forgiveness. We need to persevere in prayer and never doubt God’s love for us. Prayer in common unites us not only to God, but to others as well. We are reminded that we are children of God our Father and very much within his loving providence and care. We need to renew the faith and belief that we have a God who is in our very midst. He is not a distant God off somewhere in the universe, uncaring and uninvolved, but a close, intimate God who knows our every need.

Lord God, teach me to trust in your providence and to hope in your loving care.
Help me learn to forgive and be reconciled with each and every person because they too are your sons and daughters, my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Resolution:

I will think of one person I have not yet forgiven and reach out in a gesture of reconciliation and charity.

Mary Mother of God

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... and our Heavenly Mother , from The Cross ( Gospel of John 19:26-27 )

First please remember that Catholics meditate on Mary only in the light of Christ.

Jesus Christ is the heart of the Church.

It was St. Catherine of Siena, who lived during the fourteenth century, who said that "All the way to heaven is heaven, because Christ is the Way."

Gospel of John 19:26-27

When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing near, He said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

In this passage in the Gospel of John, Jesus dying on the Cross tells "the disciple" to behold his Mother Mary. It seems that Jesus is referring to John, but the actual words are "the disciple."

And so, in that instant, Mary becomes Mother of all disciples of Jesus, including those in our own time who follow Jesus.

To quote Pope John Paul II in his 1987 encyclical Redemptoris Mater, "This is true not only of John, who at that hour stood at the foot of the Cross together with the Mother [of Jesus], but it is also true of every disciple of Christ, of every Christian (45.3)."

Jesus Christ is the heart of Catholic Tradition and Christian life.

Catholics celebrate the Mass, read the Bible, and receive the Seven Sacraments.

In the Mass we share in the one Sacrifice on the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, as we await his Second Coming.

In the Eucharist the Church is as it were at the foot of the cross with Mary.

Receiving Holy Communion with others during the Sacrifice of the Mass brings unity of the Church, the Body of Christ.

Three of our favorite prayers are the Our Father, the Hail Mary (or Ave Maria), and the Rosary.

The Our Father is the prayer of hope given to us by Jesus himself in the Sermon on the Mount, recorded in the Gospel of Matthew [6:9-13].

The Scriptural basis for the Hail Mary is from the Gospel of Luke [1:26-42].

Mary is the Mother of Jesus, the Son of God [Mark 1:1, Acts 9:20, Romans 1:4, 2 Cor 1:19].

As Jesus is both God and man, Mary is the Mother of God [Luke 1:43].

Her intercessory role in the second part of the prayer is based on her mediation at the wedding feast of Cana, recorded in the Gospel of John [2:1-12].

The Rosary is a Biblical account of the life of Jesus.

Mary is our model of Love and Mercy, who intercedes with her Son Jesus for us, her children on earth.

Mary serves as the perfect example of motherhood for our modern world.

Prayer :

We know that God's commandment of love and our vocation to follow Jesus Christ impels us to cooperate in the mission of the Church. Realizing our own weakness, we entrust the renewal of our personal lives and our apostolate to your intercession .

We are confident that through God's mercy and the infinite merits of Jesus Christ, you, who are our Mother, will obtain the strength of the Holy Spirit as you obtained it for the community of the apostles gathered in the upper room.

Therefore, relying on your maternal intercession, we are resolved from this moment on to devote our talents, learning, material resources, our health, sickness and trials, and every gift of nature and grace, for the greater glory of God and the salvation of all.

We wish to carry on those activities which especially promote the catholic apostolate for the revival of faith and love of the people of God and so bring all men and women into the faith of Jesus Christ.And if a time should come when we have nothing more to offer serviceable to this end, we will never cease to pray that there will be one fold and one shepherd, Jesus Christ.

In this way, we hope to enjoy the results of the apostolate of Jesus Christ for all eternity. Amen.

Tragic catholic news : The Defiant Intolerance and Cruelty of the Sodomites

2006-08-16T13:11:00.000+02:00

LEXINGTON, Massachusetts, June 14, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On May 17—the two-year anniversary of same-sex "marriage" in Massachusetts—the first-grade son of a prominent pro-family advocate was dragged and beaten behind the Estabrook Elementary School in Lexington during recess, receiving multiple blows to the chest, stomach, and genital area.

Jacob Parker, the 7-year-old who was attacked, is the son of David Parker. LifeSiteNews.com readers will recall that David Parker objected to homosexual curriculum in his son's kindergarten class. At a meeting with the principal of the school last year Parker requested that the school inform him of when homosexual discussions would take place, so he could exclude his son from the activity. The principal refused and Parker said he would not leave until his request was granted. School administration called the police and had Parker charged with trespassing. (see coverage: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/apr/05042910.html)

Brian Camenker the President of MassResistance, a pro-family group, that has worked with Parker to have the rights of parents in Massachusetts respected told LifeSitenews.com that the school system has since continued to refuse to notify parents of such material being presented in class. On April 27, 2006, Parker, his wife, and another family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the school system.

LifeSiteNews.com spoke with Mr. Parker about the incident. According to Mr. Parker, school authorities determined from an investigation into the assault that the beating was indeed planned and premeditated.

Mr. Parker described the incident at the school saying: "During the recess period, a group of 8-10 kids suddenly surrounded Jacob and grabbed him. He was taken around the corner of the school building out of sight of the patrolling aides, with the taunting and encouragement of other kids. Jacob was then positioned against the wall for what appeared to be a well planned and coordinated assault.”

Parker told LifeSiteNews.com, his son related that one student in particular performed the actual physical assault while, “many children stood, watched silently, and did nothing as the beating commenced.”

Parker added: "The group of kids surrounded Jacob and he was beaten and punched. Then, as he fell to the ground, another child was heard saying to the group of children, 'Now you all can finish him off,' and as he was down on his hands and knees, the beating continued on his back. Then, fortunately, one little girl ran to contact the oblivious playground aides to stop it.

"Four of the attackers were from Jacob's first-grade class; the others were from other classes at Estabrook.

"The teachers' aide apparently determined that since she could not see external bleeding, and since Jacob apparently was not hit in the face, she did not send him to she school nurse."

The family was immediately notified of the incident.

Speaking to LifeSiteNews.com, Parker speculated that the cause of the attack was most likely what he called “displaced aggression.” “If children hear venomous things from their parents, the children do internalize this,” he said.

“I certainly don’t want to vilify the children in this,” he said. “We understand that skirmishes happen on the playground. It’s taking the child around out of view of the aides, and the number of children that stood around watching that concerns us.”

Parker noted that his conflict with the school over homosexuality is well known among the students. "We are aware that the school administration sent notices home with all the young children concerning the Parker arrest, the 'King and King' incident and the federal lawsuit," he said. “They must know that the children read them.”

He pointed out that the date of the attack--the two year aniversary of same-sex "marriage" in Massachusetts--cannot be a coincidence.

The topic of Parker's beliefs has become so widespread among the students that Jacob says he overheard his fellow classmates ruminating that perhaps their current principle—who has resigned her position to take up a job elsewhere—was leaving the job because of Jacob’s father. Members of the community itself have organized public demonstrations specifically against Parker, in which their children have taken part. One of these demonstrations is pictured on the right and below. (photos courtesy of MassResistance.com) While prominently displayed in the student library are the back issues of the Lexington Minuteman that specifically deal with Parker’s case, for the children to read.

“We’re trying to be patient and tolerant," said Parker when asked if he was considering pulling his son out of the school. "We’re trying to hang on to the notion that the schools are for every child and for everyone. I don’t feel that we should have to leave for an injustice.”

But he added that “There are limits to how much patience we can have. I certainly understand why more and more parents are pulling their children out of public schools.”

Ironically, the school prides itself on its long-time involvement in various "Safe School" programs, which are geared to creating school environments "safe" for students who are homosexual.

Parker asked, "Isn't the school supposed to be addressing safety and preventing bullying and violence? Or are such programs only focused on children with homosexual parents? You can be certain that if this happened to a child with homosexual parents more would be made of this and that 'lessons' teaching tolerance and diversity of homosexual behavior normalization would be forced upon the young children."

The school and larger community are deeply divided over the Parker's stand against pro-homosexual indoctrination. A group has been formed in Lexington to counter Parker's efforts. The 'Lexington Cares' group maintains an anti-Parker website and has conducted anti-Parker letter writing campaigns and demonstrations.

Calls to Estabrook school were not returned by press time.

To express your concern to Estabrook school contact:

Estabrook School
117 Grove Street
Lexington, MA
02420 USA

Angelus 15 August 2006

2006-08-16T08:17:00.000+02:00

Here is a translation of the words of the Holy Father at the Angelus today in Castel Gandolfo:

Dear brothers and sisters,

Christian tradition has placed in the heart of summer one of the oldest and most suggestive of Marian feasts, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Just as Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Father, in the same way, Mary, at the end of her earthly existence, was assumed into heaven.

The liturgy today recalls this consoling truth of faith to us, while it sings the praises of she who has been crowned with incomparable glory.

"In Heaven," we read in the passage from Apocalypse that is offered for our meditation today, "a grandiose sign appeared: a woman dressed in the sun, with the moon beneath her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars." (12,1)

The Fathers of the Church recognized Mary in this woman bathed in light. In her triumph, the Christian people - pilgrims through history - see the fulfillment of their expectations and the sure sign of their hope.

Mary is an example and a support for all believers: she encourages us not to lose faith in the face of difficulties and of the inevitable problems of everyday. She assures us of her help and reminds us that the essential thing is to search for and think of "the things above, not of this earth" (cfr Col 3,2).

In the grip of our daily concerns, we risk indeed thinking that the ultimate goal of human existence is here, in this world in which we are only passing through. But it is Paradise that is the true goal of our earthly pilgrimage.

How different our days would be if it was that prospect which animates them! That is the way it was for the saints. Their existence is testimony that when one lives with the heart constantly turned to heaven, earthly realities are lived according to their true value in the scale of things because they are illuminated by the eternal truth of divine love.

To the Queen of Peace, whom we contemplate in her celestial glory, I wish to entrust once more the concerns of mankind about every place in the world that is torn apart by violence.

We join our brothers and sisters who, at this time, are gathered at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa for a eucharistic celebration presided by Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, who went to Lebanon as my special envoy, to bring comfort and concrete solidarity to all the victims of the conflict and to pray for the great goal of peace.

We are also in communion with the priests and the faithful of the Church in the Holy land, who are gathered in the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, along with the Pontifical Representative in Israel and Palestine, Archbishop Antonio Franco, to pray for the same intentions.

My prayers also go to the dear nation of Sri Lanka, threatened once more by a deterioration of ethnic conflict, and to Iraq, where the frightening daily trail of bloodshed makes the prospect for reconciliation and reconstruction seem more remote.

May Mary obtain for all sentiments of mutual understanding, the will towards such understanding, and a desire for concord.

After the Angelus prayers, he said this in English:

I am happy to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for this Angelus. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven.

May the example of her life of obedience to the will of God, recognised by her exaltation into glory, be for all Christians a source of hope and inspiration!

Always remember that

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456, originally uploaded by jade blue.

Meditation on Solemnity of Assumption

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"Bless are you among women and blest is the Fruit of your womb." –Luke 1:42

When God looked at all He had created, He called it "very good" (Gn 1:31). Creation was a masterpiece of perfect harmony. Then we sinned and disfigured the masterpiece. With sin, death entered the world, and we were barred from the tree of life (Gn 3:24).

Jesus hung on a tree (Acts 13:29) to take away the sins of the world and restored life to a deadly world. He restored the masterpiece of creation. Just as Eve began the ruin of creation, Mary began the restoration of the masterpiece. By the grace of her Son, she was sinless, "holy and blameless in His sight" (Eph 1:4), and therefore not subject to death. She is like the original masterpiece of creation. She was "very good," "blessed among women." She is the new Eve, the true "mother of all the living" (Gn 3:20).

This does not glorify Mary at the expense of Jesus. Mary does not take glory away from Jesus anymore than a masterpiece draws attention away from the artist. The Master is praised because of the masterpiece. It focuses attention on the Master. Shout with Mary: "My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord" (Lk 1:46).

PRAYER:

Praise You, Jesus, for the miracle who is Mary! Praise You, Jesus, for a sinless one through whom You, the all-holy One, entered the world.

PROMISE:

"A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars." –Rv 12:1

PRAISE:

Mary was taken body and soul into heaven to join He Who first was glorified. "God Who is mighty has done great things for me, holy is His name" (Lk 1:49).

All-powerful and ever-living God, you raised the sinless Virgin Mary, mother of your Son, body and soul to the glory of heaven. May we see heaven as our final goal and come to share her glory. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns wth you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen

Homily of Pope John Paul II

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At her Assumption, Mary was ``taken up to Life'' - body and soul. She is already a part of ``the first fruits'' (1 Cor 15:20) of our Savior's redemptive Death and Resurrection. The Son took his human life from her; in return he gave her the fullness of communion in Divine Life. She is the only other being in whom the mystery has already been completely accomplished. In Mary the final victory of Life over death is already a reality. And, as the Second Vatican Council reaches: ``In the most holy Virgin the Church has already reached the perfection whereby she exists without spot or wrinkle'' (Lumen Gentium, 65). In and through the Church we too have hope of an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for us''. (cf. I Pt 1:4).

You are blessed, O Mary! Mother of the Eternal Son born of your virgin womb, you are full of grace (cf. Lk 1:28). You have received the abundance of Life (cf. Jn 10:10) as no one else among the descendants of Adam and Eve. As the most faithful ``bearer of the Word'' (cf. Lk 11:28), you not only treasured and pondered this mystery in your heart (cf. Lk 2:19, 51), but you observed it in your body and nourished it by the self-giving love with which you surrounded Jesus throughout his earthly life. As Mother of the Church, you guide us still from your place in heaven and intercede for us. You lead us to Christ, ``the Way, and the Truth. and the Life'' (Jn 14:6), and help us to increase in holiness by conquering sin (cf. Lumen Gentium, 65).

The Liturgy presents you, Mary, as the Woman clothed with the sun (cf. Rev 12:1). But you are even more splendidly clothed with that Divine Light which can become the Life of all those created in the image and likeness of God himself: ``this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it'' (Jn 1:4-5).

O woman clothed with the sun, the youth of the world greet you with so much love; they come to you with all the courage of their young hearts . Denver has helped them to become more conscious of the Life which your Divine Son has brought.

We are all witnesses of this.

These young people now know that Life is more powerful than the forces of death; they know that the Truth is more powerful than darkness; that Love is stronger than death (cf. Song 6:8).

Your spirit rejoices, O Mary,

and our spins rejoices with you

because the Mighty One has done great things for you and for us,

- for all these young people gathered here in Denver -

and holy is his name!

His mercy is from age to age.

We rejoice, Mary,

we rejoice with you, Virgin assumed into heaven.

The Lord has done great things for you!

The Lord has done great things for us!

( http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/jp2/denver17.html )

Pope John Paul II

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The Assumption of Mary is a special sharing in Christ's Resurrection. In today's liturgy St. Paul emphasizes this truth, announcing the joy for the victor over death achieved by Christ through his Resurrection. "For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death" (1 Cor 15:25-26). Victory over death, which became evident on the day of Christ's Resurrection, today concerns his Mother in a very special way. If death has no power over him—that is over the Son—neither has it any more power over his Mother, that is, over her who gave him earthly life.
In his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul as it were makes a profound comment on the mystery of the Assumption. He writes thus: "Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ, the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ" (1 Cor 15:20-23). Mary is the first among "those who belong to Christ". In the mystery of the Assumption, Mary is the first to receive the glory; the Assumption represents as it were the culmination of the Easter mystery.

We greet you, glorious Mother of the Redeemer, Ark of the Covenant, in whom the mystery of Redemption was fulfilled: in you the promise of Emmanuel, God-with-us, became a reality, and God was made our brother.

We greet you, humble Handmaid of the Lord, who gave the Son of God to mankind, and, as the obedient Woman, by your fiat you taught us to accept with docility all that he asks of us.

We greet you Blessed Virgin, who accompanied and followed your divine Son, suffering and crucified, to his death, and at the foot of the Cross became "our Mother", Mother of the Church and of all humanity.

We greet you, Virgin who prayed with the Apostles in the Upper Room: by your intercession for us you obtained the gift of the Holy Spirit, who renews heaven and earth.

We greet you, glorious Virgin, in the mystery of your Assumption into heaven: in you God the Father anticipated what he intends to accomplish at the end of time for all those who die in communion with Jesus Christ, his Son and your Son.

We greet you, Queen of Angels and Saints; you intercede for us from heaven and sustain us on our earthly pilgrimage to the promised land: Keep our faith alive, our hope firm and our love fervent for God and for our brothers and sisters.

In contemplating the mystery of your Assumption O Mary, let us learn to evaluate earthly affairs in the proper light. Help us never to forget that our true and definitive dwelling place is heaven, and support us in our effort to live together here below in ever greater brotherhood and solidarity. Make us workers of justice and peacemakers in the name of Christ, our true peace.

Blessed Virgin, grant that every man and every woman may recognize Jesus, the blessed fruit of your womb, as their own Saviour.

Respect to Holy Mother of God , not workship

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Though English words like 'worship' and 'adoration' are occasionally used to signify only veneration, honor or affection, they are generally understood to refer to that highest type of worship reserved for God alone. In this sense, Catholics do NOT adore or worship Mary, or any other created person or thing.

The Ecumenical Council held at Nicaea in 787 considered the issue of veneration which is not directed to the Divine persons in relation to sacred images. At this Council, the Church taught that the special type of worship called adoration may only be offered to God: Latria from the Greek term for enslavement. However, the Church also acknowledged that certain persons, though only creatures of God, are entitled to honor or veneration of a qualitatively lesser degree than the absolute allegiance owed to God. The Conciliar Fathers termed this lesser devotion: Dulia. Such veneration was proper for Mary and the Saints. In view of Mary's important role in salvation history as Mother of Jesus, the Church recognized that Mary warranted a special degree of honor among the Saints. For this class of devotion, St. Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274) suggested the term hyperdulia.

No, Catholics do not worship Mary, if by worshiping is meant adoring. She is not God for us, has never been and will never be. Addressing prayer to Mary is like asking a dear and close friend for help. Do we make a God of our friend when asking him to keep us in his prayers? Do we divinize him/her when asking for his prayerful support in sickness and the trials of life? Believers on earth and in heaven constitute a living community which the major Christian denominations recognize as the communion of saints. The saints in heaven are not dead. Their Christian example of virtuous living and their closeness to God make of them powerful allies for us struggling mortals. They do not take God's place; they are an expression of his grace.

Likewise, there is nothing in Mary that would not have been in God and come from him. She is a pure creation of God ; this is the essential meaning of Mary's sinlessness. Never forget: if God wanted the exclusively direct relation between him and you and me he would never send Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, never allow scripture to be the foundation of our faith, never encourage his Son to found the Church or institute the sacraments. Christianity is the religion of mediation, essential and foundational in Christ; participative and subordinate in his Church and in varying degrees in the believers .

Prayer to our Lady of the Assumption

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"O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God and Mother of men, we believe with all the fervour of our faith in your triumphal Assumption, both body and soul, into heaven, where you are acclaimed as Queen by all the choirs of angels and all the legions of the saints. And we unite with them to praise and bless the Lord who has exalted you above all other pure creatures, and to offer you the tribute of our devotion and our love.

"We know that your gaze, which on earth, watched over the humble and suffering humanity of Jesus, in heaven is filled with the vision of that humanity glorified, and with the vision of the uncreated Wisdom; the joy of your soul in the direct contemplation of the adorable Trinity causes your heart to throb with overwhelming tenderness. We, poor sinners, weighed down by a body which hinders the flight of the soul, beg you to purify our hearts, so that while we remain here below, we may learn to love God and God alone in the beauty of His creatures.

"We trust that your merciful eyes may deign to look down upon our miseries and our sorrows, upon our struggles and our weaknesses; that your countenance may smile upon our joys and our victories; that you may hear the voice of Jesus saying to you of each one of us, as He once said to you of His beloved disciple: 'Behold thy son.' And we, who call upon you as our Mother, take you, like John, as the guide, strength and consolation of our mortal life.

"And from this earth over which we tread as pilgrims, comforted by our faith in the future resurrection, we look to you, our life, our sweetness and our hope. Draw us onward by the gentleness of your voice, so that one day, after our exile, you may show us Jesus, the Blessed Fruit of your womb, O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary."

(Pope Pius XII)

Assumption meditation in the Glory of Holy Mother of God assumed to Heaven

2006-08-14T23:23:00.000+02:00

The Blessed Virgin Mary, whom we contemplate today assumed body and soul into heaven, reminds us very definitely that our permanent abode is not on earth but in heaven where she, with her divine Son, has preceded us in all the fullness of her human nature. This is the dominant thought in today's liturgy.
"O Almighty and everlasting God, who hast taken up body and soul into heavenly glory the Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of Thy Son: grant, we beseech Thee, that, ever intent upon heavenly things, we may be worthy to be partakers of her glory" (Collect).

The Feast of the Assumption is a strong appeal to us to live "ever intent upon heavenly things", and not to allow ourselves to be carried away by the vicissitudes and seductions of the world. Not only was our soul created for heaven, but also our body, which, after the resurrection, will be welcomed into our heavenly home and admitted to a participation in the glory of the spirit.

Today we contemplate in Mary, our Mother, this total glorification of our humanity. That which has been wholly realized in her, will be realized for us, as well as for all the saints, only at the end of time. This privilege was very fitting for her, the all-pure, the all-holy one, whose body was never touched by even the faintest shadow of sin, but was always the temple of the Holy Spirit, and became the immaculate tabernacle of the Son of God. It is a reminder to us to ennoble our whole life, not only that of the spirit, but also that of the senses, elevating it to the heights of the celestial life which awaits us. "O Mother of God and of men," exclaims Pius XII in his beautiful prayer for the Assumption, "we beg you to purify our senses, so that we may begin to enjoy God here on earth and Him alone, in the beauty of creatures."

2. Mary's Assumption shows us the route we must follow in our spiritual ascent: detachment from the earth, flight toward God and union with God.

Our Lady was assumed body and soul into heaven because She was Immaculate; She was all-pure — free not only from every shadow of sin, but even from the slightest attachment to the things of the earth, so that she "never had the form of any creature imprinted on her soul, nor was moved by such, but was invariably guided by the Holy Spirit" (St John of the Cross, Ascent of Mt Carmel III, 2, 10).

The first requirement for attaining God is this total purity, the fruit of total detachment. The Blessed Virgin, who lived her earthly life in absolute detachment from every created thing, teaches us not to allow ourselves to be captivated by the fascination of creatures, but to live among them, occupying ourselves with them with much charity, but without ever letting our heart become attached to them, without ever seeking our satisfaction in them.

In her Assumption Mary speaks to us of flight toward heaven, toward God. It is not enough to purify our heart from sin and all attachment to creatures, we must at the same time direct it toward God, tending toward Him with all our strength. The Church has us pray in today's Mass, "O Lord, though the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary who was assumed into Heaven, may our hearts, enkindled by the fire of Thy love, continually aspire toward Thee" . Our earthly life has value for eternal life insofar as it is a flight toward God, a continual seeking after Him, a continual adherence to His grace. When this flight fails, the supernatural value of our existence lessens.

Mary has been taken up to heaven because she is the Mother of God. This is the greatest of her privileges, the root of all the others and the reason for them; it speaks to us, in a very special way, of intimate union with God, as the fact of her Assumption speaks to us of the beatific union of heaven. Mary's Assumption thus conforms us in this great and beautiful truth: we are created and called to union with God. Mary herself stretches out her maternal hand to guide us to the attainment of this high ideal. If we keep our eyes fixed on her, we shall advance more easily; she will be our guide, our strength, and our consolation in every trial and difficulty.

~~ author Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D. ~~

Today Meditation : "His mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation"

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Scripture: Luke 1:39-56 (alternate reading: Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14)

39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah,
40 and she entered the house of Zechari'ah and greeted Elizabeth.
41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit
42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy.
45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." 46 And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts,
52 he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away.
54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever."
56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her home.

Meditation:

How strong is your hope in the promises of God? Mary is a model of faith and hope for us. And she is among "the first-fruits" of "all those who belong to Jesus" and who share in his triumph (1 Cor.15:20-24). What enabled Mary to grow in faith and to persevere in hope in the face of obstacles and trials? The Gospel of Luke reveals the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in Mary's life. When Elizabeth and Mary greeted one another they were filled with the Holy Spirit and with a joyful anticipation of the fulfilment of God's promise to give a Savior. John the Baptist, even before the birth of the Messiah, pointed to his coming and leapt for joy in the womb of his mother as the Holy Spirit revealed to him the presence of the King to be born. The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us to enable us to know and experience the indwelling presence of God and the power of his kingdom. The Holy Spirit is the way in which God reigns within each of us. Mary accepted her mission with uncompromising faith and obedience. She acted with unwavering trust and faith because she believed that God would fulfill the word he had spoken. Her great hymn of praise echoes the song of Hannah (see 1 Samuel 2:1-10) and proclaims the favor of the Lord: God exalts the lowly and he fills the hungry. The Holy Spirit is ever ready to renew your faith and hope in God's promises and to make you strong in love for God and your neighbor. Do you live in the joy and confidence of God's indwelling presence with you through his Holy Spirit?
"Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me joy in seeking you more closely. Increase my faith in all your promises, my hope in the joys of heaven, and my love for You as my All."

Psalm 33:2-3,11-12,20-21

2 Praise the LORD with the lyre, make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
3 Sing to him a new song, play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
11 The counsel of the LORD stands for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
20 Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and shield.
21 Yea, our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.

Another Act of Consacration to Immaculate Heart of Mary Queen of Peace

2006-08-14T14:11:00.000+02:00

Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Refuge of the Human Race, Victress in all God's battles, we humbly prostrate ourselves before Thy Throne, confident that we will receive mercy, grace and bountiful assistance and protection in the present calamity not through our own inadequate merits, but solely through the great goodness of thy Maternal Heart.

To thee, to thy Immaculate Heart in this, humanity's tragic hour, we consign and consecrate ourselves in union not only with the Mystical Body of thy Son, Holy Mother Church, now in such suffering and agony in so many places and sorely tried in so many ways, but also with the entire world, torn by fierce strife, consumed in a fire of hate, victim of its own wickedness.

O Mother of Mercy, obtain peace for us from God and above all procure for us those graces which prepare, establish and assure the peace.

Queen of Peace, pray for us and give to the world the peace for which all people are longing, peace in the Truth, Justice and Charity of Christ. Give peace to the nations and to the souls of men, that in the tranquillity of order the Kingdom of God may prevail..

Extend thy protection to the infidels and to all those still in the shadow of death; give them peace and grant that on them also the sun of truth may shine, that they may unite with us in proclaiming before the one and only Saviour of the world "Glory to God in the highest and peace to men of good will."

Give peace to the people separated by error or discord, and especially to those who profess such singular devotion to thee and in whose homes an honoured place was ever accorded thy venerated ikon (today perhaps often kept hidden to await better days): bring them back to the one fold of Christ under the One True Shepherd.

Obtain peace and complete freedom for the Holy Church of God; stay the spreading flood of modern paganism; enkindle in the faithful the love of purity, the practice of the Christian life, and an apostolic zeal, so that the servants of God may increase in merit and in number.

Lastly, as the Church and the entire human race were consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, so that reposing all hope in Him, He might become for them the sign and pledge of victory and salvation; so we in like manner consecrate ourselves forever also to thee and to thy Immaculate Heart, our Mother and Queen, so that thy love and patronage may hasten the triumph of the Kingdom of God and that all nations, at peace with one another and thee, may raise their voices to resound from pole to pole in the chant of the everlasting

Magnificat of glory, love and gratitude to the Heart of Jesus, where alone they can find truth and peace. Amen.

Marian Consecration Prayer of St. Maximiliam Kolbe

2006-08-14T13:54:00.000+02:00

O Immaculata, Queen of Heaven and earth, refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother, God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to you. I, (name), a repentant sinner, cast myself at your feet humbly imploring you to take me with all that I am and have, wholly to yourself as your possession and property. Please make of me, of all my powers of soul and body, of my whole life, death and eternity, whatever most pleases you.

If it pleases you, use all that I am and have without reserve, wholly to accomplish what was said of you: "She will crush your head," and, "You alone have destroyed all heresies in the whole world." Let me be a fit instrument in your immaculate and merciful hands for introducing and increasing your glory to the maximum in all the many strayed and indifferent souls, and thus help extend as far as possible the blessed kingdom of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For wherever you enter you obtain the grace of conversion and growth in holiness, since it is through your hands that all graces come to us from the most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Allow me to praise you, O Sacred Virgin.

Give me strength against your enemies.

Maximillian Kolbe, Apostle of Mary

2006-08-14T13:26:00.000+02:00

St. Maximillian was born in the Poland in 1894 and baptized under the name of Raymond. He entered the novitiate of the Conventual Franciscans in 1910 and given the name of Maximillian. He took his final vows in Rome in 1914 and three years later, organized, with six other confreres, the association of the Meletsia Immaculate, which may be translated, The Militia of the Immaculate Virgin Mary. Whatever else Maximillian never forgot is that we are here on earth in the Church militant. He was ordained in Rome in 1918.
In 1922, he began publishing the magazine, "Knight of the Immaculate," first in Polish and then in other languages. He is an outstanding promoter of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary through the modern media of writing, radio and, since his day, television.
In 1927, he began building a whole town with property donated by a wealthy nobleman, called the "Town of the Immaculate," outside of Warsaw. There he began training people with vocations among the laity and prospective Religious and Priests, to become apostles of Mary. The first Marian Missionaries to Japan were trained in the "Town of the Immaculate." In 1930, Maximillian opened a Marian publication apostolate in Nagasaki, Japan—one of the two cities in Japan which would later be ravaged by a nuclear bomb during the Second World War. As popes have been saying ever since, God chose His most faithful people as a sacrifice to insure future peace in the world.
In 1939, Maximillian was arrested by the Nazis who had taken over Poland. Two years later, in 1941, he died at Auschwitz, the infamous concentration camp. He had been first denied food, but when after some time had passed they looked into his cell, he was still alive. They then inoculated him with deadly poison. Why? Because he offered his life for another man who was chosen in reprisal by the Nazi's for that father of a large family. He was beatified by Pope Paul VI and canonized by Pope John Paul II.

Maximillian's Marian Spirituality

The spirituality of St. Maximillian is based directly on this truth: that the Immaculate Virgin Mary is the Mediatrix of all graces.
That is the first premise of his Marian thinking. If this were not so, Maximillian explains, all our strength and effort in the spiritual life would be in vain. In other words, our spiritual life depends on grace. That's obvious, but it also depends on the grace that we must receive through Mary.
Second, the Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mediatrix of all the graces that any human being receives, believer or unbeliever, Christian or non-Christian, without exception.
Third, our life of grace depends on the nearness of grace that we have to the soul of the Immaculate Mother of God. It is an article of Faith that everyone receives sufficient grace to reach Heaven. But the degree of grace that any person receives—always from Christ but through Mary—depends on the degree of grace which that person, at the time when the grace is needed, is near to, like to, assimilated to the Mother of Jesus. The more Marian we are, the more assurance we have of obtaining grace from Mary's Son through His Mother. That deserves to be memorized.
Fourth, the nearer a person's soul is, to the soul of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the purer that person's soul becomes, the more sinless, the holier that person becomes in his faith, growing in understanding and firmly accepting God's revealed truth. In other words, holiness determines clarity; holiness determines intelligibility; holiness determines certitude in the faith that we already possess. Our faith will grow in the measure of our holiness approximating, at any given point in time, the holiness of Christ's Mother. Correspondingly, the greater becomes that person's virtues—theological and moral. This is a unique insight into Marian spirituality.
Our relationship with Mary, as Mediatrix is normative. Depending on how closely our life of grace approximates Mary's at any given time in our lives, she then becomes the standard of how much grace we are going to receive.
Fifth, Maximillian describes Our Lady in terms of her relationship with the Holy Trinity. The one created person in whom we can best recognize and find reflected the Holy Trinity, is the Blessed Virgin Mary who is the spouse, says Maximillian, of the Holy Trinity.
Everything which God does, outside of His own Trinitarian life—in other words in the created universe of time and eternity—is always done by all three Persons, equally and simultaneously. Having created the world, the apex of the work of the Holy Trinity is the Incarnation and therefore Mary, who had to cooperate with her free human will with the Holy Trinity. Otherwise there would not have been an Incarnation.
Maximillian insists that although Mary is of course a creature, there is one and only one who is the most sublime model that God has created among human persons; one for us to both venerate and imitate, and that is the Immaculate Mother of God.
Sixth, unlike her Son Who is a divine Person, there are not, as the heretical Nestorius claimed, two persons in Christ, human and divine. There are two natures, one Person in Christ. Mary was not divine, but she was as closely united with the Trinity as any human person can be. The key words in Maximillian's Mariology are "human person." The only human person who was as closely united to the Holy Trinity as is absolutely possible, and therefore, the highest reflection of the love of the Holy Trinity; the most perfect human, living, visible, audible human being is the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Seventh, St. Maximillian spoke of the human soul as going with Mary to Christ, not going to Christ from Mary. He avoided that preposition of relationship.
Eighth, he stressed the importance of every Catholic consecrating him or herself to Mary and he added that this could be done in one of a variety of ways. "We can consecrate ourselves to the Immaculate one in various ways," he said, "and express our consecration in different words or different forms. In fact, a simple act of the will would be enough for that really is the essence of such a Marian consecration."
However, he did provide one formula as follows: "My Immaculate Queen of heaven and earth, refuge of sinners and Mother most loving; you to whom God entrusted the entire order of mercy. I am an unworthy sinner. I cast myself at your feet, humbly pleading that you ordain to accept me completely and totally as your property and possession and do with me, and all my powers of body and soul, and with all my life and death and eternity, whatever is pleasing to you."
Ninth, for St. Maximillian Kolbe, the outward sign of consecration to Mary was to wear, or at least carry, the Miraculous Medal. He explained, this is not absolutely essential, but then he added, "it is the integral sign and condition for our consecration."
Tenth, the most effective means of conversion is through Mary. His great hope was that the missionary evangelization and conversion apostolate of the Catholic Church into the future would be placed into the hands of Mary. He predicted that after 2000 years, only a fraction of the human race would even be nominally Christian. He said, "we need Mary for the conversion of sinners, for the bringing of tepid souls to sanctity, for bringing the millions of non-Christians to Christ.

Conditions For Conversion

St. Maximillian saw the prospects of converting sinners to a life of grace under two conditions.
First, we will be as effective converters (or evangelizers or missionaries) as we are personally devoted to Our Lady.
Secondly, we must, if necessary, make drastic changes in our approach to those whom we want to bring to Christ or to a closer following of Mary's Son. We must promote our missionary and conversion zeal through promoting the knowledge, love and devotion to the Mother of God. Mary will do wonders, provided we use her name and her influence to effect what is so desperately needed in the modern world.
Given this logic, that Mary is the key to converting the world to her Son, St. Maximillian not only named but organized his special followers as the Militia or "Army of the Immaculate" following, as he said, on the promise that Yahweh had made in Genesis: that Mary would crush the serpent's head.

St. Maximillian Kolbe, zealous promoter of the veneration of the Immaculate Mother of God and martyr of charity, pray for us.

Today is the Feast of one of my Heroes : Saint Maximilian Kolbe

2006-08-14T12:04:00.000+02:00

My hero is Maximilian Kolbe. My hero died in the darkest days of World War II as an inmate of a death camp. Some people were chosen to be put to death for some trivial infractions. Maximilian Kolbe, a Catholic priest, offered to take the place of a man who had a family and stepped forward. Heroism is like that, a simple stepping forward. Colonel Travis at the Alamo drew a line in the sand and asked all who were with him to step over the line and join him. They did. Jim Bowie, on a stretcher was carried over. Men like Maximilian Kolbe shine forth like beacons during mankind's darkest moments.

"No one in the world can change truth.
What we can do and should do is seek it and serve it when it is found."

Maximilian Kolbe is remembered for his heroic actions during one of the cruelest periods of modern history.
Raymond Kolbe was born in Russian-occupied Poland on January 8, 1894 into a Catholic family and remained a devoted follower of Catholicism. In 1907 he joined an order of Friars in Austrian-occupied Poland and adopted the name Maximilian.

Father Kolbe became director of Poland's chief Catholic publishing complex, which published both a monthly magazine with a circulation of about one million and a daily paper with a circulation of about 125,000.

As Kolbe grew older, his health, which had never been strong, deteriorated. He was racked by violent headaches and covered with abscesses; but these were small problems when compared with what was yet to come.

In 1910, he entered the Conventual Franciscan Order. In 1912 Kolbe went to Rome, where he studied theology and philosophy at the Pontifical Gregorian University. In 1917 he founded the sodality (devotional association) of the Militia of Mary Immaculate, and was ordained a priest in 1918, taking the name Maximilian.

During the 1920’s Father Kolbe built a friary just west of Warsaw, the City of Mary Immaculate (Niepokalanów), which eventually housed 762 Franciscans. It became Poland’s chief Catholic publishing complex, printing eleven periodicals including a daily newspaper, The Little Daily, with a circulation of 230,000 and a monthly journal, The Knight of Mary Immaculate (Rycerz Niepokalanej), with a circulation of over one million. To better “win the world for the Immaculata,” the friars utilized the most modern printing and administrative techniques. This enabled them to publish countless catechetical and devotional tracts. Father Kolbe served both as superior of the City of Mary Immaculate and director of the publishing complex. Father Kolbe soon added a radio station and planned to build a movie studio.

After travel to Asia, where he founded similar friaries in Nagasaki and India, and envisioned similar missionary centers worldwide, Father Kolbe was recalled in 1936 to supervise the original friary near Warsaw. When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, he knew that his monastery would be seized, and sent most of the friars home. The Gestapo ransacked the City of Mary Immaculate and arrested Father Kolbe with about 40 other friars. They were sent to a holding camp in Germany, then to one in Poland.

On December 8, 1939, the Gestapo released Father Kolbe. He returned to the City of Mary Immaculate, where he and the other friars began to organize a shelter for three thousand Polish refugees, including two thousand Jews. The friars shared everything they had with the refugees. They housed, fed and clothed them, and brought all their machinery into use in their service.

Father Kolbe’s sheltering of these two thousand Jews aroused the Nazis to full fury. To incriminate him, the Gestapo permitted one final printing of the “Knight of Mary Immaculate” in December of 1940. It was in this issue that Father Maximilian wrote: “The real conflict is inner conflict. Beyond armies of occupation and the catacombs of concentration camps, there are two irreconcilable enemies in the depth of every soul: good and evil, sin and love. And what use are victories on the battle-field if we ourselves are defeated in our innermost personal selves?”

On February 17, 1941, Father Maximilian was again arrested, this time on charges of aiding Jews and the Polish underground. Gestapo officers who were shown around the whole monastery were astonished at the small amount of food prepared for the brothers. Father Maximilian was sent to the infamous Pawiak prison in German Occupied Warsaw, and was singled out for special ill-treatment.

On May 28, 1941 the Nazis closed the the City of Mary Immaculate and took Father Kolbe, with four of his companions, to Auschwitz, where he died.

Heroic Sacrifice
At Auschwitz, after a prisoner escaped, the Nazis chose ten men to be killed. When Franciszek Gajowniczek, protested that he had a wife and children, Father Kolbe stepped forward and offered to replace Gajowniczek among those killed. Father Kolbe was thrown into a starvation bunker, where he taught the Catholic faith to the others in the bunker and prayed with them as they died one by one. After two weeks, Father Kolbe remained alive. Finally, on August 14, 1941 the Nazis injected phenol into his veins, killing him at last. Franciszek Gajowniczek survived and told the story of Father Kolbe’s heroic sacrifice to everyone he could until his death in 1997.

Father Maximilian was a fervent advocate of devotion to the Virgin Mary and a ground-breaking theologian. His insights into the Immaculate Conception anticipated the Marian theology of the Second Vatican Council and further developed the Church’s understanding of Mary as “Mediatrix” of all the graces of the Trinity, and as “Advocate” for God’s people.

On Oct. 17, 1971, Father Kolbe was beatified by Pope Paul VI, the first Nazi victim to be proclaimed blessed by the Roman Catholic church. On October 10, 1982, Pope John Paul II canonized him, proclaiming also that he was to be venerated as a martyr.

St. Maximilian Kolbe is considered a patron of journalists, families, prisoners, the pro-life movement and the chemically addicted.

St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us !

Prayer to our Lady of the Assumption

2006-08-14T01:33:00.000+02:00

Prayer to our Lady of the Assumption
By Pope Pius XII. Nov. /. 1950. address in st. Peter's Square

O Immaculate Virgin. Mother of God and Mother of men, we believe with all the fervor of our faith in Thy triumphal Assumption both in body and in soul into heaven where Thou are acclaimed as Queen by all the choirs of angels and all the legions of saints; we unite with them to praise and bless the Lord who has exalted Thee above all other pure creatures and to offer Thee the tribute of our devotion and our love.

We know that Thy gaze, which on earth watched over the humble and suffering humanity of Jesus, in heaven is filled with the vision of that humanity glorified and with the vision of uncreated Wisdom, and that the joy of Thy soul in the direct contemplation of the adorable Trinity causes Thy heart to throb with overwhelming tenderness; and we, poor sinners whose body weighs down the flight of the soul, beg Thee to purify our hearts so that while we remain below, we may learn to see God and God alone in the beauties of His creatures.

We trust that Thy merciful eyes may deign to gaze down upon our miseries and anguish, upon our struggles and our weaknesses; that Thy countenance may smile upon our joys and our victories; that Thou may hear the voice of Jesus saying to Thee of each one of us, as He once said to Thee of His Beloved Disciple: "Behold Thy son," and we who call upon Thee as our Mother, we, like John, take Thee as the guide, strength and consolation of our mortal life.

We are inspired by the certainty that Thy eyes, which wept over the earth crimsoned by the blood of Jesus, are yet turned toward this world racked by wars and persecutions, the oppression of the just and the weak. From the shadows of this vale of tears, we seek in Thee heavenly assistance, tender mercy, comfort for our aching hearts, and help in the trials of Church and country.

We believe finally that in the glory where Thou reign, clothed with the sun and crowned with stars, Thou are, after Jesus, the joy and gladness of all the angels and the saints, and from this earth, over which we tread as pilgrims, comforted by our faith in the future resurrection, we look to Thee our life, our sweetness, our hope; draw us onward with the sweetness of Thy voice, so that one day, after our exile, Thou may show us Jesus, the blessed fruit of Thy womb.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary .

Amen

A Saint A day

2006-08-13T16:00:00.000+02:00

AUGUST 13ST. PONTIAN and ST. HIPPOLYTUS

A man named Maximinus became the emperor of Rome in 235. Almost immediately, he began a persecution of the Christians. One of the frequent punishments of bishops and priests was to be sent into exile to the dangerous and unhealthy mine fields in Sardinia, Italy. It was this very persecution that joined the two martyrs celebrated today.
St. Pontian became pope after the death of Urban I in the year 230. When Maximinus became emperor, Pontian served the Church with his sufferings in the mines of Sardinia.
The other saint on today's calendar is St. Hippolytus. He was a priest and a scholar in the church of Rome. He wrote many excellent works of theology and was a great teacher. Hippolytus had become frustrated with Pope St. Zephyrinus, who had been martyred in the year 217. Hippolytus felt that the pope had not been quick enough to stop people who were teaching errors. St. Zephyrinus' successor had been St. Callistus I. Hippolytus had not been pleased with the choice of the new pope. Hippolytus himself had a large following, and he gave in to their suggestion that he be appointed pope. So he agreed. He broke ties with the Church and became a false pope. When the persecution began, he was arrested and sent to Sardinia. There in that sad environment, while the enemies of Christianity laughed, a miracle of healing took place.Pope Pontian and Hippolytus met in exile. The priest was touched by the humility of the pope. He asked to return to the Church and felt the anger lifted from his heart.
Pope Pontian understood the priest and loved him. He realized their need to help and encourage each other in their love for Jesus. Both became martyrs and remain for all time witnesses of forgiveness and Christian hope.
Let us pray today for healing and reconciliation between all people.

Today meditation : The Bread of Eternal Life

2006-08-13T14:04:00.000+02:00

All who listen with humility and an open heart to the prophets and the Father will be drawn by the Father’s love to Jesus.

John 6:41-51
The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven," and they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, ´I have come down from heaven´?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."

Prayer:
Give me ears to hear your voice, Lord, and open my heart to receive your word of life. Renew in my soul a spirit of faith to grasp all that you say to me today. Let me embrace it without reserve

Lord, give me faith to believe that you are the Bread of Life, that in your word and in your body are my hope of eternal life. May I never waver in my hope and let me never be parted from you .

1. Faith Is Free for the Pure of Heart.
Sometimes we think that had we only lived in Jesus’ day it would have been so much easier to believe. But this passage makes it clear not only that is faith a gift, but that to believe we must have certain dispositions of the heart. Those who murmur against Jesus are closing themselves off to the gift of faith since the Father does not force our freedom. But all who listen with humility and an open heart to the prophets and the Father will be drawn by the Father’s love to Jesus. Today we need these same dispositions. Without them, what God reveals will seem too difficult to accept or live out. It may even appear absurd to our human way of reasoning. We need to be less sure of ourselves and more dependent on listening to what God is saying to us in order to receive the gift of faith.

2. Bread That Was Less Filling.
The manna which sustained the Israelites in the desert was a foreshadowing of the Eucharist. God fed his people with manna throughout their long journey to the Promised Land. Yet that bread did not give eternal life; indeed the Israelites rebelled and complained and fell into sin again and again. They were looking more for their material comfort and satisfaction in this world than for the hope and joy that comes from being led by God to a new life. In the Eucharist, God feeds us with the Bread of Eternal Life, leading us through the journey of this life to an entirely new life in him. Let us renew our faith in the True Bread that gives us life.

3. I’m Gonna Live Forever.
Eternal life begins now for those who believe that Jesus is the Bread of Life. Through faith in the Eucharist, we enter into a new life that is qualitatively different than a life seeking only pleasure and comfort within the material confines of our limited existence. Ultimately, human life -- even the richest, most successful, and most powerful -- becomes a gray monotony unless there is hope in something new and greater than this existence here below. To live forever is not simply to go on endlessly in time. It is to enter into a new dimension, into a life in God, who is our true fulfillment and peace.

This day thought to Jesus : Lord, give me always this Bread of Life. Open my heart and soul to long for the new life that only you can bring me through the Eucharist. Give me the humility and simplicity to listen to you and to believe that you have the words of eternal life.

Resolution: I will spend time before the Blessed Sacrament to read over all of Chapter Six of St John’s Gospel (Jesus’ discourse on the Bread of Life). I will ask the Holy Spirit to deepen my faith in the Eucharist as the center of my life.

Have a blessed Sunday

2006-08-13T13:42:00.000+02:00

sparkly k, originally uploaded by .serena..

Best wishes for all passing through this journal .
God bless each one of you !

Today encouragement

2006-08-12T15:32:00.000+02:00

Freedom

I ask the God of all mercies
And the Father of all consolations,
To send the Spirit.
To free me to see all the good about me.
To be taken up in the freedom God wants me to enjoy.

Today meditation : Don’t Stop Believing

2006-08-12T15:14:00.000+02:00

How often do we limit the power of God’s love in our lives?

Matthew 17:14-20

A man came up to Jesus, knelt down before him, and said, "Lord, have pity on my son, for he is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him." Jesus said in reply, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him here to me." Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him, and from that hour the boy was cured. Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, "Why could we not drive it out?" He said to them, "Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ´Move from here to there,´ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Introductory Prayer:

Loving Father, I humbly approach you this morning with confidence in your mercy and love. Help me to live this day in your presence and stay united to your Son, my Lord, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Petition:

Lord, I believe. Increase my faith.

1. Keep Your Eyes on the Prize.

Although the disciples had been able to drive out demons in the past, they were not able to drive out this one. It’s safe to say that they were intimidated by the apparent power of this particular demon. They were focusing on their limited personal experiences and on the episodes they had in the past with weaker demons. They didn’t think they could exorcize such an apparently awful demon. Jesus rebukes them for their lack of faith. How often do we limit the power of God’s love in our lives? How often do we take our eyes off of Christ and focus on the obstacles in our path or our personal weaknesses? Do you find yourself arguing for your weaknesses? Argue for your weaknesses, and they’ll be yours.

2. The Faith That Can Move Mountains.

What is Jesus talking about? How can my faith move mountains? This is certainly a puzzling statement from our Lord. Christ is trying to remind us about the nature of faith. Faith is a gift from God. It is one of the theological virtues that we receive at baptism. We have to thank God for this gift and learn to appreciate it by living it. Along these lines, you could say that faith is like a muscle. We have to exercise our faith so that it grows and becomes sturdy and resilient. Ultimately, by believing all that God has revealed to us and committing ourselves to God, we should seek to know, love, and fulfill God’s will in our lives. He has a great plan for all of us; and if that plan includes moving mountains and converting thousands of souls, then we can be sure that we will be given all that we need to succeed.

3. With God All Things Are Possible.

We have all been amazed in our lives. We have all seen things that we never expected to witness. Perhaps, you have even seen or personally experienced a miracle. Now, think of a particular unfortunate or frustrating circumstance in your life that you don’t believe will ever change. Perhaps, you or a loved one is suffering from an addiction. Perhaps, your marriage is on the brink of divorce. Nothing has seemed to work. You don’t think anybody can help you. Have you tried prayer? Have you persevered in your prayer, or have you put up roadblocks to the grace of God? Have you said, “I can’t do it” or “He or she won’t change”? Don’t discount the grace of God. Keep praying and don’t stop believing.

Dialogue with Christ:

Jesus, I believe that with you I can do all things. Increase my faith. Help my unbelief. Don’t let me give in to discouragement or self-pity. Grant me the grace of a living, active, and luminous faith that will help me persevere until I die, amid the difficulties and struggles that the faithful fulfillment of God’s plan will demand of me.

Resolution:

I will persevere in my prayer for an intention that is particularly grueling.

Night Prayer

2006-08-11T00:13:00.000+02:00

We commend our spirit into God's hands.

"There was a rich man whose land produced an abundant harvest. He said to himself, 'I will tear down my barns and build larger ones to store all my grain. I have ample goods stored up for years to come.'
But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded of you.' So it will be for the one who stores up treasure for himself on earth, but is not rich in what matters to God."
Luke 12: 16-21

If we were to pass from this life tonight, we would soon be forgotten. Only those to whom we have done good would remember us, and they are few. That we are given another day on this earth is not to be taken for granted. We would do well to ponder the lessons of this day, and to listen anew to God's voice, so that tomorrow we may walk with God in faith and holiness.

"Lord, in the quiet hour before sleep I turn to you. I reflect on this day, on what I have done, and what I have failed to do.
If I have done any good today, it was when I gave myself up to your will, and allowed you to work in me. All my efforts would be in vain, were it not for the few that had their beginning in you, and that you brought to completion.

I acknowledge the failings of this day: misdeeds I have done, words I have spoken that cannot be taken back, opportunities for good that I have let pass. I do not take for granted your mercy to me. I acknowledge that I do not deserve it. But you have shown me in countless ways the greatness of your love. And so I commend myself to your mercy, and ask forgiveness for my sins.

I do not fear the night, for you are with me. I place my trust in you, and I commend my spirit into your care."

Amen

Daily catholic news : Lebanon, peace still possible, Holy Father insists

2006-08-10T11:45:00.000+02:00

Aug. 09 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) voiced his growing dismay at the continued warfare in Lebanon during his weekly public audience on August 9.
At the conclusion of his prepared remarks on the apostolic tradition (see today's separate CWN headine story), the Holy Father told the 6,000 people attending his Wednesday audience that "my thoughts, full of sorrow, are turning again to the beloved region of the Middle East." He insisted that is "still possible to change the course of events" in the Middle East.
The Pope again gave his support to efforts to obtain an immediate ceasefire, and talks aimed at achieving "a just and lasting solution." Citing the worlds of Pope Paul VI, in his 1965 speech to the UN, the he said: "If you want to be brothers, let your weapons fall from your hands."
Pope Benedict reiterated his call for all of the faithful to join in prayers for a quick resolution of the conflict, saying: "I renew my call to everyone, to intensify their prayers for the gift of peace."
Since the outbreak of the war in Lebanon 29 days ago, the Pontiff has made a point of calling for an end to the fighting-- and begging prayers for peace-- every time he has spoken in public.

Prayer of the day

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Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need. (Ps 112)

August 10, 2006

Lord Jesus, today we celebrate the feast of St. Lawrence who spent his life in the service of the poor. We know that the poor will always be with us and St. Lawrence knew this so well in his life that he gave his life in loving service and in doing your work. May we be attentive to those around us who are poor and render service to helping them with their needs. We ask this in your name. Amen

Father, you called Saint Lawrence to serve you by love and crowned his life with glorious martyrdom. Help us to be like him in loving you and doing your work. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever

Amen

I believe in The Holy Catholic Church

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I'm sharing from Catechism of the Catholic Church ,United States Conference of Catholic Bishops :

Cathehism of The Catholic Church

Pray for us most Holy Mother of God

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Mary's altar, originally uploaded by jade blue.

... that we shall be made worthy for the promises of Christ

Holy Assumption

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Meditation on Holy Mary's Assumption

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The Meaning of the Assumption is that of a culmination and a new beginning.

With the Assumption, the promises of the Lord were fulfilled for Mary, and as always, beyond all expectation. Her glorification in body and soul results from divine graciousness and gracefulness. But it also came, so to speak, as the logical conclusion of her vocation on earth and the way she lived it. Her divine motherhood is in perfect harmony with her Assumption, as are her Immaculate Conception and perpetual virginity, both called for by her vocation as Godbearer. How could the body of her in whom "the Word was made flesh" to save the flesh have known the corruption of the grave? Or the body of her who totally escaped the power of sin? And the body of her who, by her virginal consecration, belonged to her Son and His mission in a perfect and exclusive way?

If anyone has "followed Christ" to the utmost, without the least failing, it is Mary. How, then, could He not but gather her with Him, body and soul, to the glory to which the Cross is the way and the portal? What other "recompense" could be imagined for Mary than this immediate and total participation in the life of the Risen Lord?

Yet, this personal culmination of Mary's experience is at the same time a new beginning. Mary is now in eternal life. This means the joy and blessedness that comes from loving and beholding the God who is Light, Life and Love. It also means the fullness of communion with all who love God, with all whom God loves. And God loves everything he has made, creation being the effect of his love. But though the blessedness of eternal life is true of all elect in heaven, it is true of Mary in a very special way, not only by reason of the perfection of her glory, but also because her Assumption enables her even now to live her blessedness in the fullness of her glorified humanity.

And it does not mark the end of "service." On the contrary, her service could now assume its universal dimensions: "Taken up to heaven"--as Vatican II reminds us--"she did not lay aside her salvific duty ... By her maternal love she cares for the brethren of her son who still journey on earth" (CG62)." Yes, Mary is now in a position to exercise fully her "motherhood in the order of grace," without interruption until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect (LG62). And it is not immaterial, here as always, that Mary's maternal love for us engages not only her soul but all the powers of her human nature lifted up to glory.

And so, the Assumpta becomes the Mother of the New World, and in an even deeper sense, the mother of the fullness of times marking, according to John Paul II, "the moment when, with the entrance of the eternal into time, time itself is redeemed, and being filled with the mystery of Christ becomes definitively salvation time."

The Church's often rugged journey happens and evolves, in the "fullness of time." "She proceeds along the path already trodden by the Virgin Mary, who advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and loyally persevered in her union with her son unto the cross and beyond." This "fullness of time" exorcises the many doomsday scenarios of the day and we can be sure, that where Mary--the true "Morning Star"--preceeds, there is safe conduct for the pilgrim humanity and, above all, there will come the glorious rising of the "Sun of Justice."

To all the Cassandras of Apocalypse and all the Sirens of Aquarius and Pisces, Mary proposes her own song, that is, the joyful awareness that God is the saving truth, that he is the source of every gift and also of the loving preference for the poor and the humble. And so the Magnificat becomes a manifesto of hope, an efficacious antidote against the destructive and corrosive "Zeitgeist."

Mary, Mother of the New World and Mother of the Fullness of Times is at our side on this Pilgrimage toward the beginning of a new Millennium. In 1620, early Spanish settlers built a chapel in St. Augustine, Florida, and dedicated it to New World Mothers under the title of Nuestra Señora de la Leche y Buen Parto (Our Nursing Mother of Happy Delivery). The shrine houses a small replica of Spain's most prized Madonna, Our Lady of La Leche. She will deliver and nurse us. The kinship of faith that unites us with our Mother "in the order of grace" takes its quality and strength in part from the fact that Mary's glorified heart is immersed in God's grace.

Precisely, to be immersed in God's grace with her is both delivery and nursing for all of us. On this memorable day let us greet the Assumption as the true Mother of the New World in Christ and let us wish each other a happy delivery into the fullness of times, our own and that of all faithful Marian pilgrims.

Assumption meditation

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Prayerful Reflections on the Assumption

St. Alphonsus de Liguori is one among the Saints who writes that Mary died for sheer longing and love of the Savior. Below is a quotation from his seventh discourse, "The Assumption of Mary":

"And now death came; not indeed clothed in mourning and grief, as it does to others, but adorned with light and gladness. But what do we say? Why speak of death? Let us rather say that divine love came, and cut the thread of that noble life. And as a light, before going out, gives a last and brighter flash than ever, so did this beautiful creature, on hearing her Son's invitation to follow him, wrapped in the flames of love, and in the midst of her loving sighs, give a last sigh of still more ardent love, and breathing forth her soul, expired. Thus was that great soul, that beautiful dove of the Lord, loosened from the bands of this life; thus did she enter into the glory of the blessed, where she is now seated, and will be seated, Queen of Paradise, for all eternity." Glories, p. 420

Let us now consider how our Savior went forth from heaven to meet his Mother. On first meeting her, and to console her, he said: Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come, for winter is now past and gone. (Liguori uses the imagery from the Song of Songs 2:10) Come, my own dear Mother, my pure and beautiful dove; leave that valley of tears, in which, for my love, you have suffered so much. Come from Lebanon, my spouse, come from Lebanon, come: You shall be crowned.(Songs of Songs 4:8) Come in, soul and body, to enjoy the reward of your holy life. If your sufferings have been great on earth, far greater is the glory which I have prepared for you in heaven. Enter, then, that kingdom, and take your seat near me; come to receive that crown which I will bestow on you as Queen of the universe. Glories, p. 427

The humble and holy Virgin, then kneeling, adored the divine Majesty, and all absorbed in the consciousness of her own nothingness, thanked him for all the graces bestowed upon her by his pure goodness, and especially for having made her the Mother of the Eternal Word. And then let him who can, comprehend with what love the Most Holy Trinity blessed her. Let him comprehend the welcome given to his daughter by the Eternal Father, to his Mother by the Son, to his spouse by the Holy Spirit. The Father crowned her by imparting his power to her; the Son, his wisdom; the Holy Spirit, his love.
Liguori continues by asking us to rejoice with Mary because God exalted her in such a way. But the saint also invites us to rejoice on our own account, "for though our Mother is no longer present with us on earth ... yet in affection she us always with us." (Glories, p. 436)

Our Lady fell asleep at last after the years of living with St. John and waiting for Heaven, and all the Apostles were gathered about her bed. Except St. Thomas. He was off in India preaching the Gospel and couldn't get back on time, although an angel is supposed to have told him to hurry. The Apostles carried her body to the tomb and laid it there, and some time afterward they discovered that it was gone. They naturally concluded that it had been taken to Heaven (as indeed it had). Then St. Thomas came home; and when they went out to meet him and to explain, he would not believe. He would not believe, the legend says, until he had seen for himself. So they took him to see where they had laid Our Lady's body and in its place were flowers. Looking up, St. Thomas saw her going up to Heaven; and to convince him at last, an angel brought the girdle she had fastened about her robe and dropped it to Thomas.
It is a pretty story and parts of it are true, but frankly we doubt that St. Thomas had doubts again. You don't do that sort of thing twice, not after our very Lord said to you: "You are a doubting Thomas. Come here."
What is true is that Our Lady fell asleep. The word death is not used for Our Lady, because death is the consequence of original sin and a punishment for sin, and Our Lady was without the slightest taint of sin. She would not, need not, have died, but merely waited for her divine Son to will that it was her time for Heaven, and then yield up her soul. We would have accomplished it this way instead of through death if God's original plan had been permitted to unfold. But instead of God's original plan, we had Adam's original sin, and that is how death came in its stead.
Mary was assumed into Heaven, and now that it is declared dogma we must believe it. At the end of Masses and after Benediction when we say the Divine Praises, we now add in praise of Our Lady: "Blessed be her glorious Assumption," which is what we catholic and ortodox faithful celebrate .

August : A Time To Persevere

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August is often considered the transitional month in our seasonal calendar.
It is the time of the year we begin to wind-down from our summer travels and vacations and prepare for Autumn — back to school, fall festivals, harvest time, etc.
The Church in her holy wisdom has provided a cycle of events in its liturgical year which allow the faithful to celebrate the major feasts in the life of Christ and Mary.
Most notably, during August, we celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration and the feast of the Assumption.
The days of summer have provided a welcome change of pace. We have to persevere in prayers and faith .
However, while vacations afford us the time to relax and refresh, the change of habits and routines can also have a negative impact on our spiritual lives. As if to re-ignite us, the Church offers us in the plethora of August feasts vivid examples of the virtue of perseverance: six martyrs — two who are named in Canon I of the Mass and two who were martyred during World War II; seven founders of religious congregations, as well as three popes and two kings; the apostle, St. Bartholomew; the great Doctor of the Church, St. Augustine and St. Monica, his mother; the humble patron saint of parish priests, St. John Vianney, and the patron of deacons, St. Lawrence, who joked with his executioners while being roasted alive.
It is never too late to begin — as the life of the reformed sinner, St. Augustine teaches us — nor too difficult to begin again, as demonstrated by the conversion of the martyr, St. Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein). We present-day members of the Mystical Body are certain of the reward to which we are called, for Christ’s Transfigured body (August 6) is a preview of that glory. Moreover, in the Assumption of his Mother (August 15), Our Lord has demonstrated his fidelity to his promise. Her privilege is "the highest fruit of the Redemption" and "our consoling assurance of the coming of our final hope — the glorification which is Christ’s" (Enchiridion on Indulgences).
The Blessed Virgin Mary is the most perfect example of Christian perseverance, but she is also our advocate in heaven where she is crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth (August 22). Mary is the "Mother of Perpetual Help", the patroness of the Congregation founded by St. Alphonsus Ligouri (August 1). "No one who has fled to her protection is left unaided" is the claim of the Memorare of St. Bernard (August 20). Heretics have returned to the faith by the prayers of her Rosary, first preached by St. Dominic (August 8) in the twelfth Century, and hearts have been converted by the graces received while wearing her Miraculous Medal, promoted by St. Maximillian Kolbe (August 14) and adopted as the "badge" for the Pious Union he founded.
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope!

Today 9 August :Memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, virgin and martyr

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St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, virgin and martyr

"For the honour of the Blessed Trinity, the exaltation of the Catholic faith and the fostering of the Christian life, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and our own, after due deliberation and frequent prayers for the divine assistance, and having sought the counsel of our Brother Bishops, we declare and define that Bl. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Edith Stein, is a saint and we enrol her among the saints, decreeing that she is to be venerated in the whole Church as one of the saints. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit".

With these solemn words pronounced in Latin on Sunday, 11 October, Pope John Paul II canonized St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Edith Stein, a Jewish philosopher, convert to the Catholic faith, Carmelite nun and martyr at Auschwitz. The canonization took place during a solemn concelebrated Mass in St Peter's Square. After the Gospel text (Jn 4: 19-24) was chanted in Latin and Greek, the Holy Father gave the following homily in Italian and German.

1. "Far be it from me to glory except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal 6: 14). St Paul's words to the Galatians, which we have just heard, are well suited to the human and spiritual experience of Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, who has been solemnly enrolled among the saints today. She too can repeat with the Apostle: Far be it from me to glory except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Cross of Christ! Ever blossoming, the tree the Cross continues to bear new fruits of salvation. This is why believers look with confidence to the Cross, drawing from its mystery of love the courage and strength to walk faithfully in the footsteps of the crucified and risen Christ. Thus the message of the Cross has entered the hearts of so many men and women and changed their lives. The spiritual experience of Edith Stein is an eloquent example of this extraordinary interior renewal. A young woman in search of the truth has become a saint and martyr through the silent workings of divine grace: Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, who from heaven repeats to us today all the words that marked her life: "Far be it from me to glory except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ".

2. On 1 May 1987, during my Pastoral Visit to Germany, I had the joy of beatifying this generous witness to the faith in the city of Cologne. Today, 11 years later, here in Rome, in St Peter's Square, I am able solemnly to present this eminent daughter of Israel and faithful daughter of the Church as a saint to the whole world. Today, as then, we bow to the memory of Edith Stein, proclaiming the indomitable witness she bore during her life and especially by her death. Now alongside Teresa of Avila and Thérèse of Lisieux, another Teresa takes her place among the host of saints who do honour to the Carmelite Order. Dear brothers and sisters who have gathered for this solemn celebration, let us give glory to God for what he has accomplished in Edith Stein.
We remember all concentration camp victims with respect

3. I greet the many pilgrims who have come to Rome, particularly the members of the Stein family who have wanted to be with us on this joyful occasion. I also extend a cordial greeting to the representatives of the Carmelite community, which became a "second family" for Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. I also welcome the official delegation from the Federal Republic of Germany, led by Helmut Kohl, the outgoing Federal Chancellor, whom I greet with heartfelt respect. Moreover, I greet the representatives of the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate and the Mayor of Cologne. An official delegation has also come from my country, led by Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek. I extend a cordial greeting to them. I would particularly like to mention the pilgrims from the Dioceses of Wroclaw (Breslau), Cologne, Münster, Speyer, Kraków and Bielsko-Zywiec who have come with their Cardinals, Bishops and pastors. They join the numerous groups of the faithful from Germany, the United States of America and my homeland, Poland.

4. Dear brothers and sisters! Because she was Jewish, Edith Stein was taken with her sister Rosa and many other Catholic Jews from the Netherlands to the concentration camp in Auschwitz, where she died with them in the gas chambers. Today we remember them all with deep respect. A few days before her deportation, the woman religious had dismissed the question about a possible rescue: "Do not do it! Why should I be spared? Is it not right that I should gain no advantage from my Baptism? If I cannot share the lot of my brothers and sisters, my life, in a certain sense, is destroyed". From now on, as we celebrate the memory of this new saint from year to year, we must also remember the Shoah, that cruel plan to exterminate a people a plan to which millions of our Jewish brothers and sisters fell victim. May the Lord let his face shine upon them and grant them peace (cf. Nm 6: 25f.). For the love of God and man, once again I raise an anguished cry: May such criminal deeds never be repeated against any ethnic group, against any race, in any corner of this world! It is a cry to everyone: to all people of goodwill; to all who believe in the Just and Eternal God; to all who know they are joined to Christ, the Word of God made man. We must all stand together: human dignity is at stake. There is only one human family. The new saint also insisted on this: "Our love of neighbour is the measure of our love of God. For Christians and not only for them no one is a "stranger'. The love of Christ knows no borders".
Only the love of Christ makes us truly free .

5. Dear brothers and sisters! The love of Christ was the fire that inflamed the life of St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Long before she realized it, she was caught by this fire. At the beginning she devoted herself to freedom. For a long time Edith Stein was a seeker. Her mind never tired of searching and her heart always yearned for hope. She traveled the arduous path of philosophy with passionate enthusiasm. Eventually she was rewarded: she seized the truth. Or better: she was seized by it. Then she discovered that truth had a name: Jesus Christ. From that moment on, the incarnate Word was her One and All. Looking back as a Carmelite on this period of her life, she wrote to a Benedictine nun: "Whoever seeks the truth is seeking God, whether consciously or unconsciously". Although Edith Stein had been brought up religiously by her Jewish mother, at the age of 14 she "had consciously and deliberately stopped praying". She wanted to rely exclusively on herself and was concerned to assert her freedom in making decisions about her life. At the end of a long journey, she came to the surprising realization: only those who commit themselves to the love of Christ become truly free. This woman had to face the challenges of such a radically changing century as our own. Her experience is an example to us. The modern world boasts of the enticing door which says: everything is permitted. It ignores the narrow gate of discernment and renunciation. I am speaking especially to you, young Christians, particularly to the many altar servers who have come to Rome these days on pilgrimage: Pay attention! Your life is not an endless series of open doors! Listen to your heart! Do not stay on the surface, but go to the heart of things! And when the time is right, have the courage to decide! The Lord is waiting for you to put your freedom in his good hands.

6. St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross was able to understand that the love of Christ and human freedom are intertwined, because love and truth have an intrinsic relationship. The quest for truth and its expression in love did not seem at odds to her; on the contrary she realized that they call for one another. In our time, truth is often mistaken for the opinion of the majority. In addition, there is a widespread belief that one should use the truth even against love or vice versa. But truth and love need each other. St Teresa Benedicta is a witness to this. The "martyr for love", who gave her life for her friends, let no one surpass her in love. At the same time, with her whole being she sought the truth, of which she wrote: "No spiritual work comes into the world without great suffering. It always challenges the whole person". St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross says to us all: Do not accept anything as the truth if it lacks love. And do not accept anything as love which lacks truth! One without the other becomes a destructive lie.
Mystery of the Cross gradually enveloped her whole life

7. Finally, the new saint teaches us that love for Christ undergoes suffering. Whoever truly loves does not stop at the prospect of suffering: he accepts communion in suffering with the one he loves. Aware of what her Jewish origins implied, Edith Stein spoke eloquently about them: "Beneath the Cross I understood the destiny of God's People.... Indeed, today I know far better what it means to be the Lord's bride under the sign of the Cross. But since it is a mystery, it can never be understood by reason alone". The mystery of the Cross gradually enveloped her whole life, spurring her to the point of making the supreme sacrifice. As a bride on the Cross, Sr Teresa Benedicta did not only write profound pages about the "science of the Cross", but was thoroughly trained in the school of the Cross. Many of our contemporaries would like to silence the Cross. But nothing is more eloquent than the Cross when silenced! The true message of suffering is a lesson of love. Love makes suffering fruitful and suffering deepens love. Through the experience of the Cross, Edith Stein was able to open the way to a new encounter with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faith and the Cross proved inseparable to her. Having matured in the school of the Cross, she found the roots to which the tree of her own life was attached. She understood that it was very important for her "to be a daughter of the chosen people and to belong to Christ not only spiritually, but also through blood". 8. "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth" (Jn 4: 24). Dear brothers and sisters, the divine Teacher spoke these words to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. What he gave his chance but attentive listener we also find in the life of Edith Stein, in her "ascent of Mount Carmel". The depth of the divine mystery became perceptible to her in the silence of contemplation. Gradually, throughout her life, as she grew in the knowledge of God, worshiping him in spirit and truth, she experienced ever more clearly her specific vocation to ascend the Cross with Christ, to embrace it with serenity and trust, to love it by following in the footsteps of her beloved Spouse: St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross is offered to us today as a model to inspire us and a protectress to call upon. We give thanks to God for this gift. May the new saint be an example to us in our commitment to serve freedom, in our search for the truth. My her witness constantly strengthen the bridge of mutual understanding between Jews and Christians.

St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, pray for us! Amen.

Taken from:L'Osservatore RomanoWeekly Edition in English14 October 1998, 1.