Fourth Day – Our Lady Will Help You Thought for the day: “How close we must keep to Our Lady who understood what depth of Divine Love was being revealed as she stood at the foot of the Cross and heard Jesus cry out: ‘I thirst.’ ”
Let us ask for the grace to learn from Our Lady to quench Jesus’ thirst as she did. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, you allowed the thirsting Love of Jesus on the Cross to become a Living Flame within you, and so became the Light of His Love to all. Obtain from the Heart of Jesus(here we make our prayer request). Teach us to allow Jesus to penetrate and possess our whole being so completely that our life, too, may radiate His Light and Love to others. Amen. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Cause of Our Joy, pray for us. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us. Amen
Third Day – Hear Him Say to You: “I Thirst” Thought for the day: “Just think! God is thirsting for you and me to come forward to satiate His thirst.”
Let us ask for the grace to understand Jesus’ cry of thirst. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, you allowed the thirsting love of Jesus on the Cross to become a Living Flame within you, and so became the Light of His Love to all. Obtain from the Heart of Jesus (our prayer intention ) Teach us to allow Jesus to penetrate and possess our whole being so completely that our life, too, may radiate His Light and Love to others. Amen. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Cause of Our Joy, pray for us. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us . Amen
Christians unite in reverence and love for this Prophet, Forerunner and Saint whose life is an incomparable example of both humility and courage . Let us faithfully pray : O God, You raised up St. John the Baptist to prepare a perfect people for Christ. Fill Your people with the joy of possessing His grace, and direct the minds of all the faithful in the way of Peace and Salvation. Grant that as St. John was martyred for Truth and Justice, so we may energetically profess our Faith in You, and lead others to the Way, the Truth, and Eternal Life. Amen.
Today is the Memorial of the Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist, called the Precursor or Forerunner of the Lord, in the three Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, as well as in the Book of John. Luke tells us of the birth of John the Baptist in a town of Judaea, about six months before the birth of the Saviour. Church considers Saint John the Baptist as one of the greatest among the Saints and Martyrs. The Raccolta of 1957, the Manual of Indulgences is arranged in hierarchical order: After the Holy Trinity can be found indulgenced devotions to the Blessed Virgin; next the Angels, and then the section on the Saints, which begins with St. John the Baptist. The Raccolta follows the teaching of the Church even in its ordering of the devotions, a kind of little catechism we might say. The Roman Missal also says that after the Feasts of Our Lord, Our Lady, and the Angels the Feasts of most importance are that of St. John the Baptist . About the Martyrdom of John the Baptist : In addition to the feast of the nativity of St. John the Baptist (June 24), the Church, since the fourth century, commemorates the martyrdom of Christ's precursor. Herodias never ceased plotting against the life of John, who was not silenced even by prison walls. His followers now became even more turbulent. To Herodias soon came the opportunity she had long sought to put an end to the life of blessed Saint John the Baptist . In Matthew xiv, Mark vi, and Luke ix, we are given parallel accounts of this infamous occasion which was to culminate in John's death. At the feast, Salome, fourteen-year-old daughter of Herodias by her lawful husband, pleased Herod and his guests so much by her dancing that Herod promised on oath to give her anything that it was in his power to give, even though it should amount to half his kingdom. Salome, acting under the direction and influence of her wicked mother, answered that she wished to have the head of John the Baptist, presented to her on a platter. Such a horrible request shocked and unnerved Herod. Still, he had given his word and was afraid to break it. So, with no legal formalities whatever, he dispatched a soldier to the prison with orders to behead the prisoner and return with it immediately . There was great sadness among the people who had hearkened to him, and when the disciples of Jesus heard the news of John's death, they came and took the body and laid it reverently in a tomb. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ , with some of His disciples, retired "to a desert place apart," to mourn.
Lord, renew in your Church the spirit You gave Saint Augustine. Filled with this Spirit, may we thirst for You alone as the fountain of Wisdom and seek You as the source of eternal Love. We ask 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.
Today Augustine, the greatest and the humblest of the Doctors, is hailed by Heaven, where his conversion caused greater joy than that of any other sinner; and celebrated by the Church, who is enlightened by his writings as to the power, the value, and the endless Divine grace. Since that wonderful, heavenly conversation at Ostia , God had completed His triumph in the son of Monica's tears and of Ambrose's holiness. Far away from the great cities where pleasure had seduced him, the former rhetorician now cared only to nourish his soul with the simplicity of the Scriptures, in silence and solitude. But grace, after breaking the double chain that bound his mind and his heart, was to have a still greater dominion over him; the pontifical consecration was to consummate Augustine's union with that Divine Wisdom, whom alone he declared he loved' for her own sole sake, caring neither for rest nor life save on her account . To the end of his life Augustine never ceased to fight for the truth against all the heresies then invented by the father of lies; in his ever repeated victories, we know not which to admire most: his knowledge of the holy Scriptures, his powerful logic, or his eloquence. We see too that Divine charity which, while inflexibly upholding every iota of God's rights, is full of ineffable compassion for the unhappy beings who do not understand those rights. ( commentary taken from The Liturgical Year, Vol. XIV by Dom Gueranger ) I wish you all a very blessed Feast of Saint Augustine , may all of us pray with the same faithfulness :
Eternal God, who are the Light of the minds that know You, the Joy of the hearts that love You, and the Strength of the wills that serve You; grant us so to know You that we may truly love You, and so to love You that we may fully serve You, whom to serve is perfect Freedom, in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Saint Monica , through prayers and true faithfullness , gave the great Augustine to the Church of God, and thereby earned for herself a place of honor in the history of God's kingdom on earth.
Saint Monica, model of patience, prayer and perseverance,intercede for us, that we, too, may be awakened to the sacred,and trust in God's perfect timing. Amen
Saint Monica pray for us , grant us that same fortitude, patience and trust in the Lord !
Saint Joachim ( Father of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary († ca. 7 B.C.)
Joachim, of the tribe of Juda and the family of David, was a shepherd of Nazareth. Stolanus, father of Saint Anne, gave him his pious daughter in marriage. The two spouses lived in the fear of the Lord and the practice of good works. They divided all their wealth into three parts: the first was regularly given to the temple, for its support and that of the ministers of religion; they gave the second part to the poor, while the last and least excellent served for the needs of the family. Nonetheless, happiness had not come to this home — the spouse of Joachim was sterile.
For twenty years already they had prayed to God to deliver them from this opprobrium. The holy couple invariably went, according to custom at the Feast of Tabernacles, to the Holy City. There the high priest was immolating the victims when Joachim presented himself in his turn, bearing a lamb; Anne followed him. The high priest had only words of contempt and reproach for them, and in the presence of the people he rejected their offering.
Joachim did not have the heart to return to Nazareth; his grief prompted him to seek solitude and prayer. Anne returned alone to their residence, and he retired to a region near Jerusalem, where shepherds were pasturing their sheep. The silent calm of pastoral life, brought some relief to the wound of his heart. Who has not known how solitude brings one closer to God?
One day when he was alone in the fields, the Angel Gabriel came and stood before him. Joachim prostrated himself, trembling with fear. “Do not fear,” said the heavenly messenger. “I am the Angel of the Lord, and it is God Himself who sends me. He has heard your prayers; your alms have come before His presence. Anne, your spouse, will bear a daughter whose happiness will be above that of other women; She will be blessed, and named the Mother of eternal blessing. You will name the Child Mary and consecrate Her to God when the time comes. The Holy Spirit, from the time She is in the womb of Her mother, will dwell in Her soul, and He will accomplish in Her great things.” With those words, the Angel disappeared.
The Archangel’s announcement and the Lord’s promise were fulfilled. Joachim in his turn was faithful to the commands of the Lord. His daughter received the name of Mary, and when She was three years old, he and Saint Anne entrusted Her to the pious women who in the temple of Jerusalem brought up young girls consecrated to the Lord. Mary had lived there under the gaze of God for eight years, when Joachim died, laden with merits and virtues. Anne, his spouse, had him buried in the Valley of Josaphat, not far from the Garden of Gethsemane, and one year later rejoined him there.
(Sources: La vie des Saints pour tous les jours de l’année, by Abbé Pradier)
Today's the feast of the martyr Saint Maximilian Kolbe (January 8, 1894-August 14, 1941), the Apostle of Consecration to Mary.
Pope Benedict reminded us recently that the death of Kolbe was a witness of the love which "defeats the darkness of egoism and hatred." The Holy Father recalled words attributed Saint Maximilian Kolbe: "Hatred is not a creative force: only love is." On August 14, 1941, the saint died in place of Franciszek Gajowniczek. When still a young child in Poland, St. Maximilian Kolbe (8 January 1894 - 14 August 1941) was known to be rather boisterous, so much so that his mother asked him once in exasperation, "What is going to become of you?" Her question made him think, and he asked Our Lady the same question: "I felt very sad and went to the Blessed Virgin and asked Her what would become of me. After that, I asked Her again in church. Then the Blessed Virgin appeared to me, holding two crowns. One was white [representing purity], and the other red. [representing martyrdom]." Our lady then asked him which he would choose. "I choose them both." St. Maximilian grew up, became a priest, and founded the confraternity (a fraternity that includes laymen) known as the Militia Immaculata (also known as "The Militia of the Immaculata"), a movement whose purpose is "to convert sinners, heretics, and especially Masons, and to sanctify all under the patronage and through the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin Mary." To this end, he encouraged conscecration to Mary and, because he was so inspired by the story of the converison of the Jew Alphonse Ratisbonne, the wearing of the Miraculous Medal. Though very sick with tuberculosis, he published a magazine, Knights of the Immaculate, to fight religious apathy and founded monasteries in Poland and Japan. When the Nazis invaded Poland, he was arrested and sent to Auschwitz. There, in July 1941, a prisoner escaped, and in retribution for such, the Nazis' method was to kill ten of the remaining prisoners. One of these apparently doomed prisoners was a married man with children. St. Maximilian asked the Nazis if he might die in that man's place, and his wish was granted. He was starved and dehydrated for three weeks -- weeks spent spiritually tending to and singing hymns with the nine prisoners with him -- and then given a lethal injection of carbolic acid on 14 August.
Heavenly Father , You filled Your priest and martyr, Saint Maximilian Kolbe, with zeal for souls and love for his neighbor. Through the prayer of this devoted servant of Mary Immaculate, grant that in our efforts to serve others for Your glory we too may become like Christ Your Son, who loved his own in the world even to the end, and now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
Hail, O innocent Philomena, Virgin and Martyr , whom God glorifies by so many miracles , whom the Vicar of Jesus Christ has namned the Protectress of the Living Rosary and the Children of Mary , manifest more and more plainly from the heights of Heaven , that a voice holy as thine can not be denied and that we have the right to rely upon thy aid . Obtain for us the grace to be faithful to Jesus Christ , even unto death . Amen Credited with countless miracles and intercessions since discovery of her tomb in the most ancient catacombs of St. Priscilla in Rome in 1802, St. Philomena is prayed to by people of diverse ages, culture and social standing around the world. The young virgin who was martyred at age 13, willingly traded her earthly life for heavenly salvation and continues her work today promoting the virtues of purity and sanctity among the world’s youth and bringing the faithful closer to our Blessed Mother and Jesus Christ. It would seem she was held in quiet reserve by God for nearly seventeen centuries and summoned at a time when so much uncertainty and absence of faith abound. On May 25, 1802, excavators in the ancient Catacomb of St. Priscilla in Rome came upon a well-preserved shelf tomb sealed with terr-cotta slabs in the manner usually reserved for nobility or great martyrs. The tomb was marked with three tiles, inscribed with the following confusing words: LUMENA / PAXTE / CUMFI. However, if one places the first tile last and separates the words properly, the very intelligible sentence emerges: Pax tecum, Filumena, which is "Peace be with you, Philomena." Also inscribed on the tiles were symbols: a lily, arrows, an anchor and a lance, which would appear to indicate virginity and martyrdom. Inside the coffin there were discovered the remains of a girl of about twelve or thirteen years of age, along with a vial or ampulla of her dried blood. Transferred to the Treasury of the Rare Collections of Christian Antiquity in the Vatican, the remains were soon forgotten by the public, especially since no record existed of a virgin martyr named Philomena. But in 1805, a Neapolitan priest, Don Francesco di Lucia, traveling to Rome with his newly appointed bishop, requested and, after a brief delay, received the relics of this martyr "Philomena" to enshrine in his village church at Mugnano, near Naples. Immediately upon the official donation of St. Philomena's sacred remains, signal favors began to be granted through her intercession and unusual events to occur. The favors, graces and even miracles started to increase, even before her enshrinement at Mugnano, and they steadily grew in number thereafter - such that this virgin martyr soon earned the title, "Philomena, Powerful with God". In 1837, only 35 years after her exhumation, Pope Gregory XVI elevated this "Wonder-Worker of the Nineteenth Century" to sainthood. In an act unprecedented in the history of Catholicism, she became the only person recognized by the Church as a Saint solely on the basis of her powerful intercession, since nothing historical was known of her except her name and the evidence of her martyrdom. St. Philomena has been successfully invoked by her supplicants in every sort of needed, such that she has become another patron of "hopeless" and "impossible" cases, like St. Jude or St. Rita, but she is known to be especially powerful in cases involving conversion of sinners, return to the Sacraments, expectant mothers, destitute mothers, problems with children, unhappiness in the home, sterility, priests and their work, help for the sick, the missions, real estate, money problems, food for the poor and mental illness. But truly, as her devotees discovered, no case, of whatever matter, is too trivial or too unimportant to concern her.
Saint Philomena pray for us ! Blessed be Holy Name of God , who is wonderful in His Saints and Angels !
"God has never," said St. Dominic, "refused me what I have asked" and he has left us the Rosary, that we may learn, with Mary's help, to pray easily and simply in the same Holy Faith . It was only in the year 1214 that the Church received the Rosary in its present form and according to the method we use today. It was given to the Church by St. Dominic,who had received it from the Blessed Virgin as a means of converting the Albigensians and other sinners. Saint Dominic, seeing that the gravity of people's sins was hindering the conversion of the Albigensians, withdrew into a forest near Toulouse, where he prayed continuously for three days and three nights. During this time he did nothing but weep and do harsh penances in order to appease the anger of God.He used his discipline so much that his body was lacerated, and finally he fell into a coma. At this point our Lady appeared to him, accompanied by three angels, and she said, "Dear Dominic, do you know which weapon the Blessed Trinity wants to use to reform the world?" "Oh, my Lady," answered Saint Dominic, "You know far better than I do, because next to Your Son Jesus Christ You have always been the chief instrument of our salvation."
Then our Lady replied, "I want you to know that, in this kind of warfare, the principal weapon has always been the Angelic Psalter, which is the foundation-stone of the New Testament. Therefore, if you want to reach these hardened souls and win them over to God, preach my Psalter." So he arose, comforted, and burning with zealfor the conversion of the people in that district, he made straight for the cathedral. At once unseen angels rang the bells to gather the people together,and Saint Dominic began to preach. At the very beginning of his sermon, an appalling storm broke out, the earth shook, the sun was darkened, and there was so much thunder and lightning that all were very much afraid. Even greater was their fear when, looking at a picture of our Ladyexposed in a prominent place, they saw her raise her arms to heaven three times to call down God's vengeance upon them if they failed to be converted, to amend their lives, and seek the protection of the holy Mother of God. God wished, by means of these supernatural phenomena, to spread the new devotion of the holy Rosary and to make it more widely known. At last, at the prayer of Saint Dominic,the storm came to an end, and he went on preaching. So fervently and compellingly did he explain the importance and value of the Rosary that almost all the people of Toulouse embraced it and renounced their false beliefs. In a very short time a great improvement was seen in the town; people began leading Christian lives and gave up their former bad habits.
Inspired by the Holy Spirit, instructed by the Blessed Virginas well as by his own experience, Saint Dominic preached the Rosary for the rest of his life. He preached it by his example as well as by his sermons, in cities and in country places, to people of high station and low, before scholars and the uneducated, to Catholics and to heretics.The Rosary, which he said every day, was his preparation for every sermon and his little union with our Lady immediately after preaching.
Saint Dominic pray for us , help us to pray faithfully the Holy Rosary
Lord, let the holiness and teaching of St. Dominic come to the aid of your Church. May he help us now with his prayers as he once inspired people by his preaching. We ask 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
Saint Dominic is the blessed founder of the Order of Preachers, commonly known as the Dominican Order, he was born at Calaroga, in Old Castile, c. 1170, and died August 6, 1221 .
The birth and infancy of the Saint were attended by many marvels forecasting his heroic sanctity and great achievements in the cause of religion.
The life of St. Dominic was one of tireless effort in the, service of God. While he journeyed from place to place he prayed and preached almost uninterruptedly. His penances were of such a nature as to cause the brethren, who accidentally discovered them. to fear the effect upon his life. While his charity was boundless he never permitted it to interfere with the stern sense of duty that guided every action of his life. If he abominated heresy and labored untiringly for its extirpation it was because he loved truth and loved the souls of those among whom he labored. He never failed to distinguish between sin and the sinner. It is not to be wondered at, therefore, if this athlete of Christ, who had conquered himself before attempting the reformation of others, was more than once chosen to show forth the power of God .
On August 6, 1221, the saint died, but before he passed on to his glory, he ordered his spiritual children around him, and he made his last request. “These are, beloved ones, the inheritance that I leave you as my sons: Have charity among you; hold to humility; possess voluntary poverty "
Today is the feast day of the Curé of Ars, confessor, intercessor for the Clergy’s sanctification and model for those entrusted with the care of souls. He lived in the 19th century (1786-1859).
There is always a word to say about St. John Baptist Vianney because he was one of the greatest saints of the 19th century. His life presents so many different facets that one always can take new lessons from it. In the first decades of the 19th century, he was a poor seminarian.The site where he entered Ars. He told the boy: "You have showed me the way to Ars. I will show you the way to Heaven"The pulpit in the Church of Ars where the Cure delivered his famous sermons .
The Chapel of St. Philomena, to whom the Saint gave all the credit for the miracles he workedThe Bishop sent this dull priest to a tiny village in the south of France, the village of Ars. There he began his sacerdotal life, which would permeate all of Europe with its light, and, from there, spread throughout the world. He was canonized a saint by Pius XI in 1925 and proclaimed patron of parish priests.
What was it that distinguished this Saint? Even though he didn’t have any natural qualities to make him an exceptional priest, he became a magnificent priest, an extraordinary apostle, a confessor with rare discernment, and a preacher who exercised a profound influence over souls .
In his Soul of the Apostolate, Dom Chautard relates this telling fact. An impious lawyer went to Ars to mock its unlearned Curé. But he returned converted. Someone asked him: What did you see there? He answered: “I saw God in a man.” That is, the presence of God was in St. John Vianney. One could note that God was with him and in him. I consider the witness of this impious lawyer about the Curé of Ars – “I saw God in a man” – one of the most glorious homages a man can receive.
He was also a martyr of the confessionary. He used to spend hours and hours there hearing confessions and giving counsels. Fighting withevil : This extraordinary Saint spent all his time in the church: at the pulpit, confessionary or altar. At night when he returned to his house, one might think he would at least get a deserved rest. But no, a new fight started, this time against the devil. For decades he fought a nightly battle with the devil – whom he called Grapin – in which the devil physically assaulted him and tormented him with deafening noises and insulting words. On the night before a person particularly dominated by the devil would come to confess to St. John Vianney, the devil would inflict stronger torments on the Saint. Once he set fire to the Curé’s bed. In response St. John Vianney used to increase his special penances, flagellations, and prayers to win the graces for his words to effect the needed conversions. Performing miracles :Divine Providence, in order to further increase his apostolate, gave him the gift of the miracles. In fact he worked many miracles. But he did not attribute them to himself. In his church he built a shrine to St. Philomena, a virgin martyr that Paul VI removed from the list of the saints. St. John Vianney did not think the same way, and attributed all his miracles to her.
Saint John Vianney died peacefully on August 4, 1859. When his body was exhumed due to impending beatification, it was found perfectly preserved. Later the Saint’s heart was removed and remains a venerated relic. The Saint's body is laid in the Chapel of the Reliquary in a new basilica which is attached to the original Parish of Ars Church in Ars, France. A special chapel was erected to receive the miraculously incorrupt Heart of the Curé of Ars.
Several miracles have been attributed to Saint John Vianney ( read about here) .
Let us pray to St. John Baptist Vianney and ask him to heal the Catholic clergy of whom he is the patron. And let us ask him to give us the necessary discernment and strength of will to be free of any temptations of modern world , to fight against any evil manifestations and increase of faith .
Monday, August 3, 2009
Two words of wisdom from the Saint:
"We must never lose sight of the fact that we are either Saints or outcasts, that we must live for Heaven or for Hell; there is no middle path in this. You either belong wholly to the world or wholly to God.
If people would do for God what they do for the world, what a great number of Christians would go to Heaven."
Saturday, August 1, 2009
The Litany of St. Alphonsus Liguori Doctor of the Church
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,
have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God,
have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Virgin Immaculate,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, model of piety from tenderest youth,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, scourge of heresies,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, defender of the Catholic Faith,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, always occupied in evangelizing the poor,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, tender comforter of the afflicted,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, instructed in the Divine art of
converting sinners,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, enlightened guide in the path of perfection,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, who became all things to all men,
to gain all for Christ,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, new ornament of the Religious state,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, bold champion of ecclesiastical discipline,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, model of submission and devotion
to the Sovereign Pontiff,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, who didst watch unceasingly over the
flock committed to thee,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, full of solicitude for the common good
of the Church,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, glory of the Priesthood and
of the Episcopate,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, shining mirror of all virtues,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, full of tenderest love for the infant Jesus,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, inflamed with Divine love whilst offering
the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, fervent adorer of Jesus Christ
in the Holy Eucharist,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, penetrated with lively compassion while
meditating on the sufferings of our Divine Savior,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, specially devoted to the
Blessed Virgin Mary,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, favored by apparitions
of the Mother of God,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, leading an angelic life,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, a true Patriarch in thy paternal
solicitude for the people of God,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, endowed with the gift of prophecy
and miracles,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, an Apostle by the extent and fruit of thy labors,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, a Martyr by thy austerities,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, a Confessor by thy writings full
of the Spirit of God,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, a Virgin by thy purity of soul and body,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, a model of Missionaries,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, founder of the Order of the Most
Holy Redeemer,
pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, our tender father and powerful protector,
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,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.
V. Pray for us, St. Alphonsus,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
O God, Who by the Blessed Alphonsus Maria, Thy Confessor and Bishop, inflamed with zeal for souls, has enriched Thy Church with a new progeny: we beseech Thee, that taught by his saving counsels, and strengthened by his example, we may happily come to Thee. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bishop, Doctor of the Church, and the founder of the Redemptorist Congregation.
He was born Alphonsus Marie Antony John Damien Michael Gaspard de Liguori on September 27,1696, at Marianella, near Naples, Italy. Raised in a pious home, Alphonsus went on retreats with his father, Don Joseph, who was a naval officer and a captain of the Royal Galleys. Alphonsus was the oldest of seven children, raised by a devout mother of Spanish descent .
St. Alphonsus Liguori is the patron of confessors and moral theologians.
This is indeed a most high honor and distinction.
He is an exemplary model for canon lawyers, theologians and bishops. He submitted his precious gift of choice to the church continually. He was continually humble and docile to the movements of grace. He allowed this to draw his heart and mind. His conscience was formed and fixed on the love of God, neighbor and the church. He was absolutely consumed with zeal for souls and he poured himself out daily practicing what he believed.
He was continually humble and docile to the movements of grace. He allowed this to draw his heart and mind. His conscience was formed and fixed on the love of God, neighbor and the church. He was absolutely consumed with zeal for souls and he poured himself out daily practicing what he believed.
St.Alphonsus Liguori is a most distinguished, Catholic, doctor in matters of morality because of his absolute surrender to God in faith and his conscience. Moral philosophy focus is on ethics and the discipline dealing with good and bad and with moral duty and obligations. The Ten Commandments are not a wish list. Christ crystallized them for us by saying they are summed up in love for God and neighbor. We can not attain our victory over immorality unless we possess virtue. Virtue is moral excellence.
St. Alphonsus' writings on the Stations of the Cross and martyrs are most touching and redemptive. Christ's death, and the process that lead to it in the carrying of the cross, should move our conscience profoundly. It was constantly in his thoughts as they are in all sincere Christians. The stations according to some authors and historians actually got started by Jesus' mother, Mary. She wanted to keep the memory of her Son alive and she frequently traced his actual steps in Jerusalem. The closing down of the holy lands during a period in the church's history was another reason the church rejuvenated the Stations of the Cross locally. We do not have to wait for the Lenten season to think or make the stations. There are hardly any catholic churches in the world that do not display the journey that led to Christ's final agony and victory over sin and death. This is Jesus' heroic and dramatic struggle up Calvary. It is a cordial reminder of love bestowed by three mothers: God, our Divine Mother and Author of all creation and redemption, the Mother of God, the holy, Virgin Mary, and the Mother of our mystical life, the Church.
God's will can not be known and achieved without prayer, grace and God's favor.
We are often caught between what the law permits and what are God's laws.
We need to look to the church and individuals such as Alphonsus and Gerard whose moral courage stands out and shows us the way.
Blessed Feast for everyone !
Today we're celebrating many feast of great saints raised to Heaven for their merituos life and faithfulness . Between these important feasts is the Feast of St. Peter in Chains :
To please the enemies of the Christians, Herod Agrippa had put St. James to death, and now he planned to do the same to St. Peter, the Head of the Church. Once he had him in prison, he set a heavy guard about him to make sure he would not escape. But all the Christians of Jerusalem were begging the Lord to save St. Peter, and their prayers were answered. The night before he was to be condemned, St. Peter was peacefully sleeping in his prison cell between his two guards bound tightly by two chains. He was unafraid of death and ready to do God's will. Suddenly an angel appeared and tapped him on the side to awaken him. He told him to get up at once, put on his cloak and sandles and follow him. At the same moment, both the chains fell from his hands! Out the two went, past two sets of guards, to the gate. This iron gate opened to them by itself and the angel led St. Peter out to the street. Then he disappeared. Up to then, Peter had thought he might be dreaming, but now he new that God had really sent an angel to free him! What joy and gratitude filled his heart! At once, the Apostle went to the home of Mary, St. Mark's mother, where many Christians were praying for his safety. He knocked at the door and a young woman named Rhoda came to ask who it was, without opening the door. When she heard St. Peter's voice, she ran joyfully to tell the others. They, however, could not believe the news. "It must be his angel," they said when she kept insisting. Meanwhile St. Peter knocked again. At last they let him in, and their happiness was immense when they saw it was truly St. Peter himself! He told them how the angel had freed him, and altogether they blessed and thanked the Lord. The feast day is today August 1st. May we all find of joy of to be set free from oppresions and dangers of life , through the intercession of Angel and Saints , through great Glory and Mercy of God !
Welcome blessed month of August , month dedicated to The Immaculate Heart of Mary. The entire month falls within the liturgical season of Ordinary Time, which is represented by the liturgical color green. This symbol of hope is the color of the sprouting seed and arouses in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially the hope of a glorious resurrection. It is used in the offices and Masses of Ordinary Time. The last portion of the liturgical year represents the time of our pilgrimage to heaven during which we hope for reward. 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.
