Saint Anthony Mary Gianelli – June 7th

Posted on June 9, 2017 by mikatsa6

As we continue to encounter new saints…we discover that there are many saints who even prior to their birth were being prepared for the great task that God had planned for them… they loved God from their very beginnings…Some of these saints just shine…Their light is so bright, that even as children they were already being recognized for their holiness. Saint Anthony Mary Gianelli was one such saint.

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Anthony Mary Gianelli was born in 1789 to a poor but pious farming family near Genoa in the northern part of Italy. His mother taught catechism and his father was known throughout the town as a generous peace-maker. As a child, people recognized his extraordinary intelligence and were impressed by his gentle nature. Anthony was proving himself to be such a promising student that the woman who owned the farm that the family was working on, became his benefactress and financed his schooling. She then paid for his tuition into the ecclesiastical seminary in Genoa.

As he continued his education, his virtue and eloquence as a speaker continued to grow and separated him from the rank of students, thus he was allowed the special privilege of being able to preach while still a sub-deacon. Then when he was just twenty three years old, he was granted a special dispensation to be ordained a priest, two years before reaching the required age of twenty five.

Father Anthony devoted himself fully to his mission as a priest, serving his flock with upmost care, yet, still finding time to continue with his educational work, as well as developing his preaching skills. He worked tirelessly hosting missions and evangelizing… harvesting many souls for the Faith… for Christ. In addition to his missions, he labored at the required duties of a parish priest. Often times spending hours on end in the confessional, wishing to make himself available to the long lines of penitents who flocked to him for spiritual guidance.

Another of his endeavors, was that he started several religious communities, two of which lasted for twenty years; The Missionaries of St. Alphonsus which he founded in 1827, and lasted until 1848.  In 1828, he founded The Oblates of St. Alphonsus, which also ended in 1848.

In 1829 he founded The Sisters of Our Lady of the Garden, which is presently called Daughters of Our Lady of the Garden, which continues to operate in the United States, Europe and Asia, serving the poor and infirm. They also devote their time to teaching children.

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In 1838, he was ordained a bishop and appointed to the diocese Bibbio in Italy. He led his diocese by his example of extraordinary virtue, and prudence. He actively worked to restore devotions and lead the faithful with a firm, yet gentle hand. He was widely liked and became known as the “People’s Bishop.”  He was very active, organizing two Synods, while at the same time devoting his time traveling between the parishes in in his diocese. After nine years of serving as bishop, he became very ill  with a high fever.  In 1846, he passed away at the age of 57.

In 1925, he was Beatified by Pope Pius XI, by decree of heroic virtue, and was later Canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1951.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Remembering the Lesser Known Saints of Heaven

Posted on June 7, 2017 by mikatsa6

 

Six months into this, and it still surprises me, how little I know of the lives of saints. I mean sure, there are those saints that everyone has heard of, whether they are Catholic or not….St. Patrick…St. Valentine…St. Francis of Assisi...St. Nicholas. And then there are the saints that most Catholics know; Saint Theresa the Little Flower, Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Saint Maria Goretti, Saint Anthony of Padua… you get the idea. Saints.jpgWell in addition to those, there are the numerous saints that very little is known about, and to even try to learn about them, is very difficult. Some days, as I do research for this blog, I imagine myself sitting in the back room of an old, ancient library, flipping through the pages of  ancient books in some foreign text…with dust flying everywhere…just trying to scrape together enough information to create a balanced picture of the day’s saint…without losing the important aspects of their life… Since there are so many saints that deserve to be remembered… sometimes I forgo the more widely known saint of the day and try to research these other lesser known saints, those men and women who lived their lives in holiness and served God in their quite corner of the world…and the sometimes, not so quiet corner…

These are the saints that are tucked away in the history pages of the  Catholic Church…Those often forgotten souls who displayed heroic virtue in the face of so much vice…So if you’ve ever wondered, “Well, who the heck is that???” Keep checking back…It is my hope that with the continuation of this blog, that I can do my small part to shine a little light back onto the virtuous lives of these lesser known, yet still very, Holy souls. They are in fact a vital part of the Church body. They have volumes to teach us about the Faith and about remaining steadfast in the face of adverse measures. We, the Church Militant can learn a lot from them…they are a shining beacon for us…a Light of Christ…in this sometimes dim and dismal world. So instead of losing hope, let us learn from this vast history of the saints, and let us open our hearts…and a bit of our mind…to these members of the Holy Church Triumphant.

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Pentecost Sunday – The Descent of the Holy Spirit – 50th day after Easter

Posted on June 4, 2017 by mikatsa6

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And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. (Acts 2: 2-4)

Christ had promised His Apostles that they would not be alone…Even though He would be ascending into Heaven, without them, He promised them that when He left, His Paraclete would follow (the word Paraclete means: one called to help...) As the Apostles and Mary where gathered in the upper room praying…nine days after Jesus’ Ascension and fifty days after Easter, the Feast of the Pentecost… the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and Mary, baptizing them and filling them with the Holy Spirit. They became emboldened with the Holy Spirit and  regained the zeal they had lost when Christ had left them. Immediately, the Apostles began to preach the Gospel in all of the languages of the Jews who were gathered. When all was said and done…with the aid of the Holy Spirit …the Apostles were able to convert and baptize about 3,000 people that day.

In a way, the Pentecost..or rather…the descent if the Holy Spirit, is God’s final movement towards man…it completes what was begun in the garden of Eden, which continued with the overshadowing of the Blessed Virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit…in which the Word was made Flesh….to be offered up as a Sacrifice for mankind…with His death on the Cross. The Holy Spirit came to fill the apostles and Mary so that they would more clearly understand all that had happened…all that He had told them…(although, Mary most likely already had a much better understanding of this all along…) they would in fact become Disciples of the Divine Truth…

The Feast of Pentecost is also considered the ‘birthday of the Church,’ because on Pentecost Sunday, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the inhabitants of the upper room, Christ’s mission was complete, and the New Covenant was inaugurated. God had equipped His Church…The Apostles…with His Holy Spirit so that they could begin their new ministry…which was to go out  into all the nations and make disciples of all men.

 

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Pentecost Sunday…the Holy Spirit came upon them as tongues of fire…

As a historic event…this is huge! It meant that with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Church would spread far throughout the lands…it meant that Christianity would become universal…God had sent His Spirit  into His followers so that they go and share this Good News…It really is beyond our comprehension…Think of this: God, who is eternally great… and all good, sent His breath…His Spirit into man…And He continues to send It into each one of us! Through no merit of our own! Remember, when we are speaking of the Holy Spirit…we are talking about the Third person of the Blessed Trinity...it is not just a force of God…but God Himself …It really is quite amazing! At the moment of our baptism we are united with Christians throughout the world…universally united…brothers and sisters in the Spirit of Christ!

With this Feast of the Pentecost, we are celebrating the fact,the knowledge, that God did not create us merely as creatures that need simply to obey Him…No, He created us so that we might become close to Him…love Him…in a kind of love that will consume even the most hardened of hearts…He wants each of us to be with Him…and so He sent the Holy Spirit so that we may live our ordinary lives here on earth, in extra – ordinary ways…empowered with the gifts of the Spirit.

By enabling us to partake in this Feast of Pentecost, He is inviting us to join together…in communion with other faithful Christians to seek the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so that we may help overcome the sin that is in the world…the sin that threatens to destroy our chances of being with God in Heaven…So, let us pray: Come Holy Spirit,Come!

O God, who on this day
didst teach the hearts of thy faithful people
by sending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit:
Grant us by the same Spirit
to have a right judgment in all things,
and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort;
through the merits of Christ Jesus our Savior,
who liveth and reigneth with thee,
in the unity of the same Spirit,
one God, world without end. Amen.

– From the Book of Common Prayer

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Martyrs of Lyons and Vienne – June 2nd- Also the 1st Friday of the Month

Posted on June 4, 2017 by mikatsa6

In the history of the world we have found that wherever there are men who despise the One True Faith and the Truth that came from Jesus,  we will also find men and women with hearts and mind’s filled with a determination to defend this same Truth. And because of their willingness to lay down their lives…God will pour His mercy and His Grace upon them, so that they can stand firm in the face of such atrocious measures… One such ruler who despised Christianity was Marcus Aurelius of Rome. As we read yesterday, he was responsible for the scourging and death of St. Justin. Today we will discover just how cruel and barbaric he actually was to the men and women of God.

Considering the turmoil that is going on throughout the world, it would be wise for us, as practicing Catholics…as Christians… to learn about these Holy Saints…to unite ourselves to them spiritually…for we do not know what our own future holds....As we experience an influx of Muslims in our own country and watch in horror at all the terrorism that is being perpetrated over seas in Europe, we would be wise to prepare ourselves for the similar fate of Christians, who stood firm and refused to deny the Lord. We should be praying every day that God will give us His Mercy and Grace so that we too may stand firm as did these saints, we are about to read about. There is no better glory for the Lord than to lay down your life for Him…for the Truth…so let’s begin...

The year was 177, and Christians were suffering throughout the various parts of the empire which was being ruled by Marcus Aurelius. But none suffered more than the martyrs of Lyons and Vienne, which was in the south of France, known then as Gaul. There was a company of Christian missionaries from Asia Minor, who had settled there with a bishop named Pothinus. At first it was just angry mobs of heathens insulting the Christians when they faced each other on the streets. Then when that wasn’t enough, the heathens began throwing stones and rocks and hurtling objects at the Christians…finally the anger of the heathens escalated and they began breaking into the Christian’s homes and destroying their property. It got so bad that the government became involved….and of course…they sided with the heathens.

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The Christians were rounded up and thrown into horrid dungeons and imprisoned. Many of them died due to lack of care…many starved or became sick from the unhealthy conditions. By this time their bishop, Ponthinus who was ninety years old and very ill, was taken before the governor, and asked, “Who is the God of Christians?”  from the way the governor spoke, Ponthinus knew the feeling of the governor was already set against him, so he answered, “If thou be worthy, thou shall know.” This outraged the governor, and even though the bishop was ninety years old and very feeble, he was tied and dragged about the streets by the soldiers. The angry mob followed behind and kicked and hit the old man with whatever they could find. When this torture was finished, the soldiers threw the bishop into the dungeon where he died two days later.

The other prisoners were tortured together for six days, in a variety of horrific ways, to inflict unusual amounts of pain and suffering upon the Christians. One such means of torture was pressing hot iron plates against their skin. The heathens went so far as to build a chair out of iron and heat it until it was glowing red, then they would force the Christians to sit upon the blazing iron. But the Good grace of God was upon these Christians, because whatever the heathens could think up, the Christians would endure with a firmness that gave courage to other Christians.

One of the most heroic martyrs of the day was a fifteen year old boy, who was taken every day to witness the tortures that were being committed upon his fellow Christians in hope that he might be frightened into denying his Savior…but it did not work… and on the final day, he was cruelly put to death.

Another of the greatest cruelties of this time was the assault that was perpetrated against a young woman named Blandina, who was a slave to a Christian woman. Now, usually, the heathens would treat the slaves with more kindness than they would the actual Christians, but because Blandina herself was a Christian, clothed with God’s holy graces...it was an all out assault against her. First, they threw her to the wild beasts. But the wild animals refused to touch her, instead they lay meekly around her feet. Outraged, the heathens threw her back into the prison until they could devise another plan. The only thing Blandina would say during the whole ordeal was: “I am a Christian and nothing wrong is done among us.”

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Finally, after several attempts to get her to denounce her Christian Faith, with whips and the burning iron chair, they threw her into an arena with a wild bull who tossed her body around like she was a rag doll. And even though her physical body was killed, she never cried a complaint or showed any fear…which of course angered the crowds…again… and they burnt her body and crushed her bones, mocking the Words of the Bible which speak of the ‘resurrection of the body’. They hoped that by destroying her physical body, they could destroy her hopes of eternal life….

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We all know that when one is doing battle with the devil… he will devise all sorts of means to destroy what God has wrought…so the tortures and the punishments from the heathens grew more and more severe…they became demonic in nature. Evil was rearing it’s ugly head and taking with it, not only the practicing Christians…but those poor souls who got caught up in the fury and participated in the devilish torture…many souls were lost…not those who were killed…but those who participated in the gruelish torture…those who witnessed holy men being killed and did nothing…It was a horrible time to be on the fence…It was horrible time to not have allowed God His rightful place in their hearts, because without Him they were lost…and look at what happened….men willingly followed the snares of the devil….killing innocent men… “He that is lawless, let him be lawless still, and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still” (Revelation 22:11)… Of course, in the end,  God used it for His good…He always does…Remember, the blood of martyrs, acts as seeds of the Faith…wherever it falls, new growth always follows.

So as we contemplate these holy saints…these holy martyrs, let us turn to them for guidance, for their inspiration, because the time is quickly approaching that will reveal what is inside of each of us…Are we filled with the light of Christ? Will He find in us, a son or daughter? Is the light of Christ recognizable in you? It is time to be serious about your faith…to embrace it…and more importantly…allow it to embrace you…allow it to transform your very soul…

We are facing this same sort of persecution…just watch the evening news for the latest account of a terrorist attack committed by these same godless heathens…and prepare yourself by developing a deeper prayer life and finding strength and encouragement from these accounts of how abundantly God poured His mercy and His grace upon his faithful servants during their greatest time of need… and take heed…

It would a good time to read the book of Hebrews ( 12: 2,3,15) and make it a part of our daily prayer meditation:

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart…. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

 

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Saint Justin Martyr – June 1st

Posted on June 2, 2017 by mikatsa6

As men who are born, and come into the world, generally in the same way…one can never fully know the twists and turns our paths in  life will take. We may think we know which way we are going. We may be on the road to earning a college degree or gearing towards some other sort of milestone…just merrily skipping along…when out of nowhere our focus or field of interest gets turned around…a chance conversation...or being a witness to the unjust treatment of a Christian…perhaps, even witnessing their death… Sometimes, God uses whatever means necessary to correct our inclinations …and to set us on the path to sainthood. This is precisely the story of yet another saint, who found his path altered by the True Faith…in a place he wasn’t even looking.

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Saint Justin was born in Samaria around the year 100 A.D. His parents were Roman colonists, who were pagan. He was an intellectual young man and was greatly interested in philosophy. Longing to find the answers to his quest for the truth he studied all varieties of pagan wisdom. Stoicism, Pythagoreanism, and Platonism were among his favorites. He spent much of his time reading and contemplating the works of Plato…and yet his heart was still yearning for the Truth about life.

Then one day in 130, while casually strolling along the beach and enjoying it’s honest beauty, he met an old man and a conversation was begun…The old man revealed to him the riches of the True Faith. The old man told Justin about the ancient Hebrew Prophets. He told Justin about Jesus Christ and the history of the Christian Faith. This old sage told Justin many tenants of the Christian Faith, including the fact that the soul was a gift from God. This new information peeked his curiosity about a faith he had not bothered with before. Justin was intrigued… and as he wrote in his famous book ‘Dialogue to the Jew Trypho,’ this was a fundamental turning point in his life. The old man had encouraged him to pray so that he would one day be able to understand the Truth about God. And with his first prayer …his conversion had begun...

Since Justin was an intellectual, he approached his newfound faith in the same manner as he had approached pagan philosophies…He used his brain and his intelligence. He became the first Christian philosopher. According to St. Justin, the true philosophy was that of Jesus Christ. He wrote that there are bits and pieces of truth everywhere in the world….but the only place where they are all found…without mixture of error…is in the Person of Jesus Christ… the Logos of God Himself…

Since he wanted to teach others about the Truth that could only be found in the Christian Faith, he opened the first school of Christian philosophy, teaching “the eminent science of Jesus Christ.” He wrote Christian Apologetics for both the Romans and the Jews. He combined the best elements of Greek philosophy with Christian theology, using his writings to defend Christianity against the false accusations that were springing up amongst the pagans.

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He became widely celebrated for the two Apologies, or defenses of the Christian Faith, which he courageously addressed to the persecuting Roman emperors; Antoninus and Marcus Aurelius. One of these Apologies contained a description of the rites of baptism and the ceremonies of Mass, thus constituting the most valuable evidence that we possess on the Roman liturgy of his day.  The two emperors responded with different reactions. By presenting these two Apologies and his vigorous defense of the faith, he was able to obtain a public edict from the government of Antoninus. But Justin wasn’t spared, as Marcus Aurelius sentenced St. Justin to be scourged and condemned to death.  And when questioned about the Christian doctrine, he made this good confession in the presence of many witnesses:

“The right doctrine which we Christian men do keep with godliness is this: that we believe that there is one God, the maker and creator of all things, both those which are seen and those which bodily eyes do not see; and that we confess the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was of old foretold by the Prophets, and who is to come to judge all mankind.”

And then, for refusing to offer sacrifice to Roman gods, he died a martyr’s death on April 13th sometime between the years 162 – 165. Let us pray:

O God our redeemer,
who through the folly of the cross
didst teach thy martyr Justin
the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ:
free us, we beseech thee, from every kind of error,
that we, like him, may be firmly grounded in the faith,
and make thy name known to all peoples;
through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord,
who liveth and reigneth with thee,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

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Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – May 31st

Posted on May 31, 2017 by mikatsa6
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Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as she could into the hill country to a town in Judah.

40 She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth.

41 Now it happened that as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42 She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

43 Why should I be honored with a visit from the mother of my Lord?

44 Look, the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy.

45 Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’

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The Canticle Of Mary- The Magnificat

46And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord

47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;

48 because he has looked upon the humiliation of his servant. Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me blessed,

49 for the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name,

50 and his faithful love extends age after age to those who fear him.

51 He has used the power of his arm, he has routed the arrogant of heart.

52 He has pulled down princes from their thrones and raised high the lowly.

Gospel of Luke, Chapter 1: 39-52

Throughout the history of the Catholic Church the month of May has been a time to honor Mary….to remember our devotion to Her. We start the month, with the Crowning of Mary…singing hymns to celebrate this wonderfully, glorious…. Woman, who with Her humble obedience, set the path for the salvation of the world. This is an important aspect of the Christian Faith…it is a Truth that has been recognized throughout the history of the Church, but unfortunately as people fell away from the True Faith…the One True Church… they also fell away from this most important aspect of the Faith.

On this feast, Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, where upon greeting each other…the infant John, leaps in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth…at the precise moment he feels the presence of the infant in Mary’s womb…Jesus. From that moment on, he is cleansed of original sin…as soon as Elizabeth feels her baby leaping for joy, she cries out  to Mary:

“Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you
by the Lord would be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:45)
This phrase, spoken by Elizabeth, sums up our devotion to Mary….sums up Her importance in our lives and in the life of the Church. We are reminded of the Annunciation…Her Yes, to the Angel of the Lord…Mary’s fiat….Has made it possible that the Word would be made Flesh. She is the actual ‘Living-Tabernacle of God.’ This is not something Catholics have made up…not something that was devised by men to take the importance off of Jesus…No, this is taken straight out of the Bible…it sums up the important role that Mary had in the salvation of man. Period.
Saint Ephraim said:  “It is essential for us to confess that the Holy Ever-Virgin Mary is actually Theotokos ( Birth – giver of God), so as to not fall into blasphemy. For those who deny that the Holy Virgin is actually Theotokos are no longer believers, but disciples of the Pharises and Sadducees.” That is pretty powerful stuff. It is a Truth that cannot be denied. For men to call themselves Christians, but at the same time, to deny the important role of the Blessed Virgin Mary is an utter shame…it is probably more sinister than that, but I pray that good Christians; those who read the Bible…and understand that it is indeed the word of God...will reflect upon this passage….this role of Mary, and find it in their hearts to honor Her as Jesus honored Her…and to hold a place of devotion in their lives for this Most Holy of Women…the Ever Blessed Virgin Mary…. “the handmaid of the Lord,”  Who became Queen of Heaven and of Earth.

Prayer

Almighty ever-living God,
who, while the Blessed Virgin Mary was carrying your Son in her womb,
inspired her to visit Elizabeth,
grant us, we pray,
that, faithful to the promptings of the Spirit,
we may magnify your greatness
with the Virgin Mary at all times.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(Prayer from The Roman Missal)

 

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The Ascension of the Lord – Ascension Thursday – May 25th

Posted on May 25, 2017 by mikatsa6

 

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In the traditional Catholic Church the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus is called Ascension Thursday…it always falls on the 40th day after Easter. It is one of the great solemnities in the Christian Liturgical calendar. It commemorates the bodily ascension of Jesus into Heaven. Up until recently, it was celebrated throughout the world on Thursday…it was a Holy Day of Obligation...but something changed…attendance at this very special Mass waned, and thinking they were doing the ‘faithful’ a favor…the United States Bishops got together and petitioned the Vatican to switch it to the following Sunday, in order that  more of the faithful could participate in this special feast. But unfortunately, by moving the celebration of the Lord’s Ascension into heaven, from Thursday to Sunday…they have actually given the impression that it has lost some of the importance that used to surround it, when it was set apart from the normal Sunday obligation, as it was, in the traditional calendar of the Church. But don’t let the switch fool you…this is one of the big feasts…it is an Ecumenical Feast, meaning that, because of it’s importance, it is celebrated throughout the entire Church. It is ranked right up there with the feasts of Christ’s Passion, Easter, Pentecost and Christmas.

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Gospel: Luke 24: 46-53

46 and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” 50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; 53 and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

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Gospel: Acts 1: 6-12

(6)When they had gathered together they asked Him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”(7) He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons that the Father has established by His own authority. (8) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (9) When he had said this, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him from their sight. (10) While they were looking intently at the sky as He was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. (11) They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking as the sky? This Jesus Who has been taken from you into Heaven will return in the same way as you have seen Him going into Heaven.” (12) Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away.          

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Mary, Help of Christians – May 24th

Posted on May 24, 2017 by mikatsa6

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Throughout the centuries Christians have constantly been aided by the miraculous help of the Blessed Virgin. In one way or another, She has been instrumental in helping mankind with personal battles, as well as in battles that saved whole territories or regions.  Today, as we continue on our journey of saints and special feasts, we come to the Feast of ‘Mary, Help of Christians’, which was the title given by Saint John Chrysostom, as a devotion honoring the Blessed Virgin in the year 345. The title Mary Help of Christians is associated with the defense of Europe, north  Africa, and the Middle East, which were Christian territories, from Muslims, during the Middle Ages.

One of the most dramatic victories of all time took place at the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571. It was then that a mighty fleet of Muslims, the Islamic Ottoman Empire, were threatening to invade and overrun the whole of Christian Europe. You have to understand that this was a group of heretical infidels whose sole purpose was to destroy the Faith…to destroy Christianity…this is an ugly truth that has been at the base of the Islamic religion since it’s creation…but anyway, back to Mary Help of Christians...

When the saintly Pope Pius V called Christian armies from all over Europe to defend the continent and asked the faithful to seek the intercession of the Blessed Mother, in defeating the Muslim Turks. He asked for rosary crusades and Blessed Sacrament processions throughout the lands. Christian troops aboard their tiny fleets prayed the rosary together and received the Sacraments before going into battle, against their enemies…who far outnumbered them in size and scope.

In the beginning, the Christian fleet was faring poorly…they were taking blows left and right…it was a bleak picture for those faithful men…but in the middle of the battle…the winds changed and blew in their favor. The Turkish fleet were thrown off guard, confusion set in …they were turned around and began to mistakenly shoot at each other…As the battle continued to rage throughout the afternoon, a great storm arose, causing many more of the Turkish ships to sink. With the storm raging overhead, the Turkish fleet was now feeling the wrath of the storm and a feeling of hopelessness settled over the few remaining ships… causing the remaining men to turn and flee. The strong hold that the Turks had gained over the Mediterranean was broken. The commander of the Christian fleet, Don Juan of Austria, proclaimed that this triumph was due to the powerful intercession of the Queen of The Rosary. The Venetian Senate wrote to other states, reiterating this message…they wrote” It was not generals, nor battalions, nor arms that brought us victory, but it was Our Lady of the Rosary.”

In commemoration of such a miraculous victory, Pope St. Pius V ordered the celebration of the Feast of the Most Holy Rosary and the addition of the invocation:                        “Auxilium Christianorum, Ora Pro Nobis” “Help of Christians, Pray for Us.”

There are other incidents in which the people prayed for the Blessed Mother’s help and it was received. One such incident was when Pope Pius VII was abducted by Napoleon, who was trying to get the Pope to sign over control of France…and when it seemed that Napoleon had the upper hand….Catholics from all over began to pray the rosary….soon Napoleon was faced with his own problems and forced to abdicate his position of power, Pope Pius VII was freed the next day, and after a five year exile, he returned to Rome. That day was May 24th. A year later in 1815, the Pope consecrated that day perpetually to Mary and instituted the Feast of Mary, Help of Christians, “to commemorate the ‘un-hoped for’ help of Mary, Most Holy, towards the Pope and the Christian people.”

On  May 17, 1903, Pope Leo XIII granted a Canonical coronation towards the Marian image bearing the same title, which is now presently enshrined within the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians.

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 Most Holy Virgin Mary, Help of Christian,
how sweet it is to come to your feet imploring your perpetual help.

If earthly mothers cease not to remember their children, how can you, the most loving of all mothers forget me?

Grant then to me, I implore you, your perpetual help in all my necessities, in every sorrow, and especially in all my temptations.

I ask for your unceasing help for all who are now suffering.

Help the weak, cure the sick, convert sinners.

Grant through your intercessions many vocations to the religious life.

Obtain for us, O Mary, Help of Christians, that having invoked you on earth we may love and eternally thank you in heaven.

Prayer of St. John Bosco for Our Lady, Help of All Christians

 

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Martyrs of the Mexican Revolution – May 21

Posted on May 23, 2017 by mikatsa6

¡Viva Cristo Rey! Long Live Christ the King! It’s a battle cry that was heard on the dusty roads of Mexico in the early days of the 1920’s…a mere one hundred years ago… It is a battle cry we should be living now…a battle cry that we should be carrying in our hearts…and shouting from our mouths… Today we are facing the same lies…the same cunning words of a movement that tries to silence our religious freedoms…tries to silence the Truth that was given to man by God. We are facing this same evil that continuously seeks the destruction of the good in the world…that seeks to destroy the Truth of the Holy Catholic Church….¡Viva Cristo Rey!  ¡Viva Cristo Rey!

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Martyrs of the Mexican Revolution – early 1900’s

Today’s calendar takes us back to the early 1900’s, as we remember a group of  martyrs that were killed during the Mexican revolution. Once again, we are taken back to the year 1917…a busy year for the forces of evil… The world seemed to be spinning on it’s head…from Russia and Germany, men were devising news ways to usurp the power that God had over man…While in other parts of the world, wars were brewing … And back in Mexico… a land long familiar with battling evil…(remember the Aztecs? and their human sacrifices?) Well, the Church in Mexico was now facing another round with the devil.

Revolutionaries had seized power, and were  in control of the government. These were men with hearts and minds that had been seduced by the ideas and philosophies of Marxism and Masonic superstitions, their goal was to silence the Catholic Church...and remove the authority the Church had over the lives of men…but God had other plans... He instilled in the hearts of His Faithful, the courage needed to stand up to this evil…in both His priests and His lay faithful alike…and they entered this dance with the devil with a cry of their own…¡Viva Cristo Rey!

In 1917 when the revolutionaries had taken control of the government in Mexico, the 1917 Constitution was drafted, and with the implementation of this constitution, the Church was denied legal status and the clergy lost all political and civil rights. With the backing of the Federal law, the Revolutionary Government confiscated all Church property…including hospitals, monasteries, convents and schools. The president did not want the Church to have any part in the moral teaching of the Mexican people… and banished the Church from all of Her endeavors.

For the next several years, the Revolutionary Government carried out widespread persecutions against priests and the Faithful who gathered to celebrate Mass. Priests were forbidden to express opinions on political matters, even in private conversations. It got to be so bad, that to take a religious vow was deemed a criminal act. Priests were forbidden to wear their habits in public…and those who refused to comply were persecuted, with many suffering violence and murder. Many priests were forced to leave Mexico and those who remained were forced into hiding. The government hired local peasants called agraristas, and armed them to carry out their dirty work.

Then on July 31st, 1926, as tensions continued to mount, and after much deliberation, the Mexican  bishops suspended all public worship….and for the first time in four hundred years, no priest in Mexico offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. By giving in to the demands of the government, the bishops were hoping to denounce any armed uprisings or resistance, but despite the move of the bishops, many priests in the rural areas remained dedicated to providing the Sacraments for the Faithful, traveling under the cover of darkness, and often in disguise, because if caught, these courageous priests were arrested, fined and jailed…most were tortured and executed. Many of the priests who remained, became involved in the religious freedom movement that sprang up as a result of the persecutions, called the Cristero Rebellion.

On December 12th, 1926, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, orders were given that one of the few remaining priests in Mexico, Father Robles, be arrested. Immediately he went into hiding…taking the Blessed Sacrament with him. Then at the start of the new year, he emerged and rededicated a Cross that had been placed at the top of hill in Tecolotán, celebrating the monument’s one year anniversary. Several lay men who witnessed this, joined the Cristero rebellion. With Father’s blessing, the men took a banner of Our lady of Guadalupe and prepared themselves for whatever the Lord asked of them, in defense of the Faith.

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The following week, a priest from a neighboring town, was taken into custody  by the agraristas, and hung…the flow of martyrs blood had begun. When Father Robles heard the news, he declared that he would be next. And with God’s grace, he moved from house to house celebrating Mass for the Faithful. Although many people knew where he was…his location remained hidden from the authorities for the next few weeks.

This angered the authorities…Father Robles was becoming somewhat of a hero to the faithful….he had to be stopped…A house to house search was ordered, and on June 25th the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, they found him, just as he was preparing to celebrate Mass. When he heard them at the door, he willing submitted to the arrest, and allowed himself to be marched through the streets…smiling and greeting the people along the way. Once back at the barracks, he was given food, a few writing materials and left alone. During his final moments, he wrote a final prayer of dedication to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and a loving letter to his mother, bidding her farewell.

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Later that night, they led Father Robles out of the prison and began the long march up the side of the mountain. They reached the top nearly four hours later….leading the priest to the foot of a large oak tree. According to a witness, as they prepared the rope for hanging, Father Robles fell to his knees and prayed quietly for a few moments…blessing his parish and pardoning his captors. He kissed the ground and stood up, as one of his captors approached him, Father recognized him, and took the rope from him, saying, “Compadre, don’t soil your hands,” and placed the rope around his own neck. Once he was hung, they removed his dead body and left it under the tree. Later, the people returned and retrieved his body for a proper burial.

This destruction of the Catholic Church and terrorizing of the faithful went on for many more years in Mexico…The Masonic government of the United States was eager to get it’s hands on much of the land that was being controlled by the largely Catholic population of Mexico, and this was one way to reduce the number of Catholics…But regardless, the root behind all of this evil was the devil...And this is the story of the good Holy men who fought bravely and were willing to stand up for the Truth at all costs…

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It is the story of good versus evil. And in this chapter….The Mexican Revolution…there were many, many other priests and laymen who were martyred for their Faith…for the Holy Catholic Church…Father Robles is just one of the many who stood firm and gave his life in defense of the Faith….And as faithful Catholics of today, who are constantly bombarded with the same cunning lies…the same evil ploys, that seek to remove God from every aspect our public lives...We should be arming ourselves for this same battle, by devoting our time to prayer….by devotion to the Blessed Mother and by reading about each of these saints…and becoming familiar with each of the names of these brave men, who stood firm and defended the Truth…God will give us the graces we need. We just need to ask what He desires of us…(and here’s the hard part)…and then we need to unite ourselves to those desires….and prepare ourselves for whatever lies ahead…Remember, we will not know the hour or the time…we must always be ready…because we just don’t know how quickly the time may come for each of us to take up their battle cry…and make it our own…

¡Viva Cristo Rey! Long Live Christ the King! ¡Viva Cristo Rey!

It is a battle cry for a King… A King worth defending with our life.

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Saint Simon Stock – May 16th

Posted on May 17, 2017 by mikatsa6

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As we continue to study the lives of the saints in the Holy Catholic Church we are sure to encounter many, who even though they have been declared a saint in heaven, not much had been documented about their early lives. Saint Simon Stock is one such saint.

Although most agree that the name Stock came from the fact that as a young boy of twelve, he went off to the desert to live as a hermit, and found shelter in the hollowed trunk of a tree. The word ‘Stock’ is derived from the word for tree trunk. He spent most of his youth in solitude, praying, and mortifying his flesh with fasting and other severe measures. He drank only water, and ate only herbs, roots and wild apples…. but what he lacked in physical nourishment he made up for in spiritual banquets, with his continuous stream of prayers.

After twenty years in the desert,  he went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land where he met a group of hermits from Palestine, who were living on Mt. Carmel. They called themselves The Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel. He had been previously told in an apparition of the Blessed Mother, that these  men were her special servants, Saint Simon immediately joined. But due to the influx of Muslims in the Holy Land, Christians were forced to leave… among those were the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin. He traveled with the Order back to Europe. Once back in Europe, they realized that more could be accomplished living as friars among the people, with the help of St. Simon, the Carmelites changed from living as hermits to serving the community as friars…but it was not easy…

By 1251, the Carmelite Order was being oppressed…the weight of all their new concerns mixed with the lukewarmness of some of the Brothers was causing them great distress. In an attempt to aid his community, Saint Simon petitioned the Blessed Mother for Her help. On July 16th of 1251, She appeared to him in Cambridge, England. During Her visit, She appeared holding a brown, woolen cloth draped over Her hand, which She gave to Saint Simon Stock. She said to him:

“Receive, my beloved son, this scapular of thy Order; it is the special sign of my favor, which I have obtained for thee and for thy children of Mount Carmel. He who dies clothed with this habit shall be preserved from eternal fire. It is the badge of salvation, a shield in time of danger, and a pledge of special peace and protection.”

Saint Simon lived  to see the Carmelites flourish; not only in his native land, but throughout all of Europe as well. He died on May 16, 1265 at the Monastery of Bordeaux at the age of 100, fourteen years after receiving the Brown Scapular from Our Lady.

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The scapular (from the Latin, scapula, meaning “shoulder blade”) consists of two pieces of cloth, one worn on the chest, and the other on the back, which were connected by straps or strings passing over the shoulders.

The first miracle associated with the brown scapular occurred the same day that Simon was given the scapular from the Blessed Mother. I found the story to be so remarkable, so much like the story of my own father’s deathbed conversion....that I have added a link right here.

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The devotion to the brown scapular grew, and soon smaller versions were being made and distributed to the lay people who wanted to be associated with the Carmelite Order, and those who wished to honor the Blessed Mother as Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

There are some who did not believe that the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Simon with the scapular, and as if to remove any doubt from our hearts, when the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Bernadette in Lourdes, Her final visit was on July 16th, and then again in 1917 during Her final visit to the children of Fatima…the visit in which the sun spun in circles above the heads of over 70,000 people…She first appeared to the crowd as Our Lady of Mount Carmel…holding the baby Jesus in one hand and the Brown Scapular in the other….it seems that the Blessed Mother, does not approve of disbelieving children….

Prayer to St. Simon Stock
O holy Saint Simon, thou were blessed with the apparition of Our Lady and received the Scapular as a special sign of her favor. Following thy example, I pledge to wear the Scapular faithfully and devoutly so that I may always have Our Lady’s wonderful protection in life and her special help at the hour of death. Amen.

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