The Value of Our Blood, Sweat and Tears – April 3rd

Posted on April 3, 2017 by mikatsa6

We have all heard the old adage…if you want anything in this world, you’ve got to put in the work…you’ve got to give it your blood, sweat and tears. In 1940 Winston Churchill coined the phrase  “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil tears and sweat.” He was speaking to the European people about the hardships about to befall them for joining into the War. It was actually paraphrased from a line uttered in Rome in 1849. Either way… It is a great line…after all…that is all that each of us has to give…that…and a mess of other stuff which we will get to at another time…

Blood, sweat and tears; for Catholics…for all Christians;  is a powerhouse to offer God. That is all He wants. Our blood…to lay down our life for the Faith…for one another…It used to be that, that was what men strove for…Real men…to die a martyr’s death…to be sacrificed for the Holy Mother Church…look it up if you want…Heaven is filled with Holy Saints who gave everything to God…What are you willing to give? Have you ever even thought about it? I know…it’s a hard reality to swallow…but there it is…and suddenly when we watch the news…see all the violence committed against Christians…we have to face the fact…martyrdom is a reality we could face. Are you willing to make the sacrifice? Am I ? It’s easy to think we would, but men have proved themselves to be cowards more often than not. That is why we must pray. Get down on our knees and beg the Good Lord for the strength to do whatever He asks….

God wants our sweat too, either from our laboring to build up the Church, or perhaps in the struggle of holding up another, one who for whatever reason cannot make it on their own. We are called to work…sweat for the Church and all Her works. This is another hard one…we like things easy...kind of handed to us on silver platters and all. We have got to get rid of the ‘me mentality’ and really get back to the nitty gritty…the work…the labor…the sacrifice of our strength and muscles. When is the last time you went to bed sore from laboring for the Lord? Built any arks lately? Any Churches?...I’m just saying…

Finally, God wants our tears. Either from our own sufferings and sorrows, or from helping others through theirs… As Faithful Catholics we are called to visit the sick and dying…to comfort the afflicted. Bring your tissues, it is difficult work. This one, next to shedding blood, is possibly the hardest…We are called to comfort others…How? What could I possibly say??  I know…it’s time to get back on those ole’ knees and pray. God will give you what you need. Don’t worry. Don’t sweat the small stuff…seriously, Trust God and He will guide you.

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Remember, Jesus Christ gave all three for us. In the garden of  Gethsemane, as He waited for the guards..as He waited for the cup, He cried out… pleading with the Heavenly Father to let it pass from His hands…His sweat came out as blood…the burden of the entire world was upon His shoulders…it was a powerful moment… it changed Everything!!!  Think about it, when you want your garden to grow, you fertilize it. We use Epsom salt for pretty green stems…we use water mixed with minerals for strong roots and if we really want our gardens to send forth blossoms that will amaze our neighbors we mix in a couple of spoons fulls of blood meal…

As we close in on this coming Easter, let’s finish up these last days of Lent…by digging deep…listening  to God and seeing exactly what He wants from each of us…. remember to pray for the graces we will need… because sometimes…God desires all three…blood, sweat and tears.

zurbaran-crucifixion

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Saint Gontran – King and Confessor March 28th

Posted on March 29, 2017 by mikatsa6
images.duckduckgo.com gontran

Saint Gontran – 532 A.D. – 592 A.D.

As we travel through these last weeks of lent…with our eyes gazing longingly, towards the Cross, let us remember that even though we are in penitential days filled with prayers, fasting and alms giving… there is a kind of subtle joy that stirs our hearts… We are now more than halfway to Easter and our anticipation… our hope… in the coming Resurrection of Christ, will help us as we walk the way of the Cross with the Lord, entering His passion; shouldering our crosses; lifting our eyes towards Calvary…hoping that somehow we will come out on the backside of Lent, better than we came in…

As Catholics…as Christians...we should embrace this time of penance…Even though at times it may be difficult, we should always pause and give thanks to God for His mercy…this awesome opportunity He gives each of us…to seek out His forgiveness. We have a loving Father who never tires of us…even with our faults and our failings…He will forgive us as long as we are sorry for our sins…”a contrite heart, He will not spurn”…

Today’s saint, St. Gontran is a perfect example of God’s mercy…and forgiveness… King Gontran was a man who lived for years turned away from the Lord. His life was seeped in sin and evil deeds. He ruled over his kingdom with a barbarian manner. His name actually means ‘war raven’. He was first married to a former slave, who after he divorced her, became jealous and tried to poison another of his wives. He then married a woman named Mercatrude, but after years of marriage, he decided he no longer liked living with her so he divorced her, and went on to marry a third wife. All the while he was living a pagan lifestyle and his personal life was in shambles. A low point in the king’s life was when his ex- wife Mercatrude became ill, the King sent for a doctor to cure her, but when no cure could be found, he had the doctor murdered. It was at this point the king had a conversion of heart. It seems, the ‘good’ king was like the rest of us in regards to having to hit rock bottom, before lifting his eyes towards the Lord and turning his life around…

King Gontran became Catholic and was eventually overcome with remorse for the sins of his past life. He fell upon the mercy of God and spent the rest of his remaining years repenting of his sins, both for himself and for his nation. In atonement, he fasted, prayed, wept, and offered himself to God. Throughout the balance of his prosperous reign he attempted to govern by Christian principles. According to St. Gregory of Tours, he was the protector of the oppressed, caregiver to the sick, and the tender parent to his subjects. He was generous with his wealth, especially in times of plague and famine. He was strict and just when enforcing the law without respect to person, yet was ever ready to forgive offenses against himself, including two attempted assassinations. Gontran magnificently built and endowed many churches and monasteries. St. Gregory related that the king performed many miracles both before and after his death, some of which St. Gregory claimed to have witnessed himself. He was buried in the church of St. Marcellus, which he had founded. The Huguenots scattered his ashes in the sixteenth century: only his skull escaped their fury, and is now kept there in a silver case.

This great saint is a prime example of how with God’s mercy, each of us has an opportunity to turn our lives around. Even if we have been caught up in our sinfulness for years. He will always forgive a repentant heart… Our Lord is  just and merciful.  He has the ability…and the desire… to help each of us become good and holy people. So as we make our way through these final days of Lent, let us remember that we are called to turn away from our own sinfulness...our anger…our pride…our slothfulness… anything that is preventing us from uniting our hearts to God … anything that diminishes His light in us…Remember, with God’s mercy and grace we can be transformed into saints…and by doing so…we can help transform those around us. Saint Gontran, pray for us.

 

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March 23 – Saint Joseph Oriol – Wonder-worker of Barcelona

Posted on March 23, 2017 by mikatsa6
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St. Joseph, giving alms in front of his parish in Barcelona.

Saint Joseph Oriol was born in Barcelona, Spain in the year 1650, to a poor working-class family. Even though his father died while he was still a boy, he was able to go to school and receive an education. He then went on to study at the University of Barcelona and received a Theology Degree in 1674. In 1676, he was ordained a priest.

For the first ten years of his priesthood, he served as a tutor for a wealthy family in Spain. But something stirred in him and he felt that God was calling him to serve in a more robust manner so he joined the Oratorians of Barcelona. In 1686, shortly after the death of his mother, he set out on a pilgrimage for Rome. He traveled by foot and stayed in Rome for eight months. It was during this time in Rome that Pope Innocent XI granted him a benefice at Santa Maria del Pino (Our Lady of the Pines), Barcelona, a parish he wound up serving for the rest of his life.

In April of 1698 he felt a longing in his soul to travel and serve the Lord in bigger ways by offering to serve as a missionary …willing to give God his blood and his life... He traveled once again to Rome, this time seeking permission to go to Japan and serve the Lord by converting infidels and perhaps even giving his life as a martyr. But on his way, he fell ill at Marseilles, and had a vision that gave him a new mission –God wished for him to revitalize the faith in his own back yard. 

When he regained his health, he returned home to focus on the many souls who were within reach and needed help. He administered to the poor, the hungry, the old, the young…he prayed with hardened soldiers…He devoted his life to praying… without ceasing …for all the holy souls…He imposed self mortifications upon himself…surviving on mere bread and water for twenty six years. He wore a hair shirt under his clothing and often worked long days with only four hours of sleep each night. Realizing the need for repentance and forgiveness, he heard confessions for hours on end. He became widely known as a confessor and prophet. Many people found healing through his workings…so much so that he earned the nickname “Thaumaturgus of Barcelona” or “Wonder Worker of Barcelona”.

He died on March 23, 1702, a year after he had predicted his own death. Locals from the town had to lend him a bed as to die on, since he did not own one. He had always just slept in a wooden chair or wherever he found a place to rest. When he died, choir boys came running to him and sang ‘Stabat Mater.’ At his grave, numerous miracles occurred.

He was Beatified on May 15, 1896 by Pope Pius VII canonized on May 20, 1909 by Pope St. Pius X.

As faithful Catholics who are often times caught in the every day routines of normalcy, we can understand how this holy saint felt the need to prove his love for the Lord by his grand ideas and pilgrimages. He wanted to do great big things…he was operating with the ‘all in’ mentality… And we have to…we’ve got to be all in… not just in great big ways…but in the ‘little ways’ as well. Sometimes we become so preoccupied with grand plans…like traveling to foreign lands and serving the poor…or by devoting oneself to constant prayer, and ignoring our daily duties…or perhaps by even imposing on ourselves self-mortifications of some sort…or maybe even by seeking martyrdom by traveling to dangerous lands…but in reality, God does not call the majority of us to do great big things…

He has made it clear, by the lives of numerous saints, that we are all called to be holy in everything…in those normal daily tasks that occupy so much of our time. All these duties can be done in holy ways… they are, in reality, our paths to sanctification…Like Saint Joseph Oriol, who found that his path to sanctity was right in his own backyard…we don’t need to travel to foreign lands to convert the masses…and like Saint Oriol, we can find our path to sanctification right where we are now…our own hometowns…helping our neighbors…helping the poor…visiting the lonely…At times, all we can do is offer a smile and a prayer…and sometimes…with God and His good graces…that is enough.

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Saint Joseph Oriol, Pray for us.

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Gospel John- 4: 5-42 Third Sunday of Lent

Posted on March 22, 2017 by mikatsa6

Gospel – John 4 : 5 – 42

Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar,
near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob’s well was there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
Jesus said to her,
“Give me a drink.”
His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to him,
“How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”
—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—
Jesus answered and said to her,
“If you knew the gift of God
and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘
you would have asked him
and he would have given you living water.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;
where then can you get this living water?
Are you greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself
with his children and his flocks?”
Jesus answered and said to her,
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;
but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty
or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Jesus said to her,
“Go call your husband and come back.”
The woman answered and said to him,
“I do not have a husband.”
Jesus answered her,
“You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’
For you have had five husbands,
and the one you have now is not your husband.
What you have said is true.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.
Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;
but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
Jesus said to her,
“Believe me, woman, the hour is coming
when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You people worship what you do not understand;
we worship what we understand,
because salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here,
when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;
and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in Spirit and truth.”
The woman said to him,
“I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ;
when he comes, he will tell us everything.”
Jesus said to her,
“I am he, the one speaking with you.”

At that moment his disciples returned,
and were amazed that he was talking with a woman,
but still no one said, “What are you looking for?”
or “Why are you talking with her?”
The woman left her water jar
and went into the town and said to the people,
“Come see a man who told me everything I have done.
Could he possibly be the Christ?”
They went out of the town and came to him.
Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.”
But he said to them,
“I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
So the disciples said to one another,
“Could someone have brought him something to eat?”
Jesus said to them,
“My food is to do the will of the one who sent me
and to finish his work.
Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here’?
I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.
The reaper is already receiving payment
and gathering crops for eternal life,
so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.
For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’
I sent you to reap what you have not worked for;
others have done the work,
and you are sharing the fruits of their work.”

Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him
because of the word of the woman who testified,
“He told me everything I have done.”
When the Samaritans came to him,
they invited him to stay with them;
and he stayed there two days.
Many more began to believe in him because of his word,
and they said to the woman,
“We no longer believe because of your word;
for we have heard for ourselves,
and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”

Chrystus i Samarytanka (en: Christ and Samaritan woman), oil on canvas, 106,5x184 , Gallery of Art in Lviv

Christ and the Samaritan Woman – Henryk Siemiradzki

In Sunday’s Gospel reading, John 4 : 5-42, we find that Jesus has arrived in a town called Samaria. He has been traveling with His disciples and is tired, the disciples have gone to go get some food, leaving Jesus alone. He is sitting at the side of  Jacob’s well to rest for a moment…but perhaps… He had noticed the approaching woman who was carrying her water jar…and perhaps, He has  chosen to rest in close proximity to the well so He could speak to her without causing her too much alarm. Whatever the case; because of His divine nature; Jesus is able to see the troubled life of this Samaritan woman and reaches out to her by saying: “Give me a drink.”

Immediately, the woman is apprehensive. Because normally, Jews do not associate with Samaritans, and because she is there alone, it was unusual for a man to speak to her. Without hesitation, she boldly questions his motives…

“How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”
—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—

Jesus is ready, and tells her:

“If you knew the gift of God
and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘
you would have asked him
and he would have given you living water.”

We can see by their dialogue that the woman is not understanding the depth in which Jesus is speaking to her. She is taking His words literally…she does not yet realize who she is talking to…she does not yet recognize Him.  But as readers of the Gospel…we are keyed in to the knowledge of Who Christ is…it is almost like watching a suspense thriller and knowing what’s going on before the major players in the movie do…as Christians, we already know who the Good Guy is…But in another sense, we meet the Samaritan woman…we see that she is troubled…we may even see a bit of ourselves in her… She is lost, trying unsuccessfully, to find her happiness… by going from one marriage bed to another…searching for something that she has not yet found…Things are not going right for her…that much is obvious…

Also, here she is at noon, the hottest part of the day; when most people have already collected their water and carried it home; just arriving at the well…suggesting that perhaps she had waited for the other women to leave…so as to avoid the gossip…or the judging…the thing is…we just don’t know for sure…

What we do know, is that Jesus has found her. He has broken the societal norms of the day and has spoken to her…offering her a glimpse into His cup of living water… so that she may sip…He is not concerned with the laws of the world…He is concerned with the woman’s  spiritual life…her eternal life…Then, with His words, He reaches to the depth of her soul…and even though she is fighting Him every step of the way…she begins to believe…

When we look at Jesus’ words throughout the Gospels, this one in particular, we find He uses the words thirst and hunger many times. Even here, the woman and His disciples, have taken His words in the literal sense…But because we have the benefit of a knowledge that has been handed down through the generations…through the Apostolic teachings of the Church…We know that Christ’s thirst and hunger applied to His spiritual hunger and thirst…His intense desire that mankind turn away from their sinful ways and turn their hearts to the Heavenly Father. His desire was to do the Will of the One Who sent Him… to bring back the lost sheep into the fold…

Because Jesus knew things about the woman that He could not have possibly known otherwise, she comes to believe that He is indeed a prophet…that He is indeed the Christ of Whom she has heard about…She drops her water jar…leaving it behind, and goes to tell others about her encounter with Jesus…about her encounter with the ‘Living Water’ of the Lord. Forgiven, she has been refreshed and cleansed by the Living Water of His Word…and rushes forth to share this News with others.

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Feast of Saint Joseph – March 20- Patron of the Universal Church

Posted on March 21, 2017 by mikatsa6

images.duckduckgo.com joseph and mary.jpg

Since the 19th fell on a Sunday this year, the Feast of St. Joseph was transferred to the 20th of March. Because of the very special nature of  St. Joseph in the life of Jesus, the Holy Mother Church chooses to recognize him with two unique Feast days. The first of which celebrates his marriage to the Blessed Mother and his role as foster-father to Jesus. It is a celebration of his royalty…his lineage that was passed on to his adopted son Jesus…creating a supernatural bond that extended to heaven. St. Peter Julian Eymard wrote:

“Therefore, since Christ was King, of the line of David, He made Saint Joseph to be born of this same royal line. He wanted him to be noble, of earthly nobility. In the veins of St. Joseph, therefore, flows the blood of David and Solomon, and of all the noble kings of Judah. If his dynasty still sat on the throne, St. Joseph would be the heir and would have sat on the throne in his turn.”

It is through this lineage of Joseph and Mary, both of whom were of the house of David, that Jesus’s genealogical line was locked forever; and by His passion and death, His Kingship was secured for eternity.

Today’s feast day was fixed in Church in the 15th century and extended to the whole Catholic Church by Pope Gregory XV in 1621. It is also observed as the memorial of his death. The second feast in which we celebrate St. Joseph is the 1st of May which celebrates his humility and obedience as a worker, it is referred to as The Feast of St. Joseph, the Worker and was created by Pope Pious XII in 1955. The date was chosen as it coincided with ‘Labor Day’ celebrations throughout many countries.

As faithful Catholics, we should looking to Saint Joseph’s example of how to properly fulfill one’s vocation. As husband to the Blessed Mother and as foster-father to Jesus, he is a prime example of faithfulness and more importantly, love. From what we read in the Gospels, Joseph is a just man, with a willingness to do whatever the Lord asked… No matter how uncertain he felt about any given situation…He gave himself completely  to the Lord... His whole life was an expression of love…

 

The Dream of St. Joseph Francisco Rizzi 1665 Spain.jpg

We read in the Gospels that when St. Joseph finds that Mary is pregnant, just before they are to be married, he is reluctant to marry her, but he does not know what to do…All he knows for certain, is that he does not want to bring scandal to Mary…He does not want to hurt her…or cause her shame. That night while he is sleeping, an angel appears to him in a dream and tells him:

“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1: 20-21)

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This is Joseph’s first encounter with an angel…He listens… and he obeys. He takes the the Virgin Mary into his home as his wife. Before they can even settle in, he has  another visit from the angel telling him to take Mary who is now swollen with the Baby Jesus and travel to Bethlehem, which he does…obediently. Then shortly after the birth of Jesus, the midnight hours of darkness have surrounded him once again… and he has another visit with an angel of the Lord, appearing to Joseph in a dream, the angels says:

“Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”(Matthew 2:13)

images.duckduckgo.com st joseph dream

Matthew 2:13-15
And after they were departed, behold an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: Arise, and take the child and his mother, and fly into Egypt: and be there until I shall tell thee. For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the child to destroy him. Who arose, and took the child and his mother by night, and retired into Egypt: and he was there until the death of Herod: That it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying: Out of Egypt have I called my son.

Flight-into-Egypt


 He does not question these messages of the angel…He does not hesitate in his obligation to the Lord….in his obligation… to protect Mary and the Child Jesus. And so, he flees  with his Virgin Bride…and his Child…to safety. From that point onward all we know of Joseph is that he was a hard worker who humbly fulfilled the tasks presented him in his vocation as husband and father. He was faithful in the care of his family. He loved and supported the Blessed Virgin and helped to raise the Child Jesus in a home dominated by love and quiet obedience to the religious laws prescribed at that time.

holy family

 

 

In his 1889 encyclical, Pope Leo XIII speaks of Saint Joseph as an “exemplary model of kindness and humility.” He also goes on to explain that St. Joseph, by allowing the Holy Spirit to fill him, was able to possess and develop the virtues needed to participate in Mary’s sublime dignity. Though Mary and Joseph shared a close bond, their union was a chaste one, allowing them to offer their purity…their virginity…as a golden crown to the Lord.

We know that Joseph was a righteous and just man according to the Gospel narrative, but we also know this because God chose him to be Jesus’ earthly father. Joseph was chosen from among all men to become the spouse of the most Pure and Holy Virgin Mary, do we not suppose that he would have to be a reflection of supreme holiness himself??   Just as the Lord chose a most pure tabernacle for His Son, in the womb of the Virgin Mother, would He not also choose a father for His Son that was most pure and holy as well?

Not only do we have the Gospels to learn about St. Joseph’s noble character, if we listen to other saints who have had encounters with the Blessed Mother, we find that the Virgin Mary wishes to share his attributes with us as well. In a vision, Saint Bridget of Sweden, was told by the Virgin Mary :

“St. Joseph was so reserved and careful in his speech that not one word ever issued from his mouth that was not good and holy, nor did he ever indulge in unnecessary or less than charitable conversation. He was most patient and diligent in bearing fatigue; he practiced extreme poverty; he was most meek in bearing injuries; he was strong and constant against my enemies; he was the faithful witness of the wonders of Heaven, being dead to the flesh and the world, living only for God and for Heavenly goods, which were the only things he desired. He was perfectly conformed to the Divine Will and so resigned to the dispositions of Heaven that he ever repeated “May the Will of God ever be done in me!” He rarely spoke with men, but continually with God, whose Will he desired to perform. Wherefore, he now enjoys great glory in Heaven.”

Holy Family light on St. Joseph - Schemm.jpg

Saint Joseph was created with purity of speech and the grand humility that was needed to undertake the formidable task of responding to God! Whenever I hear people speak of Saint Joseph in a way that demeans his special role in the life of Christ…in the life of the Church, it really makes me sad that this wonderfully holy and just man, does not get the special recognition he deserves. Just imagine… St. Joseph was a man with sufficient wisdom and purity… chosen to rule over the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus…(to rule over God Himself!)  And only when we can imagine this, will we be able to understand…will we be able to comprehend… the sublime virtue of Holy Saint Joseph! Dear St. Joseph, patron of the Holy Catholic Church, pray for us!

Prayer to St. Joseph

To thee, O Blessed Joseph, we have recourse in our tribulations, and while imploring the aid of thy most holy Spouse, we confidently invoke thy patronage also. By that love which united thee to the Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God, and by the fatherly affection with which thou didst embrace the Infant Jesus, we humbly beseech thee graciously to regard the inheritance which Jesus Christ purchased with His Blood and to help us in our necessities, by thy powerful intercession.

Protect, O most provident Guardian of the Holy Family, the chosen children of Jesus Christ; ward off from us, O most loving Father, all taint of error and corruption; graciously assist us from Heaven, O most power protector, in our struggle with the powers of darkness; and as thou didst once rescue the Child Jesus from imminent peril to His life, so now defend the Holy Church of God from the snares of her enemies and from all adversity.

Shield each one of us with thy unceasing patronage that, imitating thy example and sported by thy aid, we may be enabled to live a good life, die a holy death, and secure everlasting happiness in Heaven. Amen.

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Saint Patrick’s Day – March 17th

Posted on March 17, 2017 by mikatsa6

 

Saint Patrick of Ireland is quite possibly the most renowned saint of modern times. It is rather sad though, that most of those who will be celebrating the feast day will do so in a secular way. They will drink green beer, tout their “Kiss me, I’m Irish” buttons and eat corned beef and cabbage ( on a Friday during Lent, to boot!.) Some will even run around demanding to march in their, now gay, parades celebrating a ‘holy saint’ they do not understand…It is most ironic that it was the pagans that Saint Patrick devoted his life to converting and now, these pagans are intent on destroying everything associated with his holy feast day…

Saint Patrick was actually born in Britain to a wealthy family towards the end of the fourth century. When he was 16 years old he was taken by a group of Irish pirates who were raiding his family’s homeland. He was shipped back to Ireland as a slave and sheepherder. He spent long hours alone in the field tending the sheep. Ireland at this time was a land of Druids and pagans, they did not believe in the One True God. When Patrick witnessed the ancient Druid practices of worship, it left him with an emptiness in his heart, for even though he was not raised in a religious household, Patrick was given grace by God and knew these pagan rituals were not of the Lord.  During this time he was lonely and afraid  and grew to depend on his prayers to a God he didn’t really know as yet. The prayers were more a means of bringing comfort to his loneliness. But God is good…and it was during these times of prayer that the Lord opened Patrick’s eyes to his own sinfulness that stemmed from his unbelief. His humility allowed Patrick to be open to God’s grace, and he was filled with remorse at his own turning away from the Lord…it was a life changing moment for the young saint… It was during this difficult time in his life that he received many spiritual graces from God.. …A sort of preparation for his future mission.…He developed a deep spiritual faith and grew into a devout Christian. It was in these times of prayer that he began to dream of converting the pagan Irish to the Faith, but he did not yet have the means to do so. In his memoir Saint Patrick would write:

“The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was roused, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same. I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain.”

According to his writings, when he had been in Ireland about four years, he had a dream in which he heard the voice of God tell him it was time to return home. So he fled his captor and escaped by following the coast. He traveled for many miles but was finally able to meet some  British sailors who agreed to take him home where he was soon reunited with his family.

All the while he was home in Britain he could not get the pagan Irish out of his mind. In his memoir he wrote about a vision he had:

“I saw a man coming, as it were from Ireland. His name was Victoricus, and he carried many letters, and he gave me one of them. I read the heading: ‘The Voice of the Irish.’ As I began the letter, I imagined in that moment that I heard the voice of those very people who were near the wood of Foclut, which is beside the western sea-and they cried out, as with one voice: ‘We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us.'”

The intensity of this vision prompted him to study the Catholic faith with vigor. Soon he was ordained a priest by Saint Germanus who was Bishop of Auxerre, whom Patrick had studied under for years. After some time, Patrick was made bishop and knew that it was time to return to Ireland and convert the pagans to Christianity… in essence he was being sent by God to bring the Light of Christ to a nation that was covered in the darkness of pagan ritual and sacrifice…again it is ironic, how Saint Patrick had been captured by the Irish and forced to be a shepherd among them, and then later, God called him in his dreams to once again return to Ireland, yet this time as a shepherd of men...

Patrick arrived in Slane, Ireland on March 25, 433. There are several legends about what happened next, with the most prominent claiming he met the chieftain of one of the druid tribes, who tried to kill him. Legend has it that the chieftain was unable to move his arm to strike out against Patrick. After an intervention from God, Patrick was able to convert the chieftain and preach the Gospel throughout Ireland. There, he converted many people -eventually thousands – and he began building churches across the country.

Since many of the Irish, had been indoctrinated with the Druid religion, he wanted to use a symbol that the people were already familiar with when explaining the un-explainable …the Holy Trinity of God…he used the shamrock to explain the One God in Three Persons doctrine, with great success in converting the masses.But it was not just the shamrock…Saint Patrick had a way about him that just drew people to the Faith…he had turned his life over to the Lord, and God was able to do with Saint Patrick’s will, what others had failed to do previously.

Patrick continued to preach all over Ireland  and converted the people for 40 years. He worked many miracles and wrote of his love for God in Confessions. After years of living in poverty, traveling and enduring much suffering he died March 17, 461.

He died at Saul, where he had built the first Irish church. He is believed to be buried in Down Cathedral, Downpatrick. His grave was marked in 1990 with a granite stone.

One final fascinating story about St. Patrick involves the lighting of a Paschal fire on the night where fires were outlawed in Ireland due to an upcoming pagan celebration. It was such an act of confident defiance to the present age and signified hope in the One to whom the light testified…the True Redeemer, Christ... Remember, Christian missions in Ireland had failed miserably prior to Patrick. His life and ministry were marked by challenge and hardship. He had been taken captive numerous times, and his life threatened . Yet there he was, lighting the Paschal fire to signify to everyone that Easter was the next day. He was there to testify to the pagan world that the light of the world would not be overcome by darkness.

There was an uproar over the fire. Lochru, the chief of the Druids led incantations to try to put the fire out, but in the end ( after some interesting tales which may or may not be true) it was the light of the Paschal bonfire which burned brightly, replacing the ancient fire of the Druid festival . This is what happened in Ireland; the light of Christ burned brightly in a man named Patrick, against all odds and darkness, and it was that Light which remained. The Light of Christ…the light of Truth. It  came to dispel the darkness that had been over all the lands… It is St. Patrick of Ireland whom we remember today as we praise God for his work through this holy saint…Saint Patrick. So go ahead, and raise a glass of green beer today…and make a toast or two…but just remember to honor this great saint with prayers as well, and invoke his intersession so that we too, may be bearers of the Light of Christ in a world that is growing more pagan in her Godless ways. Saint Patrick, of Ireland, pray for us. Amen.

st patrick catholic church on wordpress com st patrick bishop

The Prayer of St. Patrick

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ’s birth and His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In preaching of the apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.

I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me;
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s hosts to save me
From snares of the devil,
From temptations of vices,
From every one who desires me ill,
Afar and near,
Alone or in a multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and evil,
Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.
Christ shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that reward may come to me in abundance.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.

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Saint John de Brebeuf – March 16

Posted on March 16, 2017 by mikatsa6
Learning from a Martyr with a Sense of Humor | Catholic News Live

“How I grieve, my God, that you are not known, that this savage country is not yet wholly converted to faith in You, that sin is not yet blotted out!” – St. John de Brebeuf

Born in Normandy, France in 1593, rather fittingly, to a family of farmers. Even though he suffered from ill health from an early age, he worked with his parents on their land,until he left for school. He then attended a nearby university at Caen. He joined the Jesuits of Rouen in 1617. As a young adult his health continued to suffer, and he was almost forced to leave the society when he contracted tuberculosis, but he persevered and in 1622 was ordained a priest. In 1625 he managed to be sent to North America to serve  in the missions of Canada. Which was a literal God send for the saint. The cold harsh climate agreed with him and his health improved under the adverse conditions.

He was a rather large man and the natives called him echon which means load bearer. They looked at him as a man of great endurance and wished that he live with them. He was a learned man who knew many languages, although his knowledge of such was useless in the task of learning the Huron language and he struggled with it a great deal. But again, his perseverance paid off and he was able to learn the language well enough that he even wrote a catechism in the Huron language for the native people.

The odds were always stacked against this missionary priest. He was often blamed for any disease that came through the village and though many of the natives listened to him, there were still struggles with renegade Indians. And then there were the Protestant Huguenots who opposed him as well. But he had a sense of humor that helped him deal with the many obstacles he faced, as witnessed in  experts from letters Saint John wrote to his fellow Jesuits in hopes of getting them to join him in North America:

“When you reach the land of the Hurons, you will find us full of love. We will receive you in a hut so miserable that none in France compare to it. Completely exhausted as you will be, we shall be able to give you nothing but a mat for a bed. Besides you will arrive in the season when ubiquitous fleas will prevent you from closing an eye all night long.

“You will spend the winter in almost continuous discomforts—excessive cold, smoke, the annoying habits of the savages, who crowd around our fireplace all day expecting to be fed.
 
“For the rest—well, so far life has been a bed of roses. We have Christians in almost every village, so we must plan on making rounds at all seasons. And our lives hang by a thread. Our straw cabin may catch fire at any moment. The malice of the savages causes perpetual fear. Some malcontent may cleave open your head because he believes you are the cause of droughts.”

“The food will be insipid, but the gall and vinegar of Our Blessed Saviour will make it like honey on your lips. Clambering over rocks and skirting cataracts will be pleasant if you think of Calvary; and you will be happy if you have lost the trail, or are sick and dying with hunger in the woods”…

As well as having a good sense of humor, he displayed strong character and a steadfastness in serving the Lord. In many of his letters he wrote about his missionary work and being able to convert the savage lands for the greater glory of the Lord. A few of these excerpts show his desire to unite himself in all things for God:

“There is no danger for your soul, if you bring into this Huron country the love and fear of God. In fact I find many helps to perfection. For in the first place, you have only the necessaries of life, and that makes it easy to be united with God.”

“As for your spiritual exercises you can attend to them; you have nothing else to do except study Huron and talk with the Indians. And what pleasure there is for a heart devoted to God to make itself a little scholar of children, thereby gain them for God!”

He understood the hardships and sacrifices that he must endure for the Church. He also understood that the fate of martyrdom was never far from him and his companions, in fact, from an excerpt from his journal we find that he was preparing himself spiritually for this outcome:

For two days now I have experienced a great desire to be a martyr and to endure all the torments the martyrs suffered…. I vow to you, Jesus my Savior, that as far as I have the strength I will never fail to accept the grace of martyrdom, if some day you in your infinite mercy should offer it to me, your most unworthy servant…. On receiving the blow of death, I shall accept it from your hands with the fullest delight and joy of spirit…. My God, it grieves me greatly that you are not known, that in this savage wilderness all have not been converted to you, that sin has not been driven from it. – St. John de Brebeuf

In 1637, when a smallpox epidemic killed thousands of Indians, the missionaries were blamed by the tribal men, and were condemned to death. However St. John spoke so eloquently of the after-life that he was given a reprieve. He remained in Quebec for four years and then returned to the Indians.

SAINTS JOHN DE BRÉBEUF

In 1649, while most of the male Huron warriors were away from the village, they were attacked by roughly 1,200 Iroquois. The Iroquois considered the Huron people their enemies and were out to kill as many as they could.  Father de Brebeuf and his companion Father Gabriel Lalemont stood alongside the eighty warriors that had remained in the village, trying to delay the attackers and trying to allow enough time for the women, the elders, and the children to escape.

https://i0.wp.com/soul-candy.info/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/NAMartyrs.jpg

The battle was one sided and the Huron converts and the warriors were killed. The two priests were taken prisoners. Back in their own village, the Iroquois tortured the priests for hours on end. The suffering they endured is indescribable. They were burned with red hot hatchets, ‘baptized’ with boiling water. Amazingly, throughout the torture, St. John continued to preach to his tormentors. They then gagged him as they continued the torture. Their flesh was then cut off in strips, which the savages ate while the priests were still alive. Because St. John  and St. Gabriel showed such great courage during this, the natives pulled the hearts out of the priests and devoured them, hoping,  the astonishing strength these two priests displayed would be passed on to them.

Ultimately, St. John de Brébeuf had his prayer of martyrdom answered. The holiness and courage he lived with was the cause of conversion for some 7,000 souls! He had indeed served as a farmer for the Lord! He went into the rough terrain of an unsettled country and sowed the seeds of the Catholic Faith among the people. Not only did he sow such seeds, he remained and cultivated this garden for the Lord. He then went on to trade his life for the conversions and salvation of many native people. His blood, which drenched the  soil, was able to spring forth new life…new interest in the Faith…new growth in the Church.

Interestingly, by 1650, just one short year later, the Huron nation was exterminated. And the mission that the Jesuits built was abandoned, but the martyrdom of these North American martyrs created a wave of vocations and missionary fervor in France, and it gave new heart to the missionaries in  New France. We owe a great deal of thanks to these brave men, who, when called by the Lord, struggled through such adverse conditions and offered their lives…their everything back to the Lord. We need to pray for men and women who are willing to serve the Lord with such devotion. Especially in an age when we are so quick to allow ourselves to turn from a task when it proves to be difficult or hard. Saint John de Brebeuf, pray for us.

Prayer to Saint Jean de Brébeuf

Saint Jean de Brébeuf, obtain for me, through your intercession, courage to overcome all human respect, resignation in times of trial, confidence in God’s power and goodness, and zeal for my spiritual welfare; so that, raised above the things of earth, I may lead a truly Christian life and gain merit for eternity. Amen.

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Blessed Giacomo Cusmano – March 14th

Posted on March 15, 2017 by mikatsa6

Bl. Giacomo Cusmano..Mar 14..Beatified By: 30 October 1983 by Pope ...

Giacomo was an Italian Blessed who was born on March 15, 1834, to a well to do family, on an island in Sicily. His mother died when he was very young, and his father had a priest tutor his young son. Giacoma was eager for his religious education and was a very pious child. His family would have to lock up his clothing, as the young boy would often give away any clothing he could get his hands on, to the poor beggars that would come by the house.

As he grew, he was educated at Jesuit schools, and then went on to study medicine at the University of Palermo. After receiving his doctorate in medicine and surgery, he entered the medical field.  He practiced medicine with caring skill and zeal. He often cared for the poor people who could not afford a doctor. He noted, that most of the people from the poorer sections of the city were in dire need of religious direction as well, and began to study theology so as to administer to their spiritual needs in addition to their physical needs. After considering a vocation as a Capuchin friar, he was encouraged by his spiritual director to become a priest instead. He was ordained into the priesthood December 22, 1860.

Now that he was both  priest and a doctor, he felt the desire to create an institution for his poor patients that he called ‘Boccone del Pvero’ or Food for the Poor. He would gather medicines, food and other supplies and  with the help of about 40 parishioners he would distribute these donations to the poor. A society developed out of this called “Missionary Servants of the Poor.” He also established ‘Sisters Servants of the Poor,’as well. He taught everyone to serve the poor with kindness and charity. Many likened him to St. Vincent de Paul. He encouraged his spiritual sons and daughters to strive for holiness in all things. He taught with the wisdom that gentleness and strength should be merged in caring for all of God’s children. He felt that everything should be done out of love for God and that every action that one does should be done out of love and bring glory to God.

He worked tirelessly for many years. Building hospitals, orphanages and hostels for the poor. His work spread throughout Italy and then beyond. His motto was ‘unlimited charity’. He had a strong work ethic and was a man of integrity. He worked for the salvation of souls with great zeal, until he could work no more due to illness. He suffered from pleurisy, which is a very painful inflammation of the membrane that surrounds the lungs. He died on the eve of his 54th birthday, March 14, 1888. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 30, 1983.

Dear Blessed Giacomo,Please help us to open our eyes to those around us, who are in need. Help us to open our hearts so that we recognize Christ in each person we meet, especially in the downtrodden of our society… those who suffer addiction…or poverty…those who may suffer mental illness. Help us to be kind to those who suffer, and help us to adopt your motto of ‘unlimited charity’ when dealing with those who are in need and help us bring glory to God in all we do. Amen.

 

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Second Sunday of Lent – March 12th

Posted on March 12, 2017 by mikatsa6

Transfiguration-raphael

Gospel according to Matthew 17: 1-9

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother,
and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them;
his face shone like the sun
and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
conversing with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
“Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking, behold,
a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,
then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him.”
When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate
and were very much afraid.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
“Rise, and do not be afraid.”
And when the disciples raised their eyes,
they saw no one else but Jesus alone.

As they were coming down from the mountain,
Jesus charged them,
“Do not tell the vision to anyone
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

God, on the mountain you showedyour glory in the Transfiguration ...

Today in the celebration of the Holy Mass, we read Matthew’s account of the Transfiguration of Christ. We find Jesus has taken His three closest disciples up to the mountain to reveal to them His Transfiguration…Peter… whom He has just named as Rock of His Church… and James (the first apostle who will die )and John (the last apostle to die), to reveal to them, His glorified self… a glimpse into the future of His promised resurrection…to help prepare them for the agony that is coming next.

Remember, Jesus has just previously told His disciples that He would be killed and that He must suffer greatly at the hands of their leaders…which has filled the disciples with a fear of what they do not understand…Jesus, has already had to rebuke Peter for suggesting that He be spared from death. It is clear that the apostles do not yet understand the enormity of what is about to happen. Jesus knows this…so He has taken them up to the mountain…away from the distractions of the world, to reveal to them His future glory…reveal to them, His fulfillment of the Word of God…that He is the Word of God.

On the mountain, the three disciples see in Jesus,the glory of God’s Kingdom. It shines out of Him in a brilliant blaze of light! The disciples have never seen such a spectacular sight… it is overwhelming! High on the mountain, they are overshadowed by God’s holy cloud. Pope Benedict XVI  explains it: “When Moses (the law) and Elijah (the prophet ) join Jesus on the mountain, they (the disciples) realize that the True Feast of Tabernacles has come. On the mountain they learn that Jesus Himself, is the living Torah, the Complete Word of God. On the mountain they see the ‘power’ of the Kingdom that is coming in Christ.”

The fact that the two figures of Moses and Elijah speak of Christ’s departure, illustrates that the Law and the Prophets point forward to Christ…to the Messiah…and His sufferings. It is meant to strengthen the disciples’ faith…revealing to the disciples in a powerful way, that the divine hand of God is at work in the events that Jesus is to undergo. Peter, somehow misses the fullness of the message being revealed…and God sends a cloud which comes over them, and with a loud voice says : “This is my Son, with Whom I am well pleased, listen to Him.” The disciples fall prostrate on the ground, but are told by Jesus to get up and not be afraid. They are alone once more…

This supernatural experience was given to the disciples as a temporary grace to help sustain them through the coming trials…Sustain them through the agony and Passion of Jesus Christ… which they are about to witness and which was coming very soon. It was a glimpse of heaven..to offer them a bit of hope in the dark days that were to befall them.

This Gospel shows how the good Lord works with each of His disciples..with each of His faithful…He is ready, with whatever graces we need…whatever glimpse of heaven, we may be afforded to get us through our difficult tasks while we make our way upon this earth, struggling to do His Will, striving to fulfill our obligations to Him… He will never abandon us on our journey… every time that we have felt alone…it was us who abandoned Him.

Let us pray: Dear Lord,  Help us to focus on Your Will for us, so that we may turn away from our own inclinations that separate us from You. Help us, to recognize the graces you extend us, on a daily basis, and help us to understand whatever it is You choose to reveal to us on the mountains of our lives. May these revelations sustain us in our own trails and disappointments, and serve as a constant reminder, of your great love, for each of us. Amen.

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March 10 – Saint John Ogilvie

Posted on March 11, 2017 by mikatsa6

The Jesuit Institute - St John Ogilvie SJ

They always say, that God sends precisely the saint that is needed for the particular period in time. Well, John Ogilvie is exactly one of those saints. Not only for the time in which he was born, but also for today...especially for today. He is a man’s man…With traits that were once considered the epitome of masculinity. He was brave, loyal, steadfast and strong. Willing to lay down his life for his sacred bride…The Church. He was tortured and beaten and still he remained firm. I know, the grace of the Lord was pouring over him like never before …but still…

It just so happens, that lately, I’ve pretty much had my fill of men who prance around with mannerisms that are more feminine than most women I know,  completely void of the manly nature that God intended them to have. We are living in a culture that has become over saturated with the lies of the evil one. We tell ourselves that we are being sensitive…that we are raising our children with an open mind...Well, that’s pure malarkey! Our children are gained no favors when they are lied to…especially when it’s the parents who foster the lies...”But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea,” (Matthew 18:6 ) We have a responsibility as parents to seek out the truth and raise our children in Truth!  Remember, the world doesn’t care about your child’s soul...We should  thank God for men like Saint John Ogilvie, and share his story with our young boys and men today, so that he can serve as a role model of Christian strength and fortitude in today’s ‘over feminized’ culture of lies.

John Ogilvie was born in the year 1579 to a wealthy family in Scotland. The roots of this noble family ran deep, and it is recorded that his family ties stretched all the way back to William, King of Scotland and Queen Margaret, who herself was later made a saint. Though his family had at one time been staunch Catholics, by the time John was born, Scotland had fallen under the spell of Calvinism and he was raised as a Calvinist.

When he was thirteen his father secured a travel permit for him and sent him to Europe to study, hoping that his first born son would gain an education that would propel him to the top of Scottish affairs. But John learned other things.He was exposed to the Truth of the Catholic Church, and when compared to the Calvinism he was raised with, he could not deny the Truth and at seventeen he converted to Catholicism.  When he was twenty he entered the Society of Jesus and then feeling called to the priesthood he studied and went to Paris where he was ordained as a Jesuit in 1610.

The newly ordained Father Ogilvie was assigned to be confessor for the students at Rouen college. It was here that he met priests who had been exiled from Scotland for saying Mass, or just for ministering to the people. It was then that he realized the heavy burden the Catholics in his native land had to bear, and he began to long to return home. He sought permission form his superiors several times. He was refused twice, but seeing his firm resolve, he was finally permitted to return to Scotland. It was a dangerous journey. He was accompanied by a fellow Jesuit Father, James Moffat and Friar John Campbell. Father Ogilvie traveled under the assumed name of John Watson.

As John Watson, Father Ogilvie was able to travel throughout Scotland unrecognized and was able to do much work. Writing back to the General of the Jesuits, he once said that the harvest here is very great but the laborers are few, as many of the priests were being held in chains and unable to work. Father Ogilvie enjoyed  being able to freely move about the country, but unbeknownst to him, a spy was sent, and a trap was laid for Father Ogilvie. In October of 1614, Father John Ogilvie was arrested and imprisoned in the Archbishop’s Palace. He appeared before the court of Glasgow, which was just the beginning  of his nightmarish ordeal.

The first five months of his imprisonment consisted of all forms of torture. He was subjected to starvation, sleep deprivation, beatings and torture. Through it all he remained in good spirits and faced it all with courage. And like the true man of God that he was, he even continued to debate the guards over religious matters, always trying to convert them to Catholicism.

The torture continued, all the while the King was trying to get Saint John to divulge the names of the Catholics he had been ministering. He was tortured days on end, and through it all…the fingernails being ripped out, the flogging…the beatings…he never once revealed a name to his aggressors.

When he was sentenced to death, he made it clear that he was loyal to the King in civil matters but that he could not obey him in spiritual matters. He told the judges : “In all that concerns the king, I will be slavishly obedient; if any attack his temporal power, I will shed my last drop of blood for him. But in the things of spiritual jurisdiction which a king unjustly seizes I cannot and must not obey.” He stated that he would be willing to die a hundred times for God. He wanted to make it perfectly clear to all, that his death was due to his unwavering support of the Catholic Church.

... St John Ogilvie (1933) in the Jesuit Church of St Aloysius, Glasgow

There is a story that as he was being led to the gallows, he threw out a handful of rosaries to the gathered crowd. It claims that anyone who caught one of the rosaries converted to Catholicism shortly after his death. During his hanging, he did not die, and the hangman had to go beneath him and pull him by the legs to break his neck and end his agony.

He was canonized a saint in 1976 after the miraculous healing of a man who was suffering from terminal stomach cancer. He is Scotland’s first Martyr due to the Reformation and the first saint of Scotland in over 700 years. Truly a man for all times…a saint for all centuries.

Prayer For Saint John Ogilvie

Almighty and eternal God,
you gave to St John Ogilvie
wisdom in defending the Catholic faith
and courage in facing a martyr’s death:
listen to our prayers,
and send us an ever greater harvest
of faith, hope and love.
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.

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