Saints Cyril and Methodius

Posted on February 14, 2017 by mikatsa6
... : AKATHIST Hymn to our fathers among the saints Cyril and Methodius

“Apostles to the Slavs”

These two Byzantine Greek brothers from Greece became missionaries, and teachers of the Slavic people. Because of their tireless work for the Slavic people, in the Orthodox Church, they hold a title “Equal to the Apostles”. In 1880, Pope Leo XIII brought their feast day to the Roman Catholic Church.

In the eastern Church use of the vernacular was common practice, but not so in the Roman Church, and they faced much opposition when they proposed their effort to translate the Liturgy from the traditional Latin. They worked tirelessly to promote the use of the vernacular when spreading the Gospel so that all people could benefit from it. We should remember them, not because they fought to change the language of the Church, but because when faced with the political and cultural problems of their time,they acted with humility and a love for the Lord, in their response to it.

Saints Cyril and Methodius, watch over all missionaries but especially those in Slavic countries. Help those that are in danger in the troubled areas. Watch over the people you dedicated your lives to. Amen

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Happy St. Valentine’s Day- February 14

Posted on February 14, 2017 by mikatsa6
Posted by Fripperies and Butterflies at 4:29 PM

Happy St. Valentine’s Day

As the secular world takes hold of yet another holiday and manages to shred it to pieces with every distortion imaginable…let us remember that the tradition of this feast is to celebrate an actual saint…St. Valentine, and his love for God.

Not much is known about this Roman saint, except that he was a firm believer in the sacrament of marriage, and continued to perform marriage ceremonies in spite of Claudius’ ban.  He was martyred for his faith and his refusal to turn his back on God’s law. Red is associated with him because he shed his blood. And because of his Nuptial Masses, he also became the patron saint of lovers.

One final note; as faithful Catholics, we really need to guard our hearts, our minds and our souls against the very deceptive nature that is spreading throughout the secular world. By that, I mean we need to recognize the Truth from the lies…we need to be honest about what true love is, and what it isn’t…love can never come from a sinful action…it just cannot. Lust and carnal desires spring forth…but not Love…love is a truth revealed to us by our loving Father when he sent his prophets and then when He sent His only Begotten Son…Jesus…which is Love Itself.…

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We need to pray for people who don’t have the benefit of knowing the truth…pray for conversion of sinners everywhere…and as we continue to get bombarded with images that show people in sinful relations…remember, we must always stand by the Truth that Jesus revealed to us in His One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church. The marriage bond is a Holy Sacrament, a bond instituted by God…not man. St. Valentine, pray for us

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St. Scholastica February 10th

Posted on February 10, 2017 by mikatsa6
St. Scholastica | San Sebastian College Recoletos Manila

St. Scholastica

Today in the Holy Mother Church we recognize and celebrate the life of St. Scholastica. She was the twin sister of St. Benedict and was born into a wealthy family in Nursia Italy, in 480. Their mother died during their birth. As a young girl she possessed many spiritual gifts. She consecrated her life and her virginity to God.

When her brother Benedict went off to study, she remained at home, as was customary of the time. When her brother formed his monastery, she joined a group of pious virgins. Though the details are few, it is believed that she started a convent for this group of women and that they remained close to her brother so they could receive spiritual direction from him, and so that he would travel to the convent to celebrate Mass for the sisters. The brother and sister shared a love for the Lord and the Church and often relied on each other for support. Most of what we know about St. Scholastic comes from the stories from Pope St. Gregory. One such story reveals the mutual sanctity the brother and sister shared. From his Second Book of Dialogues we find:

“His sister Scholastica, who had been consecrated to God in early childhood, used to visit with him once a year. On these occasions he would go to meet her in a house belonging to the monastery a short distance from the entrance. For this particular visit he joined her there with a few of his disciples and they spent the whole day singing God’s praises and conversing about the spiritual life.

“When darkness was setting in they took their meal together and continued their conversation at table until it was quite late. Then the holy nun said to him, ‘Please do not leave me tonight, brother. Let us keep on talking about the joys of heaven till morning.’ ‘What are you saying, sister?’ he replied. ‘You know that I cannot stay away from the monastery.’ The sky was so clear at the time, there was not a cloud in sight.

“At her brother’s refusal Scholastica folded her hands on the table and rested her head upon them in earnest prayer. When she looked up again, there was a sudden burst of lightning and thunder accompanied by such a downpour that Benedict and his companions were unable to set foot outside the door. By shedding a flood of tears while she prayed, this holy nun had darkened the cloudless sky with a heavy rain. The storm began as soon as her prayer was over. In fact, the two coincided so closely that the thunder was already resounding as she raised her head from the table. The very instant she ended her prayer the rain poured down.

“Realizing that he could not return to the abbey in this terrible storm, Benedict complained bitterly. ‘God forgive you, sister!’ he said. ‘What have you done?’ Scholastica simply answered, ‘When I appealed to you, you would not listen to me. So I turned to my God and He heard my prayer. Leave now if you can. Leave me here and go back to your monastery.’

“This, of course, he could not do. He had no choice now but to stay, in spite of his unwillingness. They spent the entire night together and both of them derived great profit from the holy thoughts they exchanged about the interior life. The next morning Scholastica returned to her convent and Benedict to his monastery.

“Three days later as he stood in his room looking up toward the sky, he beheld his sister’s soul leaving her body and entering the heavenly court in the form of a dove. Overjoyed at her eternal glory, he gave thanks to God in hymns of praise. Then, after informing his brethren of her death, he sent some of them to bring her body to the abbey and bury it in the tomb he had prepared for himself. The bodies of these two were now to share a common resting place, just as in life their souls had always been one in God.”

St. Scholastica and St. Benedict

St. Scholastica and her brother St. Benedict

Today, St. Scholastica and St. Benedict serve as a great example of fraternal charity for us to imitate on our own path to sanctification. Especially in our current time, when brother is at odds with brother, and the family unit is rift with internal discourse.  We can look to this sibling pair and see how a shared devotion to God can aide in overcoming personality differences within families and allow us to be united together with a common love that focuses on the Lord. Because of St. Benedict’s vocation, he was a man of firm resolve, and St. Scholastic’s angelic gentleness was a great balance to this. In the lives of saints we are continually met with holy people that display such personality differences, yet with a shared  love for the Lord, their souls are bound together and made complete. Truly a pair to be imitated and sought after in our daily family conflicts. Below is a prayer in honor of this blessed saint.

St. Scholastica, "to soar to heaven like a dove in flight" with Teresa ...

                                                      Prayer in Honor of Saint Scholastica

O God, to show us where innocence leads, you made the soul of your virgin, Saint Scholastica, soar to heaven like a dove in flight. Grant through her merits and her prayers that we may so live in innocence as to attain to joys everlasting. This we ask through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever. Amen.

 

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Blessed Catherine Emmerich- February 9th

Posted on February 9, 2017 by mikatsa6
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Blessed Catherine Emmerich- Victim Soul

Blessed Catherine Emmerich was born September 8th, 1774 in West Germany. She was born to a small farming family. Her parents were poor but very devout and pious. As a child she spent much of her time working as a maid and a seamstress. She was a very frail child and though she suffered much sickness she remained very pious. She often had visions of Jesus, and because these visions happened so frequently, she thought that all children could see the Child Jesus, their guardian angels and the souls in purgatory.

In November of 1803 she entered the Augustinian Order, and while she still suffered from poor health, her enthusiasm for the religious life was great. During this time she began to experience many ecstasies at her time in the church or in her personal cell.

In 1812, the convent in where she was living, closed, and she moved in with an old widow to be her servant, but due to her increasingly failing health, she was unable to work and became  bedridden instead. During this time her visions increased and she asked the Lord for a share in His suffering. In December of 1812 she received the wounds of Christ on her hands, her feet and her side. At one point Jesus had visited her and had shown her a crown of flowers and a crown of thorns and asked her which one she would like to receive, she chose the crown of thorns and suffered a great deal of pain, yet through it all, she continued to offer her agonies for the Lord and the suffering holy souls.

At this time the government often investigated her. They imprisoned her and threatened  her. She was placed under twenty-four hour guard because of her stigmata, and they were insistent about proving her a fake. Yet they could find no wrong doing on her behalf. They stopped their investigation, and when further questioned about their findings, they lied and said she was a fraud. Due to all the trouble caused by the stigmata, Catherine asked the Lord to please remove it, and He did, for the most part. It disappeared and would return during Holy Week and Good Friday.

blessed anne catherine emmerich blessed anne catherine emmerich german ...

For the last twelve years of her life, Blessed Catherine subsisted on nothing but the Eucharist. In fact, if she even tried to eat anything else, included plain broth, she would become violently ill and vomit. While bedridden, a poet came to visit. Catherine had been shown in a vision that he was to write down her visions for her. Three books were written that she dictated. In 1833, The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the Meditations of Anne Catherine Emmerich. This was followed in 1852, by The Life of The Blessed Virgin Mary, and a three-volume Life of Our Lord from 1858 to 1880. These books are considered treasures by many and have helped many in their religious lives.

Blessed Catherine Emmerich should be a model for us all. She gave herself completely to the Lord and His Will for her. She bore His wounds, uniting her blood with His…for the suffering souls. What an awesome thought!.. When we offer our suffering to the Lord, we are uniting ourselves with Him… and He accepts this…from us..though sinful creatures that we are…and allows it to be used..so that in a small way we are partaking in the suffering He bore for us…for the world…He is allowing us to unite our souls to His…and to be truly, a shining example…a ray… in the light of Christ, for the world.

Glory and praise be to God, Forever.

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February 7th- Blessed Pope Pius IX

Posted on February 7, 2017 by mikatsa6
Pius ix.jpg

Blessed Pope Pius IX

Blessed Pope Pius IX was born Giovanni Mastai- Ferretti on May 13, 1792. During his studies at the College of Noblemen in Volterra he suffered from boughts of epilepsy, then in 1815 he received the grace of a full recovery at Loreto. He was ordained a priest in 1819, and when he was 35 he was appointed Archbishop of Spoleto. He was created a cardinal by Pope Gregory XVI, and then chosen as the 255th pope in the conclave of 1846. He served as pope until his death in 1878. He served as pope for 32 years, with only Saint Peter the Apostle serving longer.

Pope Pius was a very holy man who had an unconditional love for the Holy Mother Church.Thoroughly aware of his role as the “Vicar of Christ” and responsible for the rights of God and of the Church, he was clear, simple and consistent. He combined firmness and understanding, openness and fidelity.

He was very generous and served with a Christian heart. He loved the Church and in his first encyclical he condemned freemasonry and communism. On December 8, 1854 he defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception and blessed the rebuilt St. Paul’s Basilica, which had been destroyed by fire in 1823.

Traditional † Catholicism: Blessed Pope Pius IX

Pope Pius Defined the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854

Pope Pius IX was a man of prayer. He did not believe in the separation of  the ‘church and state’, he felt that man should serve God at all times, that a man’s life should not be compartmentalized into a work life and a separate prayer life. He felt that prayer was a way of life and should govern man in all moments of his life. As an example to many, he constantly prayed. He had a great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and started the Forty Hours Devotion.  He was known to celebrated a first Mass, and then in Thanksgiving for the first Mass, hear a second Mass. He spent long hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament in holy prayer.

There are many miracles surrounding Pope Pius IX. He was healed of epilepsy as a teen by The Virgin of Loreto. But one of the most interesting miracles is concerning an apparition of the Blessed Mother to Mother Mary Mariana.

On December 8, 1634, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, three archangels and their Queen appeared to Mother Mariana. St. Gabriel was carrying a Ciborium filled with Hosts which The Blessed Virgin Mary explained:

“This signifies the Most August Sacrament of the Eucharist, which will be distributed by my Catholic priests to faithful Christians belonging to the Holy Roman, Catholic and Apostolic Church, whose visible head is the Pope, the King of Christianity. His pontifical infallibility will be declared a dogma of the Faith by the same Pope chosen to proclaim the dogma of the Mystery of My Immaculate Conception. He will be persecuted and imprisoned in the Vatican by the unjust usurpation of the Pontifical States through the iniquity, envy and avarice of an earthly monarch.“

Blessed Pope Pius IX

To this day there are many who would try to detract from this very Holy Pope, precisely for the fact that he fought against liberalism and modernism within the Holy Mother Church. He also fought against freemasonry and realized that their plan was to ultimately destroy the Church from within. He saw first hand the destruction that atheism and communism brought with it, and he worked tirelessly to fight against the evils of the world. At one time having to flee as it was feared that he was to be the target of an assassination attempt.

There really is so much more to this Holy Pope, and it would benefit your soul if you could find an honest biography of this blessed servant of God. One final  note,his body was recently exhumed, was found miraculously preserved in the tomb where it had lain for more than a century. His face still showed a striking serenity in death.

... of Saint Gregory the Great: Blessed Pius IX, Pope: Fr. Andersen Homily

Tomb of Blessed Pope Pius IX

Dies Irae: The Immaculate Conception and the enemies of the Catholic ...

“The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.” – Pope Pius IX

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St. Paul Miki & Companions- Martyrs

Posted on February 6, 2017 by mikatsa6
Saint Paul Miki

St. Paul Miki and the Japanese Martyrs- 1597

Today in the Holy Mother Church we remember and honor the 26 martyrs of Nagasaki.This group included three native Jesuits, six foreign Franciscans and several lay Catholics including children.

Previously, Japan had been evangelized under St. Francis Xavier and by 1587 there were approximately 200,000 Catholics throughout Japan.

However, in 1587, religious tensions began to rise and religious restrictions grew and many churches were destroyed. Many priests and missionaries began to work in hiding. This underground Catholic church was able to continue her mission and there were no outright killings of Christians during this time. In fact, over 100,000 Japanese people converted to Catholicism during this time.

In 1593 Spain ordered Franciscan missionaries from the Philippines to go into Japan. These missionaries had great love and zeal for the faith and it showed in their acts of corporal and spiritual works of mercy. They thrived, but their mere presence in Japan created a sensitive relation between the Church and the Japanese authorities.

One such authority was Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a powerful imperial minister. When a Spanish ship was seized off the coast of Japan by Hideyoshi, he found it to contain artillery and perceiving this as a military threat, he sentenced all the Catholics aboard the ship to be killed.St. Paul Miki & Companions (Feast: February 6) | Saints & Heroes | ANF ...

These captives were tortured and forced to march 600 miles to Nagasaki and ordered to die by crucifixion and lancing. They were submitted to horrendous torture, and were used as an example to the Japanese people, but the group continued to pray, in fact they chanted and sang “Te Deum” as they marched, and then as they were nailed to their crosses and paraded through town. At one point they had their ears cut off and had their blood smeared on there faces to discourage others from converting. They were finally crucified and then each one was thrust through the side with a lance, including the captive children.

Throughout the entire ordeal this group of saints kept their focus on God. Father Paul Miki even gave his last sermon from the cross:

“The sentence of judgment says these men came to Japan from the Philippines, but I did not come from any other country.  I am a true Japanese.  The only reason for my being killed is that I have taught the doctrine of Christ.  I thank God it is for this reason that I die.  I believe that I am telling the truth before I die.  After Christ’s example, I forgive my persecutors.  I do not hate them.  I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain.”

What's on my mind?: Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs

Saint Paul Miki and his companions were beatified in 1627. In 1862, Pope Pius IX canonized them.

I believe an interesting fact to mention, is that Catholic Missionaries returned to Japan in 1860. At first it appeared that the entire Catholic population had been wiped out, but after the priests  established new missions, the Catholics who had been in hiding emerged. They found that thousands of Christians resided in Nagasaki, secretly preserving the faith that had been handed onto them and then fed by blood of those holy martyrs who had died defending Christ and His Holy Catholic Church.

Dear Lord, Thank you for sending these Holy Saints as an example for us. Let us pray that we meet with them in heaven. May their story provide us with the courage we need in our day to day evangelization efforts. May we always forgive those who would like to harm us and continue to pray for the conversion of all peoples throughout all the lands. Amen.

Te Deum

click on above link to hear this beautiful chant.

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Gospel of Mark 6: 53-56 Reflection

Posted on February 6, 2017 by mikatsa6

 Miracle 14_Le%20Christ%20Guerissant%20un%20Malade,%20by%20Mathieu%20Ignace%20van%20Bree%20(1773-1839).jpg

                                                                Gospel Mk 6:53-56

After making the crossing to the other side of the sea,
Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret
and tied up there.
As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him.
They scurried about the surrounding country
and began to bring in the sick on mats
to wherever they heard he was.
Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered,
they laid the sick in the marketplaces
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak;
and as many as touched it were healed.

Even in today’s world where the medical field has advanced by leaps and bounds from what is was…we are still  dealing with disease and illness at alarming rates.People are suffering throughout the world. The lucky ones have access to medical care and nursing staffs at hospitals; but most people who suffer; do so at home, oftentimes feeling abandoned and alone. This is a very sobering fact. As faithful Catholics we have an obligation to care for these people…to visit the sick.… Maybe not on a daily basis…but we have an obligation to bring the message of Christ to these suffering people…to bring His hope and His light into their dark moments of pain.To let them know that He has not abandoned them…

I know this is difficult and finding the courage will be a task in and of itself…but we have to ask God for His grace so that we may bring His mercy and His faith to those who are in need of His healing.  Since most of these sick are unable to travel, we must do the traveling for them…find an adoration chapel near you…or just an open Catholic church…go in and find Our Eucharistic Lord in the tabernacle and  open your heart to whatever He desires of you…and then…take Jesus with you when you go (spiritually of course!) …He will fill you with what you need to share His love for them.

I am not saying everything will run smoothly, and you may  get yelled at by those who have become angry or bitter…those people really need our prayers the most…and maybe that is all you can do is pray for the sick …everyday...and remember, just because  we may not see any fruits of  these prayers…in the end….your faith -in -action could alleviate their suffering and pain. And it  just may be what helps guide them home to the Lord. Awesome!

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Matthew 5: 13-16 February 5th, 2017- Salt and Light

Posted on February 6, 2017 by mikatsa6

Being Salt and Light | Common Ground Fellowship

Gospel Reading: Matthew  5:13-16

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lamp stand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father.”

As followers of Christ, Jesus is calling each of us; as His disciples; to be the ‘salt of the earth’ and ‘the light of the world.’ What exactly is He asking His followers to be? Well, during ancient times salt was a very valuable commodity. It was even used as money, and then, it was widely used to barter and trade because of its high demand. And due to its ability to draw moisture out of meats and to seal the meat from bacteria and oxygen, it was used in food preservation methods. Another use that is still important today is its use as a flavoring. Foods just taste better with salt as it actually has the ability to pull the flavors out of the food, thus making it more palatable.

Salt was also used as a purifying agent in several religious ceremonies. As part of the rite in blessing holy water, the priest sprinkles salt into the water when blessing it. And did you know, that blessed salt can be used to sprinkle around your home to ward off danger from storms and from evil?  We can see from its many uses that salt is necessary for human survival. Without salt, as without Jesus, mankind could not survive.

Another interesting fact about salt is how it was widely used in Biblical times as a fuel for cooking food. Many people in Jerusalem  did not have their own oven for baking, instead they often relied on a large communal oven that all the villagers shared. One of the common fuels for these ovens was camel or ox dung. Due to salt’s catalytic nature, the people often mixed salt into the dung to make it burn better, to make it burn longer. But if salt was exposed to the elements it would lose it catalytic abilities and the useless salt would be flung onto the ground, and trampled underfoot.

It is as if, Jesus is telling His disciples that if they  want to be true disciples of His, they need to improve the tone of society…they need to season it…to preserve the faith that He has given them. He wants the disciples to extend the fire of the Holy Spirit through their evangelization efforts, He wants them to be the salt that sets the earth ablaze, and not to become useless and cast onto the ground like salt that is spent.

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In addition to being salt, Jesus called His disciples to be the light of the world. We know that He wanted them to use the light that He filled them with…the Holy Spirit that washed over them … and spread it throughout the lands. He wanted to dispel the darkness that was filling mankind due to their sinfulness and separation from God. He was born to save us from the darkness that was death. He was telling His disciples that they needed to be like a city on a hill…and not hide the faith they now possessed…they had to have a faith that demonstrated itself with actions….because faith without works is dead…

As Catholics we are all infused with the Holy Spirit at our baptisms. We are all carrying the light of Christ within our souls…those flickering…embers of His love….just waiting for our response…just waiting for our will to join with His, and become like the salt that fueled the flames when Jesus spoke. We have the light that is Christ…we have the capacity to set the world on fire, and keep it going…but do we…have the will, to do His Will, and glorify God with our life?

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The Month of February – Dedicated to The Holy Family

Posted on February 3, 2017 by mikatsa6
Holy Family Art, Photos, and Images

The month of February is Dedicated to the Holy family

The month of February has long been dedicated to the Holy Family. The devotion dates back to 1663, when two orders were created roughly at the same time in Canada and France: the Association of the Holy Family was founded in Montreal in 1663,and by the Daughters of the Holy Family in Paris in 1674. Then in 1893 Leo XIII expressed his approval and even composed part of the Office(prayers) for the feast day. The Church felt that devotion to the Holy Family served as a means of helping Christian families on their path to holiness, and offered the Holy Family as a model of achieving sanctification. What more perfect a family for us to try and emulate in our day to day struggles. They are an ideal family that was full of virtue and Christian love. From them we can learn how to love God and just as importantly, learn how to love one another with a heart made pure by  the Holy Spirit of God.

I know some of us might think, what can I learn from them? My family is real…flesh and blood…a brood of angry sinners...How in the world are we gonna be like them???  “Their son…He was Jesus Christ for goodness sake!” I know…I know…I’ve been there too…but honestly, this is when a devotion to the Holy Family is most vital. They are a beacon of light to those of us who have spent hours in the trenches…just trying to make it through the day without committing a mortal sin! As mothers we should always ask for the Blessed Mother’s guidance and Her intercession, especially when our homes are full of chaos. We need to remember that even though it is difficult, we must never stop looking to the Holy Family as a role model for our own family, because if we do, we  fall into the trappings of the world. And it has nothing to offer, except more discourse and brokenness.

The Catholic Young Woman: Watching the Holy Family

Gaze upon this Holy Family…allow their examples of holiness and love to guide you in your daily vocation.

A recent study found that the traditional family has been on the decline since the 1970’s. Less than half of American households now contain a traditional nuclear family—father, mother, and children. More than 40 percent of children are now born into households in which no father is present, the rate of non-married cohabitation is up seven times over what it was in 1970, and half of all marriages end up in divorce. Not a pretty picture. But its  the kind of picture we end up with when families start taking their eyes off the Lord…taking their hearts and devotions away from the Holy Family. The world, in fact, encourages this downward spiral. Woman who have babies without a  husband actually receive more money from the government handouts than if they were in a traditional two parent household where one parent is earning an income.

Hilaire Belloc and G.K. Chesterton foresaw what was happening to the traditional nuclear family unit in western societies and warned against its demise. They waved a red flag with statements such as this; “measures such as unemployment insurance, a minimum wage, and a national health insurance constituted a dangerous new form of servitude” that would allow government to take over the family as the key social unit in society. Unfortunately these visionary thinkers had accurate foresight. When a government steps in to take over the familial responsibility from the parents, the outcomes are seldom virtuous.

The Holy Family is an excellent antidote for what ails today’s family. They offer a glimpse into a household that shared a love of the Lord. We can even image the Child Jesus sitting with His father learning from him about the importance of  hard work. Mary shows us a great example of compassion and love and obedience…each member in the family  had a specific role, in addition they helped one another with daily chores. Sure, we might think of it as a simpler time, but they had some of the same struggles we have, but they never let their focus turn away from the Lord.  Of course, I am not talking about Jesus here, as He is God made man, but Jesus shows an obedience to His mother and father on earth as an example to us. And even though Joseph was confused about Mary’s pregnancy…he followed the angel’s orders…he followed the will of the Lord and led his family with a pure and just heart.

Mary submitted to the Lord as well, and to His Will completely. Even when faced with the knowledge that Her heart would be  pierced as foretold by Simeon; She united her heart with the Lord’s. And though she is the actual Mother of God, she submitted to Joseph her husband on earth.

As we contemplate the Holy Family during this month of February, let us remember that we should be trying to create a’domestic church’ within our homes. We should live in a way that reflects our love for the Lord, thus setting an example for our children. The family home should be a place where love is shared with one another freely.We need to be open to God’s grace and to value the positive, yet we must also be willing to accept our mistakes — and rectify them. One of the most important aspects of family life is that we must be willing to accept the mistakes of others and offer forgiveness on a regular basis. Parenting is a very challenging responsibility and at times errors are made despite our  best intentions.Our families should be where we teach our children to pray, teach our children to love and teach our children about true charity. Remember, no family can grow without constant work…without constant prayer. Keep your hearts focused on God, and look to the Holy Family as a shining example as to how we should be raising our own children   in holiness, in charity and in love.

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The Presentation of the Lord- Candlemas Day February 2nd

Posted on February 2, 2017 by mikatsa6

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Today, as the secular world celebrates ground hog day, we in the Holy Mother  Church are blessed with the celebration of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. Years ago, in many Catholic homes, and perhaps in more traditional homes still, the nativity or the Creche is left out on display until today,  when it is carefully packed away until next Christmas. Because  it is the day that Christ was presented at the temple…as a light to the world, it is also the day we get our candles blessed for the coming year, which is known as Candlemas day.  Finally in the Traditional calendar it was also the day to celebrate the Purification of Mary.

Back in Jesus’ day the temple was the most important place on earth, it was where man and God united…(like the Catholic Church of today!) God loved His people, but the Israelites had begun to worship God in a way that was fallen…they had lost their focus on the true nature of God and how they were to live and serve Him. So God, being all good that He is, sent us His Son, Jesus, who is both human and divine to unite us back to our Father in heaven….to bring humanity back  in line with God. To teach us again how to love Him…to serve Him and to know Him, so that we may be with Him in Heaven.

Simeon and Anna were two elderly people who had devoted their lives to prayer and fasting so their strong religious spirit rendered them able to recognize the Messiah.

 

Mary and Joseph brought baby Jesus to the temple in accord with the Mosaic law  which  stated that the firstborn male child of every creature belonged to God. They brought Jesus to be redeemed according to this law. Thus ‘presenting Jesus’ at the temple. This presentation signifies God’s entrance into His temple. God -made -man  entered into the temple, allowing those who had been searching for Him, to see Him and rejoice.

 

 

Simeon and Anna are described by St. Methodius (b. 826) in symbolic terms. He wrote:

“the old man represented the people of lsrael, and the law now waxing old; whilst the widow represents the Church of the Gentiles, which had been up to this point a widow –the old man, indeed, as personating the law, seeks dismissal; but the widow, as personating the Church, brought her joyous confession of faith and spake of Him to all that looked for redemption in Jerusalem”…

                                                           

Simeon and Anna set  perfect examples for us about how important  interior prayer life is. They serve as a reminder of the significance of developing a contemplative prayer life. These two people who are elderly,  have spent the better parts of their lives praying, fasting and waiting at the temple to see the promised Messiah. We might think this type of waiting a waste of time.  Nowadays we so often fail to spend one hour with the Lord in adoration. We have things to do, things to accomplish…we don’t have the time, we are busy…busy…filling every moment of every day with noise and activities. Which are fine and good, when we are working to fulfill our vocations, but we fail to understand that in order to develop a true Christian heart, true Christian Charity, we must spend time offering prayer and penance. It is a vital part of our vocation… whatever it might be.

We must allow our hearts to be silent and contemplate on the One who made us. If we mean what we say, when we imply that we are trying to live our lives as Christians in accordance with who God created; and that we are honestly trying to be a light of Christ for all the world; then, we must spend time with the Lord in quiet adoration. We must find time to allow God’s breath to fill us. We must allow the Holy Spirit to fill us. Then and only then, will we be able to recognize the Lord in the circumstances in which He manifests Himself to us.  Then and only then, will we have learned to love with a heart that is in union with that of our Creator.

God has promised that He would be with us always…and He has shown throughout the generations that this is so. He is  faithful to His promises , we just need to be steadfast and patient, and wait for Him in the quiet.

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