On January 25th I wrote about the conversion of St. Paul and how he went from being a good Jew who persecuted Christians to being a Christian himself. This was a major change and a significant conversion experience. For most of us, our conversion is not as dramatic as St. Paul’s. However, I do believe that we are all in need of continual conversion and Lent is the perfect time to do this. By continual conversion (or ongoing conversion) I mean that we recognize that conversion is an ongoing process where we hear the call of Jesus to be more like him. We don’t do this all at once, it takes time and effort to even try to be more like him. As Christians, we have the responsibility to follow our Lord Jesus and to try, to the best we can, to be Christ-like. I cannot think of any better time than Lent to try to accomplish this.
The last three weeks we have looked at the three pillars (or disciplines) of Lent; Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. Keeping in mind that these are essential to our growing close to the Lord, and thus being more like Him, we must keep these as our base. There are many other things that we can do to become more like Jesus. I would suggest that we take a look at these and try to put them in to practice also. Lent is definitely a time for us to turn away from sin and to be faithful to the Gospel message of Jesus. The Lenten season is filled with many graces, or gifts from God, to help us accomplish our goal. Here is a partial list of ways to obtain these gifts, or graces, from God. By doing these, we can’t help but to draw closer to God and to become more like Jesus.
1 – Read the scriptures: I would suggest using the Church’s readings of the day. This is easy to do, especially if you have access to a computer or smart phone. There are many smart phone apps to bring you the daily readings, and some that offer a commentary. Even an easy Google search for readings of the day can be done. Try to start with ones from Catholic sources like the USCCB (US Conference of Catholic Bishops); EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) founded by Mother Angelica; Vatican News; Catholic Online and others. Reading the scriptures and reading their Catholic commentaries will give you a familiarity with Jesus, so you can get to know Him and follow Him.
2 – Attend Mass as often as you can. The mass has two parts: The Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. In the liturgy of the Word we concentrate on the scriptures and in the Liturgy of the Eucharist we concentrate on the Pascal sacrifice and actually receive the Body and Blood of Jesus. We partake of His very presence and He leads and guides us to grow closer to Him. There was a famous nutritional quote from a nineteenth century Frenchman made popular in the US by author Adele Davis, “You are what you eat”. I personally think that this fits so well to the Eucharist. It helps us to become Jesus present to others.
3 – Attend a retreat. I you have the time and money to go to a retreat house for a week or more, that would be tremendous. However, if you do not, most parishes offer some kind of local 2 or 4 day retreat. If your parish doesn’t, don’t be afraid to attend a nearby parish that does. A retreat gives us the time to get away from distractions and to concentrate on Jesus and what He is asking of us.
4 – Spiritual reading. There are so many good Catholic books out there that can help you to grow more in your faith and to grow closer to Jesus.
5 – Do something Christ-like. Great examples of this are to help out in a Parish Outreach or some other organization that helps the poor. You can also visit people who are in nursing homes, hospitals, prisons, or shut ins within their own home. If you are an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist, bring hosts with you to give to them (Catholics).
6 – Spend time alone in prayer. Jesus tells us to go to a place of quiet and to pray. The more we do that, the closer we get to him. Prayer can be anything from complete silent meditation to praying the rosary or chaplet of diving mercy.
7 – Spend time with other people who you know are living out the faith. The role of community, where like minded people of faith gather, is of extreme importance. This could be anything form having coffee with a friend, to attending a large prayer group.
8 – Be fillled with gratitude for all that God has given you. So ofter Jesus started His prayers by thanking the Father. The more we are filled with a sense of Gratitude, the more we will be like Jesus.
9 – Repent. Take a good look at your life and see the things that are not of God and determine to turn away from these things. Jesus started His ministry with the word Repent. The Sacrament of Reconciliation can be a big help with this, especially when there is serious sin in your life.
10 – Follow God. Make it a point to try to do what God wants you to do. Hopefully the more you are in prayer and follow the above steps, you will see what God wants from you. When you do find out, do it.
11 – Practice Humility. Jesus makes it pretty clear that He does not like people who think of themselves too highly. He loves people who are humble. His very life is all about humility. Think about how the Almighty, Powerful God humbled himself to become a man. We need to embrace this humility.
12 – Play religious, worship music. Music lifts the soul to new heights. When we play religious music, it lifts us up and helps us to embrace all that God has for us. Try it, you will like it.
Certainly there are many other ways to grow closer to God and to be more Christ-like, but since the scriptures love the number 12, I will stop there. Remember that God wants us to be His presence to others. Our call is to be more like Him. Our conversion needs to be ongoing.
Last week, on Ash Wednesday we heard the gospel telling us how Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving are at the heart of our Lenten disciplines, and I wrote about Prayer. This week we will look at the Second Discipline, fasting. It appears that fasting has become very popular in today’s culture for health reasons. HEALTHLINE says that fasting does many things to help the body. It promotes blood sugar control, fights inflammation, enhances heart health, boosts brain function, aids weight loss, increases hormone secretion, extends longevity and can even be an aid to cancer prevention. That all sounds, and is very good. However fasting can also help us in our Spritual Life.
Throughout history, many different religions have promoted fasting. Besides Christianity, it is used in Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Judaism and Taoism. For the Catholic it is mandated for adults on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and is recommended for all of the Fridays of Lent. Note: abstaining from meat is also mandated for the Fridays of Lent. In Catholicism, fasting usually means reducing the amount of food that you take in, so that the whole day is not beyond one meals worth. In contrast, in Islam, fasting usually means staying away from all food, drink, and sexual relations from sunrise to sunset for the days where it is required. They also devote one month, their month of Ramadan, to 30 days of fasting.
As Catholics, we fast in order to build our self-mastery, to embrace God more fully in our lives. During Lent, fasting (along with prayer and almsgiving) helps us to better prepare for the JOY OF EASTER! We even “fast” from singing ALLELUIA during Lent so that our EASTER ALLELUIA means more to us. We “fast” from singing the GLORIA and ringing the bells during mass. Our altars “fast” from having beautiful flowers on them. This is all to help us truly celebrate the heart of the Christian message which is the EASTER ALLELUIA, THE LORD IS RISEN.
Fasting should make our prayers more meaningful, more serious. It should show us how denying ourselves something physical can strengthen us in our spiritual life. It should teach us more about making a commitment to something, namely God and His mission for us. Fasting should also help us in detachment, namely giving up something that we may have become too attached to. When we have too many attachments, our life gets too cluttered and there is little room for God. Fasting helps us get back to what really matters in our life, our spirituality, our relationship to God.
The scriptures are filled with verses about fasting, both in the Old Testament (the Hebrew scriptures) and in the New Testament (the Christian scriptures). Our roots are in the Hebrew Scriptures so I would first like to include some to help inspire us in the need for fasting.
Joel 1: 12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
Ezra 8:23 So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.
Exodus 34: 28 So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.
Nehemiah 1: 4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
2 Samuel !: 12 They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the LORD and for the nation of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
Esther 4: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
The New Testament also has many verses on fasting.
Matthew 6: 16-18 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Acts 14: 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Luke 2: 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
Luke 18: 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
Luke 4: 2-4 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
Fasting is good for our bodies and for our spirituality. It can also be good for others. We will talk about that next week when we look at the third Lenten discipline, Almsgiving.
The Gospel that is read on Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, gives us three disciplines to use during Lent. They are Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. I personally think that the first discipline, Prayer is the most important one, because it can help us to determine how to put fasting and almsgiving to work for Lent. It is the one that puts us in to a special communion with God. After all, how can you grow closer to someone without spending time with him and communicating with him? For me, personal prayer starts off with praising God for all that He has done for us. I then often take to Him my intentions, and then I wait in silence for what He might have to say to me. Yes, I believe that prayer truly is communication. I speak to Him and He speaks to me. Sometimes we are so busy and our surroundings are so noisy that we don’t experience that. Lent is a great time to quiet down and listen to God.
Lent is a time set aside by the Church for us to work a little harder at becoming the person that Jesus wants us to be. The Church gives us many tools to help us do that, but I would like to share with you some thoughts on how to really begin. Whenever you read the Gospels you can’t help but to notice that Jesus, even when He is working hard in His ministry preaching and healing, takes time to go away from His disciples and His ministry work to spend time alone with God in prayer. Sometimes He goes up a mountain, sometimes He goes in to a desert, and sometimes He just goes outside of town. No matter where He goes, He finds a place where He can be alone with God in prayer. Jesus, by His own example tells us that we too must find time to pray. It isn’t enough to just work for the Lord, but we must also pray to the Lord.
Saint Benedict chose as a model for himself and for his follower the phrase, “Ora et Labora” or in English, “Prayer and Work”. St. Ignatius tells us, “Pray as if everything depends on God; work as if everything depends on you.” Both Saints, when they mention WORK are talking about the work that God calls us to, not just going out to milk the cows or whatever labor we have to do. Psalm 127:1 tells us, “Unless the LORD builds a house, they who build it labor in vain; Unless the LORD guards a city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” For a Christian, we cannot do anything without prayer to God. That is so true in our desire to become who God calls us to be. Before we start any endeavor, we must bring it to the Lord in prayer. We must listen to anything He tells us about it and we must do as He directs. We need His direction and Blessings on all that we do.
Lent is also a time to prepare us to better understand what Holy Week is all about. It prepares us to better understand Psalm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter event. Let us now pause for a moment and look at the center of Holy week, what happens on Holy Thursday evening. After Jesus celebrates His last supper (and Passover) with His disciples on Holy Thursday, He goes out to the Garden of Gethsemane with His disciples to pray (and to be betrayed by Judas). Jesus knows what an ordeal He has to experience, and He knows that He needs the strength of prayer to do the work of the Father. He leads the disciples in to the garden, but then goes away, in solitude, to pray. It is a very difficult prayer for Him. He comes out of the prayer strengthened to be able to face the betrayal, the trial, the rejection of the people, the lashing, the carrying of the cross and finally the Crucifixion itself.
Since Jesus has set for us such a great example of going to a place of prayer, and at the time of His greatest ordeal, we must recognize that He does this to show us how we too need a place to pray and be alone with God before we face any of the work that the Father has for us. Lent is a time of work that the Father has for us and it must be a time of prayer. There is so much strength in prayer and we often forget about it and leave it by the wayside. I propose to you that during this Lent, you start taking time each day away from all you activities to pray. I also suggest that you find, or perhaps make, a prayer place.
Late last Spring, my wife and I went to visit one of my favorite authors, Annabelle Moseley, to have her autograph a book that I was giving to a dear friend of mine. While there, she told me about her new book which would soon be coming from the publisher. The new book was called, AWAKE WITH CHRIST – Living the Catholic Holy Hour in Your Home. She told me that the book talks about how important it is to have your own place of prayer in your home, your own Garden of Gethsemane. She showed me the one that she had made right outside her home in her garden. She also gave me a pre-publication copy of the book to read and to do a book review on. I read it and, like her other books, I fell in love with it. I purchased some books to give away and posted a review on Amazon (you can see it there). I would HIGHLY encourage you to get your own copy of this book as a way to start off your Lent. I think that you will find that it has practical answers on how (and why) to build a prayer place in your home. She even tells you how to do it for children. This book is not only an explanation of the importance of prayer, but it is a book to help us learn how to pray. It is a book that talks about how we need a special place to pray. It is a book that is perfect for LENT.
As she does with her other books, Annabelle refers continually to scripture and to the wisdom of the Saints to help us on our Prayer journey. Again, she also uses her poetic gifts to charge the book with poems and to lift us high towards God. Along with that, her love of gardening motivates us as we prepare our own Garden of Gethsemane. The practical explanations of how to make a prayer space (inside or outside), as well as how to make a Holy Hour is great for adults and for them to teach their children. Jesus, on the night that He was betrayed, said to His disciples, “Could you not watch one hour with me?” – Matthew 26: 40 This book will help you be happy to stay with Jesus for His Holy Hour. It will help you to have the most productive Lent ever.
Before his conversion, Saint Paul was known as Saul. He was a Pharisee who was born in to a devout Jewish family and he was well educated in his faith. He described himself as being “of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee”. Saul, to say the least, was a good Jew who loved the Jewish law and followed it. He loved being a Jew and he saw Christianity as a threat to his religion, a threat that had to be eliminated.
The scriptures tell us that Saul persecuted the Christians and would enter homes looking for them, drag them out, and put them in to jail. He is even listed as being at the death of the first Christian Martyr, the deacon Saint Steven. The early Christians feared Saul and saw him as one of their primary persecutors. Saul hunted down Christians in Jerusalem and even received permission to go to Damascus to hunt them down. On his way to Damascus, something amazing happened. The risen Jesus appeared to him.
Acts Chapter 9 tells us; “ 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.” In Damascus, Jesus sent Ananias to heal his sight and to baptize him and to teach him the good news. Saul, after his conversion, became Paul. He would soon become probably the greatest Christian evangelizer ever. Paul experienced a profound conversion. He went from being a zealous persecutor of Christians to being a vessel of God’s grace and intense sharer of the Good News of Jesus.
Conversion, in the Christian sense, is turning away from what is not Jesus and turning towards Jesus. Conversion can be a very profound thing like Saul/Paul experienced, or it can be as simple as turning away from tv and reading more scripture. Throughout our lives, God is continually calling us to conversion. We are called to turn away from what is not leading us towards Him, and turning to things that do lead us to Him. We are called to transform ourselves in to the very image of Jesus.
Conversion can also be seen in the large sense of turning form someone who is not Catholic, to someone who is. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is a program within the Church to help non-Catholics do that. Over 50 years ago, I went through the RCIA program, and my life was changed forever. I was brought up as a Methodist and during my younger years attended Sunday School and Church. As I got older, I started to question my faith and by the time I was in college, I thought that religion was not important and that God was only a force that held the universe together. I married a good Catholic girl and was actually quite unkind as to what I said to her about her faith. After almost three years of marriage, we were quite unhappy. We knew that we loved each other, but there was something not right (my lack of faith). We were close to separating when God stepped in. Through some miraculous events, we were brought in to a Life in the Spirit Seminar. In the seminar, I experienced people talking about God as if He was someone who they knew and talked to. I still questioned that type of God, but I wanted a faith like they had.
The Life in the Spirit seminar is a series of weekly talks which talk about God’s love, his gift of Salvation, the need for repentance, the gift of His Spirit and it prepares the person to ask God to touch them and fill them with His Spirit. I still remember the fifth week night when my wife and I were prayed with to experience God and His Spirit. I had a remarkable experience of God loving me. For the first time in my life, I saw God as a person who loved and cared for me. There was no bright light or voice of Jesus like St. Paul had, but it was so very real for me. It changed my life forever. I had a real desire to know Him better so I began reading scripture and spiritual books. Since this all happened in a Roman Catholic church, I decided to look in to that faith. I started reading the documents from Vatican II and decided to become a Catholic. I went through the RCIA program and became Catholic. Our marriage was made anew and later on I received the call to become a deacon. God did so many marvelous things in our life. I still find God calling me to more conversion in my daily life.
For the season of Lent, which begins soon, I will be doing more articles on the call to continuing conversion. Right now I want to celebrate my major call to become a Roman Catholic. It has fulfilled me so much. In line with this celebration I would like to mention some famous people who have become Catholic. There are thousands more.
Actors: John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Jim Nabors, Faye Dunaway, Vincent Price, Susan Hayward . Patricia Neal and many others
Academics and intellectuals: Hadley Arkes (Amherst), Mortimer Adler (Great Books), Robert Bork (Yale) and G.K. Chesterton
Royalty; King Charles II (Great Britain)
Artist : Peter Paul Rubens
Heroes of the Old West: Kit Carson, Buffalo Bill and Doc Holliday
Musician: Dave Brubeck
Famed coach: Knute Rockne (Notre Dame)
Playwrights: Tennessee Williams and Oscar Wilde
Novelists: Ernest Hemingway, Evelyn Waugh, Sigrid Undset and Dean Koontz
I began writing this on the Feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Church. It is also the day after we celebrate the birth of our Savior when, filled with joy, we sing, “Joy to the World”. God, in His Wisdom, had the Church put the two right next to each other. Christianity is not supposed to be just joy and it isn’t supposed to be just difficulty, it is both. Our everyday life is the same; joy along with difficulty. This last year has had more than it’s fair share of difficulties for me and this is my first time writing in quite some time. My wife has been ill for over a year, needing my care. In November she passed from this world in to the Father’s hands. She was a wonderful, faith-filled woman and she bore her suffering with great courage and dignity. She never lost her faith in the God who loved her; for all of eternity.
Martha was always teaching me something, and she continued to do that even after she passed. So many of the people that she knew, told me that my wife was truly a woman with a great deal of Wisdom. Several of the couples that attended our old “pre-cana” (marriage preparation) classes said to me that even after 30 or more years of marriage, they were still using some of the Wisdom that she imparted. Some of her previous co-workers (my wife was a Social Worker) mentioned to me that when they had difficulty figuring out something, they would go to my wife for her Wisdom. Some of our parishioners mentioned the same to me. That didn’t surprise me, because I did the same. My wife truly had God’s Wisdom in her. I miss that so much now.
I have always had a great memory and have always done well with school grades and on civil service tests. For quite some time I worked as a Computer programmer and Network programmer. I could beat just about anyone on Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit. Because of this, my wife always said that I was the smart one (knowledge). Truth of the matter was, I had a great deal of knowledge, but lacked Wisdom. The two are really quite different. I am so thankful that my wife had Wisdom. God knew what He was doing when He put the two of us together.
Too often Wisdom and knowledge are seen as the same thing. In truth, they are not. Wisdom is something that is given to a person from God. Knowledge is something you obtain yourself (God does give us the intellect to do so). Wisdom is a gift. Knowledge is produced due to your studying. The important thing is; Wisdom comes from God whereas knowledge comes from your own work. Don’t confuse the two. I love this comparison, “knowledge is understanding that a tomato is botanically a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put a tomato in a fruit salad!” I should mention that there is a Spiritual Gift called “Knowledge of the Lord”. This is a gift from God, that we may know Him. We are not talking about that right now.
So how do we obtain knowledge? It is simple, The dictionary says that knowledge is facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education. If you want knowledge, you work hard at education either through school or through experience. It is something that you do yourself, for you.
So how do we obtain Wisdom? This is not as simple, since Wisdom is a gift given to you from God. You certainly can ask God to give it to you. Perhaps He will, but God doesn’t always easily give us everything we ask for. Since Wisdom is a Spiritual Gift, and St. Paul tells us that God gives us the Spiritual Gifts for the building up of the Church, I would suggest that if you ask God for Wisdom you should only be asking for it because you want to build up the Church. James 1:5 does tell us that if we want Wisdom, we must ask God for it. God knows our hearts, and knows why we ask. The scriptures do tell us that there are some other things we can do to obtain Wisdom.
Proverbs 2: 3-5 tells us that we must raise our voice for it, we must seek it like silver, and search for it as a hidden treasure. It would seem that God doesn’t like us to be lukewarm in what we do. Psalm 19:7 also reminds us that the more we devote ourselves to God’s Word, the more we open ourselves up to His Wisdom.
St. Louis Marie de Montfort speaks a great deal about Wisdom, and how to obtain it. He starts by quoting the beginning of the book of Wisdom Chapter 6 by saying, “Wisdom is better than strength and prudence is better than courage. Listen, therefore, kings, and understand. Learn, you judges of the nations… desire ardently to know my words, love them and you will find instruction in them… Wisdom is resplendent and her beauty never fades. Those who love her will have no trouble in recognising her; and those who seek her will find her… she goes around seeking those worthy of her, graciously shows her ways to them, guides them and provides for them with loving care.”
Montfort acknowledges that there are other forms of so-called “wisdom” – the “wisdom of the world”, or “natural wisdom” – but believes that these can never lead to real happiness. God’s wisdom, revealed to us in Jesus Christ, is alone able to do that. And so he sees Jesus Christ as the personification of that wisdom of God, which is “eternal” (having existed from all eternity) and “incarnate” (manifested in the human flesh of Jesus).
St Louis Marie speaks of the principal means to “acquire” and “preserve” divine Wisdom. They are, he says, four:
An ardent desire (for Wisdom)
Continuous prayer
“Universal” mortification
A loving and genuine devotion to the Blessed Virgin.
This last means (devotion to Mary), he says, is “the greatest means of all, and the most wonderful of all secrets for obtaining and preserving divine Wisdom”.
So then, why is Wisdom so important? As a gift from God, it is a means of building up the Church. It is a way that God can make his will known to us, so that we can do it. It is a way that we can understand things from God’s point of view. It is a way for us to see God at work through us and in the world. It gives us the ability to understand the divine truth and then judge and direct our affairs towards that truth. Wisdom perfects the virtue of love. The Catholic Catechism says that Wisdom “is a breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty”. Now I ask you, isn’t that something that you want?
If the answer to the above is YES, then I suggest you do the following (in summation of above):
1 – Love God: Solomon says that the fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom
2 – Ardently Desire Wisdom: desire it with all our heart
3 – Pray for the Gift of Wisdom: St. James tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5).
4 – Study God’s Word: We must immerse ourselves in prayer and study of the Word of God
Do these, and Wisdom will be yours. God is good!
“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” James 3: 17
Once in a while you come across a book that is not only interesting and inspirational, but is also something that is so needed for the difficult times we are in. Our House of The Sacred Heart is one of those books. It is a very interesting book. The writer is a gifted poet who is able to deliver both prose and poetry in a way that stimulates the intellect and makes the reader continue to look for more. I found it very difficult to put the book down. As if her writing was not enough (which it is), Moseley presents scripture quotes, words of wisdom and beautiful art work to further stimulate our very being. She tells so many beautiful stories about her family and the way she was brought up. These show us how the gift of faith, especially through the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, makes life bearable and even joyful during both times of trial and times of cheer. When I read her previous book, Sacred Braille, I thought to myself that this is truly a woman of faith. After reading House of the Sacred Heart, I now can see where that faith came from.
I also found the book to be quite inspirational. Now inspirational can mean many things from how God inspired the writing of the Bible to how a hero can inspire others to do good. This book is inspirational in both ways. Now I am not saying that Our House of the Sacred Heart is inspired like the Bible is, but I can say that the same Holy Spirit that inspired the writings of the Bible also inspired Annabelle Moseley to put together this book using her God-given (inspired) talent of writing and using the inspired scriptures and using artwork that everyone can see is inspired. For the foundation of her book she uses the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She takes the 33 titles of the litany and weaves stories around them from her family to help show what each litany means. At the center of the family stories is what she calls Our House of The Sacred Heart, or the Red House, which is her grandmother’s house. So much of what her family is, centers around that house. The house is so much more than a dwelling, it is where the faith has been taught and lived out. I particularly like the cover design showing the Red House. The cover was done by my talented friend, T.J. Burdick. I wonder how much it resembles the actual house?
This book is something that is so needed for this time. Our culture has seen family life being disrupted over and over again. It has also seen a significant decrease in people who find their faith meaningful or even relevant to their everyday life. This book shows, in so many ways, through examples from several generations, how important strong faith and strong family life is. It shows us that faith and family, together, can bring us through the darkest moments and can even bring us joy in the midst of difficulties. The book also shows us that our faith is definitely handed down from one generation to the next. This book can not help but to awaken any dormant faith within us.
Annabelle Moseley has definitely written a book to inspire people towards a better appreciation of family life and a better appreciation or our faith. The book can be used in so many different ways. It is a great book for a person to read and appreciate by themselves. It is also a book that could lead an individual to make a Consecration to The Sacred Heart of Jesus. That consecration could use the book in the popular 33 day consecration method to do this. Moseley has included beautiful prayers at the back of the book to not only lead an individual to the consecration but to also do a Consecration of their home. I also believe that this book could be used in the parish setting by offering a group study that leads to the consecration. I certainly hope that this book becomes popular and that a large number of people read it. It is most interesting, very inspirational and certainly very needed for these difficult times. Do yourself, and your family, a favor and buy and read this book. You will be glad that you did.
SPECIAL ADDITION: The author has personally told me that: “I’m leading a Consecration to the Sacred Heart through my website! For those who sign up, they’ll get on each of the 33 days leading to their Consecration a brief daily podcast reflection that includes classic prayers to the Sacred Heart, contemplation of the Litany line of the day, and a brief soundbite to inspire deeper devotion to the Sacred Heart. The consecration begins on May 9th and ends on the Feast of the Sacred Heart: June 11th (on that day participants will get access to a Consecration Day-webinar and along with an author talk will be open to participant Q&A etc). For anyone who signs up, I will also offer a special parish Book Group “Meet the Author” zoom for any parishioners who have read the book… all they have to do is sign up and then email me at annabelle@annabellemoseley.com ” I think that we should all take advantage of this opportunity. I know that I am and have already signed up. I encourage you to do so too by using the following link. God is good.
Today, March 19, 2021 is the Solemnity of St. Joseph occurring within the Year of St. Joseph as proclaimed by Pope Francis. This is such a special gift to the Church. For me, it is a real gift since I today completed my 33 day Consecration to St. Joseph as detailed in Father Don Colloway’s book Consecration to Saint Joseph – The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father. A few years ago I did a 33 day Consecration to Jesus through Mary and was so happy with what it did for my Spiritual Life. When Pope Francis declared this year as the Year of St. Joseph, I decided to do a consecration to St. Joseph. I am so very glad that I did. My wife and I have been doing this together using Fr. Colloway’s book and listening to his video every day on YouTube.
Father Colloway’s book has been fantastic. It is probably the best $14.95 that I have ever spent. After I fully complete the book, I plan on doing a review. His 33 day daily video series has also been amazing. Putting the two together has been wonderful. This has been one of my best Lents because of this 33 day consecration exercise. I have learned so much about St. Joseph and have come to really appreciate the gift that he is to the Church and to me personally.
St. Joseph has been in the background for so many years of the Church’s history. Many of the Saints have sung his praises, but, in general, the Church has kept him in the background. It wasn’t until a few years ago that Pope Francis added the name of St. Joseph to the Eucharistic liturgy. I still remember seeing my pastor write in the name of St. Joseph in to the book (we are a poor parish and wouldn’t order a new book just because of one insert). St. Joseph is known as the protector of the Church, but even that didn’t start until about 150 years ago. This year has been named the Year of St. Joseph by Pope Francis and the Church is celebrating it world wide. There have been a number of books, such as previously mentioned, and it would appear that St. Joseph is finally getting the attention that he should have. The timing is perfect.
2020 and 2021 have been difficult years due to the COVID pandemic. Other political changes have made life more difficult for the Church and I think that bringing out the riches of St. Joseph at this time is very appropriate. There is no doubt that the more we learn about this “silent” Saint, the more we can learn what he can do for us. Through these 33 days of consecration I have learned so much about St. Joseph and now appreciate him so much. I definitely see him as my Spiritual Father. It makes so much sense that not only would Jesus share with us His Mother, but would also share with us His earthly father. In today’s mass we read the Gospel about finding the 12 year old lost Jesus in the Temple. As I was reading it I was really “hit” by the verse where Mary said to Jesus, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” and Jesus said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” What hit me was when Mary referred to Joseph she said your father (small f) and when Jesus replied He referred to God His Father (large F). Jesus had two Fathers, one in heaven and one on the earth.
Joseph was Jesus’s father here on earth. Joseph took care of Jesus and protected Him, even moving to Egypt to avoid Herod trying to kill Jesus. St. Joseph nurtured Him and taught Him and loved Him probably better than any father cares for his own flesh and blood son. Jesus called him daddy, abba, and I can only imagine the great relationship that the two of them had. Jesus must have admired Joseph tremendously, especially for his love and devotion to Jesus’s mother, Mary. I can only believe that God chose Joseph as the “father” of Jesus because of what a great man that he was. I can only believe that Jesus and Joseph were closer than probably any other father and son. It is so important to honor a man who was given such a great honor as caring for the God-Man, Jesus.
In his book, Father Calloway is continually giving quotes from the many Saints who have had a great devotion to Joseph. They honored him as well as sought his aid in the many difficulties in their lives. Everyone needs a good father to look up to as well as to receive help from. Saint Joseph has been given to us by Jesus and it is important for us to see the gift that Saint Joseph truly is. We can most definitely use this precious gift. I would like to share with you just a few of the numerous quotes so that perhaps you will see how precious this gift is.
“This flower of Israel (St. Joseph) had the faith of Abraham, the piety of David his ancestor, the wisdom of the prophets, a patience more heroic than that of Job and Tobias, and a zeal greater than that of Elizah for the glory of God.” – Blessed Gabriele Allegra
“The holy example of Jesus Christ who, while upon earth, honored St. Joseph so highly and was obedient to him during his life should be sufficient to inflame the hearts of all with devotion to this saint.” – St. Alphonsus Liguori
“If you want to know St. Joseph’s obedience, look at how he rose at night at the angel’s voice and, giving no care to hunger, hardships, or cold, went to Egypt where he led a hard life until the next command of God” – St. Joseph Sebastian Pelzcar
“Truly, I doubt not that the angels, wondering and adoring, came thronging in countless multitudes to that poor workshop to admire the humility of him who guarded that dear and divine child, and labored at his carpenter’s trade to support the Son and the mother who were committed to his care.” – St. Francis de Sales
“Those who are devoted to prayer should, in a special manner, cherish devotion to St. Joseph. I know not how anyone can ponder on the sufferings, trials, and tribulations the Queen of the Angels endured whilst caring for Jesus in his childhood, without at the same time thanking St. Joseph for the services he rendered the Divine Child and his Blessed Mother.” – St. Teresa of Avila
“To be faithful as humble collaborators with the divine plan over our lives, we need, along with the protection of the Virgin Mary, that of St. Joseph, a most powerful intercessor.” – St. Pope John XXIII
“The Church invokes St. Joseph as her Patron and Protector through her unshakable trust that he to whom Christ willed to confide the care and protection of His own frail human childhood, will continue from heaven to perform His protective task in order to guide and defend the Mystical Body of Christ himself, which is always weak, always under attack, always in a state of peril.” St. Pope Paul VI
Lent is a very special season of the Church where we are called to turn away from anything that is blocking our relationship to God. We are called to do whatever we can to grow closer to Him. Our God is a loving, kind and merciful Father who desires His children to be in a close relationship with him. Too often we gradually turn away from Him because of our busyness, preoccupation with other things (both good and bad), and the distractions of normal living. God’s desire is for His children to be close to Him. He is always close to us, but we often ignore that or cannot see that closeness. Lent is a time for us to try to get back on track. It is a time for us to slow down, stop being preoccupied and stop being distracted. Lent is a time for us to move closer to our Father who loves us so much, forgives us so much and desires us so much.
During Lent (and throughout the year) the Church asks us to turn towards him using three main tools, Prayer, Fasting and Alms-giving. These three tools were given to us by Jesus himself in Matthew Chapter 6. These three tools have often been called the Pillars of Lent. All three can have various means of expression and each individual has to discern the best expression for him/her within the situation they are in. This past year and in to the present year we have been experiencing many different ways of living out our lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people have had their lives completely turned around by loosing their job, having reduced hours working, or by working from home. Many parents have to deal with home schooled children for at least part of the week. We have lost the ability to gather together in large and close numbers and many families have lost their ability to be with each other even on special holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving and birthdays and anniversaries. Unfortunately, many families have lost loved ones due to COVID-19 and some have lost the ability to visit loved ones in nursing homes, hospitals and other institutions. There is no doubt that this pandemic has adversely affected our every day living. It will also affect the way we experience Lent. Some of this will be in negative ways, but some may actually be in positive ways.
One of the positive ways is that COVID-19 has given some people more time within their own home. Hopefully this additional time can give people time to slow down. Lent is definitely about slowing down our fast pace so that we can have more time for quiet reflection and prayer. I would like to try to take each of the three pillars and look at ways that we can use them to grow closer to God during this very difficult time.
PRAYER – We are called to be a people of prayer, every day of the year. However, during Lent we are called to find ways to expand our prayer life. The more we pray and the more we experience different forms of prayer, the closer we come to know the love of our heavenly Father. There are many forms of prayer and I would like to discuss a few. Personal spontaneous prayer is very important. For me it is the time that I spend in giving thanks and praise to God. I find that the more I give thanks to God for all the things in my life, the more I appreciate those things and feel closer to God. Praying with scripture is also a great way of experiencing God’s love and presence. Sometimes just taking a short scripture reading, perhaps one of the readings of the day, and quieting yourself and asking God to speak to us through that reading, can produce much fruit. Personal liturgical prayer is another great way to pray. This can be done by using some of the prayers that the Church has given us, such as the rosary, the chaplet of divine mercy, the liturgy of the hours, litanies, etc. These can really help us feel closer to God. Public liturgical prayer is also very important such as attending mass more often, attending Adoration and Benediction and other church prayers. Our churches all adhere to social distancing and to cleaning and are probably one of the safer public places to be. For Lent, try to attend mass or services as often as you can.
FASTING – Fasting has been part of the Christian life since the time of the early church. Even before that it was an important part of the Jewish tradition. Fasting, or giving up something, can definitely help us to grow closer to God. Sometimes when giving up food for a short time, the hunger we feel in our stomach can help us better appreciate the hunger that we have for God. But fasting is not just for food. Fasting can be from things in our lives that do not lead us closer to God. Often fasting is something that goes along with adding something. For instance, if you fast from watching tv for just one hour per day and take that one hour per day and add scripture reading and/or prayer you will see how that additional hour of scripture and or prayer can bring you closer to God. Also, fasting from something that you really love can be difficult but can help you build your own self control which can be useful in many ways.
ALMS-GIVING – Alms-giving is simply giving something that you have to the poor. It can be the gift of money, goods, or time. Both the Old and New Testaments (the Hebrew and Christian scriptures) stress how important it is for us to share with others, especially with the poor. In today’s COVID world I have experienced a new kind of poor (or needy). There are a large number of people who had great jobs or owned great businesses that all of a sudden, because of COVID have lost their jobs and their businesses or have at least had a reduction of income. They own nice homes and drive nice cars but can’t afford to put food on the table and can’t afford to pay their bills. These people, by all outward appearances do not need help but in reality are very much in need of help. Many of them are embarrassed to ask for help. We need to find ways to help them too. Personally I have found that the more I give to others who are in need, the closer I feel to God. I mentioned that giving can consist of money, goods or time. Money and goods are always something that you can get more of. However time is something that can not be replenished. Giving of your time, such as volunteering at soup kitchens, outreaches, or other charitable organizations is a real gift and a real sacrifice. At the same time it is the most rewarding.
SUMMARY – Remember that Lent is a gift given to you to help you get closer to our Father who loves us so much and wants us to be close to him. Jesus taught us the three Pillars of Lent that can help us do that. The more we put those Pillars in to action the closer we will get to God. COVID has taken so much away from us and we are really hurting from it. Now more than ever, we need to be close to God. I pray that you have a very fruitful Lent and that you better understand the great riches of being a son and daughter of the Father. I pray that you know the closeness that only a son and daughter can feel. May God bless you richly during this most Holy Season.
There is a popular Christian song that says, “They will know we are Christians by our love”. This is such a true statement. One of the best signs of being a Christian is being charitable. It doesn’t matter how many crosses you may be wearing or how many holy medals you may be wearing; the most important sign to others that you are a Christian is your love (charity). We show our love in our actions towards others. Jesus is continually calling us to recognize that we are supposed to be people who put love for others (especially the poor) in to all that we do. Mathew 5:25 tells us, “So don’t hide your light! Let it shine brightly before others, so that the commendable things you do will shine as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven.” Also in Matthew (25:40) Jesus tells us that at the Judgment Day He will say to us, “When you cared for one of the least important of these my little ones, my true brothers and sisters, you demonstrated love for me” and “When you refused to help one of the least important among these my little ones, my true brothers and sisters, you refused to help and honor me. (25:45)” It couldn’t be much clearer, when we do for others, we do for Jesus and when we refuse to do for others, we refuse to do for Jesus. He will someday judge us on this.
But giving to others, especially the needy, isn’t just about the judgment that we receive. It is also about our life right now. Jesus tells us in Luke 6:38, “Give generously, and generous gifts will be given back to you, shaken down to make room for more. Abundant gifts will pour out upon you with such an overflowing measure that it will run over the top! Your measurement of generosity becomes the measurement of your return.” I am not trying to preach a prosperity gospel like many do, because I know that so many of the Saints who did good works lived in poverty and extreme hardship. Rather, I believe that the gifts given back to us in generous measure are not necessarily monetary gifts or earthly gifts. They are gifts that transcend the everyday life here and lift our inner being up to heavenly places. We can, through giving to the needy, experience a sort of heavenly bliss. The goodness that we feel when we give to the needy can be absolutely amazing. Also, the closer we are to Jesus, the more grateful we become aware of His love for us and the more we want to do for others. St. John, in his first letter chapter 4 verse 19 tells us, “Our love for others is our grateful response to the love God first demonstrated to us.” We give to others because God has given so much to us.
Giving to others can be done in so many ways. Personally I think that treating all people with respect, even if you don’t agree with them or even dislike them, is a true form of Christian giving. Also, helping others to get ahead in life, even if it means going over you, is a form of Christian giving. Jesus gave us the “golden rule” in Matthew 7:12, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. When we really follow this rule we can find great peace and satisfaction. In doing this we can also help change the world for the better. Because of our human nature, being charitable isn’t always easy to do. However, God has given us both the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the fruits of the Holy Spirit so that we can. We need to rely upon these gifts, and pray earnestly, so that we can be a people of love and charity.
Unfortunately there are many people in this world who are living lives of extreme poverty. There are many homeless people in our communities and many households that cannot afford to put a decent meal on the table for their family. In our current COVID pandemic many people have lost their jobs or had their wages reduced. Many businesses have failed and we have a new form of poverty in our communities. We have people who own their own homes and have nice cars, but because of income loss they cannot pay their bills or buy decent food. For those of us who can, we can’t just stand back and do nothing. We are called by God to help others, and the first place to do this is in our own communities. It is important to try to find ways to help others. If you pray for guidance in this, God will put you in to the right places to help others. Start first with what you are familiar with, your own parishes and their outreach ministries. Then look to local community organizations that are helping the needy. Giving money and giving time to them is essential. One of the best ways to give is by volunteering to serve in these outreaches and community organizations. Not only do you help them to do what they are trying to do to help the needy, but because you are a volunteer you usually get a chance to interact with the people you are helping. Believe me, this is something that can be very good for you.
As an example, I have found several forms of charitable service in my community. Our own parish has an outreach ministry and I support that by giving both money and non perishable goods and special gifts for Christmas and Thanksgiving and the beginning of school. I also work with two local charities, Angels of Long Island and Carroll’s Kitchen to help bring food and necessities to those in need. I also work with several Veteran’s agencies to help veterans in need. Working with these charities brings me immense satisfaction and joy and peace. We are called to support charities by giving money, but more importantly, we are called to support them by giving volunteer time. Personally, I would have to say that I get a tremendous satisfaction from giving volunteer service to them. There is no doubt that I better appreciate the gifts that God has given me, but even more than that, the actual act of giving brings me such good feelings, that it is hard to describe. In ending, I would encourage you to seek out, through prayer, what God wants you to be doing. He wants you to love and serve others, but you and He will have to decide who those others are. Once you do this, you will be more fully living the Christian vocation and you will experience a new sense of purpose and fulfillment and peace. Truly, giving to others is also giving to yourself. Author Leo Buscaglia tells us, “It’s not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something. May I suggest that it be creating joy for others, sharing what we have for the betterment of personkind, bringing hope to the lost and love to the lonely.” St. Paul tells us, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2Corinthians 9:7
From its very beginnings, the Catholic Church has always followed the command of Jesus to go out in to all of the world and preach the Good News. That is the Church’s primary mission, evangelization. In order to do that the Church also has to maintain a community of believers who are continually learning more about the faith and their relationship to God and are continually receiving the gifts that God gives them to grow and complete their purpose. The Church, by its very nature, is communal. It is a body of people who work together to learn more about the faith, grow in the faith and then spread the faith. Jesus himself relied upon a group of believers, the 12 apostles, and the many followers and “the women” to start His Church and to spread the Good News. The need for community is strong and the benefits of community bring about strength.
The Church has had many different forms of community over the ages. For many years religious orders grew in large numbers and helped to accomplish the Church mission. Recently, especially in the Americas and in Europe, the number of people entering religious orders has decreased, but at the same time there has been an increase in lay people becoming involved with the traditional religious orders to work with them. I really believe that this has been a fresh wind of the Holy Spirit at work. I know of so many good Catholics who are part of “secular” or “third order” movements working with the traditional Franciscan, Dominican, Carmelite (etc) orders where they experience the gift of this community and continue the work of this community without giving up marriage or jobs or family. They continue the order’s mission right in the midst of today’s culture. They become like monks or sisters right within the workplace of everyday living. They also bring with them the fruits of these orders.
I have been fortunate to be one of the people to do this. I have been a member of the Franciscan Deacons of Rockville Centre and I would like to share with you some of the experience I have had there with this community. To do this, I would like to share a little history of our group.
The Society of Franciscan Deacons of Rockville Centre started over a dozen years ago by three deacons of my diocese who had originally started in formation to become brothers in Franciscan orders. After some discernment during their formation, they felt the call to marriage and to work within the normal workplace. After many years of marriage and secular work, they then felt the call of the Holy Spirit to become Catholic Permanent Deacons. God’s Spirit later put upon their hearts the original call to Franciscan spirituality and they began meeting to discern how to answer that call within the life that God had called them to. After meeting for some time, they felt called by the Lord to make a decision to follow Franciscan Spirituality and meet together as a group. One of the members is a Canon lawyer and Judge in our Diocesan tribunal. He was able to use his canon law skills to develop a way to form a legal society of deacons who follow Franciscan spirituality. He then approached our diocesan Bishop who thought the idea was a good one and the Society of Franciscan Deacons of Rockville Centre was formed. It started with the three original founders and has grown to over a dozen members. I am so blessed to be one of them.
We meet together as a group once per month where we pray together the liturgy of the hours, talk about our journey with the Lord, plan charitable actions for the group and do a study together as a group. Sometimes we study a book, and sometimes we study a movies series such as Fr. Dave Pavonka’s Wild Goose series. We also go together on retreat every summer for 5 to 6 days. In the midst of all of this we try to grow in our Franciscan spirituality to strengthen our work as parish deacons and evangelizer’s of God’s Word.
All of us have to take the vows of the Third Order Regular Franciscans and have gone through the normal stages of community life, Aspirant (someone thinking of joining), Postulant (praying with the group and learning about the group), Novitiate (continued training and beginning of temporary vows, Solemn Profession (taking perpetual vow to be a full member). The vows for the Franciscan Deacons are centered on poverty, chastity and obedience. Since Permanent Deacons are usually married men who own homes and have jobs, these three vows are further explained. Poverty for us is embracing a simple lifestyle, especially regarding possessions. Chastity for us is being true to our marriage commitment. And obedience to us is continued obedience to our Bishop and to our faith. Part of our foundational training and additional training is learning more about St. Francis and Franciscan Spirituality. We have read and studied together several books on both Francis and Claire. The gifts that these two people brought to the Church are both simple and profound. Studying these two great people and their relationship to God has most certainly helped my spiritual life and desire to serve God’s people.
All of the religious orders emphasize prayer and community and we certainly do that in our meetings. We often have dinner together in a restaurant before our meetings and that helps the sense of community grow among us. Most orders also emphasize work of some sort. Now in our Society, we are all diocesan deacons who are assigned work within our own parishes (and the diocese) and this is seen as our main form of work. However, we also keep a tie with the Franciscan Society of the Atonement in Graymoor, NY. Several of the men in our group actually attended their formation there when they were thinking about becoming friars and brothers. We have a very close bond with the Friars of the Atonement and part of our “work” is with them. We often go up to Graymoor for weekends to help with the retreats and special days that we run. Several members of our community have advanced that by becoming Tertiary’s of the Atonement order. They still meet with us in our group but have expanded their connection with the Society of the Atonement.
I am so glad that the Lord drew me in to the Society of Franciscan Deacons of Rockville Centre. I have always loved St. Francis, even when I was a Methodist. I was actually ordained a deacon on October 4th, the Feast day of St. Francis. Our society has helped me form closer relations with my brother deacons and has helped me grow in my own spirituality and in my service to the Church. Yes, I am saddened by the lack of vocations that many of our orders are experiencing, but I am also thrilled with what the Lord is doing with “third order/secular” groups today in the Church. If you are feeling a need for more community especially as lived out by a particular Saint, I would suggest you seek out a “third order or secular” group near you. I know that my involvement in our group has greatly helped me in my walk with the Lord and has helped me to grow in my service to Him and His people.
I would suppose that every generation, as it gets older, laments the changes that occur in the world that they have been used to. I am now in my early 70’s and I am beginning to experience that sadness when I see the changes from what we had, to what we now have. Sure, there has been tremendous growth in technology, and the ability to do things easier and more efficiently. I love most of those changes, but what makes me sad is how our society today has pushed God away. When I was growing up in the 50’s and 60’s God was very present in society. People talked about Him, popular songs mentioned Him, television made positive remarks about Him and prayer was a part of everyday life, especially in school. Going to church was the norm for most families and life was respected and people cared for each other. God and religion were seen as a normal part of everyday life.
Slowly, but determinedly, God has been pushed away in our society. Not only has God been pushed away, He, and his believers have been made fun of and even vilified. Our money still says IN GOD WE TRUST, but my guess is, even that won’t last much longer. Prayer is no longer allowed in school and it is even difficult to get permission for a God based group to use school space, even for students. People do not attend Church the way they used to. Many churches and religious schools have had to close due to non-attendance. There is a tremendous shortage of vocations in all of the churches. Sex scandals have plagued the churches and things seem hopeless. Along with that, family life has suffered greatly. The number of divorces continues to grow and so many children have lost their way to drugs and alcohol. Our entertainment venues (TV and movies) are filled with violence and sex and drugs, and it is very difficult to find anything that is wholesome. Our youth are experimenting not only with drugs and alcohol and sex, but also with finding a new way to identify themselves sexually. Getting married seems to be a thing of the past while young adults just choose to live together openly. I could go on and on, but even I am getting depressed, I don’t want you to.
So what do we do? Do we throw up our hands in to the air and say, “that is the way things are, we just have to accept it”? . . . . . . No, we don’t! If anything, this is a time for us to stand up tall as Christians and tell the world about the love and mercy of God. This is a time for us to live in hope and not despair. I know that it is not easy, but when we look at the history of the Jews and Christians throughout history we see that often things like what we are going through have happened, yet God raised up a remnant of people and anointed them with power to be able to turn others back to God. When everyone else seemed to be turning away from God, He has continually used a small group, or remnant, to bring the faith out again. My friends, we are that remnant. He will anoint us with His power to bring people back to Him.
I really believe that this gradual turning away from God and all that is associated with it is the work of Satan, the great deceiver. He wants people to turn away from God and he works very hard to accomplish that. He entices people to think that the things of this world are far better than the things of God’s Kingdom. He uses our own human weaknesses for destruction. I think that the priest sex scandal is a great example of this. But as much as Satan wants us to fall and turn away from God, God himself wants even more for His people to come back to Him. He has given each one of us the Holy Spirit inside of us to help us accomplish this. St. John tell us that, “greater is he that is in YOU, than he that is in the world.”
It is up to us, along with the Holy Spirit within us, to listen to God and to go to the people and places that He tells us to lead others back to Him. We need to tell others of the great Mercy and Love that God has for us. We need to lead by example showing people that good and God centered living brings true happiness. We cannot be afraid to share with others what God has done in our lives and what He continues to do. We need to be proud of being good Catholic Christians and we must announce the Good News to all that we see, especially those who have gone away from it. I have no doubt that our God is a strong and powerful God who can accomplish great things through us. We just need to say YES to Him and allow Him to use us. We can change the world. We can help to bring God back in to our society. With God there is still HOPE. When we end every mass, the deacon or priest gives us a mission. He tells us to GO FORTH… “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord” and “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life”. These are serious times; let us take our mission seriously. Let us be a people of action.
Since the first century, the Church has always remembered Friday as the day the Lord died and has always practiced Penance on that day. The forms of penance have varied over the ages but always included prayer, works of piety, almsgiving and denying oneself. This day of Penance has helped the faithful devote themselves to living the Christian message and remembering what Jesus did for us by dying on the cross. Many of us living today remember that every Friday we abstained from eating meat. Presently this requirement is only for the Fridays of Lent. HOWEVER, we are all still under the obligation of making Friday a day of Penance and remembrance of Jesus dying on the cross for us.
We are all under obligation to make Friday a day different from all the others. For my wife and I we abstain from meat on Friday, every Friday. We find this a great way to live out the love of Jesus and remembering what He did for us on Friday. We also try to remember the hour that He died. It is said that Jesus died at 3:00pm on a Friday. My wife and I stop what we are doing every day (when possible) and pray together the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. But, many would ask, why do all this and why remember every Friday and also the 3:00pm hour? I would like to take a look at this by examining Psalm 51. To me, this says it all. The Church puts this Psalm in to every Friday morning prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours.
Psalm 51 is also sometimes known as the Misere. It is a Psalm written by King David in response to his calling to mind his sins. Truthfully the prophet Nathan helped him to think about the wrong things he had done (read 2 Samuel 12: 1-13). When David was king he sinned greatly. First of all he was a “peeping Tom” watching Bathsheba take a bath and lusted over her. Secondly he had Bathsheba brought to him and formed an adulterous relationship with her. Thirdly, when Bathsheba became pregnant with David’s child he had Bathsheba’s husband Uriah (one of David’s loyal soldiers) killed. He then took Bathsheba as his wife. To think that God’s beloved David would do all this is hard to believe. God had given him everything, including being a forefather of the Messiah, Jesus. He sinned greatly. The reason that God reinstated David to his position in salvation history is that David deeply repented of his sins. David’s Psalm 51 tells us of God’s love and Mercy and our need to seek forgiveness. Take a look at this Psalm. This is the translation taken right out of the Liturgy of the Hours.
Psalm 51 – The Miserere
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness. * In your compassion blot out my offense. O wash me more and more from my guilt * and cleanse me from my sin.
My offenses truly I know them; * my sin is always before me. Against you, you alone, have I sinned; * what is evil in your sight I have done.
That you may be justified when you give sentence * and be without reproach when you judge. O see, in guilt I was born, * a sinner was I conceived.
Indeed you love truth in the heart; * then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom. O purify me, then I shall be clean; * O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear rejoicing and gladness, * that the bones you have crushed may revive. From my sins turn away your face * and blot out all my guilt.
A pure heart create for me, O God, * put a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, * nor deprive me of your holy spirit.
Give me again the joy of your help; * with a spirit of fervor sustain me, that I may teach transgressors your ways * and sinners may return to you.
O rescue me, God, my helper, * and my tongue shall ring out your goodness. O Lord, open my lips * and my mouth shall declare your praise.
For in sacrifice you take no delight, * burnt offering from me you would refuse, my sacrifice, a contrite spirit. * A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.
In your goodness, show favor to Zion: * rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice, * holocausts offered on your altar.
There are many important things to see in this Psalm. First of all, we all sin and God abhors sin. Secondly, God is merciful and when we come to Him with sorrow for our sins, He forgives us. David acknowledged his sin and God forgave him. Thirdly, God sees all things and knows of our sins. We cannot hide them from Him. We may be able to hide them from others, but not from God. Fourthly, we need to have a change of heart. God is able to change our hearts to make them avoid sin. And lastly, even though our sins bring consequences to us and those around us, God does not hold a forgiven sin against us. He allows us to be who He has called us to be.
All of this is because of God’s love and mercy. It is because God loved us so much that He sent His only son Jesus in to the world and allowed Jesus to die for all of our sins. Just as Jesus rose from the dead, we too, once we ask forgiveness can rise up from our sins. It is certainly right to remember every Friday as a special day when Jesus died for our sins. It is certainly right to remember the 3:00pm hour as the hour that Jesus died for us so that we might have life.
I would urge you to make Friday a special day, a day of remembrance, a day of Penance. Take some extra time to pray. Take some extra time to help others. Try giving up something, denying yourself to help join Jesus in His gift of giving up Himself. Earlier I mentioned the Chaplet of Divine Mercy that my wife and I pray every day at 3:00pm. If you are not familiar with the devotions of Divine Mercy, I suggest that you make yourself familiar to them and use them. Here is a link on how to pray the Chaplet and has more information about the Divine Mercy: https://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/pray-the-chaplet
Our God is a merciful and loving and forgiving God. We, as His children are far from perfect. Our sins pull us away from God, but He never gives up on His call to bring us back to him. All we have to do is acknowledge our sins and ask for forgiveness. The Church has given us a real healing Sacrament in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, commonly known as confession. Make use of it. God wants you, His child, to be near to Him. He does not want sin to separate us from Him. Remembering every Friday helps us to acknowledge our sin and see what God has done so we can be free.
Leonardo da Vinci said, “Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.” It seems to me that the purpose of both art and poetry is to lift us up beyond what we normally can see and feel. They both reach in to our very being, our soul, our essence, to lift us up higher than we can imagine. This book by Annabelle Moseley does all of that. It is filled, literally filled, with art and poetry about our Mother Mary. The poetry by the author and the art work that was chosen by her help us to reach in to the depths of truth and intimacy with Mary, especially through the Rosary. This book brought tears to my eyes several time as it helped me to internalize the love that Mary has for us. I had just previously read Keith Berube’s book on Mary and the Rosary which did pretty much the same thing.
I feel very blessed to have had these two books brought together for me at the same time. I also find it interesting that each of these two authors write in the introductions of each other’s books. Also the Foreword in SACRED BRAILLE is written by Bishop Richard Henning who I first got to know when he worked in my parish many years ago as a young priest. Bishop Henning is a good and holy man and one of the most intelligent men I know. Also much of the art used in the book is taken from the Seminary that I attended for my diaconal training, The Seminary of the Immaculate Conception. It brings back many good memories. More important than that, the artwork stimulates the soul and lifts us up above the ordinariness of everyday life. It helps us to see that we are much more than we appear to be and that our God has reached down to us to help us to better realize that.
I cannot overstate that the original poetry of the author and the amazing art work inside the book are ethereal. The poetry especially fascinated me. It is complex, but understandable. Some of it follows traditional elements of poetry but some of it takes on a unique nature of its own. I was especially moved and impressed by the “Mirror Sonnets” contained throughout the book. I cannot even imagine how difficult it is to write these sonnets where the first section is read and then the second section is read line by line in reverse order of the first and they both make complete sense. You have to read this to believe this and to even understand what I am saying so I will, with the author’s permission, share one Mirror Sonnet with you.
Mirror Sonnet*: Mary Recalls The Prophecy of Simeon
A mother knows her son’s hands like her own.
She studies them from birth—each fingernail
is halo-shaped. Soft skin over strong bone,
each line and dimple forms a Sacred Braille.
While Simeon foretold, I held Christ’s hand.
And that was when the blade first pierced my soul.
I knew that to redeem a broken land,
my child’s palms could not remain smooth, whole.
The earth is punctured, seeded, before sprouts
grow forth. Then fruit is gathered, branches pruned.
There must be something for the soul who doubts
to press their fingers into, like a wound.
The piercing of my soul provides a sieve—
for sifting death from those who long to live.
For sifting death from those who long to live,
the piercing of my soul provides a sieve—
to press their fingers into, like a wound.
There must be something for the soul who doubts.
Grow forth! Then fruit is gathered, branches pruned.
The earth is punctured, seeded, before sprouts.
My child’s palms could not remain smooth, whole.
I knew that—to redeem a broken land…
And that was when the blade first pierced my soul.
While Simeon foretold, I held Christ’s hand.
Each line and dimple formed a Sacred Braille,
was halo-shaped. Soft skin over strong bone,
I’d studied them from birth—each fingernail.
A mother knows her son’s hands like her own.
* a new poetic form created by the author.
Throughout this book, the author’s writing shows me the deep love that she has for Mary and the Rosary. I can’t help but to believe that the Holy Spirit inspired her to write this about the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. The writing is way above the ordinary, and seems quite inspired.
The Preface by Annabelle Moseley sets the stage for what is to follow. It also contains within it some interesting date-coincidences (more like God-incidents) in Annabelle Moseley’s life. She then begins with the Seven Sorrows of Mary before leading then to all four of the Mysteries of the Rosary. The poetry and art reflections on each mystery will bring new life to your own reflections on the mysteries as you say the Rosary. After completing all four mysteries, she has a section with discussion questions for all of the poetry from the Seven Sorrows through the four mysteries. This could be used either by you or in a group.
After the discussion section, Annabelle Moseley gives us a workbook for a three day retreat. This workbook is filled with ideas on how to do the retreat including settings, readings, exercises, activities and even music to play. I am still thinking of ways to put this in to action for myself and for my parish. After this section the author teaches the reader how to pray the Rosary. She then has a section listing the fifteen promises of Mary concerning the Rosary.
As if all of this is not enough, Annabelle Moseley teaches us three different ways to enhance our reflection on the Seven Sorrows and the four mysteries of the Rosary. The first way is the “Visio Divino” where she lists several great works of art pieces to contemplate. The second way is the “Lectio Divino” where she gives us several scripture passages to reflect on. The third way is the “Audio Divino” where Annabelle Moseley gives us various pieces of music to use while contemplating. The book ends with a call to make a Living Rosary and to see the Rosary as a true Masterpiece in itself.
I have always had a deep appreciation of art and poetry and music. The individual pieces within this book are Masterpieces themselves, but taken together this book is a true, and very rare, masterpiece that helps to transform you in to who God calls you to be. Mary gave the perfect YES. We too are called by God to say our YES to Him. What better way is there than to follow the Mother of Jesus as she leads us to her son Jesus. This book helps us to do this with beauty and style. Do yourself a favor, buy this book and keep it out to be used often. You will be glad that you did.
NOTE: I am writing this review at the time of a world-wide pandemic. People are getting sick and dying and most stores and businesses have had to shut down. There is no income coming in for many and everyday living seems to be quite traumatic. People are hurting and in need of healing and consolation. Our mother Mary is the great Consoler who can bring us to her Son, Jesus who is the great healer. Just as Mary consoled Jesus at the foot of the cross, she can console us at the foot of our pandemic cross. The beauty and the message of this book is a great means of receiving consolation from our Mother who loves and cares for us so much. Hopefully this pandemic will be over soon, but all of us know that we are in need of consolation throughout so many stages of our life. This book could be a real spiritual medicine for us.
Books are one of the true treasures of mankind. They entertain us, they move us, they help us to grow and they are so readily available to us today. Keith Berube’s new book (Mar 2020) on Mary is all of that and more. This book is one of the best treasures I have found in a long time. It did something to me that I thought was impossible. It helped me to love the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary more than I ever had; and I am a person who says the Rosary every day and have been doing that for well over 20 years. It has caused me to grow in an intimacy with Mary that I never had before.
There is one thing that you need to understand. I was brought up as a Protestant (Methodist) and converted to the Roman Catholic faith when I was 25 years old. My conversion was based mostly upon my reading of the 6th Chapter of St. John’s Gospel about the Eucharist and my study of the Vatican II documents. One thing that I had trouble accepting was the role of Mary in the Church. Like most Protestants, I thought that the Church overdid devotion to Mary. However, gradually I was drawn to read more about Mary and to start praying the Rosary. This helped me to develop a strong (at least I thought) devotion to her. This book has brought me much closer to her than I ever imagined. I can see her now in so many different ways. She is not only MY Mother, but also my Queen. She is not only an example of faith but she is THE best example of faith. She is the Mother of the Son, the daughter of the Father and the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. She is the Immaculate one and the one who loves to spend time with me. She is the one who protects me. She is the one who keeps leading me closer to God. Keith Berube’s book helped me to know all of that with a new enthusiasm.
Keith Berube divides his book in to three parts. The first part is all about the Rosary. After saying the rosary daily for over 20 years, I thought that I knew it well. This book revealed to me so much more about the Rosary that I never knew. It especially helped me to see the Rosary as a time when I was present to a Mother who loved me so much, and earnestly desired to be with me. The book taught me that saying the Rosary was the living out of a love story. It was where I could meet the Mother who always wanted to hear from me. It was where I could tell her I love her, in response to her love of me. It was a way that I could touch her, through the tactile feel of the beads. It was also a time where I could join her in her own mission of praying for others and leading others to her loving Son. The Rosary is life changing to those who pray it and to those who are lifted up in its prayers. The Rosary is something quite mystical in the way it lifts us up in to Spiritual joy. It is also one of the strongest weapons we have to use against the evil one.
The second part of the book is entitled, “The Veiled Dynamics of the Rosary”. In this section we hear more about Mary as woman (or girl as the author often refers to her) and the way her femininity causes not only us, but the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit to relate to her. It shows how her being a woman affects our communication with her and her communication with us. This femininity also shows how the Rosary is relational to us and how we in our own sexuality (male or female) relate back to Mary. This part also talks about how we see Mary not only as Mother but also as friend and one who reveals to us the secrets of her heart and also consoles us.
The third part of the book provides a short synthesis of Parts I and II. It helps us see that in praying the Rosary, we are giving flowers to the one who loves us so much. Every Hail Mary that we say is also a way of saying, “I love you” to Mary. The mysteries that we contemplate help us better understand the way God the Father has loved us through the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Rosary itself is very scriptural and helps us to meditate on the stories of our Salvation. It is also a time when we are joined by our guardian angel and the other Angels and Saints in prayer to God.
In the first Appendix Keith Berube includes some beautiful and moving poems. In the second Appendix he lists some other forms of the Rosary. In the third Appendix he talks about the CONSOLATIO MARIAE, a Private Association of the Catholic Faithful.
Throughout the book Keith Berube uses scriptures, stories and quotes from various Saints , and illustrations to enhance his writing. You can most readily see the author’s own love for Mary. As I said earlier, this book taught me to appreciate and form a new INTIMACY with Mary and a new appreciation of the Rosary as both a form of relational prayer and as a true weapon to fight those “dragons” that attack us. There is no way that this short review can tell you of the wonders of this book. You need to experience this yourself. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
Note: A publisher friend of mine sent me a copy of SACRED BRAILLE by Annabelle Mosely and asked me to review that. It is interesting that both books are about the Rosary and really complement each other. I love God’s timing. Annabelle Mosely did the forward to Keith Berube’s book. I really loved her book and will post a review shortly.
The Second Sunday of Easter is DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY and normally thousands of people flock to the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge Massachusetts. Unfortunately, this year that will not happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since we cannot go there physically, I thought that I would share some pictures of the Shrine that I took a couple of years ago.
In the year 2000, Pope John Paul IIl canonized Sr. Faustina Kowalska who originally received the Divine Mercy image of Jesus and promulgated Jesus’ message of Divine Mercy. During her canonization he said, “It is important then that we accept the whole message that comes to us from the word of God on this Second Sunday of Easter, which from now on throughout the Church will be called “Divine Mercy Sunday”.
Sister Faustina had written in her diary the words of Jesus that came to her, “My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and a shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day are opened all the divine floodgates through which graces flow. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My mercy.
I have written three previous articles on the Divine Mercy that you might want to check. Here is a link to each of them:
Welcome to Eden Hill, the home of the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts run by the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. Enjoy the pictures and hopefully you can visit it someday. It is a HOLY place.
The Outdoor mass area.The church used for indoor massThe Church and attached buildingsInside the churchClose up of the altarStatue of John Paul IIIndoor statue of Pope Saint John Paul II From Pope John Paul IISt. Faustina with Our Lady of Guadalupe looking onStatue of St. Faustina right outside the church
The Shrine has beautiful, large and realistic Stations of the Cross. Here are a few examples of them:
The Shrine also has beautiful walking paths and shrines along the way
When you go there, take time for Mass and for praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet
The grounds of the National Shrine consist of 375 acres of land nestled in the beautiful Berkshire hills in western Massachusetts. The name of the property is called “Eden Hill” because of its natural beauty. The Shrine church is normally open 365 days a year, including all holidays and holy days. Go and visit. You will love it. The town that it is in is a beautiful old historical town with great restaurants and inns. The Shrine itself has a fantastic book and gift store. Remember God’s Mercy.
I enjoy writing book
reviews of books that I have read and then posting them on my website. However, I didn’t feel comfortable writing a
book review for this book since I am one of the contributors to it. I did read the book and really enjoyed it and
would recommend it to my readers. For
the review, I turned to my friend, Steven R. McEvoy and obtained his permission
to post the review that he had written and originally appeared on his
website: www.bookreviewsandmore.ca . Steven
does a great job of reviewing books and you should check out his website. Here is his review of Epic Saints.
Epic Saints Wild, Wonderful, and Weird Stories of God’s Heroes
I love books like this one. I love reading about saints and
am currently reading books from 4 different series about saints. But what a
book like this does is introduce me to a few new saints, it gives me some more
information and examples from saints that I am more familiar with. This was an
EPIC READ that I could hardly put down. It is mostly eBook about specific
saints and But there is also a lot of great information about the process of
saint making, and the canon and calendar of saints. But the volume is not just
the work of Shaun McAfee there are several contributors. Those contributors
are:
Alex R. Hey
Sarah Spittler
Jessica Mcafee
Theresa Zoe Williams
Brooke Gregory
Deacon Marty Mcindoe
Shaun Mcafee
Laura Hensley
Mike Panlilio
Maggie Van Sciver
The essays interspersed through the biographies are:
Have Saints Always Been Canonized The Same Way?
What Is The General Roman Calendar?
Can These Stories Be Allegorical?
Are We Really Expected To Believe These Stories?
Why Are Some Saints Not On The Calendar?
What Is The Process For Canonization?
What Should We Do With Saint Narratives That Contain Errors Or Inconsistencies?
Why Are Some Canonized Quickly While Others Have Been In The Process For
Centuries?
Can I Become A Saint?
And on top of that are profiles of 74 saints. Shaun and the other contributors
do an amazing job or highlighting so many saints in such a short space. There
are almost a dozen saints I need to go find further readings on. And my son is
already looking forward to my rereading this book with him.
In this volume there are a few tales about dragons. Saints pulling practical
jokes and pranks. A bilocating death and many, many more stories of saints, of
Martyrs and holy men and women.
Though I will be honest with you, the pieces in this volume are so well written
you might have a hard time picking a favorite. And you will
definitely want to read more on at least some of the saints. An excellent read
that I highly recommend.
Love Is All About Giving – by Deacon Marty McIndoe
During this time around Valentine’s Day most of us are
concentrating on finding just the right gift for the one that we love. I certainly realize that giving to the one we
love is something that should be done constantly in our relationship with
them. But Valentine’s Day sets aside a
special day for us to do that. If we truly love someone, we want to give to
them at Valentine’s Day and throughout the year. It seems naturally built in to us as humans to
want to give. I think that is because we
are made in the image of God, who is the great giver.
We all know John 3:16 which says “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” This is the gift above all gifts. It is also the gift that keeps on giving, as the commercials say. I would like to take a look at this precious gift. To begin with, our very life is a gift given to us by God. It is a precious gift that should be held sacred. Secondly, the scriptures tell us that God formed us in His own image. This too is a precious gift. We, like God, are made to live throughout all eternity. We, like God, are also given the gift of free will. This is also a very precious gift, but one that has gotten us in to trouble. Unlike God we sometimes choose to be selfish and not loving and not giving. In order to remedy this, God decided that He would come to us and bring us the gift of salvation. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. He did this for a specific purpose, for our salvation and for our formation.
I have always been interested in Social Anthropology, where
we study the behavior of cultures, both ancient and sometimes
contemporary. I have found it extremely
interesting that almost every culture recognizes that there is a God (or
several gods) and finds it necessary to offer sacrifices to this God. This too seems to be built in to our human
DNA. We have a need to worship God and to
offer sacrifice to God. Jesus came to
the Jewish people who were accustomed to sacrifices and offerings to their
God. Jesus became for us the fullest
sacrifice for our sins. Jesus died a
horrific death so that our sins could be expiated and we could obtain eternal
life. His was the perfect sacrificial
offering. However, that is not the only
reason he came. If it was, he could have
been slaughtered by Herod as an infant, or one of the many times in the Gospels
where the people tried to kill him. Each
time He escaped because His time had not yet come. He had more to do.
I believe that one of the primary things that He wanted to
do was to start His Church. He wanted to
find and train the right men to do the job.
When He chose the twelve apostles He was making new the Jewish Kingdom
of the twelve tribes and starting the new Kingdom, the Church. He chose Peter as the “Rock” upon which He
would build this Church. All twelve
disciples were important, even the one who betrayed Him, but Peter was to be
the Head of them all and the Head of the Church. The scriptures are very clear about
that. Jesus spent three years in
ministry with them to train them and show them what would be called the seven
sacraments. When the time of their
training was completed, Jesus turned towards the means of His death. He wanted His death to be a renewal of the
Jewish Passover so He went to Jerusalem at the time of Passover. He walked right in to the hands of those who wanted
to kill him. He would become the new
Passover.
The death of Jesus on the cross is so much a part of the
Jewish Passover Feast that we cannot separate the two. Dr. Scott Hahn’s book, The Fourth Cup is one
of the best references for us to study this.
In this book he shows us how our redemption followed a plan established
by God from the very beginning of time.
When Jesus celebrated the final Passover (which we call the last supper)
with His disciples it really wasn’t completed until His death on the cross. During that Last Supper Jesus gave us an
extraordinary gift, the gift of His own Body and Blood and Jesus instructed the
disciples to continue to give this gift.
The Church that Jesus formed was to continue to celebrate His sacrifice
and continue to give out His body and His blood to His people. It has been doing that for 2,000 years.
After Jesus died and ascended back to heaven, He gave another
gift to us all. He gave us the gift of
the Holy Spirit. This gift of the Holy
Spirit was given to strengthen us and to continue to help us in all that God
calls us to do. The gift of the Spirit
has been lavished upon us. Though the
Sacrament of Baptism, the gift of the Spirit is placed within us. In the Sacrament of Confirmation the fullness
of the Spirit and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are made manifest. Through the gift of the Sacrament of the Holy
Eucharist we are given the very body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus. We are empowered by Him and called to be
formed in His image. In the gift of the
Sacrament of Marriage and the Sacrament of Holy Orders we are again empowered
in to the Vocation that God calls us to.
When we are sick, the gift of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick
brings us healing. And when we turn away
from God and turn to sin, the Sacrament of Reconciliation forgives us and brings
us back to Him
All of the gifts that God gives us continue through the
precious gift of the Church. The Church
gave us the gift of the Bible and helps us to understand it. The Church gives us the gift of Tradition which
was (and still is) so venerated in Jewish life.
Tradition helps fill in what the Bible hasn’t given us. It helps us to understand where we have come
from and helps us to see that we are still the same Church founded by the
Apostles with Peter as the head. The
Church gives us the gift of its hierarchy, which continues (literally) what
Jesus has taught us. The present day
Pope is the 266th man who has sat on the chair of St. Peter. All of our bishops are spiritual descendents of
the twelve disciples. We can trace the
lineage of ordination right back to the early Church. As.000
great as the Church is, we are all still human
with human weaknesses. We have had some “bad”
Popes and Bishops, yet the Church continues on.
No other institution on earth has remained for 2000 years. Jesus was right when He said that the gates
of hell will not prevail against it.
In summary, God is the great giver of gifts that keep on giving. Our salvation is a precious gift that we celebrate every time we celebrate mass. Jesus, body, blood, soul and divinity is always present to us in the Eucharist. The Church is always present to us as Jesus’ own body here on earth. The Church is always giving us the gifts of the Sacraments and of God’s grace. The Church is always proclaiming the scriptures and teaching us how to live them out. There is no doubt that God has given us every good gift, and they keep on giving.
I’M CATHOLIC. NOW
WHAT? By Shaun McAfee – a book review
by Deacon Marty McIndoe
Shaun McAfee, founder of EpicPew.com, blogger at National
Catholic Register, contributor to Catholic Answers Magazine and many other
Catholic resources has written a new book published by Our Sunday Visitor. Personally I think that this is the best book
he has written; and I really enjoyed his other books. When I first saw the pre-publication
announcement for this book, I immediately put in an order for it. The title and description led me to believe
that this book would be a great resource for my parish RCIA program. I have been involved in the RCIA (Rite of
Christian Initiation of Adults) program for many years and know that those who
have gone through it need a really good resource book to continue their journey
after the time in the program has finished.
After reading this book I not only realized that the book is perfect for
that, but that the book is perfect for all Catholics on their journey of living
out the beauty of the Catholic faith.
The author of this book is a convert and has gone through
the RCIA process to become a Catholic.
How I wish that all of the people who go through RCIA become as good a
Catholic as Shaun and his wife have become.
Shaun’s overall knowledge of the Catholic faith and Catholic Theology (he
has a graduate degree from Holy Apostles College) is amazing. The way he lives out that faith with his wife
and family is even more amazing. Faith
is made to be put in to action and Shaun certainly does that. I have followed Shaun and his family on
Facebook for almost six years and although I have never met him in person, I
see the faith filled life that he leads.
That faith filled life pours over in to this book. Shaun tells us all the things we need to know
to be a good Catholic and he gives us personal examples of how to be a good
Catholic.
This 335 page book consists of 100 chapters that give us a
lot of information on the Catholic Church and why we do the things that we
do. I find it very refreshing that he
takes the times to not only tell us the things that we should be doing to be a
good Catholic, but also tells us why we do those things. He often refers to the Holy Scriptures as
well as the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
He also uses stories from the early church Fathers and the Saints to
explain. Besides that, he gives us plenty of personal examples
from his own life. He covers just about
everything that you can think of that speaks of Catholicism. He not only covers different topics but also
gives us things to do. For example, not
only do we learn about Baptism, but he also gives us ideas on how to celebrate
our Baptism day. He talks to us about
the priesthood and then encourages us to invite a priest over for dinner.
Shaun’s section on BEING A MODERN CATHOLIC has so much
richness to it when discussing evil, relativism (a must read), marriage,
sexuality, abortion, euthanasia, immigration, gossiping, giving, and
consumerism. His discussion of the
current sex abuse scandal and cover up is enlightening. He deals with all of the current issues in
the Church today. His way of facing
these issues clearly shows the HOPE that we as Catholics are called to
have. Shaun ends his book with a section
on EVANGELIZATION: IT’S FOR EVERYONE. The
chapters in this section remind us of our calling as Catholics to share the
Good News that we have received. He
explains the “New Evangelization” and encourages us to reach out to those
around us, especially to our children.
I highly recommend that ALL Catholics read this book. The book covers serious subjects but is very
easy to read. It is informative as well
as interesting. It is a wealth of
information on the Catholic faith. This
book is not only for those who have just recently come in to the Church,
although it is great for them, but it is for all of us on our journey towards
Jesus in His Church. We can all benefit
from the explanations and the suggestions that Shaun makes in this book. As I write this, we are approaching the
LENTEN season. I highly suggest that
every Catholic get this book and read it and study it and live it out for
Lent. It might be the best thing that
you ever did for Lent.
The spiritual life for the Christian is not a mere
horizontal path, but rather vertical and likened to a ladder— consisting of
different levels of progression. Thus, the spiritual journey for the
Catholic-Christian is composed of three steps being the interior, religious,
and spiritual. In this post, I will
focus on individuals from St. Luke’s Gospel who exhibit each stage.
Stage 1— The Interior Life
First, the “interior life” refers to the initial level of
the spiritual path for Christians. At this stage, a person demonstrates the
ability to be self-aware (self-autonomous) and shows the capacity to utilize
their imagination. This stage is necessary for a Christian to increase and
deepen their spirituality. However, it is possible to have a profound interior
life without being spiritual. A
pragmatic instance of this is a secular artist painting a picture. They
exercise their imagination without contemplating the mysteries of God.
Nevertheless, normally the more powerful the imagination is, the greater
potential a person has to power their “spiritual engine”—the mind.
Example of the Rich Young Man
Two instances of the “interior life” within the Gospel of
Luke include the Rich Young Man 18:18-30 and the centurion at the Crucifixion
23:44-49. Regarding the former, the Revised Standard Edition refers to the Rich
Young Man as a ruler who initiates contact with Jesus by posing a query: “Good
Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”(v. 18). An analysis of this statement shows the ruler
demonstrating the “interior life” on a twofold manner: he knew Jesus was a
good, informative teacher (he probably heard about the previous work and
preaching of Jesus from others) and the question asked was of metaphysical
nature, which thus required imagination and intellect to ponder.
Jesus responds by telling the man to adhere to the
Decalogue. The man then tells Christ that he diligently follows the commandments.
But Jesus required more, he wanted the Rich Ruler to give away his material
goods to the poor. But the man was unable to do so. While he exhibited an “interior life” by
asking the right question, the Rich Young Man was not spiritual due to failure
to move past material wealth (v.23). Augmenting this point the narrator tells
the reader that the man was sad to give up his possessions and thus shows why
he cannot move past the interior level.
Example of the Roman Centurion
A second case of someone having the interior life in Luke
comes at the close of the gospel. After hanging upon the cross for several
hours, darkness came over the land and the veil of the temple split in two and
Jesus uttered his final breath. During this a centurion proclaimed “Certainly
this man was innocent!” (v.47). The centurion saw the curtain torn and perhaps
remembered Jesus’ premonition that the Temple would be destroyed. Such recall
shows intellect and imagination. In fact he had such a powerful imagination,
that the centurion “praised God” in v.47. Because of this, he had a profound
“interior life”.
Stage 2—The Religious Life
Defined as the level where one is focused on concepts of
rituals and/or sacraments, the “religious life” is the next stage in Christian
spirituality. To put it another way, this phase denotes an experience of
contact with the Transcendent deity via religion.
Two prime examples of this are the Pharisees in Luke 6:1-5
and Peter in 9:28-36. With the former, the Pharisees badgered Jesus and his
disciples for gathering grain on the Sabbath. Their query in v. 2 shows that
they are primarily concerned with Jewish ritual practices, which exhibits a
sign of being in the “religious life” phase. The narrator gives a further clue
that this is a case of the “religious life” because Jesus corrected them by
showing that David set a precedent in 1 Samuel 21:1-6. The Pharisees were thus
being nit-picky about the Sabbath law.
Example of the Transfiguration
The second incident of a person existing in the “religious
life” level of spirituality occurs a few chapters later at the Transfiguration.
Upon witnessing Jesus’ conversation with Moses and Elijah, Peter utters a
seemingly perplexing statement, “Master, it is well that we are here; let us make
three booths…” (9:33). Knowledge of the main Jewish celebrations is needed to
ascertain Cephas’ point. Peter is referring to the Feast of Booths which
recalls Israel’s exodus from Egypt and their wandering in the desert for 40
years. Although Peter is being an astute Jew by wanting to follow that ritual
custom of erecting a tent, his missed the true purpose of the Transfiguration
and hence he is at the “religious” level of the spiritual life and not yet at
the final stage.
Stage 3—The Spiritual Life
The final phase of the spiritual journey is at the level of
the “spiritual life”. The phrase “the spiritual life” is delineated as the
level where mankind’s spirit and the Holy Spirit connect— it also presupposes
and fulfills the latter two stages in the spiritual excursion.
Example of Mary
At the outset of Luke’s Gospel, Mary’s fiat in 1:26-38 is
the most perfect expression of obedience to God and a person having the
fullness of the “spiritual life”. First
of all, when the angel Gabriel came to her, Mary although initially concerned
did not flee. Rather she listened to the message. After hearing the news of her
future pregnancy, Mary asked “How can this be since I have no husband?” (She
pledged her life to remain a virgin). Gabriel responded by telling her that Jesus
will be conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary’s reply in v. 38
displays her complete surrender to God’s will and shows why she exhibits the
“spiritual life”.
Example of the Repentant Sinful Woman
The next case of the “spiritual life” in Luke also is of a
woman. In 7:36-50 a sinful woman wept at Jesus’ feet, because of her sins, and
cleansed them with her tears and expensive ointment. Luke juxtaposes this woman
with Simon, Jesus’ Pharisaic host. He scorned the woman due to her sin. Jesus
quips back by saying that the woman washed his feet without him asking. Simon
failed to welcome Jesus with the same hospitality (v.45-47). Verse 48 shows the
climax of this passage, “Your sins are forgiven”. She desired forgiveness and Christ is pleased
to forgive. For this reason, she is an example of having the “spiritual life”.
St. Francis de Sales declared, “All of us can attain to
Christian virtue and holiness, no matter in what condition of life we live and
no matter what our life work may be.” Our reflection on St. Luke’s Gospel
proves that God meets individuals at various places and times. Whether you are
at the beginning or more advanced path to holiness, the key to “climbing” the
spiritual ladder is to let Christ carry you— cooperate with Divine Providence
this week! I challenge you to plunge yourself into the Scriptures this week and
mediate on how you can better encounter Jesus.
WOMEN AND THE POWER OF GOD – by Deacon Marty McIndoe
In Part 1 of this three part series, we dealt with some of
the women of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and how God used them in
building up His Kingdom. In Part 2 we
looked at some of the women of the New Testament. This third part will look at some of our
women Saints and how God used their strength and courage to continue to build
up His Kingdom. As was the case in both
Parts 1 and 2, this is by no means a complete list, but includes some that I
personally feel should be mentioned.
Part 3 – Powerful Women Saints:
1. St. Helena: Saint Helena was born in to a poor and simple
Roman family in Asia Minor in the mid 200’s.
Somehow she married in to a higher class Roman family when she married
Constantius Chlorus. In 274 she gave
birth to Constantine and in 292 her husband, Constantius became co-regent of
the West. Shortly after that, her
husband divorced her to marry the Emperor’s step daughter. When her husband died in 308, her son
Constantine became Emperor and moved her in to a place of prominence in the
Roman government. She became an Empress.
Constantine’s conversion to Christianity greatly influenced
his mother and she became a good Christian.
Constantine asked his mother to find Christian relics and so in 328 she
traveled to the Holy Lands. Through
contact with the local bishops there she was able to locate many Christian
relics and Holy Places. When she located
the Holy places, she had large Churches built over them. She often replaced earlier Christian
structures. In the year 130 the current
Roman Emperor built a Temple to Venus over the site of Jesus’ crucifixion in
order to keep Christians from worshiping there.
Helena tore down that temple and did excavations to find the original
location. In doing so she uncovered the
three crosses that the early Christians venerated. Not knowing which cross was the one Jesus
died on, she had a woman who was near death brought to all three. When she touched the first cross, nothing happened. The same occurred on the second cross. When she touched the third cross the woman
was miraculously and immediately healed.
She found the true cross of Jesus.
Helena had a large Church, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher built
over that place. She had large columns
brought in from Rome that can still be seen to this day. Helena also had churches built over the other
Holy places including the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the Church of
the Ascension on the Mount of Olives.
Many of the Holy Places we visit today had churches built there by St.
Helena. She brought back to Rome many
relics, including the True Cross. Not
only did she do this, but she is noted for helping the poor and the
destitute. She was a devout servant of
God and true Christian who helped spread the Good News throughout the world. She was a woman born in to a poor family who
rose to be Empress of the Roman Empire.
She also, through a lot of hard work, re-discovered the Holy places of
the Holy Lands. Because she built large
Churches over these, we can still visit these Holy places today.
2. St. Monica: Saint Monica is known most for her
persevering in prayer. For thirty years
she prayed for her wayward son, Augustine to leave his wicked lifestyle and to
become a Christian. Not only did he
become a Christian, he became one of the greatest Saints ever known. Monica was born in 331 in Tagaste (modern
day Algeria). When she was young she was
married off to a Roman pagan, Patricius.
Her husband had a violent temper.
To make things even worse, his mother lived with them and she too had a
violent temper. This caused a great deal
of stress to Monica. Monica was a good
Christian but her husband would not allow their three children to be
baptized. For years she prayed for her
husband and her mother in law to become Christian. Finally about one year before her husband’s
death, both became Christian. Two of
Monica’s children, Perpetua and Navigius entered the religious life, but
Augustine preferred a life of drinking and laziness. Monica sent Augustine off to school in
Carthage. There he became a Manichaean,
a non-Christian religion that saw things as light or darkness. When Augustine shared this with Monica she
became so upset at him that she kicked him out of the house. Sometime later, Monica had a vision that led
her to reconcile with Augustine. She
continued to pray for his conversion but Augustine seemed to enjoy the drinking
and loose life more. Monica did not give
up praying for him or trying to convince him.
She followed him to Rome and then Milan where she found the Bishop
Ambrose. St. Ambrose helped her in
convincing Augustine of the trueness of Christianity. Finally, after many years of prayers,
Augustine became a Christian. He was
baptized in the Church of St. John the Baptist in Milan. After his baptism he and Monica planned to
travel together to Africa to draw more people to Christ. She died before that could be realized. St. Augustine shares that when Monica was
close to death she told him, “Son, nothing in this world now affords me
delight. I do not know what there is now left for me to do or why I am still
here, all my hopes in this world being now fulfilled.” Her perseverance had won for the Church one
of the greatest and brightest Saints it has ever known.
3. St. Adelaide of
Burgundy: St. Adelaide was born a
princess in 931 in Burgundy in Italy. Even
though she was a princess, she had a difficult life. Her father died when she was only six. When she was only 15 or 16 she was married to
Lothair, the King of Italy. Her life as
a queen was difficult too. She became a
widow at the age of 18 and her Kingdom was taken over by Berengar of Ivrea and
she was thrown in to prison. Berengar
wanted to have her marry his son, but Adelaide wanted nothing to do with
that. She suffered greatly in prison but
knew that she had to escape. Somehow she
found the strength to escape and when heading north to Germany she found the
Emperor Otho I who the Pope had sent to rescue her. He soon became her second husband and
together they were able to recapture the Kingdom of Italy that she had
lost. Pope John XII crowned them both rulers
of the Holy Roman Empire in 952. In 973
she became widowed again and her son Otto II became regent. At this point in her life Adelaide spent most
of her time in building many monasteries and churches and helping the
poor. This kind heartened and brave
woman is the patron of people with second marriages and widows.
4. St. Clare of
Assisi and 5. St. Agnes of Assisi: St. Clare was born in 1194 to a very wealthy
Italian Count. She was known as a very
beautiful girl. As a young girl Clare
dedicated herself to prayer. When she
was 18 years old she heard St. Francis of Assisi preach and went up to him
asking that he help her to grow closer to God and to become more Christ
like. On Palm Sunday in 1212 she left
her family and went to the chapel of Porziuncula to meet St. Francis. At that chapel her hair was cut off and she
was given a plain robe and veil and sent to the Benedictine nuns of San Paulo
for formation as a nun. Her father was
furious and tried to get her to return home but she refused. She told him that she would have no other
husband than Jesus Christ. She desired
solitude to be with Jesus. In order to
give her even more solitude, Francis moved her to the Benedictine nuns of San
Paulo monastery.
St. Clare had a sister named Catarina. Catarina also wanted a life with Christ and
solitude that she could not find at home.
She joined St. Clare at this new monastery. The two sisters remained there until a home
could be built for them next to the church at San Damiano near Assisi. This made their father even angrier and he
sent a contingent to bring her back home by force. Because of the prayers of St. Clare, miracles
occurred that made it impossible to do that.
When a sword was drawn to strike Catarina, miraculously the man’s arm
went limp and he couldn’t wield the sword.
Then they tried to pick up Catarina (now called Agnes because Francis
named her that due to her being gentle as a lamb) she miraculously became too
heavy for the men to pick up. They then
gave up and left. Francis immediately
welcomed her in and she too was put in to formation.
When the home at San Damiano was completed, both St. Clare
and St. Agnes went there. There they
lived a simple life eating no meat, wearing no shoes and lived in a poor
house. They maintained silence most of
the time. Their lives consisted of
prayer and manual labor. Soon other
women from Assisi joined them there and they lived according to rules of St.
Francis forming the Second Order and were known as Poor Clares but officially
were the “Order of Poor Ladies of San Damiano.” St. Francis initially was their director. In 1216 he made St. Clare the abbess. Later, in 1219 St. Francis made St. Agnes an
abbess and sent her to Monticello near Florence.
We have some of the letters that the two sisters sent to
each other. They reflect their love for
each other, for Jesus, for the Poor Clares and St. Francis. It should be noted that Clare and Agnes had
to stand up to the current Church leaders who wanted to impose upon them the
rule of St. Benedict. They stood their
ground and followed St. Francis’ rule.
They also had to stand up against Muslim invaders. In 1240 Muslims were invading the whole area
around Assisi. St. Clare, although quite
sick, prayed hard to repel them and took the Eucharist and with the sisters
behind her commanded them to go away.
Miraculously they obeyed. St.
Clare knew that the power of prayer and the Eucharist could stand up to these
invaders.
Clare had drawn up a rule for her sisters and in 1253 Pope
Innocent IV declared Clare’s rule would serve as the governing rule for Clare’s
Order of Poor Ladies. Two days later
Clare died, with Agnes at her side. She
was declared a Saint two years later.
St. Agnes died three months after St. Clare. These two women went from riches to rags,
but helped to change the face of the Church.
6. St. Joan of
Arc: Joan of Arc was born in 1412 to a
poor farming family. From her earliest
childhood she loved God and was often seen in prayer. She also loved the poor. Around the age of 13 she started hearing
voices accompanied by flashes of light.
Gradually she recognized figures who she described as Michael the
Archangel, St. Margaret, St. Catherine and other Saints and angels. These voices seemed to be leading her to go
to the aid of the King, At first she
doubted these voices, but in May 1428, when she was 16 years old, she knew that
they were real and that she had to do what they said. They directed her to King Charles’ military
commander Robert Baudricourt. He was
quite rude to her and said to the cousin who accompanied her: “Take her
home to her father and give her a good whipping.” The war continued on and King Charles and his
supporters thought that defeat was imminent.
The voices continued to persuade Joan to go but she resisted saying, “I
am a poor girl; I do not know how to ride or fight.” The voices only
reiterated: “It is God who commands it.” At that, she decided that she must go. She went back to Baudricourt who remained
skeptical. However, her perseverance and
her descriptions of battles that were later confirmed caused him to send her to
the King. Joan went to see the king
dressed in male clothes. This was
probably to protect her from the soldiers along the way.
When Joan came in to the King’s presence, something
interesting happened. The King was
wearing a disguise to test her and was among many other men. Immediately, without ever having met the King
before, she went to him and saluted him. The King’s inner court thought Joan was crazy
and advised the King to have nothing to do with her. However, the voices revealed to Joan a secret
that only the King knew about (probably concerning his birth) and when she told
him he started to believe in her mission.
However, to be sure, he had her undergo a trial headed by bishops,
doctors and theologians. Joan’s faith, simplicity and honesty convinced the
trial committee that she was indeed of sound mind and faith and recommended
that she be allowed to continue with further examination of her actions. She returned to King Charles who gave her a
sword as she prepared a campaign for fighting.
However the voices told her to have the King get a sword that was buried
behind the altar in a nearby Church.
That sword was found exactly where the voices said. She also had the King make up a shield with
the name of Jesus and Mary on it as well as a picture of the Father and angels. Interestingly the King received a report,
before the battle saying “that she would save Orléans and would compel the
English to raise the siege, that she herself in a battle before Orléans would
be wounded by a shaft but would not die of it, and that the King, in the course
of the coming summer, would be crowned at Reims, together with other things
which the King keeps secret.”
Before leading the battle, Joan told the King of England to
give up. Of course, he didn’t and battle
ensued. Joan led the battle and even
though many of her commanders scoffed at her and didn’t always do what she
said, the battle was won. Joan was
wounded by an arrow in the battles just as the letter said that was written 8
days prior to the campaign. King Charles
was also crowned at Reims and the English left, as the letter said. In a battle about a year later, Joan was
captured by a follower of John of Luxemburg.
He then sold her to the English for a large amount of money. They couldn’t kill her for winning against
them, so they decided to try her as a witch.
The Bishop of Beauvais was an unscrupulous and ambitious man who was a
tool of the English. The examination
trial seemed quite unfair but Joan continued to show her love of God. She was finally found to be a witch and
heretic and was burned. Her ashes were
thrown in to the Seine River. Twenty
four years later a revision of the trial was made. The appellate court and the Pope found that
injustice was made by the first examination and that it was declared
illegal. Her beatification cause was
begun in 1869 and she was declared a Saint in 1920. This very young holy woman listened to God no
matter what it cost her. She fought
harder that most men could and never gave up, no matter how badly she was
treated.
7. St. Elizabeth Ann
Seaton: Elizabeth Ann Seton was the
first native born American to become a Saint.
She was born just two years before the American Revolution to a wealthy
New York City family. The family was
Episcopalian. Elizabeth was a bright
girl and prolific reader. She especially
found comfort in the reading the bible.
In 1794 she married a wealthy businessman, William Seton. The first couple of years of their marriage
were wonderful but when William’s father
died the couple had to take in William’s seven younger half brothers and
sisters. They also had to take over
running the father’s import business.
William’s health started to fail as did his business. He had to declare bankruptcy. His health was deteriorating so bad that they
felt that a move to Italy would help.
William had business friends there that they stayed with.
Unfortunately William died of tuberculosis while in
Italy. Elizabeth was very moved by the
Catholic faith of the family that she lived with in Italy. She found that their love of the Eucharist
helped her to better understand the true presence of Jesus. Also, since Elizabeth’s mother had died when
she was young, their devotion to Mary helped satisfy her need for a mother. Elizabeth converted to Catholicism and headed
back to the United States. Since she was
a widow with many children to feed, she opened a school to help support
them. The first school was all
Protestants and when the parents had heard that Elizabeth had converted to
Catholicism, they withdrew their children from school. Fortunately, Elizabeth met a priest who
encouraged her to open up a school for Catholic children in Emmetsburg,
Maryland. This is seen as the beginning
of Catholic education in the United States.
Shortly after opening the school, Elizabeth founded an order of Catholic
women to help in educating poor children.
This was the first congregation of religious sisters to be formed in the
United States. They are known as the
Sisters of Charity and have grown tremendously throughout the United States,
Canada and the Philippines.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was a hard working woman who
suffered from the deaths of many loved ones.
Her faith continued to allow her to make a tremendous change to the
Catholic faith in the United States. Pope
Paul VI canonized Mother Seton on September 14, 1975, in a ceremony in St.
Peter’s Square. In his words,
“Elizabeth Ann Seton is a saint. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is an American.
All of us say this with special joy, and with the intention of honoring the
land and the nation from which she sprang forth as the first flower in the
calendar of the saints. Elizabeth Ann Seton was wholly American! Rejoice for
your glorious daughter. Be proud of her. And know how to preserve her fruitful
heritage.” NOTE: if you would like to hear about how Elizabeth
Ann Seton personally changed my family go to:
http://deaconmarty.com/saint-elizabeth-ann-seton-and-how-she-personally-brought-a-miracle-to-my-family-by-deacon-marty-mcindoe/
8. St. Marianne
Cope: St. Marianne was born in Germany
in 1838 but spent most of her life in Hawaii ministering to lepers. She is often known as Saint Marianne of
Moloka’i. One year after she was born
her family moved to the United States.
She attended a Catholic parish school until the eighth grade when her
father became an invalid and she had to leave school to go to work and help support
her family. When her father died, and
her siblings became mature she quit her factory job and became a novitiate of
the Sisters of the Third Order Regular of Saint Francis based in Syracuse, New
York. She became a teacher and later
principal of a school that helped immigrant children. She also helped in setting up the first two
Catholic hospitals in central New York.
In 1883 she became the Superior General of her Congregation. Shortly after, she received a letter from King
Kalakaua of Hawaii asking for aid in treating leper patients who were isolated
on the island of Moloka’i. The King had
already been declined by more than 50 other religious institutes. St. Marianne went with six sisters arriving on
November 8,1883. She originally managed
a hospital on the island of O’ahu, where victims of leprosy were sent for
triage. The next year, Mother Marianne
helped establish the Malulani hospital on the island of Maui. The government had appointed an administrator
for the hospital on O’ahu when Mother Marianne left. However, she heard news of his abuse and
returned to O’ahu and demanded that the government fire him. They did and put her in charge. Mother Marianne continued to help the leper
patients, including clergy who had contracted the disease. She continued working, even when she was in a
wheel chair. Miraculously, the disease
never came to her.
9. St, Katherine
Drexel: St. Katherine is the second
native born American to become a Saint.
She was born in 1858 to a wealthy banker. Her mother died shortly after her birth but
her father remarried and Katherine grew up in a home that was both financially
and spiritually endowed. She received a
private education and travelled throughout the United States and Europe. The family was very devout in their faith and
an excellent example to Katherine. Her
father prayed 30 minutes each evening and on weekends they opened their home to
help care for the poor. After seeing her
step-mother suffer with cancer for three years, Katherine’s life took a
significant turn. She developed a
passionate love for God and for neighbor.
She especially felt called to help black and native Americans.
Katherine’s father passed away about a year after his wife’s
death. He had a substantial estate of
over 15 million dollars and he gave a
considerable amount to charities and left the rest to his three daughters. The daughters worked together to try to help
Indian missions. In 1887 they had an
audience with Pope Leo XIII and asked that missionaries be sent to the
Indians. Pope Leo XIII looked directly
at Katherine and asked her to be a missionary.
When she arrived home she met with her spiritual advisor and decided to
give her life, and her money, to God as a nun and missionary. She started a religious order called “Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians
and Colored” and spent the rest of her life serving blacks and native
Americans. She worked hard to found
schools throughout the west to educate Native Americans. She even founded Xavier University in New
Orleans, the first Catholic University in the United States for
African-Americans. She spent her fortune
on the blacks and Native Americans. She
also gave fully of herself in helping them until she finally had a serious
heart attack at the age of 77. She lived
until the age of 96 praying for her missions and writing. By the time of her death, she had more than
500 Sisters teaching in 63 schools throughout the country and she established
50 missions for Native Americans in 16 different states. This one woman changed the face of America
for the better.
10. Servant of God
Dorothy Day: Although she isn’t a Saint
yet, she is on her way. Dorothy Day is a
great example of a woman who was a sinner, but turned toward being a
Saint. Her love of the poor, and her
love of God make her an outstanding woman of God’s power. Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan calls her “a Saint
for our times”. Dorothy Day started out
being someone quite outside the Catholic faith.
She described herself as having an attraction to the radical life
among anarchists, socialists and
communists. She was arrested on many
occasions and spent time in jail. She
drank heavily and had an abortion and had an illegitimate child. This isn’t what usually makes up a Saints
life. However, all of these ups and
downs helped her to think seriously about where she was headed. The heartache that her abortion caused her
helped her to become staunchly pro-life.
She was very moved by Francis Thompson’s “Hound of Heaven” and its
description of the relentless pursuit of God towards man. One day she found herself in the back of
Saint Joseph’s Church on Sixth Avenue in New York City and found solace in
watching the mass.
Dorothy had a daughter with a man that she lived with. She said that the birth of her daughter
connected her to the beauty of the Divine in a deeply personal way. She wrote, “The final object of this love and
gratitude is God” She was moved to
worship with others and even though the man she loved rejected religion she had
her daughter baptized Catholic. About
six months later she too was baptized. This
ended her common law marriage. About
five years later, Peter Maurin, a French immigrant taught her about Catholic
radicalism. Together they founded the
Catholic Worker Movement in 1933 and began publishing the Catholic Worker to
promote their radical Catholic vision to oppose Communism. They also opened a “House of Hospitality” to
welcome everyone, especially the poor.
They focused on helping the poor.
Dorothy Day said, “The mystery of the poor is this: That they are Jesus, and what you do for them
you do for Him. It is the only way of
knowing and believing in our love”.
Dorothy Day was noted for seeing the beauty of God in everything and
every person. She truly was a Saint for our times.
11. St. Faustina
Kowalska: St. Faustina was born in 1905
to a very poor but quite religious family.
She was the third of ten children.
When she was seven years old she attended an Eucharistic Adoration and
immediately felt the call to become a nun.
When she finished her schooling at the age of 16 she wanted to enter a
convent, but her parents wouldn’t allow her to.
Instead she cleaned houses to help support the family. In 1924 she saw her first vision of Jesus who
told her to go to Warsaw and join a convent.
She immediately packed her bags and left. When in Warsaw she tried to enter several
convents but was rejected because of her looks and her poverty. Finally the Mother Superior of the Congregation
of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy told her she could enter if she could pay
for her own habit. St. Faustina worked
cleaning houses and finally had enough to pay for the habit. She entered the convent in 1926 at 20 years
old. She worked primarily as a cook and
traveled to several of the convents. In
1931 she was visited by Jesus who told her that He was the “King of Divine
Mercy”. He asked her to become an
apostle and secretary of God’s Mercy.
She said that she would. Jesus
also instructed her to have painted an image of her vision of him. Since she didn’t paint she had to have a
painter paint it based upon her description.
She was never fully happy with the way the painting came out.
Sister Faustina told her fellow sisters about her visions
but they weren’t initially receptive to her.
She took some harassment because of them. Sister Faustina told the priest spiritual
advisor of her visions and calling. He
had her evaluated by a psychiatrist who found her in perfect mental health. Eventually this priest saw the truth of her
visions and the Divine Mercy apostolate and he was the first to preach about it
at mass. Fortunately Sister Faustina
kept a diary that is still in existence today and makes for a great read. Even though her health kept failing, she
continued to do all that she could to spread the devotion to the Divine
Mercy. Unfortunately, due to several
mistakes in translations and printings, some of her writings were seemed
objectionable to the Church and the Divine Mercy apostolate was quieted for
many years. In 1965, Archbishop of
Krakow, Karol Wojtyla (later Pope John Paul II) took an interest in the Divine
Mercy and opened up an investigation into Sister Faustina and her writings and
apostolate. The Church formally
approved the apostolate and began procedures for her canonization. The apostolate of Divine Mercy spread and Sr.
Faustina was made a Saint in 2000 and a Feast day for the Divine Mercy became
part of the Church calendar. This poor
and sick little woman was chosen by God to become an Apostle of the Divine
Mercy.
12. Sr. Gianna
Beretta Molla: St. Gianna was born in
Italy in 1922. She was the tenth of
thirteen children in her family. As a
young child Gianna loved her faith and loved learning about it. She saw the need for prayer and she enjoyed
life for all that it was. In 1942 Gianna
began studying to be a medical doctor. She
was a great student and a great practitioner of her faith. In college she
joined the St. Vincent de Paul Society and worked with the elderly and the
needy. In 1949 she received her medical
and surgical degree and within two years specialized in pediatrics at Milan
Hospital. She felt a very strong calling
to mothers, babies, the elderly and the poor.
She became involved with Catholic Action and considered her practice of
medicine a mission. She wanted to join
her brother, who was a priest, in Brazil by tending to the health of the poor
women there. Unfortunately, her health
prevented her from doing so. IN 1954,
Gianna met Pietro Molla, an engineer who worked in her office. They were married the following year. Gianna considered marriage a precious gift
and vocation. She considered her
marriage a gift from God and planned dedicated herself to “forming a truly
Christian family.” Gianna wrote to
Pietro, “Love is the most beautiful sentiment that the Lord has put into
the soul of men and women.”
She gave birth to her first child, Pierluigi in 1956. Her second child, Maria was born in
1957. She had the third baby, Laura in
1959. She loved being a mother and wife
and worked hard to keep her family going along with her practice. In 1961 Gianna became pregnant again with her
fourth child. Unfortunately near the end
of her second month she had intense pain in her abdomen and they discovered
that she had a tumor as well as the baby in her uterus. The doctors recommended that she choose from
three possibilities; One, an abortion
that would save her life and allow subsequent pregnancies, but take the life of
the baby. The second was a hysterectomy
which would save her life but take the life of her baby and not allow any
further pregnancies. The third option was
to take out the tumor which would save the life of her baby but might result in
further complications for her. She chose
the third option which saved the baby’s life but put hers in danger. She told the surgeons that her baby’s life
must be saved at all costs, even if it cost her own life. She said that her comfort was in having the
baby and in her prayers and in putting her faith in to action. They did what she asked. She had the operation which removed the tumor
but allowed the baby to continue to grow.
Gianna continued her pregnancy but with many complications. Her faith gave her the strength to continue
on as a mother and as a doctor. Gianna
told the doctors that they must save the life of her baby even if it meant she
died. She kept insisting, “save the baby”. On April 21, 1962, Gianna Emanuela Molla was successfully
delivered by Caesarean section. One week
later Gianna, the mother, died from septic peritonitis.
Gianna was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 24, 1994,
and officially canonized as a saint on May 16, 2004. Her husband and their
children, including Gianna Emanuela, attended her canonization ceremony, making
this the first time a husband witnessed his wife’s canonization. Pope John Paul II said that Gianna was “a
simple, but more than ever, significant messenger of divine love.” The first pro-life Catholic health center in
New York, the Gianna Center, was named after her. In today’s world where abortion is rampant
and often mothers have abortions because the timing is inconvenient, the story
of Gianna and her love for life and for her children stands out as a beacon of
light.
CONCLUSION: God gave
mankind a precious gift when he created us male and female, in His image. Each sex brings its own flavor towards
helping God in the building up of the Kingdom.
Too often the male has been seen as the strong sex, but looking back at
how God has used women in the Scriptures and as Saints, we can’t help but to
see how strong women are. We are all
called by God to help build up his Kingdom.
Let us answer that call with a resounding, “be it done to me according
to thy will”. Men and women work
together in building God’s Kingdom.
After all, we are His children and brother and sister to each
other. There is so much work to do. We must do it together and celebrate what God
can accomplish through our strengths and our weaknesses. With God all things are possible.
