Keep
your eyes open!...
February 28, 2022
(Mat 25:34-36)
Then
shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye
blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat: I
was thirsty, and you gave me to drink: I was a stranger, and you took
me in: Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in
prison, and you came to me.
MARK MALLETT:
The Great Storm of our times has only begun. Confusion, fear, and
division are only going to multiply. As soldiers of Christ and Our
Lady, we have to prepare ourselves to engage all whom we meet with the
burning coals of love so that they would encounter in us Divine Mercy.
Sometimes we are taken by surprise at the immediate harsh vitriol of
another. At moments like that, we have to be ready with the words of
Jesus: Father, forgive them, they know not what they do. Sometimes,
like Jesus, all we can do is silently suffer, and unite this burning
injustice to Christ for their salvation or that of others. And if we
can engage, it is often not what we say, but how we say it that will
win the most important battle of all: that for the soul of the one
before us.
Burning coals. Let us pour them upon a frozen world!
CERVANTES: Europe to be in turmoil after Pope’s visit to Moscow midyear?
ACN: ACN grants aid package as war spreads in Ukraine
MORE: Priest from Ukraine: “We don’t have time to be frightened.”
NCR: Ukrainian Catholic Leader in Kyiv: Priests Will Celebrate Sunday Liturgies in Bomb Shelters
VATICAN NEWS: Caritas warns Ukraine heading for a humanitarian catastrophe
The global confederation of
Catholic charities, Caritas Interationalis based in Rome, has sounded
the alarm on the potential humanitarian catastrophe that could quickly
develop in Ukraine due to the violence and difficulties in assuring
access to the population affected by the crisis.
Caritas issued a statement as the
invasion started, underscoring that the local population has already
endured eight years of strife with the conflict in the east of the
country that has claimed 14,000 lives and displaced 1.5 million people.
The Caritas Confederation has therefore launched an emergency appeal to
support the work of its local member, Caritas Ukraine.
The programme aims to support
conflict-affected people with food, drinking water, safe accommodation
and hygiene kits. They also are working to ensure safe transportation
for vulnerable people to reach their loved ones and safe areas.
The President of Caritas Ukraine,
Tetiana Stawnychy, has appealed for “support to have a chance to
respond to the humanitarian crisis and assist the people affected by
war," expressing her deep worry that the current crisis "will
inevitably lead to a colossal humanitarian catastrophe."
Since the late summer last year,
Caritas has implemented plans for a wider humanitarian response due to
concerns at the time over a possible escalation of the conflict,
especially in eastern Ukraine.
Caritas-trained staff and
volunteers have sought to increase capacity to meet the needs of local
communities and set up centres to welcome and assist
internally-displaced people.
Stawnychy pointed out that the number of people in need has shot up recently.
Caritas Internationalis Secretary
General Aloysius John said, “We cannot ignore the tragic humanitarian
implications of this war...It is the duty of the international
community to protect the Ukrainian people and ensure their access to
life-saving assistance.”
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Self-effacement--Detachment
1. Behold, O my soul, the means by which you cn
honor your God, viz., by renouncing and humbling yourself with Jesus Christ
and for the love of Jesus Christ. Thus you will find life in death, sweetness
in bitterness, and God in self-effacement: for you must leave all in order
to find Him.
February 24, 2022
(1Ti 2:1-2) I desire therefore, first
of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be
made for all men: For kings and for all that are in high station: that
we may lead a quiet and a peaceable life in all piety and chastity.
UCANEWS: Pope calls for day of prayer, fasting for peace in Ukraine on Ash Wednesday
ALETEIA: Understanding the Churches and the Russia-Ukraine conflict
THE PILLAR: Saints and blesseds of Ukraine
ACN: Catholic leader in Ukraine calls for an end to ‘idolatry of violence’
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE: Ukrainian archbishop assures people that God is with them
As Russia fired missiles on several Ukrainian cities and Russian troops
reportedly landed in Odessa, the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church
affirmed the right of Ukrainians to defend their homeland and assured
his people that God would watch over them.
“At this historic moment, the voice of our conscience calls us all as
one to stand up for a free, united and independent Ukrainian state,”
said Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych, head of the
Ukrainian Catholic Church, in a statement to his people Feb. 24.
The archbishop was supposed to be in Florence, Italy, for a meeting
with other bishops from Europe and around the Mediterranean, which Pope
Francis was scheduled to address Feb. 27. Instead, Archbishop Shevchuk
stayed in Kyiv with his people.
In a letter to the bishops in Florence, the archbishop said Ukraine was
defending European values “at the cost of the blood of its children”
and the whole country risked becoming “a death camp” because of Russian
aggression. He pleaded with the bishops to pressure their governments
to “help us defend peace in Ukraine and in Europe.”
Ukrainians began fleeing cities, with lines forming at border crossings
from Ukraine to Poland. Earlier, the president of the Polish bishops’
conference asked Polish Catholics to be prepared to welcome Ukrainian
refugees.
But in his message to Ukrainians, Archbishop Shevchuk told them, “Today
we solemnly proclaim: ‘Our soul and body we offer for our freedom!'” He
described Russia as “the treacherous enemy” and “an unjust aggressor”
who attacked Ukraine, bringing “death and destruction.” The history of
the last century teaches us that all those who started world wars lost
them, and the idolaters of war brought only destruction and decline to
their own states and peoples.
“We believe that in this historic moment the Lord is with us,” the
archbishop said. “He, who holds in his hands the fate of the whole
world and of each person in particular, is always on the side of the
victims of unjust aggression, the suffering and the enslaved.”
God “captures and overthrows the mighty of this world with their pride,
the conquerors with the illusion of their omnipotence, the proud and
insolent with their self-confidence,” he continued. “It is he who
grants victory over evil and death.” “The victory of Ukraine will be
the victory of God’s power over the meanness and arrogance of man! So
it was, is and will be!” the archbishop insisted.
ASIA NEWS: Orthodox pray for the salvation of Donbass
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Love of One's Neighbor,
Charity,
Humility
31. If you find yourself in an abyss of pride and
of vain self-esteem, plunge yourself at once into the abyss of the humility
of the Sacred Heart. There you must submerge all feelings of pride that
are stirred up within you, so that by love of your own abjection you may
clothe yourself with His sacred annihilations.
February 23, 2022
(Mat 15:21-23) And Jesus went from thence, and retired into the coast
of Tyre and Sidon. And behold a woman of Canaan who came out of those
coasts, crying out, said to him: Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of
David: my daughter is grievously troubled by a devil. Who answered her
not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying: Send her
away, for she crieth after us:
FR. JOSEPH M. ESPER: Saintly Encouragement for When You Feel Like Giving Up
RADIANT MAGAZINE: Perseverance: A Countercultural Expression of our Faith
EXCERPT CATHOLIC DAILY REFLECTIONS: Perseverance in Humble Faith
Jesus intended to keep a low
profile, but word of His presence spread, and this Canaanite woman came
to Him to beg that He heal her daughter.
At first, it is surprising that
Jesus remained silent. She came to Him with deep faith and trust, and
He did not answer her at first. His disciples wanted her to stop
bothering them, and Jesus Himself eventually responded to her stating
that His mission during His public ministry was to the “lost sheep of
the house of Israel,” meaning, to the Jews. Of course, later Jesus
would expand His mission entrusted to the Apostles to include the
Gentiles. But at first, Jesus’ mission was to the descendants of
Abraham.
As we read this story today, it is
clear that it was by God’s providence that this woman came to Jesus as
she did. The Father drew her to Him, and Jesus participated in this
discourse, not to be rude or dismissive but to allow her to manifest a
faith that was clearly lacking in the lives of many.
In our lives, at times God seems
silent. But if He is silent, we must know that it is for good reason.
God never ignores us; rather, His silence is a way of drawing us even
closer to Himself than if He were to be immediately “loud and clear,”
so to speak. Silence from God is not necessarily a sign of His
disfavor. It’s often a sign of His purifying action drawing us to a
much fuller manifestation of our faith.
As for the Gentile woman, unlike
many of the Jews, she manifested a faith in the fact that Jesus was the
Messiah. This is evident by her calling Him “Son of David.” Her trust
in Jesus’ ability to heal her daughter was expressed in very simple and
clear words. She didn’t need to present herself as worthy of His help,
because her trust in Him was all that was needed. Furthermore, she
persevered in her prayer. First, Jesus is silent. Then, His disciples
try to dismiss her. And then, Jesus gives the appearance of refusing
her request. All of this results not in her discouragement but in
perseverance and hope. And that hope was also extraordinarily humble.
Jesus’ goal of allowing her to deepen her faith and manifesting it for
all to see was accomplished.
FR. JOHN HARDON:
Remaining in the state of grace until the end of life. The church
teaches that it is impossible, without the special help of God to
persevere in the state of grace to the end. Final perseverance cannot
be strictly merited, as though a person had a claim on dying in grace
because he or she had been faithful through life.” The reason for this
is that “the possibility of a fall always remains, one cannot know with
infallible certainty whether one will, preserve unless one receives a
special revelation to that effect.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Love of One's Neighbor,
Charity,
Humility
30. This divine Heart is naught but sweetness,
humility and patience, therefore, we must wait... He knows when to act.
February 21, 2022
(Rom 2:5-8) But according to thy
hardness and impenitent heart, thou treasurest up to thyself wrath,
against the day of wrath and revelation of the just judgment of God:
Who will render to every man according to his works. To them indeed
who, according to patience in good work, seek glory and honour and
incorruption, eternal life: But to them that are contentious and who
obey not the truth but give credit to iniquity, wrath and indignation.
VIDEO FR. MARK GORING, CC: This Corrupt Generation Thinks Everyone is Going to Heaven
FATHER GEORGE RUTLER: The Lord of Heaven
SAINT JOHN HENRY CARDINAL NEWMAN: Heaven is heaven only for the holy
SAINT JOHN HENRY CARDINAL NEWMAN: A Short Road to Perfection
'If you ask me what you are to do in order to be perfect, I say, first
- Do not lie in bed beyond the due time of rising
- give your first thoughts to God
- make a good visit to the Blessed Sacrament
- say the Angelus devoutly
- eat and drink to God’s glory
- say the Rosary well
- be recollected
- keep out bad thoughts
- make your evening meditation well
- examine yourself daily
- go to bed in good time, and you are already perfect.'
Although naming this, 'A short road
to perfection' Newman acknowledged that it is 'short, not because easy,
but because pertinent and intelligible. There are no short ways to
perfection, but there are sure ones.'
He also is keen to point out what he means by perfection, that he does
not mean 'anything out of the way, or especially heroic' but, 'that
which has no flaw in it, that which is complete, that which is
consistent… He, then, is perfect who does the work of the day
perfectly, and we need not go beyond this to seek for perfection. You
need not go out of the round of the day.'
PETER KREEFT: Fourteen Questions About Heaven
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Love of One's Neighbor,
Charity,
Humility
26. I think that, according to what our Lord makes
known to me, He does not wish to take away from you these feelings contrary
to the virtue of humility; He leaves you something to fight against, so
that He may reward your victories; and also, that you may be continually
on your guard and have a great distrust of yourself.
February 18, 2022
(Mar 8:31-33) And he began to teach
them that the Son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the
ancients and by the high priests and the scribes: and be killed and
after three days rise again. And he spoke the word openly. And Peter
taking him began to rebuke him. Who turning about and seeing his
disciples, threatened Peter, saying: Go behind me, Satan, because thou
savourest not the things that are of God but that are of men.
FR. ALTIER:
Suffering itself does not bring us to Heaven, nor does a more
comfortable life, of itself, keep us from Heaven. If we trust in the
Lord and live according to His ways, we will be tested. God’s trials
will be unique and perfectly suited to each person. In the midst of
trials and difficulties, it is very easy to turn from God especially
when trusting in Him does not seem to work. But, if, in the midst of
our troubles, we can remain faithful to the Lord, trust Him, and love
Him, then we will be greatly blessed.
What appear to be blessings and curses
in this life may be just the opposite in the next. This is why the
Archangel Gabriel, speaking of the resurrection, told the Prophet
Daniel: some will be an everlasting horror and disgrace; others will
shine like the stars in the firmament. Every person will rise from the
dead and every person will live forever. Held out before us is a
blessing and a curse, life and death. Choose the blessing, choose
eternal life!
SPIRIT DAILY: How To Recognize Spiritual Attacks
CRISIS MAGAZINE: Renouncing Satan and All His Works
FR. CHAD RIPPERGER VIDEO: Levels of Spiritual Warfare
EXCERPT FR. ED BROOM, OMV: When Does the Devil Launch his Attacks?
ALWAYS! As said earlier, the devil
never rests nor goes on vacation—even though we do and possibly too
much! We can never let down our guard and say, “The coast is clear and
all is safe from the attacks of the devil.” Constantly Jesus warns us
in words and Parables with: Stay away! Be alert! Be vigilant! He will
come like a thief in the night when you least expect it. In the Garden
of Gethsemane He warned the Apostles, “Stay awake and pray so that you
will not be put to the test because the spirit is willing and the flesh
is weak.”
1. DESOLATION.St. Ignatius of
Loyola warns us in the Rules for discernment and the state of
desolation. What is desolation? Let us listen to St. Ignatius himself:
“Darkness of soul. Turmoil of
spirit, inclination to what is low and earthly, restlessness rising
from many disturbances and temptations which lead to want of faith,
want of hope, want of love. The soul is wholly slothful tepid, sad, and
separated, as it were, from its Creator and Lord… (Rule 4, Rules for
Discernment, St Ignatius of Loyola). When we find ourselves in this
state of soul, and everybody in the world experiences this at times,
then we are a prime target for the devil and must know the spiritual
arms and strategy that we must employ to engage in mortal combat
against the enemy. If not, there is a good chance that his deceits and
trickery will conquer us!
2. PHYSICAL STATE OF WEARINESS OR
EXHAUASTION. Do not think that because you are sick, tired, wearied to
the point of exhaustion that the devil is sick and tired of attacking
you! On the contrary, when he sees us depleted of energy and worn down
to a thread, he marshals up his forces and tactics double to go for the
kill! Once again vigilance and spiritual alertness is all the more
necessary!
3. WOUNDEDNESS! Vultures are
carnivorous birds that prey on the weakness of animals. It is
especially true that the vulture detects a wounded animal—it can even
be a human person. When the vulture detects a gaping wound of an animal
who approaches death he prepares for the attack with his fellow
vultures by flying and hovering over his victim to eventually swoop
down for the kill and to devour mercilessly! Like a vulture, the devil
is keenly aware of a wounded individual. Once one is filled with anger,
bitterness, vindictiveness, unwilling to forgive past hurts but ready
for revenge— all of these are clear signs of a wounded individual. This
is a ripe and fertile terrain for the wily and astute “ancient
serpent”, the “consummate liar” to insinuate himself, cajole, seduce,
tempt and conquer.
4. KRYPTONITE/WEAK POINT! The
famous series of SUPERMAN can serve to teach us how the devil attacks
us. Superman had superhuman strength in all aspects: flying, running,
scaling walls and buildings, not to mention sheer human Herculean
strength. However, if exposed to one element Superman’s strength was
rendered impotent and it was the simple exposure to the fictional
chemical element that was called KRYPTONITE. Once in contact with
Kryptonite, Superman was as weak and vulnerable as any other human
person. It was his major “Weak-point.” Once again St. Ignatius in his
14th Rule for discernment describes the devil as a commander and leader
of an army. He will camp near the fortification that he wants to
conquer; once discovered the weak point he attacks to plunder to sack
to kill and be off with the treasures! Therefore, it is incumbent on
the follower of Christ the King to arrive at self-knowledge, to know
his major weak-point, to know his own “Kryptonite” so as to put up his
defense and avoid moral disaster!
In the following article
we will outline a series of practical means (spiritual weapons) we can
utilize in fighting the good fight against the devil in his many snares
and traps he places in front of our pathway to heaven!
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Love of One's Neighbor,
Charity,
Humility
25. Keep yourself lowly and little in your own
eyes, that thus you may grow in this divine Heart.
February 16, 2022
(Luk 8:24) And they came and awaked him, saying: Master, we perish. But
he arising, rebuked the wind and the rage of the water. And it ceased:
and there was a calm.
NCR: Cardinal Müller: For Faithful Catholics, It’s a ‘Time of Tribulation and Psychological Terror’
ARCHBISHOP SAMUEL J. AQUILA: How to live as a modern disciple
REGINA PROPHETARUM AUDIO: Enduring Her Passion the Church is Fair as the Moon
Summary
The Church passes through seasons of persecution and of peace ...
moments of trial followed by calm just as the moon passes through
phases of waxing and waning. Thus, the Fathers of the Church developed
a sort of Lunar Ecclesiology to describe the various trials the Church
will face down through time.
According to this analogy, the Church is seemingly abandoned by God and
allowed to be stripped like Our Lord on Calvary (thus the seeming
waning of the Church) so that He will fill Her up anew later (thus the
waxing of the Church). Chastisements (like these times in which we
live) are followed by times of peace and expansion (the promised Age of
Peace/Age of Mary... triumph of Mary's Immaculate Heart).
The bigger the chastisement, the broader the expansion. As members of
the Church, we are part of the whole. If the Church at large is
enduring a passion, so will we. Perhaps you are in one now. What to do?
We must pray, and pray well. Lord, save us, we perish. We must stay the
course, and keep our faith in tact. When in trouble, study the faith,
read the Sacred Scriptures, learn from the lives of the saints, keep to
your duties of state in life! Thus, the reason Our Lord said, O ye of
little faith. Finally, we must not be afraid... why are you fearful?
Faith and Hope tell us that this too will pass and that something
good... Peace and victory are just ahead, victories that are merited by
our enduring a passion with Our Lord's Mystical Body, the Holy Catholic
Church.
Prayer of St. Claude de la Colombiere
My God, I am so convinced that you keep watch over those who hope in
You, and that we can want for nothing when we look for all in You, that
I am resolved in the future to live free from every care, and to turn
all my anxieties over to You. “In peace, in the selfsame, I will sleep
and I will rest, for Thou, O Lord, singularly has settled me in hope.”
(Ps 4: 9-10)
Men may deprive me of possessions and of honor; sickness may strip me
of strength and the means of serving You. I may even lose Your grace by
sin; but I shall never lose my hope. I shall keep it to the last moment
of my life; and at that moment all the demons in hell will strive to
tear it from me in vain. “In peace, in the selfsame, I will sleep and I
will rest.”
Others may look for happiness from their wealth or their talents;
others may rest on the innocence of their life, or the severity of
their penance, or the amount of their alms, or the fervor of their
prayers. “Thou, O Lord, singularly hast settled me in hope.” As for me,
Lord, all my confidence is confidence itself. This confidence has never
deceived anyone. No one, no one who has hoped in the Lord has been
confounded!
I am sure, therefore, that I shall be eternally happy, since I firmly
hope to be, and because it is from You, O GOD, that I hope for it. “In
Thee, O LORD, have I hoped; let me never be confounded.” (Ps 30:1) I
know, alas! I know only too well, that I am weak and unstable. I know
what temptation can do against the strongest virtue. I have seen the
stars of heaven fall, and the pillars of the firmament; but that cannot
frighten me. So long as I continue to hope, I shall be sheltered from
all misfortune; and I am sure of hoping always, since I hope also for
this unwavering hopefulness!
Finally, I am sure that I cannot hope too much in You, and that I
cannot receive less than I have hoped for from You. So, I hope You will
hold me safe on the steepest slopes, that You will sustain me against
the most furious assaults, and that You will make my weaknesses triumph
over my most fearful enemies. I hope that You will love me always, and
that I too shall love You without ceasing. To carry my hope once and
for all as far as it can go, I hope from You to possess You, O my
Creator, in time and in eternity.
AMEN.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Love of One's Neighbor,
Charity,
Humility
24. You must offer yourself to God as a mere nothing
to its Creator Who, finding no resistance, will give it such being as pleases
Him.
February 14, 2022
(Joh 6:53-56) Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen, I say unto you:
except you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you
shall not have life in you. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my
blood hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day.
For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed. He
that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me: and I in him.
ROMEREPORTS.COM VIDEO: Scientific Evidence of Eucharistic Miracles
THE B.C. CATHOLIC: In time of virtual worship, miracles of Eucharist point to Real Presence
ALETEIA: The Eucharistic miracle of St. Gregory the Great
MARY OF NAZARETH TEAM: The Holy Face appears in a small church in southern France
In April 1974, the faithful of Castelnau-de-Guers (France, Hérault
department) were gathered in the parish church of Saint-Sulpice for
Good Friday service. Like every year, in this village of a thousand
souls, people arrived early to not miss the beginning of the service -
latecomers knew it would be hard to find a seat in the small church.
Father François Caucanas, the same parish for half a century, covered
the [Holy Thursday] repository's ciborium, in front of the rail on the
left side of the altar, with a white veil. The ceremony, simple but
beautiful and fervent, began.
A few moments later, two parishioners, and then a dozen people in the
front pews, stood up, waved their hands to alert the priest of
something. A woman fell to her knees. A man called to the priest,
"Father, look, this way!" trying to show him something near the
tabernacle.
Curious about the commotion, the priest interrupted the office. He
looked around him, surveyed the liturgical furnishings, then his eyes
fell on the white veil over the ciborium.
There he clearly saw a "Holy Face", the face of Christ, on the surface of the veil!
This could not have been a hallucination or an optical illusion, since
several people, standing in different places, saw the same phenomenon.
The image was not like a flat print on the fabric or a still
photographic snapshot, but like a ‘3-D’, living image.
The face was visibly swollen, showing Christ suffering his Passion.
The apparition lasted from the beginning of the service until the
moment when the priest took the ciborium to distribute Communion - a
long enough time to rule out the possibility of any hallucination.
Many parishioners, those sitting in the front as well as those at the
back of the church, saw the Holy Face distinctly for several minutes.
On April 17, 1974, Bishop Tourel of Montpellier and his auxiliary,
Bishop Orchampt, the future bishop of Angers, wrote a press release to
remind the faithful that while everything is possible with God, they
should err on the side of caution: "If the Lord wants to, he can make
himself seen in a special way..Throughout the history of the Church,
what have been described as apparitions have often been explained in
other ways ... Our faith is based on the faith of the apostles. The
bishops, successors of the apostles, are its guardians [...]. Let us
maintain an attitude of reserve and great prudence with regard to
exceptional manifestations."
The bishops did not order a canonical investigation, but did not officially rule out a miracle either.
On December 15, 1979, Father François Caucanas declared: "I am the one
who saw the apparition the least, since I was at the altar and had my
back to the repository." The Mary of Nazareth Team
Fr. Jean Ladame, Prodiges eucharistiques du VIIIe siècle à nos jours
(Eucharistic Miracles from the 8th century until Today), Familles et
Eucharistie, 1981; Fr. Nicolas Buttet, L’Eucharistie à l’école des
saints (The Eucharist and the Saints), Ed. de l’Emmanuel, 2000.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Love of One's Neighbor,
Charity,
Humility
23. Humble yourself whenever opportunity offers
with true humility of heart. This is all, I think, that the Heart
of our Lord asks of you.
February 11, 2022
(Luk 1:46-48) And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my
spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Because he hath regarded the
humility of his handmaid: for behold from henceforth all generations
shall call me blessed.
HEADLINE: Grotto at Lourdes to reopen to pilgrims
LINK: Lourdes Grotto Webcam
BISHOP WILLIAM WALTERSHEID: Come to the Grotto
EXCERPT: How Lourdes became a byword for hope
The Lady in the Grotto
In 1858, a 14-year-old girl named Bernadette Soubirous reported having
18 visions of a beautiful “young lady” in a cave near Lourdes, which
was then a provincial town. Soubirous said that the figure identified
herself as “the Immaculate Conception” and instructed the girl to dig
into the earth and drink the water she found there. In other messages,
the lady asked for a church to be built there so priests could come in
procession.
Reports of the events drew large
crowds who believed them to be apparitions of the Virgin Mary, and many
people began attributing healing properties to the waters of the
spring. These extraordinary events soon attracted the notice of the
Parisian press and gained the support of the French imperial court.
Many Catholics interpreted the
apparitions as confirming the doctrine of Immaculate Conception, which
Pope Pius IX in 1854 had declared to be an essential element of
Catholic faith. This teaching holds that Mary, as the mother of Jesus,
was conceived without original sin – the incomplete union with God
that, according to Catholic belief, all people are born with as a
result of Adam and Eve’s disobeying God in the Garden of Eden.
Church officials were quickly
alerted to Soubirous’ experiences and were initially concerned about
the truth of her account. After investigating, the local bishop became
convinced that Mary had indeed appeared to the young woman. Popes later
encouraged veneration at Lourdes, and in 1933, Soubirous herself was
canonized as St. Bernadette.
Catholic churches, schools and
hospitals soon began to be dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, and
replicas of the cave, or “grotto,” are today found throughout the
world. These sites are built for worshippers who cannot make the
pilgrimage but who seek to share in the experience of Lourdes.
Lourdes water
Researching popular Catholic devotions has taught me that apparitions
attract skeptics as easily as they do crowds of enthusiastic believers.
They also stir up religious and political controversy.
From the start, church officials at
Lourdes sought to deny claims of direct supernatural intervention for
cures that could be scientifically explained instead. Today physicians
at the International Medical Committee of Lourdes run a rigorous
process of investigating claims of miraculous healings there.
Most reported healings turn out to
have purely natural causes, but if the committee does not find a
medical explanation, it refers the case to the local bishop for
investigation. Since the 1860s, church officials have formally declared
70 of the Lourdes healings to be miracles. The most recent case, which
they confirmed in 2018, involved the healing of a French nun who had
been using a wheelchair and suffering severe pain for almost 30 years,
but recovered soon after her pilgrimage to the grotto.
Over the course of the 20th
century, the number of new miracles confirmed in Lourdes has gradually
slowed because of growth in scientific understanding.
In 2006, church officials declared
that, beyond “miracles,” they would recognize three additional
categories of healing at Lourdes, in light of advances in medical
knowledge: “unexpected,” “confirmed” or “exceptional” healings. The new
categories relax the previous strict division between “natural” and
“supernatural” healings, with the implication that God intervenes in
many cases in which health is restored, even those that do not strictly
qualify as “miracles” in the sense traditionally used by the Catholic
Church.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Love of One's Neighbor,
Charity,
Humility
22. I will do my utmost to be gentle and submissive,
stifling any feelings of resentment or repugnance.
February 10, 2022
(2Th 2:13-15) But we ought to give thanks to God always for you,
brethren, beloved of God, for that God hath chosen you firstfruits unto
salvation, in sanctification of the spirit and faith of the truth:
Whereunto also he hath called you by our gospel, unto the purchasing of
the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand
fast: and hold the traditions, which you have learned, whether by word
or by our epistle.
Bishop J. Strickland tweet:
This is schismatic. No authority on earth can bless sin. Pray for the
faithful of Germany to denounce this attack on the Deposit of Faith by
their own shepherds. Many will applaud this “way” but the only Way I
seek is the Way of Jesus Christ. Mercy Lord! https://t.co/LOvUVXavKT
CNE NEWS: Warning against “new German schism” in Catholic Church
THE PILLAR ANALYSIS: Sub Petro? Marx, Hollerich, and the 'synodal path'
CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT: The German Church and the dissolution of the one-flesh unity
CNA: German ‘Synodal Way’ meeting ends with call for same-sex blessings, change to Catechism on homosexuality
A plenary meeting of the German
Catholic Church’s “Synodal Way” ended on Saturday with votes in favor
of draft texts calling for same-sex blessings and changes to the
Catechism on homosexuality.
Participants backed a document on
Feb. 5 entitled “Blessing celebrations for couples who love each other”
by 161 votes to 34, with 11 abstentions, reported CNA Deutsch, CNA’s
German-language news partner.
They also endorsed further
discussion of a text on the “Magisterial reassessment of homosexuality”
with 174 votes in favor, 22 against, and 7 abstentions.
The text says that “passages
2357-2359 and 2396 (homosexuality and chastity) of the Catechism should
be revised” as part of a “re-evaluation of homosexuality.” The votes
came on the final day of the third meeting of the Synodal Assembly, the
supreme decision-making body of the Synodal Way, in Frankfurt,
southwestern Germany.
The Synodal Way is a controversial
multi-year process bringing together Germany’s bishops and laypeople to
discuss the way power is exercised in the Church, sexual morality, the
priesthood, and the role of women.
The Synodal Assembly consists of
the bishops, 69 members of the powerful lay Central Committee of German
Catholics (ZdK), and representatives of other parts of the German
Church.
On the event’s first day, members
approved an “orientation text,” setting out the Synodal Way’s
theological underpinnings, as well as a document on “power and the
separation of powers in the Church,” reported CNA Deutsch.
On the second day, they supported
texts calling for the ordination of women priests, for priestly
celibacy to be optional in the Latin Church, and lay involvement in the
election of new bishops.
On the last day, participants endorsed a total of four documents.
The text “Magisterial statements on
conjugal love” was accepted for further consideration by 169 votes to
30, with 6 abstentions.
The document, which also calls for
alterations to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, says: “Spouses
take responsibility for the timing of becoming parents, for the number
of their children as well as the various methods of family planning.
This is done in mutual respect and personal conscience.”
“In this sense, in the Catechism should be amended: 2366 and 2367, 2396
(conjugal fertility), 2368-2370, 2399 (regulation of conception).” The
last text approved on Feb. 5, the “Basic order of serving in the
Church,” appeals for reform of employment laws in the local Catholic
Church, which is the second-largest employer after the state in
Germany. It passed its first reading by 181 votes to 13, with 11
abstentions.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Love of One's Neighbor,
Charity,
Humility
19. Conform yourself as closely as possible to
His humility and gentleness in dealing with your neighbor... Love those
who humble and contradict you, for they are more useful to your perfection
than those who flatter you.
February 8, 2022
(Deu 30:19) I
call heaven and earth to witness this day, that I have set before you
life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose therefore life, that both
thou and thy seed may live:
VICTIMS OF ABORTION: Broken Branches Newsletter Issue 147, Feb/March 2022
CATHOLIC REVIEW: ‘Dismantle Roe v. Wade’ is anthem at Maryland March for Life 2022
CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT: Tennessee Down syndrome abortion ban back in effect while legal challenges continue
CATHOLIC SENTINEL: Hope high at pro-life marches
Never before has the annual rally for life in Oregon exuded optimism as
opposed to resolve. But on a springlike January day outside the Oregon
Capitol, more than 3,000 pro-lifers felt reasonable hope.
“We are on the verge of possibly seeing the justices overturn that
disastrous and tragic Supreme Court decision that leads us to gather
every year,” Archbishop Alexander Sample told the cheering crowd Jan.
29. “Wouldn’t it be great to gather next year and for Roe v. Wade to be
gone?” In the coming months, the U.S. Supreme Court may hand down a
ruling that extends protection to unborn children and turns back the
1973 Roe v. Wade decision that made abortion legal nationwide.
“I ask you to soak the Supreme Court in prayer,” the archbishop said.
Recorded bells chimed 63 times, once for each million lives lost to
abortion in the U.S. since 1973, shaking the ground and leading several
demonstrators to weep.
The archbishop urged the crowd also to pray for parents who are faced
with troubles and even for medical crews who perform abortions.
“We got to this moment because of people just like you, people who have
not given up in this fight for the unborn,” the archbishop said.
Even if the Supreme Court overturns Roe, abortion almost certainly will
remain legal in Oregon. State legislatures and state courts would guide
abortion law in a post-Roe America. But hope was high on Jan. 29.
“You have my vow to do what I can to protect life in Oregon,” House
Republican leader Vikki Breese-Iverson told the crowd, which included
many college students and young families.
At the Salem event, preachers urged strong faith and nuns in habit
carried pro-life signs. The Knights of Columbus offered a dashing and
strong presence.
Salem Police on bicycles protected the marching crowd and received three or four expressions of thanks per minute.
Many Catholic groups attended, including members of Our Lady of the
Lake in Lake Oswego, St. Joseph Parish in Salem, the Franciscan Girls
Club at Our Lady of Peace Retreat House in Beaverton, the pro-life club
at Regis St. Mary School in Stayton and the Newman Center at Oregon
State University.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Love of One's Neighbor,
Charity,
Humility
18. Consider often that it is only the humble of
heart that can enter into the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, converse with
Him, love Him and be loved by Him.
February 4, 2022
(Joh 15:12-13) This
is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.
Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for
his friends.
CATHOLIC STAND REVIEW: It’s Not Easy to Be a Real Martyr
IN THE NEWS
Fr Giuse, martyr of mercy, killed during confession in Kon Tum diocese
Pakistan has first 'Servant of God' - Akash Bashir
Martyrs of Communism: Blessed Olympia Bida
CARMELITE QUOTES: Quote of the day, 3 February: Père Jacques de Jésus
The profound problem of evil is a
scandal that keeps many people far from God and drives many others away
from him. Is it moral evil and sin at work? Yes, but there is more at
work. Is it moral evil among those who should be setting an example?
Again, yet, but even more so, it is physical evil and suffering. This
is evil that we all witness.
Take war, for example, with its
deliberate destruction of cities and its unjustifiable slaughter of the
elderly and the innocent, of women and children. Such is the scourge of
war. Then there are diseases and calamities of all types: earthquakes,
floods, droughts, and monsoons which produce massive, multifaceted
suffering. Children are torn away from their parents and families are
broken up.
How often I have heard my friends
express their thoughts on this problem! They ask: “Do you think that,
if God existed and were omnipotent, he would allow such slaughter?
Would he tolerate the triumph of evil and let thieves live in peace?
Would he permit deceivers to get the better of decent people? Would he
let human passions be the strongest force on earth?”
The problem of evil, as we can surely see, is the most profound of
problems. Understandably, therefore, Christ wanted to resolve this
problem. Accordingly, he willed to live here on earth for several years
and then, engulfed in suffering, to die in public.
Servant of God Père Jacques de Jésus, O.C.D.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Love of One's Neighbor,
Charity,
Humility
17. He wishes you to conform your heart to the
virtues of His own. If you only knew how much you grieve Him when you fail
in charity or humility, or when, through cowardice, you neglect to use
the lights He gives you to make you withdraw from dissipation and self-introspection!
February 2, 2022
(Luk 2:22-23) And
after the days of her purification, according to the law of Moses, were
accomplished, they carried him to Jerusalem, to present him to the
Lord: As it is written in the law of the Lord: Every male opening the
womb shall be called holy to the Lord:
REGINA PROPHETARUM: Being Purified for an Impure World
CATHOLIC CULTURE: Candlemas: The Feast of Light and Hope
ALETEIA: 7 Candlemas traditions from around the world
UNIVERSALIS: From a sermon by Saint Sophronius, bishop
Let us receive the light whose brilliance is eternal
In honour of the divine mystery that we celebrate today, let us all
hasten to meet Christ. Everyone should be eager to join the procession
and to carry a light.
Our lighted candles are a sign of the divine splendour of the one who
comes to expel the dark shadows of evil and to make the whole universe
radiant with the brilliance of his eternal light. Our candles also show
how bright our souls should be when we go to meet Christ.
The Mother of God, the most pure Virgin, carried the true light in her
arms and brought him to those who lay in darkness. We too should carry
a light for all to see and reflect the radiance of the true light as we
hasten to meet him.
The light has come and has shone upon a world enveloped in shadows; the
Dayspring from on high has visited us and given light to those who
lived in darkness. This, then, is our feast, and we join in procession
with lighted candles to reveal the light that has shone upon us and the
glory that is yet to come to us through him. So let us hasten all
together to meet our God.
The true light has come, the light that enlightens every man who is
born into this world. Let all of us, my brethren, be enlightened and
made radiant by this light. Let all of us share in its splendour, and
be so filled with it that no one remains in the darkness. Let us be
shining ourselves as we go together to meet and to receive with the
aged Simeon the light whose brilliance is eternal. Rejoicing with
Simeon, let us sing a hymn of thanksgiving to God, the Father of the
light, who sent the true light to dispel the darkness and to give us
all a share in his splendour.
Through Simeon’s eyes we too have seen the salvation of God which he
prepared for all the nations and revealed as the glory of the new
Israel, which is ourselves. As Simeon was released from the bonds of
this life when he had seen Christ, so we too were at once freed from
our old state of sinfulness.
By faith we too embraced Christ, the salvation of God the Father, as he
came to us from Bethlehem. Gentiles before, we have now become the
people of God. Our eyes have seen God incarnate, and because we have
seen him present among us and have mentally received him into our arms,
we are called the new Israel. Never shall we forget this presence;
every year we keep a feast in his honour.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Love of One's Neighbor,
Charity,
Humility
16. Avoid
over-eagerness and strive to model your
interior and exterior upon the humble sweetness of the loving Heart of
Jesus, doing each of your actions with the same tranquility as if you
had
but that alone to do.
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