Tuesday, June 18, 2019
FOUR SINS THAT CRY OUT TO HEAVEN FOR JUSTICE
The Church teaches that everybody, including those with a disordered sexuality — often expressing itself in lust, masturbation, fornication, pornography, homosexuality — are called to chastity, that is to the moral virtue of a rightly ordered sexuality integrated within the person. The Christian faith holds that homosexual acts, along with murdering the innocent, depriving a laborer of his wages, and oppressing the poor, are one of the four sins that cry to heaven for justice.
“This vice [of same-sex activity] is the death of bodies, the destruction of souls, pollutes the flesh, extinguishes the light of the intellect, expels the Holy Spirit from the temple of the human heart, introduces the diabolical inciter of lust, throws into confusion, and removes the truth completely from the deceived mind,” he wrote in his 11th century Book of Gomorrah. He added: “It prepares snares for the one who walks, and for him who falls into the pit, it obstructs the escape. It opens up hell and closes the door of paradise.
Catholic university Mount St. Mary’s alumni magazine includes gay ‘engagement’ announcement
Catholic university Mount St. Mary’s alumni magazine includes gay ‘engagement’ announcement
Updated on June 18, 2019 at 10:23 a.m. to include statement from the Cardinal Newman Society.
EMMITSBURG, Maryland, June 17, 2019, LifeSiteNews — The alumni publication of Mount St. Mary’s University, a Catholic institution in Maryland, has for the first time included an engagement announcement for a same-sex couple.
Until this spring, Mount St. Mary’s had been held in high regard for consistently upholding Catholic teaching. But there are some signs that may be changing.
In April, when the school administration announced its choice of Mark Shriver – a former Maryland politician with a 100% rating from NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland – as its 2019 commencement speaker, the Cardinal Newman Society immediately issued a statement saying it was “shocked and dismayed” that “an institution recommended in our Newman Guide for its faithful Catholic identity” had chosen Shriver. It noted “the possibility of scandal” created by honoring pro-abortion politicians.
That shock and dismay was reawakened over the weekend for some graduates of the school with the arrival of the MOUNT magazine in their mailboxes. A number of alumni reached out to LifeSiteNews to express concern that the Catholic identity of the school may be ebbing away.
Class of 1986 graduate Theresa Stief shared with LifeSiteNews a letter she penned to Mount St. Mary’s President Timothy Trainor:
I would like to call your attention to an announcement that appeared in the most recent MOUNT magazine, celebrating the engagement of two men. It saddened me deeply to see reported, alongside announcements of births and weddings and professional accomplishments, an event celebrating a lifestyle that is counter to everything that you say the Mount stands for: In your letter at the front of the same magazine, you say the Mount “wants to educate the next generation of ethical leaders in service to God and others.”The lifestyle of two graduates who are choosing to embrace their same-sex attraction denies their dignity as sons of God, and will never allow them to be fully who God created them to be.
Celebrating this choice is akin to celebrating someone who has chosen to embrace their alcoholism, their drug addiction, their clinical depression. This is not something to celebrate; this is a call for remediation.There are successful ministries within the Catholic Church that help both heterosexuals and those with same-sex attraction to live chaste lives; countless Christians can tell stories of how embracing God’s will for their lives has made them whole again, allowing them to pursue their full potential as children of a loving God who created them just as they are. This is what it takes to be an “ethical leader” and yes, even a saint.
God doesn’t make mistakes, but He does give us the tools we need to “attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).This is what we are all called to: Mount students, Mount professors, Mount seminarians. Please hold that standard high and stop celebrating what needs to be healed. May the Lord God bless your efforts to build a faithful, God-fearing institution of higher learning.
Stief’s letter ended with an impassioned plea to the school’s president: “I have spoken with several other Mount graduates who feel the same way I do. Please uphold the clear teachings of our holy Mother Church, Dr. Trainor!”
In a statement to LifeSiteNews, Mount St. Mary’s administration chose not to address concerns about the school’s Catholic identity, and focused instead on “engagement with the world and hospitality to all.”
The school’s Director of Public Relations and Communications, Donna Klinger, offered the following rationale for inclusion of same-sex engagements in the school’s alumni magazine:
Mount St. Mary’s University is a Catholic university where the Church and the world dialogue, giving students the knowledge and skill to ethically apply the Church’s teachings in the modern world in service to God and others. Our enduring 211-year commitment to our Catholic mission inspires engagement with the world and hospitality to all regardless of religious background. We are a diverse, inclusive community composed of individuals of many faiths and beliefs. Through its alumni magazine, the university shares the news of all alumni. We do not make judgments about the news being shared, and inclusion of an announcement does not imply the university’s endorsement. Filtering news to reject anything that does not follow Catholic teaching would deprive all alumni of learning about life’s milestones of not only people who are in same-sex relationships but also those who are divorced and entering second marriages, or those who have children out of wedlock.
LifeSiteNews reached to Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore for comment but received no reply thus far. Lori is a member of the school’s Board of Trusteeswho also serves as chancellor of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, which, although a separate entity, shares the Mount St. Mary’s campus.
The Cardinal Newman Society issued the following statement: “This is yet another scandal that undermines the University’s mission to uphold and teach the Faith. The Mount’s statement unsuccessfully attempts to explain away the problem and lacks the integrity of an institution committed to the formation of its students. A Catholic university must make deliberate choices about what to publish and who will speak at commencement, and the Mount’s leadership is making very bad choices without regard for the corrosive impact on its students and alumni.”
In May, a prestigious prep school in nearby Washington, D.C. similarly came under fire from alumni for deciding to publish same-sex union announcementsin its alumni magazine.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/catholic-university-mount-st-marys-alumni-magazine-includes-gay-engagement-announcement
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/catholic-university-mount-st-marys-alumni-magazine-includes-gay-engagement-announcement
When are Guardian Angels assigned to protect us?
When are Guardian Angels assigned to protect us?
Angels surround us from the very beginning of our life on earth.
Guardian Angels can be seen throughout Scripture, such as in the book of Judith where she states that God’s “angel hath been my keeper” (Judith 13:20 DRA). Jesus taught his disciples about the existence of Guardian Angels when speaking about the protection of little children, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10).
Though not explicitly revealed in Scripture, it is generally believed by theologians that all human beings, whether they are Christian or not, are assigned a Guardian Angel. Pope Pius XII related in an address how, “Everyone, no matter how humble he may be, has angels to watch over him.” This is consistent with Sacred Scripture, the teachings of Sts. Thomas Aquinas, Basil, and Jerome, and experiences from non-Christians who believe they were helped by a Guardian Angel.
If all people are given a Guardian Angel, when does this assignment occur?
The only official statement about the timing of this assignment comes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which states, “From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession. ‘Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life'” (CCC 336).
The statement is not precise and simply points to the “beginning” of human life. Theologians have debated over the centuries the exact moment of this assignment and there exist multiple views.
For example, St. Jerome says simply, “how great the dignity of the soul, since each one has from his birth an angel commissioned to guard it.” This was a popular opinion for many centuries, based on the scientific knowledge they possessed at the time.
On the other hand, St. Anselm states, “Every soul is committed to an angel at the moment when it is united with a body.” While this too is debated among theologians, many believe this occurs at conception. According to a Vatican document compiled by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 1987, “the spiritual soul of each man is ‘immediately created’ by God.”
It follows then, that a Guardian Angel is likely appointed at the moment of conception. It is not a dogmatic belief of the Catholic Church, but appears to follow from other teachings that have been handed down over the centuries, and would be consistent with Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Matthew.
Even if an individual Guardian Angel isn’t assigned at conception, the mother’s Guardian Angel would be automatically put in charge of the developing human being in the womb.
Whether we realize it or not, from the very beginning of our lives we are surrounded by heavenly angels who want to protect us from all spiritual and physical harm. We have the free will to allow them to do their jobs or we can cut ourselves off from their protecting help. It is a profound mystery, one that we will never fully understand until we finally meet our Guardian Angel in the life to come.
How the Virgin Mary protects her faithful children from all evil
How the Virgin Mary protects her faithful children from all evil
She is a mother who is very protective of her little ones
The Virgin Mary is first of all a mother, and a very powerful spiritual mother! She is fully united with her Son in Heaven and seeks to use all of her power to protect her children, who are invited to turn to her in their time of need.
St. Louis de Montfort, an 18th-century priest who dedicated his whole life to leading souls to Jesus through Mary, wrote about the protection she offers in his book entitled True Devotion to Mary. He compares her to a hen who gathers her brood under her wings, saving them from outside enemies.
Mary, the beloved Mother of chosen souls, shelters them under her protecting wings as a hen does her chicks. She speaks to them, coming down to their level and accommodating herself to all their weaknesses. To ensure their safety from the hawk and vulture, she becomes their escort, surrounding them as an army in battle array.
This she does out of the pure love she has for us, especially those who are daily devoted to her.
Montfort continues his reflection, thinking about the magnitude of her protecting help.
Could anyone surrounded by a well-ordered army of say a hundred thousand men fear his enemies? No, and still less would a faithful servant of Mary, protected on all sides by her imperial forces, fear his enemy. This powerful Queen of heaven would sooner dispatch millions of angels to help one of her servants than have it said that a single faithful and trusting servant of hers had fallen victim to the malice, number, and power of his enemies.
This simple truth has been confirmed by many throughout the years, especially exorcists.
Famed exorcist Fr. Gabriele Amorth discovered this reality in his dialogues with the devil, where the devil said to him, “I am more afraid when you say the Madonna’s name, because I am more humiliated by being beaten by a simple creature, than by Him.”
Pope Francis related similar words in a homily at St. Mary Major, “Where the Madonna is at home the devil does not enter; where there is the Mother, disturbance does not prevail, fear does not win.”
Let us stay underneath the wings of the Blessed Mother and let her safely guide us to eternal life!
St Anthony, a Mule and the Eucharist
St Anthony, a Mule and the Eucharist
Saint Anthony (1195-1231) worked hard to convert those who did not believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist because he genuinely felt sorry for them. He saw that they were depriving themselves of the most precious gift of the Eucharist, and he believed that no one could long survive without this spiritual nourishment.
Often, he was called to defend the dogmas of our faith to heretics, especially the Albigensians, who were multiplying in the South of France and the North of Italy.
However, theological arguments alone were not enough to convince those minds closed by pride and ignorance. Our Saint presented them with the irresistible argument of miracles.
During his travels through a city called Rimini, Saint Anthony engaged in conversation with a particularly stubborn heretic. This man obstinately refused to admit the mystery of transubstantiation, for he perceived no change in the sacramental species after the words of consecration.
In vain, Anthony presented proofs drawn from both Scripture and Tradition. When his efforts failed before the stubborn obstinacy of his doubter, he decided to alter his strategy.
“You possess,” he told the man, “a mule that you ride often. I will present a consecrated host to it; if it falls on its knee before the Blessed Sacrament, will you recognize the real Presence of the Savior under His Eucharistic appearance?”
“Certainly,” responded the unbeliever, who felt confident that the outcome of such a proposition would be to the apostle’s detriment.
The two men agreed to meet again in the market square three days later. They then went their separate ways, each to prepare for the spiritual showdown in his own way.
The heretic, in order to insure victory, deprived his beast from all food for the three days. Our saint employed gentler methods, preparing for his assured victory by doubling his accustomed time in prayer.
At the set day and time, Anthony left the Church, carrying a ciborium in his hands. The skeptic arrived leading the famished animal by the bridle.
A considerable crowd had gathered on the square, curious to attend such a remarkable sight. With a smile on his lips, the doubter, believing victory already to be his, set a sack of oats before the animal.
As all watched in breathless anticipation, the hungry animal turned away from the proffered food and turned toward the Sacred Host held high by the Miracle Worker. With a graceful motion uncharacteristic of his breed, the beast of burden bowed low to the ground, giving due reverence to his Creator. It did not straighten or stand up again until it had received permission from the Saint to do so.
It is easy to imagine the effect the miracle produced. A cheer rose up from the assembled crowd, many making the sign of the Cross to seal their belief in what they had just witnessed.
The heretic honored his word and converted. Several others who had shared his stubborn unbelief also embraced this most marvelous proof of Our Savior’s True Presence among his creatures.
“I will be with you always, even to the end of the world.” (Matt. 28:20)
The Divine Persons Dwell in Us through Grace
The Divine Persons Dwell in Us through Grace
How blessed we would be if we truly appreciated the treasures the Divine Persons pour into our souls when we are baptized! “From His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1:16).
Through Baptism we become members of the Lord’s Mystical Body, with the Trinity infusing into our souls the magnificent gifts of sanctifying grace, the supernatural virtues, and the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, all flowing from the Lord, our Head, to us. When St. Cyril of Jerusalem explained to the newly initiated Christians the miracles they had experienced through Baptism, he assured them that through this wondrous sacrament, paradise itself had been opened to them.
Sanctifying Grace
Indeed, through sanctifying grace bestowed on us in this sacrament, we now dwell in a profound way in paradise, for at Baptism the Divine Persons come to dwell intimately in our souls. St. Thomas Aquinas tells us that sanctifying grace is a supernatural quality, a wondrous habit that elevates our souls, giving them a created participation in the very life of the Trinity.
Through sanctifying grace we are intimately united to the Divine Persons, who are Heaven. It is Their sweet presence within us that enables us to taste the joys of heaven here on earth.
The Lord Himself tells us that He and His Father, and therefore the Holy Spirit as well, will come to us and make Their home within us (John 14:23). Through the precious gift of sanctifying grace, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit give Themselves completely to us, to dwell intimately within us, not as our Creator, but in an entirely new way, as intimately beloved to us.
What joy and peace would be ours if we truly realized the priceless treasure we bear within us! The God of heaven and earth, the Divine Persons of the Trinity, who are beauty, goodness, tenderness, mercy, and love, dwell within us and make us Their sweet and intimate home through the gift of sanctifying grace.
A Home Within Us
Furthermore, every time there is an increase of sanctifying grace or infused virtue in our souls, all Three Divine Persons deepen their presence in us. In a special way, when charity, which is a created participation in the Holy Spirit, is increased in our wills, the intimate presence of the Holy Spirit is deepened in our souls. Inseparably, when a “sweet” knowledge of the Trinity — a knowing that breaks forth into love — is increased in our minds, the presence of God the Son, the Word who eternally breathes forth the Spirit of love, is deepened within us. We experience this “sweet knowledge,” for example, when we read or hear a Scripture passage, or understand more profoundly a truth of our Faith, in such a way that our heart is inflamed with deeper love of the Trinity.
Since the Divine Persons of the Trinity are one God, when the presence of one Person is deepened in us, so, also, is the intimate presence of the other two Persons. Even more, when Their presence is bestowed or deepened in us through sanctifying grace, They give Themselves to us without reserve. They do this for an astounding reason: so that they may dwell within us and make our souls Their home and heaven, enabling us to “possess” and “enjoy” Them as our very own.
We learn by experience that the Persons of the Trinity live within us to fill us with Their “sweetness, refreshment, and consolation.” The Father tenderly told St. Catherine of Siena, “I call the soul ‘heaven’ because I make heaven wherever I dwell by grace.” As Catherine herself grew to savor the Trinity’s presence within her, she would cry out in worship and praise, “You, Eternal Trinity, are a deep sea. The more I enter You, the more I discover, and the more I discover, the more I seek You.” Catherine’s example encourages us to rest often in the Trinity’s loving presence within us, and in this way to find heaven in our souls.
Perhaps no other saint so strongly urges us to live consciously in the presence of the Trinity dwelling within us than St. John of the Cross. He reminds us that when we truly love someone, there is nothing we desire as much as our loved one’s intimate presence and companionship. St. Augustine’s words to the Lord, “I sought You outside of myself, but all the while You were within me,” so deeply touched St. John that he begs us to dwell “within” our souls, where the Divine Persons intimately live. May our souls be ever more deeply the Trinity’s sweet heaven!
Throughout the day, in our work and our rest, in our successes and failures, in our sufferings and joys, may we adore the Trinity, who make Their home within us. May we savor the Trinity’s presence especially through contemplative prayer, taking time daily to repose in the Divine Persons’ presence. By practices such as gently repeating a phrase that the Holy Spirit may place in our hearts, we can grow in the habit of prayer that draws us to rest more deeply in the Trinity dwelling in our souls, and thus to taste the joys of heaven even now.
✠
This article is an excerpt from Sr. Fatula’s Heaven’s Splendor: And the Riches That Await You There. It is available from Sophia Institute Press.
This Eucharistic host was filmed bleeding and pulsating like a heart on fire
This Eucharistic host was filmed bleeding and pulsating like a heart on fire
A pilgrim from New Jersey caught on film a Eucharistic miracle that occurred in Venezuela.
On December 8, 1991, a priest at the Shrine of Betania in Cúa, Venezuela was celebrating Mass. After the consecration he noticed the host begin to bleed from one side. The priest quickly preserved the host and studied it to make sure it was a miracle.
According to Eucharistic Miracles of the World, the local bishop took up an investigation to make sure it wasn’t explained by something natural.
During the Mass there were numerous pilgrims who immediately verified that the priest did not have wounds from which the blood present in the Host could have flowed. Besides, from the analyses, the result concluded that the blood of the priest did not match the one of the Particle. The Host of the Miracle was subjected to some special studies, requested by the then Bishop of Los Teques, H. E. Most Reverend Pio Bello Ricardo, and the results confirmed that the blood was human blood of type AB positive which matches the one found in the cloth of the Shroud of Turin and in the Host of the Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano, that occurred in Italy in 750 AD and was analyzed by 500 commissions of the World Health Organization.
The host was later enshrined in a convent in Los Teques and left exposed for thousands of pilgrims to see each year. In particular, one pilgrim from New Jersey named
Daniel Sanford arrived at the convent in 1998. He explains what happened next.
Daniel Sanford arrived at the convent in 1998. He explains what happened next.
After the celebration ended [the priest] opened the door of the Tabernacle which contained the Host of the Miracle. With great astonishment I saw that the Host was as if in flames, and there was a Pulsating Heart that was bleeding in Its center. I saw this for about 30 seconds or so, then the Host returned to normal. I was able to film a part of this miracle with my video camera.
The video was sent to the local bishop, who encouraged the dissemination of the video for the purposes of spreading belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
The miraculous can still be seen today in the convent in Los Teques and the blood on the host is still fresh, as it was when the miracle first occurred.
10 Catholic novels to take to the beach this summer
10 Catholic novels to take to the beach this summer
These great reads are perfect for taking along on vacation.
While sitting around a campfire recently with parishioners and friends, we assembled the following list of recommendations for some Catholic beach reading. There are many extraordinary Catholic novels, but sometimes people recommend 1,000-page volumes that are impossible to carry anywhere, and that don’t really fit the spirit of summer vacation. These novels are truly beach reading. Take your bag, a cold drink, and lounge in the sun with one of the following great Catholic novels!
1.Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh
Why not lead a list with the best thing on it? All cards on the table: this is one of my very favorite Catholic novels. Waugh is a master of the human condition and seamlessly traces the threads of grace sewn through the life of Mr. Charles Ryder. The throes of religion and romance, family drama and haute culture drive the story of Ryder’s love for the Flyte family. Nostalgia for Oxford university days, strawberries, Venice and steamships punctuate this extraordinary account of friendship and divine grace.
Back Bay Books. 432 pages. $16.99.
2.
In this House of Brede – Rumer Godden
In this House of Brede – Rumer Godden
Being myself a professed religious, I can be fiercely critical of depictions of religious life, finding many of them saccharine, or worse, boring. In this House of Brede is one novel of monastic life that does not disappoint. Attentive to the details of religious observance, Rumor Godden has bottled life in a monastery and poured it out on these pages. Her protagonist Philippa Talbot abandons her successful London-based career to join the nuns of the fictional Benedictine Brede Abbey. Capturing the conflicts and tension of community life, this story of Brede leaves readers longing for a share of the monastery’s charity and peace.
Loyola Classics. 368. $13.95.
3.
Mariette in Ecstasy – Ron Hansen
Mariette in Ecstasy – Ron Hansen
Part saintly legend, part detective story, Ron Hansen’s novel invites his readers to ask a question as pious as it is horrific: is Mariette Baptiste a stigmatic? Mariette, a postulant, has longed to enter the monastery her whole life. When she does, she begins to receive ecstasies, including the stigmata. The nuns of the monastery must deduce, however, if Mariette’s pieties are real. But be warned: bold and fleshy writing make this novel not for the faint of heart.
Harper Perennial. 192 pages, $13.00.
4.
The Violent Bear It Away – Flannery O’Connor
The Violent Bear It Away – Flannery O’Connor
Many readers come to know Flannery O’Connor through her short stories. Don’t miss the opportunity during the dog days of summer to spend more time with her, by reading her novels. Of the two, I prefer The Violent Bear It Away. Satirical, ironic, and compassionate, O’Connor tells the story of a young boy who refuses his call to mission, promoting the reader to meditate on religious authenticity, faith, and fate.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 256 pages, $15.00.
5.
Under the Sun of Satan – George Bernanos
Under the Sun of Satan – George Bernanos
Hans Urs Von Balthasar dubbed Bernanos, “The minstrel of grace.” Bernanos’ debut novel trumpets his theme. The parish priest of a French village (a man fervent but not especially bright) detects the Evil One at work among his flock. Through Fr. Donissan and his ministry, Bernanos fearlessly leads his readers straight into the mystery of redemption.
Cluny Media, 344 pages. $18.95.
6.
The Innocence of Father Brown – G.K. Chesterton
The Innocence of Father Brown – G.K. Chesterton
The first collection of Chesterton’s legendary short stories offers the first twelve mystery stories of the innocent but perceptive Father Brown. An amusing, ingenious, and unconventional detective, Father Brown challenges the legacy of every sleuth before or since. These light-hearted stories reveal keen psychological insight the reader rarely suspects.
Createspace; Centennial edition. 174 pages. $9.99.
7.
Death Comes for the Archbishop – Willa Cather
Death Comes for the Archbishop – Willa Cather
Okay, okay. I know Willa Cather is not a Catholic. But she gets a pass and makes this list anyhow, because this novel is so profoundly Catholic. Set in the emerging American Southwest, Cather’s novel narrates the arrival of New Mexico’s first Catholic bishop. Cather tells the lucid and spiritual tale of saintly and vicious clergy, based on two historical figures, Jean-Baptiste Lamy and Joseph Projectus Machebeuf, animated by the region’s tradition and lore.
Vintage. 297 pages. $15.00.
8.
A Printer’s Choice – W.L. Patenaude
A Printer’s Choice – W.L. Patenaude
A morality tale worthy of the name, Patenaude’s debut sci-fi novel explores the contest of religious faith and free will as outer space is rocked by its first homicide. Set in 2088, boasting ecological and technological themes dear to the author, Patenaude’s novel can’t resist asking the biggest questions about the nature and meaning of life in the engaging context of his murder mystery.
Izzard Ink. 334 pages. $22.95.
9.
The Moviegoer – Walker Percy
The Moviegoer – Walker Percy
Even though the action of this novel unfolds during the week leading to Ash Wednesday, Percy’s Moviegoer is an excellent summer read. Absurd and humorous, Binx Bolling’s search for an authentic experience is enough to fend off the malaise of any summer day. More philosopher than stockbroker, Bolling experiences a New Orleans-based adventure that ends in a triumphant finale, with an homage worthy of Percy’s beloved Dostoevsky.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 272 pages. $16.00.
10.Mr. Blue – Myles Connolly
A modern day Francis of Assisi, J. Blue passes from rags to riches, only to divest himself of his wealth in pursuit of Lady Poverty. Set in the Roaring Twenties, Mr. Blue is the antithesis of The Great Gatsby. Any open-minded reader will find that Blue’s discovery of joy in self-giving is as rare as it is courageous.
Cluny Media. 246 pages. $17.95
Fr. Rutler - June 9, 2019
|
Bl. Solanus Casey believed gratitude was a sign of a “thinking, rational creature”
Bl. Solanus Casey believed gratitude was a sign of a “thinking, rational creature”
Giving thanks to God and others is one action that makes us more human.
The humble doorman known as Bl. Solanus Casey was well known for his spirituality of thankfulness. He firmly believed in the value of gratitude and once said, “Gratitude is the first sign of a thinking, rational creature; ingratitude leads to so many breaks with God and our neighbor.”
This is a basic message echoed by the words and actions of Jesus Christ, who said to one of the 10 lepers cleansed of their disease, “‘Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?’ Then he said to him, ‘Stand up and go; your faith has saved you'” (Luke 17:17-18).
Solanus Casey lived in a constant spirit of thanksgiving, always thinking about the graces God had given him and even the graces God would give him in the future.
Let us thank him at all times and under whatever circumstances. Thank him for our creation and our existence, thank him for everything — for his plans in the past that by our sins and our want of appreciation and patience have so often been frustrated and that he so often found necessary to change. Let us thank him for all his plans for the future — for trials and humiliations as well as great joy and consolations; for sickness and whatever death he may design to plan … thank him ahead of time for whatever he foresees.
He also believed that living with gratitude paved the way to true joy and peace. It is a way to calm down our anxieties and helps us understand that everything we have is a gift from God.
When thinking about your own spiritual life, consider how you can increase in gratitude, both to God and to others. By doing so you will become more human and find peace with others and God.
The secret to joy, happiness and peace, according to St. Therese of Lisieux
The secret to joy, happiness and peace, according to St. Therese of Lisieux
"If weak and imperfect souls like mine felt what I feel," no one would despair.
French Carmelite nun St. Thérèse of Lisieux is best known for her “little way,” a pathway to holiness that does not focus on grand acts of heroism, but simple, ordinary gestures of love. She writes extensively about it in her autobiography Story of a Soul, where she also reveals the “secret” to joy, happiness and peace that is so often elusive to many of us.
Her life contained much suffering, such as the loss of her mother at an early age and an arduous battle with tuberculosis. Yet, Thérèse found a “hidden way” that gave her an enduring peace, capable of preserving her soul from utter despair.
She wrote, “if weak and imperfect souls like mine felt what I feel, none would despair of reaching the summit of the Mountain of Love, since Jesus does not ask for great deeds, but only for gratitude and self-surrender.”
Thérèse goes on to explain how even if she were conscious of all the sins of the world, it would still not take away peace from her soul.
I feel that even had I on my conscience every crime one could commit, I should lose nothing of my confidence: my heart broken with sorrow, I would throw myself into the Arms of my Savior. I know that He loves the Prodigal Son, I have heard His words to St. Mary Magdalene, to the woman taken in adultery, and to the woman of Samaria. No one could frighten me, for I know what to believe concerning His Mercy and His Love. And I know that all that multitude of sins would disappear in an instant, even as a drop of water cast into a flaming furnace.
Thérèse firmly believed that this self-surrender to God, matched with an equal gratitude for his great gifts, was a pathway to a true and lasting peace that does not end, “Amongst the disciples of the world, He meets with nothing but indifference and ingratitude, and alas, among His own, how few hearts surrender themselves without reserve to the infinite tenderness of His Love. Happy are we who are privileged to understand the inmost secrets of Our Divine Spouse.”
The next time you feel tempted to despair, especially if you think that you are incapable of many great deeds, remember these words of St. Thérèse. Surrender yourself to God completely and thank him for his many gifts to you.
Do those two things and you will be on the pathway to a peace and joy that will never end.
Jim Caviezel gave what may be the greatest Catholic address of the 21st century
Jim Caviezel gave what may be the greatest Catholic address of the 21st century
The famed actor of 'The Passion of the Christ' called for the next generation to “send Lucifer straight back to hell.”
The college students were perhaps expecting a speech about the new film, but what they got was a phenomenal call to action that sent shivers down our spines.
The crowd was thrilled to see Caviezel’s kindly, bearded face, to such an extent that it did not seem they would ever calm down. He gently raised a finger and the room became still enough to hear a pin drop. Then Caviezel began, speaking softly and reading from his prepared speech a little clumsily:
“The name Saul means ‘Great One.’ The name Paul means ‘little one.’ While making this film I learned that changing one little, tiny letter that we can become great in the eyes of God. But it requires us to be little if we wish to be great. This is the way of the saints. This is the way of the Holy and this is the way Saul became St. Paul.”
He continued speaking of vocations and how one must open up to discern such a calling. He spoke of how he knew he wanted to be an actor, the stressful time of his role as Edmond Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo, as well as the sacrifices he made during his time playing Jesus in The Passion of the Christ. He said:
“When I was up there on the Cross, I learned that in His suffering was our redemption. Remember the servant is no greater than the master. Each of us must carry our own cross. There is a price for our faith, for our freedoms. I have been literally scourged, hit by the whips, crucified, struck by lightning, yes, open heart surgery — that’s what happens after five and a half months of hypothermia.”
He recounted a moment during the filming of The Passion, when he was wedged under the cross and someone else pulled it the wrong way, causing his shoulder to become dislocated. He said this footage remains in the final cut of the film and commented that had the production taken place in a studio, we might never have seen such an authentic performance. “The suffering made my performance, just as it makes our lives.”
“There was a lot of pain and suffering before the resurrection and your path will be no different. So embrace your cross and race towards your goal. I want you to go out into this pagan world and shamelessly profess your faith in public. The world needs proud warriors, animated by their faith. Warriors like St. Paul and St. Luke who risk their names and reputations to take their faith, their love for Jesus into the world.”
He spoke about democracy and how the freedom to do what you want is not the same as the freedom to do what you aught. He quoted Maximilian Kolbe’s famous phrase, “Indifference is the greatest sin of the 20th century,” to which he added, “Well, my brothers and sisters, it is the greatest sin of the 21st century as well.”
He brought the whole speech together by quoting the famed pre-battle speech from Braveheart in which William Wallace pumps up his army by speaking of freedom and what one must be willing to do for it. He broke from the quote, speaking with conviction and leaving aside his prepared speech, saying :
“Every man dies. Not every man truly lives. You, you, you. We all must fight for that authentic freedom and live my friends. By God, we must live! And with the Holy Spirit as your shield and Christ as your sword, may you join St. Michael and all the angels in sending Lucifer and all his henchmen straight back to hell where they belong!”
It is interesting to watch the change in Caviezel when he switches between his scripted speech and spontaneous remarks. As if to visually illustrate the difference between the “Great One” and the “Little One,” once his moment of commanding presence is over, he leans back over the podium and gives a sheepish smile as he messes up the last bit of his prepared words.
Reading the transcripts of the speech do it little justice; it’s worth watching the entire video. It may move you to watch of rewatch Paul, Apostle of Christ — or even stir you to the spiritual commitment of Wallace’s army on a battlefield where the odds were stacked against them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)