Monthly Archives: August 2016

Faith, Feast Days, Our Lady, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: The Assumption of Mary, Feast Day August 15

 


The Assumption of Mary by Palma il Vecchio Public Domain Image
The Assumption of Mary by Palma il Vecchio

The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be celebrated on August 15. While this is a belief which goes back to the apostolic age, it was proclaimed dogma on Nov. 1, 1950 by Pope Pius XII.

The word assumption means “to take up.” It is believed that Mary was assumed into heaven by the power of God. This is not the same as the Ascension of Jesus. Jesus ascended into heaven by His own power. The assumption of Mary into heaven gives glory to God by whose power she was taken into heaven.

Pope Pius XII in the papal document, Munificentimus Deus gives four reasons why we believe in the dogma of Assumption of Mary. He explained that the uninterrupted tradition about Mary’s death and assumption began in the first century. The belief is expressed in all the ancient liturgies of the Church. He added that the negative evidence is the absence of veneration of a tomb of Mary while most of the apostles have tombs.

In the Old Testament there is the possibility of bodily assumption in the cases of Enoch (Gen. 5:24), Moses (Deut. 34:5) and Elijah (IIKg. 2:1)

The theological reasons for believing in the Assumption of Mary are twofold.

First; Mary was “immaculately conceived”.  This means she was born without the consequence of “original sin” and is exempted from the postmortem decay of the body.   She is sometimes referred to as “The Second Eve“.

Second; Mary received the fullness of grace and holiness as the mother of Jesus. Her place is with her son Jesus, the redeemer in heaven.

Good Lady, bearer of our good Lord,
watch over us…lead us to the safe harbor
of God’s will.
               Quote of St. John Damascene :                                   Feastday. December 4.                                                                                                                                          
August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

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Carmelite Saints, Martyr, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Edith Stein, Feast Day August 9




 

 

St. Edith Stein Public Domain Image
St. Edith Stein
Public Domain Image

The Feast day of St. Edith Stein is celebrated on Aug. 9. St. Edith Stein was also known as St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. She is the patron saint of loss of parents and converts. Edith Stein was born in Breslav, Germany on Oct. 12, 1891. She was the youngest of a large Jewish family.  Her father ran a timber business but he died when she was only two years old. Her mother was hard working and devout. Edith, however, lost her faith when she was in her teens.

Edith studied at the University of Breslav where she studied German and history as well as philosophy and women’s issues. She considered herself a radical suffragette. When World War I began she completed a course in nursing and served in an Austrian field hospital, caring for wounded soldiers. After the war she received her degree, writing her thesis on “The problem of Empathy.“

Witnessing a person kneeling for a brief prayer while holding a shopping basket in the Frankfurt Cathedral Edith had a great impact on her faith. In 1917, Edith visited a widow who had converted to Protestantism. It was during this visit that she was introduced to the cross of Christ. Edith began reading the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. She then read the Autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila. St. Teresa described God not as a God of knowledge but as a God of Love. Edith decided to study the Catholic Catechism. Soon after she decided to become Catholic. She was baptized on Jan. 1, 1922.

St. Edith felt called into the Carmelite way of life but decided to wait. She accepted a position teaching German and history at a Dominican Sister’s school. She also translated the letters and diaries of Cardinal Newman. Edith joined the Carmelite Convent of Cologne at the age of 42. She took the name Teresa, Benedicta Cruce; Teresa of the Cross. She believed it was her vocation to intercede for others through prayer. As a Carmelite she wrote several books, including The Science of the Cross.

Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross was arrested by the Gestapo on Aug 2, 1931 while she was in the chapel. She was taken with other Jewish Christians to Amersfoort and then to Westerbork. They were then deported to Auschwitz. On Aug. 9, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross died in the gas chamber of Auschwitz at the age of 51. She was canonized as a martyr by Pope John Paul II.

If we place our hands of the divine Child,
if we say “Yes” to the “Follow me”,
then we are His, and the way is free
for His divine life to flow into us.
Quote of St. Edith Stein

August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Dominican Saints, patron saints, Prayer, Spirituality

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Dominic, Feast Day August 8

El_Greco,_St_Dominic_in_Prayer Public Domain Image

The Feast Day of St. Dominic is celebrated on August 8th. He was born in 1170 to Felix Guzman and Blessed Joan of Aza in Caleruega, Spain. After studying at the University at Palencia he was ordained a priest at the age of 25. St. Dominic was known for self-denial, holiness, piety and apostolic zeal. He refused to eat meat or sleep on a bed. He also renounced wealth.

In 1215 he founded an order of Dominican Nuns. Their mission was to care for young girls. This was followed by the founding of the Order of Preachers, which became known as the Dominicans. The purpose of the order was to preach the Word of God. They were also known as the “Black Friars”. The rule followed the Rule of St. Augustine. Their focus was on liturgical prayer and lifelong study.

The primary heresy the Dominicans preached against was Albigensianism. This was the belief that there are two dueling principles, good and evil, and that all matter was regarded as evil. They also taught that the devil is the creator of the material world.

A devotion which St. Dominic helped to spread is the Rosary. a Marian devotion, which combines meditation on the life of Christ, with memorized prayer. Tradition tells us that when Dominic became discouraged with the slow progress of his work of preaching against the Abligensian heresy, the Blessed Virgin appeared to him with a beautiful wreath of roses. She asked him to say the Rosary every day and to teach the people to say the Rosary. Soon the heresy began to disappear. The devotion of the rosary continues today.

After forming his order Dominic had a dream vision in which he met another person, a beggar. The next day, Dominic recognized this man when he came into his church. It was St. Francis of Assisi the future founder of the Franciscan Order. Dominic embraced him saying,

“You are my companion and must walk with me. For if we hold together, no earthly power can withstand us.”

St. Dominic and St. Francis were lifelong friends. Their orders celebrate their meeting on the feast day of their saint.

The motto of St. Dominic is: “To praise, to bless, to preach”. St. Dominic once said;

“Arm yourself with prayer, rather than a sword; wear humility rather than fine clothes.”

St. Dominic died on August 6, 1221 from a fever. Because of his love of learning and teaching, St. Dominic is known as the patron of astronomers.

Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you
after my death and I shall help you then
more effectively than during my life.
Quote of St. Dominic
St. Dominic in Art

  • St. Dominic Public Domain Image

August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

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Apostle, Faith, Feast Days, Spirituality

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: The Transfiguration, Feast Day August 6




The Transfigurateion by Rubens Public Domain Image
The Transfigurateion by Rubens

Has your faith in Jesus Christ transformed you?  The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord is celebrated on August 6.

On this feast day we remember the event which took place shortly after St Peter proclaimed his faith in the Lord, saying…  “You are the Messiah!”

Three Apostles accompanied Jesus into the mountains believed to be Mount Tabor.  They were the Apostles John, James and Peter

And he was transfigured before them and His face shone like the sun and his clothes became dazzling white.  Appearing with Jesus were Moses and Elijah, talking with him.  (Matthew 17.2-4).

The Apostles heard a voice saying:

This is my Son, the Beloved;  with him I am well pleased listen to him!”” (Matthew 17:5)

The Apostles fell to the ground overcome by fear.  But Jesus came and said,

“Get up and do not be afraid”

How does your faith in Jesus change your life?  Does it take away your fear?  What is different in your life because of your faith?

Hopefully, our faith is alive and growing stronger.  It is only through a strong prayer life that we can develop a relationship with Jesus which is visible to other people.  When we let Jesus lead us through the dark times of our life, our trust in Him gives us strength.  Our joy becomes evident when our faith is real and we have let Jesus touch our hearts.  It is a joy we have a need to share with others!

The types of prayer styles are many.  Basically, prayer is turning to God.  It is a conversation we have with Him.  Learning which prayer style fits us can be difficult.  Meditation can help us come to know God better.  Another word for meditation is reflection.  Reflecting on scripture, art or music is a wonderful way to spend time with God.

Advent wreath

Don’t forget to listen!  After you tell God your troubles and count your blessings, sit quietly and let him speak to you in the silence.  Light a candle to help center yourself.  The light of a candle represents the Light of Christ.  Remember, Jesus himself said:

“I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of Life.” John 8:12

In order to let the light of Jesus shine in our life we must let him into our hearts.  With an  open heart reflect on the following quote.

Faith in action is love, and love in action is service.  
By transforming that faith into living acts of love,
we put ourselves in contact with God Himself, with Jesus our Lord.
Quote of Bl. Teresa of Calcutta;  Feast Day September 5

Transfiguration by David Gerard

The Transfiguration by Raphael

The Transfiguration by Giovanni Salvaldo

The Transfiguration by Rubens

 The Transfiguration by Perugino

The Transfiguration by James Tissot
August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Our Lady, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Our Lady of the Snows, Feast day August 5


8Our Lady of the Snow

The Feast day of Our Lady of the Snows is celebrated on August 5.  It is on this day the Basilica of Mary Major was dedicated.

A man by the name of John lived in the ancient city of Rome.  He and his wife were childless.  They chose to leave their fortune to Mary, the Mother of God.  Pope Liberius suggessted that they pray for a sign to guide them in what she wished them to do.

On the evening of August 5, Our Lady appeared to John, his wife and the Pope asking for a church to be built in her honor on the Esquiline Hill.  John and his wife asked for a sign .   She told them:

“Snow will crown the crest of the hill.”

Although it snows only on rare occasions in Rome the snow covered the hill during the summer night of August 5, 358.  The snow fell in a pattern showing the outline of the church soon to be built.

Mary soon became known as Our Lady of the Snows.  Snow symbolizes that Mary is as ‘pure as the driven snow’.  Her many blessings may be compared to the number and variety of snowflakes.

The church built is now known as Saint Mary Major.  It has since been enlarged and restored.  Other names it has been known as are Basilica of Liberius, Saint Mary of the Crib and finally Saint Mary Major.

A statue of Our Lady of the Snows is believed to have been produced by St. Luke the Apostle.

Mary is always performing these two movements:  absorbing grace from her most holy son, and pouring it forth on sinners.
Quote of St. Anthony Mary Claret;   Feast day October 24

August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Basilica of St. Mary Major

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