Category Archives: Apostle

Apostle, Faith, Feast Days, Spirituality

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

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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

 

Apostle, Faith, Martyr, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. James the Greater, Feast Day July 25

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St. James the Greater Public Domain Image
St. James the Greater

On July 25, the Catholic Church will be celebrating the feast day of St. James the Greater. St. James was a fisherman and the brother of John. Peter was his partner. When they were called to become Apostles of  Jesus, they left everything to do so.  St. James the Greater is the patron saint of laborers and Spain.

There were two Apostles named James. James the Greater is the older of the two. He was also called “The Son of Thunder”.  James, John and Peter were honored to be the only Apostles present at the Transfiguration. They were also present in the Garden of Gethsemane while Jesus prayed before His death.

Tradition tells us he evangelized in Spain after the crucifixion for nine years. St. James the Greater was the first Apostle to be martyred. In the year 44, King Herod Agrippa killed him with a sword during the early persecutions of the Church.

 

Truly, matters in the world are in a bad state,

but if you and I begin in earnest to reform ourselves,

a really good beginning will have been made.

Quote of St. Peter Alcantara; Feast day October 19

 

St. James the Greater in Art

July is the Month of the Most Precious Blood.

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Apostle, Faith, Martyr, Spirituality

Are You a Doubting Thomas?

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Doubting Thomas Painting by Caravaggio Public Domain Image
Doubting Thomas Painting by Caravaggio

Most of us have times in our lives when we can relate well to doubting Thomas. He is known for stating his disbelief. After Jesus appeared to the other Apostles, Thomas said he needed to see for himself the wounds of Christ before he would believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. After Jesus showed him his wounds Jesus stated,

“Blessed are those who have not seen, but believe.

Thomas is not afraid to question. When Jesus tells the Apostles that they will follow him, Thomas questions Him;

“How can we follow you, when we know not where you are going?”

Jesus answered him by telling him,

“I am the way the truth and the life, whoever follows me will live forever.

Today (July 3) is the feast of St. Thomas. In the Catholic Church we celebrate in mass worldwide the life and faith of St. Thomas. We reflect on how he led his life and followed Jesus. When we have questions, we should not be afraid to ask Jesus to answer them. When we are not sure about our faith, it is a good thing to ask Jesus to lead us to Him.

Many people do not have faith today and do not know how to find God. Perhaps they are looking for God as a scientist would… under a microscope. Spirituality is not found under a microscope. Being unafraid to ask God questions can lead us closer to Him.

Remember when we were little children? The questions were many. What? Why? Where? How? When?

Asking God directly to enlighten us to the truth may actually have results.
One of my favorite prayers is a simple one.

“Lead me, Lord!”

May we all be led closer to God as we pray through our doubts.

St. Thomas pray for us.

 

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Apostle, Martyr, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Thomas the Apostle, Feast Day July 3

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St. Thomas the Apostle Public Domain Image
St. Thomas the Apostle

 

The feast day of St. Thomas the Apostle is celebrated on July 3. Thomas was also called Didymus which means twin. St. Thomas is the patron saint of India and architects.

Thomas the Apostle was known for questioning things. He was not afraid to ask questions or state his disbelief. Jesus treated him with love and compassion.

St. Thomas was also known as “Doubting Thomas”. After the resurrection Jesus appeared to the Apostles. Thomas was not there and did not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. When Jesus later appeared to him he said “Peace be with you. Do not doubt but believe.” (John 21:24) St. Thomas also asked Jesus “How can we follow you, when we know not where you are going?” Jesus responded, “I am the way, the truth and the life. Whoever follows me will live forever.”

Thomas was one of the original twelve apostles. He was present at the Last Supper. He was also present when Jesus had the Apostles lower their nets and they miraculously caught many fish. After the resurrection, St. Thomas was sent to evangelize the Parthians, the Persians and India. He is believed to have built the first church in India. St. Thomas died a martyr’s death when at Calamine in India he was speared to death while praying.

 

My Lord and my God!

Quote of St. Thomas the Apostle

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Apostle, Martyr, patron saints, Pope, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Peter and St. Paul, Feast Day June 29

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The Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul Public Domain Image
The Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul

The Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of St. Paul and St. Peter on June 29.

Both saints were martyred for their faith during the persecution of Nero. St. Peter was crucified upside down by his own request. He did not consider himself worthy to be crucified in the same manner as Our Lord. St. Paul was beheaded. It is possible they were both martyred on the same day.

St. Peter was one of the original Apostles. He was a fisherman before he was called to follow Jesus. He was the brother to the Apostle Andrew. St. Peter was clearly the leader of the apostles. With James and John he witnessed the Transfiguration and the Agony in the Garden. His mother-in-law was cured by Jesus. Originally, Peter’s name was Simon. Jesus asked the apostles, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon said, “You are the Messiah, the son of the living God.” Jesus then said:

“Blessed are you Simon, Son of Jonah, for flesh and blood have not revealed this to you but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

During the crucifixion of Jesus, Peter denied Jesus three times. Jesus also told Peter three times…

“Feed my sheep”.

St. Peter is the patron saint of fishermen.

St. Paul was not one of the original apostles. While persecuting Christians after the death of Jesus, he was thrown to the ground by a bright light. He heard a voice asking him,

“Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

He responded with “Who are you, Lord?” Jesus answered him:

“I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city and you will be told what you are to do.”

Paul was blinded by the light for three days after which scales fell from his eyes. He then joined the apostles, becoming known as “The Apostle of the Gentiles”. He wrote many of the epistles in the Bible. He is the patron saint of writers, the press, and missionaries.

Prayer to St. Peter and St. Paul

Grant, we pray, O Lord our God, that we may be sustained by the intercession of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, that as through them you gave your Church the foundations of her heavenly office, so through them you may help her to eternal salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever. Amen

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Quote of St. Paul

 

Lord, you know that I love you.

Quote of St. Peter

 

June is the Month of the Sacred Heart

 

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Barnabas, Feast Day June 11

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The feast day of St. Barnabas is celebrated on June 11.

St. Barnabas was Jewish. He was given the name of Joseph at birth. He sold his property and gave the proceeds to the Apostles who named him Barnabas. Barnabas means ‘son of consolation’ or ‘man of encouragement’. The bible tells us he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. He lived in common with the earliest Christian converts. While he was not one of the original apostles, he is believed to be one of the 72 commissioned by Jesus to preach. He is given the honorary title of Apostle.

St. Barnabas Public Domain Image
St. Barnabas

St. Barnabas was one of the first to welcome St. Paul as a disciple of Jesus. He persuaded the community to accept Paul. Barnabas was sent to Antioch, Syria to investigate a community of non-Jewish believers there and brought Paul there from Tarsus. The followers of The Way were first called Christians at Antioch. Barnabas, his cousin John Mark and the Apostle Paul traveled together on their first missionary journey. They went to Cyprus, Perga, Antioch, and Iconium, and Lystra in Lycaomia. After being stoned they returned to Antioch.

Paul and Barnabas attended the counsel of Jerusalem which was discussing whether Christians needed to be circumcised before baptism.

St. Barnabas preached in Alexandria and Rome before being stoned to death at Salamis in the year 61. He is considered the founder of the Cypriot Church.

 

Let us be about God’s business and He will look after ours.

Quote of St. Vincent de Paul; Feast day September 27

 

June is the Month of the Sacred Heart.