The feast day of St. Laura of Cordoba is celebrated on October 19. She was a widow and martyr.
St. Laura lived in Spain in the ninth century. It’s culture was primarily Muslim. After her husband died she became a nun at Cuteclara . She eventually became the abbess.
St. Laura is one of the 48 Martyrs of Cordoba. She was captured and scalded to death by being placed in a vat of boiling lead.
It is You Jesus, stretched out on the cross, who gives me strength and are always close to the suffering soul. Creatures will abandon a person in his suffering, but You, O Lord, are faithful.
Bl. Ambrose of Sienna was born on April 16, 1220. He was born with a congenital deformity. Cared for by a nurse, she took him to Mass at The Dominican Church of St. Mary Magdalene.
It was noticed that little Ambrose was always calm near the altar. When they left the altar he would cry. At about the age of a year while they were near the altar Ambrose distinctly pronounced the sacred name of Jesus. He was instantly healed of his deformity.
Not surprisingly, Ambrose was a very pious child. At the age of seven he spent his time in meditation and praying the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin. His Father was an illuminator of books. One of the gifts he gave Ambrose was a book of saints. It became Ambrose favorite book.
At the age of 17 Ambrose joined the Dominican Friars. He was sent to Paris to study with St. Albert the Great. St. Thomas Aquinas was a fellow student. Ambrose was influenced by the writing of St. Thomas Aquinas which convinced him to preach rather than write.
Bl. Ambrose preached in Germany, France and Italy, living a life of constant prayer. He became known as a peacemaker. He restored peace between Venice and Genoa and also Florence and Pisa. He was sent on many peacemaking missions.
Bl. Ambrose was given the gift of ecstasy and vision. After his death miracles were reported at his tomb.
If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship,
The Feast Day of the Most Holy Rosary is celebrated on October 7. Originally, it was known as the Feast day of Our Lady of Victory in memory of the naval victory which took place called the Battle of Lepanto in the 16th century. The Christian forces repelled a massive Turkish invasion after Pope St. Pius V urged Europe’s Christians to pray the Rosary. In 1573, St. Pius V established the feast day. It was extended to the universal church in 1716 by Pope Clement XI.
Devotion to the Rosary was begun by St. Dominic. The devotion 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 Abligensianheresy, the Blessed Virgin appeared to him with a beautiful wreath of roses. She asked him to say the Rosaryevery day and to teach the people to say the Rosary. Soon the heresy began to disappear. The devotion of the rosary continues today.
The feast day of the Most Holy Rosary is a day we can take time to thank the Blessed Virgin Mary for all the times she has prayed and interceded for us. Our faith teaches us that Mary is our spiritual mother. Praying the rosary is actually a meditation on the life of Jesus. It consists of four sets of mysteries: The Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries. Each set has five events in the life of Jesus to meditate on.
The Joyful Mysteries: 1. Annunciation 2. Visitation 3. Birth of Jesus 4. Presentation in the Temple 5. Finding the Child Jesus
The Luminous Mysteries: 1. Christ’s Baptism I the Jordan 2. Wedding at Cana 3. Proclamation of the Kingdom 4. Transfiguration 5. Institution of the Eucharist
Sorrowful Mysteries: 1. Agony in the Garden 2. Scourging at the Pillar 3. Crowning with Thorns 4. Carrying of the Cross 5. Crucifixion
Glorious Mysteries: 1. Resurrection 2. Ascension into Heaven 3. Descent of the Holy Spirit 4. Assumption 5. Crowning of Our Blessed Lady
When we pray the rosary we dedicate the prayer for a certain intention such as healing the sick, guiding someone in need or peace in our family. It is a personal prayer based on the life of Jesus. Thank you Mary for listening to us!
Praying the rosary is not difficult. If you would like to learn how to pray the rosary, this article will lead you through it.
Remember, Jesus loved Mary. If we want to imitate Jesus we should honor His Mother.
“It could be said that each mystery of the rosary, carefully meditated,
The feast day of the Guardian Angels is celebrated on October 2. The feast day was added to the Church Calendar in the year 1615 by Pope Paul V.
References to angels occur frequently in the bible. Jesus himself refers to angels saying:
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly father. ( Matthew 18:10)
An angel is mentioned at least 17 times in the New Testament. Two incidents which would indicate a guardian angel are the angel who delivered St. Peter from prison (Acts 5:19) and the angel who ministered to Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Luke 22:39)
THE ANGEL WITH ST. PETER
19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors, brought them out, and said, “Go, stand in the temple and tell the people the whole message about this life.” When they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and went on with their teaching.
CHRIST PRAYING IN GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE
39 He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. When he reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.” Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength.
The function of the guardian angels is to strengthen,lead and guide us to the Kingdom of Heaven.
“Are not all angels spirits in the divine service went to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? “(Hebrews 1:14)
The Catechism of the Catholic Church declares in section 336 about guardian angels: “From infancy to 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.”
All of us at some time in our life need guidance and help during times of suffering and confusion. We turn to Jesus in prayer to lead us to everlasting life. Mary and the saints pray for us and are our role models. But we should also turn to our guardian angel and be grateful for all the unknown times we have been led down the correct path.
Guardian Angel with Children
The angels rejoice and celebrate with Christ over the return of the Lord’s sheep…He sought us on earth; let us seek Him in heaven.
Marie Therese Martin was born at Alencon, France on Jan. 2, 1873. St Thérèse of Lisieux is the patron saint of florists, missionaries, pilots and against tuberculosis.
The father of St. Thérèse, Louis Martin, was a watchmaker. Her Mother, Zelie was a lace maker. She died when Thérèse was four year old. Pope Francis canonized both Louise and Zelie as saints on Oct. 18, 2015. All five of their daughters entered religious life. The family attended daily Mass, visited the elderly and the sick and helped the poor.
St. Thérèse felt called into the religious life at the age of 15. She asked permission to enter the Carmel of Lisieux a Carmelite convent. She took the name of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face.
St. Thérèse had a childlike trust in the providence of God and in His merciful love. Her life as contemplative Carmelite was short but it influenced many souls. She was declared a Doctor of the Church by St. Pope St. John Paul II in 1997.
During her nine years living as a Carmelite Nun St. Thérèse became known for her spirituality. Her love of God was profound and she wanted to share that love with others. She developed her “Little Way” which was her way of loving Jesus. When asked to explain it, she replied:
“It is the way of spiritual childhood, the way of trust and absolute self-surrender. I want to point out to souls the means that I have always found so completely successful…to tell them there is only one thing to do here below…to offer Our Lord the flowers of little sacrifices and win Him by our caresses.”
St. Thérèse’s spirituality began with scripture and the gospels. She offered any suffering in her life to God and trusted in Him completely. She found joy in suffering for it united her to the cross and the Passion of Our Lord. She also had a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
“How little known is the merciful love of the Heart of Jesus! It is true that to enjoy that treasure we must humble ourselves, must confess our nothingness . . . and here is where many a soul draws back.”
St. Thérèse liked to use the image of flowers, especially roses, in her prayers. She considered each sacrifice a flower given to God. She compared souls to flowers, each one unique.
St. Thérèse came down with tuberculosis and died after several years of suffering at the age of 24 on Sept. 30, 1897. She was canonized in 1925.
The autobiography St. Thérèse wrote, The Story of a Soul, was published the year after her death.
“I want to suffer and even rejoice for love, for this is my way of scattering flowers. Never a flower shall I find but its petals shall be scattered for you, and all the while I will sing, yes sing, even when gathering my roses in the midst of thorns, and the longer and sharper the thorns may be, the sweeter shall be my song!”
September 29th is the day the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of the Archangels; St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael. The word “angel” means servant of God. Angels have no bodies. They are pure spirits. They have intellect and free will. Angels who turned against God are called “fallen angels”. Satan is the leader of the fallen angels.
“Angel is the name of their office, not of their nature.”
The Choirs of angels include nine types of angels. In ascending order they are: 1. Angels 2. Archangels 3. Principalities 4. Powers 5. Virtues 6. Dominations 7. Thrones 8. Cherubim 9. Seraphim.
The archangels appear several times in scripture. St. Michael (which means “who is like God”) is considered a warrior angel. He appears three times in scripture; in the Book of Daniel, the Epistle of St. Jude, and the Book of Revelation. In the Book of Revelation, the final battle between good and evil at the end of time is described. St. Michael and his angels will battle against the dragon (also known as Satan) and good will triumph. (Revelation 12:7)
St. Gabriel (which means “Strength of God) is a messenger. He announces the birth of the prophet John the Baptist. He is also called the Angel of the Annunciation because he announces to Mary that she is to be the Mother of God. It is St. Gabriel the messenger who says:
“Hail Mary, the Lord is with you.”(Luke 1:28)
St. Raphael (which means “Divine Healer”) appears in the Book of Tobit. He is a guide for the young Tobias on his long journey. He introduces Tobias to his future wife Sarah, and after their return home, he gives Tobias instructions in how to heal his fathers’ blindness.
The following prayers of intercession are popular prayers to the Archangels.
St. Michael the Archangel
Prayer to St. Michael
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the Divine Power of God, cast into hell Satan and all evil spirits, who roam throughout the world, seeking the ruin of souls. Amen
Archangel Gabriel
Prayer to St. Gabriel
Blessed St. Gabriel, the Archangel, We beseech you to intercede for us as at the throne of divine mercy. As ;you announced the mystery of the Incarnation to Mary, so through your prayers, may we receive strength of faith, and courage of spirit, and thus find favor with God and redemption through Christ Our Lord. May we sing the praise of God our Savior with the angels and saints in heaven forever and ever. Amen
St. Raphael the Archangel
Prayer to St. Raphael
Dear St. Raphael, your lovely name means “God heals”. The Lord sent you to young Tobias to guide him throughout a long journey. Upon his return you taught him how to cure his fathers’ blindness. How natural therefore for Christians to pray for your powerful help for safe travel and a happy return. This is what we ask for ourselves as well as for all who are far from home. Amen
