Category Archives: Feast Days

Solemnity of Christ the King to be Celebrated




Christ the King
Christ the King

 

 

The Sunday before Advent is the Feast of Christ the King. The feast was established in 1925 by Pope Pius XII in response to the growing secularism in society. The purpose of the feast is to proclaim the Kingdom of Christ.

 

The Kingdom of Christ Is spiritual. It concerns itself with spiritual things. In the time of Christ democracy did not exist. Governments were primarily geographical kingdoms. Each area was ruled by a king.

On the Feast of Christ the King, we should reflect on who or what rules over our heart. Hopefully, we can honestly say Christ is our King, and Lord. If we can, then our actions every day must be to imitate Christ and to follow His commandments.

Many Jewish people rejected Christ as the Messiah because they expected a royal King. Jesus, however, was poor, born in a stable. He is however, still a King. A synonym for king is ruler. Jesus rules over our hearts. Our conscience is formed by our belief that Jesus is King!

The Liturgical Year ends with the Feast of Christ the King. This feast is celebrated the Sunday before Advent, which begins the new liturgical year.

 

Prayer on the Feast of Christ the King

Almighty and merciful God. You break the power of evil and make all things new in Your Son Jesus Christ, the King of the universe. May all in heaven and on earth acclaim Your glory and never cease to praise You.

Father all-powerful God of Love, You have raised our Lord Jesus Christ from death to life, resplendent in glory as King of creation. Open our hearts; free all the world to rejoice in His peace to glory in His justice and to live in His love. Bring all mankind together in Jesus Christ Your Son whose Kingdom is with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen

 

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica, Nov. 9




Basilica of St. John Lateran
Basilica of St. John Lateran

 

The dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica is celebrated on November 9.

St. John Lateran Basilica is the oldest of the four great basilicas in Rome.   The four basilicas are:

  • The Basilica of St. Peter
  • The Basilica of St. Mary Major
  • The Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Wallls
  • The Basilica of St. John Lateran

Originally, the site was occupied by the palace of the family of the Laterani. The term “Lateran”  does not  refer to a saint but to the church’s ancient origins as the the Lateran palace, which once belonged the Roman noble family of the Laterni.

Constantine acquired the old palace through marriage. Not only did Constantine end the persecution of the Church he also gave the palace to the Church as a gift and it was enlarged. It became the residency for the Pope.  The Basilica has been dedicated to both St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist.

 

Until the 14th century popes resided in the Lateran palace. It’s official title is:

“Mother Church of the whole world.”

The Basilica of St. John Lateran  is the official seat of the Pope (the Pope’s Cathedral).
Pope Sylvester officially dedicated the basilica in the year 324 declaring it a house of God.
The Basilica has been dedicated to both St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist.

 

“Little children, love one another.”

Quote of St. John the Evangelist;  Feast Day Dec. 27

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

 

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Elizabeth, Feast Day Nov. 5

Virgin Mary Visits Elizabeth
Virgin Mary Visits Elizabeth

 

 

St. Elizabeth is mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. She is a relative of the Virgin Mary and the wife of Zachariah. Elizabeth was considered barren due to old age. However, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Zachariah while he was at the temple. He told him not to be afraid, that he was to have a son and was to name him John. Zachariah questioned the angel and the angel said he would be mute because of his doubt.

Elizabeth was six months pregnant when Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus, came to visit her. It is Elizabeth you greeted Mary by saying,

“Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.”

When her son was born Zachariah asked for a tablet and wrote

“His name is John”.

Immediately, he was able to speak again. Their son was John the Baptist.  St. John the Baptist and Jesus are considered cousins.

 

“When a nation lacks saints,

darkness invades peoples minds.”

 

Quote of Bl. Bronislaw Markiewiez; Poland, (1842-1912)

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: All Saint’s Day, Feast Day November 1




All Saints Day Communion by Bra Angelico Public Domain Image
All Saints Day Communion by Bra Angelico

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: All Saint’s Day .                                                                                                                                                                                                        The Solemnity of All Saints Day is also known as All Hallows Eve. It is celebrated on November 1 by Western Christianity. It honors all souls who have arrived in heaven. Many countries celebrate it as a national holiday. It is followed by All Souls’ Day on Nov. 2 in which Catholics pray for those still on their journey to heaven. This journey is known as purgatory. Catholics believe that life is a spiritual pilgrimage. Death is the beginning of our journey through purgatory to heaven. Purgatory is where a soul is prepared and purified to enter heaven.

A Saint is a person whose soul has arrived in its’ eternal home…heaven.  The journey to heaven is not easy!    We ask for the prayers of those in heaven to aid us on our journey to heaven.

 

 

True learning consists in the science of the saints:

that is to say…in knowing how to love Jesus Christ.

Quote of St. Alphonsus Liguori; Feast day August 1

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

 

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Feast of the Most Holy Rosary, October 7




 

Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Staute
Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Staute

 

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 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.

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,

sheds light on the mystery of man.”

Quote of Pope ;John Paul II;  Feast Day October 22

 

October is the Month of the Most Holy Rosary

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Faustina, Feast Day October 5




St. Faustina
St. Faustina

 

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Faustina, Feast Day October 5

The feast day of St. Faustina is celebrated on October 5.  She is considered the Apostle of Mercy.

St. Faustina was baptized Helena Kowalska.   She was born into a very poor family of ten children  on August 25, 1905 in Glogowiec, Poland.  She lived on a farm receiving only three years of education.

St. Faustina worked as a housekeeper before joining the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in 1925 at the age of 20.  For 13 years she prayed in the convent and worked as a cook, gardener and porter.

St. Faustina grew in holiness.  She had a very mystical interior life.  She had the gifts of visions, prophecy, the stigmata , bi-location, the gift of reading hearts and mystical marriage.

The vision which impacted the world was a vision of Jesus.  She tells the story in her Diary.

 

“In the evening, when I was in my cell, I became aware of the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From the opening of the garment at the breast there came forth two large rays, one red and the other pale. In silence I gazed intently at the Lord; my soul was overwhelmed with fear, but also with great joy. After a while Jesus said to me, ‘paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the inscription: Jesus, I trust in You.'”

Some time later, Our Lord again spoke to her:

“The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous; the red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth from the depths of My most tender Mercy at that time when My agonizing Heart was opened by a lance on the cross….Fortunate is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him.”

 

 

Divine Mercy
Divine Mercy

 

At the request of Jesus she willingly offered her sufferings in union with him to atone for the sins of others. He also asked her to remind the world of His Divine Mercy and He taught her a very special devotion to the Divine Mercy based on trust in Him.   She had a special devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Eucharist and the Sacrament of confession which strengthened her.

One of the vision she experienced was a visit to hell, which she shares in her diary.  She suffered greatly interiorly, however she only shared her suffering with her spiritual director.  At the request of Jesus and her confessors, St. Faustina kept a diary in which she shared her visions.

St. Faustina died of tuberculosis in Krakow, Poland at age 33 in 1938.  She was canonized by the first Polish Pope, Pope John Paul II on April 30, 2000

Divine Mercy Sunday is now celebrated every year on the first Sunday after Easter.

 

“Jesus, I Trust In You”

Quote of St. Faustina

 

October is the Month of the Most Holy Rosary

 

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