Category Archives: Prayer

Faith, Prayer, Quote, Spirituality

What do the Saints Tell Us About Purgatory?

Learn what the Saints believed about Purgatory.   The quotes of the saints can teach us the beliefs of the early Church.

Halloween is celebrated on Oct. 31. Halloween stands for “All Hallows Eve.” It falls on the night before All Saint’s Day which is followed by All Soul’s Day on Nov. 2. On All Saint’s Day the Church celebrates the lives of the Saints. On All Soul’s Day the Church prays for the dead, who are on their pilgrimage to heaven (Purgatory).

Although the word Purgatory (as well as the words Trinity and Incarnation) does not appear in the Bible there are several references to it in both the New and the Old Testament. The Saints have testified to their belief in purgatory also.

The three main reasons Catholics believe in Purgatory are the following:

  • The Bible teaches us to “pray for the dead”.

    (2 Maccabees 12:44-45). For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.

  • The Bible tells us of a cleansing fire.

  • (Hebrews 12:29)  Our God is a consuming fire. Zechariah 13” 8-9 In the whole land, says the Lord, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive. And I will put this third into the fire, refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say,

  • “They are my people”, and they will say, “The Lord is our God.”
  • St. Paul prayed for the dead. (2 Timothy 1: 17-18) St. Paul prays for Onesiphorus who has died.
  • The Church Fathers and early Saints believed in Purgatory: The Church Fathers have a long tradition of praying for the dead. St. Augustine was asked by his mother Monica to pray for him at the altar. St. Gertrude the Great had a devotion to the Souls in Purgatory, as did St. Pio, St. Bridget and St. Bernadette.

The following quotes from the saints of the Catholic Church show that purgatory is a belief that has always existed in the church.

St. Paul
St. Paul
  1. St. Paul, First Century, Feast Day June 29
“May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesephores, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain….. May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord in that day!
Quote of St. Paul
St. Augustine
St. Augustine

2.  St. Augustine of Hippo, Africa d. 430,  Feast Day August 28

“Some suffer temporal punishments only in this life, others only after death, still others both in life and after death, but always before this most strict and most final court.”
Quote of St. Augustine
St. Monica
St. Monica

3.  St. Monica, Africa, Feast Day August 27

To St. Augustine before her death:

“All I ask is this, that wherever you may be,
you will remember me at the altar of the Lord.”
Quote of St. Monica
St. John Chrysostom
St. John Chrysostom

4. St. John Chrysostom;  Antioch 344-407  Feast Day Sept. 13

“Let us help and commemorate them. If Job’s sons were purified by their fathers sacrifices why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them.”
Quote of St. John Chrysostom
St. Gertrude the Great
St. Gertrude the Great

5. St. Gertrude the Great;  Germany 1256-1302  Feast Day Nov. 16

“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most precious Blood of Thy Divine Son , Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the wold today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, those in the Universal Church, in my home and in my family. Amen“
Quote of St. Gertrude

 

St. Catherine of Genoa
St. Catherine of Genoa

6. St. Catherine of Genoa;  Italy 1447-1510  Feast Day Sept. 15

“No one is barred from heaven. Whoever wants to enter heaven may do so because God is merciful. Our Lord will welcome us into glory with his arms wide open. The Almighty is pure however, and if a person is conscious of the least trace of imperfection and at the same time understands that Purgatory is ordained to do away with such impediments, the soul enters this place of perfection gladly to accept so great a mercy of God. The worst suffering of these suffering souls is to have sinned against Divine Goodness and not to have been purified in this life.”
Quote of St. Catherine of Genoa
St. Francis de Sales
St. Francis de Sales

7. St. Francis de Sales;  France 1567-1622   Feast Day Jan. 24

“With Charity towards the dead we practice all the works of charity. The Church encourages us to aid the souls in purgatory, who in turn will reward us abundantly when they come into their glory.”
Quote of St. Francis de Sales
St. Margaret Mary
St. Margaret Mary

8.  St. Margaret Mary;  France 1647-1690  Feast Day October 16

“If only you knew with what great longing these holy souls yearn for relief from their suffering. Ingratitude has never entered Heaven.”
Quote of St. Margaret Mary
St. Gregory the Great
St. Gregory the Great

9.   St. Gregory the Great; Italy 540-604  Feast Day Sept. 3

“Each one will be presented to the Judge exactly as he was when he departed this life. Yet there must be a cleansing fire before judgement because of some minor faults that may remain to be purged away.”
Pope St. Gregory the Great, Dialogues
St. Thomas Aquinas
St. Thomas Aquinas

 

10.  St. Thomas Aquinas;  Naples, Italy 1226-1274 Feast Day Jan. 28

“The more one longs for a thing, the more painful does deprivation of it become. And because after this life, the desire for God, the Supreme Good, is intense in the souls of the just (because this impetus toward him is not hampered by the weight of the body and that time of enjoyment of the “Perfect Good would have come) had there been no obstacle, the souls suffers enormously from this delay.”
Quote of St. Thomas Aquinas
St. Faustina
St. Faustina

11.  St. Faustina;  Poland  1905-1938

“O Jesus, I understand that your mercy is beyond all imagining, and therefore I ask you to make my heart so big that there will be room in it for the needs of all the souls living on the face of the earth. O Jesus, my love extends beyond the world, to the souls suffering in purgatory, and I want to exercise mercy toward them by means of indulgenced prayers. God’s mercy is unfathomable and inexhaustible, just as God himself is unfathomable. Even if I were to use the strongest words there are to express this mercy of God, all this would be nothing in comparison with what it is in reality. O Jesus, make my heart sensitive to all the sufferings of my neighbor, whether of body or of soul. O my Jesus, I know that You are toward us as we are toward our neighbor.”
Quote of St. Faustina
St. John Vianney
St. John Vianney

12.  St. John Vianney;  France 1786-1859 Feast Day August 4

“It is definite that only a few chosen ones do not go to Purgatory and the suffering there that one must endure exceed our imagination.”
Quote of St. John Vianney
St. Bernadette
St. Bernadette

 

13.  St. Bernadette  Lourdes, France Died 1879  Feast Day April 16

“In our prayers, let us not forget sinners and the poor souls in Purgatory especially our poor relatives.”
Quote of St. Bernadette
St. Padre Pio
St. Padre Pio

 

14.  St. Pio of Pietreleina;  Italy 1887-1968  Feast Day Sept. 23

“May the prayer of thy suppliant people, we beseech Thee, O Lord, benefit the souls of thy departed servants and handmaids: that thou may both deliver them from all their sins, and make them to be partakers of thy redemption. Amen
Eternal rest grant to them, O lord and let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen
May their souls and the souls of the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen“
Quote of St. Padre Pio
St. Bridget of Sweden
St. Bridget of Sweden

 15.     St. Bridget of Sweden  1303-1373  Feast Day July 23

St. Bridget to Our Blessed Lady:

“You are my Mother, the Mother of Mercy, and the consolation of the souls in Purgatory.”

Our Blessed Lady to St. Bridget

“I am the Mother of all the Poor Souls; for my prayers serve to mitigate their sufferings every single hour that they remain there. (Purgatory).”

 

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Faith, Prayer, Spirituality

Why Pray for the Dead?




Candlelight Prayer
Candlelight Prayer

To understand the doctrine of purgatory, it is necessary to understand several beliefs of the catholic church.

  • It is good to pray for the dead
  • We believe in tradition
  • Nothing unclean may enter heaven

Praying for the dead is a tradition which precedes the New Testament. In 2 Maccabees 23:45-46 it says:

“But if he was looking to the splendid reward that was laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, so that they might be delivered from their sin.“

It is good to pray for the dead. Why? If there are only two choices after death…heaven or hell...what purpose is there in praying for the dead? The historical practice of praying for the dead tells us that the belief that our prayer is heard and answered was an ancient belief.

The Catholic Church believes in tradition as well as scripture. The four marks of the church are stated in the Creed. We believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Being apostolic means that not only can the church be traced back to the apostles, but our beliefs can be traced back to the apostles as well. Remember, Jesus came to fulfill the law not to change it. (Matt 5:17)

Oral tradition was the method used to pass on the faith in the beginning. The bible was not even written down during the Apostolic Age. In 2 Thessalonians 2:15 we are told the following:

“So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the tradition that you were taught by us either by word of mouth or by our letter.”

Praying for the dead is an established tradition of the early Christians. One example of this is that in the fourth century St. Monica requested St. Augustine to remember her in the mass after she died.

Most of us know that we are unworthy to enter heaven. Jesus came to save us, however we still need to be cleansed by purifying fire before entering heaven. In Hebrews 12:29 it states the Our God is a consuming fire. We believe that before we enter heaven the fire of God’s love consumes the scars and effects of the sins we committed in out life. This explains the doctrine of purgatory as we understand it.

It is very comforting to know that our prayers make a difference. It is also comforting to know that I will be purified before facing God in heaven. A God whose love is so strong it is compared to fire….a fire which will consume and purify me.

Another way to look at purification is a cleansing.  Before we go to a party or celebration we usually bathe and dress up to look appropriate.  The purification we receive before partaking in the heavenly banquet makes us able to see God without the stain and scars of the sin which occurred during our lifetime.

We attend the heavenly banquet appropriately cleansed and dressed!

Praying for those souls who are in the purification process in purgatory relieves the suffering of  both the soul in purgatory and my own soul.

The following prayer was given to St. Gertrude the Great by our Lord in a vision.  Her feast day is celebrated on Nov. 16.

“Eternal Father, I offer thee the most precious Blood of thy divine son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.”

Just as I pray on a regular basis for my loved ones who I confidently hope are already in heaven, I pray that those who love me will in turn pray for me after my death.

Prayer can heal!  Prayer is powerful!

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Faith, Prayer, Spirituality

Do Evil Spirits Really Exist?

Quote




The Fall of Man Michelangelo
The Fall of Man
Michelangelo

On Halloween, we see many representations of good and evil: angels, witches, devils, monsters, princesses, gangsters, rock stars, politicians, super heroes.

While we are made in the image of God, each of us has a temptation to do evil. Society glamorizes evil.

If we take the Bible seriously, we should not doubt the existence of Satan and evil spirits. Jesus refers to Satan and angels multiple times.

Satan is actually an angel. He fell from grace when he turned from God. He has been at war with God ever since.

It is only in modern times, that people have denied the existence of evil spirits. Halloween is a time when we should reflect on the good and evil evident around us.

Halloween (All Hallows Eve) comes on the night before All Saint’s Day. Halloween is a display of both good and evil. All Saint’s Day (November 1st) is a display of people who have overcome evil for the glory of God.

Angels have existed since the beginning of creation. They are servants and messengers of God. Unlike human beings they are pure spirits. During the life of Jesus they are always present. Archangel Gabriel announces his birth, they protect Jesus in his infancy, (Mat 4) serve him in the desert, and they strengthen him in his agony in the garden,

The Feast Day of the Archangels is celebrated on September 29.  The Feast Day of the Guardian Angels is celebrated on Oct. 2.

The Church teaches that Satan, in the beginning, was a good angel, but became evil by choice.  We learn in the bible that Jesus came to conquer evil.

“Everyone who commits sin is a child of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.  The Son of God was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.“  1 John 8

When Jesus is praying in the Garden before his crucifixion, he prayed for unity among Christians.  He also prayed for protection against satan.

“I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.”  (John 17:15)

The fallen angels have never repented for their fall from grace. Their hatred of God leads them to seduce men into choosing their evil ways.

We have free will. God did not create evil. On Halloween, we should reflect on which path we wish to follow…the path of God…or the path of evil.

Being neutral is not an option, it is evil; the sin of omission, laziness, and being lukewarm.

The devil is always trying to tempt us to do evil.  We need to turn to God with the Lord’s prayer when we need to be strengthened.

‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.   (Matthew 6:13)

We need to be aware of the evil around us and the temptations which may cause us to go astray.  How else can we choose to do good rather than evil?   Pray!  Pray!  Pray!

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Faith, patron saints, Pope, Prayer, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. John Paul II, Feast Day October 22




 


St. John Paul II

The Feast day of St. John Paul II is celebrated on October 22.  He is the patron saint of youth.

Karol Jozef Wajtyla (pronounced Voy-tee-ya) was born to Karol and Emilia Wojtyla in Wodowice, Poland on May18, 1920. His mother died when he was nine years old. His sister Olga died before he was born. His brother Edmond, a doctor, died when he was twelve. He was very close to his father, who raised him. When he was 21, his father died, leaving him alone, with no family.

Young Karol studied drama in Krakow’s Jagiellonian University. The university closed due to the Nazi occupation in 1939. In 1942, he had a call to the priesthood. He studied in an underground seminary in Krakow. At the same time he also was a member of the underground “Rhapsodic Theater”.

Karol was ordained on November 1, 1946. He was sent to Rome where he finished his doctorate in theology with a thesis on the works of St. John of the Cross, a Carmelite saint

He wished to become a Carmelite priest himself. However, he was turned down twice. The first time, he was denied entry due to the war. The second time he applied, his bishop told him, he was not meant to be a contemplative (private prayer) priest, his charismatic (public prayer) talent was needed working with the public. During his early priesthood he worked as a chaplain to university students as well as vicar to several parishes.

On Jan 13, 1964 he became a Cardinal. He was a participant in the Vatican Council II (1962-1965).

On October 16, 1978, he was elected Pope. As Pope he chose the name of John Paul II. As Pope of the Catholic Church he will be remembered for many things. He established the World Youth Day Celebration. This event brought millions of young people together in a different country to celebrate their faith. In 1993, Youth Day was held in Denver, USA. In 2000 he led the celebration in Rome for the Great Jubilee year. Although unofficial, this is why he is considered the patron of youth.

As Pope he canonized many saints, including his fellow citizen Sister Faustina from Poland. John Paul II gave her Divine Mercy Devotion an official feast day, the Sunday following Easter. This devotion focuses on the mercy and forgiveness Jesus offers us.

Another Devotion John Paul II encouraged was the Rosary. The Rosary focuses on the life of Jesus. In 2002 he added a fourth set of mysteries to be meditated on which is called the Luminous Mysteries. This includes the Baptism of Jesus, The Wedding at Cana, The Institution of the Word, The Transfiguration, and The Eucharist.

In 1981 he survived an attempted assassination. He credited his devotion to Our Lady of Fatima for his survival. He publicly forgave his attacker.

John Paul II is remembered for his successful efforts to end communism, and for bringing together people of all faiths.

John Paul II died Parkinson’s disease on April 2, 2005.

John Paul II was Pope for 27 years. Many Catholics give him the title John Paul the Great, and Patron of Youth.   His message of hope often included  the message of Jesus when he stilled the water: “Be Not Afraid” (Mat: 14).

He received the title of Blessed in 2000. His first miracle was the cure of Sister Marie Perre Simon who was a French nun suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is the illness John Paul II died from on April 2, 2005.  The second miracle of Pope John Paul II was the curing of a brain aneurysm of Floribeth Mora Diaz of Costa Rica.

On  Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27, 2014, Pope Francis canonized Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII.  Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI con-celebrated the Mass.

Place your talents and enthusiasm at the service of life.
Quote of St. John Paul II

St. John Paul II
World Youth Day
Public Domain Image

 

Mother Teresa with Pope John Paul II
Public Domain Image

 

Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II

St. John Paul II in Art

October is the Month of the Most Holy Rosary.
Faith, Feast Days, Our Lady, Prayer, Spirituality

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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Prayer, Saint of the Day, Spirituality

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Bruno, Feast Day October 6




St. Bruno Public Domain Image
St. Bruno

The Feast Day of St. Bruno is celebrated on October 6.  He is the founder of the Carthusian Order.

St. Bruno was born at Cologne, Germany in 1030.  He studied in France and was ordained a priest.  For 18 years he was a professor of theology.  He then became the Chancellor  of the archdiocese.  He supported the reform of clergy by Pope Gregory VII and removed his own archbishop because of scandal.

St. Bruno had a great love of silence and solitude.  He received a vision from God showing him a hermitage where he should spend his life growing closer to God.  Along with friends, St. Bruno opened a hermitage in Chartreuse.  Their order became known as the Carthusians.  The hermitage was in a mountainous, desert region which was very isolated.  The hermits lived in private cells, coming together for Matins and Vespers each day.  The rest of their day was spent in solitude.  They ate together only on great feast days.  Their time was spent copying manuscripts.

Pope Urban II requested St. Bruno to come to Rome as an advisor.  When the pope fled Rome Bruno moved to Calabria after turning down an offer to become a bishop.

St. Bruno died of natural causes on October 6, 1101.

Although he was not formally canonized, Pope Clement X extended his feast day to the whole church in 1674.

“To pray the rosary is to hand over our burdens
to the merciful hearts of Christ and His Mother.”
Quote of St. John Paul II;  Feast Day October 22
October is the Month of the Most Holy Rosary

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Feast Days, patron saints, Prayer, Visionary

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




 

St. Faustina
St. Faustina

 

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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Faith, Feast Days, Prayer, Saint of the Day, Spirituality

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: The Exaltation of the Cross, Feast Day September 14




Crucifixion of Jesus Public Domain Image
Crucifixion of Jesus

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross is celebrated on September 14.

This feast day actually celebrated two events.

In the year 320, the actual cross on which Jesus was crucified was discovered by St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine.  Constantine then had a shrine and basilica built in 335.  The Basilica, named Martyrium and the shrine named The Calverium were destroyed by the Persians in the year 614.

On a more personal level, we celebrate how we are saved by the cross.  It is the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus which redeems us.  As Christians, we must be willing to suffer for the faith, looking to Jesus in moments of weakness.

The suffering of Jesus on the cross is called Redemptive Suffering.  In today’s world it is hard to understand the meaning of suffering.  Does anything good come from suffering?

Our salvation came from the suffering of Jesus who died for our sins.

One way that helps me to understand suffering is to think about the meaning of love.  When two people love each other and promise to be there for each other they believe they are in love.  The test of true love is what happens when the going gets tough?  It is only when we are willing to suffer for another that we know we are loving them.

Willingness to suffer defines love!  Jesus is not the only one who is capable of redemptive suffering.  We too, can offer our suffering for the good of another.  Think of all the times you have suffered in silence because to complain would not help the situation.  Give your suffering to God.  You will grow in virtue and love.

Remember… God is Love.  He showed us he loved us by suffering and dying on the cross for us.

On this feast day reflect on the suffering in your life.  Can you name the cross you are carrying?  Give all your suffering to God and you will come closer to Him who is called Love.

Suffering is a sign that we have come so close to Jesus on the cross that He can kiss us;  that He can show that He is in love with us by giving us an opportunity to share in His Passion.
Quote of St. Teresa of Calcutta;  Feast Day September 5
September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows

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Faith, patron saints, Prayer, Quote, Spirituality

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Teresa of Calcutta, Feast Day September 5




Mother Teresa Public Domain Image
Mother Teresa

The Feast Day of St. Teresa of Calcutta is celebrated on September 5.  On September 4, 2016 Pope Francis canonized Mother Teresa, proclaiming her a saint.

Mother Teresa was beatified on October 19, 2003, after confirmation of her first miracle. The miracle was reported that a woman who had a large and very visible tumor, had stayed with the Missionaries of Charity. After she and the Sisters had prayed for Mother Teresa’s intercession, the growth, six to seven inches in length, had disappeared within several hours. Finding no other medical explanation for the sudden cure it was declared her first miracle. Over 3500 other reports are being investigated as possible miracles.

After accepting a second miracle, Pope Francis cleared the way for Mother Teresa to be declared a saint.  Pope Francis signed a decree declaring that the inexplicable 2008 recovery of a Brazilian man who suddenly woke from a coma caused by a viral brain infection was due to the intercession of the Albanian nun, who died in 1997.

The Rev. Brian Kolodiejchuk, the postulator spearheading Mother Teresa’s canonization case, stated that the man fully recovered following his wife’s prayers and he has since returned to work as a mechanical engineer. The couple also have had two children.

Mother Teresa, as the world knows her, was born to parents Nikola and Drana Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1916 in Skopje of Macedonia and named Agnes Gonxha  Bojaxhiu. She was baptized on August 17, 1910 in Macedonia. She was the third child in her family, following sister Aga and a brother, Lazar. Her father, Nikola died, when she was eight years old. Her father was a traveler, an extrovert, and a businessman who spoke five languages. Her mother, Drana, was extremely pious, adopting several orphans. She was known as Gonxha (pronounced gon’KHA) which means “flower bud”.

Gonxha desired early to become a missionary. At the age of eighteen, she joined the Sisters of Loreto. Here she took the name of Sister Mary Teresa after St. Therese of Lisieux. She was sent to Calcutta, India to teach at St. Mary’s High School for Girls, which was run by the Sisters of Loreto. On May 24, 1937, she took her final Profession of Vows to a life of poverty, chastity, and obedience. She then became known as Mother Teresa. In 1944, she became principal of the school.

While on a train, she received a second calling. Christ spoke to her, asking her to work in the slums of Calcutta, caring for the sickest and poorest of the people. Pursuing this calling changed her life forever. In one year, she received approval to do the work she was being called to do. After six months of basic medical training she went to the slums to aid the needy and dying. Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity with 12 members, most of them students from St. Mary’s. She established a leper colony, an orphanage, a mission house, and several health clinics. In 1971, Mother Teresa visited New York City, where she opened a soup kitchen and a home to care for HIV/AIDS sufferers. In 1979, she received the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 1983, Mother Teresa suffered her first heart attack. After suffering from lung, kidney and heart problems for several years, she died on Sept. 5, 1997 at the age or 87. At the time of her death her Missionaries of Charity numbered over 4,000. She had 610 foundations in 123 countries.

In 2003, Mother Teresa’s private correspondence revealed she had experienced a “dark night of the soul”… feeling abandoned by God and lacking in faith. This lasted unusually long; for fifty years. Many saints have experienced such feelings, described by John of the Cross, in his book Dark Night of the Soul. She was filled with loneliness, and torture, due to this lack of consolation from God.

Mother Teresa is known for saying,

“The greatest poverty in the world, among the affluent, as well as the poorest of the poor, is to be unloved, unwanted, and uncared for.”

The world did not know that she spoke from her own experience.
There are many books written about Mother Teresa and her great love and service to the world. The following is one of my favorite quotes.

Suffering is a sign that we have come so close to Jesus on the cross that He can kiss us; that He can show that He is in love with us by giving us an opportunity to share in His Passion.

 

Quote of St. Teresa of Calcutta
September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows
Faith, Prayer, Spirituality

Praying the Rosary Brings You Closer to Jesus




 

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Statue
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Statue

 

The practice of praying the rosary has its historical roots with St. Dominic. St. Dominic founded the Order of Preachers or Dominicans. Monks in the monasteries recited the Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours) daily. This included all 150 Psalms. The lay people were unable to read so they substituted Ave Maria’s (Hail Mary’s) for the psalms. The first half of the rosary is found in the Bible.

“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.”

This statement was made by Archangel Gabriel (Luke 1: 26). The second part of the prayer is a prayer is a request that Mary pray for us at the time of death.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

By meditating on the life of Jesus, the rosary brings Jesus into our daily life. There are four sets of mysteries which we meditate on: The Joyful , The Glorious, The Sorrowful, and the Luminous

Each set has five mysteries.

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

By meditating and pondering on the life of Christ we receive grace and guidance from the Holy Spirit. A popular saying is “to Jesus, through Mary”. Mary is our spiritual mother. She always guides us to her Son. After the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours, the Rosary is the most popular prayer of the church.

St. John Paul II added the Luminous Mysteries during his papacy.

Do Catholics actually worship Mary when they pray the rosary? Veneration and worship are two different things. To venerate is to honor. Jesus honored his mother. (Isn’t one of the commandments honor thy father and thy mother?) We are called to imitate Jesus. Why then would we pretend Mary doesn’t exist?

Worship is given to God alone (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). All Mary’s power comes from God, not from herself. But we can easily relate to Mary. She was given great responsibility. She was troubled, but her answer was

“Let it be done according to thy word.”

May we always imitate Mary when given an assignment by God!

The following website instructs on how to pray the rosary: ROSARY

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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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Doctor of the Church, Faith, patron saints, Prayer, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Alphonsus Liguori, Feast Day August 1




St. Alphonsus Liguori Public Domain Image
St. Alphonsus Liguori

 

The Feast day of St. Alphonsus Liguori is celebrated on August 1. Alphonsus was born in 1696 near Naples, Italy. His father was a captain in the Royal Navy. He is the patron saint of confessors and theologians.

At the age of 16, St. Alphonsus Liguori received a doctorate in civil an canon law. At the age of 18 he joined the Confraternity of Our Lady of Mercy which cared for the sick, devoting himself to works of mercy. He became a lawyer by the age of 20. However, the work proved to be unfulfilling. After losing an important case, Alphonsus left his career as a lawyer to enter the priesthood. He was ordained in 1726.

As a priest St. Alphonsus ministered to the poor working to the point of exhaustion. In 1732 he decided to dedicate himself completely to the poor and abandoned. He founded the Congregation of the Holy Redeemer which became known as the Redemptorists.

St. Alphonsus was a gifted preacher who reached many people.The Redemptorists led mission revivals in the countryside preaching to anyone who would listen. They traveled from town to town. St. Alphonsus focused on three images; Jesus as an infant in the crib, Jesus crucified on the cross, and Jesus vibrantly alive and filled with love for everyone in the Eucharist. He also had a great devotion to Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer.

St. Alphonsus was an artist, composer and a writer. He wrote music which he composed on a harpsichord. It spread throughput the countryside. He wrote over 100 books including “Prayer, the Great Means of Salvation.” He was given the title “Doctor of Prayer”.  St. Alphonsus believed that if you pray your salvation is secure.

St. Alphonsus was troubled by illness most of his life. His final years, he suffered from severe arthritis which kept him in a wheelchair. St. Alphonsus died at the age of 91 after a night of prayer. He was canonized in 1839 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1871.

We must love God in a way that pleases Him,
and not just in a way that suits ourselves.
God wishes people to empty themselves
of everything and to be filled with is divine love.
Quote of St. Alphonsus Liguori
August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

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