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
I try to make the serenity prayer a daily prayer. Often, it helps me to get through the most difficult moments of my life. When life is out of control, this prayer reminds me that I am not supposed to be in control of everything, only God is! I am a very visual person. When I say a prayer I often have pictures to meditate on in my mind. One day as I was praying the serenity prayer I realized my definition of serenity was wrong!
I have always considered serenity as complete calm. While praying this prayer I was picturing a calm lake on a sunny day. It was so calm there were no whitecaps on the water. It was so calm if I was on a sailboat, I would not be able to sail due to lack of wind. I was stuck! This is not serenity! We need movement in our lives! Without progress we stagnate and then we seem to go backwards or become lost.
When I am the opposite of serene, I am frantic and in a panic. This frame of mind makes it impossible to make rational decisions. I finally realized that serenity is being able to make decisions while we are in the eye of a storm! While I prefer a sunny day on the lake, I always want there to be a breeze so the sailboat I am in will actually go where I direct it.
Serenity is being calm enough during the storm to know which ropes to pull to keep the boat from turning over!
Serenity Prayer
God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change
Courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace
Taking, as He did, this world as it is,
Not as I would have it.
Trusting that He will make all things right
If I surrender to His will.
That I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with Him,
Forever in the next.
The feast day of St. Gertrude is celebrated on November 16. She is the patron saint of West Indies, Nuns and travelers.
St. Gertrude was born at Eisleben in Saxony, Germany on Jan. 6, 1256. At the age of five, Gertrude was placed in the care of Benedictine nuns. She later joined the monastery, living a cloistered life.
At the age of 24, St. Gertrude was experiencing an interior crisis and depression. She experienced a vision of Jesus on Jan. 27, 1281. He told her:
“I have come to comfort you and bring you salvation.”
St. Gertrude was filled with a new zeal for her vocation to love Jesus. She considered herself a “bride of Christ”. She dedicated herself to studying scripture and spiritual writing. St. Gertrude was inspired to write five books. Three of them still exist.
Eventually she was elected Abbess. She also took charge of the monastery at Hefta. She and her nuns moved there. Gertrude was well educated. She was a mystic and had a great devotion to the saints, the souls in purgatory, the Passion of Our Lord and to His Sacred Heart. She also was devoted to the Bl. Virgin Mary.
“O Sacred Heart of Jesus, fountain of eternal life, Your Heart is a glowing furnace of Love. You are my refuge and my sanctuary. O my adorable and loving Savior, consume my heart with the burning fire with which Yours is aflamed. Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Your love. Let my heart be united with Yours. Let my will be conformed to Yours in all things. May Your Will be the rule of all my desires and actions. Amen. “
Prayer of Saint Gertrude the Great
In 1298, St. Gertrude became very ill. The suffering she experienced was transfigured into love. St. Gertrude died in the year 1302.
The devotion St. Gertrude had for the Poor Souls in Purgatory is well known. The following prayer was written by her out of compassion for those still on their journey to heaven.
Eternal Father, I offer You the most Precious Blood of your Son, Jesus Christ, in union with all the masses said around the world today, for all the Poor Souls in Purgatory,for sinners everywhere, in the Universal Church, in my home and in my family. Amen.
The feast day of St. Martin of Tours is celebrated on November 11. He is the patron saint of soldiers and beggars.
St. Martin was born in 315 in Pannonia, a Roman Province. Martin’s father was an army officer. Secretly he became a catechumen (a student preparing to become Catholic) at the age of ten. He longed to be a monk so that he could be alone with God in prayer. He was forced to join the army at the age of 15 before he had been baptized. His job was to protect the emperor. He became an officer and was assigned garrison duty in Gaul.
He is portrayed in art helping a beggar who was freezing cold and in need of help. Martin removed his cloak, cut it in half with his sword and gave one half to the beggar. That night, Martin had a dream in which Jesus was wearing his cloak. The dream inspired Martin to immediately seek baptism. He was eighteen years old. Two years after his baptism Martin refused to fight any longer, saying,
I have served you as a soldier, now let me serve Christ.”
Martin was eventually ordained an exorcist. He was chosen as the Bishop of Tours because of his holiness. Martin lived outside the city because of his need for solitude.
St. Martin was known for his miracles and his compassion. St. Martin died on Nov. 8 and was buried at his request in the Cemetery of the Poor. Near the time of his death, St. Martin prayed the following prayer:
“Lord, if your people still need me, I do not refuse the work. Thy will be done.”
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
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.
“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!
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.”
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.”
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
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
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
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.”
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.”
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
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
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.”
“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“
