Category Archives: Visionary

Our Lady, Saint of the Day, Visionary

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Our Lady of Fatima, Feast Day May 13

Our Lady of Fatima

The Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima is celebrated on May 13.

In 1917, an angel and Our Lady appeared six times to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. Jacinta (7 years old) and Francisco (9 years old) were brother and sister. Lucy Dos Santos (14 years old) was their cousin. Jacinta and Francisco both died several years after the apparitions.

Francisco was born on June 11, 1908. During the apparitions Francisco could see but not hear what was being said. He had a great love of praying before the Blessed Sacrament. He also had a great devotion to praying the Rosary. He received his first communion on the day of his death, April 4, 1919.

Jacinta was born on March 11, 1910. Jacinta could both hear and see what was said during the apparitions. She was profoundly affected when Our Lady told her that Jesus was very offended by sin. After seeing a vision of hell, she decided to offer herself completely to the salvation of souls. She offered her suffering to free souls from the fires of hell. A year after the apparitions she came down with bronchial pneumonia, an abscessed lung and then was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She offered all of her suffering to Jesus. She was rushed to a hospital in Lisbon. The Blessed Virgin visited her their three times. She died without the presence of her parents or Lucy on Feb.20, 1920.

Lucy was born on March 22, 1907. After the apparitions Our Lady told her that her cousins would soon be in heaven and that Lucy should spread the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our Lady said “My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way which will lead you to God.” It was Lucy who requested a miracle so people would believe in the apparitions. During the investigations surrounding the apparitions, Lucy was harassed. She entered the Sisters of St. Dorothy as Sister Mary of the Sorrowful Mother. Later she became a Carmelite Sister taking the name Sister Maria Lucia. She had several more visions of Our Lady. Lucy died on Feb. 3, 2005 at the age of 97.

The children saw a brilliant flash of lightning. A beautiful Lady appeared clothed in white and she asked the children to return on the thirteenth of each month. She asked the children to pray the Rosary daily and for devotion to her Immaculate Heart. She also requested prayer for Russia. Our Lady of Fatima spoke of observing the first Saturdays of each month by going to confession and receiving Holy Communion as a devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

On the final visit, a dramatic “dance of the sun” took place. It was witnessed by thousands of people. The sun seemed to tumble from the sky.

During the apparitions in Fatima three secrets were revealed to the children.

  1. After being promised they would go to heaven the children saw a vision of hell which was filled with fire and demons.
  2. Mary instructed the children how to save souls from Hell and convert the world to Christianity. She asked them to spread the devotion to the Immaculate Heart and to pray the Rosary. She asked them to pray for Russia.
  3. The children had a vision of the assassination of the Holy Father.

Many believe the third secret was a prophecy of the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II. Pope John Paul II canonized Francisco and Jacinta Marto on May 13, 2000.

Several chapels have been built at the site.

Pope John Paul II gave thanks to Our Lady of Fatima for her intercession after he survived an attempted assassination. He reminded the faithful that “the message of Fatima is a call to conversion and repentance, the nucleus of the message of the Gospel”.

There is no queen like humility to make the King surrender. Humility drew the King from heaven to the womb of the Virgin, and with it, by one hair, we will draw Him to our souls.

Quote of St. Teresa of Avila;                           Feast day October 15
Our Lady of Fatima in Art
  • Our Lady of Fatima Public Domain Image

 

May is the Month of Our Lady.

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Faith, Martyr, Saint of the Day, Visionary

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Stephen of Hungary, Feast Day August 16




St. Stephen of Hungary Public Domain Image
St. Stephen of Hungary

 

The Feast Day of St. Stephen of Hungary is celebrated on August 16. 

St. Stephen was born in the year 973.  His mother  was the Duchess Sarolt.  She had had a vision in which the first St. Stephen, the first martyr of the church had appeared to her.  She was told she would bear a son who would evangelize the land.

St. Stephen’s father was the Duke Geza.  Both his mother and father were converted to Christianity by Bishop St. Adalbert of Prague.  The Bishop baptized St. Stephen at the age of ten. St. Stephen married Gesela who was a sister to the Duke of Bavaria in 995.  Sadly, he survived all his children.  Only one child lived to be an adult.  This son, Emeric,  died in a hunting accident in 1031.

St. Stephen use their wealth to build a monastery and encouraged the people of the land to convert to Christianity.  The laws of the land which St. Stephen enacted favored Christianity over paganism.  He sent a request to Pope Sylvester II to proclaim him as King of Hungary.  Pope Sylvester II was happy to oblige.  He sent Stephen a crown and gold processional cross.

As King, St. Stephen was generous to the poor and sick.  He was devoted to the Virgin Mary, building several churches in her honor.  Mary is credited with preventing both a war and the assassination of King Stephen.  While he was king, St. Stephen also established a monastery in Jerusalem.

St. Stephen died on August 15, 1038 the Feast of the Assumption of Mary after suffering an illness.  He was buried next to his son Emerick.  They were both canonized saints in 1083.

It is a fact that people are always well aware of what is due them.  Unfortunately, they remain oblivious of what they owe to others.
Quote of St. Francis de Sales; Feast day January 24
August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

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Faith, Jesuit Saints, patron saints, Saint of the Day, Spirituality, Visionary

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Ignatius of Loyola, Feast Day July 31




 

St. Ignatius Loyola by Miguel Cabrera Public Domain Image
St. Ignatius Loyola by Miguel Cabrera

 

The Feast Day of St. Ignatius of Loyola is celebrated on July 31. St. Ignatius of Loyola was born the youngest of 13 children in a family castle in Guipuzcoa, Spain. Until he was 30, he served as a courtier and soldier in Spain.

St. Ignatius was wounded when a cannonball shattered his leg. While in the hospital he spent a great deal of time studying the lives of the saints. When he was finally released from the hospital, he decided he should try to imitate the saints. He went to confession, and then lived in a cave for about a year while caring for the poor and sick.

He entered school at the age of 35. After studying Latin and theology in several different schools, he received his degree in Paris. While in Paris, he met St. Francis Xavier who was one of his followers. Ignatius, with five followers founded the Order of the Society of Jesus, which came to be known as the Jesuits. They offered themselves to the Pope, for any work he wanted them to do. The Jesuits were known for their missionary work. They were a great influence during the Counter Reformation.

St. Ignatius was a mystic. He had several visions. His spirituality focused on the Trinity, Christ and the Eucharist. His motto was “All for the greater glory of God.”  In 1548, his book The Spiritual Exercises was printed. This introduces the concept of a 30-day retreat.

St. Ignatius died of Roman Fever, almost blind, at the age of 65 on July 31, 1556. St. Ignatius is the patron saint of Catholic soldiers, and retreats.

The Basilica of St Ignatius of Loyola was built next to the house where he was born in Azpeita, the Basque Country. The house itself is now a museum. St. Ignatius’ legacy includes many Jesuit schools and educational institutions. In the U.S. alone there are 28 Jesuit colleges and universities. There are more than 50 Jesuit secondary schools.

Lord Jesus Christ
take all my freedom
my memory
my understanding
and my will.
All that I have and cherish
You have given me.
I surrender it all
to be guided by Your will
Your grace and Your love
are wealth enough for me.
Give me these, Lord Jesus
and I ask for nothing more.
Prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola

July is the Month of the Most Precious Blood

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Baptism, Martyr, Saint of the Day, Visionary

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. John the Baptist, Feast Day June 24




St. John the Baptist Public Domain Image
St. John the Baptist

The Nativity of St. John the Baptist is celebrated on June.   The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on the Sunday after January 6th.                                                                          

John  the Baptist is the last prophet proclaiming the coming of the Lord. We actually meet John when Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry,

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.”( Luke1: 39)

John was actually about six months older than his cousin Jesus.

The next time we hear of John the Baptist he comes out of the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.  John  proclaimed:

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”(Matthew 3: 11)
Baptism of Jesus Public Domain Image
St. John the Baptist baptizing Jesus Public Domain Image

In Matthew 3: 13,  Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.”

After Jesus had been baptized, the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and a voice from heaven said,

“This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

We learn in Mark 1:14 that it is after the arrest of John the Baptist by King Herod, that Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God and saying, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near, repent, and believe in the good news.”

Why was John arrested? The story is told in Mark 6: 17-29. John was arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”  Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so because Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. On Herod’s birthday Herodias’ own daughter came in and performed a dance that so delighted Herod and his guests that Herod promised her whatever she requested. She went to her mother asking “What shall I ask for?” Herodias replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”  The girl hurried back to King

St. John the Baptist Public Domain Image
St. John the Baptist
Public Domain Image

Herod saying “I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” King Herod was distressed at the request, but because of his oaths in front of guest he did not wish to break his word to her. So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back John the Baptists’ head. The head, on a silver platter, was given to the girl. In turn the girl gave it to her mother.

When the disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

John the Baptist is most remembered for his call to repentance and baptism. The following is one of his last statements before his death.

Jesus must increase;  I must decrease.

Quote of St. John the Baptist
June is the Month of the Sacred Heart

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Faith, Jesuit Saints, patron saints, Saint of the Day, Visionary

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Feast Day June 21




St. Aloysius Gonzaga Public Domain Image St. Aloysius Gonzaga

 

The Feast Day of St. Aloysius Gonzaga is celebrated on June 21.   He was a Jesuit Deacon who lived in Italy and Rome from 1568-1591.  He is the patron saint of youth and plague victims.

St. Aloysius was born in Castiglione, Italy in 1568. He was one of seven children and lived in a castle. He was expected to follow his father into the military, but by the early age of nine Aloysius had decided he had a religious calling. He received his 1st communion from St. Charles Borromeo, who was a Cardinal.

St. Aloysius’ family was living in Florence when Aloysius came down with kidney disease. He spent his time while he was ill reading the lives of the saints. After reading about Jesuit missionaries in India he became determined to join the Society of Jesus.  Against the will of his father he joined the Jesuits at the age of 18. He gave up his right to an inheritance.

In 1590 Aloysius returned to Rome. While he was in Rome he had a vision of Archangel Gabriel who told him he would die within a year. In 1591, a plague broke out in Rome. Aloysius volunteered to serve in the hospital. It was not long before he came down with the plague himself.  After receiving another vision, St. Aloysius told several people he would die on the Feast of Corpus Christi, (Body of Christ). The Feast  of Corpus Christi fell on June 21 that year. In the morning he seemed fine but he grew weaker quickly. St. Bellarmine gave him the last rites and he died just before midnight at the age of 23.

St. Aloysius was known for his purity. He had taken a vow of perpetual virginity while very young, safeguarding himself from temptation by always looking downward when in the presence of women. His prayers included the Office of Mary and the Psalms. St. Aloysius had been ordained a deacon but was never ordained a priest.

A Carmelite mystic, St. Maria Magdalena de Pezzi claimed to have had a vision of St. Aloysius on April 4, 1600. She described him as radiant in glory because of his interior works and said he was a hidden martyr for his great love of God.

Pious legend tells us his first words were the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary.  Before his death, his final words were “Into Thy hands.”

St. Aloysius was canonized on Dec. 31, 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII.

I am but a crooked piece of iron,
and have come into religion to be made straight
by the hammer of mortification and penance.
Quote of St. Aloysius Gonzaga

 

June is the Month of the Sacred Heart

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Benedictine Saints, Featured, Martyr, Saint of the Day, Visionary

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Elizabeth of Schoenna, Feast Day June 18




St. Elizabeth of Schoenna
St. Elizabeth of Schoenna

The Feast Day of St. Elizabeth of Schoenna is celebrated on June 18.

St. Elizabeth was born in 1129 in Bonn, Germany. She was raised in a monastery and at the age of twelve entered a Benedictine Monastery. She made her profession in 1147 and became superioress of the Benedictine Nuns in 1157.

Elizabeth often had visions and ecstasies which occurred on Holy Days and Sundays. She wrote down her visions and after her death in 1165, the material was published by her brother Egbert who was a priest. The church has not examined her work and has not given an opinion.

Although she has never been formally canonized her name has been entered in the Roman martyrology.

To be ignorant of the Scriptures is to be ignorant of Christ.
Quote of St. Jerome; Feast day September 30
June is the Month of the Sacred Heart.
Carmelite Saints, Faith, Our Lady, Saint of the Day, Visionary

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Simon Stock, Feast Day May 16




St. Simon Stock Public Domain Image
St. Simon Stock

The Feast Day of St. Simon Stock is celebrated on May 16.

Little is known about the early life of St. Simon Stock. Legend has told us that from the age of twelve he lived as a hermit in a hollow tree trunk. As a young man he went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. There, he joined a group of Carmelites. They returned together to Europe.

St. Simon was elected Superior General of his Order in London in 1254. St. Simon founded many Carmelite Communities in Cambridge, Oxford, Paris and Bologna. He was instrumental in the transition from a hermit Order to an Order of mendicant friars.

In 1251 he experienced an apparition during a time when the order was being oppressed. The Virgin Mary appeared to him holding the brown scapular in one hand. She told him,

“Receive, my beloved son, this scapular of thy Order; it is a special sign of my favor which I have obtained for thee and thy children of Mt. Carmel. He who dies clothed with this habit shall be preserved from eternal fire. It is the badge of salvation, a shield in time of danger and a pledge of special peace and protection.”

The scapular is made of two squares of cloth connected by strings. It is worn over the shoulders, one on the chest, one on the back.

The promise from the Virgin Mary is believed to mean that Carmelites who live their vocation well, with love and sincerity will be saved. It is a reminder that Mary is their role model in love. The Carmelite Order is a contemplative Order which focuses on contemplative prayer. Mary leads those in the Carmelite Order to a deeper love of Jesus Christ, the Eucharist and the Beatitudes. The role models for the Carmelite Order are the Virgin Mary and the prophet Elijah. It was Elijah who heard the voice of God in the whisper of the gentle breeze.

St. Simon Stock was known to have a special gift of miracles and prophecy. St. Simon Stock. died on July 16, 1265 in Bordeaux, France.

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience,
but shouts in our pain.
It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.
Quote of C.S. Lewis

May is the Month of Mary

Faith, patron saints, Saint of the Day, Visionary

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Lydwina, Feast Day April 14




St. Lydwina
St. Lydwina

The Feast Day of St. Lydwina is celebrated on April 14.   St. Lydwina is the patron saint of ice skaters and the chronically ill.

St. Lydwina was born in Schiedam, Holland into a family of nine children in 1380. While still young she developed a devotion to Our Lady of Schiedam. While ice skating one day she injured herself, breaking several ribs. Gangrene set into the wounds she had received and spread throughout her body. She was bedridden for the rest of her life suffering from various illnesses.

St. Lydwina offered all of her suffering to Jesus on the cross. She experience mystical gifts including vision of heaven, hell and purgatory. She received apparitions of Christ and bore the stigmata. Many miracles occurred at her bedside.

In one vision she saw a rosebush with the words

 “When this shall be in bloom your suffering will be at an end.”

In the spring of 1433 she exclaimed,

“I see the rose bush in full bloom!”

Easter morning, 1433, she had a vision of Christ giving her the Last Rites.

St. Lydwina died on April 14, 1433.  Her grave became a site for pilgrims to visit and a chapel was built there. She was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1890.

I commend myself to the prayers of yourself and your friends, so that Christ, the source of all pity, may design to wash me clean in the water of His mercy.
Quote of St. Bernard; Feast day August 20
April is the Month of the Eucharist

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Faith, Prayer, Visionary

Do Heaven and Hell Really Exist?





Last Judgement by Michelangelo Public Domain Image
                              Last Judgement. by Michelangelo

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Carmelite Saints, Faith, Our Lady, Saint of the Day, Visionary

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Children of Fatima, Feast Day Feb. 20

The Feast Day of the Children of Fatima is celebrated on Feb. 20.

In 1917, an angel and Our Lady appeared six times to three shepherd children in < Portugal.  Jacinta (7 years old) and Francisco (9 years old) were brother and sister.   Lucy Dos Santos (14 years old) was their cousin. Jacinta and Francisco both died several years after the apparitions.

Francisco was born on June 11, 1908. During the apparitions Francisco could see but not hear what was being said. He had a great love of praying before the Blessed Sacrament. He also had a great devotion to praying the rosary. He received his first communion on the day of his death, April 4, 1919.

Jacinta was born on March 11, 1910. Jacinta could both hear and see what was said during the apparitions. She was profoundly affected when Our Lady told her that Jesus was very offended by sin. After seeing a vision of hell, she decided to offer herself completely to the salvation of souls. She offered to free souls from the fires of hell. A year after the apparitions she came down with bronchial pneumonia, an abscessed lung and then was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She offered all of her suffering to Jesus. She was rushed to a hospital in Lisbon. The Blessed Virgin visited her there three times. She died without the presence of her parents or Lucy on Feb.20, 1920.

Lucy was born on March 22, 1907. After the apparitions Our Lady told her that her cousins would soon be in heaven and that Lucy should spread the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our Lady said,

“My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way which will lead you to God.”

It was Lucy who requested a miracle so people would believe in the apparitions. During the investigations surrounding the apparitions, Lucy was harassed. She entered the Sisters of St. Dorothy as Sister Mary of the 0px Later she became a Carmelite Sister taking the name Sister Maria Lucia. She had several more visions of Our Lady. Lucy died on Feb. 3, 2005, at the age of 97.

During the apparitions in Fatima three secrets were revealed to the children.

1.  After being promised, they would go to heaven the children saw a vision of hell which was filled with fire and demons.

  1.   Mary instructed the children how to save souls from Hell and convert the world to Christianity. She asked them to spread the devotion to the Immaculate Heart and to pray the Rosary. She asked them to pray for Russia.

  2.   The children had a vision of the assassination of the Holy Father.

Many believe the third secret was a prophecy of the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II. Pope John Paul II canonized Francisco and Jacinta Marto on May 13, 2000.

If men knew the meaning of eternity,
they would do anything to mend their lives.
Quote of St. Jacinta of Fatima
February is the Month of the Passion of the Lord.
Faith, Our Lady, Prayer, Visionary

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Our Lady of Lourdes, Feast Day Feb. 11




lourdes
The feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes is celebrated on Feb. 11.

Our Lady of Lourdes is the patron saint of bodily ills. Our lady first appeared to St. Bernadette in Lourdes, France on Feb. 11, 1858. Bernadette was a poor shepherdess who was only 14 years old. Our Lady actually appeared to her eighteen times.

During the first vision Bernadette saw a bright light and a beautiful lady dressed in a brilliant white dress adorned with a blue ribbon. A long veil covered her body from her head to her feet. Her hands were clasped as if praying and she carried a white and gold rosary with a gold cross in her hands. Bernadette took her rosary out of her pocket and guided by Our Lady they prayed the rosary. After praying, the vision ended. Bernadette asked the girls with her if they had seen anything and they said no. She told them not to say anything however her sister told their mother who did not believe the story.

On Feb. 14, Bernadette returned to the Grotto where the vision had happened. She asked those with her to pray the rosary. When Our Lady appeared again, Bernadette’s face was transfigured. She sprinkled the holy water which had been given her and said, “If you come from God, come near us.” The holy water touched Our Lady and she smiled and came closer. They began to pray the rosary together.

On Feb.18, St. Bernadette was accompanied after Mass by a lady and a religious. When she began praying, Our Lady appeared again and they all prayed the rosary. Our Lady asked Bernadette to return for 15 consecutive days. Bernadette promised she would do so. Our Lady said, “I also promise to make you happy, not in this world, but in the next.”

Bernadette went to the Grotto with a lit candle for the next 15 days. Hundreds of people began coming with her. On Feb. 21. Bernadette observed that Our Lady seemed sad. She asked her “What is wrong? What can I do?” Our Lady said,

 

“Pray for sinners.”

A doctor examined Bernadette and concluded there was nothing wrong with her. Bernadette was ridiculed nonetheless. On Feb. 23, Our Lady requested that a Sanctuary be built on the site. She told Bernadette to talk to the priest. When the priest asked her the name of the lady Bernadette did not know. The priest told her he needed a miracle and she should ask the lady for the rose bush to blossom.

On Feb. 25, Our Lady told Bernadette to drink from the fountain. Puzzled, Bernadette looked around for water. She discovered water coming up from the ground which soon became a pool of water. On Feb. 26 Our Lady revealed to Bernadette her name saying, “I am the Immaculate Conception”. During one apparition people witnessed Bernadette praying for fifteen minutes with the candle flame burning through her fingers. She remained unharmed.

The last apparition occurred on the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Many miracles of healing have been attributed to he healing waters of Lourdes.
St. Bernadette joined the Sisters of Charity seeking God in the silence of the convent. She died on April 16, 1879. The message of Our Lady of Lourdes is timeless…….Pray for sinners!

 

Death came through Eve,  Life through Mary.

 Quote of St. Jerome; Feast day September 30

 

lourdes8

February is the Month of the Passion of the Lord



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Faith, Mystic, Poetry, Prayer, Spirituality, Visionary

Praying with the Poetry of the Mystics

St. Francis raphaelgallery.org Public Domain Image
St. Francis
raphaelgallery.org


 

Get to know the mystics! The mystics are saints in the Catholic Church who have had visions and personal experiences with the presence of God in their lives. Many of the Saints have written of their love of God. It can be contagious!

The following five poems are written by mystics of the Catholic Church. They are inspired by their own personal relationship and experience of God. Because their joy could not be kept to themselves, they became radiant lights to the world.

The different types of prayer are petition, intercession, thanksgiving, adoration, praise and glory. Their poetry uses all these types of prayer and can help lead us to a personal relationship with God.

St. Francis was born in Assisi, Italy in 1181. He is known for his love of animals and the suffering. He is the founder of the Franciscan Order. While praying in front of a crucifix, Jesus spoke to him saying, “Francis, rebuild my church!”

St. Teresa of Avila was born in Spain in 1515. She helped reform the Carmelite order. The poem in this collection shares one of her experiences during prayer.

St. Catherine of Siena was born in 1347. She began having visions as a young child pertaining to heaven and hell.

Bernard of Clairvaux was born in 1090 in Burgundy France. He wrote a treatise called Degrees of Humility and Pride which analyzed the human character. He also wrote many hymns.

St. Augustine was known for his conversion during the fourth century. He became a famous bishop. His poem Beauty ever ancient and so new is well known.

Learning about the spirituality of the saints can help us develop our own prayer life. Meditating on these prayers will change the course of your life.

 

 

St. Francis with Birds Public Domain Image
St. Francis with Birds

Canticle of the Creatures

All Praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in the heavens you have made them, bright, and precious, and fair.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brothers wind and air, and fair and stormy, all the weather’s moods, by which you cherish all that you have made.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water, so useful, humble, precious and pure.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom you brighten up the night. How beautiful is he, how cheerful! Full of power and strength.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth, who sustains us and governs us, and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through those who grant pardon for love of you; through those who endure sickness and trial. Happy are those who endure in peace, by You, Most High, they will be crowned.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Death, from whose embrace no mortal can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin! Happy those she finds doing your will! The second death can do them no harm.

Praise and bless my Lord, and give him thanks and serve him with great humility.

St. Francis of Assisi

St. Augustine of Hippo by Sandro Botticelli Public Domain Image
St. Augustine of Hippo
by Sandro Botticelli

Beauty so ancient and so new

Late have I loved you, Beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved you!

Lo, you were within,
but I outside, seeking there for you,

and upon the shapely things you have made
I rushed headlong – I, misshapen.
You were with me, but I was not with you.

They held me back far from you,
those things which would have no being,
were they not in you.

You called, shouted, broke through my deafness;
you flared, blazed, banished my blindness;

you lavished your fragrance, I gasped; and now I pant for you;
I tasted you, and now I hunger and thirst;

you touched me, and I burned for your peace.

St. Augustine

St. Bernard of Clairvaux Public Domain Image
St. Bernard of Clairvaux

O Sacred Head Surrounded

O sacred head, surrounded by crown of piercing thorn!

O bleeding head, so wounded, reviled and put to scorn!

Death’s pallid hue comes over you the glow of life decays, yet angel hosts adore thee and tremble as they gaze.

I see thy strength and vigor all fading in the strife, and death with cruel rigor, bereaving thee of life;

O agony and dying!

O love to sinners free!

Jesus, all grace supplying, O turn thy face on me.

In this thy bitter passion, Good Shepherd, think of me, with thy most sweet compassion, unworthy though I be,

beneath thy cross abiding forever would I rest, in they dear love confiding and with they presence blest.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

St. Catherine of Siena Public domain Image

Consumed by Grace

I first saw God when I was a child, six years of age.

the cheeks of the sun were pale before Him,

and the earth acted as a shy girl, like me.

Divine light entered my heart from His love
that did never fully wane,

though indeed, dear, I can understand how a person’s
faith can at time flicker,

for what is the mind to do
with something that becomes the mind’s ruin:

a God that consumes us
in His grace.

I have seen what you want;
it is there,

a Beloved of infinite
tenderness.

St. Catherine of Siena

St. Teresa of Avila Public Domain Image
St. Teresa of Avila

 

Laughter came from every brick

Just these two words He spoke changed my life,

Enjoy Me!.

What a burden I thought I was to carry, a crucifix, as did He.

Love once said to me,

“I know a song, would you like to hear it?”

And laughter came from every brick in the street and from every pore in the sky.

After a night of prayer,

He changed my life when He sang,

“Enjoy Me!”

St. Teresa of Avila




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