Tag Archives: Faith

Dominican, Eucharist, Faith, Poetry, Prayer, Spirituality

Five Famous Hymns Written by St. Thomas Aquinas



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St. Thomas was was born in Sicily in the year 1225. He died in 1274. The Feast Day of St. Thomas Aquinas is celebrated on Jan. 28. He is considered the patron saint of students and universities.

At the age of five he was placed in the care of the Benedictines of Monte Casino.

He became a Dominican priest against his families wishes. His brothers followed careers in the military. In an attempt to end his desires to become a Dominican, his brothers hired a prostitute to seduce him. According to legend, two angels appeared to Thomas to strengthen him and increase his determination to remain celibate. He thus became known as the “Angelic Doctor”.

St. Thomas studied at Cologne under St. Albert the Great. He was called “the dumb-ox” because he was so shy and quiet. He was also of a very large stature. Actually, he was quite brilliant, eventually being declared a Doctor of the Church.

After becoming a priest he was sent to Paris. In Paris he became a friend of the King, St. Louis, dining with him frequently. He was asked to teach at the age of 22. He has published many writings. The most well known are Summa Theologica and Summa Contra Gentiles.  He also wrote Hymns of Adoration which are well known today.  The belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist is very evident in his hymns of praise and adoration.

His well known hymns are the following:

1. Panis Angelicus (Bread of Angels)  sung by Andre Bocelli

2. Adore te Devote (Humbly I adore thee)…Gregorian Chant

3. O Salutaris hostia (O saving victim)   Gregorian Chant

4. Pange Lingua Corperis (Now, my tongue, the mystery telling)  Gregorian Chant

5. Tantum Ergo Sacramentum (Come Adore)…sung by Daughters of Mary

 

St. Thomas Aquinas Public Domain Image
St. Thomas Aquinas

Panis Angelicus (Bread of Angels)

Holy and living bread,

Wondrous food from heaven sent,

God’s sacrifice foretold,

now in our hands we hold.

Sign and reality, challenge for us to be

Humble servants to all the poor.

God, Holy Three in One,

through this off’ring of your Son

All now on earth can see what we are called to be:

Hope for a world in need, signs that love can succeed

Where true justice and peace endure.

St. Thomas Aquinas Public Domain Image
St. Thomas Aquinas

O Salutaris Hostia ( O Saving Victim)

O saving Victim, open wide

The gate of heav’n to us below,

Our foes press on from ev’ry side;

Your aid supply your strength bestow.

To your great name be endless praise,

Immortal Godhead, One in Three;

O grant us endless length of days

In our true native land with thee.

Amen

St. Thomas Aquinas Public Domain Image
St. Thomas Aquinas

Zion, to thy Savior; singing

Zion, To Thy Savior Singing
Zion, to Thy Savior singing,

To thy Prince and Shepherd bringing,
Sweetest hymns of love and praise,
Thou wilt never reach the measure
Of His worth, by all the treasure
Of thy most ecstatic lays.

Of all wonders that can thrill thee,
And, with adoration fill thee,
What than this can greater be,
That Himself to thee He giveth?
He that eateth ever liveth,
For the Bread of Life is He.

Fill thy lips to overflowing
With sweet praise, His mercy showing
Who this heav’nly table spread:
On this day so glad and holy,
To each longing spirit lowly
Giveth He the living Bread.

Here the King hath spread His table,
Whereon eyes of faith are able
Christ our Passover to trace:
Shadows of the law are going,
Light and life and truth inflowing,
Night to day is giving place.

Lo, this angels’ food descending
Heavenly love is hither sending,
Hungry lips on earth to feed:
So the paschal lamb was given,
So the manna came from Heaven,
Isaac was His type indeed.

O Good Shepherd, Bread life giving,
Us, Thy grace and life receiving,
Feed and shelter evermore;
Thou on earth our weakness guiding,
We in Heaven with Thee abiding,
With all saints will Thee adore.

 

St. Thomas Aquinas Public Domain Image
St. Thomas Aquinas

Adore te Devote (Humbly I adore thee)

Humbly I adore thee, Verity unseen,
who thy glory hiddest ‘neath these shadows mean;
low, to thee surrendered, my whole heart is bowed,
tranced as it beholds thee, shrined within the cloud.

Taste and touch and vision to discern thee fail;
faith, that comes by hearing, pierces through the veil.
I believe whate’re the Son of God hath told;
what the Truth hath spoken, that for truth I hold.

O memorial wondrous of the Lord’s own death;
living Bread that givest all thy creatures breath,
grant my spirit ever by thy life may live,
to my taste thy sweetness never failing give.

Jesus, whom now hidden, I by faith behold,
what my soul doth long for, that thy word foretold:
face to face thy splendor, I at last shall see,
in the glorious vision, blessed Lord, of thee.

St. Thomas Aquinas Public Domain Image
St. Thomas Aquinas

 
Tantum Ergo Sacramentum (Come Adore)

Come adore this wondrous presence,

Bow to Christ the source of grace.

Here is kept the ancient promise

of God’s earthly dwelling place.

Sight is blind before God’s glory,

Faith alone may see his face.

Glory be to God the Father,

Praise to his co-equal Son.

Adoration to the Spirit,

Bond of love, in God-head one.

Blest be God by all creation

Joyously while ages run.


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Faith, Pope Francis

Pope Francis defines gift of piety as friendship with God




Pope Francis Face Book Image
Pope Francis
Face Book Image

During his catechesis for the general audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis described the gift of piety received from the Holy Spirit, saying not to confuse it with pity. He described piety as a friendship with God, given us by Jesus; a friendship that changes our life and fills us with enthusiasm and joy. According to Zenit News Agency, Pope Francis said this gift is often misunderstood as pity.

Pope Francis told thousands gathered for his weekly general Audience that when the Holy Spirit pours love into our hearts we are led to perceive the Lord’s presence and love in our lives. This moves us to respond joyfully in prayer and adoration.

Pope Francis said,

“We experience ever anew, with joy and gratitude, the loving relationship with God our Father which has been granted us in Jesus his Son which grounds and perfects our authentic worship of God.”

Pope Francis clarified that piety is often misunderstood and confused as pity. “However,” he said ,

“piety is not having compassion for someone, having pity for one’s neighbor but indicates our belonging to God and our profound bond with Him. This bond gives meaning to the whole of our life and keeps us firm, in communion with Him, in the most difficult and trying moments.”

He stressed that there are two aspects of piety. First is a bond with the Lord which is not intended as a duty or an imposition. The bond comes from within. Pope Francis explained that it is a relation lived with the heart: it is our friendship with God, given to us by Jesus: a friendship that changes our life and fills us with enthusiasm and joy.

Pope Francis continued:

“When the Holy Spirit makes us perceive the presence of the Lord and all his love for us, He warms our heart and moves us almost naturally to prayer and to celebration,”

The pope stated that the second point of piety makes us grow in relationship and communion with God and leads us to live as his children, helping us to pass this love on to others, recognizing them as our brothers.

Distinguishing piety from pity, Pope Francis stressed that pity does not motivate the faithful in their relationships and encounters.

“Why do I say not to pity? Why do some people think that having compassion is close your eyes, make a face like a little picture, pretend to be a saint,” he said. “This is not the gift of piety.”

Rather, he said,

“piety  means to be truly capable of rejoicing with those in joy, to weep with those who weep, to welcome and help those who are in need.”

Pope Francis noted the very close relation between the gift of piety and meekness, he said piety “makes us meek, it makes us tranquil, patient, in peace with God, and at the service of others with meekness.” Meekness is one of the beatitudes.

Recalling Paul’s Letter to the Romans: “All who are led by the Spirit of God ,these are sons of God, and ye have not received a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit adopted as children, by whom we cry, ‘Abba, Father. ‘” The Apostle Paul’s words still apply to faithful today, he stressed.

The Pope concluded his homily with an invitation. He asked the faithful to ask the Lord that the gift of his Spirit conquer our fear, our uncertainties, also our restless, impatient spirit, rendering us joyful witnesses of God and of his love, adoring the Lord in truth and also in the service of our neighbor, with meekness and with the smile that the Holy Spirit always gives us in joy.

This article was originally posted on June 5, 2014

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Faith, Prayer, Spirituality

Ten Types of Prayer To Help You Know God




The Cross and Prayer Pope Francis Facebook
The Cross and Prayer
Pope Francis Facebook

How do we come to know and love God? The first commandment is:

“Love the Lord thy God with your whole heart, mind, and soul.”

How is it possible to love someone we don’t know? When we truly love someone we don’t fear them, we want to spend time with them; we enjoy their company.

Prayer is the way we come to know God. It is not enough to pray just on Sunday. If we love God, we will pray without ceasing…always, … in our thoughts and in our actions.

Knowing the different forms of prayer can help us explore getting to know God better. When Jesus was asked by his disciples how to pray he responded by giving us the well known “Lord’s Prayer”.

The following are different types of prayer:
1. Prayer of petition: When we ask for specific things we are making a petition. Hopefully we also say “Thy will be done.” Our will is not always God’s will. This is why God’s answer is sometimes “No, I have a better solution.”

  1. Prayer of intercession: When we pray for the welfare of someone else, this is the prayer of intercession. When the saints pray for us they are interceding for us.
  2. Prayer of Glory, Praise and Thanksgiving. Saying thank you to God is an important part of our spiritual journey. Remember the story of Jesus healing the ten lepers? Only one returned and thanked Jesus. Let me be grateful for all the gifts God gives me.
  3. Prayer of Adoration: This prayer is acknowledging God as our creator; all good and all powerful.
  4. Prayer of Quiet: This prayer is the prayer of LISTENING to God. We sit quietly in the presence of God, quiet our mind, and ask God to lead us. We find God in the silence. Actually, God finds us.

6. Scripture: Reading Holy Scripture is a form of prayer. We read and meditate on both the Old and the New Testament.

  1. Music: Music is a powerful way to pray. “When we sing we pray twice.” St. Augustine. Music is prayer which comes from the heart. Some people find it easier to connect with God with this type of prayer.
  2. Meditation: Reflection on nature, art, humanity  and scripture are all forms of meditation.  Take the time to reflect on what is happening in your life.  Ask God to lead you in your meditative prayer.
  3. The Catholic Mass:  It incorporates all of these types of prayer.  During the Mass we pray  for others, give glory and thanks, ask for mercy and guidance, listen to scripture, adore Christ in the Eucharist, and pray through silence and singing.

10. Praying can be either spontaneous or memorized. When we are in a crisis it is sometimes hard to know what to say to God. This is when memorized prayer is very powerful. The Catholic Church has many formal prayers for every occasion and need. They guide us when we are at a loss for words.  Spontaneous prayer is also a very meaningful way to pray to God.

When Jesus is our closest friend, we can tell him anything.  Praying on a regular basis in all these different ways helps us to come closer to God. Letting ourselves be led by God in prayer is how we put into action the first commandment.

Loving God means spending time with him. Each of us has a different prayer style. If we are too busy to pray, we are too busy for God. God does not force himself on anyone. If you are having difficulty praying start by meditating on the Our Father, the prayer Jesus himself gave us.  Ponder each word in the prayer.    Your relationship with God will begin to grow.

The Lord's Prayer Public Domain Image
The Lord’s Prayer

Their is a different prayer style for each person.  Each of the saints also prays in a way that is special to that saint  If you are searching for the type of prayer that works for you a wonderful book to read is Six Ways to Pray from Six Great Saints by Gloria Hutchinson.

This book introduces you to six different saints:  St. Francis of Assisi (Franciscan), St. Clare ( Poor Clares), St. Teresa of Lisieux (Carmelite), St. Therese of Avila (Carmelite), St. John of the Cross (Carmelite ) and St. Ignatius of Loyola (Jesuit).   You will learn not only their story but also their prayer style.  Each chapter contains exercises to help you  discover what type of prayer works best for you.  When I read this book, I learned about the “Prayer of Detachment” taught by St. John of the Cross.  The exercises helped me to practice and meditate in a way I had never tried before.  I encourage everyone to read it and discover their own prayer type.

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Faith, Pope Francis, Spirituality

Pope’s message: Christian Joy is a Gift from the Holy Spirit





Pope Francis
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Eucharist, Faith, Featured, Prayer, Spirituality

Catholics Nourished by Living Bread



Monstrance Body and Blood of Jesus Christ
Monstrance
Body and Blood of Jesus Christ

At the center of the Catholic faith is its’ belief in the Eucharist. Jesus Himself said:

“I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6, 35).

In John 6.53 He states,

“Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day, for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.”

The church has always interpreted this statement to be literally true. How is this possible? All things are possible with God!!

In the Old Testament, God rained down manna from the sky to feed the Israelites in the desert for forty years. The Eucharist is modern day manna. Our faith is nourished and kept alive by living bread… the body and blood of Jesus Christ. St. Paul teaches us that the church is the Body of Christ. In I Corinthians 12-13 St. Paul states:

“For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-Jews or Greeks, slaves or free-and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”

The Saints in the early church all professed a belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.   Justyn Martyr (100-165) was one of the first to try to explain this belief.

Next Sunday, we celebrate Corpus Christi (The Body of Christ). It is important for us to reflect on how Jesus came to nourish us, not only by scripture but by being true food for us.

Through God all things are possible. When we read the bread of life discourse (John 6), we need to ask ourselves, do we truly believe what Jesus tells us, or like the disciples who turn away do we pick and choose the teachings of Jesus we want to believe.

To quote St. Augustine ((354-430),

“If you believe what you like in the gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it’s not the gospel you believe, but yourself.”

To be true disciples of Jesus, we must get to know Him, to love Him and let ourselves be fed by Him.

 

Apostle, Faith, Quote, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes; St. Philip Neri, Feast Day May 26




St. Philip Neri
St. Philip Neri


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Apostle, Faith, Feast Days, Featured

The Catholic Church Celebrates its Birthday on Pentecost Sunday




Pentecost Public Domain Image
Pentecost

Many people falsely believe the church began when Christ rose from the dead.  However, the official beginning of the church is celebrated on Pentecost Sunday.

Fifty days after the crucifixion, the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles.  They were transfigured from frightened, confused disciples of Jesus to men of courage and conviction.  Their confusion was removed by the Holy Spirit, or as Jesus called him…The Advocate.

The Holy Spirit is one of the three persons of the Trinity.  As Catholics, we believe in One God, manifest by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Belief in the trinity was passed on through church traditions.  Before every prayer, we begin with the sign of the cross,   praying in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit.  The mystery of the cross (suffering) is important to our faith.  Without suffering, we cannot come close to Jesus on the cross.  Jesus told the Apostles He would not leave them orphaned.  He would send them the Advocate, to lead and guide them.  Today, we call the Advocate the Holy Spirit.

Trinity Crucifix
Trinity Crucifix

Just as each of us has more than one type of relationship (mother, daughter, sister)  God also shows Himself to us in different ways; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  The Father is the creator of everything, Jesus is the Son, sent to redeem the world from the slavery of sin, and the Holy Spirit is the Advocate sent to guide and show us the way to the Father and Son.

The most important part of prayer is actually listening in quiet for guidance from God.  Sharing with him our pain, joy and needs is important, but we must also ask him to lead us by His Holy Spirit, so that we may know His will in our life.

The symbols of the Holy Spirit are the Dove, the wind, and the fire. God speaks to us in many ways.  Listen for him in the silence.

As Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said,

“In the silence of the heart God speaks.”

When you hear God in the silence of your heart, you are experiencing Pentecost…..the birth of your faith.

Faith, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Bl. Caterina Citadini, Feast Day May 5




 
Faith, Pope Francis, Spirituality

Pope Francis Explains Community of Saints to Crowd of 80,000




Pope Francis Facebook Image
Pope Francis Facebook Image

More than 80,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square Wednesday morning to listen to the teachings of Pope Francis as he spoke for his General Audience, according to Zenit News Agency. He focused on the Catholic belief in the Communion of Saints. (October 30, 2013)

Pope Francis stated that the Communion of Saints relates both to the communion with holy things and the communion with holy persons. The Holy Father stated that no one is alone but rather exists in a communion with all who belong to Christ.

“The Church,” Pope Francis said, “in its most profound truth is a communion with God. This relation between Jesus and the Father is the ‘matrix’ of the bond between us Christians: if we are intimately inserted into this ‘matrix’ in this fiery furnace of love that is the Trinity, then we can become truly one heart and one soul, because the love of God purges our selfishness, our prejudices, our internal and external divisions.”  He also stated that our faith needs support from others during difficult moments.
Pope Francis told the crowd that within the communion of saints exists a great family where each one helps and sustains the other.

“A final aspect of the communion of Saints,” he continued, “is the spiritual bond that exists between those who continue their pilgrimage on earth and those who have passed the threshold of death into eternity. All who are baptized down here on earth, the souls in Purgatory, and all the blessed already in Paradise form one big family.”

“This communion between heaven and earth is realized especially through intercessory prayer,” he concluded.

Pope Francis called it the ‘highest form of solidarity’ as well as the foundation of the liturgical celebrations of All Saints and All Souls, which will be celebrated on Nov. 1, and Nov. 2. 

This article was originally published on October 30, 2013.


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Faith, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Bl. Michele Rua, Feast Day April 6




Bl. Michele Rua
Bl. Michele Rua

The Feast Day of Bl. Michele Rua is celebrated on April 6.

Bl. Michele Rua was born in Turn, Italy. He was the youngest of nine children. He attended Don Bosco Oratory as a boy where he met St. John Bosco.  St. John was so impressed by Michele that he sent him to college. Later he became John Bosco’s assistant in youth ministry.

Bl. Michele was ordained a priest and was one of the first members of the Salesians of Don Bosco which focused on youth ministry for boys. John was the first successor to St. John Bosco as Superior General. Under his direction the community grew from 700 to 4,000 members, 64-341 houses in 33 countries.

Bl. Michele Rua was known for his gifts of reading hearts, healing and prophecy.

The soul hungers for God, and nothing but God can satiate it.  Therefore He came to dwell on earth and assumed a Body in order that this Body might become the food for our souls.
Quote of St. John Vianney; Feast day August 4

April is the Month of the Eucharist

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Faith, Featured, Prayer, Spirituality

Which person in the Trinity do you find it easiest to pray to?




 

 
 Many of our formal prayers end with the Glory Be prayer. I asked my friends which person in the Trinity they found it easier to turn to, and who they found it difficult to turn to in prayer. There is no wrong answer! After reflecting, I realized that during my prayer journey (my pilgrimage) I have come to know each of the persons in the Trinity in a more personal way.

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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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