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Do Evil Spirits Really Exist?

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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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Franciscan Saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Bl. Bonaventure of Potenza, Feast Day October 26

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San Damiono Cross
San Damiono Cross

 

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Bl. Bonaventure of Potenza,

Feast Day October 26

Bl. Bonaventure was born Jan. 4, 1651 in Naples, Italy into a poor family.  He studied Latin from a priest and became a Franciscan at the age of 15.  He was sent to Amalfi to study and was ordained a priest.

As a priest Bl. Bonaventure was known for his simple but powerful sermons.  When an epidemic broke out he served all who were sick without concern for his own health.  He was known for miraculous cures.  Bl. Bonaventure was a very effective priest.  His humility was admired and his spirituality was focused on humility, service and obedience.

After 45 years of service as a priest he died from gangrene after asking for forgiveness for his faults.  He was given a crucifix and died peacefully on October 26,  after receiving the last sacrament.

Pope Pius VI beatified Bl. Bonaventure in 1775.

 

“No none has the right to sit down and feel helpless, there’s too much to do.”

Quote of Dorothy Day, Servant of God

 

October is the Month of the Most Holy Rosary

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Martyr, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. John Roberts, Feast Day October 25

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St. John Roberts
St. John Roberts

 

The feast day of St. John Roberts is celebrated on October 25.  He is considered one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales whose joint feast day is October 25.

St. John Roberts was born to John and Anna Roberts in 1575 at Trawsfynydd, Merionethshire, North Wales.  He studied law.  While traveling in Paris he converted to Catholicism.    After studying at the English College at Vallodolid for a year he left to join the Abbey of St. Benedict.  He was ordained a priest and soon traveled to England.

While in England, St. John Roberts was arrested several times.  He returned to England and worked serving those afflicted by the plaque.  He was arrested a second time in 1604 while traveling to Spain.  Not knowing he was a priest he was soon released but he returned again.  On Nov. 5, 1605, he was arrested again and imprisoned at Westminster for seven months and exiled in 106 for 14 months.  He founded a house for English Benedictine monks during this time which eventually became known as the Monastery of St. Gregory.

Arrested again in 1607, he escaped after several months.  Knowing he would be executed if caught again, he still returned to England.   He was arrested on Dec. 2, 1610 as the Mass he was celebrating  came to an end.  When he refused to sign the Oath of Supremacy he was tried and condemned to death.

On Dec. 10, he was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn.  His body disappeared during the French Revolution.

In 1970, St. John Roberts was canonized by Pope Paul VI as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

“Were I to live longer, I would continue to do what I have been doing.”

Quote of St. John Roberts

 

October is the Month of the Most Holy Rosary

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patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Anthony Mary Claret, Feast Day October 24

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St. Anthony Mary Claret Public Domain Image
St. Anthony Mary Claret

 

The feast day of St. Anthony Mary Claret is celebrated on October 24.  He is the patron saint of educators, the Catholic Press and weavers.

St. Anthony Mary Claret was the Archbishop of the Diocese of the Canary Islands. With a group of five other priests he was the Founder of the Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, also known as the Claretians.

 

St. Anthony Mary Claret was born in Catalonia, Spain in 1807. At the age of twelve he became a weaver. He entered the seminary at Vic in 1829 and was ordained to the priesthood on June 13, 1835 on the Feast of St. Anthony of Padua, whom he was named after. He entered the Jesuit novitiate but had to leave due to his ill health.

St. Anthony Mary Claret was assigned to missionary work throughout Catalonia. In 1848 he was sent to the Canary Islands where he gave retreats for fifteen months. When he returned to Spain, he established the Congregation the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (The Claretians) on the feast of “Our Lady of Mt. Carmel“ (July 16, 1848).

He also founded the religious library at Barcelona called “Libreria Religiosa”. It is now known as “Libreria Claret). He was appointed Archbishop of Santiago, Cuba in 1849. Over 9,000 marriages were validated within two years of his arrival. He began a hospital and several schools. The first women’s religious institute in Cuba was begun by St. Anthony. It was known as the Religious of Mary Institute.

In 1857 he was recalled to Spain and he became the Confessor to Queen Isabella II. He became a resident of an Italian Hospice. Preaching everywhere he went, he also distributed books. Eventually, his life in danger, he went to France where he preached in Paris.

In 1869, he participated in the First Vatican Council. He had to withdraw due to poor health. He died on Oct. 24, 1870, at the age of 62 in a Cistercian monastery in France.

 

“The man who burns with the fire of divine love is a son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and wherever he goes, he enkindles that flame. He desires and works with all his strength to inflame all men with the fire of God’s love. Nothing deters him, he rejoices in poverty, he labors strenuously, he welcomes hardships, he laughs off false accusations, he rejoices in anguish. He thinks only of how he might follow Jesus Christ and imitate him by his prayers, his labors, his sufferings, and be caring always and only for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.”

Quote of St. Anthony Mary Claret

 

October is the Month of the Most Holy Rosary

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Faith, Franciscan Saints, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. John Capistrano, Feast Day October 23

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St. John of Capistrano
St. John of Capistrano

 

The feast day of St. John Capistrano is celebrated on October 23.  He is the patron saint of chaplains, military chaplains and judges.

St. John was born in 1386.  He was the son of a German knight.  He was well educated studying civil and church law.  By the age of 26 he became governor of Perugia.   When a battle broke out against the Malatestes he tried to broker peace.  He became a prisoner of war.  During his time in prison, he encountered St. Francis of Assisi in a dream and experienced a conversion.  When released from prison he joined the Franciscans of Perugia.  Four years later he was ordained a priest.

St. John Capistrano was known for his preaching.  Great crowds gathered to hear him.  He was instrumental in reviving the faith.  He was a student of St. Bernadino of Siena who introduced him to the devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus.

During the crusades he preached in Hungary.  He visited the kings of Europe uniting them and their armies against invading forces.  In 1456, he led a Christian army to Belgrade.  When it appeared that they would be overpowered by the Muslims, he ran to the front line holding a crucifix crying

“Victory, Jesus, Victory!“

The Christian army won a great victory and Belgrade was freed from the siege.  Several months later,  St. John died at Villach in Austria after a painful infection.  He was canonized in 1724.

The following quote is taken from the treatise written by St. John Capistrano called “Mirror of the Clergy”.

Those who are called to the table of the Lord must glow with the brightness that comes from the good example of a praiseworthy and blameless life.  They must completely remove from their lives the filth and uncleanness of vice.  Their upright lives must make them like the salt of the earth for themselves and for the rest of mankind.  The brightness of their wisdom must make them like the light of the world that brings light to others.  They must learn from their eminent teacher, Jesus Christ, what he declared not only to his apostles and disciples, but also to all the priests and clerics who were to succeed them, when he said:  “You are the salt of the earth.  But what if salt goes flat?  How can you restore its flavor?  Then it is good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

 

Quote of St. John Capistrano

October is the Month of the Most Holy Rosary.

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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

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St. John Paul II Public Domain Image
St. John Paul II

 

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. John Paul II,

Feast Day October 22

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 in Art

October is the Month of the Most Holy Rosary.