Corpus Christi (Latin for Body of Christ) is a Catholic feast in honour of the Holy Eucharist. Within the Roman Catholic Church, the feast is offically known as the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ.
The feast is assigned to the Thursday following Trinity Sunday, mirroring Maundy Thursday, the Thursday of Holy Week on which Jesus Christ instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper.
In most English-speaking countries, the Feast of Corpus Christi is transferred to the Sunday after Trinity Sunday by the National Episcopal Confrences. At the end of the Mass, it is customary to have a processions of the Blessed Sacrament (often outdoors) followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
Corpus Christi is primarily celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church, but it is also included in the calendar of a few Anglican churches, most notably the Church of England. The feast is also celebrated by some Anglo-Catholic parishes. In Roman Catholic parishes that use the Mass of Paul VI, the feast is known as "the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ".
In the Church of England it is known as "The Day of Thanksgiving for the Institution of Holy Communion (Corpus Christi)" and has the status of a Festival. It is also celebrated by the Old Catholic Church and by some Western Rite Orthodox Christians, and is commemorated in the liturgical calendars of the more Latinized Eastern Catholic Churches.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Body of Christ...
Monday, March 31, 2008
annunciation...
The feast we are celebrating today happened very simply in a very ordinary setting because of one ordinary person. It came about through the simple yes of a simple woman named Mary. And the Father’s plan for the Second Person of the Trinity to take human form became a reality.Let us mull and ponder over the fact that if Mary had not said yes, then the taking on of human form of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity would not be fulfilled.
Now, does mean that because Mary said yes we are saved? Does that mean that it is Mary who saves us? No.
What does it mean?
It simply means that salvation is not only God’s gift to us, it is also our response to God’s invitation. In the same sense that even if Mary dreamed, in all her sleeping and waking hours to be the mother of God, but if God had not willed it, she would not be the mother of God.
In the same way, if God wanted to take human form, and then the human form refused to cooperate, then God cannot take human form. So, salvation is actually God’s initiative, God’s gift to us, and then our response to God’s initiative.
If God does not offer, there will be no salvation. If man does not accept, there will be no salvation.
That is why in Theology we say, God’s gift to us is also our task. When God gives us something, he also challenges us to maximize that blessing. The plan to make the second person of the Holy Trinity, a person, a human being like all of us, was offered to us. Mary was free to say no or to say yes. Because she said yes, salvation became possible for us.
It is the same thing with all of us. Continually, we are being offered to become mothers of Jesus. Continually, we are being offered the opportunity to give birth to Jesus. Each time we talk, each time we plan, each time we act, we are being offered to become instruments of the Lord being born into the world. But that offer has to be accepted. We have to cooperate with the offer being given to us. Then the beautiful story of salvation begins.
We will thank God today for His offer of salvation. At the same time, we will acknowledge our failure, our fear, our shame to accept that offer.
Some of us are lazy. Some of us are afraid. Some of us are fearful about making a leap into the dark. We will ask Mary today to ask the Father to bless us with the same generosity that she showed to God so that the salvation that happened when the angel Gabriel announced to her that she would be the mother of God, that same salvation can happen to us.
Annunciation happened more than two thousand years ago. But annunciation continues to happen to this very moment. The Lord continues to offer. I hope and pray that your answer will be as strong as the yes of Mary.
Bless us all!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
And for today, I shall ponder on an unexpected love....
Romanticists say that love comes from the most unexpected places, But this is true not only for love alone. God also comes to us in unexpected places and people.
In the Bible Readings of 2 Kings 15:29, we hear God using Assyria in order to talk to Israel. Assyria is a pagan nation which does not believe in Yahweh! And yet, God uses a pagan nation to talk to His chosen people. Israel does not realize this. Perhaps, Assyria does not even acknowledge that she is being used by God as an instrument. But God does it just the same.
The way of God brings forth unexpected joys. If only we could open our eyes to the reality of God talking to us through unexpected people, places and events, then our lives would never be boring. We get bored only because we lack faith. It is only in faith that we discover God. Let us open our eyes and ears to His message!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
a prelude to tomorrow's feast of the hearts: Love without measure!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
the Baptism of the Lord
In this joyful ceremony, we are not only cleansed from Original Sin but also initiated into Christ's saving mission and given the spiritual gifts of faith, hope and charity to carry it out effectively.
Then, sometime after we reached the age of reason, we received the Sacrament of Confirmation and were consecrated again with the same oil of chrism. The graces that were given to us as little children in Baptism are now able to be personally assimilated, chosen and strengthened in the young person who accepts a new role in this mission, that of being a Soldier of Christ.
As a Benedictine monk, I received an additional consecration at my Solemn Monastic Profession and became a living instrument to bring Christ's spiritual life to His people. Through the consecration, I am given the spiritual power to perform the works of a consecrated monk to sanctify, heal and bring souls out of darkness. Thus, it is through the channel of God's grace created by a consecration that each of us is able to continue to have access to the Throne of Grace.
How much spiritual wisdom is contained in the Baptism of the Lord! Fundamentally, the Lord Jesus' consecration with the oil of gladness makes all other consecrations possible.
On this special feast day, let us rejoice that we are "beloved sons and daughters" of the Father and that we are consecrated for the most important mission of all — salvation.
All He requires of us is that we "remain in Him as that anointing has taught us".
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Reflecting on Epiphany
The ancient feast of the Epiphany actually celebrates three events, tied together by the meaning of the word epiphany as "appearance" or "manifestation."
Jesus suddenly appears as who He really is — Messiah and God — to the Magi, at Cana when He works His first miracle, and when He is baptized in the Jordan.
In the early Church, Epiphany was therefore second only to Easter vigil as the time to celebrate the Sacrament of baptism. Blessed water from those baptisms were used to bless the dwellings of the faithful, and it became customary to write over the doorposts of blessed homes "C+B+M" meaning "Christ blesses this house (Christus bendicat mansionem).
Since the three kings were also remembered at the same time, someone decided to give them names, and to use CBM as their initials — Caspar, Balthasar, and Melchior. The names stuck.
But the fact that Matthew gives them no names is telling. They may be kings, but in this story they are merely supporting actors. They follow the true Star, the King of Kings. Only His name is important. Epiphany is not about the Magi — it's all about Jesus.
Today, the prophet Isaiah encourages us: «Arise, shine, for your light has come. The glory of Yahweh rises upon you» (Is 60:1). The light the prophet has seen is the star which the Three Wise Men see in the East, like many other men.
The Magi discover its meaning. Others consider it as something admirable, but that does not affect them. And, so, they do not react. The Three Wise Men realize the fact that, with the star, God is sending them an important message for which it is worthwhile leaving comfort and safety to take on the risks of an uncertain journey: the hope of finding the King leads them to follow the star, which the prophets had spoken of and which the people of Israel had been waiting for centuries.
They arrive in Jerusalem, the capital city of the Jews. They are sure that there they will be shown where the King has been born. Indeed, they will be told: «In the town of Bethlehem in Judea, for this is what the prophet wrote» (Mt 2:5).
The news of the arrival of the Magi and their inquiry spreads around Jerusalem in a very short time: Jerusalem was, at that time, a small city and the presence of the Magi with their escort must have been noticed by all its inhabitants, thus «when Herod heard this he was greatly disturbed and with him all Jerusalem» (Mt 2:3), the Gospel tells us.
Jesus Christ crosses the paths of the lives of many people who are not interested in Him. A little effort would have changed their lives; they would have found the King of Joy and Peace.
This requires a willingness to look for Him, to move around, to ask without losing heart —like the Three Wise Men— to leave our comfort, our routine. It requires an effort to appreciate the immense value of finding Christ.
If we do not find Him, we have not found anything in life, because only He is the Savior: finding Jesus is to find the Path that leads us to know the Truth that gives us Life. And without Him, nothing is worthwhile.
Friday, November 2, 2007
day of the dead: the commemoration of all the faithful departed
All Souls Day is an official holiday of the Catholic Calendar. Today, Nov 2 is All Souls Day.
The choice of November 2 is traditionally attributed to St. Odilo, the fifth abbot of Cluny (city of France famous for the Abby), because he wanted to follow the example of Cluny in offering special prayers and singing the Office of the Dead on the day following the feast of All Saints.(63).
The day was founded to honor all the faithful departed and along with the offerings and the Office of the Dead, there are three Requiem Masses that are said by the clergy to assist the souls from Purgatory to Heaven.
The modern view of death derives in part from Pre-Hispanic times. The Aztecs played a very important role in the development of this tradition. Through their history this festival emerged as one of complexity and varied interpretations.
The "Day of the Dead " is celebrated by many catholic countries, worldwide. This celebration originated with the Roman Catholics, and was established in the Catholic calendar as an official holy day.
The Catholic faith has the theological idea of Purgatory as a means of paying for sins, and buying your way into Heaven.
Those believers who died in a "state of grace" were promised "heavenly rewards", after paying for their sins in purgatorial flames, while those who did not die in a "state of grace", were to spend eternity suffering in Hell.
Catholics did, however, believe that they could pray their loved ones out of Purgatory. This practice gives us an idea of the spiritual significance of honoring the deceased.
Generally, in my country the Philippines, the Filipino people celebrating this holiday will attend mass, sometimes exhibiting the relics of saints on a catafalque, and assist the souls of their loved ones from Purgatory to Heaven.
They will then proceed to the cemetery to visit, bless and decorate the graves. This tradition is universal among Catholic countries, and accepted by the church.
Many customs are associated with The Day of the Dead celebration. In the home, an altar is made with an offering of food upon it.
It is believed that the dead partake of the food in spirit and the living eat it later.
The "ofrendas"- offerings, are beautifully arranged with flowers, marigolds (zempasuchitl) which are the traditional flower of the dead.
There is a candle placed for each dead soul, and they are adorned in some manner. Incense is also used. Mementos, photos, and other remembrances of the dead are also adorning the ofrenda.
Food is considered indispensable for the celebration. The foods offered in the grave are different according to the wishes and social status of the deceased.
Typical foods include: bread, fruit vegetables, "suman sa ibos" (sweetened sticky rice", "pansit guisado" or "pansit bihon" (sauteed rice noodles with garnishings of shrimps and seasoning), and other oriental delicacies. Beverages which are placed on the grave include: water, coffee, beer, tequila, san miguel beer grande or regular, san miguel gin, and the latest available beer and liquour products, and fruit juices.
But one thing has remained constant, and that is the use of bread. The custom of having a loaf of bread relates to the early custom in Spain of begging for souls. The Philippines is under the Spanish regime for four hundred years (or more).
Some believe that the Spanish technology of bread-baking and the identical term used in Spain highly suggests that this tradition was Spanish influence.
In the Feast of All Souls, we solidify that the dead might "rest in peace."
Catholics believe, as we recite in the Creed, in the "communion of saints." This is the union of the faithful on earth (the Church Militant), the saints in Heaven (the Church Triumphant) and the souls in Purgatory (the Church Suffering).
This is the body of believers, with Christ as the head. We are united in a spiritual bond.
Through prayer we communicate, and since we never die, but live forever through the death and resurrection of Christ, we can still communicate with each other.
As believers on earth, we can communicate to our brethren who are in Heaven or Purgatory.
Those in Purgatory benefit from our prayers, and we from theirs.
The dead cannot pray for themselves but can pray and intercede for the living, so we need to pray for them.
And we can ask those in Purgatory and those in Heaven to pray for us while we are on our earthly pilgrimage with our target destination: Heaven.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
The Beloved Physician
St. Luke (Evangelist) lived in the first century, and is the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Luke was a Gentile, making him the only non-Jewish author in the entire New Testament.
Luke had a Greek background and education, and was likely born in Antioch. He is often identified as a doctor, for St. Paul referred to him as "our beloved physician" (Col 4:14).
The latter part of the Acts of the Apostles (beginning with 16:10) is written in the first person, suggesting that Luke accompanied Paul on some of his missionary journeys, writing of firsthand experience. Paul himself referred to Luke on several occasions, stating in one of his letters to Timothy that Luke was at that time his only companion (2 Tm 4:11).
Scholars are uncertain as to when Luke wrote his Gospel. It is commonly dated between A.D. 75-85, though some experts are convinced of an even earlier date of composition. Luke's Gospel is a gospel of mercy; it emphasizes Jesus' identification with the poor and the lowly, and His willingness to forgive sinners. Yet it is also a demanding gospel, for it shows that being a follower of Christ requires sacrifice and commitment.
It is only in the Gospel of St. Luke that we have a full account of the Annunciation of the mystery of the Incarnation to the Blessed Virgin, of her visit to St. Elizabeth, and of the journeys to Jerusalem (9:51; 19:28).
He relates six miracles and eighteen parables not mentioned in the other Gospels. He wrote the book called the Acts of the Apostles as an appendix to his Gospel, to prevent false relations by leaving an authentic account of the wonderful works of God in planting His Church and of some of the miracles by which He confirmed it.
As well as of physicians and surgeons, St. Luke is the patron Saint of painters of pictures. A writer of the earlier sixth century states that the Empress Eudokia had a century before sent to St. Pulcheria from Jerusalem an icon of our Lady painted by St. Luke.
Other pictures were afterwards attributed to him; but St. Augustine states clearly that nothing was known about the bodily appearance of the Virgin Mary. On the other hand there can be no question of the many subjects suggested to so many artists by St. Luke's descriptions of events in his writings. In accommodating the four symbolical representations mentioned in Ezekiel to the four evangelists, the ox or calf was assigned to Luke; St. Irenaeus explains this by reference to the sacrificial element in the beginning of his Gospel.
Reading Luke's gospel gives a good idea of his character as one who loved the poor, who wanted the door to God's kingdom opened to all, who respected women, and who saw hope in God's mercy for everyone.
The reports of Luke's life after Paul's death are conflicting. Some early writers claim he was martyred, others say he lived a long life. Some say he preached in Greece, others in Gaul. The earliest tradition we have says that he died at 84 Boeotia after settling in Greece to write his Gospel.
A tradition that Luke was a painter seems to have no basis in fact. Several images of Mary appeared in later centuries claiming him as a painter but these claims were proved false. Because of this tradition, however, he is considered a patron of painters of pictures and is often portrayed as painting pictures of Mary.
He is often shown with an ox or a calf because these are the symbols of sacrifice -- the sacrifice Jesus made for all the world.
Luke is the patron of physicians and surgeons.
Happy feast day to all parishes that carry St Luke as their patron saint.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Do you wish to be thrown to the lions, too?...
Today, we remember one of the truly important leaders of the early Christian Churches and one of the closest links to the time of Christ: St. Ignatius, who was born in about the same year Jesus was crucified, and who served for 38 years as the bishop of Antioch, the second largest city in the Roman Empire.
Like Christ, and for confessing Christ, he was executed under Roman imperial rule in the year 107. He wrote wonderful letters to various Christian communities about the meaning and glory of their discipleship, about the Eucharist as "the medicine of immortality, the antidote against death, and ever-lasting life in Jesus Christ."
Above all, he urged unity among Christians and encouraged their perseverance in faith during times of persecution. When it was his turn to suffer and die for Christ, he was ready --longing, as he said, "to be an imitator of my suffering God."
He even wrote words urging his people to pray for him, and not to try to plead for his release, that he might not be deprived of the supreme grace of dying with and for Jesus Christ.
These words have now become famous in the annals of Christianity: "...I plead with you: show me no untimely kindness. Let me be food for the wild beasts, for they are my way to God. I am God's wheat and shall be ground by their teeth so that I may become Christ's pure bread. Pray to Christ for me that the animals will be the means of making me a sacrificial victim for God."
This wish and prayer were fulfilled; Ignatius was cast to wild lions in the Roman Amphitheater and died a martyr's death in 107 A.D.
reflecting on the life and death of St Ignatius, I invite you to meditate on this wonderful example of witnessing to Christ and on the above words of Ignatius' longing.
We can also reflect on and pray over the words of Paul and of Jesus in today's first reading and the Gospel. Paul's exhortation is an extended reflection on Jesus' warning against judging others.
Basically, Paul is saying, Do not ever, ever, ever condemn or judge anyone! If you do, you are only condemning yourself, and that is totally contrary to God's way of being.
For God treats us all, whatever our sinfulness and wickedness, with "priceless kindness, forbearance, and patience."
"There is no partiality with God." Let us all give this a careful examination!
Finally, as a Church, especially those of us who have been given some authority, we need to pay close attention to the severity of Jesus' words to the scribes, Pharisees, and scholars of His day.
Don't we all, at times at least, do what Jesus abhors and severely rebukes in the religious leaders of His own time: imposing on others burdens (obligations) that are too hard to carry without ourselves lifting a finger to touch them?
We have lots of repentance to undergo! That could be as discouraging for us as it is for the victims of our mis-use of authority.
But we, too, if we are willing to repent, have nothing to fear. For God is always our refuge, our rest, our rock, our hope, our salvation, as we are reminded again in today's Psalm. We need never be disturbed, as long as we trust in God alone!
Peace to you all and happy Wednesday!!!!!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Teresa of Avila...nun receiving a message from a dove!
Since Monday is my town-trip day i urged myself to post this for you.....
She is Also known as
Teresa de Avila; Teresa of Jesus; Teresa Sanchez Cepeda Davila y Ahumada; The Roving Nun; Theresa of Avila
Memorial
15 October; 27 August (Transverberation of her Heart)
Profile
Spanish noble, the daughter of Don Alonso Sanchez de Cepeda and Doña Beatriz. She grew up reading the lives of the saints, and playing at "hermit" in the garden. Crippled by disease in her youth, which led to her being well educated at home, she was cured after prayer to Saint Joseph. Her mother died when Teresa was 12, and she prayed to Our Lady to be her replacement. Her father opposed her entry to religious life, so she left home without telling anyone, and entered a Carmelite house at 17. Seeing her conviction to her call, her father and family consented.
Soon after taking her vows, Teresa became gravely ill, and her condition was aggravated by the inadquate medical help she received; she never fully recovered her health. She began receiving visions, and was examined by Dominicans and Jesuits, including Saint Francis Borgia, who pronounced the visions to be holy and true.
She considered her original house too lax in its rule, so she founded a reformed convent of Saint John of Avila. Founded several houses, often against fierce opposition from local authorities. Mystical writer. Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church on 27 September 1970 by Pope Paul VI.
Born
28 March 1515 as Teresa Sanchez Cepeda Davila y Ahumada at Avila, Castile, Spain
Died
4 October 1582 at Alba de Tormes in the arms of her secretary and close friend Blessed Anne of Saint Bartholomew; body incorrupt; relics preserved at Alba; her heart shows signs of Transverberation (piercing of the heart), and is displayed,too.
Beatified
24 April 1614 by Pope Paul V
Canonized
12 March 1622 by Pope Gregory XV
Saturday, September 29, 2007
John 1:47-51..."You will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man"
Today, in the feast of the Saints Archangels, Jesus manifests to His Apostles and to everybody else, the presence of His angels and their relation with Him. They are in the Lord's celestial glory, where they perennially exalt the Son of man, who is the Son of God. They surround Him and are at His service.
Angels deliver messages. Those who deliver messages of supreme importance are called archangels.... Some angels are given proper names to denote the service they are empowered to perform.... Thus, Michael means 'Who is like God?,' Gabriel is 'The Strength of God,' and Raphael is 'God's Remedy.'"
Michael has been widely venerated by Jews and Christians alike, and because of a passage from the Book of Revelation describing him as leading the angels in the war against Satan and his followers (12:7-9), Michael is considered the patron saint of soldiers. Michael fights against the rebel angels who are cast out from Heaven (cf. Rev 12). He announces, thus, the mystery of his divine justice, which is also exerted against those rebelling angels, while assuring us of his victory —and ours too— over the Evil.
Gabriel is the archangel who appeared first to Zechariah and announced the conception of John the Baptist (Lk 1:10-20), then He is sent to announce to the Blessed Virgin Mary the virginal conception of the Son of God... God's plan to make her the mother of the Savior (Lk 1:26-38).
Raphael is the angel who cured the Old Testament hero Tobit of his blindness (Tb 11:7-15). He accompanies the young Tobias, protects and advises him, and, finally, heals his father Tobit.
Michael, Gabriel and Raphael appear, thus, in the Bible witnessing men's earthly circumstances and/or fortunes and bringing them with their presence and their own deeds, those communications that can definitely change our lives. They are precisely named “archangels”, that is, princes of the angels, because they are sent to the greatest missions.
Let us learn from this celebration of the archangels “ascending and descending” upon the Son of man, that they serve God, but they serve Him for our sake. They glorify the Holy Trinity, and they do it while serving us. And, consequently, we realize how much devotion we owe them and how grateful we should also be to the Father who sends them for our own welfre and well being.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
remembering the martyrdom of St.Lorenzo Ruiz- First Filipino Saint
Lorenzo Ruiz was Filipino, Although his father was Chinese and his mother, Filipina. He was born in Binondo, Manila between 1600 and 1610.
According to the documents cited to proclaim him "Blessed", his parents were devout Catholics. He was christened "Lorenzo" after a martyr during the 3rd century persecution of Christians. his surname "Ruiz" was taken from the last name of his godfather.
In his younger years, Lorenzo served at the convent of Binondo Church, Manila Philippines, as Sacristan.
After several years, Lorenzo Ruiz earned the title of "escribano" or notary. He became an active member of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary, an organization devoted to the Blessed Virgin. This group was organized in the Philippines in 1587.
Lorenzo got married but the name of his wife was not mentioned in the documents. He confessed before he was convicted that he was a family man - having a wife with three kids, two boys and a girl.
In 1636, a grave crime was committed in Manila. Authorities conducted a manhunt for Lorenzo because they believed he knew something about it or was himself involved in it. When Lorenzo learned of some missionary priests leaving for Japan, he asked if he could be allowed to join them. And he was allowed aboard the ship bound for Japan, along with the Dominicans, safe from fear of being implicated in a crime.
At that time, there was a wide scale persecution of Christians in Japan. All those who professed faith in God and served as missionaries were jailed and even up to death. Their lives were to be spared if they would renounce their Christian faith. But thousands of Christians chose death rather than renounce their belief in God. And Lorenzo Ruiz was among those who underwent such excruciating forms of persecution.
One of the forms of punishments imposed on Christians was "hanging in the pit" on the hills of Nagasaki. The victims' feet were tied to a beam, the body hanged upside down and the head occupied the amount of the pit. Lorenzo Ruiz went through this agonizing punishment when he refused to renounce his faith.
During the investigation, he answered: "I'm a Christian and I will remain a Christian even to the point of death. Only to God will I offer my life. Even if I had a thousand lives, I would still offer them to him. This is the reason why I came here in Japan, to leave my native land as a Christian, offering my life to God alone."
He was told that he would be put to death if he did not renounce his faith. He said he will never disown his identity as a Christian. It was on September 23, 1637 that he begun to undergo "hanging in the pit".
Lorenzo Ruiz was proclaimed " Blessed" in February 1981 at Luneta, together with 16 other companions, in connection with Pope John Paul II's Papal visit to the Philippines. Thus, of the 17 beatified, 10 were Japanese, 2 Spaniards, 1 Italian, 1 Frenchman. Ten were Dominican Priests, two Dominican brothers, two Dominican nuns, and four lay persons. Only Lorenzo Ruiz was married and head of a family.
He was canonized and declared a "Saint' on October 18, 1987 in Rome. As such, he is now worthy of being venerated and honoured in the Church Altar. His feast day falls on September 28.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
observing the day of Our lady of Sorrows
«A sword will pierce your own soul»
Today, in the celebration of the feast of our Lady of Sorrows, we hear the most unspeakable words in the mouth of old Simeon: «And a sword will pierce your own soul» (Lk 2:35).
From its context, we can assert this declaration does not only concern Jesus Christ's passion, but his missionary work, that will stir up the division of the people of Israel, and therefore, a painful grief in Mary's heart.
All along Jesus' public life, the Virgin Mary will experience great sufferings upon seeing Jesus rebuked and threatened with death by the city authorities.
As the rest of Jesus' disciples, Mary has to learn to place her family relations in a different context altogether. She must also leave her Son because of the Gospel (cf. Mt 19:29), and have to learn not to appraise the Christ for his flesh, despite the fact He is flesh of her flesh.
She is to crucify also her flesh (cf. Gal 5:24) to be able to transform herself into the image of Jesus Christ. But the topmost peak of her suffering, where she lives the cross more deeply, is Jesus' crucifixion and death.
Also in her pain, Mary is the model of perseverance of the evangelic doctrine while sharing Christ's suffering through her patience (cf. Rule of St. Benedict, Prologue 50).
She has done it all her life, and most than all, while in the Calvary. There she becomes the prototype and model for all Christians.
Because she has been so closely linked to Christ's death, she is linked afterwards to his resurrection too (cf. Rm 6:5).
In her excruciating pain, Mary's perseverance to abide by the Father's will, deserved her a new irradiation in benefit of the Church and of Mankind.
Mary precedes us and helps us to follow Christ in our way of faith. And the Holy Spirit leads us to share with her this great adventure.
Friday, August 10, 2007
today is the feast day of St Lawrence; it's my feast day , too!...
today is my patron saint's feast day. St lawrence the Deacon and martyr, This day is my feast day as well.
In Monastic life, a saint's name in whom a monk's religious name was derived celebrates the day in which the saint was martyred.
So, today, the community of Benedictine monks of the Monastery of Christ in the Desert celebrates St. lawrence and dom lawrence feast day!
little is known about St. Lawrence, so in his honor, i am posting a not-so-very-lengthy article about him...
St. Lawrence
Martyr; died 10 August, 258.
Also known as
Laurence; Laurent; Laurentius; Lawrence of Rome; Lorenzo
Feast day
10 August
Profile
Third-century archdeacon of Rome, distributor of alms, and "keeper of the treasures of the church" in a time when Christianity was outlawed. On 6 August 258, by decree of Emperor Valerian, Pope Saint Sixtus II and six deacons were beheaded, leaving Lawrence as the ranking Church official in Rome.
While in prison awaiting execution Sixtus reassured Lawrence that he was not being left behind; they would be reunited in four days. Lawrence saw this time as an opportunity to disperse the material wealth of the church before the Roman authorities could lay their hands on it. On 10 August Lawrence was commanded to appear for his execution, and to bring along the treasure with which he had been entrusted by the pope. When he arrived, the archdeacon was accompanied by a multitude of Rome's crippled, blind, sick, and indigent. He announced that these were the true treasures of the Church. Martyr.
Lawrence's care for the poor, the ill, the neglected have led to his patronage of them. His work to save the material wealth of the Church, including its documents, brought librarians and those in related fields to see him as a patron, and to ask for his intercession. And his incredible strength and courage when being grilled to death led to his patronage of cooks and those who work in or supply things to the kitchen. The meteor shower that follows the passage of the Swift-Tuttle comet was known in the middle ages as the "burning tears of Saint Lawrence" because they appear at the same time as Lawrence's feast.
Born
at Huesca, Spain
Died
10 August 258; cooked to death on a gridiron; buried in the cemetery of Saint Cyriaca on the road to Tivoli; tomb was opened by Pelagius to inter the body of Saint Stephen the Martyr; his mummified head removed to the Quirinal Chapel; the gridiron believed to have been his deathbed is in San Lorenzo in Lucina; garments in Our Lady's Chapel in the Lateran Palace
text and photo source credit to: patron saints index
Friday, June 29, 2007
Saints Peter and Paul's martyrdom honored today!
Click image to enlarge. Hit back button to return to the main page.
Today, we commemorate the martyrdoms of both apostles: Saints Peter and Paul. The date is the anniversary of a day around 258, under the Valerian persecution, when what were believed to be the remains of the two apostles were both moved temporarily to prevent them from falling into the hands of the persecutors.
The Scriptures do not record the deaths of Peter or Paul, or indeed any of the Apostles except for James the son of Zebedee (Acts 12:2), but they are clearly anticipated (see the readings below), and from an early date it has been said that they were martyred at Rome at the command of the Emperor Nero, and buried there. As a Roman citizen, Paul would probably have been beheaded with a sword.
St. Peter suffered martyrdom under Nero, in about the year 64 AD. He was buried at the hill of the Vatican; recent excavations have revealed his tomb on the very site of St. Peter's Basilica.
It is said of Peter that he was crucified head downward. The present Church of St Peter in Rome replaces earlier churches built on the same site going back to the time of the Emperor Constantine, in whose reign a church was built there on what was believed to be the burial site of Peter. Excavations under the church suggest that the belief is older than Constantine.
St. Augustine writes (Sermon 295):
Both apostles share the same feast day, for these two were one; and even though they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went first, and Paul followed. And so we celebrate this day made holy for us by the apostles' blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life, their labors, their sufferings, their preaching, and their confession of faith.
Saints Peter and Paul are the principle pillars of the Church founded by Christ. Saint Peter was chosen by Christ to be his first Vicar on earth; he was endowed with powers of the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Mt 16:13-19) and charged with the role of Shepherd of Christ's flock (Jn 21:15-17).
In St. Peter and his sucessors, we have a visible sign of unity and communion in faith and charity. Divine grace led St. Peter to profess Christ's divinity.
Saint Paul was chosen to form part of the apostolic college by Christ himself on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-16). Selected to bring Christ's name to all peoples (Acts 9:15), he is the greatest missionary of all time, the advocate of pagans, the Apostle of the Gentiles. St. Paul was beheadedd in the Tre Fontane along the Via Ostiense and buried nearby, on the site where the basilica bearing his name now stands.
..........................................Statues of Saints Peter and Paul at Saint Peter's Square....................................
Sunday, June 24, 2007
the birth of Saint John the Baptist
During the liturgical year, we celebrate only three birthdays: Our Lord's, Our Lady's and St. John the Baptist's.
We might readily understand why we remember the birth of Jesus and Mary, but why do we give attention to the birth of John the Baptist?
The truth is John plays a very important part in the story of salvation history.
He serves as the bridge between the Old and New Testaments. Like the great prophets before him, John spoke about the Messiah to come. He, however, lived to see those prophecies fulfilled.
He had the privilege of baptizing Our Lord in the Jordan, marking the beginning of Jesus' public ministry and the dawning of the Messianic age. It is John who points to Jesus and identifies him as the Lamb of God who will take away the sins of the world.
John the Baptist obviously had a big part to play in the mission of the Messiah, but it was not a task he took upon himself only when he had grown to be a big, strapping adult.
He was consecrated, or set apart, for the task from the moment of his birth. There are some pretty remarkable similarities between the birth of the Baptist and that of his cousin.
John's birth was announced by the Angel Gabriel. His name was given him by the angel, hence Zechariah's insistence that he be called John. Given the extraordinary events surrounding his life and his birth, considering his close link with the mission of the Messiah, it should no longer be a mystery why we celebrate his birth.
It was truly a holy and wondrous event.
What might we learn from pondering the birth of the Baptist? What significance might these events have for us?
The most obvious would be that we have yet another witness testifying to the truth of Jesus as the Messiah. There is nothing more significant to us than that.
However, there is something else we might consider.
John was given a mission, a vocation, while still a mere babe. It would be many years before he would carry it out. He still would have needed help preparing for it.
John would have needed his mother and father to help him learn about the faith of his ancestors, in coming to know of the God of Abraham and his relationship with the people of Israel.
He would have needed someone to help him learn his prayers and all that the Scriptures contained.
In other words, I imagine Zechariah and Elizabeth had an important part to play in helping their son discern what God was calling him to do.
If we firmly believe that God has a vocation, a plan, for each of our young children, they too are going to need help discerning that. The two most important teachers they will ever have in matters of the faith will be their own moms and dads. If a child is one day being called to marriage, his preparation will begin with what he sees in his own mom and dad. What will he learn from them about being people of prayer? How will he see them express their love and affection for one another? How will he see them communicate with each other? Does he understand that marriage is a vocation, a calling from God and a path to holiness?
If a young man or woman is called to the priesthood or religious life, do they have the encouragement and support of their families?
We will not overcome the low number of vocations through special programs, but only when parents are willing to give to God their sons and daughters to serve Him in the priesthood and religious life. If God is calling some of our youth to serve Him in a religious vocation, it would be a serious matter for us to stand in His way. If someone expresses a desire to serve Him, how sad it would be if we turned him or her off.
John the Baptist was given a great mission, but he needed help in carrying it out. If we firmly believe God has a vocation for each of our children, we need to help them prepare for it, too. i guess so.....
happy feast to all the parishes carrying Saint John The Baptist as their patron saint!....
