Monthly Archives: July 2012

King and patron of Norway

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Today, 29 Jul 2012, is the feast day of St Olaf of Norway (a.k.a. Olaf II Haraldsson, Olav, Olafr) who is venerated as Norway’s perpetual King (Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae) and who rules Norway from 1015 to 1028. He was a Viking warrior who, once converted to Jesus, did all he could to unite his whole country under the banner of Christ’s Cross, although at times he used violent means of persuasion.

Olaf, the son of Earl Harald Grenske of Norway and Asta Gudbrandsdatter, was born around 990-995 into a strong Viking community. As soon as he was old enough Olaf took command of a Viking longboat and began to raid and trade along the coastlines of northern Europe. This was a normal progression of life for Viking men.

With his boat and crew Olaf explored much of the known world, and between trading and raiding managed to get in some warlike skirmish adventures as well. After plying the Baltic Sea for a few years, Olaf met a Danish chieftain who invited him to go on a raid of south-east England. Up for a challenge, Olaf and his men spent three successful raiding seasons in England until King Aethelred persuaded them with a handsome amount of incentive to strike England off their list of places to raid. From there is seems Olaf played mercenary warrior at the service of the Duke of Normandy. He then set off to explore the Mediterranean Sea, and had was well down the west coast of Spain when he was given a prophetic dream. In the dream a most powerful personage advised him to return to Norway and if he did, he would be ruler of Norway for all time.

To get back to Norway, Olaf wintered at Normandy where his smouldering interest in Christianity intensified and he requested and received baptism in late 1013, early 1014. Impressed with Norman culture, Olaf soaked up all he could about the leadership of kingdoms and churches. Particularly he was impressed with what he learned about Charlemagne. Now he carefully planned his return to Norway. Not only did he want loyal and able fighting men to return with him, but he wanted bishops, priests and religious to come and spread the Good News about the salvation offered by Jesus Christ to all of those in his homeland.

Despite all that had happened thus far in his life, Olaf was still in his early twenties when he finally returned to Norway. With this energy and the support of his family’s community, Olaf undertook to unite all of the communities and petty kingdoms under his rule. It was a big undertaking, but he was a season warrior leading seasoned warriors, and battle by battle and agreement by agreement, and obviously with some heavenly aid, over a few years all of the regions of Norway came under his rule.

Christianity already had some footholds in coastal settlements, but the inland regions of Noway had never heard the Gospel and still clung to pagan practices. Dismantling the pagan festivals and pagan holy sites was deeply unpopular, but necessary for faith in Jesus to take hold and to remain firm. It is easy for us living in a different culture and time to criticise the forceful ways Olaf used to bring his people to Christ, but in all likelihood among such a warlike people no other method may have had success.

Olaf also used the authority granted to him to make the laws of the land conform to the Gospel, and in harmony with the 10 Commandments. Adjusting to these new laws was not easy, eg not stealing, not murdering, not committing adultery, for a people used to pillage, plunder, rape and other violent ways of gettingrich at other people’s expense. In particular the earls and chieftains were against the new laws because they eroded their power base. If you couldn’t extort and threaten death to someone who didn’t agree with you, a power base quickly dwindled.

Another move which enraged the nobles, but which showed how serious Olaf was about bringing Christian rule to his people, was his decision to keep members of the royal guard at royal estates throughout the kingdom as enforcers of the law and as Olaf’s eyes and ears. Grumblings about Olaf reached the ears of King Canute of Denmark, who decided to take this opportunity to extend his empire. Norwegian nobles were only too willing to accept the largesse of King Canute in return for helping unseat Olaf. To save his life, Olaf was forced to leave Norway in 1028 and take shelter in Russia.

King Canute appointed Earl Hakon as overseer of Norway in his stead, and then went back to Denmark. When the Earl died two years later, Olaf formed an army to take back his kingdom. At the battle of Stiklestad, near Trondheim, Olaf was killed and his army beaten. Secretly his body was buried. However, the Lord Jesus hadn’t finished fighting. So pleasing was Olaf to Him, that He caused stranged lights and miracles to occur near Olaf’s remains. When people investigated and Olaf’s body was unearthed it was found to be incorrupt. Soon after Olaf was acclaimed by the local archbishop as a Saint, and Rome ratified this in 1164.

What Olaf hadn’t been able to do during his lifetime, the Lord Jesus accomplished through his holy remains. The more the holiness of Olaf was acknowledged, the more the nation was converted and the easier the people accepted his Christian laws for the land. St Olaf’s grave became a major place of pilgrimage for the people of northern Europe, and remained so until the Protestant reformation reached Norway. Despite that St Olaf is still held in high veneration by the Norwegian people, and the axe of St Olaf features as part of the coat of arms of the nation. 

It took bravery, commitment and perseverance to bring the Norwegian peoples to Christ, and St Olaf undertook the task to the fullest of his ability. How much easier it would have been for him to govern like a pagan tyrant, but he chose the narrow path that leads to life and won an eternal kingdom in heaven. He truly cared about the salvation of his subjects, and wisely used his resources to aid their conversion. May St Olaf win for us the grace to seek the conversion of others to Jesus our Lord.

A good source for more detail on St Olaf’s life can be found at http://viking.no/e/people/st.olav/index.html .

St Olaf of Norway, pray for us.

 

The happiness of a muddy missionary

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Today, 28 Jul 2012, is the anniversary of the martyrdom of St Melchior Garcia Sampedro, (a.k.a. St Melchor de Quiros) one of the martyrs of Vietnam. St Melchior served God as a Dominican, a missionary and as a bishop in the 19th century. 

St Melchior Garcia Sampedro was born in 1821 at Cortes in Asturias, Spain. Later the family moved to San Pedro Arrojo, where Melchior made his first Holy Communion. He was a talented student who excelled in Latin. In his spiritual life Melchior had a particular devotion to the Passion of Jesus and the Sorrows of Mary. At the University of Oviedo he prepared for the diocesan priesthood by studying philosophy and theology, and did well enough to be employed as a tutor at the College of St Joseph. Towards the end of his studies Melchior felt the further calls to follow Jesus as a religious and as a missionary. So he applied to join the Dominican Order at Ocana, Toledo, Spain.

Following his ordination in 1847, Melchior was sent to Manilla in the Philippines to teach philosphy. Arriving there around October 1848 after a 5 month sea voyage, it wasn’t long before Melchior expressed to his superiors his desire to be more a missionary than a lecturer. Accordingly he was sent to Vietnam (then called Kin Tung) to learn the local language and the culture. Being adept at languages, it didn’t take him long to learn Annamite well enough to be able to preach and hear confessions in that language.

Now Vietnam at that time was a risky place for a missionary to be, due to the waves of persecution that kept coming. In this climate it was necessary that the Bishop always have a coadjutor, so that in the likelihood of the Bishop being martyred the Eastern Vicariate would still have the coadjutor bishop to take his place. Melchior’s talents in administration, ministry and zeal made him an obvious choice as coadjutor, a post he accepted willingly despite the high risk of martyrdom it carried with it. His episcopal ordination took place in 1853.

Life in Vietnam for a missionary priest and bishop was far from easy. To get from Christian community to Christian community they had to travel in disguise, go barefoot or in little boats, teach catechism very late at night and celebrate Mass well before dawn. Melchior wrote in one of his letters, ‘Drenched from head to foot, covered with mud; with neither coat or clothes to change into, we deemed ourselves happy … and I forget the pains of my feet to praise the Lord… Rarely do we have greater joy than during the strongest tribulations.’ An aspect of his ministry which distressed him beyond measure was having to witness the martyrdom of priests and laity, while himself remaining concealed. Persecution, civil war and extreme hunger were daily companions for Vietnamese Christians in those days.

When the bishop was martyred in 1857, Melchior took his place and as was necessary appointed a coadjutor bishop. Even though the threat of martyrdom was ever present, it was something that Melchior wrote about and was always ready to welcome. He wrote to his brother saying that if the next letter found him alive, that would be good, but if Our Lady of Alba obtained the grace for him to shed his impure blood for the sake of the faith, Heaven would be better. In a letter to his parents he said, ‘ (May the many martyrs whose martyrdoms I have witnessed) help me with their prayers to wash my sins with my blood and to obtain the palm of martyrdom.’

As a bishop, and as a very effective bishop in obtaining conversions, Melchior was a wanted man. On 8 July 1858 with two companions he was arrested and imprisoned in horrible conditions ; fed little and weighed down with heavy chains on his neck and feet. The emperor wanted to make a public example of Melchior’s death, so he had him brought in chains to the capital of the province. For having illegally come into the country to preach about Jesus Christ, Melchior was to undergo the Vietnamese equivalent of being hanged, drawn and quartered. Firstly his body was stretched and his arms and legs dislocated by being tied to stakes. Then his arms and legs were cut off with a dull ax, taking many hits before being severed through. Finally the contents of his stomach were opened with a weapon and his head decapitated on 28 July 1858. As a final indignity his severed head was smashed until unrecognisable and then thrown into the sea.

He was only 37 years old, and his parents were still alive to hear the news of his martyrdom. Of the relics of his body that were reclaimed by the faithful, some are in Vietnam and the rest were returned to the cathedral of Oviedo, Spain some 30 years after his valiant death. In 1951 Pope Pius II declared him blessed and in 1988 Blessed Pope John Paul the Great canonised him together with 116 other martyrs of Vietnam. Additionally the Pope named him a patron of Vietnam.

St Melchior Garcia Sampedro, pray for us.

She lived true to her name

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Today, 27 Jul 2012, is the centenary of the death of Blessed Maria of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ (a.k.a. Maria della Passione di Nostro Signore Gesu Christo, Maria Grazia Tarallo), a religious of the Crucified Sister Adorers of the Eucharist whom God led to Himself via the mystical path.

Blessed Maria Grazia Tarallo was born in 1866 in Barra a town near Naples, Italy into a thriving family with several brothers and sisters. Her father, Leopoldo, was the municipal gardener. Spiritually Maria was very precocious, responding to mystical graces from a very young age. Before a status of Our Lady, presumably the one in her parish church of Ave Gratia Plena, at the age of 5 she promised that Jesus would be her only love. Maria’s understanding of holy things was so good that her parish priest permitted her to make her first Holy Communion at age 7. 

As Maria grew up conflict arose in the family because she wanted to follow a religious vocation, and her father was adamant that she would get married. At that time there was a practice whereby young people had a civil marriage by way of a betrothal and then lived with their parents until the sacramental marriage some time later. Maria’s father used this method in 1899 to ensure compliance with his will. Leopoldo’s will wasn’t God’s will, because the young man, Raffaele Aruta, fell ill with tuberculosis at the party after the civil marriage. By 1890 Raffaele was dead, but not before Maria had prayed for his salvation and for his acceptance of God’s will. Shocked at these events, Leopoldo looked more kindly upon his daughter’s vocation.

The next year Maria was permitted to enter the newly formed congregation of the Crucified Sister Adorers of the Eucharist, which had only been begun a bit over 5 years previously by Ven. Maria Pia Notari. This order had its roots in reparation for the sins of priests and freemasons; the education of the laity; the promotion of Eucharistic adoration and devotion to the Mass; and the preparation and packaging of communion wafers and altar wine.

Maria was ideally suited to this form of religious life, and became a model of humility, obedience and diligent work. When the time came for the gifting of her name in religion, Maria put her hand in to draw her lot, and out came Mary of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Since the Passion of Jesus had already been a major attraction for her, Maria saw in this a confirmation of her vocation and a guide to how Jesus wanted her to live out that vocation. For Maria, devotion to the Passion, to Our Lady of Sorrows and to the Holy Eucharist were her strongest spiritual callings. She spent long hours in prayer before Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament and many vigils. In particular Maria offered her prayer and penances in reparation for priests who had deviated from their ministry.

From time to time God granted Maria visions and gifts of prophecy which guided the community. When God is active in a soul, often the devil redoubles efforts to draw the souls away from God. Thus Maria endured assaults, visions and beatings from the devil. Once when she was praying with particular intensity for the conversion of a sinner the devil hurt her so much that her right arm became useless, despite surgery. This made fulfilling Maria’s duties doubly difficult. During her religious life Maria served as novice mistress, a position of great trust, as well as in the lowlier occupations of the kitchen, laundry service and portress. Her reputation for holiness drew priests and laity to Maria to receive spiritual advice, prayer and encouragement from her.

On 27 Jul 1912, in Barra, Naples, Maria breathed her last and entered eternity to enjoy her true Spouse. To prove that the troubles of her right arm were of supernatural origin, three days before her death Maria was healed enough to be able to make the sign of the cross. Following her death Maria’s body remained flexible and did not start to decompose as quickly as other bodies.

Maria’s lifetime desire is summed up in her own words: ‘I want to be holy, loving Christ in the Eucharist, suffering with Christ the Crucified One, looking at Christ in the person of His brother.’ In living this way she lived up to the name God gave her in religion, ‘Mary of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ.’

Blessed Maria of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, pray for us.

 

In honour of a great patron

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Today, 26 Jul 2012, is the happy feast day of St Anne, the woman especially chosen by God to be the mother of the Immaculate Virgin Mary. What an awesome responsibility was hers: to co-operate with God in the nurturing and education of the one who was to become the mother of Jesus. 

Although in my quest for 2012 to study the Saints named after St Bartholomew the Apostle I should be writing about St Bartholomea Capitanio, it would be very wrong of me not to pay due and high honour to my Confirmation patron, St Anne, today. So in a bit over a week’s time I’ll write about St Bartholomea.

Choosing a Confirmation patron Saint wasn’t easy, particularly since in those days you couldn’t take any of your baptismal name Saints. Given that my parents had chosen so well for me all the St Catherines and Our Lady herself, finding anyone who inspired me just as much wasn’t easy. Eventually the choice rested upon St Anne, and an excellent patron she has been in many surprising ways.

We know that St Anne and her husband St Joachim were both very holy, and yet suffered for many years not being able to have children. When God did bless their prayers, He gave them the Immaculate One who was to become the mother of His Son, Jesus. When Mary was still young, about 3 years old, they made the immense sacrifice of presenting her to the Temple and God’s service as did Hannah with Samuel so many centuries before.

The tender and intimate love between this mother, Anne, and her child, Mary, has not stopped in heaven. If we wish to love our Lady better, let us ask St Anne for help.

It is said that Our Lady once appeared and requested an Our Father and Hail Mary in honour of St Anne after the recitation of the Rosary.  She said, ‘those who honour St Anne will obtain great aid in every need, especially at the hour of death’. To another person Our Lady said, ‘The honour you show to my mother is doubly dear and pleasing to me.’ Great saints such as St Augustine, St John Damascene, St Thomas Aquinas, St Theresa of Avila and St Bridget all encouraged devotion to St Anne.

Novena to Saint Anne

Remember O holy mother, St Anne, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided, for you are a most merciful mother, and you aid all who are in distress. Inspired by this confidence I take refuge in you, and beseech you by your great prerogative of being the mother of the Queen of Heaven and grand-parent of the Saviour of the world, to come to my aid with your powerful intercession, and obtain from your Immaculate Daughter this favour I seek……………..

In honour of the nine months during which you carried the ever Blessed Virgin in your womb, and whom you brought forth without stain of original sin, I now offer up these nine Hail Marys, which I offer you through my guardian angel. Amen.

Hail Mary… x 9

O holy mother, St Anne, so rich in graces that you will never leave unheard the pleadings and tears of a mother who invokes you for a wayward child. You indeed know my grief and the anguish of my heart. Look down with your maternal eyes upon this poor erring child, and bring it back upon the way of salvation, that it may again serve God faithfully and obtain eternal happiness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.                   Hail Mary…  x 3

 

 

 

An example of true nobility

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Today, 25 Jul 2012, we will look into the inspiring life of St Matilda (a.k.a. Mathilda) whose memorial is on 14 March each year. Growing up in a noble family, St Matilda was educated at a monastery, became the Queen of Saxony, was widowed and after sorting out family squabbles over inheritance, lived out her remaining days in the 10th century at a monastery she founded. For mothers and grandmothers her patronage has particular relevance.

Why are we looking at the life of St Matilda ‘out of course’ ? It’s like this. On Sunday our parish is celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation, and three young girls have chosen St Matilda as their Confirmation patron. As you might imagine devotional material ( holy cards , medals, prayers, statues etc) for St Matilda could be found in Germany, but on this side of the world it’s a rarity. So I need to come up with a short life of St Matilda and a novena prayer for her intercession between now and Friday afternoon and the time just isn’t available to do more than one Saint today or tomorrow.

St Matilda was born around the year 895, a daughter of the Count of Westphalia. As soon as she was old enough Matilda was sent to a convent in Erfurt – where her grandmother was abbess – to be educated. She learned to read, to pray and to sew as befitted a young noble woman and to do her work well for the glory of God. Around the age of 14 Matilda was old enough for her father to seek an advantageous marriage for her. Since the Duke of Saxony’s son Henry had recently had his first marriage annulled, and Matilda came with a hefty dowry, the ‘horse-trading began’. What Matilda thought of this is anyone’s guess, but becoming a second wife to anyone is daunting at any age.

For the next few years following her marriage to Henry the Fowler in 909, Matilda was busy becoming a mother to three boys and two girls; Hedwig 910, Otto 912, Gerberga 913, Henry c.919 and Bruno 925. Matilda looked upon her role as a noble woman as an opportunity to serve God and to serve those in need. She dedicated time to pray, and time to intercede for all those under her husband’s authority. She visited the sick and those in prison, worked to bring souls back to God and used her resources for charitable purposes. With the funds at her disposal, Matilda built churches and monasteries and gave donations to support monasteries.   

Increasing responsibilities filled Matilda and Henry’s days when he became Duke of Saxony in 912 and King of Germany (known then as East Francia) in 919. Matilda’s holy influence taught Henry how to be a better ruler by being actively concerned for those in need.

In 936 Henry died suddenly and plunged Matilda into grief. Immediately she began to pray for the happy repose of his soul and had Mass offered for him. Then she divested herself of all royal trappings and retired to the site of Quedlinburg upon which a new monastery staffed by canonesses had been built with royal funds.

Matilda could see that her second son would make a better ruler than her first son, so she lobbied against primogeniture being the criteria for choosing the next king. Because both boys now thought they had a right to the throne, they squabbled fiercely. Naturally Matilda got blamed; blamed for the fight and blamed for spending too much of the treasury on religious purposes. Eventually it all got sorted out.

At Quedinburg Matilda became abbess, and the monastery often played host to kings,  emperors and important meetings. After dedicating her remaining years to prayer and penance, Matilda’s health eventually declined and she died at Quedlinburg on 14 March 968 and was buried there beside her husband, Henry. 

Matilda was certainly noble by birth, but used every resource she had to bring alleviation to the suffering. Thus she traded worldly nobility, for nobility in God eyes. 

St Matilda, pray for us.

Novena to St Matilda

St Matilda in the midst of the royal courts of Europe and as a wife and mother you sought to serve God with all your heart. You prayed intensely for your family and for the peoples your husband, Henry the Fowler, ruled over. Your good example led him to be a better king. You know the heartache that comes from family conflict and accusations. For you the love of God was everything. Please help me to learn how to love God and how to use all of the gifts, talents and resources that He has given me in the ways most pleasing to Him and most beneficial to souls. Please obtain for me a deeper love for God and the ability to pray and to intercede for others.

Dear St Matilda, please intercede for me before God’s throne and seek His help for me in all my troubles, especially……………………….

Almighty God, You bring joy to our hearts through the memory of the holy life of St Matilda. Grant that whenever we honour her, that we may be led to imitate her good example in our lives and so come safely to the joys of heaven through her intercession. Amen.                St Matilda, pray for us.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. (3 times)

 

 

Signs and wonders he worked in the power of Jesus

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Today, 24 Jul 2012, is the feast day of St Declan of Ardmore (a.k.a. Deaglan), a fifth century Bishop of Ireland. Some years ago one of the boys in my Confirmation class chose the name of Declan. Naturally this meant that I needed to learn something about this Saint. I’ve been grateful ever since for gift of being introduced to St Declan of Ardmore and for being inspired by the signs and wonders God worked through him.

St Declan was born to a noble Irish family. As soon as St Colman had evangelized his parents, Declan was baptized and St Colman said that Declan was destined to be holy and to convert his nation to Jesus. Declan was sent to study with Dioma, a wise and holy man. Later on, Declan went to Rome to further his knowledge and to seek ordination. In time he was ordained a Bishop and sent to preach the Gospel in Ireland.

Declan returned to the Decies of Munster where he preached, and baptized many and built churches. He followed the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Many people came to Declan to learn how to live holy lives. A plague came to Munster, and 7 noble hostages died of it. The king worried that their deaths might provoke a war, so he asked Declan in the name of Jesus to raise them to life again. Declan went and prayed and sprinkled holy water on the bodies while invoking the power of God, and they returned to life.

The people of Cashel then asked Declan to bless their city and banish the plague, so Declan prayed and made the sign of the cross to the North, South, East and West and all of those who were ill were cured. He went to Bregia and began a monastery there, giving it a copy of the Gospel that he always carried with him.

A wealthy man who mocked religion once asked Declan to be his guest. To trick him and have a laugh at Declan’s expense, the pagan host arranged for a dog to be slaughtered and to be cooked in such a way that it looked like mutton. God revealed to Declan the trickery, and as a result none ate the questionable food. Following this the wealthy man and his household were all baptized.

A childless couple asked Declan to pray that they might have children, and God granted them twin sons. Many other miracles were worked by God through Declan. When it came time for Declan to pass from this life to the next, he returned to Ardmore, the place that God had already revealed to him, and he blessed all those who gathered about him before he died. St Declan ministered in Ireland around the same time that St Patrick did, in the fifth century AD.

To read the full account of St Declan’s life, go to http://www.ccel.org/d/declan/life/declan.html and scroll through the introduction until you get to the main text.

St Declan of Ardmore, pray for us.

Novena to St Declan of Ardmore

Eternal Father, I thank You for all of the wonders You worked in the life of St Declan, and for the gifts of holiness with which you filled his soul. Through his faith and trust and dedication to You, many souls entered into the Kingdom of God. You showed to all how pleasing his life was to You by great miracles. I ask that St Declan would pray for me before the throne of the Most Holy Trinity, that he may obtain for me the gifts which I need in order to follow Jesus faithfully with all my heart. Through his prayers, help me to study the holy scriptures, and to fully understand the teachings of the Church. Amen.

St Declan please pray that I too may grow in great trust and faith in God, so that His Will may be done in my life, and that I may serve Him as He deserves to be served. With much love you travelled from place to place to bring God’s Gospel message to your people, help me to love God as ardently as you loved Him. I entrust to you the special prayer request of my heart……………., knowing that you never refused to pray when asked, even if their case looked hopeless. St Declan, pray for us. 

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. (3 times)

 

 

Moved by the Passion of Christ

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Today, 23 Jul 2012, is the feast day of St Bridget of Sweden, a 14th century noble woman, wife, mother, mystic and foundress of a religious order. From at least her teenage years she experienced visions from God ,and a mission to be the mouthpiece of Jesus towards many, especially rulers and monarchs. 

Bridget was the daughter of a prince of Sweden. Her parents loved Jesus very much, and from them she learned a great love for His Passion. In obedience to her father, she married Prince Ulfo and had eight children, the youngest is St Catherine of Sweden. When Ulfo died, Bridget became a nun and built the monastery of Wastein, which became the mother house of the Bridgittine Order. She went to the Holy Land on pilgrimage. She died, aged 70, in Rome in 1373.

We owe St Bridget a great debt of gratitude for the set of 15 prayers attributed to her. There are several places online where you can access them, http://ladyofroses.org/brigit1.htm , http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/pray0345.htm , http://www.wjpbr.com/bridget.html and http://www.fisheaters.com/15prayersofstbridget.html . For a printer friendly version go to http://catholicdaily.net/societyofsaints/resources/ and scroll down until you find the PDF. These 15 prayers are a guided meditation upon the Passion of Jesus. Praying them on your own takes around 25-30 minutes. Praying them with someone else, where you take turns leading the meditations and the Our Fathers and Hail Marys takes around the 15 minute mark. There are special promises attached to those who pray these prayers daily for a whole year. Probably the most important promises are the release of 15 souls in Purgatory, 15 souls preserved in grace and 15 souls converted in the family lineage. So for any grandparent concerned about the eternal destiny of their children and grandchildren these prayers are an anchor of hope.

In recent times I have read parts of the Revelations of St Bridget for the first time. Sadly I haven’t been able to read much from them yet, but just enough to be thoroughly impressed. If you have been fortunate enough to have read the Dialogues of St Catherine of Siena, the Life and Revelations of St Gertrude the Great or the Diary of St Faustina, then you will understand how highly I am recommending the Revelations of St Bridget when I say that they are just as valuable. Thankfully it is possible to read them for free online via www.archive.org at the third PDF option in the list at the following link : http://archive.org/details/RevelationsOfSaintBridget  

In the Revelations of St Bridget, the Lord Jesus addresses Bridget as His bride. This denotes an especially close relationship between Jesus and Bridget, the kind of relationship that He wants with each one of us. Of particular interest are several revelations about the judgement of souls, purgatory, heaven and hell. Much of it is very practical teaching for how to live a life pleasing to Jesus. Some of it is prophecy about the leaders and political climate of her times. Because the gift of prophecy rarely occurs without the gift of intercession, Bridget would have spent much of the latter part of her life interceding for situations in Europe that Jesus had revealed to her. Due to this, and to her active involvement in seeking the conversion of the leaders and nations of Europe, St Bridget of Sweden has been named one of the patrons of Europe.

And now for a taste or two of what is in the Revelations:

From Book 1 Chapter 1 : Jesus to St Bridget : ‘..I took flesh without sin, without concupiscence, entering the body of the Virgin like the sun shining through the clearest crystal. The sun does not damage the glass by entering it, nor was the Virgin’s virginity lost when I took My human nature….Brightness is never separated from fire, nor was My divinity ever separated from My humanity, not even in death. Next I willed for My pure and sinless body to be wounded from the sole of My foot to the crown of My head for the sins of men, and to be hung on the Cross. It is now offered each day on the altar in order that people might love Me more and call to mind My favours more frequently.’   

From Book 4 Chapter 4 : God teaching Bridget : ‘The good spirit again speaks to the woman’s mind and advises her : ‘I know two things to be eternal – heaven and hell. no one who loves God above all things will enter into hell. Those who do not love God will not gain heaven. The incarnate God Himself trod the path to heaven and confirmed it with signs and by His death. How glorious it is to be in heaven, how bitter is the malice of the devil, and how empty are the things of the earth! His Mother and all the Saints imitated God: they preferred to endure every punishment and lose everything – they even despised their very selves- so as not to lose heavenly and eternal possessions.”

Incalculable is the debt of gratitude that we owe to this holy woman, St Bridget of Sweden, for her response to God in prayer, sacrifice and fidelity and for all the good and ongoing good she won for souls flowing from the Passion of Christ.

St Bridget of Sweden, pray for us.

A Welsh witness to Jesus

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Today, 22 July 2012, is the anniversary of the martyrdom of St John Lloyd, a Welsh priest who was hanged, drawn and quartered together with St Philip Evans on 22 July 1679 at Gallows Field in Cardiff, Wales. To have spent 25 years ministering to Welsh Catholics without being caught by the authorities is a rather amazing achievement compared to the majority of the other priests among the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

St John Lloyd was born around the year 1630 in Breconshire, Wales, into a fervent Catholic family. One of his brothers became a priest and died in prison for the Faith and one of his sisters joined the Blue Nuns. Growing up, the stories of the priestly martyrs who preceded him must have inspired young John to follow in their footsteps. By the age of 19 John had travelled to Spain to enrol at the seminary of the Royal college of St Alban at Valladolid, and had taken the missionary oath to return to Wales to serve as a priest. After 4 years of study John was ordained in 1653 or 1654, and sent back to Wales. 

John’s missionary territory consisted of the South Wales counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire. For the next 24-25 years John travelled between homes of loyal Catholics, administering the sacraments and encouraging his flock to remain faithful. Things were going OK on the quiet, until the political climate changed with the Titus Oates plot. With the motivation for persecution refreshed, priest hunters tried extra hard and soon arrested John in November 1678 at the home of the recusant John Turberville at Penllyn.

The first part of John’s imprisonment was spent in solitary confinement at Cardiff castle Gaol. Within a few weeks, he was joined in prison by St Philip Evans, a Jesuit priest.Together they encouraged each other to persevere. Following six months in prison, John and Philip finally got their day in court. It took that long to find someone willing to testify against them. On 5 May 1679 they were both found guilty of being Catholic priests and thus guilty of high treason. The penalty was to be executed by being hanged, drawn and quartered.

It fell to Fr Evans to be executed first on 22 July 1679, and for John to be obliged to watch in anticipation of his own demise. Choosing his last words carefully, John told the onlookers, ‘I never was a good speaker in my life… but I die in the true Catholic and Apostolic faith. Bear your Crosses patiently and remember the words of Jesus, ‘ Happy are those who suffer persecution for justice sake, the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” It must have taken uncommon courage for John to remain steadfast in the face of the execution of Philip knowing that the same fate would shortly be his.

St John Lloyd, pray for us.

Choosing a Catechism

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In a few weeks time the Year of Faith, to be celebrated by the world-wide Catholic Church, will begin on 11 October 2012 (marking 50 years since the start of Vatican II and 20 years since the publication of the official Catechism of the Catholic Church) and will end on the Feast of Christ the King, 24 November 2013. Because we are invited in the Year of Faith to become more familiar with the teachings of the Church, it makes sense to do a short review of the the different types and styles of Catechisms available.

The official Catechism of the Catholic Church is available online at http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM , and is also available in a hardcover version and in a softcover version. The English version became available in 1994. This is the most detailed Catechism available, and the most suitable for adult use and serious study. As is traditional, the teaching it contains – distilled from almost 20 centuries of experience and study – is in four parts : the Creed, the Sacraments, the 10 Commandments and Prayer. In its style it is a reference work, with an extensive index at the back ; although you sometimes have to think laterally in searching the index to find the answers you are after.

After using the official Catechism for a few years, the need for a simpler question and answer version was felt. The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church was the result. This version contains some glorious pieces of religious art, and every so often a beautiful quote or two from the Saints. This is my Catechism of choice to give to students in Sacramental preparation, because it contains all they need until around mid high-school when the more detailed and extensive answers of the Catechism become necessary.

Following the experiences of young people at World Youth Days, it was found that the answers to questions most youngsters were asking about God, the Church and how to live holy lives in the modern world weren’t being easily found in the Compendium – even though the answers were there. So a contemporary catechism designed specifically for high school students and young adults was developed, rooted in the official Catechism and expressed in a more user friendly manner. They called it Youcat. So far I’ve never looked inside it, as I have been waiting for it to drop in price. 

Before the Compendium came out was giving the children preparing for Confirmation ‘I Believe – A Little Catholic Catechism’ which is produced by Aid to the Church in Need. This book is well laid out, with lots of beautiful pictures and highlighted quotations. However it is a bit light on, teaching wise, when it comes to talking about the Mystery of the Eucharist.  

Recently, because my normal supplier didn’t have enough Compendiums in stock, I ordered the St Joseph New American Catechism Illustrated by Fr Lawrence. G. Lovasik, S.V.D. instead. Anything by Fr Lovasik is brilliant. This is the No.2 Middle Grade version. It is largely in question and answer format and can be used as a study guide to Catholic Teaching because it contains regular ‘Fill in the Blanks’, ‘Discussion Questions’ and advice about how to live a particular part of the Catechism in practice. The pictures are good and the font is easy to read. 

For a Catechism which gives questions and answers which are easily memorised, the Catechism of Christian Doctrine or ‘penny Catechism’ cannot be beaten. A PDF version is available at http://laudatedominum.net/files/cat.pdf and via Google Books at http://books.google.com.au/books/about/A_Catechism_of_Christian_doctrine.html?id=6O0TH8PyXwgC&redir_esc=y. It is also still in print, but in a much nicer format that the small light green one.   

Generally, the more we know someone, the more we love them. It works the same way with God. The more we know Him, and the more we know the Teaching he has given us, the more we will love Him.

So if you haven’t yet got a Catechism to be your companion during the Year of Faith, now is the time to choose one or more and get them. It’s going to be a most wonderful year of spiritual renewal, so make sure that you are well prepared for it and that you don’t miss out on any of gifts that God has prepared for you during the Year of Faith.

 

 

 

Jesus makes the weak strong

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Today, 20 Jul 2012, is the memorial of St Margaret of Antioch, one of the early Christian martyrs who gave her life for Jesus during the persecution of Diocletian around the year 304. This is the St Margaret who, together with other Saints, spoke to St Joan of Arc and guided her in her God given mission. St Margaret is also revered as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, with a particular gift for assisting pregnant women and women in childbirth.

St Margaret was the daughter of an important pagan priest at Antioch in Pisidia (modern day Turkey). While very young her mother died, and little Margaret was entrusted to the care of a nurse. The nurse was a fervent Christian and obtained for Margaret the sacrament of Baptism and a faith-filled education. Margaret was of marriageable age (early teens) when her nurse returned her to her father’s household. Before him was a charming young woman, full of goodness and beauty, but he could not cope with his daughter rejecting the gods he served so as to serve Jesus Christ. Day by day his sorrow and disappointment turned to anger, resulting in her banishment from his sight.

Margaret then took refuge back with her nurse, who lived in a rural area. Here Margaret lived a simple and humble life, with lots of manual labour. Any young woman filled with the love of Jesus in her heart has a special loveliness. So it wasn’t surprising that when a powerful Roman man, and prefect of the city, noticed her as she was tending sheep, he was smitten with her beauty. Important men tend to get their own way by force, so fifteen year old Margaret was brought into his presence. She was not overawed by his personage and clearly told him that she was not interested in marriage because she belonged only to Jesus, and that He was her one and only spouse.

As you might expect, the prefect was not a man who was to used to being refused his will over anything, and he became enraged. The prefect knew a little about this Jesus person, enough to know that he had been crucified, but not enough to know that he was gloriously risen and reigning over all creation. It miffed him when Margaret pointed out he should have read the whole story about Jesus and should not have stopped at the crucifixion. 

Under Diocletian’s edicts, Christians were fair game, so the prefect was willing to try torture to get the beautiful and nobly born Margaret to bend to his desires. He had her scourged, stretched on the rack and then had her skin raked with iron combs until you could see far more blood than flesh. Displeased that Margaret would not be swayed, to a prison cell she was taken.

There she prayed, and had some extraordinary experiences. The tortures were nothing compared to the battle she did with the devil that night. The evil one brought all of his terrors against this frail wounded virgin, and lost the battle, because her whole hope was in the unconquerable power of the Cross of Jesus. With the sign of the Cross, the devil was defeated. Then the next wonder happened, her cell was filled with heavenly light and her body was restored to total health and strength. 

In view of the numbers of people who were converting to Jesus because of the valiant holy witness of Margaret during her tortures, this major attack of the evil one makes sense. The prefect hadn’t got her to reject Jesus. Now the evil one brought his forces to bear in a huge attempt to frighten her away from fidelity to Jesus when she was weakened, knowing that if he lost this battle with Margaret that a massive number of souls would be won for Jesus.

In the morning the prefect found it difficult to believe that anything other than a pagan God could have healed Margaret so completely. She held firm, telling him plainly that it was solely accomplished though the power of Jesus, her spouse. Angered beyond rage, the prefect ordered that Margaret be burned with lighted torches. The bystanders marvelled that these tortures did not sway so slight a maid. Next, to increase the pain she was tossed into a cauldron of icy water. In response to this treatment of His servant, the Lord Jesus sent an earthquake with thunderous noise and there appeared a dove bearing a golden crown to rest gently upon her head. At these marvels thousands of bystanders became convinced of the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, and because this was against the law, were beheaded, receiving a baptism of blood.

Margaret herself stood firm and strong in the love of Jesus. Anxious lest she convert anyone else, the prefect ordered her beheading. The executioner, understandibly was reluctant to deal the death blow, but Margaret reassured him. Before her last moments on earth, she prayed out loud to her Spouse asking that all who learn of her martyrdom would receive Mercy from Him and that all those pregnant and all those in childbirth would have happy births when they invoked her intercession. The Lord Jesus graciously gave her a public sign that her prayer was favourable to Him, and then her holy soul took flight at the sword’s edge to her eternal and glorious reward.

The Lord Jesus made the valiant Margaret strong. May she continue to intercede for each one of us before the throne of her Heavenly Spouse.