Tag Archives: Spiritual Reading

Transformed by Grace

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Today, 28 Aug 2012, is the feast day of St Augustine of Hippo, well-known convert, bishop and doctor of the Church. Following the success of the prayers of his mother, St Monica, Augustine went on to become a prolific writer about all kinds of Christian subject matter and the instructions he wrote for the clergy who lived a monastic life with him at Hippo formed the basis of the Rule of St Augustine upon which many religious orders have modelled their own Rules. So important are St Augustine’s 5th century writings that the Church includes them in Her Office of Readings about once a week on average; which is twice as often as other Saintly writers.

St Augustine of Hippo was born in late 354 in North Africa, and was blessed with considerable gifts of intellect and rhetoric. From his late teens until the Grace of God won him over completely in his baptism in Milan at the Easter vigil of 387, Augustine lived a pagan life and found heretical sects more to his taste than the disciplines of Catholicism. Returning to North Africa soon afterwards, he spent the rest of his life there until his death at Hippo on 28 August 430.

Even translated into English the works of St Augustine are a delight to read. His arguments are cogent and help us rediscover the wonder and the power of God. St Teresa of Avila had a special devotion to him. From St Augustine comes the tradition of reciting the 7 penitential Psalms in preparation for death – he arranged for them to be written about the walls. He also had a strictly enforced rule that no one was to say anything negative about anyone. What I didn’t know until recently was how much St Augustine valued humility and how often he wrote about it.  

Now for a few gems from his heart and pen, to whet our appetites for more….

From The Confessions of St Augustine, Book X, Chapter I : ‘Let me know Thee, O Lord, who knowest me: let me know Thee, as I am known. Power of my soul, enter into it, and fit it for Thee, that Thou mayest have and hold it without spot or wrinkle. This is my hope, therefore do I speak; and in this hope do I rejoice, when I rejoice healthfully. Other things of this life are the less to be sorrowed for, the more they are sorrowed for; and the more to be sorrowed for, the less men sorrow for them. For behold, Thou lovest the truth, and he that doth it, cometh to the light. This would I do in my heart before Thee in confession: and in my writing, before many witnesses.’

From St Augustine’s explanation of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew Chapter 5: Chapter VII, Section 18: ‘ “Let your light,” says He, “so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” If He had merely said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,” He would seem to have fixed an end in the praises of men, which hypocrites seek, and those who canvass for honours and covet glory of the emptiest kind. Against such parties it is said, “If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ;” and, by the prophet, “They who please men are put to shame, because God hath despised them;” and again, “God hath broken the bones of those who please men;” and again the apostle, “Let us not be desirous of vainglory;” and still another time, “But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.” Hence our Lord has not said merely, “that they may see your good works,” but has added, “and glorify your Father who is in heaven:” so that the mere fact that a man by means of good works pleases men, does not there set it up as an end that he should please men; but let him subordinate this to the praise of God, and for this reason please men, that God may be glorified in him. For this is expedient for them who offer praise, that they should honour, not man, but God; as our Lord showed in the case of the man who was carried, where, on the paralytic being healed, the multitude, marvelling at His powers, as it is written in the Gospel, “feared and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.” And His imitator, the Apostle Paul, says, “But they had heard only, that he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed; and they glorified God in me.” ‘

From St Augustine’s ‘On Christian Doctrine, in Four Books’, Book 1, Chapter 24, Section 24: ‘No man, then, hates himself. On this point, indeed, no question was ever raised by any sect. But neither does any man hate his own body. For the apostle says truly, “No man ever yet hated his own flesh.” And when some people say that they would rather be without a body altogether, they entirely deceive themselves. For it is not their body, but its corruptions and its heaviness, that they hate. And so it is not no body, but an uncorrupted and very light body, that they want. But they think a body of that kind would be no body at all, because they think such a thing as that must be a spirit. And as to the fact that they seem in some sort to scourge their bodies by abstinence and toil, those who do this in the right spirit do it not that they may get rid of their body, but that they may have it in subjection and ready for every needful work. For they strive by a kind of toilsome exercise of the body itself to root out those lusts that are hurtful to the body, that is, those habits and affections of the soul that lead to the enjoyment of unworthy objects. They are not destroying themselves; they are taking care of their health.’

To read more, go to http://www.ccel.org/ccel/augustine?show=biography and then choose ‘Works By (13)’.

We thank You, Lord, for Your Grace which transformed St Augustine from a talented yet troubled young man into a powerhouse of holiness and an inspiration for centuries of believers.

Novena to Saint Augustine

Saint Augustine, great Bishop of Hippo and Doctor of the Church, may your life of conversion to the Catholic Faith be an example to both those who have never been a part of the Church, and to those who have fallen away from Christ’s Church. Through your closeness with Our Lord in Heaven, intercede for us and bring to the One True Faith the following people (mention names).
May your conversion centuries ago continue to inspire those who are lost today and with the help of your prayers, may God bring them to a full understanding of the Faith. Most importantly, may your struggle to find Truth, through many sins and failings be an example of the Lord Jesus’ forgiveness and eternal saving Grace. Amen.

Oh Merciful God, hear the prayer of Your servant, St Augustine, and bring the message of salvation to all who seek You in sincerity. Amen.

St Augustine, pray for us.

Our Father, Who art in heaven hallowed be Your Name; Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen. (3 times)

To honour an apostolic patron

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Today, 24 Aug 2012, is the feast day of St Bartholomew, the Apostle that Jesus chose to share His public life with, to join to His priesthood, and to send out to the world as a witness to His resurrection and ascension. Ever since His martyrdom in Greater Armenia, St Bartholomew has been close to Jesus in Heaven, interceding for the members of the Body of Christ on earth.

As you would have read from earlier blog-posts, St Bartholomew is my patron Saint for 2012, and the first time I have been given an Apostle for a patron. Obviously the reliable information about St Bartholomew is scarce; early written references to him are few, but the references in private revelation are rather consistent and we can infer quite a lot from looking at the lives of the Saints who had great devotion to him.

Just like Simon Peter was called Bar Jonah in the Gospel : son of Jonah, so the Church has seen that Nathaniel and Bartholomew : son of Tolmai or Tholmai, are one and the same person. Early sources agree that Bartholomew went east of Jerusalem to preach the Gospel, probably going through Arabia, Persia, Lycaonia and similar places before reaching Greater Armenia. Flayed alive and then beheaded is the way he entered eternity to be with Jesus, which is why he is the patron Saint of those who work with leather and other animal skins and of those with nervous and neurological problems.

The following extract from ‘Through the Eyes of Jesus’ by C. Alan Ames, page 36 of Book 3, is about Bartholomew and of great value as spiritual encouragement:

“Bartholomew spoke quietly to Me, ‘They have been praying a long time. I wish I was with them, but it was my turn to prepare the meal,’ he said, sadly. ‘You pray when you work for others,’ I explained. ‘What do You mean Lord? Cooking doesn’t seem like a prayer to me,’ Bartholomew asked. ‘In your work, whatever it is, if you offer the work to God and do it for God, then it becomes a prayer of action. See in everything you do that it is done because you love God and want to please Him… then everything is a prayer. See, as you live this life, that every breath is a gift from God, and so every time you take a breath you are accepting God’s gift within. Then use that gift for His glory in every action you do, from the smallest to the largest. See the way God’s gift to you is used to help others by your service to them in His name, then every act of servitude becomes a prayer. Life itself can become a never-ending prayer to God, when you make the effort to do everything for God in thanks for the gift of life He has given you. Never see anything you do as unimportant or inconsequential to God, for even the smallest task can be made a prayer, and then even the smallest task becomes important,’ I answered. ‘Even so, Lord, it would be good to be praying with them,’ said Bartholomew, as he looked over to the others. ‘My friend, understand it is because of your sacrifice to prepare the meal, they have the freedom to pray. See that what you are doing is giving your friends the opportunity of spending time trying to come closer to God, and that your denying yourself for them is a prayer in itself, ‘ I replied. ‘It’s true, isn’t it? If I wasn’t cooking, others would have to do it, and so they couldn’t pray. I didn’t think of that,’ he said. ‘See then what a special prayer your work is, a prayer that helps another come closer to God,’ I stated. ‘Cooking, a prayer!’ Maybe I should cook more often,’ smiled Bartholomew, as he continued preparing the meal. A few moments later the others started to gather around the fire. They all looked happy after their prayers. (and here follows some conversation around the campfire, not totally relevant to this story) …’Anyway, I think it is time we all said a prayer before we eat,’ said Bartholomew, for the fish was nearly ready. After we prayed, we sat to eat, when Bartholomew asked out loud, ‘Lord, can eating be a prayer?’ ‘Everything can be, if you show you appreciate God’s love in everything, and offer Him your love in return,’ I said. ‘What, even sleeping?’ he asked. ‘Yes, even sleeping,’ I said, smiling, thinking of the amount of prayer Bartholomew would be doing in the future as he slept.”

There is still more to come - especially what I have learned from looking at the Saints with great devotion to St Bartholomew – but it will have to wait until later…. Thank you for your patience. There are at least 12 Saints either named after St Bartholomew or who took his name in religion which have been written about in this blog during the last 9 months, so it could take quite some time.

 

St Bartholomew, Apostle of Jesus, pray for us.

Beautiful in God’s Eyes

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Today, 23 Aug 2012, is the feast day of St Rose of Lima, (a.k.a. Rosa de Lima) a young woman of Peru in the 17th century who followed Jesus along the royal way of the Cross and discovered the beauty of suffering for Him and with Him.

St Rose was my patron Saint for the year in 2007, and her prayers and example helped me get through a time of unexpected distress and bewilderment. It is only through perplexing times like that we begin to comprehend the value of suffering.

St Rose of Lima was born in 1586 in Lima, Peru, and christened Isabel, but she was such a beautiful baby that everyone called her Rose. From her parents she received both Spanish and Inca heritage. She was confirmed by St Turibius, archbishop of Lima. As she grew up she grew more beautiful, and yet she worked willingly to help her family when they fell on hard times, growing flowers, doing needlework and embroidery. She greatly admired St Catherine of Siena. In life she only wanted Jesus to notice her, and wanted to love Jesus only, and after several years of trying finally persuaded her parents to let her live a life of virginity as a Dominican Tertiary.

Because she didn’t want her beauty to become a cause of sin to anyone, sometimes she would do things to make herself look blotchy and ugly. When she talked about Jesus, her face would glow with love. She retired to a little house in the family garden, here she prayed and did much penance. To modern eyes her penances might seem extreme, but Rose was experiencing many mystical graces and ardently desired to co-operate in the salvation of souls. So fasting three times a week, wearing a circlet around her head which had sharp inner points, hair shirts and other bodily penances were part of her regular spiritual life together with frequent Holy Communion. Often these penances and prayers were offered for the archbishop and for the conversion of souls. Her friends and others caused her suffering when they made fun of her.

Rose understood the value of suffering in the Christian life when it is united to the suffering of Jesus. At some point she wrote ‘Listen, all you people! At Christ’s bidding and in His very words, I warn you: We cannot win grace if we do not suffer affliction; toil upon toil must be ours if we are to attain an intimate share in the divine nature, the glory of God’s children, and perfect happiness. If only men knew how beautiful, noble, and priceless a thing God’s grace is!’

This is one of her prayers, simple and poignant :

“Help me to remember what is really important: that I am Your child You are my Father
You love me for who I am and how I live not what I look like or what I own. Let me praise You, Who sees into my heart, Who is always with me and Who eases my suffering.”

Rose also overcame many temptations and cared for those who were sick and suffering, often in her own dwelling. Eventually she herself became very ill, with a very long painful sickness. But even in her sickness she prayed, ‘Lord, increase my sufferings, and with them increase Your love in my heart’.  She died aged 31, on 24 August 1671 and was mourned by everyone, with her body remaining incorrupt for a considerable time.

For more information on St Rose of Lima, refer to http://www.catholickingdom.com/AAA_load_in_pages/Monastery/Lives%20of%20the%20Saints/Female/Rose%20of%20Lima.html

Novena to St. Rose of Lima

God our Father, for love of you St. Rose gave up everything to devote herself to a life of penance. By the help of her prayers may we imitate her selfless way of life on earth and enjoy the fullness of Your blessings in heaven. Almighty God, the beginning  and giver of all good things, Who willed that Blessed Rose should be prepared by the dew of grace from Heaven, and should bloom as a most beautiful flower of virginity and patience, grant us to be drawn by the perfume of her virtue, that we may deserve to become a sweet fragrance of Christ. You filled St. Rose with love for You and enabled her to leave the world and be free for You through the austerity of penance. Through her prayers, help us to follow her footsteps on earth and enjoy the torrent of Your delights in heaven. Amen.

Glorious St. Rose of Lima, you knew what it was to love Jesus with such a fine a generous heart. Since infancy you despised the world’s vanities in order to embrace His Cross. You loved with unfailing devotion our Heavenly Mother and professed a great tender dedication to the destitute, serving them the same way Jesus did. Teach us to imitate your greatest virtues, so that we, following your example, will enjoy your glorious protection in Heaven. We ask this through Our Lord, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns world without end. Amen.

St Rose of Lima, pray for us always. Amen.

Our Father…..Hail Mary….Glory Be….

 

 

He inspired others to follow him on the road to Heaven

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Today, 20 August 2012, is the feast day of St Bernard of Clairvaux, priest, Cistercian monk and Doctor of the Church, who lived most of his life in 12th century France. In life he inspired many to embrace a radical Christian lifestyle, and several hundred years later his writings are still inspiring people to love God more and to be more deeply committed to Him.

St Bernard of Clairvaux was born in 1090 at Fontaines into a noble family of Dijon, France. He was the third son of seven children, several of whom are recognised as Saints. Sorrow entered his life early with the death of his mother when Bernard was in his late teens. When he responded to the call of Jesus to follow Him as a monk, he rounded up 30 friends and relatives and inspired them to join the new monastery at Citeaux founded by St Robert, St Alberic and St Stephen Harding. They all arrived at Easter 1112. 

Three years later, Bernard was sent as abbot to found a new monastrery in the Valley of Light, known as Clairvaux.  Bernard remained as abbot for the rest of his life, but was also called upon to preach, to advise popes, and negotiate peace between warring princes. Busy with the things of God, he founded many monasteries and wrote many letters, sermons and books about spritual matters and theological subjects. To him God granted the gift of miracles. Despite all this, Bernard’s one desire was for God alone.

He had a very deep love of the Blessed Mother, and always greeted her with a Hail Mary whenever he passed one of her statues. One day he heard her voice reply ‘Hail Bernard’, so much did this practice of his please her. To St Bernard is attributed the powerful prayer to Our Lady known as the Memorare:

Remember, O most loving Virgin Mary that never was it known that anyone, who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence therefore I fly to you, O Virgins of virgins, my mother, to you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. Do not O Mother of the Word of God despise my prayers, but in your mercy graciously hear and answer them. Amen.

To St Bernard is also attributed the Prayer to the Shoulder Wound of Jesus:

O Loving Jesus, meek Lamb of God, I a miserable sinner, salute and worship the most Sacred Wound of Your Shoulder on which You bore Your heavy Cross, which so tore Your Flesh and laid bare Your Bones so as to inflict on You an anguish greater than any other Wound of Your Most Blessed Body. I adore You, O Jesus most sorrowful; I praise and glorify You and give You thanks for this most sacred and painful Wound, beseeching You by that exceeding pain and by the crushing burden of Your heavy Cross to be merciful to me, a sinner, to forgive me all my mortal and venial sins, and to lead me on towards Heaven along the Way of Your Cross. Amen. (Our Father… Hail Mary… x 3)

Here is a small taste of St Bernard’s writings from ‘On the Canticle of Canticles’ (or Song of Songs) : ‘ The Holy Spirit wisely compares the bridegrom’s name to oil when he leads the bride to exclaim: ‘Your name is as oil poured out.’ For oil gives light, nourishes, and anoints. Oil kindles fire, renews the flesh and eases pain. It is light, food and medicine. How much more so is the name of the true Bridegroom! When preached, His Name gives light ; when contemplated, it nourishes the soul ; when invoked, it heals and eases our wounds. We can profitably meditate upon each point…The name of Jesus is not only light, but it is also food. Are you not strengthened as often as you call it to mind? What else so strengthens the soul of the person contemplating it! What else so renews our tired senses, encourages us to virtue, establishes good and holy habits and develops noble affections? All spiritual consolation dries up unless infused with this oil; it all becomes insipid unless seasoned with this salt. If someone writes a book, I cannot savour it unless it speaks to me of Jesus. If someone speaks or preaches, I cannot enjoy it unless I find Jesus therein.’

After a lifetime of bringing souls to God, on August 20, 1153, God called Bernard into eternity. 

If you think you are up to being challenged today by St Bernard and his holy family, read ‘The Family that overtook Christ’ by M. Raymond, which is also available on Kindle. If you feel up to the challenge of reading his writings, try here and here. 

St Bernard of Clairvaux, pray for us.

 

Intercessor for First Communicants

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Today, 21 Aug 2012, is the feast day of St Pius X, who was Pope from August 1903 until his death in August 1914. Although this holy Pope did many wonderful things during his pontificate, he is probably best remembered for lowering the age at which children could make their first Holy Communion. 

The following extract is abridged from Chapter 30, of ‘Flame of White, a life of Saint Pius X’, by William Hunermann, c.1959…

“On August 8, 1910, Pope Pius X announced the solemn decree ‘Quam singular Christus amore,’ commanding that all priests over the whole world should admit children to Holy Communion as soon as they were able to distinguish Eucharistic bread from common food. The whole world received the decree with great joy. Especially happy were the young souls for whom the Pope opened the tabernacle. Although there arose some voices that expressed fear lest reverence for the Holy Sacrament be lessened if little children were admitted, the Pope knew that his way was God’s way. Above all he was consoled by the numberless letters that came to him from the little ones all over the world. Again and again he read them with tears of consolation.

‘Just see, Giovanni, what this little girl writes to me,’ he said with eyes sparkling. “At times after Communion, I feel as if my Father pressed me to His heart; I am so happy that I cannot say a word. But dear Jesus knows how much I love Him.” Oh, friend, what bishop in the world could have spoken more beautifully about the meeting of the Lord in Holy Communion?’

Each year he invited the First Communicants of Rome to the Vatican. In the Cordile della Pigna the Holy Father was surrounded by a vast crowd of little ones. From an elevation he spoke to them with deep love, asking them to be always true to Jesus and never allow Him to depart from their hearts. ‘Will you do that?’ he called to them.

‘Yes,Yes,’ rang the chorus of radiant children.

‘And of course you will help me pray. The Pope has many big cares; but you will help me pray when Jesus comes to your heart?’

‘Yes, yes – yes, Papa,’ promised the little ones. Some attempted to climb up on the platform. He helped one girl and one boy get on the dais. It seemed as though that moment was being repeated when Jesus drew the Palestinian children about him and caressed and blessed them. Again, the Pope asked them if they would love Jesus all their lives. The answer was a thundering ‘yes’. But the little girl near the Holy Father pressed close and said, ‘Yes, Jesus.’

Even the masters of ceremony, who were displeased at first when they saw the children, became so touched that tears were visible in their eyes. They saw Christ’s love in action and admitted the result.

‘We will come again, Holy Father; we will come again,’ called the children as Pius X dismissed them with his blessing. Nothing in those days gave the Pope more consolation than audiences with children. He rejoiced over their visit many days ahead of time.

‘When I am dead,’ he often said to Don Bressan, ‘I shall still desire to have First Communicants come to me. Bring them to my coffin and even from my grave I will bless them.’ ”

The rest of ‘Flame of White, a life of Saint Pius X’ is well worth reading, and will give you a deep love and respect for this true servant of Jesus.

Note: Rome is a long way to go, to where St Pius X is buried in St Peter’s Basilica, but should you ever visit Port Macquarie in NSW or the Gold Coast in QLD, there are two places you could pray to receive this promised blessing. At Port Macquarie there is a chapel dedicated to St Francis of Assisi which is part of the Catholic Retirement Village. Inside the chapel, near the statue of St Francis is a little box, it contains a little relic of St Francis of Assisi and a little relic of St Pius X. At Marian Valley, www.marianvalley.org , at 2541 Beechmont Road, Canungra QLD (about a 40 minute drive from Surfer’s Paradise) there is a little outdoor chapel dedicated to St Pius X containing a life-sided bust of him.  

Another story about St Pius X goes like this : St Pius X was once speaking to the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament. This is what he said to them. ‘Holy Communion is the shortest and surest way to Heaven. There are others, innocence for instance, but that is for little children; penance, but we are afraid of it; generous endurance of the trials of life, but when they approach us we weep and pray to be delivered. Once for all, beloved children, the surest, easiest, shortest way is by the Holy Eucharist. It is so easy to approach the Holy Table, and there we taste the joys of Paradise.’

To the intercession of St Pius X we entrust all of the young and not-so-young that we have prepared to receive Holy Communion for the first time, and all of those that the good Lord will sent to us in the future. May our young girls and boys fall in love with Jesus and always remain faithful to Him, as was St Pius X’s dearest wish.

St Pius X, pray for us.

A heart formed by the Sacred Heart

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Today, 19 Aug 2012, is the feast day of St John Eudes ( a.k.a. St Jean Eudes), a 17th century French priest, preacher and founder of two religious Orders : the Congregation of Jesus and Mary (a.k.a. Eudists) and the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity. Because he let his heart be formed in the furnace of the Sacred Heart of Jesus he preached with extraordinary efficacy and led many souls back to God. When ever he preached the confessors of the area were besieged with penitents.

While I had always had a soft spot for St John Eudes because of his great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, fifteen years ago his holy life was most emphatically placed before our notice by God. Fifteen years ago a battle royal was going on, would our son be born on the feast day of St John Eudes or on the feast day of St Bernard of Clairvaux? At 11.10pm on 19 August 1997 the battle was decided, but it was a very close thing. So it is with special relish that I learn a bit more about St John Eudes today.

St John Eudes spread the good news of God’s love in as many ways as possible. He preached. He taught others to preach. He conducted parish missions. He wrote books, catechisms, prayer manuals, devotional material and the liturgical prayers for several feast days. Together with that, he responded to the needs of his time, setting up seminaries and places of refuge for penitent women of ill repute, no matter how difficult those tasks were.

St John Eudes was born in late 1601 in the little village of Ri, near Argentan, Normandy France into a rural farming family. Joy filled his parent’s hearts when his mother discovered that she was pregnant, because they had been praying for three years for a child. Soon after this happy news, they travelled some 50 kms away to a shrine of Our Lay to give thanks, and to dedicate this as-yet-unborn little one to her. Happily the good Lord granted the family six more children. In the region where John grew up, he saw for himself the outcome of inadequate catechesis : lives lived with minimal reference to the sacraments. For himself, when of age, John began receiving Holy Communion as frequently as possible – which in those days was once a month after a good confession.

Because of his desire for the priesthood, and gifts of intelligence, John at age 14 was sent to the Jesuit college at Caen, some 50 kms away to study. Around this time he made a vow of chastity and consecrated his life to Our Lady. After pondering for some time how to serve God as a priest, as a diocesan priest, Jesuit or religious, John became very impressed with the Oratory of Jesus in Paris, begun by Pierre de Berulle and modelled on the Oratory of St Philip Neri. In 1622 a house of these Oratorians opened up in Caen, and in 1623 John joined them, being ordained to the priesthood just before Christmas in 1625.

Strangely, almost as soon as John was ordained he fell seriously ill and was unable to work as an active priest. What he did do was use this time of illness to further his studies and to deepen his prayer life. Just as he was recovered, news came that near his home village a plague had taken hold. Volunteering to help them, John went off to care for the sick and to bring them the comfort of the sacraments. Returning to Caen he entered fully into the life of the Oratory before plague struck Caen itself. While some isolated themselves, John again volunteered to assist the victims, putting up with having to live in a large oak wine cask in a field so as not to bring infection to his brother Oratorians.

When the plague ended, John began his ministry of parish missions. Not for him any one or two week mission. He knew that at least six to eight weeks were needed to effect any lasting change, particularly with the high levels of religious ignorance in the places he preached. For him, ‘Preachers beat the bushes. Confessors catch the birds.’, so the real work of the mission was not complete until the people came to the confessional and experienced the mercy of God and started afresh with Christ in their lives.

The Sisters of Our Lady of Charity were founded first, unofficially, in 1641, and officially in 1657. Since often the religious ignorance of the clergy was as bad as that of the laity, John saw the need for the reforms of the Council of Trent which greatly encouraged the founding of seminaries for diocesan priests. It was this need which prompted his leaving the Oratorians in order to found the Congregation of Jesus and Mary for the purpose of developing and running seminaries. This was a move which attracted a lot of criticism but which achieved profound and long-term good.

Wherever John went he promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary and to the extraordinary union between these two Hearts. Because he preached from a heart in close conformity to that of Jesus’, large crowds came to hear him preach and to be converted.

After a long and fruitful life for souls, St John Eudes passed to his eternal reward on 19 August 1680 at Caen, Normandy. In 1925 Pope Pius XI canonised him.

An excellent source for finding out more about St John Eudes’ writings is at http://www.liberius.net/livres/The_spiritual_teaching_of_saint_John_Eudes_000000430.pdf

St John Eudes, pray for us.

Reconciler of souls and peoples

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Today, 30 Jul 2012, is the feast day of St Leopold Mandic, a holy Capuchin friar who lived out most of his life ministering to souls in the confessional at Padua, Italy. Beneath his frail, slight and suffering body lived a heart very similar to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Its mercy, desire for unity and zeal for souls.

It is a joy to honour St Leopold today because he was my Patron Saint for 2005, and ever since I have sought his prayers each time I have prepared for the Sacrament of Penance. In my eyes he is one of the three outstanding Confessors of recently centuries, together with St John Vianney and St Padre Pio.

St Leopold Mandic was born on May 12, 1866 in Castelnuovo, on the southern tip of Dalmatia, Croatia, the twelfth child of a devout local Croat family. As a young man he was very frail, and never grew taller than 1.35m or 4 ft 5 in . He limped because of arthritis. However, he always wanted to be a foreign missionary. Leopold entered the Capuchin Franciscans at Udine, Italy in 1882 when he was 16 years old. He studied hard and grew in holiness. When he entered the novitiate in 1884 he took the name Brother Leopold. (one book has his original name Bogdan, the other Adeodatus). He studied philosophy at Padua and theology in Venice. In Venice he was ordained on 20th September 1890. Because of a speech impediment he was assigned permanently to the confessionals. He was sent to various Capuchin convents first, before being sent to Padua in 1906 where he lived until his death, except for one year in an Austrian prison camp during World War I for refusing to renounce his Croat nationality.

Behind his vocation was a secret. When Leopold was 22 he heard God ask him to pray from the return of the Orthodox to Catholic unity. He desired to return to his homeland to assist this cause, but it wasn’t to be. After Mass one day a holy person came to tell him, ‘Father, Jesus told me to tell you that each soul you help here in the confessional is your East. After this he would treat each person as though the conversion to unity of his people depended on that person. At Holy Mass, which he always offered for the intention of unity between the Eastern churches and the Catholic Church, he would suffer physically for the break in unity to the point that his tears would dampen the altar cloth.

Leopold’s life in Padua centered around the confessional, where for thirty years he heard confessions for 10 to 15 hours a day in a narrow cell which was bitter in winter and sweltering in summer. The convent in Padua where he lived and ministered is where his incorrupt body lies today.

He said of himself: ‘I really am quite ridiculous’. And that is what the other monks and children thought of him. But people had begun to line up outside his confessional in Padua. Some were sent by St Padre Pio himself, who said, ‘You have a saint in your city, why come to me?’

Granted the gift of reading people’s souls, Leopold used it to help souls seek reconciliation with God. One time a man who had not been to confession for a long time was brought by friends to Padua. Secretly he hoped to slip away after everyone had gone. Before he made his escape Leopold came suddenly out of the confessional and went straight to him and said: ‘Come in, sir. I have been waiting for you’ and inside ‘You didn’t want to come, did you…but don’t worry. I’ll tell you what you did? And now you are repentant aren’t you. Then God forgives you for everything. Thank you for coming, for bringing me so much joy; but do come again. I’ll be waiting for you.’

If a person was hesitant in approaching theSacrament, Leopold would get up to greet him and say, ‘Please sit down, don’t fear. You know, I’m a monk and a priest, but I’m a real wreck. If it weren’t for God the Master who holds my reigns, I’d be worse than others…’ He also knew when people were truly repentant and when they tried to excuse or minimize their sinfulness. At times he would continue to offer theSacrament of Reconciliation even when he was ill, or would skip meals to assist those waiting for God’s mercy. He suffered from severe stomach ailments. Often when confessions were over, he would remain in prayer, because he had promised to many of his penitents: ‘I will do penance for you. I will pray for you.’

Through out his life Leopold had a great devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows, and he had a remarkable gift of discerning graces and helping people grow in their spiritual lives.

Once he said: ‘If Crucified Jesus should reproach me for being over indulgent, I shall say to Him, but You set this poor example for me. I have not yet become as mad as You as to die for souls.’

St Leopold used to repeat: “Remember that you have been sent for the salvation of people, not because of your own merits, since it is the Lord Jesus and not you who died for the salvation of souls…. I must cooperate with the Divine goodness of our Lord Who has deigned to choose me so that by my ministry, the Divine promise would be fulfilled: ‘There will be only one flock and one shepherd’” (John 10:16).

Shortly before he died, July 30, 1942, Leopold prophesied ‘the city will be bombed many times and this convent severely hit, but not this cell. Here in this cell God the Master has used much Mercy. It must remain as a monument to His goodness.’ And so it was that the bombings of 1944 destroyed the convent, but Leopold’s confessional cell remained unharmed.

On the last day of his life, Leopold was up at 5.30am, spent an hour in prayer and then began vesting for Mass.He collapsed while vesting, and a few hours later died while praying the last words of the Hail Holy Queen. He was 76 years old, having served Jesus as His priest for 52 years.

St Leopold Mandic was beatified in 1976 by Pope Paul VI, and canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 16, 1983, declaring him the saintly hero of the confessional. There is, not surprisingly, a statue of St Leopold located between the confessionals and the presbytery at the church of St James in Medjugorje.

St Leopold Mandic, pray for us.

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.

 

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.