ALL SAINTS DAY

This Holy Day on November 1 often gets pushed aside because everyone is thinking about Halloween. Today, I'd like to reflect on this.

Many people do not know the true meaning of Halloween. Hallow means Holy and Eve means the day before. So, Halloween means the day before a holy day. All Saints is Holy because it is a day that we remind ourselves of all the faithful departed who the Church has declared cannonized and worthy of our imitation.

In our society today, it seems to be more of a holiday where people put on crazy costumes and try to scare you out of your wits. The images are often evil and demonic. I don't think this is what was intended for this holy day.

Through prayer and Mass, we can take back this day. We can focus on the Saints and their lives. We can prepare ourselves to celebrate their feast. The lives of the saints are interesting and amazing. If you chose one a week to study, you could find that you won't want to stop.

This Halloween, think about what it is really about.

All Holy Men and Women, pray for us.

Praying the Rosary

Wednesday, October 7th is the feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary. In her honor, we will discuss the rosary.

This is a very important prayer given to us by the Blessed Virgin herself. It is one of the most powerful prayers. It has even stopped a war. The Battle of Lepanto was in 1571. Christans were fighting the Muslims and they were outnumbered. It was a miracle that the Christians won. This miracle came about because in the Vatican, Pope Pius V had gathered with other Catholics to pray the rosary with him for this battle. This victory occured on Oct. 7th which is now the feast day to remember the Rosary.

Here is more information on the Rosary. http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/rosary/

The prayer consists of 4 groups of mysteries, The Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious. Each of these groups has 5 decades that include an Our Father, 10 Hail Marys and a Glory Be. They are listed below with a virtue that fits that mystery. Also, our family adds a saint as well that reflects that virtue and mystery. Our choices are listed for an example. We also add a priest for each decade since this year is the Year of the Priests.

As you pray it is important to meditate on each mystery. A good way to do this is to use famous art work (http://www.setonhome.org/curriculum/seeinside.php?ToView=P-AR05-11), read scripture passages, or use pro life meditations (http://www.priestsforlife.org/prayers/pfrosary2.htm).

Can you dedicate yourself to praying the rosary daily for the conversion of sinners? This was Mary's request at Fatima.

1st Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation, Virtue: Humility, Saint: Gabriel

2nd Joyful Mystery: The Visitation, Virture: Charity towards Neighbor, Saint: Elizabeth

3rd Joyful Mystery: The Nativity, Virture: Spirit of Poverty, Saint: Therese of the Child Jesus

4th Joyful Mystery: The Presentation in the Temple, Virtue: Obedience, Saint: Simeon & Anna

5th Joyful Mystery: The Finding in the Temple, Virtue: Piety, Saint: Joseph

1st Luminous Mystery: Baptism of Jesus, Virtue: Living out your Baptismal promises, Saint: John the Baptist

2nd Luminous Mystery: Wedding at Cana, Virtue: Doing what Jesus tells us, Saint: John Vianney

3rd Luminous Mystery: Preaching of the Kingdom, Virtue: Seeking God's forgivness, Saint: Francis of Asissi

4th Luminous Mystery: Transfiguration, Virtue: Becoming a new person in Christ, Saint: James

5th Luminous Mystery: Eucharist, Virture: Active participation in Mass, Saint: Pius X

1st Sorrowful Mystery: Agony in the Garden, Virtue: True Contrition, Saint: Barbara

2nd Sorrowful Mystery: Scourging at the Pillar, Virtue: Purity, Saint: Stephen

3rd Sorrowful Mystery: Crowning with Thorns, Virtue: Moral Courage, Saint: Rita

4th Sorrowful Mystery: Carrying of the Cross, Virture: Patience, Saint: John of the Cross

5th Sorrowful Mystery: Death on the Cross, Virtue: Final perserverence, Saint: Helena of the True Cross of Jeus

1st Glorious Mystery: Resurrection, Virture: Faith, Saint: Mary Magdalen

2nd Glorious Mystery: Ascension, Virture: Hope, Saint: Mathias

3rd Glorious Mystery: Pentecost, Virture: Love of God, Saint: Peter

4th Glorious Mystery: Assumption of Mary, Virtue: Unity with God, Saint: John the Apostle

5th Glorious Mystery: Crowning of Mary as Queen of Heaven, Virtue: True Devotion to Mary, Saint: St. Elizabeth of Hungary

Angels

By celebrating two feast days this week, the Church honors the angels. September 29th is the Feast of the Archangels, St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael and October 2 is the memorial of the Guardian Angels. St. Augustine reminds us in CCC 329 that angels are spirits. They are messangers for God. The Catechism defins angels as, "A spiritual, personal, and immortal creature, with intelligence and free will, who glorifies God without ceasing and who serves God as a messenger of his saving plan."

There are many different types of angels such as, Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels, and Angels.

Before God created Heaven and Earth, he created these beings. He gave them a choice; choose to live with him in eternity and be happy or choose to be their own God by turning away from him. Those who disobeyed God became demons and were cast into Hell. There has been a constant battle going on between angels and demons which affects us as we are in the thick of it. We can help decide the outcome. This battle goes on in our souls. When we make wrong choices, the demons win. Yet, when we make the right choice, the angels are victorious.

Here are some Bible passages that speak on Angels.

Revelation 12:7-12:"Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have salvation and power come, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed. For the accuser of our brothers is cast out, who accuses them before our God day and night. They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; love for life did not deter them from death. Therefore, rejoice, you heavens, and you who dwell in them. But woe to you, earth and sea, for the Devil has come down to you in great fury, for he knows he has but a short time."

Luke 1:26-38: "In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" And the angel said to her in reply, "The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God." Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her."

40 Days For Life

There is a crisis in our country because 3,500 babies are being killed every day. Abortion is not removing a clump of tissue, it is the taking of the life of another human being created by God.

This is what Pope Benedict XVI said in 2005 when speaking in Latin America at a meeting on Family and Life Issues, "Children truly are the family's greatest treasure and most precious good. Consequently, everyone must be helped to become aware of the intrinsic evil of the crime of abortion. In attacking human life in its very first stages, it is also an aggression against society itself. Politicians and legislators, therefore, as servants of the common good, are duty bound to defend the fundamental right to life, the fruit of God's love."

There is a national campaign to stop abortion called 40 Days For Life. It invites people to pray in front of Planned Parenthood or other abortion clinics in your area. Peaceful and polite gatherings are what is required. You can sign up for an hour one day a week or any time that is good for you. You can get on their website to see if there is one in your area. http://www.40daysforlife.com/splash.cfm

Can you give an hour of your week to give life to the unborn?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJb-Jg115bc&feature=player_embedded

Purity in Poverty: St. Maria Goretti

The following is written by our guest author: "Teresa Rosa"

Purity in poverty would describe the life of St. Maria Goretti. Her life was based on Christ Jesus on the cross. She took up her cross and followed him, just as He called us to. Following her example of happiness in humility, sanctification in selflessness, and freedom in forgiveness, will lead others to our heavenly home. Because of the example of St. Maria’s purity, our lives can be holy whether you’re rich or poor.
Life for the Gorettis was difficult, but because of their faith, they were thankful for all that they had. Maria’s father had died, so it was a struggle to provide all that they needed. Although it was demanding, her mother and brother worked in the fields while she stayed at home as a second mom to her little sister. Catholicism was quite important to the family as shown by their praying the rosary every evening. Praying in this way, they were reminded of how valuable their faith was in keeping them thankful during hard times.
Have you ever desired something that you would be able to keep forever as long as you live? Maria had this kind of dream. Longing for her First Holy Communion, she asked her mother what she could do. Because she was poor, her friends and neighbors gave her the things she needed, like a dress and veil. Since she needed a catechist to teach her, she prayed and God provided. Finally, the special day came; her First Communion. When she received the Eucharist, she said, “I can no longer live without Jesus. How soon will I receive Him again?” Maria’s dream had come true and she would be pure as long as she lived.

This pure heart that Maria longed for would be tested in a most difficult way. A young man named Alessandro was mislead through books and papers that included descriptions of murder, cruelty, and torture. One day while Maria was alone with her baby sister, Alessandro pulled her inside and insisted that she sin against purity, but she resisted. Stabbing her not once, but fourteen times, he ran away. Quickly, her mother came when she heard the baby crying and found Maria wounded. Unable to save her, the doctors called a priest. Before receiving Holy Communion, she forgave her attacker. Alessandro was sentenced to 30 years in prison, but while there, he had a dream of Maria in a field of flowers with a bouquet of 14 lilies for him. Repentance for his crime freed him forever. When he was released, he went straight to her mother for forgiveness. She said to him, “My daughter has forgiven you. How can I do less?” It would seem that two hearts were tested in this difficult trial, and one helped the other to find purity.
St. Maria Goretti’s life was an example to all young people to not give into peer pressure. Our world today is not the world that it should be. Impurity, violence, and hatred surround all children through music, sports, movies and television. By adopting the bravery and purity of St. Maria, youth around the world can fight peer pressure and cause a ripple effect. Change can occur through happiness in humility, sanctification in selflessness, and freedom in forgiveness.

St. Augustine

St. Augustine grew up in a house divided. His mom (St. Monica) was a devout Catholic and his father was a pagan. His dad did not care about his spiritual life, but his mother encouraged him greatly to grow in holiness. But, he choose paganism because it fit his earthly desires. He lived a very wordly life full of sin.

St. Monica prayed for many years for his conversion. St. Augustine even tried to sneak away to Rome without her, so she just followed him on another boat. In Rome, she met St. Ambrose who encouraged her to continue interceeding for him. He told her, "Stop talking to Augustine about God, and talk to God about Augustine." St. Ambrose also helped St. Augstine in his conversion by his example and through many talks. Finally, Augustine came to Christ when he heard a voice telling him to "take and read" the Bible. He read from Romans 13:12-14, which encouraged him to put away his sinful life. He was baptized on Easter 387 AD.

There are two Scripture passages that apply to him. One is the prodigal son story (Luke 15:11-32) St. Augustine was lost in his spiritual life and then came to his senses and went home. Not only was he brought home, but he became a great theologian and scholar. He is a Doctor of the Church and Bishop. He even fought against two hereises; Donatism, which was extremely strict interpretation of Church's teaching and Pelagianism, which said that you did not need God's graces to get to heaven but could do it yourself.

The other scripture for him is Luke 7:11-17. In this story there was a widow who had lost her son and she had no other way to have an income, so she would have lived in poverty. Jesus was moved to pity for her and brought her son back to life. This applies to St. Augustine because he was dead spiritually and was raised to life through his mother's prayers.

From St. Augustine we can learn that you will not be at true peace until you follow God. As he says himself, "Too late have I loved you, O Beauty of ancient days, yet ever new! Our hearts were made for you, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you."

St. Augustine and St. Monica, Pray for us!

Sunday Gospel

John 6: 41-51

In the gospel reading today we see that Jesus is telling us that he is the Holy Eucharist. But so many people say that he was just using a metaphor. So as not to fall into that mindset, we need to look further on in John 6.

When all the people desert him, he doesn't say, "Hey guys, I was just using a metaphor, come back." Instead he asks his Apostles if they want to leave him too. But Peter says, "Master to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God." (John 6: 66-69)

In our lives today many times we doubt God and we wonder if we can trust Him to take care of things. But let's follow Peter's example and always stay faithful. We can do this by receiving the Eucharist, which is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, every day or at least more often!

And if you have a church that has 24 hour Adoration, make sure to stop by on your way home from work or when you are going to buy groceries. Pay a visit to Jesus.

Pope Pius X

Pope Pius X was an amazing pope. He was always giving of himself and that is something that we should imitate. The story of his life can be very inspiring to people with open eyes and hearts.

When Guiseppe Sarto, also known as Bepi, wanted to become a priest he did not have enough money to get into the seminary, but his friends and family had kind hearts and loved him very much. So, they helped fund his education as a seminarian. This generosity is a good example for everyone. Just think, if they had not helped Bepi, there would be no St. Pius X today.

After leaving the seminary where he became a great priest. He often did not think himself worthy of the promotions he would receive. But he always accepted, because he trusted the Holy Spirit through the Pope and the Church. That faith is something that we should remember when we are struggling with Church teachings.

He never stopped giving when he was a priest. Even when what he gave was the last of his own money. His sisters, who helped him take care of the rectory, would get upset with him. One day when one of his other priest friends came over, his sisters pulled him over before Guiseppe saw them, and asked him to help them get Guiseppe to buy some material for a shirt. The priest friend bargained for the material from a merchant and had it cut also. When it was ready, they told Guiseppe to buy the cloth. He had no choice. So in this way, he was able to have something for himself with his sisters help.

When he became a Cardinal he went to Rome for the funeral of Pope Leo XIII. After the funeral, he was elected to be the next pope. He was humbled by the honor. Everyone loved Pope Pius X and he loved everyone. His sisters, when they heard, believed that now he really wouldn't have anything, because he would give to the whole world. They were right. He continued to sacrifice more than ever.

One of the things he is best known for is his love for children and how he decided that they should receive Communion earlier. The reason he did this, was because in his own parish, he had seen many children who were ready to receive Jesus early. He is a great saint for First Communicants to pray to. Be sure to recommend him to anyone you know.

Pope Pius X, Pray for us.

If you want to read more about this wonderful saint, check out the following book. Saint Pius X: The Farm Boy Who Became Pope, Walter Diethelm, O.S.B. Vision Books, Ignatius Press

www.ignatius.com

Mon. June 29: Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul

Acts 12:1-11

In this reading we hear the sad story of how James was killed. But we also hear the amazing story of how Peter, our first Pope, was rescued from a high security prison by an angel. Many times we hear that angles aren't real but we, as Catholics, know for sure that angles are real beacause of this reading.

2 Timothy 4:6-8

In this reading we see how Paul is sacrificing incredibly and we must follow his example and sacrifice for the souls in Purgatory. Jesus never promised us that being his follower would be a piece of cake. But he did promise to be with us and to help us when we need help in this spiritual journey.

Matthew 16:13-19

The Gospel tells us that Peter already has the Holy Spirit working through him because he recognizes that Jesus is the Messiah. This Holy Spirit will continue to work through him as he begins his role as Pope. We must remember that Pope Benedict XVI also has the Holy Spirit guiding him as Head of the Church.

Jesus tells Peter that he is the rock. He is the visible image of Christ on earth. In the Old Testament, Daniel 2:31-45, we see that he mentions the statue of all the kingdoms. But then a rock comes and destroys the statue and the rock becomes a mountain that spreads all over the earth.

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24

This reading has a reminder to us of something not often heard in our society today. God created all things to have life.
God did not create death. He did create Lucifer but the devil turned away and chose evil out of envy. He did not want to bow down to "man" because he felt he was superior. Jesus becoming man made Lucifer angry. We should learn from this that if you have too much pride you will end up in a hot spot. (vs. 24)

2 Corinthians 8: 7,9, 13-15

St. Paul is telling us to share what we have with others who need it. Christ shared what he had. He gave up his riches as God to give us those riches through Himself. St. John Chryststom says, "For had he (Jesus) not become poor, you could not have become rich. By a miracle which men cannot understand, poverty has produced these riches- the knowledge of God and godliness, liberation from sin, justification, sanctification, the countless good things which he has bestowed on us and will bestow on us in the future." (Homily on 2 Cor., 17)
Our generosity should be like that from God to the Israelites when they were gathering manna as the example that St. Paul gives at the end of the reading. (Ex. 16:18)


Mark 5:21-43
In this story we see that it is mainly about faith, because Jarius had faith that Jesus could heal his daughter and the lady with the hemorrhage had faith that even if she just touched Jesus' cloak she would be healed. But there was a problem in the faith of the people who were wailing for Jarius' daughter. For even after all the miracles Jesus had performed, they ridiculed him for saying that she was just asleep. Jesus says to the daughter not to tell anyone what he had done for him. The reason he says this is because the time for him to be revealed to the world had not yet come. The moral of this story is that we need faith to bring us closer to Jesus.

Readings for Friday, June 26, 2009

Genesis 17: 1, 9-10, 15-22

In this reading, you may notice that God uses the word covenant. Now a covenant is like an unbreakable promise between God and man. If man doesn't keep his 100% of the covenant, then God will take 200%. But if this happens, curses will come upon the people that made the covenant. But if they both keep 100%, then there will be blessings. So, this covenant never breaks. Part of the covenant we hear about today is circumcission. It is like Baptism in the Old Testament. God also tells Abraham that he will have a son and he laughs because he was so old. The reason God chose the name Issac was because it means "I laughed." So, the moral is we should have faith in God no matter how old or young we are.

Matthew 8: 1-4

The leper in this story has such tremendous faith in God that he knows that he can heal his lepersy. But he is also faithful to God's will because he said that if it was Jesus' will he will stay a leper. This was a very courageous thing for him to do. The lesson in this is to know that we can't expect God to give us everything we ask for as a RIGHT, but to remember that God created us and he knows what is good for us. Jesus said to go to the priest and show himself to the priest like Moses comanded. You can find out what Moses said if you go to Lev. 14:1-9.

Readings for June 25, 2009

Genesis 16:1-12, 15-16

Here are my thoughts about today's readings:

In this reading you'll notice that there was a problem in the faith of Abram and Sarai. They didn't trust God enough to give Sarai a son, so as you see, she told Abram to do something that defied what God wanted them to do. She later regreted her decision. The lesson of this story is that you should have more faith in God instead of doing everything yourself. If you don't do it with God, you will crash and burn.

Matthew 7:21-29

The first part of this reading discusses the idea that it is not enough to claim that you know God. You have to live for Him. If you really love Him, you will serve Him. James 2:24 says, "See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." You cannot get to heaven by just works or faith. You need both.

In the next part of the reading Jesus tells us how a fool will build his house on the sand (worldly pleasures or societies ideas). We as Christians are called to build our house on the Rock. (Matthew 16:16-17 - Peter is the Rock of our Church) This means living our lives as the Church teaches. If we do this, we will have greater protection from sin and temptations.

My Goal

My goal for this blog is to help Catholics better understand the Truth and the richness of the Catholic faith and to help people understand what the Church teaches about different issues. I will also discuss the Scriptures for the day and share interesting Saints. I hope that you enjoy and learn from the things that I write here. They will be grounded in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
God bless you in your pursit of Heaven.