Saintly Quote - Trust

Pope St. Pius X - Encyclical on the Separation of Church and State

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"...4. Recourse to God, so infinitely good, is all the more necessary because, far from abating, the struggle grows fiercer and expands unceasingly. It is no longer only the Christian faith that they would uproot at all costs from the hearts of the people; it is any belief which lifting man above the horizon of this world would supernaturally bring back his wearied eyes to heaven. Illusion on the subject is no longer possible. War has been declared against everything supernatural, because behind the supernatural stands God, and because it is God that they want to tear out of the mind and heart of man. 5. The war will be bitter and without respite on the part of those who wage it. That as it goes on harder trials than those which you have hitherto known await you is possible and even probable. Common prudence calls on each of you to prepare for them. And this you will do simply, valiantly, and full of confidence, sure that however fiercely the fight may rage, victory will in the end remain in your hands..."

UNE FOIS ENCORE

THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY

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by Brother John M. Samaha, S.M.

            The Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary is a feast that traces its origin to the earliest ages of the Church. Tied to this feast are themes of Mary as Mother of the Church and model for the Church. In her the Church witnesses the fullness of the effects of the saving death and resurrection of Christ for humanity. The Preface for the feast’s Eucharistic Liturgy attests to this.

                        Today the Virgin Mother of God

                        was taken up into heaven

                        to be the beginning and the pattern of the Church

                        in its perfection,

                        and a sign of hope and comfort for your people

                        on their pilgrim way.

            The themes of the Mass prayers and readings, and those of the Liturgy of the Hours, reflect the basis of the Church’s teaching about Mary and the many titles accorded her in popular Christian devotion.

            The feast of Mary’s Assumption honors her Dormition, as the feast is called in the East, her falling asleep in the Lord and being taken body and soul to heaven when her earthly life was completed.  Mary’s Assumption is analogous to Jesus’ Ascension.

            The similarity between the privileges of Christ and those of his Mother is in no way identity.  Christ has his prerogatives by his very nature as God Incarnate.  Mary receives hers by a free gift from God.  “He who is mighty has done great things for me.”

            We understand that Mary is a creature only, dependent on Christ for everything. 

  She is a woman and a mother, and her grace is adapted to her own nature and to her own special function.  Christ exists for God.  Mary exists for Christ.  God made Christ our unique Redeemer.  Mary exercises her role as Cordemptrix only through union with Christ, and she herself had to be redeemed by him.  Christ is our necessary advocate with the Father.  Mary is our advocate with Christ and through Christ.  So it is with all the privileges of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

            This analogy is the work of the filial piety of the Son of God for his Mother.  This was understood by the faithful from earliest times, even though it was not formulated until later.   In the eighth century St. John of Damascus  explained in regard to the Assumption: “It was necessary that the Mother should have entered into the possession of all the goods of her Son, and that she should have been venerated by all creation as the Mother and Handmaid of God.  It is a customary practice that the wealth of the parents pass to their children.  But here . . . the springs of the sacred waters flow toward the height.  The Son has submitted the entire creation to the dominion of his mother.”    Centuries later St. Louis de Montfort wrote:  “All that is proper to God Incarnate by nature is proper to Mary by grace.”

            Around 1930 the renowned Marianist Mariologist and author, Father Emile Neubert, S.M., expressed this principle of analogy with theological exactness: “To the various privileges of the humanity of Jesus there correspond analogous privileges in Mary, in the manner and in the degree required by the difference between her condition and that of her Son.”

            Finally Pope Pius XII solemnly defined Mary’s Assumption as a dogma and an article of faith in Munificentissimus  Deus more than six decades ago on November 1, 1950. 

           

             In many countries this feast is a holyday of obligation.  In Lebanon, August 15 is also a national holiday observed by peoples of all faiths.

            What meaning and message does Mary’s Assumption have for us today?  This doctrine and feast remind us of our eternal destiny, that we are made for everlasting life with God.  This feast honoring Mary points us to our future and reminds us to live accordingly so as to achieve our goal.  The Assumption of Mary also teaches us respect for life and for the sacredness of the human body.

            Queen assumed into heaven, pray for us!

St. Maximilian Kolbe

“The most deadly poison of our times is indifference. And this happens, although the praise of God should know no limits. Let us strive, therefore, to praise Him to the greatest extent of our powers.” (St. Maximilian Kolbe)

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Broadcasting in Japan via Ham radio

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Immaculate One, Virgin Mother, to Thee I turn in humble prayer: "Grant that I may praise Thee, O holy Virgin; give me strength against Thine enemies!" (Bl. John Duns Scotus)

The Immaculate One appears in this world without the least stain of sin, the masterpiece of God's hands, full of grace. God, the Most Holy Trinity, beholds the lowliness (that is, the humility, the root of all Her other virtues) of His Handmaid, and does great things for Her, He the Almighty (cfr. Lk. 1,49). God the Father gives Her His own Son to be Her Son; God the Son descends into Her womb; and God the Holy Spirit forms the body of Christ in the womb of this pure Virgin. And the Word was made flesh (Jn. 1,14). The Immaculate One becomes the Mother of God. The fruit of the love of God in his Trinitarian life and of Mary the Immaculate One is Christ the God-Man. (Sketches for a Book, SK 1295)

Who is the Immaculate One? To this abrupt question it is not possible to give a satisfactory answer because this mystery transcends our human intelligence. She is the Mother of God, and Her name is the Immaculate One. When God showed Himself to Moses, He said of Himself: I am the One who is (Ex. 3,14)—in other words, I am Being itself. When St. Bernadette asked the most blessed Mother Her name, Mary replied: I am the Immaculate Conception. Such is the Immaculate One defined by Her own words.

But what does the expression Immaculate Conception mean? The word conception tells us that She is not eternal, that She had a beginning. Immaculate tells us that from the first instant of Her existence there never was in Her the least conflict with God's will. The Immaculate One is the most perfect of all creatures...She was immaculate because She was to become the Mother of God; She became the Mother of God because She was immaculate.

Mother of God! The human mind cannot grasp what God is. Neither can we comprehend the dignity of the Mother of God. It is easier to understand a title like servant of God; daughter of God is more difficult to grasp; but Mother of God transcends our minds completely.

God calls creatures into being when He creates them. Then, in their movement of return to God, these creatures draw near to Him and come to resemble their Creator more and more. God comes to this most perfect Creature, the Immaculate One; and the fruit of Their love is Jesus Christ, the Mediator between the Creator and all creatures...

True knowledge of the Immaculate One can only be acquired in prayer. The purer a soul is, the greater efforts it makes to avoid sin; and if it does happen to sin, it tries its best to rise from sin and to make up for its fault by love. The more humble it is, and the more spirit of penance it shows, the more and better it will get to know the Immaculate. (Conference 26.VII.39)

Source of the excerpt of St. Maximilian Kolbe's writings on the Immaculata, EWTN

EWTN Global Catholic Network's Family Celebration Comes to Phoenix

EWTN Global Catholic Network's
Family Celebration Comes to Phoenix

Highlights include a 'Don't Miss' Panel Discussion on Religious Liberty with Phoenix
Bishop Thomas Olmstead, EWTN President Michael Warsaw & Others, Moderated by
EWTN News Anchor Raymond Arroyo, & a Special Q&A

Irondale, AL (EWTN) – It's fun, it's free, and it could change your life! The EWTN Global Catholic Network comes to the Phoenix Convention Center Sept. 8-9 for its annual Family Celebration – and this year, one of the highlights will be a special panel on religious liberty, which will include a Question and Answer session for the audience and media who attend.

Panelists on the Religious Liberties Panel will include Phoenix Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, EWTN President & CEO Michael P. Warsaw, Arizona Catholic Conference Executive Director Ron Johnson, Alliance Defending Freedom CEO & General Counsel Alan Sears; Phoenix Physician and Catholic Medical Association President Dr. Marci Moffit, and EWTN News Anchor and Panel Moderator Raymond Arroyo. The program will begin at 2:30 p.m. Mountain Time, Saturday, Sept. 8.

EWTN was the first religious entity to file suit against the federal government after the HHS mandate was finalized. The mandate requires religious employers and people of faith to provide coverage for abortions, contraception, and sterilization, which is against their faith – or face crippling fines. Hear more about pending lawsuits and learn about all the ways that religious freedom is being threatened in our own country.

But that's definitely not all. The two-day celebration will include a roster of well-loved speakers, including "World Over" Anchor (and Mother Angelica biographer) Raymond Arroyo; "Journey Home" Host Marcus Grodi, "EWTN Live" Host Fr. Mitch Pacwa, and the former Rosalind Moss, now Mother Miriam of the Lamb of God.

In addition to this stellar lineup, Saturday night attendees will have the opportunity to participate in the live taping of a special "Life on the Rock."

Warsaw will provide the welcome and will join the Friars for the always popular "Family Talk." Bookmark Host Doug Keck will serve as Master of Ceremonies.

Mass will be celebrated by the Friars on Saturday and, on Sunday, EWTN is honored to announce that Bishop Olmsted has agreed to serve as our celebrant.

Throughout the weekend, fans will have opportunities to get books signed at the "Meet the Author" booth, meet EWTN's hosts and the Friars at the "Family Corner" booth, and browse the EWTN Religious Catalogue shop.

Doors will open at 8 a.m. As always, there will be plenty of opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation as well as Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. It's a day no fan of EWTN will want to miss – and, best of all, it's free!

For more information, please visit: http://www.ewtn.com/
familycelebration.

EWTN Global Catholic Network, in its 30th year, is available in over 200 million television households in more than 140 countries and territories. With its direct broadcast satellite television and radio services, AM " FM radio networks, worldwide short-wave radio station, Internet website www.ewtn.com, electronic and print news services, and publishing arm, EWTN is the largest religious media network in the world.

Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

Postulant Edith Stein

It was the custom for a postulant to wear a wedding gown.  Later the white silk was reworked into a vestment.

Perpetual profession document in Edith Stein's own handwriting

It was the custom in Carmel to place this document in the coffins of the deceased nuns.  However, Edith Stein's document was preserved.

"I am confident that the Lord has accepted my life for everyone.  I am reminded repeatedly of Queen Esther who was taken from her people precisely to stand before the king for the people.  I am a very poor and powerless Esther, but the King who has chosen me is eternally great and compassionate." - Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

Source Edith Stein: Her Life in Photos and Documents by Maria Amata Neyer, O.C.D.

'I Thirst': Movement that invites lay people to live the teachings of Mother Teresa of Calcutta

The Year of Faith official website

Annus Fidei

Pontifical council for promoting the New Evangelization.

Feast of Saint Cajetan

Shared by Mary Jane.

Prayer to Saint Cajetan

Glorious Saint Cajetan, acclaimed by

all people to be the father of providence

because you provide miraculous aid to

all in need, I stand here before you today,

asking that you present to the Lord our God

the requests that I confidently deposit

in your hands today.

May these graces that I now request
help me to always seek the Kingdom
of God and his Righteousness,
knowing that God — who dresses with
beauty the flowers of the field and
abundantly feeds the birds of the
sky — will give me all other

things. Amen.

Novena to Saint Cajetan
Patron of the Unemployed

Cajetan was ordained priest in 1516. He left the papal court and dedicated himself entirely to the service of the Lord. With his own hands he cared for the sick. Such zeal did he show for the salvation of his fellowmen that he was surnamed the "huntsman for souls."
 St. Cajetan often prayed eight hours daily. While attending the Christmas celebration at St. Mary of the Crib, he is said to have been given the grace of receiving from Mary the Child Jesus into his arms.
 St. Cajetan founded in 1524 a community of priests who were to lead an apostolic life. They were to look with disdain all earthly belongings, to accept no salaries from the faithful; only from that which was freely donated were they allowed to retain the means of livelihood.
 He founded a bank to help the poor and offer an alternative to usurers (loan sharks). It later became the Bank of Naples. His concern for the unemployed, giving them the necessary financial help in their time of need, made him their patron. His feast is celebrated on August 7.

Daily Prayer
O glorious St. Cajetan, you studied to be a lawyer, but when you felt that the Lord was calling you to his service, you abandoned everything and became a priest. You excelled in virtues, shunning all material rewards for your labor, helping the many unemployed people of your time. You provided loans without interest and you attracted a lot of benefactors who donated to your resources so that you could go on with your activities. Look on us with mercy. We wish to find employment that could help us and our families live with dignity. Listen to our petitions, dear saint; you, who could easily give up the food on your table for the needy, bring our petitions to Jesus (here make your request). Amen. 
First Day
You were a model of virtue among the priests of your time, O St. Cajetan. You sought not to receive payments from your ministry, and you taught people how to pray the rosary and develop devotions to saints. You were truly a spiritual shepherd, and your concern was always focused on the salvation of souls. But despite this, you were also aware that with hungry stomachs, the faithful would have difficulty in understanding God’s Word. You embarked to help them, not just by giving them bread but helping them gain their living by work. Look on us with pity, O glorious saint. We have many unemployed people in our midst and their families go hungry. We ask you to guide the fathers and mothers who are looking for work. Amen.

Daily Prayer

(3) Our Father, (3) Hail Mary, (3) Glory Be

(3) St. Cajetan, pray for us. 

Second Day
Despite your busy schedule, dear saint, you spent eight hours a day in prayer. Your happiness consists in being united with Jesus, to savor his presence in the Eucharist. Guide us to be like you by giving priority to prayer in our life. Enable us to savor Jesus’ presence and help us become contemplatives like you. Inspire us to understand that prayer is not just asking Jesus for our needs, but being with him, delighting in his presence. We ask you, dear saint, to lead us in this direction that we may learn to delight in Jesus’ presence. Amen.

Daily Prayer

(3) Our Father, (3) Hail Mary, (3) Glory Be

(3) St. Cajetan, pray for us.

Third Day
Since your death, dear St. Cajetan, the unemployed people of the world had sought your intercession. Work is the key to a happy life. Look with pity on the millions of people in our country who wake up each morning without certainty of finding food because they don’t have work. These people become victims of desperation and some even resort to crimes to survive. Help our government leaders formulate policies that will bring about employment. You who established a bank for the needy inspire our leaders to extend loans for the poor so that they may provide for the needs of their families. Amen.

Daily Prayer

(3) Our Father, (3) Hail Mary, (3) Glory Be

(3) St. Cajetan, pray for us.

Fourth Day
O glorious St. Cajetan, like the society where you lived, we are also beset by the same economic set up where the poor are becoming poorer and the rich, richer. You fasted so that the money you saved could be used to buy food for the poor, you did not accept any payment for your ministries because you wanted people to help the needy. You lived very frugally because you wanted to teach the rich about the need to share. Look with pity on our society where resources are wasted in buying useless goods, while the poor and the needy among us have not received the basic necessities. Inspire us to share that nobody among us would go hungry, and that everybody may live with dignity. Amen.

Daily Prayer

(3) Our Father, (3) Hail Mary, (3) Glory Be

(3) St. Cajetan, pray for us.

Fifth Day
O glorious St. Cajetan, you spent long hours helping the sick and worked yourself to exhaustion in helping victims of plagues which were frequent in your time. You cared for the sick not just to heal them, but to guide them to a happy death. You wanted their souls, not their bodies. Help us to understand that we have to prepare ourselves to a happy death. May we likewise see that the most terrible sickness is our sinfulness, and we always have to examine ourselves for the sins we commit daily. Inspire us to have repentant hearts that we may always be prepared to meet the Lord. Amen.

Daily Prayer

(3) Our Father, (3) Hail Mary, (3) Glory Be

(3) St. Cajetan, pray for us. 

Sixth Day
O humble St. Cajetan, you spoke with rulers and kings, but you never gave them much importance. You know that prestige, honor, and positions in society could only be good if they are use to help the needy and the poor. For this reason, you also confronted tyrants and stood against armies that looted, killed, and raped. Your humility did not prevent you from becoming a prophet. You only feared Jesus. Help us to remain humble and self-effacing, knowing that before God, we remain nothing. We can only be someone if we stand close to Jesus. Inspire us to follow your footsteps so that we, too, may fight for justice and help stop corruption in our government. Amen.

Daily Prayer

(3) Our Father, (3) Hail Mary, (3) Glory Be

(3) St. Cajetan, pray for us.

Seventh Day
O glorious St. Cajetan, your unceasing fasting and penance help people understand that God must be loved above all things and above all persons. You sacrificed anything or anyone that could block you from loving God with your whole soul, mind, heart and body. By eating little, you showed to others that man does not live on bread alone. You renewed the faith of many people, touched their hearts, and helped much in the reformation of the Church. Inspire us to fast and do penance for our sins. Instill on us the spirit of sacrifice that we, too, may love God intensely as you did. Amen.

Daily Prayer

(3) Our Father, (3) Hail Mary, (3) Glory Be

(3) St. Cajetan, pray for us.  

Eight Day
O glorious St. Cajetan, it pained you to see the Catholic Church divided into hostile groups. You always prayed for unity in the Church, asking laypersons, priests, and bishops to support the Pope through preaching, prayer, and sacrifices. You see the Church as the bride of Christ, the sacrament by which men and women can become holy. You worked hard for the return of the Protestants to the Catholic Church, and you preached against Protestant reformers who were attacking the heart of Catholic teachings. Teach us then to work for unity in our Church and at the same time, to defend her from sects and religious movements that attack her. Inspire us to follow your path. Amen.

Daily Prayer

(3) Our Father, (3) Hail Mary, (3) Glory Be

(3) St. Cajetan, pray for us.

Ninth Day
O glorious St. Cajetan, you received many special blessings from Jesus, visions and mystical experiences because of your union with him. While contemplating the mystery of incarnation, Mary appeared to you and put on your lap the baby Jesus. You held on to the baby and made your heart his dwelling place. Jesus truly loved you and his Mother trusted you. Listen then to our petitions on this last day of our novena and bring them to Jesus. Prove to us that now in heaven you are closer to Jesus and he listens to you. Amen.

Daily Prayer

(3) Our Father, (3) Hail Mary, (3) Glory Be

(3) St. Cajetan, pray for us.

The Saints on Finding a Good Spiritual Director

Adoration Chapel, Blue Army Shrine, Washington, NJ

For those of us who are still seeking a good spiritual director, it is comforting to read the following excerpts.  It is very important that we not settle for just any spiritual director because it will be vital that we obey our spiritual director in all things.  As you will read below, both of our saints refer to priests/confessors as the obvious choice for a spiritual director.

I also read somewhere that if we are unable to find a good spiritual director, there is no better spiritual director than the Holy Spirit.

"The soul should have prayed ardently and at greater length for a director and should have asked the Lord Himself to choose a spiritual director for it.  What begins in God will be godly, and what begins in a purely human manner will remain human.  God is so merciful that, in order to help a soul He Himself chooses the spiritual guide and will enlighten the soul concerning the one before whom it should uncover the most hidden depths of its soul just as it sees itself before the Lord Jesus Himself.  And when the soul considers and recognizes that God has been arranging all this, it should pray fervently for the confessor that he might have the divine light to know it well. And let it not change such a director except for a serious reason.  Just as it had prayed fervently and at great length in order to learn God's will before choosing a director, so too, should it pray fervently and at great length to discern whether it is truly God's will that he leave this director and choose another.  If God's will is not absolutely clear, he should not make this change, for a person will not go far by himself, and Satan wants just this:  to have the person who is aspiring for sanctity direct himself because the, without doubt, he will never attain it..."  (938)

- Divine Mercy in My Soul Diary, Sister M. Faustina Kowalska, Marian Press, Stockbridge, MA.

..."Now, such a guide ought always to be an angel to you.  That is, when you have found him, do not look upon him as a mere man.  Do not place your confidence in his human learning, but in God who befriends you and speaks to you by means of this man, putting in his heart and in his mouth whatever shall requisite for your happiness.  Hence, you ought to pay as much attention to him as to an angel who would come down from heaven to conduct you thither.  Open your heart to him with all sincerity and fidelity, manifesting clearly and explicitly the state of your conscience without fiction or dissimulation. By this means your good actions will be examined and approved; and your evil ones will be corrected and remedied.  You will be comforted and strengthened in your afflictions, and moderated and regulated in your consolations.  Place great confidence in him, but let it be united with a holy reverence, so that the reverence may not diminish the confidence, nor the confidence oppose the reverence.  Confide in him with the respect of a daughter for her father, respect him with the confidence of a son in his mother.  In a word, your friendship for him ought to be strong and sweet, entirely holy, entirely sacred, entirely divine, and entirely spiritual.

'For this end, choose one among a thousand,' says Avila. I say, 'Choose one amongst ten thousand,' for there are fewer than can be imagined who are capable of this office.  He must be full of charity, knowledge, and prudence.  If any one of these three qualities is wanting in him, there is danger.  But I say to you again:  Ask him of God. Having found him, bless His Divine Majesty, remain constant, and seek no other, but proceed on with sincerity, humility, and confidence, for you will make a most happy journey."

- Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales, Image Books