..."Jesus said, 'No one is good but God alone' (Mk 10:18). He also said, 'So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect' (Mt 5:48). Newman understood no contradiction in these two statements, for the goodness of God can perfect imperfect human beings, through the 'sanctifying grace' which comes not from us but from God. 'If you ask me what you are to do in order to be perfect, I say, first -
- Do not lie in bed beyond the due time of rising;
- give your first thoughts to God;
- make a good visit to the Blessed Sacrament;
- say the Angelus devoutly;
- eat and drink to God's glory;
- say the rosary well;
- be recollected;
- keep out bad thoughts;
- make your evening meditation well;
- examine yourself daily;
- go to bed in good time, and you are already perfect.'"
From Father George William Rutler's column in the September, 2010 Magnificat.
I greet all of you with the joy in the Lord and I thank you for your warm reception. I am grateful to Archbishop Nichols for his words of welcome on your behalf. Truly, in this meeting of the Successor of Peter and the faithful of Britain, "heart speaks unto heart" as we rejoice in the love of Christ and in our common profession of the Catholic faith which comes to us from the Apostles.
I am especially happy that our meeting takes place in this Cathedral dedicated to the Most Precious Blood, which is the sign of God's redemptive mercy poured out upon the world through the passion, death and resurrection of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. In a particular way I greet the Archbishop of Canterbury, who honours us by his presence...
September is the month of Our Lady of Sorrows. In his fourth meditation on the "Seven Sorrows of Our Lady," St. Alphonsus Liguori describes the pain, horror, and pity that the Blessed Virgin Mary experienced as she anticipated Christ's crucifixion, and encountered him on his way to Calvary:
All mothers feel the sufferings of their children as their own. Hence, when the Canaanite woman entreated our Saviour to deliver her daughter from the devil that tormented her, she asked Him rather to pity her, the mother, than her daughter: "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David, my daughter is grievously troubled by a devil." But what mother ever loved her son as Mary loved Jesus?
Let us only imagine what a flame He must have enkindled in that pure heart of His holy Mother, void as it was of every earthly affection. In fine, the Blessed Virgin herself told Saint Bridget, "that love had rendered her heart and that of her Son but one." That blending together of Servant and Mother, of Son and God, created in the heart of Mary a fire composed of a thousand flames.
But the whole of this flame of love was afterwards, at the time of the Passion, ranged into a sea of grief, when Saint Bernardine declares, "that if all the sorrows of the world were united, they would not equal that of the glorious Virgin Mary." Yes, because, as Richard of St. Lawrence writes, "the more tenderly this Mother loved, so much the more deeply was she wounded." The greater was her love for Him, the greater was her grief at the sight of His sufferings; and especially when she met her Son, already condemned to death, and bearing His cross to the place of punishment.
The Blessed Virgin revealed to Saint Bridget, that when the time of the Passion of our Lord was approaching, her eyes were always filled with tears, as she thought of her beloved Son, whom she was about to lose on earth, and that the prospect of that approaching suffering caused her to be seized with fear, and a cold sweat to cover her whole body.
Saint Bonaventure, contemplating Mary on that night, says: "Thou didst spend it without sleep, and whilst others slept thou didst remain watching." In the morning the disciples of Jesus Christ came to this afflicted Mother, the one to bring her one account, the other another; but all were tidings of sorrow, verifying in her the prophecy of Jeremias: "Weeping, she hath wept in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks; there is none to comfort her of all them that were dear to her."
Mary goes with Saint John, and by the blood with which the way is sprinkled, she perceives that her Son has already passed. This she revealed to Saint Bridget: "By the footsteps of my Son, I knew where He had passed: for along the way the ground was marked with blood."
Alas, what a scene of sorrows then presented itself before her! the nails, the hammers, the cords, the fatal instruments of the death of her Son, all of which were borne before Him. And what a sword must the sound of that trumpet have been to her heart, which proclaimed the sentence pronounced against her Jesus! But behold, the instruments, the trumpeter, and the executioners, have already passed; she raised her eyes, and saw, O God ! a young man covered with blood and wounds from head to foot, a wreath of thorns on His head, and two heavy beams on His shoulders.
On the one hand she desired to behold Him, and on the other she dreaded so heart-rending a sight. At length they looked at each other. The Son wiped from His eyes the clotted blood, which, as it was revealed to Saint Bridget, prevented Him from seeing, and looked at His Mother, and the Mother looked at her Son. Ah, looks of bitter grief, which, as so many arrows, pierced through and through those two beautiful and loving souls.
The Mother would have embraced Him, as Saint Anselm says, but the guards thrust her aside with insults, and urged forward the suffering Lord; and Mary followed Him. Ah, holy Virgin, whither goest thou? To Calvary. And canst thou trust thyself to behold Him, who is thy life, hanging on a cross?
"We even pity wild beasts," as Saint John Chrysostom writes; and did we see a lioness following her cub to death, the sight would move us to compassion. And shall we not also be moved to compassion on seeing Mary follow her immaculate Lamb to death? Let us, then, pity her, and let us also accompany her Son and herself, by bearing with patience the cross which our Lord imposes on us.
Saint John Chrysostom asks why Jesus Christ, in His other sufferings, was pleased to endure them alone, but in carrying His cross was assisted by the Cyrenean? He replies, that it was "that thou mayest understand that the cross of Christ is not sufficient without thine."
Church and civic representatives from four key African countries have signed a declaration appealing for international action to stop guerrilla forces terrorizing the region.
The declaration calls on the countries’ governments to work together to quell the LRA threat, demanding that further pressure on the four nations be applied by the EU, the US and the UN.
Further articles outlined in the document include an appeal for more humanitarian support to help refugees and displaced people and there is a plea for a resumption of peace talks to bring the LRA threat to an end.
In an interview with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of Tombura-Yambio, who organized the conference, stressed the continuing threat posed by the LRA.
Speaking Tuesday, September 14th, at the end of the four-day meeting, Bishop Hiiboro underlined the need for international pressure to step up security in the region.
He told ACN, “We have been forgotten by our own government, forgotten by the international community and this means the LRA think they can do anything they like.”
“Think of the number of people who have fled their homes, the number of people who have lost their lives and the number of people left as orphans.”
“The whole state [of Western Equatoria] is living in panic – not just in South Sudan but in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. It is just too much.”
Bishop Hiiboro said a reminder of the LRA threat came just days before the conference got underway last week when eight people were hacked to death by machetes.
A further 14 were badly wounded, some seriously, during the attack which took place in Yambio, the regional capital of Western Equatoria State where the bishop is based and where the conference was held.
Stressing the gruesome violence typical of LRA attacks, Bishop Hiiboro said, “The impact of the LRA is terrible. There are huge numbers of refugees and displaced people trying to escape attack.”
“They destroy property, leave children as orphans and, with so many leaving, there are no schools or social services.”
But, underlining the limitations of a military response to the LRA threat, he said, “We have seen what happens by following the military way.”
“People continue to suffer and die. We want to say that we need another option – an option for peaceful dialogue.”
A year ago, the remains of six people were discovered nailed to a tree close to Yambio in an atrocity that was likened to a crucifixion scene. Again the LRA was implicated.
Amid widespread reports pointing to LRA collusion with Sudan President Omar al Bashir’s Islamist regime in the capital, Khartoum, Bishop Hiiboro said it was unclear who was backing the insurgents.
He added, “There are people who give them weapons, food and enable them to have telephone communications.”
“It is difficult to say who helps them. It is obvious that they receive significant support because they are so very well equipped.”
The LRA issue is expected to have a major bearing on the outcome of the long-awaited referendum on the possible cessation of South Sudan, due in January.
At a time of continuing fear of attacks, reports have shown that voters are likely to be swayed by the government – be it the semi-autonomous administration in the south or the Khartoum-based government of national unity – best placed to bring the LRA threat to an end.
With picture of Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of Tombura-Yambio, South Sudan
Editor’s Notes:
Directly under the Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need. ACN is a Catholic charity - helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action.
Founded in 1947 by Father Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity,” the organization is now at work in over 145 countries throughout the world.
The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, 43 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.
For more information contact Michael Varenne at michael@churchinneed.org or call 718-609-0939 or fax718-609-0938. Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street, PO Box 220384, Brooklyn, NY 11222-0384. www.churchinneed.org
First of all, please check out their new blog. I am adding the link to the sidebar.
Before I depart for England to attend the extraordinary beatification of John Henry Newman by Pope Benedict XVI, I want to offer two opportunities:
1. Please send your prayer requests, and I will pray for Newman's intercession at Sunday's Beatification Mass celebrated by the Holy Father!
2. If you would like to follow the Holy Father's visit to England and our Official U.S. Pilgrimage to Newman's Beatification, be sure to follow us on Twitter and read our blog Campus Notes starting Wednesday.
Simply reply to this email** with your prayer requests, and our pilgrims and I will pray for your intentions at Cardinal Newman's beatification by Pope Benedict this Sunday! **(You may have to contact them on their blog or website).
We will also pray for your intentions during the first-ever Mass at the Newman Shrine in Birmingham, England, where Newman's remains are preserved. Deacon Jack Sullivan, whose back was healed by Newman's intercession, will assist at this Mass concelebrated by at least four bishops and the leader of Newman's Cause for Canonization.
And send this to your family and friends -- I would love to hear from them as well!
You've probably heard by now that The Cardinal Newman Society is leading the Official U.S. Pilgrimage to England for Cardinal Newman's beatification. We're so excited to be taking part in this momentous event in Church history with the Holy Father!
In addition to attending Mass with Pope Benedict for the beatification, we'll be visiting sites around historic Catholic England. This includes sites in Birmingham, Oxford, Littlemore, and even London!
Join us on this spiritual journey by following us on Twitter and reading our new blog
Campus Notes.
I leave for England just 2 days from now, so it's important that you reply to this email with your prayer intentions today.
As president of The Cardinal Newman Society, I've always asked for your continuing prayers for the success of our work. And thanks to your prayers, we have seen tremendous progress in the renewal of Catholic higher education.
Most recently I asked you to pray for our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI. Your outpouring of love was so incredible that more than 1 million prayers were pledged.
Now it's The Cardinal Newman Society's turn to pray for you! I will bring your intentions before Newman and the Holy Father at Sunday's beatification.
Yours in Christ,
Patrick J. Reilly
President, The Cardinal Newman Society
The rapid progress of technology poses serious problems to the Christian educator. On the doctrinal level there is nothing to worry about because there cannot be any contradiction between the laws of the physical world and those of the supernatural world, granted that God is the author of both. We recognize the grandeur of technology since by it divine creation harvests new accomplishments which permit us to attain and use created goods more easily, and this sense of effectiveness also reaches into the domain of spirituality and of the apostolate. Yet we must recognize that the type of person which technology is increasingly producing has not arrived at a balanced faith. There exists the danger of indifference to real human problems and insensibility toward the contradiction between that may arise between faith and personal attitudes. The passion for organization, a necessary consequence of technology and a good in itself, raises the serious danger of creating a world in which we see ourselves as similar to bees in a hive. The bees instinctively obey the super organization of their hive. In societies where everything is organized down to the last detail humans are increasingly more specialized by detailed tasks and begin blindly to obey minute regulations and repeat automatic gestures without even asking themselves why they are working. We run the risk of becoming like the insects. Transposed to the moral and religious level, a technological mentality engenders legalism and pharisaism.
Evidently the Christian educator must react against such a dangerous deviation. We need to teach the sciences with competence and harbor the conviction that Christianity is as capable of spiritualizing technology as it was to incorporate Greek civilization into its synthesis. There is need of rejecting the tendency to eliminate gradually the humanities from the school program. Rather strive to center teaching on the formation of the person instead of on the acquisition of knowledge, on culture rather than on technology, on the unity of knowledge instead of the quantity of information. Following the current trend would risk allowing science to become a boomerang that kills its own possessor.
One of the influential members of the American Atomic Energy Commission, Thomas E. Murphy, rightly affirmed that, “whatever be our actual needs in the scientific and technical sector, our need of wisdom is still more urgent.” Science and technology “… have created in our contemporary civilization problems which they themselves are unable to solve.”
The Christian educator knows that in protecting students from the lack of balance which the technological mentality threatens can contribute to growth in Christ.
-- Gleaned from
The Pastoral Role of the Christian School
by Father Paul Joseph Hoffer, S.M.
1965
I am going to reveal to you a secret of sanctity and happiness. For five minutes every day quiet your imagination, close your eyes to everything visible and your ears to all external sounds and withdraw into the sanctuary of your baptized soul which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. There, speak to the Holy Spirit and say:
"O Holy Spirit
soul of my soul
I adore you.
Enlighten
guide,
strengthen and console me.
Tell me what I ought to do
and command me to do it.
I promise to submit to everything
that you ask of me
and to accept all
that you allow to happen to me.
Just show me what is your will."
If you do this, your life will be happy and serene. Even in the midst of troubles you will experience great consolation, for grace will be given to strengthen and help you to cope with every difficulty.
I only learned about this Mexican born well-known actor/opera singer called to the priesthood (and with Peruvian connections) today. Thanks to the following video you can hear the story of Fray Jose Mojica, friend of many famous people, including Enrico Caruso. You can also hear him singing in the background.
The Novena period which precedes the Feast begins on Wednesday
15th of September - Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.
As this Novena period surrounds the Papal Visit - (September
16th to 19th) it is suggested that people pray the Novena for
the following intentions:
"For God's mighty blessing and protection upon the Papal Visit
and for the Holy Father's intentions".
For overseas readers, perhaps the best way of joining in the Novena is to say the Rosary each day, or at least one decade, for this intention.
Here at this blog, we are asking that you offer your Holy Rosary prayers for the Holy Father's intentions for nine consecutive days, along with the following prayer from the Knights of Columbus' prayer card, for his intentions:
PRAYER FOR POPE BENEDICT XVI
Lord, source of eternal life and truth,
give to your shepherd, Benedict, a spirit
of courage and right judgment, a spirit
of knowledge and love. By governing
with fidelity those entrusted to his care,
may he, as successor to the Apostle Peter
and Vicar of Christ, build your Church
into a sacrament of unity, love and peace
for all the world. Amen.
V. Let us pray for Benedict, the pope.
R. May the Lord preserve him,
give him a long life,
make him blessed upon the earth,
and not hand him over
to the power of his enemies.
V. May your hand
be upon your holy servant.
R. And upon your son,
whom you have anointed.
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…
1. The Prophecy of Simeon.
2. The Flight into Egypt.
3. The Loss of the Child Jesus
4. The Meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross.
5. The Crucifixion
6. Jesus' body Struck by a Lance, Taken Down from the Cross
7. The Burial of Jesus.
"...On Calvary, we behold the thorns that wounded the adorable head of our Saviour, the nails that pierced His hands and feet, the lance that opened His Heart, the ropes that bound Him, the gall and vinegar He was given to drink, and the wounds which covered His body from Head to foot.
We can see the same wounds in the maternal Heart of His saintly Mother. 'The Cross and the nails which crucified the Son's body, crucified the Mother's Heart as well.'
St. Jerome quotes St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, as saying: 'All the wounds which covered the body of Jesus, had their counterpart in Mary's Heart. The whips, the thorns, the nails, which pierced and tore the Saviour's body, ran through His holy Mother's Heart and shattered it.Every blow rending the body of the Son had its cruel echo in the Heart of His Mother.'
'O my Queen,' exclaims St. Bonaventure, 'Thou are not only standing near the Cross, but thou art with Thy Son on the Cross; Thou dost suffer, thou art crucified with Him, the only difference being that while He suffers in His body, thou dost suffer in thy loving Heart. All the wounds scattered over His body are united in thy Heart, because the sword of sorrow has pierced they very soul. Thy virginal Heart, O my sovereign Lady, is wounded by the lance, pierced by the nails and thorns, heaped with opprobrium, ignominy and imprecations, saturated with vinegar and gall. Why wouldst thou, most honored Lady, be immolated for us? Is not our Saviour's Passion sufficient for our salvation? Must the mother also be crucified with her Son? O sweetest Heart, so full of love, must thou then be changed into bitter sorrow? I seek to behold thy loving Heart, my dearest Mistress, but it seems to have vanished and in its place I find only the bitterness of gall, myrrh and absinthe. I seek the Mother of /God and I find only thorns, nails, a lance, a sponge and vinegar. I look for Mary on the Cross and I see only spittle, insults, lashes and wounds, so truly has she been overwhelmed by outrages.
- from the Admirable Heart of Mary by St. John Eudes
St. Padre Pio statue Blessed Sacrament Church, Paterson, NJ
Shared by Mary Jane.
Say once a day for nine days (start Tuesday, Sept. 14 to finish on Sept. 22)
Dear God, Thou hast generously blessed Thy servant, St. Pio of Pietrelcina, with the gifts of the Spirit. Thou hast marked his body with the five wounds of Christ Crucified, as a powerful witness to the saving Passion and Death of Thy Son. Endowed with the gift of discernment, St. Pio labored endlessly in the confessional for the salvation of souls. With reverence and intense devotion in the celebration of Mass, he invited countless men and women to a greater union with Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
Through the intercession of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, I confidently beseech Thee to grant me the grace of (mention your intentions here). Amen.
Recite three Glorias.
Litany of St. Padre Pio
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven,
have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the World,
have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit,
have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God,
have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Virgin Immaculate, pray for us.
St. Pio of Pietrelcina, pray for us.
Beloved of God, pray for us.
Imitator of Jesus Christ, pray for us.
Good shepherd of the people, pray for us.
Model for priests, pray for us.
Light of the Church, pray for us.
Adorer of the Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.
Faithful son of St. Francis, pray for us.
Marked with the stigmata of Jesus, pray for us.
Patient in suffering, pray for us.
Helper of the dying, pray for us.
Director of souls, pray for us.
Heart of gold, pray for us.
Apostle of mercy, pray for us.
Worker of miracles, pray for us.
Consoler of the afflicted, pray for us.
Lover of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us.
Helper of souls in doubt and darkness, pray for us.
Comforter of the sick, pray for us.
Example of humility, pray for us.
Source of wisdom, pray for us.
Mirror of the divine life, pray for us.
Lover of Jesus Crucified,
Resigned to the will of God, pray for us.
Doing good upon earth, pray for us.
Filled with the spirit of self-sacrifice, pray for us.
Our help and hope in all our needs, pray for us.
Vessel of the Holy Spirit, pray for us.
Leading us to Christ, pray for us.
Our spiritual father and advocate, pray for us.
Crowned with glory in Heaven, pray for us.
God our Father, You helped St. Pio to reflect the
image of Christ through a life of charity and self-sacrifice.
May we follow your Son by walking in the footsteps of
St. Pio of Pietrelcina and by imitating his selfless love.
Amen
Lord Jesus,
from the height of your throne of suffering
you reveal the depth of your love for us.
Lifted up from the world o the Cross,
you draw everyone to yourself.
The Cross is both the symbol and the act by which you raised up the world
from all its sin and weakness.
But you also ask for our cooperation.
Help us to die to self
so that we may live for you
and our fellow human beings.
Set us free from the slavery
of our passions,
our prejudices,
and our selfishness.
Enable us to endure the pains and trails of this life
and really help to change the world
in our own small way.
Keep before our minds the conviction
that in the Cross is salvation and life
as well as defense against our enemies.
Through the Cross heavenly grace is given us,
our minds are strengthened,
and we experience spiritual joy.
In the Cross is the height of virtue
and the perfection of all sanctity.
Let us take up our /Cross,
and follow you through earthly sorrow
into eternal happiness in heaven.
-New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book Catholic Book Publishing
Here indeed you have a sturdy and fruitful devotion! Spend a few moments each Friday going over those fourteen points of our Lord's Passion and Death. I assure you that you will gain strength for the whole of the week.
Note: The writer of this article unfortunately used the word "savages" although, I do think he meant it toward the Hawaiian people and "lepers" when referring to Hansen's Disease patients.
Thanks to my mom and John Michael for reminding me of it.
