Consecration to Jesus Through Mary: DAY 7

Reading:
Imitation of Christ: Book 1, Chapter 18

Outwardly they suffered want, but within they were refreshed with grace and Divine consolation. They were aliens to the world; they seemed as nothing and the world despised them; but they were precious and beloved in the sight of God. They persevered in true humility, they lived in simple obedience, they walked in charity and patience, and so every day they advanced in spirit and gained great favor with God. They were given for example to all religious, and ought more to excite us to advance in good, than the number of lukewarm to induce us to grow remiss. Oh! how great was the fervor of all religious in the beginning of their holy institute! Oh, how great was their devotion in prayer, how great was their zeal for virtue! How vigorous the discipline that was kept up, what reverence and obedience, under the rule of their superior, flourished in all! Their traces that remain still bear witness, that they were truly holy and perfect men who did battle so stoutly, and trampled the world under their feet. Now, he is thought great who is not a transgressor and who can, with patience, endure what he has undertaken. Ah, the lukewarmness of and negligence of our state! that soon fall away from our first fervor, and are even now tired with life, from slothfulness and tepidity. Oh! that advancement in virtue be not quite asleep in thee, who hast so often seen the manifold examples of the devout!

Prayer:
Veni Creator

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,
and in our hearts take up Thy rest;
come with Thy grace and heav'nly aid,
To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

O Comforter, to Thee we cry,
Thou heav'nly gift of God most high,
Thou Fount of life, and Fire of love,
and sweet anointing from above.

Finger of the hand divine,
the sevenfold gifts of grace are thine;
true promise of the Father thou,
who dost the tongue with power endow.

Thy light to every sense impart,
and shed thy love in every heart;
thine own unfailing might supply
to strengthen our infirmity.

Drive far away our Spiritly foe,
and thine abiding peace bestow;
if thou be our preventing Guide,
no evil can our steps betide.

Praise we the Father and the Son
and Holy Spirit with them One;
and may the Son on us bestow
the gifts that from the Spirit flow.

Ave Maris Stella

Hail, bright star of ocean,
God's own Mother blest,
Ever sinless Virgin,
Gate of heavenly rest.

Taking that sweet Ave
Which from Gabriel came,
Peace confirm within us,
Changing Eva's name.

Break the captives' fetters,
Light on blindness pour,
All our ills expelling,
Every bliss implore.

Show thyself a Mother;
May the Word Divine,
Born for us thy Infant,
Hear our prayers through thine.

Virgin all excelling,
Mildest of the mild,
Freed from guilt, preserve us,
Pure and undefiled.

Keep our life all spotless,
Make our way secure,
Till we find in Jesus,
Joy forevermore.

Through the highest heaven
To the Almighty Three,
Father, Son and Spirit,
One same glory be. Amen.

Magnificat

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

The Elderly are Called to Be an Icon of Faithfulness Amidst a Faithless Generation

Listen to my homily for today:

If you have trouble listening click here.

It is indeed a sad thing to encounter an elderly person who has forsaken the Law of God.  Even the young in their impetuousness and rashness expect the old to always remind us of where we ought to be.  Who else will show the rest of mankind the difference between our right and left hand, between what is good and what is evil.  In the Mass readings for today, we encounter Eleazar, a scribe who the authorities try to tempt to forsake the covenant of the Lord.  They tried to make an example of him, knowing that the young who respected his wisdom and years would follow.

But Eleazar made up his mind in a noble manner, worthy of his years, the dignity of his advanced age, the merited distinction of his gray hair, and of the admirable life he had lived from childhood; and so he declared that above all he would be loyal to the holy laws given by God.

Recently I was at a place where women make that terrible decision to take the life of their own child.  An elderly woman walked by and glared at me as if to say, "Shame on you."  At that moment I realized that there were elderly who have deeply forsaken their vocation to reveal the law of God and the faithfulness to what is true, good, beautiful, enduring, noble, and right.  She ought to have understood what was really going on there.  She ought to have known better.  She ought to have seen the satanic inversion of a culture that was so confused and demented as to call what is good evil and what is evil good.  But she didn't.  I must have said with the intense sadness and reproach of my face, "How dare you!" for the woman literally jolted at my glance and scurried away.

The elderly are called to be an icon of stability and faithfulness, bearing in their countenance the gentleness and wisdom that age gives them. Like wine each passing year ought to make them more subtle and tasteful, but ultimately they ought to reveal to the rest of mankind the development of moral conscience. When this is forsaken disgrace is not just brought upon their noble vocation, but society shows the depth of its depravity.

There is a great temptation for the elderly out of utility or taking the easiest path to not witness to their families against the evil of cohabitation, adultery, same-sex unions, embryonic stem cell research, contraceptive mentality, and abortion.  If the old to not show us the way, who will?

Like Zachaeus, we find ourselves in need of making reparation for our sins and the sins of our generation.  May the Living Jesus Christ in the Eucharist give us the grace and strength to respond to live the moral life generously and may the elderly be an icon of faithfulness amidst a faithless generation.

Consecration to Jesus Through Mary: DAY 6

Today is DAY 6 of the preparation for consecration.  Today we learn to meditate on the lives of the Fathers of the Church and the Saints to be inspired to reject the spirit of the world that says to us not to become to holy, to not focus too much on Christ, or to think that somehow those that give themselves over to Jesus will be robbed of their own personality.  It is exactly the opposite and it is a lot of work.  What fervent and long prayer, what constant and intense penance, what clear and profound resolution to become holy we find in the lives of the saints!

Readings:

Imitation of Christ Book I, chapter 18:CONSIDER the lively examples set us by the saints, who possessed the light of true perfection and religion, and you will see how little, how nearly nothing, we do. What, alas, is our life, compared with theirs? The saints and friends of Christ served the Lord in hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness, in work and fatigue, in vigils and fasts, in prayers and holy meditations, in persecutions and many afflictions. How many and severe were the trials they suffered—the Apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, and all the rest who willed to follow in the footsteps of Christ! They hated their lives on earth that they might have life in eternity.
How strict and detached were the lives the holy hermits led in the desert! What long and grave temptations they suffered! How often were they beset by the enemy! What frequent and ardent prayers they offered to God! What rigorous fasts they observed! How great their zeal and their love for spiritual perfection! How brave the fight they waged to master their evil habits! What pure and straightforward purpose they showed toward God! By day they labored and by night they spent themselves in long prayers. Even at work they did not cease from mental prayer. They used all their time profitably; every hour seemed too short for serving God, and in the great sweetness of contemplation, they forgot even their bodily needs.
They renounced all riches, dignities, honors, friends, and associates. They desired nothing of the world. They scarcely allowed themselves the necessities of life, and the service of the body, even when necessary, was irksome to them. They were poor in earthly things but rich in grace and virtue. Outwardly destitute, inwardly they were full of grace and divine consolation. Strangers to the world, they were close and intimate friends of God. To themselves they seemed as nothing, and they were despised by the world, but in the eyes of God they were precious and beloved. They lived in true humility and simple obedience; they walked in charity and patience, making progress daily on the pathway of spiritual life and obtaining great favor with God.They were given as an example for all religious, and their power to stimulate us to perfection ought to be greater than that of the lukewarm to tempt us to laxity.
How great was the fervor of all religious in the beginning of their holy institution! How great their devotion in prayer and their rivalry for virtue! What splendid discipline flourished among them! What great reverence and obedience in all things under the rule of a superior! The footsteps they left behind still bear witness that they indeed were holy and perfect men who fought bravely and conquered the world.
Today, he who is not a transgressor and who can bear patiently the duties which he has taken upon himself is considered great. How lukewarm and negligent we are! We lose our original fervor very quickly and we even become weary of life from laziness! Do not you, who have seen so many examples of the devout, fall asleep in the pursuit of virtue! 

Prayers:

Veni Creator

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,

and in our hearts take up Thy rest;

come with Thy grace and heav'nly aid,

To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.   

O Comforter, to Thee we cry,

Thou heav'nly gift of God most high,

Thou Fount of life, and Fire of love,

and sweet anointing from above.

Finger of the hand divine,

the sevenfold gifts of grace are thine;

true promise of the Father thou,

who dost the tongue with power endow.

Thy light to every sense impart,

and shed thy love in every heart;

thine own unfailing might supply

to strengthen our infirmity.

Drive far away our Spiritly foe,

and thine abiding peace bestow;

if thou be our preventing Guide,

no evil can our steps betide.

Praise we the Father and the Son

and Holy Spirit with them One;

and may the Son on us bestow

the gifts that from the Spirit flow.

Ave Maris Stella Hail, bright star of ocean, God's own Mother blest, Ever sinless Virgin, Gate of heavenly rest. Taking that sweet Ave Which from Gabriel came, Peace confirm within us, Changing Eva's name. Break the captives' fetters, Light on blindness pour, All our ills expelling, Every bliss implore. Show thyself a Mother; May the Word Divine, Born for us thy Infant, Hear our prayers through thine. Virgin all excelling, Mildest of the mild, Freed from guilt, preserve us, Pure and undefiled. Keep our life all spotless, Make our way secure, Till we find in Jesus, Joy forevermore. Through the highest heaven To the Almighty Three, Father, Son and Spirit, One same glory be. Amen.

Magnificat

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

Consecration To Jesus Through Mary: DAY 5

Today is DAY 5 of our preparation for consecration and we are reminded of the maxim of the world that says comfort thyself, praise and glory to thyself.  We will either seek comfort from God and the Cross of the Lord or we will undoubtedly be compelled to seek comfort in some worldly way, particularly with regard to our own ego.  This is manifested in seeking glory for one's own name.  It gives us the illusion that we are lovable and loved in eyes of others thwarting God's attempts to reveal this in the Cross.  Today we seek throw off the error and shackles of this mentality and seek the glory of God whose love has conquered the world.

Readings:

Imitation of Christ Book 3, Chapter 40For You alone, without human aid, can help me and strengthen me so greatly that my heart shall no more change but be converted and rest solely in You. Hence, if I knew well how to cast aside all earthly consolation, either to attain devotion or because of the necessity which, in the absence of human solace, compels me to seek You alone, then I could deservedly hope for Your grace and rejoice in the gift of new consolation.Thanks be to You from Whom all things come, whenever it is well with me. In Your sight I am vanity and nothingness, a weak, unstable man. In what, therefore, can I glory, and how can I wish to be highly regarded? Is it because I am nothing? This, too, is utterly vain. Indeed, the greatest vanity is the evil plague of empty self-glory, because it draws one away from true glory and robs one of heavenly grace. For when a man is pleased with himself he displeases You, when he pants after human praise he is deprived of true virtue. But it is true glory and holy exultation to glory in You and not in self, to rejoice in Your name rather than in one’s own virtue, and not to delight in any creature except for Your sake.
Let Your name, not mine, be praised. Let Your work, not mine, be magnified. Let Your holy name be blessed, but let no human praise be given to me. You are my glory. You are the joy of my heart. In You I will glory and rejoice all the day, and for myself I will glory in nothing but my infirmities. 

Prayers:

Veni Creator

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,

and in our hearts take up Thy rest;

come with Thy grace and heav'nly aid,

To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.   

O Comforter, to Thee we cry,

Thou heav'nly gift of God most high,

Thou Fount of life, and Fire of love,

and sweet anointing from above.

Finger of the hand divine,

the sevenfold gifts of grace are thine;

true promise of the Father thou,

who dost the tongue with power endow.

Thy light to every sense impart,

and shed thy love in every heart;

thine own unfailing might supply

to strengthen our infirmity.

Drive far away our Spiritly foe,

and thine abiding peace bestow;

if thou be our preventing Guide,

no evil can our steps betide.

Praise we the Father and the Son

and Holy Spirit with them One;

and may the Son on us bestow

the gifts that from the Spirit flow.

Ave Maris Stella Hail, bright star of ocean, God's own Mother blest, Ever sinless Virgin, Gate of heavenly rest. Taking that sweet Ave Which from Gabriel came, Peace confirm within us, Changing Eva's name. Break the captives' fetters, Light on blindness pour, All our ills expelling, Every bliss implore. Show thyself a Mother; May the Word Divine, Born for us thy Infant, Hear our prayers through thine. Virgin all excelling, Mildest of the mild, Freed from guilt, preserve us, Pure and undefiled. Keep our life all spotless, Make our way secure, Till we find in Jesus, Joy forevermore. Through the highest heaven To the Almighty Three, Father, Son and Spirit, One same glory be. Amen.

Magnificat

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

Jesus Heals the Blindness of a Apostate Culture

Christ Healing the Blind Man by Carl Bloch

Listen to my homily for today:

If you have trouble hearing click here.

The last three weeks of the Church's year deal with the last things, the apocalypse and summon us to reflect clearly upon the end of our own lives.  When we read apocalyptic literature, like the book of the Apocalypse, Daniel, or even the Macabees that we hear from in the Mass readings for today, there are three viewpoints of interpretation that we want to take in mind: the past event, the future event, and the present distress identified by with the associations of history or rich symbolology.

It is clear that the apostasy that the book of the Macabees talks about is a historical fact.  It actually happened.  Also it is clear that some apostasy must happen in the world and the Church before the Lord Jesus returns again in glory.  What we are most concerned about is the present apostasy that we are living in.  Pope Pius XII pointed out the beginnings of an apostasy in Christian culture.  He said in Summi Maeroris, that there are governments

who trample under foot the sacred rights of the Catholic Church. They forbid her ministers the free exercise of religious worship. They even condemn them to exile and to prison. They impede or directly proscribe and destroy schools and institutes of education which are conducted according to Christian norms and principles. Through errors, calumnies and every kind of indecency, they draw the people, especially the tender youth, away from integrity of morals, from virtue and innocence, to the allurements of vice and corruption.

This was 60 years ago.  Today it is much worse because people are not even capable of acknowledging that there is something wrong.  The darkness is so deep they do not even know what light looks like.  Is it normal for hundreds of thousands of babies to be aborted, for 50% of Catholic marriages to end in divorce, to even think that you can call marriage the union of two men, to play with human embryos like legos, or to toy with idea of cloning human persons?  We must call this what it is: EVIL.  To not do so constitutes a deeper evil, a moral and cultural blindness.

The Church appears in our age like this blind man in the Gospel, crying out in the midst of a blinded and apostate generation, amidst entire generations of Catholics who have little or no catechesis on the most basic tenets of the faith and have also become morally blind, "JESUS, SON OF DAVID, HAVE PITY ON ME!!!"  We cry out in the name of the Church to Jesus to free the Church and man of apostasy and error.

In the face of such deep blindness there is a temptation to despair, but we also learn from the apocalyptic literature of the Bible, the important lesson of history: Jesus Christ is Lord of history.  God is the protagonist in the drama of salvation.  God is God and God will be God and God will save those who cry out to him in faith.  We must hear amidst our blindness Jesus speak to the Church, "Have sight; your faith has saved you."  If we don't strain the ears of faith to hear this, we will not enter into authentic Christian hope founded upon the Savior and all sorts of funny reactions take hold of the human heart: conspiracy theories, escapism, or a fatalistic overdramatic interpretation of history.

We proclaim today again the Good News of our Salvation.  We cry out with our memorial acclamation at Mass:

Save us Savior of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you redeemed the world.

An Investment in Divine Charity

The Holy Church of God can be compared to a diligent and wise wife, which we read about in the first reading for Mass today on this 33rd Sunday in Ordinary time.  She works constantly for the increase of the riches of the home.  The greatest work, reward, and treasure of the Church is divine charity, and the wool and flax she spins are for the garments of the children of the Church in holy Baptism.  Yet the Church, and each member who makes up the Church will have to make an accounting to the Lord for the investment he has given us.

Listen to my homily for today:

If you have trouble listening click here.

At first glance most people think of the talents Jesus spoke about to be kind of abilities or gifts, be they natural or spiritual, with which he has given them.  While this is true, and we must develop the gifts given to us for the upbuilding of the Kingdom of God, we must remember the greatest treasure of heaven, its currency, is charity.  At the end of our lives Jesus will ask us for a return of the quality of our charity, how much we have loved one another as he has loved us.  This will be the measure of our lives.  We can understand what this looks like only when we gaze upon Christ crucified, the supreme model and source of charity.

The commandments of God reveal to us the dimensions of this love and the Sacraments help to begin, increase, repair, or sanctify the presence of this divine love.  Each person may grow in the capacity to enjoy the eternal beatitude and enjoyment of divine charity.  All in heaven are full with the fullness of God, but some are capable of enjoying more of the Lord since they labored on earth to constantly open themselves more to the Lord's kindness and blessings.

May Our Lady help us to receive the Lord in holy communion worthily and well, that we may grow and abound in the life of divine charity.

Consecration to Jesus Through Mary: DAY 4

Today is DAY 4 of the consecration preparation.  The world tells us to make a name for ourselves, to puff ourselves up like a peacock, to make ourselves out to be the source of all our blessings.  We have to work very hard to trample on this false way of thinking to free our hearts of this error.  God alone is the source of all that is good.  Jesus himself said, "God alone is good," to point out that whatever good we see even in Jesus is from his divinity.  The more we realize that God is the source of our goodness the more we make room for authentic faith and conversion.  Let us ask Our Lady's help today asking for the Holy Spirit who helps us to truly humbler ourselves before God.

Reading:

Imitation of Christ, by Thomas A Kempis: Book 3, Chapters 7, 40
That man has no good of himself, and that he cannot glory in anything.
Lord, what is man, that Thou art mindful of him; or the son of man, that Thou visit him? What has man deserved that Thou should give him grace? Lord, what cause have I to complain, it Thou forsakest me, or what can I justly allege, if what I petition Thou shalt not grant? This most assuredly, I may truly think and say: Lord I am nothing, I can do nothing of myself, that is good, but I am in all things defective and ever tend to nothing. And unless I am assisted and interiorly instructed by Thee, I become wholly tepid and relaxed, but though, O Lord, art always the same, and endure unto eternity, ever good, just and holy, doing all things well, justly and holily and disposing them in wisdom.
But I who am more inclined to go back, than to go forward, continue not always in one state, for I am changed, seven different times. But it quickly becomes better when it pleases Thee, and Thou stretchest out Thy helping hand: for Thou alone, without man's aid can assist me and so strengthen me, that my countenance shall be more diversely changed: but my heart be converted and find its rest in Thee alone.
He who would be too secure in time of peace will often be found too much dejected in time of war. If you could always continue to be humble and little in your own eyes, and keep your spirit in due order and subjection, you would not fall so easily into danger and offense. It is good counsel that, when you have conceived the spirit of fervor, you should meditate how it will be when that light shall be withdraw.

Prayers:

Veni Creator

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,

and in our hearts take up Thy rest;

come with Thy grace and heav'nly aid,

To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.   

O Comforter, to Thee we cry,

Thou heav'nly gift of God most high,

Thou Fount of life, and Fire of love,

and sweet anointing from above.

Finger of the hand divine,

the sevenfold gifts of grace are thine;

true promise of the Father thou,

who dost the tongue with power endow.

Thy light to every sense impart,

and shed thy love in every heart;

thine own unfailing might supply

to strengthen our infirmity.

Drive far away our Spiritly foe,

and thine abiding peace bestow;

if thou be our preventing Guide,

no evil can our steps betide.

Praise we the Father and the Son

and Holy Spirit with them One;

and may the Son on us bestow

the gifts that from the Spirit flow.

Ave Maris Stella Hail, bright star of ocean, God's own Mother blest, Ever sinless Virgin, Gate of heavenly rest. Taking that sweet Ave Which from Gabriel came, Peace confirm within us, Changing Eva's name. Break the captives' fetters, Light on blindness pour, All our ills expelling, Every bliss implore. Show thyself a Mother; May the Word Divine, Born for us thy Infant, Hear our prayers through thine. Virgin all excelling, Mildest of the mild, Freed from guilt, preserve us, Pure and undefiled. Keep our life all spotless, Make our way secure, Till we find in Jesus, Joy forevermore. Through the highest heaven To the Almighty Three, Father, Son and Spirit, One same glory be. Amen.

Magnificat

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

Consecration to Jesus Through Mary: DAY 3

Today on DAY 3 of our consecration preparation, we strive to enter into the narrow gate, to follow God's will instead of our own.  The world would have us worship, serve, and follow our own preferences.  Today we are taught to not trust our own rash judgment, to keep and protect what is holy, and to have a prayer life focussed on Jesus Christ as Our Lady is.  In this way we begin to do onto others as we would have them do unto us.

Readings:

St. Matthew Chapter 7: 1-14

Do not judge

Do not judge, and you will not be judged; because the judgments you give are the judgments you will get, and the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given. Why do you observe the splinter in your brother's eye and never notice the splinter in your own? How dare you say to your brother, "Let me take the splinter out of your eye," when all the time there is a plank in your own? Hypocrite! Take the plank out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly enough to take the splinter out of your brother's eye.

Do not profane sacred things

Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls in front of pigs, or they may trample them and then turn on you and tear you to pieces.

Effective prayer

Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock adn the door will be opened to you. For the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. Is there a man among you who would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or would hand him a snake when he asked for a fish: If you, then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

The golden rule

So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.

The two ways

Enter by the narrow gate, since the road that leads to perdition is wide and spacious, and many take it; but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Prayers:

Veni Creator

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,

and in our hearts take up Thy rest;

come with Thy grace and heav'nly aid,

To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.   

O Comforter, to Thee we cry,

Thou heav'nly gift of God most high,

Thou Fount of life, and Fire of love,

and sweet anointing from above.

Finger of the hand divine,

the sevenfold gifts of grace are thine;

true promise of the Father thou,

who dost the tongue with power endow.

Thy light to every sense impart,

and shed thy love in every heart;

thine own unfailing might supply

to strengthen our infirmity.

Drive far away our Spiritly foe,

and thine abiding peace bestow;

if thou be our preventing Guide,

no evil can our steps betide.

Praise we the Father and the Son

and Holy Spirit with them One;

and may the Son on us bestow

the gifts that from the Spirit flow.

Ave Maris Stella Hail, bright star of ocean, God's own Mother blest, Ever sinless Virgin, Gate of heavenly rest. Taking that sweet Ave Which from Gabriel came, Peace confirm within us, Changing Eva's name. Break the captives' fetters, Light on blindness pour, All our ills expelling, Every bliss implore. Show thyself a Mother; May the Word Divine, Born for us thy Infant, Hear our prayers through thine. Virgin all excelling, Mildest of the mild, Freed from guilt, preserve us, Pure and undefiled. Keep our life all spotless, Make our way secure, Till we find in Jesus, Joy forevermore. Through the highest heaven To the Almighty Three, Father, Son and Spirit, One same glory be. Amen.

Magnificat

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

St Martin of Tours and the Courage to Be Catholic

There are many excuses people make to not respond to Christ who visits them in different disguises, in the poor, in their family relationships, in the holy Sacraments.  The greatest perhaps is fear.  We are simply afraid to do something that would take us beyond ourselves.  In the Gospel for today's Mass (Mt 25:31-46), Jesus describes the measure of our life will be responding to Christ when he visitis us.

Listen to my homily for today:

If you have trouble listening click here.

St Martin saw a beggar suffering from the cold and gave him his own cloak, even when this meant that he would go without sufficient covering.  That night he had a dream.  Jesus was wearing his cloak and thanked him.

He became a bishop of great courage.  He smote down idols and preached the Gospel untiringly to the pagans.  There are a lot of idols and a lot of pagans today.  The don't look the same, but the think secularism that inundates our culture has brought about another moment in history for those who wish to respond to  Christ must exercise great courage and perseverance.

Let us pray to St Martin and ask him and all the saints for the courage to be Catholic in an environment and arena of today's world that is at times openly hostile to our faith.

Consecration to Jesus Through Mary: DAY 2

On DAY 2 of our preparation for Consecration, the Lord wants to teach us to pray, give alms, and forgive as he forgives.  This is very different from the world's way of doing things.  The world and the folly of its egoism tries to teach us to love and forgive only to the degree that we first are loved and forgiven, to give alms only if others can see what we are doing, and to pray so as to acquire greater esteem not from God but from men.  In a word you can see the spirit of SELF in all of these things, a vain insecurity, trying to scratch out a little kingdom, grab for esteem and position among men.

Christ teaches us to be courageous, to be generous, and to base all our activities upon the Father's way of loving, forgiving, and giving alms, thus fueling a prayer life that is hidden, discreet, sincerely, and enkindled with great faith and humility.  Let us pray today to be rid of the world and full of God.

Gentle Reminder:  Persevere in following each day but do not be put off by missing one of the days or more.  You can make it up and get back on track.  What is important is that you persevere in preparing to gift yourself to Jesus through Mary

Reading for today:

St. Matthew: Chapters 5: 48, 6: 1-15
Even the pagans do as much, do they not: You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Almsgiving in secret (6: 1-15) Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win men's admiration. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
Prayer in secret
And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites; they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
How to pray. The Lord's Prayer
In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. So you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be held holy.
Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us. And do not put us to the test, but save us from the evil one.
Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.

Prayers for today:

Veni Creator

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,

and in our hearts take up Thy rest;

come with Thy grace and heav'nly aid,

To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.   

O Comforter, to Thee we cry,

Thou heav'nly gift of God most high,

Thou Fount of life, and Fire of love,

and sweet anointing from above.

Finger of the hand divine,

the sevenfold gifts of grace are thine;

true promise of the Father thou,

who dost the tongue with power endow.

Thy light to every sense impart,

and shed thy love in every heart;

thine own unfailing might supply

to strengthen our infirmity.

Drive far away our Spiritly foe,

and thine abiding peace bestow;

if thou be our preventing Guide,

no evil can our steps betide.

Praise we the Father and the Son

and Holy Spirit with them One;

and may the Son on us bestow

the gifts that from the Spirit flow.

Ave Maris Stella Hail, bright star of ocean, God's own Mother blest, Ever sinless Virgin, Gate of heavenly rest. Taking that sweet Ave Which from Gabriel came, Peace confirm within us, Changing Eva's name. Break the captives' fetters, Light on blindness pour, All our ills expelling, Every bliss implore. Show thyself a Mother; May the Word Divine, Born for us thy Infant, Hear our prayers through thine. Virgin all excelling, Mildest of the mild, Freed from guilt, preserve us, Pure and undefiled. Keep our life all spotless, Make our way secure, Till we find in Jesus, Joy forevermore. Through the highest heaven To the Almighty Three, Father, Son and Spirit, One same glory be. Amen.

Magnificat

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

Imitating Jesus, True God and True Man, with Pope St Leo the Great

Who do you say that Jesus is?  This is a fundamental question for a Christian.  One that can be answered not just with the lips, but by the way one lives.  Pope St Leo the Great is a monumental figure in explaining the very Person of Jesus Christ.

Listen to my homily for today:

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By our relationship with Jesus and Mary we need to incorporate the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic faith of the Church, and come to know and live deeper the mystery of Jesus Christ in our daily walk of discipleship.

Here is Pope St Leo the Great's Tome, that eventually was incorporated into the Council of Chalcedon:

What was taken from the mother of the Lord was the nature without the guilt [of original sin]. And the fact that the birth was miraculous does not imply that in the lord Jesus Christ, born from the virgin's womb, the nature is different from ours. The same one is true God and true man. There is nothing unreal about this oneness, since both the lowliness of the man and the grandeur of the divinity are in mutual relation. As God is not changed by showing mercy, neither is humanity devoured by the dignity received. The activity of each form is what is proper to it in communion with the other: that is, the Word performs what belongs to the Word, and the flesh accomplishes what belongs to the flesh. One of these performs brilliant miracles; the other sustains acts of violence. As the Word does not lose its glory which is equal to that of the Father, so neither does the flesh leave the nature of its kind behind. We must say this again and again: one and the same is truly Son of God and truly son of man.

Consecration to Jesus Through Mary: DAY 1

Today we enthusiastically begin DAY 1 of the Consecration to Jesus through Mary.  These first 12 days of consecration we attempt to rid ourselves of the spirit of the world and all its enticements, deceit, and allurements.

Examine your conscience, pray, practice renouncement of your own will; mortification, purity of heart. This purity is the indispensable condition for contemplating God in heaven, to see Him on earth and to know Him by the light of faith.

The first part of the preparation should be employed in casting off the spirit of the world which is contrary to that of Jesus Christ. The spirit of the world consists essentially in the denial of the supreme dominion of God; a denial which is manifested in practice by sin and disobedience; thus it is principally opposed to the spirit of Christ, which is also that of Mary.

It manifests itself by the concupiscence of the flesh, by the concupiscence of the eyes and by the pride of life, by disobedience to God's laws and the abuse of created things. Its works are: sin in all forms, then all else by which the devil leads to sin; works which bring error and darkness to the mind, and seduction and corruption to the will. Its pomps are the splendor and the charms employed by the devil to render sin alluring in person, places and things.

The text for today comes from:

St. Matthew: Chapter 5: 1-19

The Beatitudes

Seeing the crowds, he went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them: How happy are the poor in spirit: theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy the gentle: they shall have the earth for their heritage.

Happy those who mourn: they shall be comforted. Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right: they shall be satisfied. Happy the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them. Happy the pure in heart: they shall see God. Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right: theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven; this is how they persecuted the prophets before you.

Salt of the earth and light of the world

You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again? It is good for nothing and can only be thrown out to be trampled underfoot by men.

You are the light of the world. A city built on a hilltop cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.

The fulfillment of the Law

Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved.

The prayer for the next 12 days are the Veni Creator, Ave Maris Stella, and the Magnificat:

Veni Creator

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,

and in our hearts take up Thy rest;

come with Thy grace and heav'nly aid,

To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.   

O Comforter, to Thee we cry,

Thou heav'nly gift of God most high,

Thou Fount of life, and Fire of love,

and sweet anointing from above.

Finger of the hand divine,

the sevenfold gifts of grace are thine;

true promise of the Father thou,

who dost the tongue with power endow.

Thy light to every sense impart,

and shed thy love in every heart;

thine own unfailing might supply

to strengthen our infirmity.

Drive far away our Spiritly foe,

and thine abiding peace bestow;

if thou be our preventing Guide,

no evil can our steps betide.

Praise we the Father and the Son

and Holy Spirit with them One;

and may the Son on us bestow

the gifts that from the Spirit flow.

Ave Maris Stella Hail, bright star of ocean, God's own Mother blest, Ever sinless Virgin, Gate of heavenly rest. Taking that sweet Ave Which from Gabriel came, Peace confirm within us, Changing Eva's name. Break the captives' fetters, Light on blindness pour, All our ills expelling, Every bliss implore. Show thyself a Mother; May the Word Divine, Born for us thy Infant, Hear our prayers through thine. Virgin all excelling, Mildest of the mild, Freed from guilt, preserve us, Pure and undefiled. Keep our life all spotless, Make our way secure, Till we find in Jesus, Joy forevermore. Through the highest heaven To the Almighty Three, Father, Son and Spirit, One same glory be. Amen.

Magnificat

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.