Fr. Ed Broom, OMV Oblates of the Virgin Mary

Catholic Ignatian Marian Spirituality

YEAR OF FAITH, YEAR OF GRACE, YEAR OF BLESSINGS!

God is good, loving, kind, merciful, compassionate, and generous beyond our wildest imagination!  God speaks to us through His Mystical Body the Church, and especially through His “Sweet Vicar on earth” (St. Catherine of Siena) the Holy Father, the Pope— presently, Pope Benedict XVI.
From October 11th, 2012 until November 24th, 2013 (The Solemnity of Christ the King), the Holy Father has proclaimed for the Catholic Church, “The Year of Faith”.   This year of faith will be a year of grace and a year of extraordinary blessings.  Of course the blessings of God are limitless, but our capacity can be magnanimous— generous, or mediocre.  Therefore, the graces and blessings depend in large part upon the disposition of our hearts.  Therefore, our message is directed at how we can sincerely give to the Lord a well-disposed, totally open heart so that He can rain a torrential downpour of graces into our minds, our hearts, our souls and consequently upon our families!  Let us offer some concrete ways to live out this “Year of faith” intensely!                                        
1.   TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!  Nobody has an absolute security for tomorrow!  Jesus constantly exhorts and warns us to stay awake, be alert and to be vigilant.   We know neither the day nor the hour that the Lord will come and ask for an account of our lives. Life is short,
precarious and uncertain!  Remember the Tsunami, and Sept 11, 2001 with the twin towers, also, sudden earthquakes. One note in common for all: it all happened unexpectedly! Not to be apocalyptic but realistic—in imitation of the saints—we should live each day as if it were our last.  So let us live this “Year of Faith” as if it were the last year of our life, after which the Lord will judge us for all eternity!  Remember the poetic expression of the Psalmist: “Our life on earth is like the flower of the field that rises in the morning and withers and dies in the evening.”  We are the flower of the field, called to blossom flourish and exude the beautiful fragrance of holiness. Paul reminds us that we are called to be the fragrance of Christ.
                               
2.   PRAYER!   Father John Hardon, S.J. made an acute observation between prayer and faith. The saintly Jesuit made this connection!  When an individual loses his faith, it is very often related to a neglect or total abandonment of prayer!  Superb insight!  Why? Indeed
prayer is an act of faith.  The nature of faith is believing in a God that we do not see.  Prayer is praying to a God that we do not see, but we believe He hears our prayers, is attentive to our supplications and loves us intensely. Therefore, giving up prayer, like a lamp unplugged, the spiritual electric current of faith dies!  In sum, may this year of faith be characterized by a year of more fervent, faithful, intense, and confident prayer!

 

3.   STUDY! Common sense teaches us that we cannot love anybody that we do not know.  The same principle can be applied
to our relationship with God.  Not knowing God serves as a major obstacle in loving Him. Knowledge and love intersect and interconnect. Once Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was and the Lord responded immediately, quoting the great “Shema” of the Old Testament: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Lk.  10:27). What should we study?   In his Apostolic Letter, “Porta Fidei”, “The door of faith”, in which the Holy Father explains the purpose, the thrust and the objective of this year of faith, he clearly points to revisiting the Documents of the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II), but most specifically he encourages us to revisit, to read, study, and learn the basics of our faith as presented by the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  (Numbers 11, 12 Porta Fidei).   In his wisdom and insight, the Holy Father is commencing the year of faith simultaneous with the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Vatican II Council, as well as the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, that Pope John Paul II offered as a wonderful “Gift” to the modern world, groping in darkness, ignorance and widespread confusion!  Therefore, if you do not have the Catechism of the Catholic Church, purchase it. If you have it, return to this spiritual gold-mind.  Pray over it, read it meditate upon it, form group-discussions, learn it and live it!!!!

 

4.   ENCOUNTER WITH CHRIST!  The heart of the message and thrust of the “year of Faith”, proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI, is that each and every one of us individually will arrive at a personal, intimate, deep and growing, profound relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus has to come alive in our lives, as our God and Savior, but also as our best of  FRIENDS!!!  From the outset of his pontificate, the Successor of Christ Pope Benedict XVI has insisted on the discovering of Jesus Christ as  FRIEND!   St. Teresa of Avila taught
very clearly that meditating on the Humanity of Christ is one of the most sure and efficacious means to plumb the depths of prayer and arrive at union with God.  Therefore, let us accept the invitation of the Pope and— through our study and meditation of the Catechism
of the Catholic Church— arrive at an ever deeper “Friendship” with Jesus.  Even our best of friends occasionally fail us!  Not so with Jesus! He is the ever faithful “Friend” in time and He will be forever in eternity.   At the Last Supper Jesus, from the depths of
His loving and Sacred Heart, described His relationship to His Apostles (and to us):  “I do not call you servants because the servant does not know what His Master is about, but I call you FRIENDS! 
                                                      
5.   MISSIONARY DRIVE!   Finally, the Holy Father insists in the Apostolic Letter, “The door of faith” that we must be authentic witnesses of Christ. The Pope insists on a constant metanoia or conversion of heart, renouncing our sinful past and focusing on Jesus who perfects our faith.  With this conversion from sin, the Pope insists on the missionary thrust, the call to bring the Good and joyful News of Jesus Christ to the whole world.  “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold I am with you always, until the end of the age.”  ( Mt. 28:19-20).  These were the last words of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, before He ascended into heaven— indeed a missionary mandate that he commissioned all of us as His followers to take seriously and carry out!   The year of faith, must be a year of personal enrichment and growth, but also of sharing this faith with the whole world. Undoubtedly, one of the most efficacious ways to grow in our faith is to share it with others!

May Mary, who pondered the Word of God in her Immaculate Heart and moved in haste to share the Word of God to others—her cousin Elizabeth, Zacharias and John the Baptist— attain for each and every one of us an open heart this Year of faith, a well-disposed will, and limitless trust in God’s grace and mercy.  Through her powerful prayers this year of faith, will be a year of grace and a year of extraordinary blessings!

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REMEDY TO CONQUER ENVY!!!

The Capital sin of envy that we all carry within is us due to the effects of Original Sin can literally destroy us as well as countless others, if it is not recognized, resisted, rejected and conquered through the grace of God and our own determination!  What are some positive steps we can take to conquer the Capital Sin of envy?

 

1.   HONEST ADMISSION!  If we do not honestly admit and come to terms with the reality of envy in our hearts then we will never be able to conquer it. Blindness to defects does not conquer them but exacerbate them!   There is a Spanish expression that sums it up:  “No hay peor ciego que aquel que no quiere ver; no hay peor sordo que aquel que no quiere oir.”   (Translation:  “There is no worse blind person that he who does not want to see; there is no worse deaf person than he who does not want to hear.”)  How many alcoholics never admit their addiction and problem until they die young of alcoholism!

2.   CONFESS IT!  Willfully giving in to envy is a sin. Therefore bringing this sin to the
sacrament of Confession results in healing because the specific sacramental grace
of Confession is the healing of our soul of the moral infirmity of sin.
3.   IGNATIAN “AGERE CONTRA”.   This is an Ignatian expression that means: do not give into it, but do the opposite! Instead of hurting the person you envy, do him good either by prayer or by action!

4.   PRAY FOR HIM!   Once our bad tendencies—especially that of envy— is brought to prayer then God can do miracles; He can move the highest mountains of our pride, anger and our envy!   “Let go and let God!”  By ourselves we are the essence of weakness and misery. However, God is Omnipotent. “All things are possible with God!”
5.   COMPLIMENT/PRAISE!  When envy takes root in the heart, the tendency, with respect to speech is to criticize, gossip, denigrate, and debase the person. Conquer envy by praising or complimenting him/her on her good qualities! Do this in his presence or in the presence of others!

6.   THANK GOD! Thank God from the bottom of your heart for the wonderful talents that He has given to all people in this world, but especially the person you envy most.  How dumb anyway to envy!  What we are envying is simply a talent that God has given that has been recognized and cultivated!  Why envy God’s gifts!!

7.   CULTIVATE THE TEAM SPIRIT.   On a baseball team, if one player hits a game-winning home-run, it is not the individual player who won the game, but the whole team won. When we pray the Our Father we acknowledge that God is the Father of all of humanity and each and every one of us in particular. In concrete that means that we are all brothers and sisters of the same Heavenly Father.  Therefore, your victory is my victory; your defeat is my defeat!  Remember the words of the Apostle St. Paul in this regard: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep!”   St. Therese of Lisieux, famous for her Little Way of Perfection by doing the ordinary things with extraordinary love said that when evil is done the whole world descends. However, when good is done the whole world is elevated closer to heaven!  Why not rejoice in others’ spiritual victories?  Earth has been elevated closer to heaven!

8.  SELF-KNOLWEDGE OF YOUR OWN TALENTS.  A very telling Parable is found in the 25th Chapter of the Gospel of St Matthew.   Three men are given talents. Two of them double the talents with hard work. The last, due to fear and laziness, digs a hole and buries the talent under the ground. Upon returning, the Master does a rendition of counts. The first two hard-working and faithful servants are praised and awarded for their dedication. However, the lazy servant who hid his talent underneath the ground was chastised!  All of us have talents! Art, music, sports, study, communication, painting, writing, cooking,  prayer, spirituality— all of these are
God-given talents. They can be cultivated and prosper and be of use in cultivating the “Civilization of Love” or they can lay fallow, rust, deteriorate and decay. Incumbent upon all indeed it is that we discover our specific talents and then cultivate them to the maximum. 
By doing this we will not be focusing upon the talents and success of our “rival” and allow envy to possess and conquer us! In the famous story of the Juggler of Notre Dame, a young man enters into the convent and unable to study well nor arrive at sublime mystical gifts, he felt at first bereft of talents. But he could do one thing: juggle!  So before the image of Our Lady he would do his juggling stunts in  a silent and hidden way. Our Lady, seeing this performance smiled profusely! This was the gift he could offer to God and to His Blessed Mother. What type of juggling act can you do for God to avoid focusing on others’ talents and succumbing to envy?

9.   THANKSGIVING LIST OF ST. JOHN BERCHMANS, S.J.   In the life of the young Jesuit, St. John Berchmans, S.J, an incident is recorded, pertinent to our topic of conquering and crushing the ugly head of the devil of envy. John lived in a community with both brothers as well as priests.  Imbued with an authentic spirit of charity, Berchmans was keenly aware of the talents and gifts that God had bestowed upon every one of the members. Therefore, John Berchmans wrote a list of all of the members in the Jesuit Community. Then next to each and every one of the members he wrote a virtue or positive attribute and then composed a litany of thanksgiving to God for that virtue. One qualifying note!  There was only one person that was not on that list. Can you guess who he was? Why not list your family members and next to each one write a positive attribute and thank God for that gift! Great way to conquer envy!

10. MARY’S MAGNIFICAT!  Turn to Mary and pray to her when tempted to fall into envy. Say a quick Hail Mary when tempted to be
jealous! Be thankful and praise God with Mary’s hymn of praise.  “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior..”
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ENVY IS A REAL KILLER!!!!

Sibling rivalry, fighting over who has the right to the biggest cookie, angry because he hit the game-winning Home-run, and I struck out, looking in the mirror and being depressed over the beauty that her best friend has and she does not, sadly questioning why her next door neighbor has countless friends, and she barely a dog to wag his tail at her, comparing his small car, poor house to one of his class-mates who has a Jaguar, most modern model, multi-million dollar house and swimming pool— one thing in common with all of these individuals who carry with them a weight of sadness: they all have given in to the Capital sin of  ENVY! 

What is envy? Where does it come from?   Who has it?  What about the Bible and envy? What does envy actually do to the person who succumbs to it? Finally, on a positive note, how can one conquer envy?
First, a definition!   Envy can be defined as being sad over not having what another has and rejoicing when something bad happens to him!  Indeed a very ugly sin that frustrates the greatest of virtues—fraternal charity, loving and wishing good towards my neighbor!
Its Origin! It comes from Original sin and is one of the seven Capital Sins.   Being sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, we have all inherited from being conceived with Original sin, these bad tendencies in our nature that are called “Capital Sins”.  St Thomas Aquinas calls this concupiscence— the innate tendency, proclivity, or inclination towards evil and sin. If these tendencies—Capital sins— are not held in check, then they become actual sins and if allowed to grow they become vices, which results in slavery!  Jesus says that sin is slavery!
The Capital sins can be divided into two categories: 1) those that refer more directly to the corporal nature—gluttony, lust, greed, and sloth; 2) those that refer more to the spiritual and intellectual nature— anger, envy, and pride.
THE BIBLE AND ENVY!  In many places in the Bible, both Old Testament passages as well as New, the ugly serpent of envy pops up his
head and manifests clearly poisonous, lethal consequences when not subdued and conquered.  Let’s see!
First of all, the Word of God states that sin came into the world though the envy of the devil.  Adam and Eve were tempted by the
serpent in the Garden and they succumbed, allowing entrance into the world, the reality of sin. However, behind the sin of our first parents was the insidious, envious presence of the evil one!    
CAIN AND ABEL!  Immediately after the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve,  the social  effect of sin raises its ugly head in the
account of the sons of Adam and Eve, the brothers Cain and Abel.  Moved by jealousy and envy because God preferred Abel’s offering over his, Cain allowed the envy to turn into anger, from anger to rancor and from rancor bitter hatred, resulting in leading his brother out to the open field and murdering him—fratricide, the killing of his own brother!  The end result of envy unchecked— murder, of one’s own brother!
SAUL AND DAVID!   On we go!   David volunteered to fight against Goliath, the ferocious, ruthless and victorious Philistine—in size and weight a veritable giant! The story is well known! David with slingshot and stone against Goliath who had sword, shield and armor-bearer (like an ant against an elephant), David launched a rocket which riveted into the head of Goliath, who crashed to the ground, like the Twin
Towers of NYC.  Dispatching the sword from the sheath, David handily decapitated Goliath the giant.  Outstanding victory!  Saul witnessed it with awe!  Manifesting extraordinary military prowess, David wins battle after battle, Saul too, but to a minor degree.  Then it happened!  After another victory, triumph after triumph for David, the culminating moment arrived, that would gradually lead to the demise of King and General of the People of Israel, Saul!   It was in the triumphal procession in Jerusalem. As King Saul walked side by side with David, through the streets of Jerusalem, the Jewish maidens chanted songs of joy and victory, with these words:  “Saul has killed his thousands and David has killed his ten thousands!” This was the straw that broke the camel’s back!  Not resisting the jealousy that surged within his heart, allowing envy to enter, being transformed by anger and hatred, Saul decided to do away with David by killing him. Saul and Cain would be brothers in murderous plots.
On one occasion, with his spear sharpened, Saul aimed and thrust it for David’s heart, but David dodged it; the spear penetrated the wall behind David. Saul made no effort to subdue and conquer envy that had all but consumed him. The demise of the life of Saul was the battle against his enemies in which Saul felt overwhelmed. He consulted a witch (the witch of Endor), consults the dead prophet Samuel who predicts defeat for Saul—because due to envy, the Lord had departed from Saul.  Then in the midst of a losing battle, Saul ends his own life by falling on his own sword—committing suicide.
JESUS AND THE JEWS!   Finally, the most serious manifestation of the evil of jealousy and envy is in the death of Jesus.  Born in Bethlehem, brought up and raised in Nazareth, a very inconspicuous town—“Can anything good come from Nazareth?”– the son of a humble carpenter, Jesus spoke with eloquence and power, He healed countless  of the sick and the people fled to Him, hanging on His words as He preached. Many of the Pharisees, teachers of the law, could not accept somebody so hidden, unknown,  and uneducated who could have such a powerful impression on the people.   Therefore, they taunted Him, attacked Him, derided Him, tried to contradict Him and finally had Him
crucified.   The principal reason behind the crucifixion and death of Jesus was once again that of jealousy and envy, leading to bitterness, hatred and murder!

II. THE UGLY EFFECTS OF ENVY IN OUR HEARTS

Giving in to the Capital Sin of envy can wreak havoc in our soul, to say the least! It is incumbent upon us that upon discerning the ugly head of this serpent—envy—arising in our souls, we must reject it immediately. If not done, these are some of the ugly consequences that can take place in our persons!
1. COMPARISONS!   Envy leads the eyes to wander upon the person envied and to comparisons.  “Comparisons are odious!”   The net result is the robbing of peace of soul.  The envious person is like a sea always in torment, never at peace!
2. SINS OF THE TONGUE—GOSSIP AND SLANDER.   Envy often spills out into bitter and damaging words. It might be something as simple as gossip, but it might even lead to something more serious as slander, calumny and “Character assassination”.  Jesus says, “Out of the
abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” Envy is a sign of a sick heart!  Ugly words manifest it!
 
3. INSOMNIA! The envious person, so worried about the progress and success of his “Rival” (often the rival has no idea of this) that
he cannot even sleep at night.  Sleepless nights obviously will take its toll on the body. Irate, impatient, pushy, overly-demanding, harsh and bitter to others— all as a result of sleepless nights brought on by envy!
4. ULCERS!  An increased production of acidic fluids in the intestines results in a perforated intestine and ulcer!  Sin is our worse enemy!  Sin can actually lead to physical ailments, sometimes mounting in seriousness, and even death!
 
5. FAMILY FIGHTS!   Sibling rivalry has as its source brothers and sisters who are jealous of each other because they feel that their parents pay little attention to them and too much attention to their other brother or sister. Quarrels, fights, and suspicions arise depriving the family of harmony and peace that are so necessary to live a wholesome family life.
6. SABBOTAGE.   An envious person is bent on seeing to the end the downfall of his supposed “rival”—as we saw in Cain and Abel, David and
Saul and Jesus with some of the Jews.  Therefore, the envious person looks for the opportunities to put stumbling blocks in the way of his rival to destroy him, but really he is destroying himself.
7.  MURDER!  As already explained more than once in the above Biblical examples, envy is like a snowball on the top of the mountain,
once pushed the force of the momentum can accelerate the snowball to unknown and unthought-of  repercussions.  Jealousy paves the way to envy, envy to anger, anger to resentment, resentment to rancor and rancor to hatred and hatred fully mature culminates in murder—first in the heart and then exteriorly in action. Remember Cain and  King Saul!
8.  DESTROYS CHARITY!   Honestly, envy wills the evil and failure of another; whereas charity, on the contrary, desires the good of the other.  Moreover, charity is the greatest of all virtues on which at the end of our lives we will be judged.   As St. John of the Cross so clearly
expresses: “In the twilight of our earthly existence we will be judged on love.”
9. BLOCKS HUMAN, INTELLECTUAL AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN OTHERS. A “macho” type suffers often from insecurity; his
tough bravado façade really is a mask to his own insecurity.  Therefore, to bolster his own pride, ego and own self-image and insecurity— if he is married—he prevents his wife from advancing in her studies, attaining a job, or cultivating other talents, for fear of being overshadowed by the success of his wife! How ugly, but how prevalent this is.
  
10. FRUSTRATION OF SPIRITUAL PROGRESS—SPIRITUAL ENVY.   The Mystical Doctor, St John of the Cross explains the Capital sins in two ways: both physically (materially) as well as spiritually.Spiritual envy manifests itself often in persons who sincerely pursue a life of great spiritual depth. However, the devil never goes on vacation, especially when he recognizes generous souls who pursue true sanctity of life.   Therefore, the devil can tempt such an individual to start to compare his/her spiritual life with that of another who is on the same pursuit or pathway to holiness. Comparisons are odious, especially in the spiritual life! If not resisted, the temptation to spiritual envy can be
devastating!  Instead of focusing on God as the center of his life, he is always observing and comparing himself to his “spiritual rival”, hoping that his “rival” will pray less, diminish his spiritual program of intensity and thereby take a subordinate role in the pursuit of holiness.  How contrary to charity is spiritual envy and displeasing to Jesus whose Last and Greatest Commandment was, “Love one another as I have loved you!”

In conclusion, as a result of Original Sin we all have the seeds of death germinating within the Garden of our souls. These are called the Capital Sins.  If these sins are not recognized, resisted, and dominated through the grace of God as well as a concerted determined determination (St. Teresa of Avila) on our part, then we can easily succumb to them and fall victim to them and worse yet actually become slaves to them. That is why Jesus says that sin is truly slavery. He came as Savior to set the captives free!

Examine your life, your actions, and very important examine your intentions.  Due to innate pride—which is the root cause of all of our sins—it is  very easy to suffer spiritual blindness so as not to even see or be aware of  jealousy , envy, or spiritual envy lurking in the deepest recesses of our souls.
The first step for healing a physical ailment as well as the healing of a spiritual ailment is the
humble but sometimes painful recognition of the sickness.  A blind person cannot guide another blind
person; both will fall right into the pit. Through adequate spiritual direction
and confession, light can shine in our souls to see this interior wound and
then Jesus the Divine Physician can touch the wound and heal it!   In a later blog article we will outline the
strategy as well as remedy to conquer jealousy and envy in our lives!
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ARCHANGEL RAPHAEL– FRIEND ON JOURNEY HOME

God’s goodness has not limits!   Giving to us freely, supporting us, sustaining us in every moment, saving us from danger and peril— this describes our Loving and Providential Father. All of us, from our conception, have been gifted by God with a Guardian Angel, whose purpose is to guide us on the pathway to heaven, to warn us of moral evils, the near occasion of sin, and to inspire and console us in moments of desolation.  How unfortunate that we pay so very little attention to a dear friend of ours— Our Guardian angel.
Speaking about angels, the Bible gives us the names of three Archangels: Michael, which means “who is like unto God”; Gabriel, which means “power of God”; finally Raphael, “Medicine of God” or “God heals”.
God desires that we recognize, appreciate, and even more important that we enter into friendship and dialogue with these Archangels.
They are not simply plaster statues as exhibits in art-museums, rusting and collecting dust!   They are angels— and powerful angels called
“Archangels”.
Michael, who is the prince of the heavenly host, has been granted by God a special power over Satan.  He is invoked in the formal Rite of Exorcism, with St. Joseph, St. Benedict, and Mary and of course the Holy Name of Jesus.
Pope Leo XIII ordered that the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel be prayed at the conclusion of all Masses, because it seemed as if the bad odor of Satan had permeated the Church
The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, is promoting more, the formation of formal exorcists so as to stem the tide of Satanism and demonic possessions. Therefore, we should cultivate a deep relationship to the angels, but especially St. Michael the Archangel.  Why not form
the habit of praying to him every day.
Parishes should pray the Rosary, and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father and the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel…  “St. Michael the Archangel defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil….”
ARCHANGEL GABRIEL.    This Archangel can be found in the Book of Daniel, in the Old Testament. However, in a more prominent location, he is found twice in the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke.  First, he announces to the elderly priest Zacharias, the future birth of St. John the Baptist.  Then, Gabriel, ‘Power of God” was called by God to announce the greatest news in the history of the world. He was sent to the Virgin Mary at Nazareth with the Good News of the Incarnation of the Son of God.  “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you…”  Mary responded, “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word.”
Given the sublime importance of the message and the messenger, the Archangel Gabriel was proclaimed by Pope Paul VI as the modern “Patron of communications”.
May this Archangel Gabriel attain for us the grace, intelligence and fortitude to communicate clearly, cogently, and convincingly the Word of God in all times, in all places, in word and by example!
ST RAPHAEL.  Finally, the 3rd Archangel whose name we have in the Bible is that of St. Raphael, which means “God heals” or “Medicine of God”. This Archangel can be encountered in the book of Tobit, with its 14 chapters, couched in between Nehemiah and Judith.
Raphael can be considered the patron saint of many, due to his powerful presence in this short masterpiece. Raphael intervenes to resolve, through the power of God, serious problems.
Tobit Sr. has lost his eyesight; Tobit Jr. is in search of a future spouse. Sarah, has lost several prospect spouses, having been slain the wedding night by the devil Asmodeus.   Raphael in a very hidden and inconspicuous way, through the power of God, resolves all the problems.
Raphael, patron on the journey, accompanies Tobit Jr. to the home of his future spouse Sarah. On the way, walking along the seashore, a fish is caught and Raphael orders Tobit to cut out the fish’s heart and liver and to bring it to the home of Sarah.
This done, upon arriving , Tobit asks for the hand of Sarah in marriage, but before consummating the marriage, both pray for a happy and holy marriage and that their marriage be not based on lust but for the honest desire to form a family. The remains of the fish is burnt, thereby expelling the demon.  Their marriage is sealed by prayer, blessings, good will and the desire to form a family based on Godly principles.
Sarah, who even was contemplating suicide, is saved!  Tobit Jr. finds his soul-mate.
Meanwhile, back at home, Tobit Sr. is blind.  Burying the dead, and falling asleep with his eyes opened, birds left droppings in his eyes thereby blinding him. Raphael to the rescue again!
When Tobias Jr. arrives home, still holding on to the fish gall and liver, Raphael once again intervenes telling the son to apply the fish internals to the eyes of his ailing and blind father.
Obedient to the Archangel Raphael, applying the fish gall, from the eyes of the father fall something like scales and his eyesight is totally restored!  Another major victory, once again through the intercession of the Archangel Raphael, “Medicine of God”, “God heals!”  He certainly did accomplish the miracle and in a hidden but powerful way.
Therefore through the intercession of St Raphael terrible tragedies were resolved. A young man connected to the woman of his life.  A woman, having lost several prospect spouses killed by the devil himself, was saved from despair and met her own soul-mate.  Finally, a man of good will and charitable disposition, who lost his eyesight on the line of duty by burying the dead, recovered his eyesight!
Praise be to God through the intercession of the Archangel St. Raphael.
St Raphael can be considered the patron saint of many specific causes!
1.   Patron of travelers!  He safely led Tobit Jr. to his destination.
2.   Patron of spouses!  He connected both Sarah and Tobit Jr. helping
them to unite in the Sacrament of Matrimony.
3.   Patron purity.  By burning the gall and insides of the fish,
the bad odor of impurity was expelled from the domicile of Sarah.
4.   Patron of happy meetings.  The encounter between Sarah and her family
and Tobit was a most joyful experience.
5.   Patron of eyesight!  It was through Raphael’s insistence that the
fish remains were applied to the eyes of Tobit, Sr. causing something like
scales to fall from his eyes resulting in the perfect restoration of sight!
6.   Patron of Gratitude.  The Archangel invites to give God thanks and
glory!

In conclusion, we are never alone in life!  God has sent us many friends. Our Guardian angel accompanies us.Still more, three other powerful friends are always at our side ready to help us,  pray for us accompany us protect us, inspire us, and lead us safely to the Kingdom where forever with them we will praise the Blessed Trinity with Mary, the Queen of angels and Queen of Saints!

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THE SAINT MONICA SODALITY!


How many Mothers suffer excruciating
pains spiritually, emotionally, morally and even physically for the simple
reason that after having given their “all” to educate their children—especially
in the moral and spiritual realm—they sadly contemplate these their dear “loved
ones” distant from the church, doubting or even denying that God even exists or
worse yet becoming an enemy to the church that earlier they seemed to cherish
and love????
Not few and isolated cases, but
rather multitudes of Moms have experienced this heart-rending suffering and
separation that wrenches tears of anguish from their hearts!  A painful but all too evident reality across
the board!
What to do in this case?  Never, never, never, should you lose hope,
and much less despair!  What Jesus once
responded to a hopeless case is—what is needed is trust! For men, much little
can be done!  But not for God; all things
are possible for those who place a limitless trust in God’s loving and always
active Divine-Providence!                                         
Who lived this patient and loving
trust in God was the great SAINT MONICA, whose feast-day is August 27th
and the following day is that of her son, 
SAINT AUGUSTINE, August 28th—mother and son canonized and
celebrated back to back!  What a profound
message!  But one without the other would
have never arrived at the altar!
Saint Monica had serious family
problems.  Her marriage a real disaster,
putting it mildly. Her pagan husband, Patricius, probably broke all of the
commandments and not only once!  An
unbaptized pagan, he had a terrible temper, as explosive as a dynamite stick
with a short fuse.  Furthermore, he was a
drunk. To make matters worse, Patricius was unfaithful, committing adultery
against his wife Monica.  Not a pretty
family picture to post in Facebook, nor your family album! Despite these
enormous moral failures of her husband, Monica still loved her husband
Patricius.                              
This was not the unique problem that
Monica had to grapple with! Her adolescent son, Augustine, endowed with a
brilliant mind, but weak in the flesh, gave into his lower desires and became a
slave to lust.  Without formalizing any
marriage commitment, Augustine lived with a concubine who eventually bore him a
son, named “Adeodatus”—gift from God. 
But for many years this chain that dragged him around—that of
lust—caused him intense remorse of conscience.
Finally, Monica had a wagging-tongue, loose lipped, gossipy woman, known as her mother-in-law!
Talk about serious family
problems!  Monica really hit the jack-pot!   A wild animal for a husband, a young son addicted to sex, and a mother in law spewing out offensive and damaging words at the drop of a hat!
Most women, undoubtedly, would most likely give in to despair—leaving their spouse, maybe even cursing their son,
and gossiping vindictively against such a mother-in-law!  Not so for Monica, now known as SAINT MONICA!
In time, her husband, Patricius, was
not only converted before he died, but he was also received into the Church
through Baptism and the Sacraments! Much due to the person, prayer, and
holiness as well as patience of Monica!
AUGUSTINE?  What ever happened to him? Already in his
early-thirties, battling against the chain of lust that he really wanted to
break and rent asunder, finally heard the voice of an angel in the garden to
“Take and read”, which he did!  He opened up the Bible, to St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, (Rom. 13:13), exhorting him
to no longer give in to the flesh, but to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. “Let us
conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in
promiscuity and licentiousness, not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.” (Romans
13:13-14).  Shortly after this providential event, Augustine was baptized, received the sacraments and became
a fledgling Catholic. Worthy of mention, Augustine received the sacraments at
the hands of St. Ambrose, who Augustine admired as father and beacon of truth.
Finally, even the “gossipy” mother in law’s heart was converted so she could control her almost “uncontrollable tongue”!How did all of this happen?  What was Monica’s role in this triple “turn-about”, this triple conversion, this triple miracle of grace?   What did she
do?  As future members of the  “Saint Monica Sodality” let us follow in the footsteps of our foundress!  
1.   TRUST IN GOD AND NOT IN SELF!  Monica did not nag or constantly rebuke her
husband, Patricius! Useless!  Some of her
women friends would fight with their husbands who were drunk and violent and
would end up with black-eyes or something worse!  For her part, Monica would practice silence,
pray for her husband, and suffer and offer her sufferings to the Lord!
                             
2.   PRAYER!  Like the Parable of the insistent widow of the Gospel, Monica stormed heavenly constantly with her prayers, day and
night!  Many mothers first decide to change their wayward sons/daughters by mere force of verbal coercion or
nagging!  A futile effort!  Monica relied more on God than the best of
her human efforts! For Monica it was “God-reliance” and not “Self-reliance”!

3.   TEARS! Monica wept a river of tears
for the conversion of her family, but especially her wayward son Augustine. Indeed
she lived out the Beatitude: “Blessed are those who weep, they will be
comforted.” (Mt. 5:4)   Her tears were
not  of futility, much less despair, but
rather of deep sorrow due to her sons’ offending the Lord, but trust that the
Lord, in His time and through the power of grace, would convert him.
                                 
4.   HUMILITY AND SPIRITUAL DIRECTION.  Monica decided that she would
not keep her anguish to herself,  she decided to consult church authorities, among which was a famous and holy—better
yet saintly Bishop, Saint Ambrose.  This great man of God and Doctor of the Church, moved by the tears of Monica,
consoled her assuring her that a woman having shed such copious tears would be
heard by the Lord!  The Lord saw her tears and had compassion on her broken heart!
5.   PATIENCE!  In an incessantly “fast-pace” society, most
of us want patent and quick results. Like the woman that prayed fervently and
insistently to the Lord: “Lord, give me patience and RIGHT NOW!”  Many suffering mothers have embraced what
might be termed“Micro-wave” spirituality! That is to say, a spirituality that
wants it now, instantaneous, no-waiting, in the micro-wave for 45 second,
cooked and done!  That is not the way the
Lord works and Monica knew this. After a long 30 plus years her son Augustine
was converted. This was primarily, of course, the work of God’s grace. However,
Monica was the catalyst that brought down God’s grace. 

As a summary as we initiate our new group or Sodality or Association, “The Saint Monica’s sodality”, let us recall the weapons that she used for the conversion of her family—her husband, her son and her mother-in-law!  She placed an unreserved reservoir of trust in God and His Divine Providence, then, prayer, fervent, faith-filled, frequent—fiery darts launched up to heaven piercing God’s loving heart.  Tears, but not crocodile tears of sentiment and despair, but tears of sorrow for sin and the sins of her loved –ones and humility and direction. No one is an island unto himself; we are in it together, all being part of the Mystical Body of Christ.Last but not least should exercised an infinite patience. Monica did not impose her “clock” and time-frame on God, but patiently waited for God’s time, which is always the “best time!”   Well, Mom’s time to enlist!  Sign up for “The Saint Monica’s Sodality”!
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