Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)          

Thursday, October 7th   Lk. 11: 5-13  “And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

The Blessed Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit delight in granting the requests of the Blessed Virgin Mary—Mother of God, Mother of the Church, and Mother of each and every one of us!

The Rosary is a mighty weapon to wield in conquering the three formidable enemies of our salvation: the devil, the world, and our own weak flesh!

Our Lady identified herself as Our Lady of the Rosary when she appeared to the three children of Fatima and asked them to pray the rosary daily with small acts of penance for the salvation of souls falling into hell because there is no one to pray and offer sacrifices for them! Some of those souls could be our own family members!

FEAST OF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Every year upon the arrival of October 7th the Church celebrates the FEAST of OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY. The reason for this Marian-Rosary Liturgical Feast is due to one of the most important Naval Victories in the History of the Church, in the History of the world!

THE BATTLE OF LEPANTO.  The Battle of Lepanto took place at the end of the 16th century in the Gulf of Patras, Ionian Sea. The battle consisted of a naval fight at sea between Moslems and Catholics. The Islam battle formation was far superior and in all respects: preparation, number of ships, canons, guns, and manpower. In a very real sense, it was impossible for the few Catholics—indeed a rag-tag motley crew compared to the Moslems—to come out victorious!

THE MIRACULOUS VICTORY: OUR LADY OF THE MOST HOLY ROSARY.  One of the most stupendous witnesses to the power of Almighty God, but through the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Our Lady of the Rosary is the victory at Lepanto. To make a long story short, the battle broke out in the Gulf of Patras, near Lepanto. Having fewer ships, being less numerous in manpower, and less experienced in battle, at first the Catholic Christians were losing the battle. It appeared as if the victory would surely go to the Turkish fleet, that of the Moslems. But something happened that changed the tide and it came about in this manner. In that time period within the Church (the 16th Century) one of the reigning Pontiffs was Pope Pius V, now Saint Pope Pius V. Before being chosen to be Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church he belonged to the Order of Preachers, that is to say, the Dominicans. Their Founder, Saint Dominic wielded the most Holy Rosary and preached it fervently and faithfully against the heresy of Albigensiansim. As a result, this pernicious and erroneous Religious sect was conquered and many who were contaminated by its errors returned to the Catholic Church. Indeed, this was a Rosary miracle!

THE TACTIC OF SAINT POPE PIUS V.  Therefore, even as Pope, being a faithful son of Saint Dominic and lover of the Rosary, Pope Pius V had a strong inspiration! Why not call for a Rosary crusade in Europe—that is to say, encourage the Catholics far and wide to pull out their spiritual weapon, their spiritual sword—none other than the Rosary—and use this as the weapon of victory. So it happened, led by Pope Pius V a huge number of Catholics began praying the Rosary non-stop for the Catholic naval fleet. Something curious happened; the winds changed in favor of the Catholics; they were able to capture the head General of the Moslems! This launched the Moslem fleet into total disarray and confusion. At which point, the Catholics, despite their paucity of boats, men, and experience—crushed the Moslems. From on high, Pope Pius V received an interior inspiration that the Catholics had won the battle. But in all truth, the victory was not due to any naval expertise on the part of Catholics, rather it was due to the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY! The enemy forces were powerful, menacing, and ruthless, but the Blessed Virgin Mary, through the fervent, humble, and faithful recitation of the Holy Rosary proved much more powerful. The victory was God’s through the intercession of His Most Holy Mother.

OCTOBER 7th—OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY.  Therefore, to commemorate the Victory of the Catholic Christians over the Moslems, the Pope instituted a new Liturgical Memorial—OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY, which we celebrate every year in the Month of October, October 7th to be exact.

DAVID AND GOLIATH.  The best comparison might be to recall the battle that took place in the Old Testament between David and Goliath. David was a mere youth with only a slingshot and some stones in hand; he had no experience in battle, no weapon, and no armor to wear! On the other hand, Goliath had it all! His stature was frighteningly enormous, his weapon a huge crescent sword, he wore a helmet, and his shield-bearer went ahead of him. Goliath was possibly one of the most dangerous and ferocious warriors in the world. His intention was to slaughter the little shepherd David, whom he mocked and sneered at, then throw his corpse to the birds of the field! We all know the end of the story! The glorious victory went to David; the catastrophic defeat to Goliath!

THE ROSARY: THE MODERN VICTORIOUS SLINGSHOT.  More than ever before, we are surrounded by not one Goliath, but a multitude of ugly Goliaths, ugly monsters bent on seeking and pursuing us with the one purpose of ensnaring, enslaving, and destroying us.

IDENTIFYING THE MODERN GOLIATHS.  If we want to defeat the modern Goliaths, then we first must identify them. The following are a few: Materialism, Consumerism, Hedonism, Rationalism, Agnosticism, Dogmatic as well as Practical Atheism. All of the above-mentioned are erroneous philosophical systems spreading like wildfire throughout the country and other parts of the world. Our Lady of Fatima had prophesied that Russia would spread its errors—that of atheism, the denial of the existence of God—throughout the world.

THE REMEDY: THE MODERN SPIRITUAL SLINGSHOT.  If we want to win the battle in our country, our state, our city, our Church community, our family, and in our own personal lives against the many modern GOLIATHS that may be exterior or even interior, we must pull out the powerful weapon so pleasing to God, the recitation of the most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

OCTOBER: THE MONTH OF THE ROSARY.  May is for Mary; June is the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; July we honor and praise the Precious Blood of Jesus. The month of October is the month dedicated to promoting, praying, and loving this great gift to the world—the most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Indeed, we are in mortal spiritual combat. However, with Jesus as our King and Mary as our Heavenly Queen we are sure to win the battle. So starting now, wield your Rosary; pray it faithfully and you will be able to conquer the many Goliaths that lurk around you seeking the destruction of your soul!!!

Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Wednesday, October 6th   Lk. 11: 1-4  “Lord, teach us to pray.”

The Our Father is the prayer that Jesus, the Son of God made man, taught us to pray. It is a primer for holiness. For only that which is holy can enter heaven. We were created by God, to know, love and serve God, so as to be with God forever in heaven!

“Our Father, Who art in heaven, 
Hallowed be Thy Name. 
Thy Kingdom come. 
Thy Will be done, 
on earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. 
And forgive us our trespasses, 
as we forgive those who trespass against us. 
And lead us not into temptation, 
but deliver us from evil. Amen.”

As simple as this prayer is, because of our fallen nature, it is not easy to put into practice, as we have all experienced! Fr. Ed’s meditation is a welcome assist in pursuing holiness!   

BE HOLY AS YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS HOLY! by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

All of us are called to become saints. How do we know? Jesus commanded us: “Be holy as your heavenly Father is holy.” (Mt 5:48) In other words: Become a saint! Most saints have not been officially canonized, but are anonymous, unknown except by God alone.

Given that this is a serious command given by Jesus Himself, to be holy—to become a saint, let us briefly highlight ten of the most salient notes or characteristics of the saints. This will serve to motivate each and every one of us to become whom God has called us to be—a Saint!

1. ANTITHESIS OF SAINTLINESS: SIN. 

Let us start with the negative. Saints have an abhorrence; they truly detest the one major evil in the world—the reality of sin. Modern culture glamorizes and even promotes sin; the saints fight against it. The motto of Saint Dominic Savio for his first Holy Communion was the following immortal assertion: DEATH RATHER THAN SIN!

2. PRAYER!

It is absolutely impossible to come across and read the life of any saint who did not take their prayer life seriously and spend sizable blocks of time dedicated to prayer, which is union and friendship with God. (St. Teresa of Avila) Face it, we can all improve in our prayer lives; we can pray more and we can always pray better. May the Holy Spirit enlighten and inspire us to upgrade our prayer life in our pursuit of holiness.

3. HUMILITY.

Saints are truly humble. By humility we mean the following: saints attribute all the good that they have done to God, the origin, author and end of all good. When complimented on any good done, almost spontaneously the saint responds: Thanks be to God!

4. HUNGER FOR HOLINESS.

An authentic saint has a real hunger and thirst for exactly that—holiness, to become a saint. If you like, the saint lives out the first verse of Psalm 41: “As the deer yearns for running waters, so my soul yearns for you O Lord, my God.” A saint admits that they are not a saint, but they really long to be a saint one day. This longing, this yearning indeed is half the battle in attaining the crown of holiness, the triumph of winning the crown of saintliness. Many yearn for money, power, pleasure, success, and possessions. Not so the saint! Their one desire is to love God fully, totally and unreservedly, and so become the saint that God has called them to be!

5. CHARITY. 

The saint is motivated to assimilate and carry out in word and deed the greatest of all the Commandments—the Command to love both God and neighbor. If you want to see a graphic image of charity, lift up your eyes to Jesus crucified, Jesus hanging from the cross, and you have a clear image of charity. We are called to love God totally and to love our neighbor as ourselves. On one occasion, Jesus appeared to Saint Thomas Aquinas after he had achieved enormous accomplishments, and asked the saint what gift he desired most. Immediately Aquinas responded: Lord, grant me the grace to love you more and more each day.” Saint John of the Cross asserted: “In the twilight of our existence we will be judged on love.” Saint Frances de Sales adds to this with these words: “The measure that we should love God with is to love Him without measure.”

6. ZEAL FOR THE SALVATION OF SOULS.  

Two saints met, one a youngster, the other, a priest. The youngster looked up and saw on the wall a few words written in Latin and he asked the priest what those words were and what they meant. The priest responded by saying that those words were his motto and they were: “Give me souls and take all the rest away.” The boy responded with: “I am the cloth, you are the tailor; make me a saint!” The priest was Saint John Bosco; the youngster was Saint Dominic Savio. An authentic saint loves God and loves what God loves—the salvation of immortal souls, including their own! One soul is worth more than all creation in the natural world. The reason for the excruciating pain that Jesus willingly suffered in His Passion and the outpouring of His most Precious Blood was precisely this: to save immortal souls for all eternity. The stigmata for fifty years of Saint Padre Pio, the 13-18 hours daily in the Confessional in the life of the Cure of Ars—Saint John Vianney, the heroic sacrifices of the little children of Fatima, the victimhood of Saint Faustina, all had one motivational reason and force: love of God and hunger and thirst for the salvation of souls.

7. STRUGGLING SINNERS THAT RISE WHEN THEY FALL. 

Many have been deceived into an artificial, sugar-sweet, somewhat romantic vision of a saint as someone exempt from human weaknesses and moral failures. Nothing could be farther from the truth! Saints are born sinners. However, a common characteristic of the saint is that upon falling, sinner that they are, they resiliently bounce back; they return to the Lord through Confession with good will, true contrition, and a firm purpose of amendment. Venerable Bruno Lanteri taught NUNC CAEPI— meaning, if we fall, then we must rise immediately and trust all the more in the grace and mercy of the loving Heart of Jesus. It is no surprise that in the Diary of Saint Faustina, Jesus reminds us that the greatest sinner can become the greatest saint if they TRUST fully in His MERCY. Venerable Fulton Sheen reminds us that the first canonized saint was a murderer, an insurrectionist, and a thief who hung on a cross next to Jesus on Calvary. As Sheen points out: “And he died a thief because he stole heaven.” Read and meditate on the Parable of the Prodigal Son that can also be termed, the Parable of the Merciful Father.” (Luke 15:11-32)

8. FERVENT LOVE FOR THE SOURCE OF ALL HOLINESS: THE HOLY EUCHARIST. 

The ultimate source of grace, purity, strength and holiness is Jesus Himself. The most efficacious means by which we unite ourselves with Jesus in His Mystical Body is through the Sacraments. The greatest of all of the Sacraments is the Most Holy Eucharist, for the simple but profound reason that the Eucharist actually is Jesus—His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity! Jesus is the Holy of Holies! Jesus is God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity! Though it may sound banal or even trivial or even a cliché, there is a real truism behind this one liner: “You become what you eat!” Bad eating habits can produce health problems; good eating habits can contribute to health and longevity. In a parallel but real sense, when we nourish our souls with the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus, with faith, love, devotion and fervor, then we start to think like Jesus, feel like Jesus, act like Jesus, become like Jesus, until we can say with Saint Paul:  “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Gal 2:20)

9. OPEN AND DOCILE TO THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Father Jacques Philippe wrote a short masterpiece on this topic with the title “In the School of the Holy Spirit.” In this short but inspiring book, Father Jacques constantly reminds his readers that holiness essentially depends on one basic attitude, action, and plan of life: being docile to the Holy Spirit and His heavenly inspirations. As the Consoler, Counselor, Interior Master, Paraclete, Sweet Guest of the Soul—the Holy Spirit speaks gently but insistently to the pure, humble, and docile soul guiding them in the proper course of action that leads to holiness of life, that leads us to become the saints that we are all called and destined to become! Saint Paul reminds us: “We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with ineffable groans so that we can call out Abba, Father.” (Rom 8:26) It is precisely for this reason that Pope Saint John XXIII stated: “The saints are the masterpieces of the Holy Spirit.”

10. MARY AND THE SAINTS.  

Our Lady, Mary most holy, is the Queen of Angels, Queen of Virgins, Queen of Confessors, Queen of Martyrs, Queen and beauty of Carmel, Queen of the most Holy Rosary, and finally Mary is Queen of all of the Angels and Saints. After he died, Saint Dominic Savio appeared bathed in heavenly glory to Saint John Bosco and told the holy priest what gave him the greatest joy in his short life on earth (14 years and 11 months). It was precisely this: his great love and confidence in the Blessed Virgin Mary. Saint Dominic ended this encounter with Saint John Bosco by exhorting him to spread devotion to Mary to the greatest extent possible. Mary inspires the saints to pray fervently. Mary inspires the saints to return to God after they sin. Mary encourages the saints to love Jesus with their whole being. Mary’s presence helps the saints to avoid moral dangers. Mary’s maternal and loving presence helps the saints to move from desolation to consolation. For that reason, the saints cry out to Mary in these words: “Hail Holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope.”

Our final prayer and hope is that all of our readers will become saints and great saints. Our hope and prayer is that all of you will one day be a very precious, resplendent and glorious jewel in the crown of Mary so as to contemplate and praise the Blessed Trinity for all eternity.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us so that we can attain the grace to truly become the saint that God has destined for us to become for all eternity.
 

Optional Memorial of Saint Faustina Kowalska, virgin

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)                             

Tuesday, October 5th   Lk. 10: 38-42  “There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

• If Mary were living today, she would not just be sitting at Jesus’ feet. Every day she would be welcoming Him into the depths of her heart and soul in Holy Communion!
• The following Biblical Passages open our eyes to see that Jesus’ Eucharistic Presence was not an after-thought at the Last Supper! Ordained from all eternity – what was foreshadowed in the Old Testament became reality in the New Testament!

15 BIBLICAL MEDITATIONS FOR EUCHARISTIC ADORATION by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

One of the many channels that can be utilized to augment our faith, devotion, and love for the most Holy Eucharist is by reading and meditating upon key Biblical passages, both in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament. The Old Testament presents symbols or what Bible scholars term Types or Biblical Typology of references or allusions to the Eucharist that becomes a reality in the New Testament.

In other words, what is present in hidden, mysterious, and symbolic form in the Old Testament breaks out in transparent Truth in the New Testament.

This being said, we will start with Old Testament Biblical types of the Mass, Eucharist, and priesthood which will lead us up to the reality in the New Testament where the Eucharist—meaning Thanksgiving—was actually instituted by Jesus Himself at the Last Supper. Now let us dive deep into the infinite treasures, the infinite ocean of God present in His living and penetrating Word, which we call the Bible.

1. GENESIS 3

In this chapter we encounter Adam and Eve, our first parents, who were commanded not to eat from the tree of the forbidden fruit. They disobeyed by eating this fruit, first Eve, and then Adam. This we call Original Sin. Death entered the world through the sin of disobedience in eating the forbidden fruit.

2. JOHN 6: THE BREAD OF LIFE DISCOURSE

Death came from eating and disobedience. To the contrary, eternal life will come about by eating and obedience. The eating this time must be from the fruit of the tree of Calvary, which is the Body and Blood of Jesus. The Son of God Himself asserted: “I am the Bread of life; whoever eats my Body and drinks my Blood will have eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day.” In a clear and unequivocal fashion Jesus states that our salvation, our eternal life, depends upon eating Himself.

3. GENESIS 14:18–20 / HEBREWS 4:14–15 – MELCHIZEDEK

This mysterious figure of the past symbolizes Jesus the High Priest. Without the person of the priest, the Eucharist or Bread of Life cannot become a reality. The priesthood is essential for the whole reality of the Mass, Consecration, Eucharist, and Holy Communion.

4. EXODUS 6: MANNA IN THE DESERT

The Israelites were famished by the long journey through the desert. God, through the instrumentality and leadership of Moses, rained down bread from heaven called manna—meaning What is this?

Without eating, we are all destined to die on a human and natural plan. Likewise, if we do not nourish our souls with the Bread of Life we are destined to die and perish for all eternity. The Manna in the desert is a symbol or type of the Holy Eucharist.

Actually, Jesus in the Bread of Life discourse, makes reference to Moses and the manna in the desert: “Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die.” (Jn 6:49-50)

5. EXODUS 14: CROSSING THE RED SEA

The clear symbolism in this passage is that the Jews passed from slavery to freedom, led by Moses their leader. They were freed from the oppression and slavery of the Egyptians. Their passage was through the Red Sea.

In a parallel sense, sin is slavery in our lives. By shedding His red blood on the cross on Calvary that Good Friday, Jesus attained for us the true freedom of the sons and daughters of God. By receiving His Body and Blood, we are strengthened, purified, and made strong so as to cross from this life to eternal life in heaven.

6. KINGS 19: ELIJAH THE PRIEST

Fleeing for his life from the wicked Queen Jezebel and King Ahab, after one day’s journey, Elijah collapsed in a state of profound desolation. This was translated into falling into a deep slumber. God sent an angel to Elijah to awaken the man of God. The angel presented bread for Elijah to eat, once and then a second time. After eating from the bread, Elijah walked forty days and forty nights from the strength that came from the bread.

This bread communicated to Elijah a super energy to help him walk all the way to the holy mountain where he encountered God in the gentle breeze. Our journey towards the eternal mountain that we call Heaven is a long, perilous, tiring, and dangerous one. We need energy and strength to persevere on the journey. That all-powerful energy comes from Jesus, who is truly the Bread of Life and nourishment for the journey to our heavenly homeland.

7. PSALM 23: THE GOOD SHEPHERD                                                

Possibly to the surprise of many, there are indeed symbolic Eucharistic overtones definitely present in this Psalm. Yes! In what way? “You anoint my head with oil… my cup overflows… I believe I will dwell in the House of the Lord for years without end.”

These three separate phrases certainly have Eucharistic overtones and represent symbols or types. Anointing refers to the priesthood necessary to celebrate Mass; the cup refers to the Blood of Christ; House of the Lord refers to heaven—meaning, that if we nourish ourselves on the Bread of Life and the Cup of Salvation we will arrive at our eternal and permanent home: Heaven!

Now we will move from the Old Testament to the New Testament and delve into the many inspiring sources that we are all called to read and meditate upon so that we will grow in our faith, love, and devotion for Jesus who is truly present in the Bread of Life.

8. BACK TO JOHN 6

Once again we return to the all-important chapter of John 6. This long chapter offers three essential themes for our meditation:

1) Jesus multiplies the loaves. Here Jesus works a natural miracle for the multitude and for us, so as to dispose and prepare our minds, hearts, and souls for the miracle of the Eucharist.

2) Jesus walks on water. If we truly believe in the Lord, we can carry out miracles. “Lord, I believe, but strengthen my faith.” (Mk 9:24)

3) Finally, close to 2/3 of Chapter 6 of Saint John is the Bread of Life Discourse. This magnificent preaching of Jesus teaches without stammer or stutter, with the greatest clarity, that if we want to live forever we must nourish ourselves on the Bread of Life. Of course, this refers to the Eucharist and Holy Communion!

9. MATTHEW 26: THE INSTITUTION OF THE EUCHARIST  

In the context of the Last Supper, Jesus celebrates the First Mass on that Holy Thursday night. In the same context, Jesus institutes and ordains the first priests; these are the Apostles. In awe and thanksgiving let us lift our hearts in praise to the Lord for this most sublime gift.

Let us beg for greater faith and love for the Eucharist, as well as implore the Lord for good and Holy priests.

10. REVELATIONS 3: JESUS STANDS AND KNOCKS

This short but challenging passage presents Jesus as a pilgrim-traveler knocking at the door. The owner can either choose to leave the door shut and ignore the traveler’s knock or he can open the door to the weary traveler and invite him to supper.

The Eucharistic Lord is knocking at the door of your heart now. What will be your response?

11. I CORINTHIANS 11: EUCHARISTIC ABUSE

This passage in the Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians explodes! Unfortunately, in this early Christian community there were members who were abusing the Eucharist. The more affluent were eating and drinking, even getting drunk, and neglecting the poor. Then after this scandal, they would be eating the Body and drinking the Blood of the Lord, and Saint Paul says to their own condemnation.

This Biblical passage gives us the foundation for the importance of receiving the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Jesus, in the state of grace. Otherwise, we could be eating and drinking, not for our salvation, but for our own CONDEMNATION!

12. LUKE 24: THE ROAD TO EMMAUS

A beautiful and heart-warming Easter passage, in a nutshell this passage offers us a summary of Holy Mass in miniature. Two disciples, walking away from Jerusalem after Christ’s crucifixion and death, were in the depths of desolation, until a stranger joined them. That “stranger” was the risen Jesus, unrecognized by them.

The trek on the way to their little cottage, talking with Jesus and listening to Him, is the Liturgy of the Word. The Breaking of the Bread in the little cottage in Emmaus is the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

One key interpretation: when we live and walk without Jesus, we live and walk in utter darkness, desolation, and sadness. However, once Jesus, the Son of God and the Light of the World, breaks through the clouds and shines on our path, the clouds of sadness dissipate and we experience an over-flowing and abundant joy! “Were not our hearts burning within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the word of God to us?”

13. THE OUR FATHER  

In the Lord’s Prayer, which we commonly call The Our Father, there are seven petitions. One of these refers to the Eucharist and Holy Communion. “Give us this day our daily bread…” One way in which this can be interpreted is the challenge, inasmuch as it is possible according to our daily obligations, to attend Mass and to receive Holy Communion even on a daily basis.

In other words, this daily bread could be interpreted as daily Mass and Holy Communion. Those who have formed the habit of daily Mass and Holy Communion find that they cannot live without this nourishment. Try it out: daily Mass and daily Holy Communion!

14. LUKE 1:36… RECEIVING JESUS AS MARY RECEIVED HIM

Our Lady gave her consent to God through the Archangel Gabriel with the words of her Fiat or Yes: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word”, and then, “The word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (Jn 1:14)

Pope Saint John Paul II makes a parallel between Mary’s YES to God and our AMEN when we receive Jesus in Holy Communion. In this sense, Mary’s YES resulted in receiving Jesus into her heart, mind, body, and soul; so also our AMEN when we receive Jesus in Mass results in Jesus entering into the very center of our being. For that reason, it is important to beg Mary for the grace to receive Jesus with faith, devotion, and love in Holy Communion.

15. LUKE 1: THE MAGNIFICAT

We conclude on a Marian note taken from the great Marian lover, Saint Louis de Montfort, who gave us True Devotion to Mary. Related to the Mass, Holy Communion, and the Eucharist, Saint Louis says that one of the best ways that we can render a proper thanksgiving to Jesus after receiving Him in Holy Communion is by praying Mary’s Magnificat. “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…”

Through the intercession of the most pure and Immaculate Heart of Mary may all of you grow in your faith, belief, devotion, and love for Jesus in frequent Masses and Holy Communions. Indeed, Jesus is the Bread of Life, and whoever eats His Body and drinks His Blood will have eternal life in joy, peace, and happiness forever in Heaven.

Jesus last words to us in Scripture: “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:20)

“O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine!”

Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)    

Monday, October 4th   Lk. 10: 25-37  “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.” Then he said to Jesus, “Who is my neighbor”?

Who is my neighbor?  Excerpts from a talk by Sister Mary Clare, O.C.D.

There is no authentic Catholic spirituality that is not social. So if you ever come across a spirituality that says you can reach union with God, which is our ultimate goal, in isolation, you cannot do that, and that is not authentically Catholic. 

We are meant to live as the Body of Christ in communion with one another. It’s really important to think about our spirituality and how it integrates into what we do every day. We are human beings made in the image and likeness of God and we have to know how to integrate who we are, our being, into what we do every day.

The three reflections that I want to look at today are: Encounter with Christ, Encounter with our neighbor, and Discernment in practice.

Encounter with Christ…

In today’s society, we really have a crisis of meaning. What is life all about? And this leads to a sense of alienation. There’s a sense of loss, a sense of mourning in our society because of this. 

We have a disposable culture, right? We think about life in prospect and for us it’s cheap and disposable. Just get rid of it; it’s an inconvenience (legalized abortion). We think about life in fact and it’s expensive and disposable. We can’t afford you, so we’ll get rid of you (legalized euthanasia). That’s the kind of society mentality that we’re thinking in.

And in order to solve it, we’re grasping after truths. We’re trying to find out, “What is the truth?” When what we really need to be seeking is the Truth, with a capital “T”, right? That’s going to be the answer to our problems.

We can only do that, we can only change, if we begin with ourselves. Be souls of prayer or else you will have nothing to give. We need to encounter Christ in our daily life. That means taking time out. That means spending time with Our Lord. I’ve got to encounter the Person of Christ.

In order to treat others with dignity, I must first know mine. I must know what it means to be a child of God, right? I must know what it means to be made in His image and likeness. I must experience that I have been called into being by name for a purpose. And once I have experienced that, then I can experience that you have been called into being by name for a purpose and reverence it.

If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me to drink,” you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water. (cf Jn 4:10) Christ will give to us, but we must go to Him. He wants to give to us in abundance. I am not perfect; I am broken; I need to be redeemed. But I am not disposable. I am not dispensable. I have a mission that no one else can fill. I have to believe that about myself, right? And I have to know His grace is abundant.

Encounter with our neighbor…

Next is our encounter with our neighbor. As I said before, all Catholic spirituality is social. We are meant to live in community. We are created to live in community. And that is true because we are made in the image of the Trinity who is an eternal community, right? An eternal communion of three Persons. So we can never let go of that.

The primary way we experience community is obviously through marriage and the family; but then that extends out to the broader community of the Body of Christ, the Church; and then even beyond that into the broader community of the human family, of everyone created as a child of God.

Going back to our encounter with Christ and how this fits into neighbor. When I look at Christ, I look into the face of Christ. Contemplating the face of Christ, He mirrors back to me who I am. He mirrors back to me my value and my dignity. 

(Editor’s note: How can we look at the Face of Christ Crucified and not know that we are deeply loved? How can we not know that each human person is deeply loved by Him, for He died for all, that all might have life, and life in abundance in and through Him!)

We must do the same for each other. When you look into my eyes, I mirror back to you who you are, the value of who you are as a person.

When you look at me, the questions that come unconsciously to your mind are, “Do you see me?  Do you care?” And the immediate next questions that come to mind are, “Does anybody care?” And, “Does God?”

So can you see how important our interaction with our neighbor is? Because if they are not experiencing through us that human love, how can they experience the love of God? We must do that for one another.

God puts into our path every day the persons He desires for us to encounter. We don’t have to go looking. What we need to do is pray for the grace of eyes to see as Christ sees. To see my neighbor, to see the person in front of me, as Christ sees them. To be able to see their need and then meet it, right? So realizing what my limitations are, what am I called to do? The question is, what is best for the person in front of me at this moment? I may not always be able to help them, but I can know somebody to refer them to. Always in that mutual self-gift. This is what we can do on a daily basis, and what we are called to do, one person at a time.

When we take this into the broader social picture, realize that this is really a form of evangelization, and we cannot evangelize a culture that we don’t love. There are going to be opinions that we disagree with. There are going to be views that are objectively wrong that we cannot condone. We must work to correct those, but we have to do it in a spirit of love. We have to love others back into Truth.

Discernment in practice…

Now, discernment in practice. St. Ignatius tells us, first look at your state of life. Am I married? My first obligation is to my spouse and to my family, right? We have to have that life/work balance. My second vocation is what I do and how I bring Christ into the world.

We have to make our choices based on that. The demand of love in front of me! Who’s the person that God has put in my path at the moment and how must I love them? In one of his homilies, Bishop Vasha, talking about Lazarus at the door, said each of us must ask ourselves daily, “Who’s at my doorstep?”

Finally, what’s the need of my local Church? Am I helping to fulfill that need or am I off doing my own thing. That’s something to look at.  

“May God Our Lord be pleased and continue to bless our poor work, so insignificant in comparison to what He deserves, but all that He’s asking of us. That’s all He wants of us. And in doing that we will come to union with Him and we will bring others to Him one person at a time. Be what you are supposed to be – a saint! For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

End of Reflection by Sister Mary Clare, O.C.D.

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)                             

Sunday, October 3rd   Mk. 10: 2-16  “At the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,and the two will become one flesh.’So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

• This is spiritual warfare! Marriage and Family are under attack by the devil as never before! Today Fr. Ed fortifies our fight for our marriages and families by highlighting five tactics of the devil. With prayer, knowledge, and vigilance may your marriage stand as a witness to God’s love and fidelity to the world!

FIVE WAYS THE DEVIL ATTACKS MARRIAGE by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Many of us will go on some type of vacation, but there is somebody who never goes on vacation and, for that matter, will never go on vacation. Can you guess who that might be? The devil! That is right, the devil! He works 25 hours a day, eight days a week, and 366 days every year. Indeed, he is one of the hardest workers in town! Father of lies and murderer from the beginning, Prince of this world, ancient serpent, Lucifer, Satan, demon, devil—all are names for the devil found in the Sacred Texts of Scripture.

The saints have coined other names highlighting different aspects of his evil intent; here are a few. Saint Thomas Aquinas calls the devil The Tempter; Saint Augustine calls him an angry dog on a leash—better keep your distance! Saint Ignatius, who gave us the Spiritual Exercises and the Rules for Discernment of Spirits (in part explaining the work of the devil in our lives), calls the devil the Enemy of human nature. Then on the Liturgical Feast Day of Saint Martin of Tours, this saint calls the devil “You bloody brute!” Finally, Saint Peter, in one of his letters calls the devil a Roaring Lion seeking to devour whom he can. We are called to resist him!

One of the primary attacks of the devil in modern society is launching his missiles against the oldest institution established by God, the family. As God willed and designed it from the start, marriage is the union between man and woman, husband and wife, united in a Sacrament that we call Holy Matrimony, open to having children and raising them in the love and fear of the Lord.

The devil knows clearly that if he can destroy the institution of the family, he can help to unravel and destroy the whole fabric of society. Historians tell us that once the family comes unraveled the society quickly decomposes! This being the case, what are some typical temptations that the devil launches against couples so as to weaken and eventually destroy the family? In this short essay we will present five of the most insidious but common temptations that the Father of lies and a murderer from the beginning—the devil (Jn 8:44)launches against the family.

1. Living Together/Free Union/Cohabitation/Trial Marriage

We have listed various titles for the many couples agreements that work against the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. Two generations ago, a Catholic couple who chose one of those living arrangements stated above would be viewed as radicals and the source of blatant scandal far and wide.

Today, if a couple starts to live together in a so called Trial Marriage, it is almost universally seen as normal. Many young people state: “We’ve got to try it out first, see whether or not we’ve got chemistry. We have to see if we jive, if we’re compatible!” In the meantime they are willing to live outside of the state of grace, and thereby place in jeopardy their eternal salvation, not to mention the bad example given to children born to them. Couples living in this state are becoming a real epidemic; worse yet, the society is desensitized into believing that this is normal and OK!  Behind the scenes in this scenario is none other than the devil, the liar and murderer from the beginning!

2. Same-Sex Unions

Even though same-sex unions have been legalized, that does not mean that it is right. As in the case of abortion, which was legalized in the United States in 1973, same-sex unions being legalized does not mean that it is moral. What is legal is not always moral. Sacred Scripture teaches us going back to the Book of Genesis that God created man and woman, Adam and Eve, and said that a man should leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife. What God has united—between man and woman—let no man rent asunder. (See Gen 2:20-24)

3. Pornography Consumption

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus raised love, faithfulness, and purity to a much higher level. Jesus said: “You have heard that it was said, you shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Mt. 5:27-28)

One of the modern interpretations of this passage, as related to the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, is that even though a married man may not commit the act of physical adultery with another woman, still he can commit adultery in other ways—through his eyes, in his mind, and in the depths of his heart. Of course, one of the most common forms of modern adultery is that of married men (and sometimes women) who are viewing pornography. Beyond the shadow of a doubt, this is becoming more and more common, wreaking havoc in families and destroying families.

Once again, behind much of the porn industry is not simply one devil, but a huge multitude of demons! One of the most common phrases that tries to downplay the gravity of viewing pornography—especially in men—is the following: “Well, boys will be boys; men will be men.” At the same time families are being destroyed and children severely wounded and scarred by this all their lives!

4. Lack of Openness to Life

Years ago, couples would marry and long for children to come as soon as possible. This was the case even if, economically, the couple did not have an abundance, to say the least. Nowadays it is the opposite. Many couples get married and their mentality is to see how to avoid having children.

For many the philosophy is as such: let us get our home, our new car, our big-screen television, our vacation resort, and after all of these material commodities are purchased, then it is time to have a child or two—at most! In a society saturated by materialism, hedonism, egocentrism, and utilitarianism, having the material things and a false sense of security prevails over bringing into the world a new little person with a soul and an immortal existence. This contraceptive, anti-life atmosphere is promoted and cultivated by the devil. Our God is a God of life. The devil is a liar and a murderer from the beginning.

5. Poor Communication 

It must be said on a social level that many couples, from the very begining of their marriage, never really learned to dialogue; they never learned the all-important art of communication. Communication is an art that none of us is born with; it must be learned. Therefore, before arriving at the day of pronouncing faithfulness in good times and in bad, in health and in sickness, in riches and in poverty, until death do we part, couples should be aware of the dire need to communicate, to grow in the art of communication, and to do all in their power to never give up striving to improve in their communication skills.

Even in this process, the devil can insidiously worm his way into the lives of couples to block communication in the following ways:

1) The devil can convince a couple simply not to speak so as to avoid conflict.

2) The devil can tempt a couple to utter hurtful words that are like bee-stings!

3) The devil can work in such a way that one does all the talking and the other says nothing.

4) The devil can convince a couple to avoid talking to God. In truth, God helps couples to communicate well.

5) Finally, the devil can move a couple to talk more to another person (past boyfriend/girl-friend or even a new “friend” of the opposite sex) than to their own spouse, to the great detriment of their marriage.

In conclusion, it is incumbent upon all Christians to be keenly aware of the work of the devil who is bent on destroying humanity. One of his first attacks is on the Institution of Marriage and the Family, the cradle of the child, the Domestic Church, and the future of humanity. Let us turn to the Holy Family—Saint Joseph, Mary and Jesus and beg for their intercession in helping us become aware of the cunning attacks of the devil, reject his temptations, and foster all that is pure, noble, and worthy of praise!