Mary Mother of GODThe Expectation of Our Lady Dedication of Our Lady of Marseilles by St. Lazarus 15 Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who recite the Rosary Nine First Fridays Devotion to the Sacred Heart From the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque 
Saints of this Day December
18 Quintodécimo Kaléndas Januárii.Et álibi aliórum plurimórum sanctórum Mártyrum et Confessórum, atque sanctárum Vírginum. And elsewhere in divers places, many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins. Пресвятая Богородице спаси нас! (Santíssima Mãe de Deus, salva-nos!) Pope Benedict XVI to The Catholic Church In China {whole article here } The saints “a cloud of witnesses over our head”, showing us life of Christian perfection is possible.
December 18 - Feast of Mary's
Expectation (Council of Toledo, 656) Our Lady’s Expectation
A new feast was named under the title of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s
Expectation. The origin of this festival goes back to the bishops of the 10th Council of Toledo, in 656. These prelates believed that the traditional custom of celebrating the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin on March 25th was disadvantageous, seeing that this joyous solemnity usually fell on a date when the Church is concerned with the sorrows of the Passion of Christ. They issued that from that moment onwards, the Church of Spain would celebrate a solemn feast, with octave, in memory of the Annunciation, and to prepare for the great solemnity of the Nativity. At a later date the Church of Spain felt the need to return to the practice of the Roman Catholic Church, which solemnizes on March 25th, as a forever sacred day, the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Incarnation of the Son of God. However, popular devotion was so strong for the feast on December 18th that a vestige was retained so that the faithful could celebrate the Mother of God in the days prior to the nativity of her Son. December 18 - The Expectation of Our Lady (654) assigned at the Tenth Council of Toledo in 656 Mary in the Midst of Israel's Waiting (IX)
"We have been healed by his bruises" (Is 53:5)
The mystery of the Messiah thickens in some prophecies that evoke his self-abasement and his suffering, in contrast to the promises of glory and kingship. How would the Blessed Virgin have understood what was written about the Lord's "servant" (Is 42:1), who must first "restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel" (Is 49:6)? "He was despised, and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we didn't respect him (Is 53:3). "Surely he has borne our infirmities, and carried our diseases; yet we esteemed him stricken, struck by God, and afflicted" (Is 53:4). "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement that brings us peace was on him; and we have been healed by his bruises" (Is 53:5). "The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Is 53:6). "By the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many; and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors: yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors" (Is 53:11-12). "A pack of dogs surrounds me, a gang of villains closing in on me as if to hack off my hands and my feet. I can count every one of my bones, while they look on and gloat; they divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing (Ps 22:16-18). And: "They will look to me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and will grieve bitterly for him, as one grieves for his firstborn" (Zech 12:10-12). Mary must have trembled before these awful prospects. "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there be any sorrow like my sorrow" (Lam 1:12). Excerpt from Dom Guéranger (1805 -
1875), Liturgical Year - Dec. 18th (Année Liturgique)
"O valiant warriors of Christ! Do not cast
away your everlasting crowns of victory because of the tears of your relatives.
Do not remove your feet from the necks of
your enemies who lie prostrate before you, lest they regain their strength
and attack you more fiercely than before. Raise your banner high over every
earthly attachment.
For he who rejects eternity wastes the brief time of his existence,
and will be delivered to everlasting torment in Hades."If those whom you see weeping knew that there is another life where there is neither sickness nor death, where there is unceasing gladness and everything is beautiful, then assuredly they would wish to enter it with you. Anyone who fears to exchange this brief earthly life for the unending joys of the heavenly Kingdom is foolish indeed. 3rd v. The Holy Martyr Sebastian miracle worker steadfast faith given to wavering Christians |
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<<287 Saint Zoe
Appearing in a vision to St Sebastian she told him about her death
received gift of speechfrom him 
107 St. Rufus and Zosimus Martyrs of Antioch 250 St. Moses Martyr of Africa 255 St. Quintus African group of martyrs St. Theotimus & Basilian martyrs put to death at Laodicea 287 Sebastian The Holy Martyr miracle worker steadfast faith given to wavering Christians 287 Victurus Victor, Victorinus, Adjutor, Quartus, 30 others Loreto_house.jpg
Also in Africa, the holy martyrs318 Martyr Eubotius at Cyzicus 321 St. Auxentius Bishop soldier under Licinius, preferred to surrender his military insignia than offer grapes to Bacchus 337 St. Gatian 1st Bishop of Tours Celebrated many miracles, 6th v. St. Samthan Irish abbess foundress convent of Clonbroney 588 St. Bodagisil Founder abbey on the banks of the Meuse St. Flannan bishop Son of Irish chieftain Turlough 634 Saint Modestus Archbishop of Jerusalem restored devastated Christian shrines the Sepulchre of the Lord by Persian ruler Chosroes 7th c. St. Florus, bishop of Amisus 761 St. Winebald Benedictine abbot missionary 790 St. Desideratus Benedictine son of St. Waningus 845 Saint Michael
the Confessor was born at Jerusalem into a family of zealous Christians
and at an early age devoted himself to monastic life; suffered for the veneration
of holy icons under emperor Theophilus; After the death of Theophilus,
the empress Theodora (842-855) restored veneration of holy icons, ordered
return of Christians banished by the Iconoclasts; She offered St Michael
occupy the patriarchal throne in place of deposed iconoclast, Grammatikos.
the holy martyr declined this; Thus upon the patriarchal throne entered St
Methodius.
1496
Saint Daniel
the Hesychast, great wonderworker monastics instructor1500 Saint Sebastian of Sokhota, Poshekhonye Monastery (Vologda) founded Transfiguration of the Lord monastery 1642 Saint Simeon of Verkhoturye led beggars life worked many miracles after death 1671 Blessed Anthony Grassi devotion to Our Lady of Loreto; outstanding confessor gift of reading consciences & future 1838 St. Paul My Vietnamese martyr convert to Catholicism 1838 St. Peter Truat Vietnamese martyr fellow catechist with Peter Duong Sebastian Martyr at Rome and his companions: Martyrs Nicostratus, Zoe, Castorius, Tranquillinus, Marcellinus, Mark, Claudius, <<1937 Thaddeus (Uspensky), archbishop of Tver executed in 1937 New Hieromartyr 1937 Nicholas archbishop of Velikoustiuzh, James, John and Vladimir priests. New Hieromartyrs 1942 Sergius deacon and Virgin-martyr Vera. New Hieromartyr |
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Advent's Great O Antiphons (II): O Adonai December 18 - EXPECTATION OF OUR LADY (654)O supreme Lord! Adonai! Come redeem us, not through your power this time but through your humility. In the past you
appeared to Moses your servant in the midst of a divine flame; you gave the
Law to your people in the midst of lighting and thunder: now you are not
attempting to impart fear, but to save. This is why your most pure Mother
Mary, informed with her husband Joseph of the emperor's edict, which will
force them to undertake the journey to Bethlehem,
even as it will seem to be the most
weak and immobile in the eyes of men.is busy preparing for your happy birth. O divine Sun, she is getting the humble swaddling clothes ready for you to cover your nakedness, and to protect you from the cold of this world that you have made, at the time when you will come, in the middle of the night and the silence. This is how you will deliver us of the servitude of our pride, and how your mighty arm will be felt, Everything is ready, O Jesus ! Your swaddling clothes are waiting for you: Leave soon and come to Bethlehem to redeem us from the hands of our enemy. Dom Gueranger
The Liturgical Year - Advent -December XVIII
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| On Death and Life "Man Needs Eternity -- and Every Other Hope, for Him, Is All Too Brief" 
Saints of this Day December
18 Quintodécimo Kaléndas Januárii.
THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT The saints “a cloud of witnesses over our head”, showing us life of Christian perfection is possible. BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR December 2011 Peace among All Peoples. General Intention: That all peoples may grow in harmony and peace through mutual understanding and respect. Missionary Intention: That children and young people may be messengers of the Gospel and that they may be respected and preserved from all violence and exploitation. 
The Rosary
html Mary
Mother of GOD -- Her Rosary
Here Mary Mother of GOD 15 Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who recite the Rosary Mary's Divine Motherhood How do I start the Five First Saturdays? Called in the Gospel “the Mother of Jesus,” Mary
is acclaimed by Elizabeth, at
the prompting of the Spirit and
even before the birth of her son, as “the
Mother of my Lord” (Lk 1:43; Jn 2:1; 19:25;
cf. Mt 13:55; et al.). In fact, the One whom
she conceived as man by the Holy Spirit,
who truly became her Son according to the flesh, was
none other than the Father's eternal
Son, the second person of the
Holy Trinity. Hence the Church confesses
that Mary is truly “Mother of God” (Theotokos).
breviary.net/martyrology/mart12
18 stlukeorthodox.com/html/saints/
usccb.org ewtn.com St Patricks 12 18Catechism of the Catholic Church 495, quoting
the Council of Ephesus (431):
DS 251.
“The Blessed
Virgin was eternally
predestined, in conjunction with the incarnation
of the divine Word, to
be the Mother of God. By decree of divine Providence,
she served on earth as the loving mother of the
divine Redeemer, an associate of
unique nobility, and the Lord's humble handmaid.
She conceived, brought forth, and nourished
Christ.”domcentral.org/life/martyr Nov syriac oca.org glaubenszeugen.de/tage/kai/18 Serbian http://www.copticchurch.net Melkite Monthly Saints with pics here http://www.stfrancisenid.com/memorials.htm antiochian.org/AW-WomenSaints--wonderful icons Lutheran Saints One Saint per day stthomasirondequoit.com/SaintsAlive/index.htm stjohndc.org God's Humourous Saints
THE EUCHARIST,
A MYSTERY TO BE BELIEVED POST-SYNODAL APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION
Morning
Prayer and Hymn Meditation
of the Day
Prayer
for Priests
Our Bartholomew Family Prayer List
HereSACRAMENTUM CARITATIS OF THE HOLY FATHER BENEDICT XVI How to Stay Out of PURGATORY -- How to Get others Out POPES html Parents of Saints html The_Litany_of_the_Blessed_Virgin.html Patron_Saints.html Angels and Archangels html Marian Apparitions. html
We are called upon with the whole Church
militant on earth to join in praising and thanking
God for the grace and glory he has bestowed on his
saints. At the same time we earnestly implore Him to exert
His almighty power and mercy in raising us from our miseries
and sins, healing the disorders of our souls and leading
us by the path of repentance to the company of His saints, to
which He has called us.
THE saints and just,
from the beginning of time and throughout
the world, who have been made perfect, everlasting
monuments of God’s infinite power and clemency,
praise His goodness without ceasing; casting their
crowns before His throne they give to Him all the glory
of their triumphs: “His gifts alone in us He crowns.”
They were once what we are now, travellers on earth they had the same weaknesses, which we have. We have difficulties to encounter so had the saints, and many of them far greater than we can meet with; obstacles from kings and whole nations, sometimes from the prisons, racks and swords of persecutors. Yet they surmounted these difficulties, which they made the very means of their virtue and victories. It was by the strength they received from above, not by their own, that they triumphed. But the blood of Christ was shed for us as it was for them and the grace of our Redeemer is not wanting to us; if we fail, the failure is in ourselves. |
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“The saints must be honored as friends of Christ
and children and heirs of God, as John the theologian and evangelist says:
‘But as many as received him, he gave them the power to be made the sons
of God....’ Let us carefully observe the manner of life of all the apostles,
martyrs, ascetics and just men who announced the coming of the Lord. And
let us emulate their faith, charity, hope, zeal, life, patience under suffering,
and perseverance unto death, so that we may also share their crowns of glory”
Exposition of the Orthodox Faith
Called in the Gospel "the Mother of Jesus," Mary
is acclaimed by Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Spirit and even before
the birth of her son, as "the Mother of my Lord" (Lk 1:43; Jn 2:1; 19:25;
cf. Mt 13:55; et al.). In fact, the One whom she conceived as man by the
Holy Spirit, who truly became her Son according to the flesh, was none other
than the Father's eternal Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity.
Hence the
Church confesses that Mary is truly "Mother of God" (Theotokos).
Catechism of the Catholic Church 495, quoting the Council of Ephesus (431): DS 251. |
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| Nine First Fridays Devotion
to the Sacred Heart ... From the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque On Friday during Holy Communion, He said these words to me, His unworthy slave, if I mistake not: "I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that its all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on nine first Fridays of consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they will not die under my displeasure or without receiving their sacraments, my divine Heart making itself their assured refuge at the last moment." Margaret Mary was inspired by Christ to establish the Holy Hour and to pray lying prostrate with her face to the ground from eleven till midnight on the eve of the first Friday of each month, to share in the mortal sadness. He endured when abandoned by His Apostles in His Agony, and to receive holy Communion on the first Friday of every month. In the first great revelation, He made known to her His ardent desire to be loved by men and His design of manifesting His Heart with all Its treasures of love and mercy, of sanctification and salvation. He appointed the Friday after the octave of the feast of Corpus Christi as the feast of the Sacred Heart; He called her "the Beloved Disciple of the Sacred Heart", and the heiress of all Its treasures. The love of the Sacred Heart was the fire which consumed her, and devotion to the Sacred Heart is the refrain of all her writings. In her last illness she refused all alleviation, repeating frequently: "What have I in heaven and what do I desire on earth, but Thee alone, O my God", and died pronouncing the Holy Name of Jesus. With regard to this promise it may be remarked: (1) that our Lord required Communion to be received on a particular day chosen by Him; (2) that the nine Fridays must be consecutive; (3) that they must be made in honor of His Sacred Heart, which means that those who make the nine Fridays must practice the devotion and must have a great love for our Lord; (4) that our Lord does not say that those who make the nine Fridays will be dispensed from any of their obligations or from exercising the vigilance necessary to lead a good life and overcome temptation; rather He implicitly promises abundant graces to those who make the nine Fridays to help them to carry out these obligations and persevere to the end; (5) that perseverance in receiving Holy Communion for nine consecutive First Firdays helps the faithful to acquire the habit of frequent Communion, which our Lord eagerly desires; and (6) that the practice of the nine Fridays is very pleasing to our Lord He promises such great reward, and all Catholics should endeavor to make nine Fridays. |
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| How do I start the Five
First Saturdays? by Fr. Tom O'Mahony On July 13,1917, Our Lady appeared
for the third time to the three children of Fatima an showed them the vision
of hell and made the now - famous thirteen prophecies. In this vision Our
Lady said that 'GOD WISHES TO ESTABLISH IN THE WORLD DEVOTION to Her Immaculate
Heart and that She would come TO ASK FOR THE COMMUNION OF REPARATION ON THE
FIRST SATURDAYS...
Eight years later, on December 10, 1925, Our Lady did indeed come back. She appeared (with the Child Jesus) to Lucia in the convent of the Dorothean Sisters in Pontevedra. The Child Jesus spoke first: 'HAVE COMPASSION ON THE HEART OF YOUR MOST HOLY MOTHER WHICH IS COVERED WITH THORNS WITH WHICH UNGRATEFUL MEN PIERCE IT AT EVERY MOMENT, WHILE THERE IS NO ONE TO REMOVE THEM WITH AN ACT OF REPARATION.' THE GREAT PROMISE Our Lady then said: MY DAUGHTER LOOK AT MY HEART SURROUNDED WITH THORNS WITH WHICH UNGRATEFUL MEN PIERCE IT AT EVERY MOMENT BY THEIR BLASPHEMIES AND INGRATITUDE. YOU, AT LEAST, TRY TO CONSOLE ME, AND SAY THAT I PROMISE TO ASSIST AT THE HOUR OF DEATH WITH ALL THE GRACES NECESSARY FOR SALVATION, ALL THOSE WHO, ON THE FIRST SATURDAY OF FIVE CONSECUTIVE MONTHS GO TO CONFESSION AND RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION, RECITE FIVE DECADES OF THE ROSARY AND KEEP ME COMPANY FOR A QUARTER OF AN HOUR WHILE MEDITATING ON MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY, WITH THE INTENTION OF MAKING REPARATION TO ME.' The Five Reasons Lucia once asked this question
of Our Lord and received as an answer: 'MY DAUGHTER, THE MOTIVE IS SIMPLE,
THERE ARE FIVE KINDS OF OFFENCES AND BLASPHEMIES UTTERED AGAINST THE IMMACULATE
HEART OF MARY: (1) BLASPHEMIES AGAINST THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION: (2) BLASPHEMIES
AGAINST HER VIRGINITY: (3) BLASPHEMIES AGAINST HER DIVINE MATERNITY: (4) BLASPHEMIES
OF THOSE WHO OPENLY SEEK TO FOSTER IN THE HEARTS OF CHILDREN INDIFFERENCE
OR EVEN HATRED FOR THIS IMMACULATE MOTHER: (5) THE OFFENCES OF THOSE WHO
DIRECTLY OUTRAGE HER IN HOLY IMAGES.'
From the above, it is easy to see that each of the Five Saturdays can correspond to a specific offence. By offering the graces received during each First Saturday as reparation for the offence being prayed for, the participant can hope to help remove the thorns from Our Lady's Heart. What Do I Have To Do? The devotion of First Saturdays, as requested by Our Lady of Fatima, carries with it the assurance of salvation. However, to derive profit from such a great promise of Our Lady, the devotion must be properly understood and duly performed. The requirements as stipulated by Our Lady are as follows: (1) CONFESSION, (2) COMMUNION, (3) FIVE DECADES OF THE ROSARY, (4) MEDITATION ON ONE OR MORE OF THE ROSARY MYSTERIES FOR FIFTEEN MINUTES, (5) TO DO ALL THESE THINGS IN THE SPIRIT OF REPARATION TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, and (6) TO OBSERVE ALL THESE PRACTICES ON THE FIRST SATURDAY OF FIVE CONSECUTIVE MONTHS. (1) CONFESSION: A reparative confession means that the confession should not only be good (valid and licit), but also be offered in the spirit of reparation, in this case, to Mary's Immaculate Heart. This confession may be made on the First Saturday itself or some days before or after the First Saturday within the preceding octave would suffice. (2) COMMUNION: The communion of reparation must be sacramental duly received with the intention of making reparation. This offering, like the confession, is an interior act and so no external action to express the intention is needed. (3) THE ROSARY: The Rosary mentioned here
was indicated by the Portuguese word 'terco' which is commonly employed to
denote a Rosary of five decades, since it forms a third of the full Rosary
of 15 decades. This too must recited in a spirit of reparation.
(4) MEDITATION FOR FIFTEEN MINUTES: Here the meditation on one mystery or more is to be made without simultaneous recitation of the Rosary decade. As indicated, the meditation may be either on one mystery alone for 15 minutes, or on all 15 mysteries, spending about one minute on each mystery, or again, on two or more mysteries during the period. This can also be made before each decade spending three minutes or more in considering the mystery of the particular decade. This meditation has likewise to be made in the spirit of reparation to the Immaculate Heart. (5) THE SPIRIT OF REPARATION: All these acts, as said above, have to be done with the intention of offering reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the offences committed against Her. Everyone who offends Her commits, so to speak, a two-fold offence, for these sins also offend her Divine Son, Christ, and so endanger our salvation. They give bad example to others and weaken the strength of society to withstand immoral onslaughts. Such devotions therefore make us consider not only the enormity of the offence against God, but also the effect of sins on human society as well as the need for undoing these social effects even when the offender repents and is converted. Further, this reparation emphasises our responsibility towards sinners who, themselves, will not pray and make reparation for their sins. (6) FIVE CONSECUTIVE FIRST SATURDAYS: The idea of the Five First Saturdays is obviously to make us persevere in the devotional acts for these Saturdays and overcome initial difficulties. Once this is done, Our Lady knows that the person would become devoted to Her immaculate Heart and persist in practising such devotion on all First Saturdays, working thereby for personal self-reform and for the salvation of others. Unless Russia is converted, the movement against God and for sin will continue to spread, promoting wars and persecutions, and making the attainment for peace and justice impossible for this world. One means of obtaining Russia's conversion is to practise the Fatima Message. The stakes are so great that to encourage Catholics to practise the devotion of the First Saturdays, Our Lady has assured us that She will obtain salvation for all those who observe the first Saturdays for five consecutive months in accordance with Her conditions. At the supreme moment the departing person
will be either in the state of grace or not. In either case Our Lady will
be by his side. If in the state of grace, She will console and help him to
resist whatever temptations the devil might put before him in his last attempt
to take the person with him to hell. If not in the state of grace, Our Lady
will help the person to repent in a manner agreeable to God and so benefit
by the fruits of redemption and be saved.
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Miracles
100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 Lay Saints |
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The POPES HTML
Pius IX 1846--1878 • Leo XIII 1878-1903 • Pius X 1903-1914• Benedict XV 1914-1922 • Pius XI 1922-1939 • Pius XII 1939-1958 • John XXIII 1958-1963 • Paul VI 1963 to 1978 • John Paul • John Paul II 10/16/1975-4/2/2005 Benedict XVI "The answers to many of life's questions can be found by reading the Lives of the Saints. They teach us how to overcome obstacles and difficulties, how to stand firm in our faith, and how to struggle against evil and emerge victorious." 1913 Saint Barsanuphius of Optina The more "extravagant" graces
are bestowed NOT for the benefit of the recipients so much as FOR benefit
of others.
Non est inventus similis illis God calls each one of us to be a saint in
order to get into heaven.
Cross Not
Optional, Says Benedict XVI
Reflects
on Peter's "Immature" Faith CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 31, 2008 (Zenit.org).-
The
Pope said this today before reciting the midday Angelus with several
thousand people gathered in the courtyard of the papal summer residence
at Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome.Taking up one's cross isn't an option, it's a mission all Christians are called to, says Benedict XVI. Referring to the Gospel reading for today's Mass, the Holy Father reflected on the faith of Peter, which is shown to be "still immature and too much influenced by the 'mentality of this world.'” He explained that when Christ spoke openly about how he was to "suffer much, be killed and rise again, Peter protests, saying: 'God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.'" "It is evident that the Master and the disciple follow two opposed ways of thinking," continued the Pontiff. "Peter, according to a human logic, is convinced that God would never allow his Son to end his mission dying on the cross. "Jesus, on the contrary, knows that the Father, in his great love for men, sent him to give his life for them, and if this means the passion and the cross, it is right that such should happen." Christ also knew that "the resurrection
would be the last word," Benedict XVI added.
Serious illnessThe Pope continued, "If to save us the Son of God had to suffer and die crucified, it certainly was not because of a cruel design of the heavenly Father. "The cause of it is the gravity of the sickness of which he must cure us: an evil so serious and deadly that it will require all of his blood. "In fact, it is with his death
and resurrection that Jesus defeated sin and death, reestablishing
the lordship of God."
Pope John IV 640-642 consecrated St. Flannan
bishop Son of Irish chieftain Turlough Paul
VI_Athenagoras_05_01_1964
Quote: Pope Paul VI’s 1969 Instruction
on the Contemplative Life includes this passage: Christianity is not a moral code or a philosophy,
but an encounter
with a person”
-- Benedict XVI Benedict_XVI_Patriarch_Bartholomew
Benedict XVI_Archbishop_Hilarion 
Benedict XVI receives
Orthodox Archbishop
Hilarion n September 18th, Pope
Benedict XVI; Archbishop
Hilarion, president of the Department for External
Church Affairs of the Patriarchate of
Moscow.The Orthodox Archbishop is currently visiting the Vatican at the invitation of Cardinal Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. This Pontifical Council underlined that the visit will confirm the ties of friendship between the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, with a view to closer collaboration and to favor the presence of the Church in the lives of the peoples of Europe and the world. In addition, a further step in ecumenical relations is scheduled for the month of October in Cyprus: the meeting of the Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, which will address the theme of Petrine Primacy. 
Benedict
XVI met with Aram I Catholicos
of Cilicia, the highest authority
of the Orthodox Church.
The Pope remembered
the martyrs of the Armenian Church and the
Armenian genocide, without explicitly
mentioning it, and denounced the persecution
of Christians in modern times.
Benedict XVIThat testimony culminated in the twentieth century, which proved a time of Unspeakable suffering for your people. Most recently we have all been saddened by the escalation of persecution and violence against Christians in parts of the Middle East and elsewhere. The Catholicos is based in Lebanon. That is why, the Pope said, he prays every day for peace in this country and throughout the Middle East. Benedict XVI said there will only be peace in the region when each country is free to decide its own destiny and when every ethnic and religious group accepts and respects the others. Aram I emphasized that the churches must be means for peace and to achieve that they must recognize “all” genocides, even the Armenian.. The Catholicos recalled his meeting with John Paul II, adding that this visit represents a new step for ecumenical dialogue. Our meeting is an opportunity to pray and reflect together, and to renew our commitment and efforts for Christian unity. Armenian church members from all over the world join with Catholicos in making pilgrimages to Rome. |
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| The
great psalm of the Passion, Chapter
22, whose first verse “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me?” Jesus pronounced on the cross, ended with the vision: “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him” For kingship belongs to the LORD, the ruler over the nations. All who sleep in the earth will bow low before God; All who have gone down into the dust will kneel in homage. And I will live for the LORD; my descendants will serve you. The generation to come will be told of the Lord, that they may proclaim to a people yet unborn the deliverance you have brought. |
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| Pope Benedict XVI to The Catholic
Church In China {whole
article here} 2000 years
of the Catholic
Church in China The saints “a cloud of witnesses over our head”, showing us life of Christian perfection is possible. THE PSALTER OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN
MARY PSALM 82
O my Lady, who shall be like unto thee ? In grace and glory thou surpassest all. As the heavens are above the earth: so art thou high above all, and exceedingly exalted. Wound my heart with thy charity: make me worthy of thy grace and thy gifts. May my heart melt in thy fear: and may the desire of thee enkindle my soul. Make me desire thy honor and thy glory: that I may be received by thee into the peace of Jesus Christ. Glory
be to the Father who created Heaven and earth; His only
Son who lived and died for all of us;
and the Holy Spirit the Lord giver of life, Who proceeds from the Father and Son, with the Father and Son He is Worshiped and Glorified, and He has spoken through the prophets: Amen. Join us on CatholicVote.org. Be part of a new
movement committed to using powerful
media projects to create a Culture of Life.
We can help shape the movement and have a voice in its
future. Check it out at www.CatholicVote.org
Saint Frances Xavier Seelos Practical Guide
to Holiness
1. Go to Mass with deepest
devotion. 2. Spend a half hour to reflect upon
your main failing & make resolutions to avoid it.3. Do daily spiritual reading for at least 15 minutes, if a half hour is not possible. 4. Say the rosary every day. 5. Also daily, if at all possible, visit the Blessed Sacrament; toward evening, meditate on the Passion of Christ for a half hour, 6. Conclude the day with evening prayer & an examination of conscience over all the faults & sins of the day. 7. Every month make a review of the month in confession. 8. Choose a special patron every month & imitate that patron in some special virtue. 9. Precede every great feast with a novena that is nine days of devotion. 10. Try to begin & end every activity with a Hail Mary My God, I believe, I adore, I trust and I love
Thee. I beg pardon for those
who do not believe, do not adore, do not
O most Holy trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the Tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He is offended, and by the infite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I beg the conversion of poor sinners, Fatima Prayer, Angel of Peace The
voice of the Father is heard, the Son
enters the water, and the Holy Spirit appears
in the form of a dove.
THE
spirit and example of the world imperceptibly
instil the error into the minds of many that
there is a kind of middle way of going to Heaven;
and so, because the world does not live up to the gospel,
they bring the gospel down to the level of the world. It
is not by this example that we are to measure the Christian rule,
but words and life of Christ. All His followers are commanded
to labour to become perfect even as our heavenly Father is
perfect, and to bear His image in our hearts that we may be His
children. We are obliged by the gospel to die to ourselves by fighting
self-love in our hearts, by the mastery of our passions, by taking
on the spirit of our Lord.
These
are the conditions under which Christ
makes His promises and numbers us among His
children, as is manifest from His words which the apostles
have left us in their inspired writings. Here is no
distinction made or foreseen between the apostles or clergy
or religious and secular persons. The former, indeed,
take upon themselves certain stricter obligations, as a means
of accomplishing these ends more perfectly; but the law of holiness
and of disengagement of the heart from the world is general
and binds all the followers of Christ.
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God loves variety.
He doesn't mass-produce his saints.
Every saint is unique each the result of a
new idea.
As the liturgy says: Non est
inventus similis illis--there are no two exactly alike.
It is we with our lack of imagination, who paint the same haloes on all the saints. Dear Lord, grant us a spirit not bound by our own ideas and preferences. Grant that we may be able to appreciate in others what we lack in ourselves. O Lord, grant that we may understand that every saint must be a unique praise of Your glory. Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives. Each saint the Church honors
responded to God's invitation to use
his or her unique gifts.
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The 15 Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who recite
the Rosary ) Revealed to St.
Dominic and Blessed Alan)
1. Whoever shall
faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal
graces. 2. I promise my special protection and the greatest
graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary. 3. The
Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease
sin, and defeat heresies. 4. It will cause virtue and good
works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it
will withdraw the hearts of people from the love of the world and its vanities,
and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that soul would
sanctify them by this means. 5. The soul that recommends
itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish. 6.
Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying themselves to the consideration
of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God
will not chastise them in His justice, they shall not perish by an unprovided
death; if they be just, they shall remain in the grace of God, and become
worthy of eternal life. 7. Whoever shall have a true devotion
for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church. 8.
Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life
and at their death the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at
the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the Saints in
Paradise. 9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have
been devoted to the Rosary. 10. The faithful children of
the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven. 11.
You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary. 12.
I shall aid all those who propagate the Holy Rosary in their necessities.
13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates
of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during
their life and at the hour of death. 14. All who recite
the Rosary are my children, and brothers and sisters of my only Son, Jesus
Christ. 15. Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.
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Aramaic dialect of Edessa, now known as Syriac
The exact date of the introduction
of Christianity into Edessa {Armenian Ourhaï
in Arabic Er Roha, commonly Orfa or Urfa,
its present name} is not known. It
is certain, however, that the Christian community
was at first made up from the Jewish population
of the city. According to an ancient legend, King
Abgar V, Ushana, was converted by Addai, who was one of the
seventy-two disciples. In fact,
however, the first King of Edessa to embrace
the Christian Faith was Abgar IX (c. 206) becoming
official kingdom religion.
Christian council
held at Edessa
early as 197 (Eusebius, Hist.
Eccl., V,xxiii). In 201 the city was devastated
by a great flood, and the Christian
church was destroyed (“Chronicon
Edessenum”, ad. an. 201).
In 232 the relics of the Apostle St. Thomas were brought from India,
on which occasion his Syriac Acts
were written.
Under Roman domination martyrs
suffered at Edessa: Sts. Scharbîl
and Barsamya, under Decius;
Sts. Gûrja,
Schâmôna, Habib, and others
under Diocletian.
In the meanwhile Christian priests
from Edessa evangelized Eastern Mesopotamia and Persia, established the first
Churches in the kingdom of the Sassanides. Atillâtiâ, Bishop of Edessa,
assisted at the Council of Nicæa
(325). The
“Peregrinatio Silviæ” (or Etheriæ)
(ed. Gamurrini, Rome, 1887, 62
sqq.) gives an account of the many sanctuaries
at Edessa
about 388.
Although Hebrew had been the
language of the ancient Israelite
kingdom, after their return from
Exile the Jews turned more and more to
Aramaic, using it for parts of the books
of Ezra and Daniel in the Bible. By the
time of Jesus,
Aramaic was the main language
of Palestine, and quite a number of
texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls are also written
in Aramaic.
Aramaic
continued to be an important
language for Jews, alongside
Hebrew, and parts of the Talmud are written
in it. After Arab conquests of the seventh
century, Arabic quickly replaced Aramaic as the main language of those who
converted to Islam, although in out of the way places, Aramaic continued
as a vernacular language of Muslims.
Aramaic, however, enjoyed
its greatest success
in Christianity. Although
the New Testament
wins written in Greek, Christianity had
come into existence in an Aramaic-speaking
milieu, and it was the Aramaic dialect
of Edessa, now known as Syriac, that became
the literary language of a large number of Christians
living in the eastern provinces of the
Roman Empire and in the Persian Empire, further
east. Over the course of the centuries the
influence of the Syriac Churches spread eastwards
to China (in Xian, in western China, a Chinese-Syriac inscription
dated 781 is
still to be seen); to southern India
where the state of Kerala can boast more Christians
of Syriac liturgical tradition than anywhere
else in the world.
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Meeting of the Saints
walis
(saints
of Allah)Great men covet to embrace martyrdom
for a cause and principle.
So
was the case with Hazrat Ali. He
could have made a compromise with the
evil forces of his time and, as a result,
could have led a very comfortable,
easy and luxurious life.
But he was not a person who would
succumb to such temptations. His upbringing,
his education and his training in the
lap of the holy Prophet made him refuse such
an offer.Rabia Al-Basri (717–801 C.E.) She was first to set forth the doctrine of mystical love and who is widely considered to be the most important of the early Sufi poets. An elderly Shia pointed out that during his pre-Partition childhood it was quite common to find pictures and portraits of Shia icons in Imambaras across the country. Shah Abdul Latif: The Exalted Sufi Master born 1690 in a Syed family; died 1754. In ancient times, Sindh housed the exemplary Indus Valley Civilisation with Moenjo Daro as its capital, and now, it is the land of a culture which evolved from the teachings of eminent Sufi saints. Pakistan is home to the mortal remains of many Sufi saints, the exalted among them being Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, a practitioner of the real Islam, philosopher, poet, musicologist and preacher. He presented his teaching through poetry and music - both instruments sublime - and commands a very large following, not only among Muslims but also among Hindus and Christians. Sindh culture: The Shah is synonymous with Sindh. He is the very fountainhead of Sindh's culture. His message remains as fresh as that of any present day poet, and the people of Sindh find solace from his writings. He did indeed think for Sindh. One of his prayers, in exquisite Sindhi, translates thus: “Oh God, may ever You on Sindh bestow abundance rare! Beloved! All the world let share Thy grace, and fruitful be.” Shia Ali al-Hadi, died 868 and son Hassan al-Askari 874. These saints are the 10th and 11th of Shia's 12 most revered Imams. Baba Farid Sufi 1398 miracle, Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki renowned Muslim Sufi saint scholar miracles 569 A.H. [1173 C.E.] hermit gave to poor, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti greatest mystic of his time born 533 Hijri (1138-39 A.D.), Hazrat Ghuas-e Azam, Hazrat Bu Ali Sharif, and Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Sufi Saint Hazrath Khwaja Syed Mohammed Badshah Quadri Chisty Yamani Quadeer (RA) 1236-1325 welcomed people of all faiths & all walks of life |
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To Save
A Life is Earthly; Saving A Soul is Eternal Donation
by mail, please send check or money order to: Catholic Television Network Supported entirely by donations from viewers help spread the Eternal Word, online Here 
Colombia
was among the countries Mother Angelica visited.
In Bogotá, a Salesian priest - Father Juan Pablo Rodriguez - brought Mother and the nuns to the Sanctuary of the Divine Infant Jesus to attend Mass. After Mass, Father Juan Pablo took them into a small Shrine which housed the miraculous statue of the Child Jesus. Mother Angelica stood praying at the side of the statue when suddenly the miraculous image came alive and turned towards her. Then the Child Jesus spoke with the voice of a young boy: “Build Me a Temple and I will help those who help you.” Thus began a great adventure that would eventually result in the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, a Temple dedicated to the Divine Child Jesus, a place of refuge for all. Use this link to read a remarkable story about The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament Father Reardon, Editor of The Catholic
Bulletin for 14 years Lover of the poor;
“A very Holy Man of God.”
Monsignor
Reardon Protonotarius
Apostolicus Pastor 42 years BASILICA OF SAINT MARY Minneapolis MN 
America's First Basilica Largest Nave in the World
August 7, 1907-ground broke for the foundation
by Archbishop
Ireland-laying cornerstone May 31, 1908
Brief History of our Beloved Holy Priest Here and his published books of Catholic History in North America Reardon, J.M. Archbishop Ireland; Prelate, Patriot, Publicist, 1838-1918. A Memoir (St. Paul; 1919); George Anthony Belcourt Pioneer Catholic Missionary of the Northwest 1803-1874 (1955); The Catholic Church IN THE DIOCESE OF ST. PAUL from earliest origin to centennial achievement 1362-1950 (1952); The Church of Saint Mary of Saint Paul 1875-1922; (1932) The Vikings in the American Heartland; The Catholic Total Abstinence Society in Minnesota; James Michael Reardon
Born in Nova Scotia, 1872; Priest, ordained by Bishop
Ireland;
Affiliations
and Indulgences
Litany of Loretto in Stained glass
windows
here. Nave
Sacristy and Residence Here
Member -- St. Paul Seminary
faculty.
Sanctuary spaces between them filled with grilles of hand-forged wrought iron the life of our Blessed Lady After the crucifixon Apostle statues Replicas of those in St John Lateran--Christendom's
earliest Basilica.
Ordered by Rome's first Christian Emperor, Constantine the Great, Popes' cathedral and official residence first millennium of Christian history. The only replicas ever made: in order from
west to east {1932}.
Saints Simon (saw),
Bartholomew
(knife), James the
Lesser (book), John
(eagle), Andrew (transverse
cross), Peter keys),
Paul
(sword), James
the Greater (staff), Thomas (carpenter's
square), Philip (serpent),
Matthew (book),
and Jude sword
It Makes No Sense Not To Believe In GOD |
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THE BLESSED
MOTHER AND ISLAM
By Father
John Corapi. Site http://www.fathercorapi
June 19, Trinity Sunday, 1991: Ordained Catholic Priest under
Pope John Paul II; then 2,000,000 miles delivering the Gospel to millions. As we watch the spectacle of the world seeming to self-destruct before our eyes, we can’t help but be saddened and even frightened by so much evil run rampant. Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Somalia, North Korea—It is all a disaster of epic proportions displayed in living color on our television screens. These are not ordinary times and this is not business as usual. We are at a crossroads in human history and the time for Catholics and all Christians to act is now. All evil can ultimately be traced to its origin, which is moral evil. All of the political action, peace talks, international peacekeeping forces, etc. will avail nothing if the underlying sickness is not addressed. This is sin. One person at a time hearts and minds must be moved from evil to good, from lies to truth, from violence to peace. Islam, an Arabic word that has often been defined as “to make peace,” seems like a living contradiction today. Although it is supposed to be a religion of peace, Islam has been hijacked by Satan and now operates in the dark space of international terrorism. As we celebrate the birthday of Our Lady, I am proposing that each one of us pray the Rosary for peace. Prayer is what must precede all other activity if that activity is to have any chance of success. Pray for peace, pray the Rosary every day without fail. There is a great love for Mary among Muslim people. It is not a coincidence that a little village named Fatima is where God chose to have His Mother appear in the twentieth century. Our Lady’s name appears no less than thirty times in the Koran. No other woman’s name is mentioned, not even that of Mohammed’s daughter, Fatima. In the Koran Our Lady is described as “Virgin, ever Virgin.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen prophetically spoke of the resurgence of Islam in our day. He said it would be through the Blessed Virgin Mary that Islam would be converted. We must pray for this to happen quickly if we are to avert a horrible time of suffering for this poor, sinful world. Turn to our Mother in this time of great peril. Pray the Rosary every day. Then, and only then will there be peace, when the hearts and minds of men are changed from the inside.
Father John Corapi
goes to the heart of the contemporary world's many woes
and wars, whether the
wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon,
Somalia, or the Congo, or the natural disasters
that seem to be increasing every year, the
moral and spiritual war is at the basis of everything.
“Our battle is not against human forces,” St.
Paul asserts, “but against principalities and
powers, against the world rulers of this present
darkness...” (Ephesians 6:12).
The “War to end all wars” is the moral and spiritual combat that rages in the hearts and minds of human beings. The outcome of that unseen fight largely determines how the battle in the realm of the seen unfolds. The title talk, “With the Moon Under Her Feet,” is taken from the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation, and deals with the current threat to the world from radical Islam, and the Blessed Virgin Mary's role in the ultimate victory that will result in the conversion of Islam. Few Catholics are aware of the connection between Islam, Fatima, and Guadalupe. Presented in Father Corapi's straight-forward style, you will be both inspired and educated by him. About Father John Corapi. Father Corapi is a Catholic priest
.
The pillars of father's preaching
are basically:
Love
for and a relationship with
the Blessed Virgin Mary
Leading a vibrant and loving relationship with Jesus Christ Great love and reverence for the Most Holy Eucharist from Holy Mass to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament An uncompromising love for and obedience to the Holy Father and the teaching of the Magisterium of the Church |
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| LINKS: Marian Apparitions (over 2000) India Marian Shrine Lourdes of the East Lourdes Feb 11- July 16, Loreto, Italy 1858 China Marian shrines May 23, 1995 Zarvintisya Ukraine Lourdes Kenya national Marian shrine Quang Tri Vietnam La Vang 1798 Links to Related Marian Websites Angels and Archangels |
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| Doctors_of_the_Church Acts_Of_The_Apostles
Roman Catholic Popes
Purgatory
Uniates
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ancient statue of Our Lady which is found at Loreto