Sunday, July 31, 2011

The Lord was Moved with Pity! [Video]

Catholic Medical Mission Board: Email - Your Weekly Reflection in Prayer

Check out this website I found at support.cmmb.org

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“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave…”
Philippians 2: 5-6
July 31, 2011
Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola
Dear John,
St. Ignatius began as a military soldier. Wounded in battle, he examined his life. Led by the Spirit he then put all his energy in the service of God and the Church. Reflecting on his own experience, he wrote the Spiritual Exercises, arguably the most significant retreat manual in the Catholic Church. He founded the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) and sent missionaries such as St. Francis Xavier throughout the known world. Generosity and magnanimity in the service of God would be his hallmark, and one that every person should strive to practice.

Dear Lord,
Teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve.
To give and not to cost the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds;
to toil and not to seek for rest;
to labor and not ask for reward,
save that of knowing that I am doing your will.
Amen.
Prayer in harmony with the life, spirit and work of St. Ignatius Loyola
Rev. Peter Schineller, S.J., CMMB Board of Directors

http://support.cmmb.org/site/R?i=Wf5oDVcS2_x3Bj56Os89Cw..

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Saturday, July 30, 2011

Fatima Visionary Saw and Confirmed the Apparitions of Our Lady of Medjugorje

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[Excerpt]
As the Vatican continues its international Commission investigating the ongoing apparitions of Medjugorje, under the leadership of Cardinal Camillo Ruini and the CDF, the Holy See should not ignore an important, but little known, fact about these Marian apparitions. They were confirmed as being authentic by the main visionary of Fatima, Sister Lucia dos Santos, who not only confirmed but also reported experiencing apparitions of Our Lady of Medjugorje in the convent.

According to Sister Lucia’s own nephew, Father Salinho — a Salesian priest who lives in Portugal — Sister Lucia continued receiving visions of the Virgin Mary long after 1917, and some of these apparitions of the Virgin spoke to Sister Lucia of the Madonna’s continued work in Medjugorje. This report of Father Salinho’s was documented by the French author Sister Emmanuel Maillard in her book Medjugorje, Triumph of the Heart! (Queenship, 2004), a revised edition of Sister Emmanuel’s earlier popular work, Medjugorje: the 90s. Pope John Paul II met with Sister Emmanuel, was given a copy of her earlier book, and therefore this knowledge – between Fatima’s main visionary and the apparitions in Medjugorje – may not have been foreign to the Vatican.
Continue reading this important article here: http://www.medjugorjemiracles.com/2011/07/fatima-visionary-saw-and-confirmed-...

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[MaryVitamin] Cause of Our Joy

 

Mary Vitamin for July 27th
 
Topic:
Feast day - July 30th

 
Leopold_bogdan_mandic_rijeka
Quote:
Father Pietro Bernardi, O.F.M. Cap, postulator
It is almost impossible to say how much Father Leopold loved the Madonna. The tone of his voice when he spoke of her, the light in his eyes when he looked at a picture of her, cannot be put into words at all. You would have to have seen him in order to comprehend something of the ardent love for Mary in the heart of this Capuchin.
 
Meditation:
Ferdinand Holboc
During his assignment at the friary in Thiene, near Vicenza, in the years 1906 to 1909, Father Leopold often helped the lay brothers humbly with the household chores, washed the dishes, cleaned the cells, and set the table. Since his soul was turned constantly toward God, he wanted them to pray during their work, especially the Litany of Loreto. At the invocation "Cause of our joy"
, he interrupted his work, lifted his eyes to heaven, and remained for a while in this attitude, as though enraptured. Once a confrere asked him, "Father Leopold, why do you interrupt your work at this invocation of the Litany of Loreto and raise your eyes to heaven?" At that he exclaimed, "O Madonna, the Madonna, the cause of our joy!" Then he remained looking up to heaven for a long time,
  
his face beaming.
Ferdinand Holbock, New Saints and Blesseds of the Catholic Church Vol I,(Ignatius Press), 
 
226-7.
 
Leopold-mandic-with-blessed-vi
Resolution:
What did St. Leopold have to be joyful about? He was only four feet six inches tall. His dream of 
 
missionary work was 
 
never fulfilled. Instead he spent hours every day in the Confessional. In fact, at his canonization John Paul referred to Saint Leopold as "the Confessor." How many crosses did he bear in hearing so many confessions?
 

I will imitate St. Leopold who during his work paused at the invocation Cause of our Joy and looked up to heaven. I will ask him to explain this mystery to me and teach me to find my joy in Our Lady.

 
Marian Vow:
Ferdinand Holboc
Mary stood by him at all times, consoled him during the terrible spiritual trials, restored peace to his tortured soul, strengthened him in his physical sufferings, and helped him to give fresh courage to the sinners and unfortunates who came to him and to lead them back to the right path.
Ferdinand Holbock, New Saints and Blesseds of the Catholic Church Vol I,(Ignatius Press), 
 
227.
 
I give this resolution to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
 
Thanks be to God for graces received.
 
__._,_.___

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CARRY YOUR ROSARY EVERY DAY

From Pat Davis:

When you carry a Rosary, Satan has a headache.
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When you use it, he collapses.

When he sees you praying it, he faints.

Let us pray the rosary every time, so that he'll keep fainting.


Did you also know that when you are about to forward this message, Satan will try to discourage you?

Forward it anyway and help hasten the triumph of Mother Mary!
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Send this to your prayerful friends and see how the Holy Spirit works! 

There is a great deal to gain and absolutely nothing to lose! 

****************************

Hi Everyone,


Imagine what might happen if every Catholic in the world would pray a Rosary on the same day! We have an example in October of 1573, when Europe was saved from the invasion of the mighty Turkish fleet, by the praying of the Rosary by all Christians! 

So, on July 30 2011, let us all pray a Rosary for peace in the world and the return of moral values into our communities. If possible, please pray your Rosary between Noon and 3:00 pm.

Also, please forward this message to every Catholic on your address list, and ask them to pass it along to every Catholic on their lists. Let's unite in praying one of the most powerful prayers in existence, for these intentions, on one of the holiest days in our Church year. 
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God bless us all!

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Saint Peter Chrysologus [Video]

Friday, July 29, 2011

Mary TV Daily Reflection 7/29/2011

Duetsfamily prayer
Silence on Podbrdo
(c)Mary TV 2010

 

 

July 29, 2011

St. Martha

Dear Family of Mary!

"Dear children! May this time be for you a time of prayer and silence. Rest your body and spirit, may they be in God's love. Permit me, little children, to lead you, open your hearts to the Holy Spirit so that all the good that is in you may blossom and bear fruit one hundred fold. Begin and end the day with prayer with the heart. Thank you for having responded to my call." (July 25, 2011)

 

In prayer, our friend, Christine, was led to an entry in St. Faustina's Diary which she shared with me yesterday. It really is anointed. St. Faustina writes about her experience of silence and of her deep resting in trust in God. It is right to the point of Our Lady's message. So I will share it now! Thank you, Christine, for listening to the Holy Spirit! 

"January 19, 1937. My life at present flows on in peaceful awareness of God. My silent soul lives on Him, and this conscious life of God in my soul is for me a source of happiness and strength. I do not look for happiness outside the depths of my soul in which God

St. Faustina Kowalska before 1938

Image via Wikipedia

 dwells; of this I am aware. I feel a certain need to share myself with others. I have discovered a fountain of happiness in my soul, and it is God. O my God, I see that everything that surrounds me is filled with God, and most of all my own soul, which is adorned with the grace of God. Already now, I will begin to live on that on which I shall live for all eternity.

 

"Silence is so powerful a language that it reaches the throne of the living God. Silence is His language, though secret, yet living and powerful.

 

"Jesus, you have given me to know and understand in what a soul's greatness consists: not in great deeds but in great love. Love has its worth, and it confers greatness on all our deeds. Although our actions are small and ordinary in themselves, because of love they become great and powerful before God." (Diary, 887,888,889)
 

That should keep us all busy this weekend! Let's let every sentence sink into our hearts.   May we all experience that fountain of happiness in our souls, which is God! May we learn the language of silence. May our lives flow on in peaceful awareness of God. And may we begin to live on that on which we shall live for all eternity.

 

"Rest your body and spirit, may they be in God's love."

 

In Jesus and Mary!

Cathy Nolan

©Mary TV 2011

 

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BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR AUGUST

Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI.

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Vis

BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR AUGUST

 

VATICAN CITY

, 29 JUL 2011 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general

 prayer intention for August is: "That World Youth Day in Madrid may encourage young people throughout the world to have their lives rooted and built up in Christ".

 

  His mission intention is: "That Western Christians may be open to the action of the Holy Spirit and rediscover the freshness and enthusiasm of their faith".

BXVI-PRAYER INTENTIONS/                                                       VIS 20110729 (80)

 

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World Trade Center cross still consoles victims, priest says

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New York City, N.Y., Jul 29, 2011 / 10:55 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The World Trade Center cross is still a “sign of comfort” to many people, says the Franciscan priest who describes himself as its “unofficial guardian.”

On Sept. 13, 2001 construction worker Frank Silecchia found a 20-foot, cross-shaped T-beam from World Trade Center 1 standing almost upright in the wreckage of World Trade Center 6.

Fr. Brian Jordan, O.F.M., blessed the cross later that year on Oct. 4 and promised that it would be preserved.

Now almost 10 years after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the priest again blessed the cross in a July 23 ceremony before its relocation to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

“It’s a sign of consolation and comfort for those who lost loved ones,” Fr. Jordan told CNA on July 28. “For the dead, the cross signifies the death of Jesus Christ. It also gave hope and support to the living, especially the rescue and recovery workers, the firefighters, polices officers, construction workers and many others.”

The Franciscan priest, who is in residence at New York City’s Holy Name Parish, played his own role in responding to the destruction which killed thousands. He ministered among construction workers, worked with family members and uniformed service members, and blessed “many bodies and body parts.”

“We saw evil at its worst, but goodness at its best,” Fr. Jordan said. “The goodness was that Americans came together in those weeks. New York City came together in those weeks. People of all ethnic and religious groups and economic backgrounds came together. I was very proud of that.”

In the months afterward, the cross “dramatically” affected others, both Christians and non-Christians.

He particularly recalled a Mother’s Day Mass in 2002, when mothers who lost children or grandchildren and their husbands all gathered at the cross.

Two groups of U.S. Army special forces also attended, without telling anyone else in advance.

“One group had just returned from Afghanistan, while the other was preparing to go,” the priest reported.

“At the kiss of peace, to see these mothers embrace these young men who came from war, who were about to go, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house,” Fr. Jordan said. “I don’t care if you are John Wayne. Anyone who has any heart or emotion in them will start crying when they see the mothers who lost their children embracing soldiers who are going to war.

“They looked at the cross, and they knew that Catholics were with them.”

He noted that what people call the “cross” is simply an interpretation of the T-beam shape. But even so, he explained, the shape has significance of for Christians.

Jesus is “both the victim and the victor of the cross.” Despite the cruelty of his death, Jesus is also the victor of Resurrection, of life over death.

“The cross, (is) for us, we were all victims on 9/11. We’ll be victorious,” he said. “America and the rest of the free world will roll over terrorism and show the poignance of God’s overwhelming love for all people.

Joe Daniels, president of the 9/11 Memorial, said that the cross will be an important part of the memorial’s commitment to “bring back the authentic physical reminders that tell the history of 9/11 in a way nothing else could.”

The group American Atheists has filed a lawsuit to stop the display of the cross, claiming it is a “government enshrinement” and an “impermissible mingling of church and state.”

Fr. Jordan was not sympathetic to their claim.

“They don’t have a prayer. Not to be facetious,” he said, noting that the Metropolitan Museum of Art shows many religious icons, as does the Holocaust Museum, on public land.

The cross is “an interpretation,” he repeated.

“They’re going to judge interpretations? Then move every telephone pole out of New York City, because those look like a cross to me too,” he countered.

“These people are just looking for 15 minutes of fame. They’re exploiting 9/11 for their own selfish public posturing and they should be ashamed of themselves because of this baseless lawsuit.”

Fr. Jordan closed his remarks by recommending the Decalogue of Assisi, a short 2002 document signed by world religious leaders that rejects violence and advocates peace and religious dialogue.

“God bless America,” he said.

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[MaryVitamin] St. Martha


 

Mary Vitamin for July 28th
 
Topic: Martha and Mary
St. Martha July 29
 
Quote:
St.  Francis de Sales
The two women represent our Lady.
St Lazarus between Martha and Mary/ The artist...

Lazarus between Martha and Mary. Image via Wikipedia

Meditation:
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
John 11:5
 
Archbishop Alban Goodier, S.J.:
And the name of Martha comes first. He could not blame her zeal; He could not find fault with her self-sacrificing charity. Nevertheless there was something else which, for the sake of all mankind, He must seize this occasion to defend. To work for Him was good, but to love Him was better; to serve Him was a glory, but to live with Him was a greater glory still. It was noble to be His handmaiden, but to be blessed among women was nobler. To seek the means to please Him was holy, but to seek first the  Kingdom  of  God  and His justice was to secure that all the rest would come. Martha stood for much that was best in the world, but Mary represented something more that transcended all the rest; indeed without it all the rest would be of little worth.
 
Resolution:
Today I will work on "service with love" in order to imitate the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our Lady was able to live an exemplary life which combined the best aspects of the service of St. Martha and the contemplative prayer of St.  Mary.
Jesus_martha_and_mary

 
Marian Vow:
The members of M.I.M., if they live faithfully their consecration, become, in this way, "little mediators", as St. Maximilian says, at the unconditional service of the universal Mediatrix, ready, as "docile instruments", to work as missionaries and with the missionary spirit in the Church and in the family, in society and in each field of labor; ready also, according to possibilities and obedience, to go themselves even to the missions "Ad gentes" (To the Nations) to save the souls of brothers who are still living "in the shadow of death" (Lk 1, 79).
Marian Seraphic Pathways, 
 
Directory #58
 
I give this resolution to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
 
Thanks be to God for graces received.
 

__._,_.___

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St. Martha [Video]

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Archbishop Pietro Sambi Passes Away (May he rest in Peace+)

Mary TV Daily Reflection 7/28/2011

butterflyatrest

A butterfly at rest in Ivan's backyard 

(c)Mary Matasso, 2011 

 

 

July 28, 2011

 

Dear Family of Mary!

"Dear children! May this time be for you a time of prayer and silence. Rest your body and spirit, may they be in God's love. Permit me, little children, to lead you, open your hearts to the Holy Spirit so that all the good that is in you may blossom and bear fruit one hundred fold. Begin and end the day with prayer with the heart. Thank you for having responded to my call." (July 25, 2011)

 

Psalm 62 is a moving statement of faith.  The psalmist proclaims that only in God is his trust and hope.  There are many translations of the Bible, and so when I looked up Psalm 62, I checked several. 

 

In my very old Liturgy of the Hours, I found this translation, apparently from "The Grail", a 1963 translation:

 

"In God alone is my soul at rest;

For my hope comes from him." (Ps 62:1)

 

This one line says so much to us.  Like a frightened bird or a fragile butterfly, our souls flutter in fear, anxiety and mistrust until they can come to rest in the Lord, who is all faithful, true and loving.  Somehow we all know this.  We will only rest when we are in God. 

 

But I checked another translation, the Revised Standard Version, and found this:

Liturgy of the hours in a monastery of Carthus...

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"For God alone my soul waits in silence

For my hope comes from him." (Ps 62:1)

 

"My souls waits in silence..."  or "my soul is at rest".  They seem very different.  And yet, our Lady used both words in her message.  She told us: "May this time be for you a time of prayer and silence. Rest your body and spirit, may they be in God's love."  She is calling us to silence and to rest.  Could it be that they are connected?

 

I think so.  Silence, as we saw yesterday, is not the absence of sounds.  It is an inner attitude of listening, of inner quiet that allows us to turn our attention to the other, in particular to God.  Silence is a state of being open, of being receptive, of not having inner noise that keeps us focused on ourselves.  Silence makes us available to God, to His voice, to His inspirations.  So, the Psalmist is saying in Psalm 62 that he waits for God in silence, with inner quiet so that God can speak and act.  This is a statement of faith and trust, of waiting with expectation.

 

In the same way, rest is also a state of quiet.  It is the state of total trust and faith, a state of total abandonment to God.  To say that only in God my soul is at rest is to say that only in God is my soul safe, at peace, abiding in trust.  Only God can keep me safe, I can only trust Him. 

 

Both translations teach us something beautiful.  Our inner person, our soul is the very heart of who we are.  We somehow know that we cannot entrust our inner self to anyone completely, and that we have to be ready to fly away quickly because we are vulnerable.  But there is one exception.  Our Creator God, our Lord.  With Him and in Him, we are safe.  We can dare to open our self to Him as we wait in silence. We can rest in Him because He is all love.

 

Both translations are beautiful!  Here is Psalm 62: 5-8 in both.  Let's let them speak to our hearts:

 

"In God alone be at rest, my soul;

For my hope comes from him.

He alone is my rock, my stronghold

my fortress: I stand firm.

In God is my safety and glory,

the rock of my strength.

Take refuge in God all you people.

Trust him at all times,

pour out your hearts before him

for God is our refuge." (The Grail)

 

 

The 1994 Ignatius re-issue of the RSV Catholic...

Image via Wikipedia

"For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation, 
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my deliverance and my honor; 
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
Trust in him at all times, O people; 
pour out your heart before him; 
God is a refuge for us." (Revised Standard Version)

 

In Jesus and Mary!
Cathy Nolan

©Mary TV 2011

 

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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

From Mark Mallett: Conquering Fear . . .

Conquering Fear In Our Times

Fifth Joyful Mystery: The Finding in the Temple, by Michael D. O’Brien. 

 

LAST week, the Holy Father sent 29 newly ordained priests into the world asking them to "proclaim and witness to joy." Yes! We must all continue to witness to others the joy of knowing Jesus.

But many Christians do not even feel joy, let alone witness to it. In fact, many are full of stress, anxiety, fear, and a sense of abandonment as the pace of life quickens, the cost of living increases, and they watch the news headlines unfold around them. "How," some ask, "can I be joyful?"

 

Read more… »

PUBLISHED IN: | ON JULY 27TH, 2011 | 

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Fr. Bozada: Invest In Eternity

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My Dear People,

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure buried in a field. Once found,this treasure becomes the focal point of one’s life. Worth more than anything in this world,the treasure of everlasting life pays into our eternity.

Think about that for one moment. “What else in your present life will last forever?”Absolutely nothing. There are no U-Hauls in Heaven. We take nothing with us into our caskets,except our corpses. So why not invest in the treasures that carry on into eternity?

When we choose to focus on our future with the Lord in Heaven,we benefit both now and later. Jesus asked the Apostles,“Do you understand these things?”Then you must learn from my instruction. Be careful not to be deceived. Store up for yourselves a treasure in Heaven. Then you will grow in grace,now and into eternity.

Entrusting you to the care of Our Lady,

Fr. Mark Bozada

May we always be ready to serve the Lord in what we say and do.

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Mary TV Daily Reflection 7/27/2011

nun praying at St. James Church

(c)Mary TV 2011 

 


July 27, 2011

 

Dear Family of Mary!

 

"Dear children! May this time be for you a time of prayer and silence.  Rest your body and spirit, may they be in God's love.  Permit me, little children, to lead you, open your hearts to the Holy Spirit so that all the good that is in you may blossom and bear fruit one hundred fold.  Begin and end the day with prayer with the heart.  Thank you for having responded to my call." (July 25, 2011)

 

Our Lady speaks to us of silence and rest, rest for our bodies and our spirits, rest in God's love. Oh, how appealing this idea is. We struggle so much; we worry and scheme, trying to do God's will, trying to get somewhere. But our struggles and schemes only make us tired out and entangle us in things beyond our control. Our Lady wants us to step aside and allow God to love us.

 

Father Jacques Philippe writes about this need for rest (rest is much like the  peace which he talks about here), this need for silence, in his little book, Let me quote him:

5822
 

"The Spirit of God is a spirit of peace, and he speaks and acts in peace and gentleness, never in tumult and agitation. What's more, the motions of the Spirit are delicate touches that don't make a great noise and can penetrate our spiritual consciousness only if we have within ourselves a sort of calm zone of silence and peace. If our inner world is noisy and agitated, the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit will find it very difficult to be heard.

 

"If we want to recognize and follow the Spirit's motions, it is of the greatest importance to maintain a peaceful heart in all circumstances.

 

"It isn't easy; but by practicing hope in God, abandonment, humility, and the acceptance of our inner poverty through an unshakeable trust in God's mercy, we will reach peace little by little. This theme has already formed the subject of another book (and so does not need to be repeated at here. But it is important to underline the importance of peace of mind, because, if we don't seek actively to 'practice peace' in all the circumstances that threaten to make us lose it (and there are plenty of them!) it will be difficult to us to hear the Holy Spirit's voice when he wants to speak - the agitation we allow in our hearts will almost certainly prevent it. As explained in the book mentioned above, when we experience difficult moments, the effort that we make to remain at peace in spite of everything does a lot of good, because the very fact of maintaining peace of mind will give us the best chance of reacting to the situation not in human, agitated, hasty way (and making plenty of messes) but in a way that is attentive to what the Holy Spirit might suggest to us, which will obviously be much more profitable. So we should put into practice what St. John of the Cross said:

 

Take care to preserve your heart in peace; let no happening of this world upset it...Even if everything here below crumbled apart and all things were against us, there would be no use in upsetting ourselves over it, for that upset would bring us more harm than benefit.

 

"The greatest harm that upsetting ourselves does to us is that it makes us incapable of following the impulses of the Holy Spirit.

 

"Maintaining peace is linked to the practice of silence. This silence is not an empty silence: it is peace, attentiveness to God's presence and attentiveness to others, waiting in trust and hope in God. We sometimes let ourselves be overtaken by excessive noise - not so much physical noise as the ceaseless whirlwind of thoughts, imaginations, and words that we've heard or said - and all this merely feeds our worries, fears, and frustrations, and obviously leaves the Holy Spirit little chance of making himself heard. Silence is not emptiness but that general attitude of inwardness that enables us to have an 'inner cell' in our heart, to use an expression of St. Catherine of Siena's, where we are in God's presence and converse with him. Silence is the opposite of the soul in curiosity, gossip, and so forth. It is a capacity for returning almost spontaneously within ourselves, drawn by the presence of God within us." (Fr. Jacques Philippe. New York: Scepter Publishers. 2007. P. 37-39) 

Lot's to think about! How can we learn to rest in God, be at peace in His presence, and listen in the silence of our hearts to His love? Our Lady wants us to try it. Possible something Fr. Philippe has said will help us to begin. 

In Jesus and Mary!
Cathy Nolan
Mary TV

 

PS. I have suggested books by Fr. Jacques Philippe before. They are wonderful. You can find them at www.scepterpublishers.org !

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ATHEISTS OPPOSE WORLD TRADE CENTER CROSS

A cross at Ground Zero.

Image via Wikipedia


ATHEISTS OPPOSE WORLD TRADE CENTER CROSS

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the lawsuit brought by American Atheists protesting the decision to move the World Trade Center cross from St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church in lower Manhattan to its new site at the 9/11 Memorial Museum (two steel beams in the shape of a cross were found when the Twin Towers were leveled):

the green monster : my designer ping pong ball

Image by dzingeek via Flickr

David Silverman, who believes in nothing, is angry that there is nothing that represents nothing at the World Trade Center's 9/11 Memorial. Not for nothing, but this sounds churlish. "No other religions or philosophies will be honored," he notes. Very true. And this is just as it should be. After all, that's just the way the towers crumbled—no symbol representing nothing was found. Therefore, he loses. 
 
To top things off, Silverman blames Jesus for 9/11. He actually goes so far as to say that the Christian God "couldn't be bothered to stop the Muslim terrorists or prevent 3,000 people from being killed in his name." Thus does he advertise his brilliance. Now perhaps he hasn't noticed, but when the killings took place, none of the terrorists proclaimed their fidelity to Jesus. No, Muhammad is their guy.
 
Maybe Silverman could request that something hollow be placed in the World Trade Center area to represent his views. A huge ping-pong ball might work.
 
Contact David Silverman: dsilverman@atheists.org
 
Contact our director of communications about Donohue’s remarks:
Jeff Field
 

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Tuesday, July 26, 2011

HINTS ON MEDJUGORJE SECRETS

Check out this website I found at spiritdaily.com

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SEER AT FAMOUS APPARITION GAVE ENTHRALLING HINTS OF WHAT MAY BE IN HER FIRST 'SECRETS'

Those who believe in apparitions are often intrigued by so-called "secrets," particularly in well-known places like of Medjugorje in Bosnia-Hercegovina, which is currently under Vatican study [see current story]. Recently, in a talk on June 24, 2011, during anniversary celebration in the village, seer Ivan Dragicevic gave some interesting comments.

"Many people ask me if Our Lady has ever talked about the second coming of Jesus?" he said. "No. Has Our Lady talked about the end of the world? No. Our Lady hasn’t come because of that. So many ask, what does Our Lady say? What do you talk, with her every day? We talk a lot. And believe me, if we had 24 hours, we would miss some minutes. But one day when the time comes, when some things get revealed, you will understand why the apparitions are such a long time and why every day. Later on, we will understand some things. Later on, our eyes will be opened. When we see physical changes that are going to happen in the world. This is so important to understand. I’m not going to tell you the secrets! (laugh). The time in front of us is the time of great responsibility."
Read more here: http://www.spiritdaily.com/mirjanainterview.htm

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[MaryVitamin] St. Anne

St. Anne altarpiece from the Carmelite church ...

Image via Wikipedia

 

Mary Vitamin for July 26th
 
July 26
 
Quote:
St. John Eudes
The womb of St. Anne was an ark of benediction, because it carried the star that brought forth the Sun of Justice, Jesus Christ, Our Savior and Our Lord, Who delivered us from the eternal curse and showered upon us every blessing.
St. John Eudes, The Wondrous Childhood, (Preserving Christian Publications), 77.
 
Meditation:
St. John Eudes
It was an ark of sanctification, enclosing within itself her who is an abyss of grace and a prodigy of sanctity. It was an ark wherein lay hidden the fairest treasure of heaven and earth. O how near to this treasure was the heart of God! Upon this most amiable treasure rested with content the eyes of Him Who was one day to declare 'Where thy heart is, there is thy treasure also.
St. John Eudes, The Wondrous Childhood, (Preserving Chris
The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint...

Leonardo da Vinci The Virgin and Child with St. Anne and St. John the Baptist Image via Wikipedia

tian Publications), 77-78.
 
Resolution:
When a great day approaches, a wedding, a graduation, the start of a new career, one keeps his eyes focused on this event. What could be a greater event than the Word was made flesh? Knowing that God's love burns like a furnace, weren't His eyes trained upon St. Anne and the prodigy of grace, the Blessed Virgin Mary awaiting the day He would take on human flesh? This will be my holy thought for today: I will remember the grandmother of the Lord.
 
Marian Vow:
According to Venerable Mary of Agreda, St. Anne said upon the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
But how shall I behave properly towards her whom you've given me as my daughter, I who am not worthy to serve her?
St. Anne admirably expresses the concern of those who have taken the Marian vow of total consecration to the Immaculate.
 
I give this resolution to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
 
Thanks be to God for graces received.
 

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MISSIONARY PRAYER INTENTION


MISSIONARY PRAYER INTENTION
"May Western Christians, compliant to the Holy Spirit, rediscover the freshness and enthusiasm of their faith" - Comment on the Missionary Intention for August 2011

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - In the primitive Church, due to persecution and the evangelical zeal of the first disciples, the apostles and their collaborators spread throughout the land known at the time. St. Paul evangelized Greece and reached Spain and Rome, where he was martyred. Even St. Peter gave his life for the Master near the Vatican Hill. From the ca

Cover of

Cover of The Apostles

pital of the Roman Empire, the faith of Christ spread throughout Europe, influencing the culture and permeating all aspects of the gospel in social life. Western civilization was built on Christian values, a vision of man marked by his being the son of God, by his eternal destiny in Christ.
The new evangelization of the continent spread around the world, a culture that is rooted in the Gospel and is inseparable from faith. Unfortunately, the eighteenth century begins with the Enlightenment in Europe, a wave of secularism, which has the pretext to get rid of its Christian identity throughout the West. This wave of secularism leads to Christianophobia, as stated by Pope Benedict XVI. Secularism has the effect of bringing man to live as if God did not exist. This has produced a great lack of hope, which manifests itself in a certain angst about the future, in the decline in birth rate, in the number of vocations, and an inability for the young to make definite decisions for their lives, including marriage.
During his visit to Santiago de Compostela, in November 2010, the Holy Father Benedict XVI said: "It is a tragedy that in Europe, especially in the nineteenth century, the conviction that God is the enemy of man and the enemy of his freedom was affirmed and spread. (...) God is the source of our being and the foundation and peak of our freedom, not its opponent. (...) How is it possible that the first public silence occurred regarding the first and essential reality of human life? "(Holy Mass on the occasion of the Holy Year in Compostela, Plaza del Congreso, on November 6, 2010).
The disciples of Christ in the West must actually recover the enthusiasm for the faith, overcoming consumerist materialism and open up to a transcendent dimension of life. It is necessary to rediscover the person of Christ as Someone who is alive, who is among us. It is necessary to find new space for silence and meditation on the Word of God, to enter in communion with the person of Jesus. So this is why
Blessed Virgin Mother

Image by brentdanley via Flickr

 the Pope has called Christians to "follow the example of the apostles, getting to know the Lord more each day and offering a clear and courageous testimony of his Gospel".
May Mary, Queen of the Apostles, obtain for us with her maternal intercession a new effusion of the Holy Spirit so that the Church in the West may be renewed. (Agenzia Fides 26/07/2011)

 

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Monday, July 25, 2011

Latest Monthly Message

Dear children! May this time be for you a time of prayer and silence. Rest your body and spirit, may they be in God’s love. Permit me, little children, to lead you, open your hearts to the Holy Spirit so that all the good that is in you may blossom and bear fruit one hundred fold. Begin and end the day with prayer with the heart. Thank you for having responded to my call.

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Messori: Medjugorje dilemma to Catholic Church, Vatican | MEDJUGORJE TODAY

Media_httpwwwmedjugor_dbkht

The apparitions in Medjugorje constitute a troubling dilemma to the Holy See. Damage will be severe no matter what the Vatican will end up deciding, says Vittorio Messori whose books about John Paul II and Benedict XVI have contributed to making him Italy’s most translated Catholic writer.

Vittorio Messori
“It’s a gift and a test, a sort of mystery of the Rosary, joyful and sorrowful together”, says Italian author Vittorio Messori about Medjugorje in an interview for the 30th anniversary of the apparitions conducted by Tracce, the international magazine published by the Catholic lay movement Communion and Liberation.
Messori first claimed international fame with his influential 1985 book “The Ratzinger Report: An Exclusive Interview on the State of the Church”. Nine years later John Paul II’s bestseller “Crossing the Threshold of Hope” came about through the Pope’s written answers to a series of questions presented to him by Messori.
Among the first international writers to visit Medjugorje in the early 1980s, Vittorio Messori sees lots of good coming out of the village. And still then, in the interview in Tracce he talks about the apparitions as a pressing problem to the Holy See in Rome:
“Whatever will be the decision of the Holy See, the damage will be severe. If the International Commission of Inquiry, presided over by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, will end up ruling on the non-authenticity of the apparitions, if it made a statement of deceit, misunderstanding, perhaps of cheating, for pastoral care it would be a disaster”, Vittorio Messori explains his position in Tracce.

Vittorio Messori with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in the mid-1980s when Messori interviewed the Cardinal for the influential book "The Ratzinger Report". 25 years later, as Pope Benedict XVI, the German prelate ordered an inquiry on Medjugorje by means of an international commission whose final outcome leaves Messori with some anxieties
“I have met and continue to meet so many people who have changed and for whom Medjugorje is the center of their experience of faith: What would you say to them? It is an illusion, you have been the victim of a hoax? It would be a scandal because of the grandeur of the phenomenon of the last thirty years”.
“But if the ruling turns out otherwise, it would still be a serious problem. Canon Law states that the local ordinary, that the Bishop is responsible for the investigation of the truth or non-truth of these cases. And it is known that in the case of Medjugorje, the two bishops (Pavao Zanic and his successor, Ratko Peric, ed) have expressed themselves strongly and without hesitation against the authenticity of the apparitions. Zanic even called it “the greatest scam in the history of the Church”, Vittorio Messori continues.
“Clearly, if the position of the local Ordinary was overruled by the Holy See, it would open an issue of pastoral authority. Not only from a perspective of Canon Law, but also from a spiritual perspective, the Bishop has the charisma to oversee these events. How not to humiliate him?”.
“Of course if you wanted to take on Medjugorje with the judging criteria of the Gospel, it would emerge largely “promoted”. Jesus says that we must judge the quality of the tree by its fruits. Here, in human terms, the fruits are extremely positive: many conversions, many people who have found a new and more intense Christian life”, Vittorio Messori says.

Media_httpwwwmedjugor_fgpwm

"The Ratzinger Report" became Vittorio Messori's breakthrough as a writer on the affairs of The Catholic Church
“But you must take everything into account. And as there are great lights, there are huge shadows, too. For example, you can not forget that the first spiritual director of the seers, Fr Tomislav Vlasic, was expelled from the Franciscan Order in 2009 and reduced by the Church to the state of the laity, with accusations of heresy, doubtful doctrine and education, and more. And there are (at least according to some) traces of syncretism in the messages. Everything here is both simple and complicated.”
No matter what, to Vittorio Messori the events in Medjugorje rank among the four biggest in the Church in the decades after The Second Vatican Council (1961-65).
“There are three major events that have really moved Christianity after the Council: the first was the exhibition of the Shroud of Turin, now almost forgotten, in 1978. The second was Saint Padre Pio, and the third the funeral of John Paul II. To these, a fourth must certainly be added: what, exactly, happened and is happening in the diocese of Mostar?”, Vittorio Messori says.
“For me it is a gift and, at the same time, a test. If the apparitions are true, they are certainly an infinite gift, but also a worried question: I try to be a questioning and aware Catholic, and so I am very concerned about the position to be taken by the Church and its consequences.”

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Mary TV Daily Reflection 7/25/2011

medjugorje-1

Image by level75 via Flickr

July 25, 2011

St. James

Dear Family of Mary!

"Dear children! I have chosen this parish in a special way and I wish to lead it. I am guarding it in love and I want everyone to be mine. Thank you for having responded tonight. I wish you always to be with me and my Son in ever greater numbers. I shall speak a message to you every Thursday." (March 1, 1984)

 

Today is the patronal feast of the parish in Medjugorje. St. James Parish was clearly chosen by Our Lady. The entire parish was chosen, not just the 6 visionaries. This is extraordinary! A whole parish - called by the Lord through Our Lady! And what a call they have had. In the early years the parish existed in a hostile environment, under a communist regime. They were penalized for being Catholic. Their pastor was put in prison, and they were hounded by the police. You would think this would not be an ideal place for Our Lady to come. But as we see, it was the best place for her to appear. The people of Medjugorje knew how to be faithful to God. They had learned it over 500 years of Turkish rule, and then war and communism.

 

During our visit to Medjugorje for the 30th Anniversary, our guide, Ivanka Petrovic, gave a stirring talk to us about the history of Medjugorje. I want to quote the second part of her talk now, because she shares about the first days of the apparitions from the perspective of the parish, the parish Our Lady picked to be her home:

 

"1981, Medjugorje was a poor village. The name of Medjugorje was not written on any maps. People who lived 20 kilometers away didn't know where Medjugorje was. There was no traffic sign that would direct you to Medjugorje. There was only one telephone line but it didn't work. It was strange. Fr. Jozo Zovko was the pastor in Medjugorje. But on that day he was not in the town. He had gone on a spiritual retreat in Zagreb and the priests at the parish couldn't inform him of what was happening because the phone didn't work. And they thought that the story of the children might last a day or two, but they didn't want to disturb his spiritual retreat.

 

"On the way from Zagreb to Medjugorje, Fr. Jozo stopped in a hospital to visit his mother, and this is where he met a lady who was a little mentally ill, and she was yelling at him, 'Father, what are you doing here. Don't you know that Our Lady is appearing in Medjugorje?' He thought the poor lady was really getting sick. He didn't know what was going on in his parish.

 

"He came to the parish and heard the same story from the priest. But you know Fr. Jozo was just a new pastor. From the beginning he had started converting (evangelizing) the parish of Medjugorje, trying to bring the Charismatic Movement to the parish, trying to make the people come more often to pray the Rosary. But when he would ask the children what they would rather do, pray or play, they would always choose to play. They were not particularly holy children. Fr. Jozo tried to convince them to come to church but there was not much response.

Group_jozo

Fr. Jozo with five of the visionaries in the Summer of 1981. 
Left to right around the priest: Ivanka, Jakov, Vicka, Mirjana, and Marija

 

"So he was not open to the story, he thought the communists were behind this story. On the other hand, the communists thought that Fr. Jozo was behind it. They thought he would start such a story, get the attention of 5000 people, and start a revolution against the communists. So the poor children, they didn't have support from the priests, or from the government or from their parents or anybody. It was a very difficult time for all of them.

 

"So finally when the police heard about all these events they were standing at the bottom of the hill. They didn't allow anyone to go to the hill. And then the children were running through the fields going to the church. Fr. Jozo was alone in the church, praying. He was trying to convince the villagers to come to the church and pray. He said, 'God is in the church, not on the mountain.' He was in the church, trying to read the Bible, but he heard a very special soft voice that said to him 'Open the door and protect the children.' He opened the door and saw the visionaries running toward him. That was the first contact of Father and the children. He still didn't believe, but he felt sympathy for the children. So he opened the door and protected the children, but not only the children, there were thousands of people with them. He didn't know how to keep control over them. So he said, 'Let's pray a Rosary'. After the first Rosary, the children said, 'Father we want to pray another one.' This was a big shock for Father! These children want to pray! So they prayed a second rosary. During that second rosary, Blessed Mother appeared, it was twenty minutes before seven, and then they said that the Holy Mother requested Holy Mass and seven Our Father's, Hail Mary's and Glory Be's.

 

Fr. Jozo was under big pressure. He didn't believe in the apparitions. He thought that if he started Holy Mass, God would take care of all this. So he celebrated the Mass and after the Mass, the prayer of Seven Our Father's, Hail Mary's and Glory Be's. During that prayer, Blessed Mother appeared to him. From that moment on he changed and started supporting the children. But because of the beautiful homilies he gave, especially the homily on confession, about someone who lives in darkness of sin for 40 years and found the light in Medjugorje, Father was arrested. The communists explained the 40 years of darkness as 40 years of communism, 1941 to 1981. Fr. Jozo was arrested and they thought that when they put him in prison the apparitions would stop. But you see that after 30 years the apparitions are still taking place! I hope this history will help you to understand why Medjugorje was chosen by heaven." (Ivanka Petrovic, Guide in Medjugorje, on June 21, 2011)

St James as Warrior

St. James the Warrior. Image by Lawrence OP via Flickr

 

Later this week I will share the first half of Ivanka's talk in which she gives a brief history of Medjugorje and Herzegovina. We see from this account that Our Lady began the evening program right away, by sending the children to the church and preparing Fr. Jozo to protect them, and then requesting Holy Mass. That evening Mass and Rosary has become a dynamo of prayer for the entire world! Thank you, St. James Parish, for answering Our Lady's call and opening your doors to the entire world!!

In Jesus and Mary!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2011

 

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Saint Christopher [Video]

According to the Traditional Catholic Calendar, the Feast to St Christopher is still kept on July 25th, alongside the Feast of St James the Greater. He is known as the patron saint of travelers (especially mariners), and to offer protection against sudden death. More


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