Life ~ a Precious Gift ~ a Miracle to be Treasured!
Prayer to Mary, Mother of the Life Within
O Mary, Mother of the Life Within,
all life we entrust to you;
The life of every expectant mother
and the child within her womb:
The life of every human body,
the life of every human soul;
The life of every newborn child
and the life of all grown old.
You held the Lord to your own heart
and drew Him so close in.
So draw us now in all our needs,
O Mother of the Life Within. Amen.
The Letter ~ from a Young Mother to her Aborted Child
Modern medical science has clearly shown us that human life begins at conception.
*At conception a new human being begins, complete with his or her own unique set of DNA; which is present from the first day of life. The new little person’s sex is also determined from the beginning.
*Eighteen days after conception the baby’s heart is beating.
*During the first month the baby grows to 10,000 times his/her size at conception.
*She or he moves six weeks after conception though the mother does not yet feel the movements.
*At eight weeks every part of the body found in an adult is already in the baby.
* At eleven weeks after conception the baby has finger-prints and the finger nails are growing.
*At twelve weeks the baby’s lips open and close. S/he can wrinkle his/her forehead, raise his or her eyes, turn his or her head, smile and frown.
*At sixteen weeks she or he reacts to sound, sucks and swallows, may get hiccups, yawns and stretches.
*Although moving since six weeks, at eighteen weeks the mother now feels the movements. The baby pushes with his or her feet and head to exercise and tone his or her developing muscles and also sucks his or her thumb. His or her toenails, hair, eyebrows, fringe of eyelashes on closed eyelids are growing.
*At twenty weeks the baby sleeps and wakes and is fully able to hear.
At twenty four weeks the baby may possibly dream and can make a fist and punch it against his or her mother.
*By twenty-five weeks the baby in the womb has the ability to hear like that of an adult and can discern the moods and attitudes of its mother. So we obviously want happy Moms so that we can have happy babies!
*The baby from an early stage can show the usual symptoms of pain during a pre-birth operation and even release the chemicals associated with adult pain but nobody can judge definitively whether it is in pain or not.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
View 'The Letter' ~ Celebrate Life ~ For YOU and YOUR BABY!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Hearts on Fire Retreat ~ St. Louis ~ Young Adults!
Apostleship of Prayer ~ Hearts On Fire Retreat
Start time 6:30pm Friday, ends with 5:00pm Vigil Mass on Saturday
This Hearts on Fire weekend is hosted by the Archdiocese of Saint Louis Office of Young Adult Ministry
A retreat event for young adults - age 18-39, single or married
If you'd enjoy an introduction to some practical ways of connecting your faith and your everyday life, come join us. Whether you're new to prayer or are just looking for new ways to pray and live a more meaningful life, this event is for you!
A TEAM OF YOUNG JESUITS • A GROUP OF YOUNG ADULTS
A THOUSAND GRACES • ONE HEART
HEARTS ON FIRE RETREATS
Living Faith in Daily Life with the
Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola
News from 'Catholic League' ~ We Must Not Be Silent ~ We Must Stand Up for CHRIST and His Teachings!
POPE’S OBLIQUE SHOT AT OBAMA
Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on today’s address [to read it click here] by Pope Benedict XVI to U.S. Bishops on their “Ad Limina” visit:
Without explicitly naming President Barack Obama, Pope Benedict XVI made it clear today that he sees the administration as a threat to religious liberty. The pope spoke eloquently on the role that religious freedom has played since the founding of America, and of the need for Catholics to follow the natural law. But he also said, “The legitimate separation of Church and State cannot be taken to mean that the Church must be silent on certain issues.” Specifically, he called attention to the “grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres.”
How do we know that the pope was addressing the Obama administration when he cited the threats emanating from the political sphere? Speaking of his discussions with U.S. bishops, the Holy Father said: “Many of you have pointed out that concerted efforts have been made to deny the right of conscientious objection on the part of Catholic individuals and institutions with regard to cooperation in intrinsically evil practices. Others have spoken to me of a worrying tendency to reduce religious freedom to mere freedom of worship without guarantees of respect for freedom of conscience.”
Pope Benedict XVI is obviously aware of the public pronouncements of people such as Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, Bishop William Lori, and others. They have rightfully objected to the Obamacare provisions that would mandate Catholic institutions to provide sterilization and contraceptive services (including abortifacients) without any realistic religious exemption, and of the decision to deny funding to a Catholic agency that combats human trafficking simply because the Church opposes abortion. The term “freedom of worship,” which was coined to distinguish it from “freedom of religion,” expresses a highly privatized understanding of religious liberty that does not embrace the public expression of religion. It is the preferred term of President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
http://www.catholicleague.org/pope%e2%80%99s-oblique-shot-at-obama/
OBAMA’S CONTEMPT FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on today’s announcement from the Obama administration that it is going forward with its original “Obamacare” policy that mandates coverage of sterilization and contraceptive services in most healthcare plans:
Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said today that aside from houses of worship, all other religious agencies and organizations will be required to provide sterilization and contraceptive services, including abortifacients, in their employee healthcare plans; none will be allowed to charge co-pays or deductibles. The policy goes into effect in August 2013 for these entities; all others will be required to provide these services in August 2012.
Sebelius explained how her directive applies to non-church religious entities such as Catholic hospitals and universities: “Employers wishing to take advantage of the additional year must certify that they qualify for the delayed implementation. This additional year will allow these organizations more time and flexibility to adapt to this new rule.” She also said, “I believe this proposal strikes the appropriate balance between religious freedom and increasing access to important preventive services.”
The language is Orwellian. With stunning magnanimity, Sebelius tells Catholic non-profits that they can take advantage of their one-year reprieve as long as they seek the blessings of the federal government. If they pass muster with the bureaucrats, then they have time to figure out how they can prostitute their religiously ground convictions, or prepare for bankruptcy. To top things off, after shoving the radical secular agenda down the throat of Catholics—and other people of faith who share their concerns—Sebelius congratulates the Obama administration for striking a “balance” between religious liberty and Obamacare. But, of course, no balance was struck: the edict grants nothing to those who believe in religious liberty, and she knows it.
That this dictatorial edict is being announced in an election year indicates both contempt for the First Amendment and plain stupidity.
Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on today’s address [to read it click here] by Pope Benedict XVI to U.S. Bishops on their “Ad Limina” visit:
Without explicitly naming President Barack Obama, Pope Benedict XVI made it clear today that he sees the administration as a threat to religious liberty. The pope spoke eloquently on the role that religious freedom has played since the founding of America, and of the need for Catholics to follow the natural law. But he also said, “The legitimate separation of Church and State cannot be taken to mean that the Church must be silent on certain issues.” Specifically, he called attention to the “grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres.”
How do we know that the pope was addressing the Obama administration when he cited the threats emanating from the political sphere? Speaking of his discussions with U.S. bishops, the Holy Father said: “Many of you have pointed out that concerted efforts have been made to deny the right of conscientious objection on the part of Catholic individuals and institutions with regard to cooperation in intrinsically evil practices. Others have spoken to me of a worrying tendency to reduce religious freedom to mere freedom of worship without guarantees of respect for freedom of conscience.”
Pope Benedict XVI is obviously aware of the public pronouncements of people such as Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, Bishop William Lori, and others. They have rightfully objected to the Obamacare provisions that would mandate Catholic institutions to provide sterilization and contraceptive services (including abortifacients) without any realistic religious exemption, and of the decision to deny funding to a Catholic agency that combats human trafficking simply because the Church opposes abortion. The term “freedom of worship,” which was coined to distinguish it from “freedom of religion,” expresses a highly privatized understanding of religious liberty that does not embrace the public expression of religion. It is the preferred term of President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
http://www.catholicleague.org/pope%e2%80%99s-oblique-shot-at-obama/
OBAMA’S CONTEMPT FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on today’s announcement from the Obama administration that it is going forward with its original “Obamacare” policy that mandates coverage of sterilization and contraceptive services in most healthcare plans:
Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said today that aside from houses of worship, all other religious agencies and organizations will be required to provide sterilization and contraceptive services, including abortifacients, in their employee healthcare plans; none will be allowed to charge co-pays or deductibles. The policy goes into effect in August 2013 for these entities; all others will be required to provide these services in August 2012.
Sebelius explained how her directive applies to non-church religious entities such as Catholic hospitals and universities: “Employers wishing to take advantage of the additional year must certify that they qualify for the delayed implementation. This additional year will allow these organizations more time and flexibility to adapt to this new rule.” She also said, “I believe this proposal strikes the appropriate balance between religious freedom and increasing access to important preventive services.”
The language is Orwellian. With stunning magnanimity, Sebelius tells Catholic non-profits that they can take advantage of their one-year reprieve as long as they seek the blessings of the federal government. If they pass muster with the bureaucrats, then they have time to figure out how they can prostitute their religiously ground convictions, or prepare for bankruptcy. To top things off, after shoving the radical secular agenda down the throat of Catholics—and other people of faith who share their concerns—Sebelius congratulates the Obama administration for striking a “balance” between religious liberty and Obamacare. But, of course, no balance was struck: the edict grants nothing to those who believe in religious liberty, and she knows it.
That this dictatorial edict is being announced in an election year indicates both contempt for the First Amendment and plain stupidity.
Obama Administration Refuses to Change Abortion-Drug Mandate
Administration delays inevitable judgment day
For Immediate Release: January 20, 2012
Today, according to press reports, the Obama administration refused to change a controversial rule that would require religious institutions, in violation of their conscience, to pay for contraceptive drugs—including those that could cause an abortion. Instead, the administration merely delayed the effective date of the rule by one year.
The rule is currently subject to two lawsuits filed by The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty—one on behalf of Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina, and one on behalf of Colorado Christian University.
“This is a shameless attempt to kick the can down the road in an election year,” says Hannah Smith, Senior Legal Counsel for The Becket Fund. “Religious colleges, universities, and hospitals will never pay for abortion drugs in violation of their religious beliefs–this year or any other year. The right of conscience has no expiration date.”
The announcement comes just one week after the Supreme Court’s decision in EEOC v. Hosanna-Tabor, a landmark case involving the right of churches to select their religious leaders. In that case, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected the Obama administration’s “extreme” position that would have allowed the government to decide whom churches could have as a minister. The Becket Fund also represented the church in that U.S. Supreme Court case.
“The administration has seen the writing on the wall. They know that this mandate cannot survive constitutional scrutiny any more than their ‘extreme’ position in Hosanna-Tabor did. So the administration is trying to delay the inevitable judgment day,” added Smith.
The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty is a non-profit, public-interest law firm dedicated to protecting the free expression of all religious traditions. The Becket Fund has a 17-year history of defending religious liberty for people of all faiths. Its attorneys are recognized as experts in the field of church-state law.
http://www.becketfund.org/obama-administration-refuses-to-change-abortion-drug-mandate/
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Homily by Fr. Altier! ~ PRO-LIFE ~ WE ARE CALLED TO BE A PEOPLE OF LIFE! ~ VOTE FOR LIFE! ~ BE A VOICE FOR LIFE!
Let Us Be a People of LIFE!Homily by Fr. Robert Altier
From: 22 January 2006
Reading I (Jonah 3:1-5, 10)
Reading II (1 Corinthians 7:29-31)
Gospel (St. Mark 1:14-20)
In the Gospel reading today, we hear about the beginning of Our Lord’s public ministry. The very first thing He preached to the people was the message: Repent, and believe in the Gospel because the kingdom of God is at hand. When we look at that point of repentance, we can see what follows from it. In the first reading today, for instance, we hear about Jonah going into the city of Nineveh and preaching to the people. When the people heard the message of Jonah, they believed. They turned their lives around, they called a fast, they put on sackcloth, and they repented of their sins. Because of their repentance, God did not carry out the destruction of the city which He had threatened.
Saint Paul tells us in the second reading today that the world as we know it is passing away; and thanks be to God, I might add. But regardless of that, we need to be able to look at the necessity of repentance, because repentance can mitigate the chastisement that is to come. And why do we need to repent? All we need to do is think about the tragic anniversary that we observe today, the most horrific decision the United States Supreme Court ever made, in 1973, to allow babies in the womb to be killed. Since then, 47 million American citizens have been surgically aborted. Since 1980 (that is, in the last 25 years), throughout the world 1 billion children have been aborted. One billion in the last 25 years. If we think the tsunami that hit over in the Indian Ocean last Christmas was pretty bad, think of what the blood of a billion babies is going to be. Think of the tidal wave of blood that has been shed upon this earth, and think all the way back into the Book of Genesis when Cain killed his brother Abel. God spoke to Cain and said, Your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the earth. The unjust taking of innocent life is one of the four sins that cries out to heaven for vengeance, and the blood of these babies must be atoned.
Even though the vast majority of Americans are opposed to abortion, that seems to mean nothing. Objective truth seems to mean nothing. One of the hopeful things, at least, that we can look at is that the vast majority of college-age students are pro-life. In a recent CBS poll, 55% of Americans said they opposed abortion. Then beyond that, another 17% said they thought abortion should only be allowed in very specific cases, which means that 70% or so of American people are opposed to more than 98% of all the abortions that go on in the United States right now.
But things are even worse. In America, even though we are still surgically aborting 1.3 million babies a year (that, of course, does not include the contraceptive abortions), we are not the worst. The average woman in Russia right now has had 8 abortions – average. In the Low Countries, they are aborting approximately 50% of all their babies. Throughout the world right now, 1 out of every 3 pregnancies ends in abortion – 1 out of every 3 worldwide. In some countries, for instance, China and India, they have decided that boys are far more important than girls. After all, the way they would look at it, the boy maintains the family name; in those countries, when a girl gets married, she is owned by her husband’s family or becomes part of his family; the boy receives the inheritance; and, in China, they have determined that the boys would be able to do more physical labor than the girls. Therefore, they do not want girls and they kill them purposefully so that they can have boys, because in China they have a one-child policy. You can only have one baby, and if a woman is pregnant with her second baby, they will forcibly abort the baby; they will force the mother to kill the child. Oftentimes in China, if the first child born is a girl, they will kill her because they want a boy. So right now in China there are 25 million males of marriageable age with no girls to marry. And because of that situation, what is happening is the girls have become an object. For the few girls there are, there are many young men who want to marry them, and the jealousy factor that gets involved has turned out in many cases to be a situation where “If I can’t marry this woman, nobody will” and they kill the woman; they murder her so that nobody can marry her. So even the few girls who have made it to marriageable age, a lot of them are being exterminated because some jealous male was not able to marry her. In India right now, we are having the exact same problem. They are aborting the girls for the same reasons I mentioned earlier. Right now, for every 1,000 boys there are approximately 800 girls being born. This has been going on now for the last several years. Consequently, in India we are going to have the same problem coming up in a few years as we are having in China: many boys, few girls.
Just two weeks ago, the European Union decided that the right of a woman to kill her baby in the womb is more important than the right of a doctor to say that he will not do it. And so the forty nations that comprise the European Union have decreed that it is an international right – imagine that! – for a woman to have an abortion, and a doctor has no right to make a conscientious objection, even if the doctor is Catholic. The only exception to that rule is if the doctor will take the woman to another doctor and guarantee that the other doctor will abort the baby. Otherwise, the right to have an abortion in the European Union overrides the doctor’s right to say that he has a conscientious objection to killing babies. This is what is going on in our world today.
All we have to do is look at the present Supreme Court hearings that have been going on over the last few weeks. It does not have anything at all to do with whether a judge knows much about the law; it does not matter what he knows about the Constitution; it is a question of: “Where do you stand on certain political agenda issues, primarily abortion?” And isn’t it interesting that even though these politicians, who over the last number of years have constantly beat the same drum saying, “My constituents are pro-abortion, therefore I have to vote pro-abortion,” now we have 70% of the American population saying they are pro-life, and the politicians continue to beat the pro-abortion drum. They can no longer blame it upon their constituents because their younger constituents realize that one-fifth of their classmates have been killed.
So we do indeed have much to repent of. But at the same time, we have to understand the mercy of God. We are not going to escape entirely what is coming. Look back, again, into the ancient world and you will find that God tells the Israelite people that the very reason He sent them into the Promised Land to exterminate the peoples who were there was because they killed their babies and because they worshipped idols. What do we have going on in the world today? The people of Nineveh at least believed because they had some belief in God. We live in a pagan society now. The worship of idols has become rampant and the offering of babies is happening on a daily basis. These are sins God cannot tolerate.
If we look into our own hearts, we realize that all of us, from one degree to another, are also responsible for the mess in the world. We have all sinned. But God’s mercy is far greater than our sinfulness; and if we are willing to repent, God, Who is faithful and Who is merciful, will forgive our sins. It does not matter what the sin happens to be. Perhaps there has been an abortion. Perhaps you have been involved in contraception or sterilization or any other mortal sin you can think of. God’s mercy is infinitely greater than our sin. No matter how horrible the sin might be, if we are willing to get down on our knees before the priest of Jesus Christ and humbly confess our sins, they will be forgiven. God will remove those sins from our souls. And if we are willing, then, to learn the lesson from the people of Nineveh, to truly repent and be willing to do penance, we can mitigate whatever is going to befall this world.
God will take the blood of all of those babies and He will make something great, as only God can, because the old saying is The blood of martyrs is the seedbed of faith. There is no blood more innocent than that of a child in the womb; therefore, there is no blood that is going to be more powerful than that of a child from the womb. And we have now spilled upon this earth the blood of over 1 billion babies. That is a powerful force crying out to heaven, and God will hear the cries of those babies. But God will also hear the cries of the mothers. We recall when we think about the Holy Innocents, the Gospel writer Matthew tells us that that was to fulfill what was said: Rachel wailing for her children because they are no more. There is not a heart of a woman who has aborted a baby that does not cry out in pain. As much as they might want to try to hide it, they cannot. The reality is there. And if any woman will turn to God and allow those cries to be cries of repentance directed to Almighty God, those will be powerful prayers. So instead of turning upon ourselves, which is what this world tells us to do, we need to turn to God and we need to hear the words of Jesus Christ: Repent, and believe in the Gospel because the kingdom of God is at hand.
* This text was transcribed from the audio recording of a homily by Father Robert Altier with minimal editing. From ~ Desert Voice
Rick Santorum ~ He Defends Life!
LIFE ~ A BEAUTIFUL GIFT ~ TO BE LIVED & CHERISHED!
CHERISH ALL LIFE ~ BORN & UNBORN ~ YOUNG & OLD!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Happy Birthday, Dear Saint Philomena! ~
The Rosary in Honor of Saint Philomena
The rosary also known as the chaplet or Little Crown of Saint Philomena is made up of red beads to signify her martyrdom and white beads; a token of her virginity and purity.
This Rosary is one of the simplest ways of praying to the Saint.
First the creed is recited on the Crucifix or medal of St Philomena; to ask for the gift of faith.
Then three Our Fathers on each of the white beads; to thank the Blessed Trinity for the gifts given to the Holy Virgin, for in whose honor, laid down her life.
The red beads are thirteen in number and signify the 13 years our martyr lived on earth, and this prayer is recited on each bead:
Hail, O Holy Saint Philomena, my dear patroness. As my advocate with thy Divine Spouse, intercede for me now and at the hour of my death.
Saint Philomena, beloved daughter of Jesus and of Mary, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Amen.
Conclude with…
Hail, O Illustrious Saint Philomena, who so courageously shed thy blood for Christ, I bless the Lord for all the graces He has bestowed upon thee, during thy life, especially at thy death, I praise and glorify Him for the honor and power with which He has crowned thee, and I beg thee to obtain for me from God the graces I ask through thy intercession. Amen.
Santa Filomena
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Whene'er a noble deed is wrought,
Whene'er is spoken a noble thought,
Our hearts, in glad surprise,
To higher levels rise.
The tidal wave of deeper souls
Into our inmost being rolls,
And lifts us unawares
Out of all meaner cares.
Honor to those whose words or deeds
Thus help us in our daily needs,
And by their overflow
Raise us from what is low!
Thus thought I, as by night I read
Of the great army of the dead,
The trenches cold and damp,
The starved and frozen camp,--
The wounded from the battle-plain,
In dreary hospitals of pain,
The cheerless corridors,
The cold and stony floors.
Lo! in that house of misery
A lady with a lamp I see
Pass through the glimmering gloom,
And flit from room to room.
And slow, as in a dream of bliss,
The speechless sufferer turns to kiss
Her shadow, as it falls
Upon the darkening walls.
As if a door in heaven should be
Opened and then closed suddenly,
The vision came and went,
The light shone and was spent.
On England's annals, through the long
Hereafter of her speech and song,
That light its rays shall cast
From portals of the past.
A Lady with a Lamp shall stand
In the great history of the land,
A noble type of good,
Heroic womanhood.
Nor even shall be wanting here
The palm, the lily, and the spear,
The symbols that of yore
Saint Filomena bore.
Santa Filomena was first published in The Atlantic Monthly magazine in the very first issue, November 1857
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Celebrate the Ephiphany of Our Dear Lord, Jesus ~ Homily by Fr. Robert Altier!
Collect for the Epiphany
O God
Who on this day
through the guidance of a star
didst manifest
Thine Only-Begotten Son to the Gentiles;
mercifully grant
that we who know Thee now by faith,
may one day be brought
to the contemplation of the beauty of Thy majesty.
Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
~ Benedictine Monastic Diurnal
O God
Who on this day
through the guidance of a star
didst manifest
Thine Only-Begotten Son to the Gentiles;
mercifully grant
that we who know Thee now by faith,
may one day be brought
to the contemplation of the beauty of Thy majesty.
Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
~ Benedictine Monastic Diurnal
Epiphany of the Lord
Homily by Fr. Robert Altier
From: Sunday ~ 8 January 2006
From: Sunday ~ 8 January 2006
Reading I (Isaiah 60:1-6)
Reading II (Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6)
Gospel (St. Matthew 2:1-12)
The feast we celebrate today of the Epiphany was one of the most important feast days in the ancient Church year. The reason for that is one that we tend to take for granted. It is made very clear in the second reading today, that is, the mystery has been revealed. And the mystery that was revealed was demonstrated in a very particular way through the feast we celebrate today, that is, the Gentiles are now coheirs with the Jews, members of the same body, they are heirs of eternal life, and they are brought into one with Jesus Christ. Saint Paul tells us this is something that was made known to him by a revelation.
For the Jewish people, of course, we understand that they were the chosen people of God, and they understood fully well that they were the means to salvation. But there were also a number of prophetic statements of the Old Testament talking about the fact that there would be a new covenant and that the Gentiles would become one with the Jews. More than likely, the average Jewish person reading this would have assumed that meant the Gentiles would become Jewish. But, in fact, we can look at it now in Christ and see that is not what it meant at all; there was something entirely new. This is precisely what Our Lord talks about when He says, for instance: No one takes a new piece of cloth and sews it on to an old coat, and, No one puts new wine into old wine skins. In fact, it is something that must be entirely different, something new. It builds upon what was there of old because God’s truth does not change, but it fulfills everything of old.
So what Saint Paul and the other apostles would not realize for many years to come was revealed in a very profound way in Our Lord’s birth, that here we have the pagan nations, the Gentiles (the word Gentile, by the way, means “nation,” so it is every nation that is not Israel; anyone who was not Jewish was considered a Gentile; it is all the people of the nations), the representatives of various nations coming to give homage to Christ. In fact, the word in the Gospel that is translated as homage is actually the word worship in Greek. They worshipped Him. We are told in the Gospel that they prostrated themselves and they worshipped Him.
Now contrast that with what we see in the Gospel reading about Jerusalem. We are told that King Herod and all Jerusalem with him were afraid. They trembled at the news that the Messiah was born. Why would that happen? What we celebrate today goes rather contrary to what we heard in the first reading. We heard: Darkness covers the earth and thick clouds the peoples; but upon you, Jerusalem, the Lord will dawn and in you His radiance will be revealed. The people of Jerusalem were the ones who were to be enlightened. They had the truth. They had the prophets. They had the Scriptures and everything that was contained within. But what happened in ancient Jerusalem is tragically similar to what is happening throughout the world right now, but we just have to look around our own backyard here, and we have to say that the darkness covers and the thick clouds have enveloped the people. Just ask yourself right now: If Jesus were to be born into our world, not coming in glory again, but what if He were to be born into our world today, to come in a very hidden form? How many people do you know in your neighborhood, in your office, even perhaps in your own home, who would rejoice that the Light has come into the darkness? The tragedy is people of our day have chosen the darkness. They like it because evil deeds are done in darkness, but those that are good are brought into the light. So in our world filled with corruption, selfishness, and all kinds of unfortunate things, people just like of old have chosen the darkness over the light. And I do not think it takes a genius to be able to recognize that it is getting darker. But that is okay because the darker something is, the brighter the light shines within it.
Now if people like it dark, they do not want the light to shine, which is why they are going to give you all kinds of trouble if you are doing what Christ told you to do, that is, to be the light of the world, to go out into the darkness and bring the light of Christ into the world. Because unlike what happened two thousand years ago, where Our Lord was born in human form and was revealed to the nations through a star, today He wants to be revealed through us. He wants us to be like that guiding star to bring people to Him, to point the way beyond ourselves to Christ Himself. That is the task that is given to each and every one of us.
We can understand, perhaps, a little bit of the reaction of the people of Jerusalem. For many of us, perhaps the thought of going out into the world and bringing Christ into the world, living our faith out in this world of darkness, being truly Catholic in this neopagan society in which we live, brings a little bit of trembling into our heart. The trembling is in people who claim that they know and love Jesus. What about people who did not know and love Him? They were awaiting His arrival, but they did not know Him yet; consequently, they were not able to love Him. They were not sure what was going to happen to their way of life and they were afraid.
We know what is supposed to happen to our way of life. We are supposed to overcome sin and we are to live as children of the light. We are to live holy lives. Still, we tremble at the thought of having to change our lives in order to live them for Christ. How many of us have chosen to live like the pagans around us, just so that we fit in? Isn’t it interesting that the people of the promise trembled in fear when they heard about the Messiah being born? But the pagans came and prostrated themselves and worshipped Him. What about us? Are we willing to bow down before Him, not just on Sunday morning, not just when we receive Holy Communion, but are we willing to live our lives that way? Are we truly willing to live our lives for Christ?
The word epiphany means a “manifestation.” Our Lord has made Himself manifest to the nations, and He has made Himself manifest to each and every one of us. There is not one single person who can say that Our Lord has not made Himself clear. I am not saying that He has somehow appeared in some extraordinary form, because in most of us, thanks be to God, that has not happened – and do not pray that it does. But we know Him. He is right here in the Blessed Sacrament, and He has made Himself manifest to us. We have the fullness of truth regarding Christ.
In the ancient world, there were actually three feasts that were celebrated today – the Epiphany, the Baptism of Our Lord, and the Wedding Feast at Cana – because these were three things that manifested the true divinity of Christ. The pagans recognized Who He was and bowed down and worshipped Him; the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and the voice of the Father was heard saying, You are My beloved Son, on you My favor rests; and in the wedding at Cana, the first of His miracles where His apostles began to believe in Him and He manifested Himself at the beginning of His public life.
Now we have the fullness of the Gospel; we have the fullness of truth given to us. The manifestation of Christ is truly present within the hearts and souls of every single one of us. If that is the case, then we have to ask ourselves: Is Christ being manifest now through us? He has been made manifest to us, is He being made manifest through us to others? That is what He is looking for. When Our Lord was brought to the temple by His mother, Simeon took Him in his arms and proclaimed that He is the light to the nations and that through Him we have the revelation of God. What Simeon recognized in the humanity of Christ was His divinity shining through. Our Lord desires that we would do the same, that we will recognize Him hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, but also hidden within each one of us. If we are in the state of grace, remember that the Holy Trinity dwells within. All three persons of God – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – dwell inside of each one of us as in a temple. And He desires that we would bring Him out into the world and make Him manifest, a light of revelation to the nations.
Again, if you think about it and you look at yourself and think, “Well, I’m really not shining too terribly brightly for the Lord,” then rejoice all the more that the darkness is becoming so much worse, because even the dimmest bulb shines rather brightly in great darkness. But we need to make sure we continue to try to increase the brightness that is there, that we develop the holiness and the prayer life, that we seek true union with Christ. The times in which we are living should certainly be clear to anyone of faith. They are extraordinary times, certainly times of extraordinary evil – never in the history of the world has there been such an evil day. If you think about that from past events, the Flood came at the time of Noah because of the evil that was present in the world. Back in the late 1950’s, Pope Pius XII said that we live in the most sinful society that history has ever known. That was in the 1950’s. And so if that is the case, things are far worse now. We need to make sure we are living our faith. We need to make sure we are not giving way to the darkness to become like everyone else. We need to make sure we are not compromising our commitment to Jesus Christ, because in the midst of such an evil time we know there are going to be extraordinary things that are going to be happening, and each and every one of us needs to be prepared for that. We know not the day nor the hour, and it does not matter when. All that matters is that we are found watching and ready.
We need to learn from these three truly Wise Men of old. They watched in the darkness for a bright star. In the darkness of this world, we need to keep our eyes on He Who is the Light of the world. And from His light, we need to be enlightened so that we can go out into the darkness and the light of faith will brighten the path upon which we are to walk. We are to recognize Christ in the midst of this darkness, and we are to prostrate ourselves before Him and we are to worship Him. There is no need for fear. There is no need for trembling. But rather, as is said of the ancient Jerusalem so it is said of the New Jerusalem: You will be radiant at what you see. That is what Jesus wants from us: to see His extreme and ultimate radiance, the light of God, the light of truth, the light of love shining forth from the Blessed Sacrament and shining forth from within us, that we too will be radiant, that we too will be filled with His grace so we will bring God, Who is truth and Who is love, out into the world of darkness, of hatred, and of lies; and that the mystery that was revealed and is celebrated today will continue to be revealed and celebrated; that even those who have chosen to live a pagan life in this world will be able to see the true light and they will come to Jesus Christ, and they too will prostrate themselves and worship Him.
But before that happens, it needs to happen in us. We rejoice when there are conversions. We rejoice when people see the light. But how often we are put to shame by the way these people live their lives. They have seen the truth and they have changed their lives to conform to the truth, whereas so many of us continue to try to compromise the truth, to be mediocre Catholics, and to find a way to let the darkness attempt to cover the light. We cannot do that any longer. The Wise Men were smart enough to look to the light in the darkness. We live in a day where darkness covers the earth and thick clouds cover the people, but there is a brilliant star that shines in the darkness. If we have any wisdom about us at all, we should be able to see that star – Who is Jesus Christ – shining in the darkness and to follow that star, to keep our eyes fixed upon it until we find Him, we unite ourselves with Him, and we bow down before Him and worship Him.
* This text was transcribed from the audio recording of a homily by Father Robert Altier with minimal editing. From ~ Desert Voice
Reading II (Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6)
Gospel (St. Matthew 2:1-12)
The feast we celebrate today of the Epiphany was one of the most important feast days in the ancient Church year. The reason for that is one that we tend to take for granted. It is made very clear in the second reading today, that is, the mystery has been revealed. And the mystery that was revealed was demonstrated in a very particular way through the feast we celebrate today, that is, the Gentiles are now coheirs with the Jews, members of the same body, they are heirs of eternal life, and they are brought into one with Jesus Christ. Saint Paul tells us this is something that was made known to him by a revelation.
For the Jewish people, of course, we understand that they were the chosen people of God, and they understood fully well that they were the means to salvation. But there were also a number of prophetic statements of the Old Testament talking about the fact that there would be a new covenant and that the Gentiles would become one with the Jews. More than likely, the average Jewish person reading this would have assumed that meant the Gentiles would become Jewish. But, in fact, we can look at it now in Christ and see that is not what it meant at all; there was something entirely new. This is precisely what Our Lord talks about when He says, for instance: No one takes a new piece of cloth and sews it on to an old coat, and, No one puts new wine into old wine skins. In fact, it is something that must be entirely different, something new. It builds upon what was there of old because God’s truth does not change, but it fulfills everything of old.
So what Saint Paul and the other apostles would not realize for many years to come was revealed in a very profound way in Our Lord’s birth, that here we have the pagan nations, the Gentiles (the word Gentile, by the way, means “nation,” so it is every nation that is not Israel; anyone who was not Jewish was considered a Gentile; it is all the people of the nations), the representatives of various nations coming to give homage to Christ. In fact, the word in the Gospel that is translated as homage is actually the word worship in Greek. They worshipped Him. We are told in the Gospel that they prostrated themselves and they worshipped Him.
Now contrast that with what we see in the Gospel reading about Jerusalem. We are told that King Herod and all Jerusalem with him were afraid. They trembled at the news that the Messiah was born. Why would that happen? What we celebrate today goes rather contrary to what we heard in the first reading. We heard: Darkness covers the earth and thick clouds the peoples; but upon you, Jerusalem, the Lord will dawn and in you His radiance will be revealed. The people of Jerusalem were the ones who were to be enlightened. They had the truth. They had the prophets. They had the Scriptures and everything that was contained within. But what happened in ancient Jerusalem is tragically similar to what is happening throughout the world right now, but we just have to look around our own backyard here, and we have to say that the darkness covers and the thick clouds have enveloped the people. Just ask yourself right now: If Jesus were to be born into our world, not coming in glory again, but what if He were to be born into our world today, to come in a very hidden form? How many people do you know in your neighborhood, in your office, even perhaps in your own home, who would rejoice that the Light has come into the darkness? The tragedy is people of our day have chosen the darkness. They like it because evil deeds are done in darkness, but those that are good are brought into the light. So in our world filled with corruption, selfishness, and all kinds of unfortunate things, people just like of old have chosen the darkness over the light. And I do not think it takes a genius to be able to recognize that it is getting darker. But that is okay because the darker something is, the brighter the light shines within it.
Now if people like it dark, they do not want the light to shine, which is why they are going to give you all kinds of trouble if you are doing what Christ told you to do, that is, to be the light of the world, to go out into the darkness and bring the light of Christ into the world. Because unlike what happened two thousand years ago, where Our Lord was born in human form and was revealed to the nations through a star, today He wants to be revealed through us. He wants us to be like that guiding star to bring people to Him, to point the way beyond ourselves to Christ Himself. That is the task that is given to each and every one of us.
We can understand, perhaps, a little bit of the reaction of the people of Jerusalem. For many of us, perhaps the thought of going out into the world and bringing Christ into the world, living our faith out in this world of darkness, being truly Catholic in this neopagan society in which we live, brings a little bit of trembling into our heart. The trembling is in people who claim that they know and love Jesus. What about people who did not know and love Him? They were awaiting His arrival, but they did not know Him yet; consequently, they were not able to love Him. They were not sure what was going to happen to their way of life and they were afraid.
We know what is supposed to happen to our way of life. We are supposed to overcome sin and we are to live as children of the light. We are to live holy lives. Still, we tremble at the thought of having to change our lives in order to live them for Christ. How many of us have chosen to live like the pagans around us, just so that we fit in? Isn’t it interesting that the people of the promise trembled in fear when they heard about the Messiah being born? But the pagans came and prostrated themselves and worshipped Him. What about us? Are we willing to bow down before Him, not just on Sunday morning, not just when we receive Holy Communion, but are we willing to live our lives that way? Are we truly willing to live our lives for Christ?
The word epiphany means a “manifestation.” Our Lord has made Himself manifest to the nations, and He has made Himself manifest to each and every one of us. There is not one single person who can say that Our Lord has not made Himself clear. I am not saying that He has somehow appeared in some extraordinary form, because in most of us, thanks be to God, that has not happened – and do not pray that it does. But we know Him. He is right here in the Blessed Sacrament, and He has made Himself manifest to us. We have the fullness of truth regarding Christ.
In the ancient world, there were actually three feasts that were celebrated today – the Epiphany, the Baptism of Our Lord, and the Wedding Feast at Cana – because these were three things that manifested the true divinity of Christ. The pagans recognized Who He was and bowed down and worshipped Him; the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and the voice of the Father was heard saying, You are My beloved Son, on you My favor rests; and in the wedding at Cana, the first of His miracles where His apostles began to believe in Him and He manifested Himself at the beginning of His public life.
Now we have the fullness of the Gospel; we have the fullness of truth given to us. The manifestation of Christ is truly present within the hearts and souls of every single one of us. If that is the case, then we have to ask ourselves: Is Christ being manifest now through us? He has been made manifest to us, is He being made manifest through us to others? That is what He is looking for. When Our Lord was brought to the temple by His mother, Simeon took Him in his arms and proclaimed that He is the light to the nations and that through Him we have the revelation of God. What Simeon recognized in the humanity of Christ was His divinity shining through. Our Lord desires that we would do the same, that we will recognize Him hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, but also hidden within each one of us. If we are in the state of grace, remember that the Holy Trinity dwells within. All three persons of God – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – dwell inside of each one of us as in a temple. And He desires that we would bring Him out into the world and make Him manifest, a light of revelation to the nations.
Again, if you think about it and you look at yourself and think, “Well, I’m really not shining too terribly brightly for the Lord,” then rejoice all the more that the darkness is becoming so much worse, because even the dimmest bulb shines rather brightly in great darkness. But we need to make sure we continue to try to increase the brightness that is there, that we develop the holiness and the prayer life, that we seek true union with Christ. The times in which we are living should certainly be clear to anyone of faith. They are extraordinary times, certainly times of extraordinary evil – never in the history of the world has there been such an evil day. If you think about that from past events, the Flood came at the time of Noah because of the evil that was present in the world. Back in the late 1950’s, Pope Pius XII said that we live in the most sinful society that history has ever known. That was in the 1950’s. And so if that is the case, things are far worse now. We need to make sure we are living our faith. We need to make sure we are not giving way to the darkness to become like everyone else. We need to make sure we are not compromising our commitment to Jesus Christ, because in the midst of such an evil time we know there are going to be extraordinary things that are going to be happening, and each and every one of us needs to be prepared for that. We know not the day nor the hour, and it does not matter when. All that matters is that we are found watching and ready.
We need to learn from these three truly Wise Men of old. They watched in the darkness for a bright star. In the darkness of this world, we need to keep our eyes on He Who is the Light of the world. And from His light, we need to be enlightened so that we can go out into the darkness and the light of faith will brighten the path upon which we are to walk. We are to recognize Christ in the midst of this darkness, and we are to prostrate ourselves before Him and we are to worship Him. There is no need for fear. There is no need for trembling. But rather, as is said of the ancient Jerusalem so it is said of the New Jerusalem: You will be radiant at what you see. That is what Jesus wants from us: to see His extreme and ultimate radiance, the light of God, the light of truth, the light of love shining forth from the Blessed Sacrament and shining forth from within us, that we too will be radiant, that we too will be filled with His grace so we will bring God, Who is truth and Who is love, out into the world of darkness, of hatred, and of lies; and that the mystery that was revealed and is celebrated today will continue to be revealed and celebrated; that even those who have chosen to live a pagan life in this world will be able to see the true light and they will come to Jesus Christ, and they too will prostrate themselves and worship Him.
But before that happens, it needs to happen in us. We rejoice when there are conversions. We rejoice when people see the light. But how often we are put to shame by the way these people live their lives. They have seen the truth and they have changed their lives to conform to the truth, whereas so many of us continue to try to compromise the truth, to be mediocre Catholics, and to find a way to let the darkness attempt to cover the light. We cannot do that any longer. The Wise Men were smart enough to look to the light in the darkness. We live in a day where darkness covers the earth and thick clouds cover the people, but there is a brilliant star that shines in the darkness. If we have any wisdom about us at all, we should be able to see that star – Who is Jesus Christ – shining in the darkness and to follow that star, to keep our eyes fixed upon it until we find Him, we unite ourselves with Him, and we bow down before Him and worship Him.
* This text was transcribed from the audio recording of a homily by Father Robert Altier with minimal editing. From ~ Desert Voice
Monday, January 2, 2012
Rosary Crusade ~ Rick Santorum ~ 2012 President!
Rosary Crusade ~ Rick Santorum ~ 2012 President
Join me in praying the Rosary with the special intention of Rick Santorum becoming the next President of the United States of America… Why Rick you ask? He is the Presidential Candidate that honors God by living out fully the Commandments… Rick Santorum is Pro-Life, Pro-Family, & Pro-Marriage (as designed by God Almighty) – and yes, Rick Santorum wants to see America once again as the great Nation she was established to be… one with true Freedom and true Honor. Read about it for yourself ...HERE!
Sweet Virgin Mary, O Holy Mother of God,
Pray for us!
How to Pray the Rosary
The Mysteries...
Joyful Mysteries: The Annunciation, The Visitation, The Nativity, The Presentation & The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple
Sorrowful Mysteries: The Agony in the Garden, The Scourging at the Pillar, The Crowing with Thorns, The Carrying of The Cross & The Crucifixion
Glorious Mysteries: The Resurrection, The Ascension, The Descent of the Most Holy Spirit, The Assumption & The Coronation
Luminous Mysteries: The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordon, The Wedding Feast at Cana, The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God, The Transfiguration of Jesus & The Institution of the Most Holy Eucharist
The Sign of the Cross:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Apostles Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.
The Our Father:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name: Thy kingdom come: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread: and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation: but deliver us from evil. Amen.
The Hail Mary: (3x ~ for faith, hope, & charity)
Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
The Glory Be to the Father:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
*Now the first Mystery of the Rosary + the Our Father (1x) + the Hail Mary (10x) + and then the Fatima Prayer.* Repeat this pattern for each of the five Mysteries of the Rosary, all the while meditating on the particular Mystery of the Rosary*
The Fatima Prayer:
O my Jesus, forgive our sins; save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy. Amen.
*We conclude with the following prayers.*
Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy! Our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley, of tears. Turn, then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus; O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let Us Pray:
O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these mysteries in the most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain, and obtain what they promise: through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint Michael Prayer:
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in our day of battle; be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through this world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
The Memorare:
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly to you O Virgin of virgins, my mother. To you I come; before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.
Glory Be to the Father (3x) For Our Dear Pope!
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