March 19 – St. Joseph

From the 1889 encyclical of Pope Leo XIII, Quamquam Pluries, on devotion to St. Joseph:

“That God may be more favorable to Our prayers, and that He may come with bounty and promptitude to the aid of His Church, We judge it of deep utility for the Christian people, continually to invoke with great piety and trust, together with the Virgin-Mother of God, her chaste Spouse, the Blessed Joseph; and We regard it as most certain that this will be most pleasing to the Virgin herself.”

“Joseph shines among all mankind by the most august dignity, since by divine will, he was the guardian of the Son of God and reputed as His father among men.”

“These are the reasons why men of every rank and country should fly to the trust and guard of the blessed Joseph. Fathers of families find in Joseph the best personification of paternal solicitude and vigilance; spouses a perfect example of love, of peace, and of conjugal fidelity; virgins at the same time find in him the model and protector of virginal integrity. The noble of birth will learn of Joseph how to guard their dignity even in misfortune; the rich will understand, by his lessons, what are the goods most to be desired and won at the price of their labor. As to workmen, artisans, and persons of lesser degree, their recourse to Joseph is a special right, and his example is for their particular imitation. For Joseph, of royal blood, united by marriage to the greatest and holiest of women, reputed the father of the Son of God, passed his life in labor, and won by the toil of the artisan the needful support of his family. It is, then, true that the condition of the lowly has nothing shameful in it, and the work of the laborer is not only not dishonoring, but can, if virtue be joined to it, be singularly ennobled. Joseph, content with his slight possessions, bore the trials consequent on a fortune so slender, with greatness of soul, in imitation of his Son, who having put on the form of a slave, being the Lord of life, subjected himself of his own free-will to the spoliation and loss of everything.”

“In those lands where the 19th of March - the Feast of St. Joseph - is not a Festival of Obligation, We exhort the faithful to sanctify it as far as possible by private pious practices, in honor of their heavenly patron, as though it were a day of Obligation.”


Prayer to St. Joseph
To you, O blessed Joseph, do we come in our tribulation, and having implored the help of your most holy spouse, we confidently invoke your patronage also. Through that charity which bound you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the paternal love with which you embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly beg you graciously to regard the inheritance which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood, and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities.

O most watchful Guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ; O most loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence; O our most mighty protector, be propitious to us and from heaven assist us in our struggle with the power of darkness; and, as once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now protect God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; shield, too, each one of us by your constant protection, so that, supported by your example and your aid, we may be able to live piously, to die holily, and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven. Amen.

March 17 - St. Patrick

"I arise today:

in the might of God for my piloting;
in the Power of God for my upholding;

in the Wisdom of God for my guidance;

in the Eye of God for my foresight;

in the Ear of God for my hearing;

in the Word of God for my utterance;

in the Hand of God for my guardianship;

in the Path of God for my precedence;

in the Shield of God for my protection;

in the Host of God for my salvation;

against snares of demons;

against allurements of vices;

against solicitations of nature;

against every person that wishes me ill, far and near;

alone and in a crowd."

-from The Lorcia of St. Patrick

March 7 – Sts. Perpetua and Felicity

March 7th is the memorial of Saints Perpetua, Felicity, and their companions who were martyred for the faith in the early 3rd century. Perpetua and Felicity, two young mothers, both remained firm in their faith even in the face of losing their children and being put to death. Below is an excerpt from Perpetua’s diary.

"...we were still with the persecutors, and my father, for the sake of his affection for me, was persisting in seeking to turn me away, and to cast me down from the faith—'Father,' said I, 'do you see, let us say, this vessel lying here to be a little pitcher, or something else?' And he said, 'I see it to be so.' And I replied to him, 'Can it be called by any other name than what it is?' And he said, 'No.' 'Neither can I call myself anything else than what I am, a Christian.'"

While Christians around the world are being persecuted and even killed for the faith, I pray that Sts. Perpetua and Felicity will intercede on behalf of all those in need of the courage to stand for Our Lord and His Church.

February 23 – St. Polycarp – Bishop and Martyr

St. Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, was a disciple of St. John the Evangelist who was martyred about the year 155. His memorial was formerly observed on January 26th.

Among the writings handed down by the early Fathers is an account of St. Polycarp’s martyrdom. Therein we read:

“…the proconsul urging him, and saying, ‘Swear, and I will set you at liberty, reproach Christ’; Polycarp declared, ‘Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?’
“But again the proconsul said to him, ‘I will cause you to be consumed by fire…if you will not repent.’ But Polycarp said, ‘You threaten me with fire which burns for an hour, and after a little [while] is extinguished, but are ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and of eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly. But why do you tarry? Bring forth what you will.’”

With that, the Saint was tied to a stake and set on fire. The fire, however did not affect him and he was run through with a dagger, causing so much blood to pour out as to extinguish the fire.

It would do us well when we experience any sort of suffering in our lives to remember the example of the holy martyrs who gladly gave their lives for the sake of Our Lord. Then at all times, good and bad, we can join in praying with thanksgiving as St. Polycarp did as he was going to his death, “I praise You for all things, I bless You, I glorify You, along with the everlasting and heavenly Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son, with whom, to You, and the Holy Ghost, be glory both now and to all coming ages. Amen.”

February 22 – Feast of the Chair of St. Peter

The Altar of the Chair of Peter, St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City (Bernini)
(image from the St. Peter’s Basilica virtual tour website mentioned yesterday)

St. Matthew 16:13-19
“When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter said in reply, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus said to him in reply, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’”

Today we celebrate the authority given to St. Peter and his 265 successors by Christ to govern His Church.

We should, in a special way today, offer prayers for strength, wisdom, and courage for our present Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.

Oremus pro pontifice!

February 15 – St. Claude de la Colombière

St. Claude was a French Jesuit of the 17th century who preached in England and helped to foster devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He was beatified in 1929 by Pope Pius XI and canonized in 1992 by Pope John Paul II.
One of his writings is included in the book, Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence, published by TAN Books. This book has been one of the most challenging and influential books in my life in the past few years. I recommend that everyone obtain a copy and read it, over and over again!

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

From Pope Benedict XVI's homily on January 1, 2008:

"The Apostle Paul refers to the mystery of the divine motherhood of Mary, the Theotokos, in his Letter to the Galatians.

"'When the time had fully come', he writes, 'God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law' (4:4).

"We find the mystery of the Incarnation of the Divine Word and the Divine Motherhood of Mary summed up in a few words: the Virgin's great privilege is precisely to be Mother of the Son who is God.

"The most logical and proper place for this Marian feast is therefore eight days after Christmas. Indeed, in the night of Bethlehem, when 'she gave birth to her first-born son' (Lk 2:7), the prophesies concerning the Messiah were fulfilled.

"'The virgin shall be with child and bear a son', Isaiah had foretold (7:14); 'Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son', the Angel Gabriel said to Mary (Lk 1:31); and again, an Angel of the Lord, the Evangelist Matthew recounts, appeared to Joseph in a dream to reassure him and said: 'Do not fear to take Mary for your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son' (Mt 1:20-21).

"The title 'Mother of God', together with the title 'Blessed Virgin', is the oldest on which all the other titles with which Our Lady was venerated are based, and it continues to be invoked from generation to generation in the East and in the West.

"A multitude of hymns and a wealth of prayers of the Christian tradition refer to the mystery of her divine motherhood, such as, for example, a Marian antiphon of the Christmas season, Alma Redemptoris mater, with which we pray in these words: 'Tu quae genuisti, natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem, Virgo prius ac posterius —You, in the wonder of all creation, have brought forth your Creator, Mother ever virgin'.

"Dear brothers and sisters, let us today contemplate Mary, ever-virgin Mother of the Only-Begotten Son of the Father; let us learn from her to welcome the Child who was born for us in Bethlehem. If we recognize in the Child born of her the Eternal Son of God and accept him as our one Saviour, we can be called and we really are children of God: sons in the Son.

"The Apostle writes: 'God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons' (Gal 4:4)."


Today we begin a new year by honoring the Mother of God, Mary. I pray that this year Our Blessed Mother will lead us ever closer to her Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and continue to pray for and guide His Church.

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 us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Sunday Inspiration - Fourth Sunday of Advent

On this last Sunday of Advent, as we we prepare for the coming of Our Lord, we hear of Mary, with child, visiting her relative Elizabeth, who is herself pregnant with John the Baptist.

As St. Luke tells us (1:39-45),

"Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

As St. Ambrose points out for us (from the Catena Aurea of St. Thomas Aquinas):

"Elizabeth was the first to hear her voice; but John was the first to be aware of the divine favour. She heard in the natural manner; he leaped for joy because of the Mystery. She sees Mary's coming; he the Coming of the Lord."

Speaking of Mystery, this song was recently posted on the New Liturgical Movement's site. It is so beautiful that I felt that I had to share it. Additionally, I believe it goes perfectly with today's Gospel. I pray that it inspires you to give praise to Our Lord and His Blessed Mother as it did for me.

O magnum mysterium et admirabile sacramentum,
ut animalia viderent Dominum natum jacentem in praesepio.
O beata Virgo, cujus viscera meruerunt portare Dominum Jesum Christum. Alleluia!

O great mystery, and wonderful sacrament,
that the animals should see the new-born Lord lying in a manger.
Blessed is the Virgin whose womb was worthy to bear Christ the Lord. Alleluia

December 12 - Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas. The story of the miraculous image shown above took place in 1531. In that year, near what is now Mexico City, St. Juan Diego was visited by the Blessed Mother who told him to build a church there to lead people closer to her Son. As proof of her visit with him, she left this image imprinted on his cloak.

Today the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe stands near Mexico City at the site of this event. You can see pictures of the church here.

At this time, as we are preparing for the coming of Our Lord, whom the Blessed Virgin Mary aided in bringing us, let us join together in asking for her intercession on our behalf:

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.

Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

"Today's feast emphasizes primarily the extraordinary fullness of grace granted to Mary in the first moment of her conception. We likewise celebrate her exalted prerogative of being the only person who through the merits of Jesus Christ was preserved from every stain of original sin.

"In its origin and purpose today's feast has no relation to Advent. It was placed on December 8 simply to complete the needed nine month period before September 8, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. However, the feast redily lends itself to Advent themes. During the time when we are awaiting the Savior, when we are striving to arouse in ourselves a deep consciousness of the need for redemption, when we lovingly look up to Mary as our chiefest model, then indeed does this feast seem like the golden dawn before the rising sun of Christmas. December 8, therefore, is a genuine Advent feast."

-From The Church's Year of Grace by Pius Parsch

Hail Mary,

Full of Grace,

The Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou amongst women,

and blessed is the fruitof thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners now,

and at the hour of death.
Amen.

The Week Ahead - Keeping Up With All The Feasts

There are a number of important feast days in the upcoming week. I would like to make posts about each one, but I am predicting that I will not end up having the time due to this being a very busy week for me. I will try, but I figured that, just in case, I would write one quick post here mentioning them and encourage everyone to take some time each day to observe the celebrations of these Holy men and women.

Monday, December 7th is the Feast of St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church.

Tuesday, December 8th is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day of obligation in the United States.

Wednesday, December 9th is the Feast of Blessed Juan Diego, the man to whom Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared.

Saturday, December 12th is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas.

A great way to keep up with all of these wonderful feast days is to check out the website Catholic Culture. Visit their site and click the link "Liturgical Year" at the top of the homepage. They have tons of great information about the liturgical celebrations of the Church. One feature I especially like on their site is their "Things To Do" section for some feast days. They give ideas for ways of celebrating the feast days, including cultural traditions, links to websites, and even recipes.

Another great way to keep up with all of these Feasts is to have a book, such as a Lives of the Saints book to read daily. I have been very lucky lately to obtain a couple of great books that have a vast amount of information about the Church's liturgical traditions. Both of the books are pretty old, so they may not be easy to acquire, but if you can get your hands on them, I would highly recommend them.

The first is titled Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs; The Year of the Lord in Liturgy and Folklore by Francis X. Weiser. Originally published in 1952, my copy was printed in 1958. It is filled with historical and cultural facts about the Church's liturgical celebrations.

The second is the first volume of the set of books called The Church's Year of Grace by Dr. Pius Parsch. A good friend recently gave me this book. I haven't read much of it yet, but I can tell you that it has a ton of great information about the Church's liturgical life. The volume I have spans from Advent to Candlemas. Each day has its own entry with information about the prayers and mass for the day. It does, of course, not follow the modern Roman calendar exactly since it was written before the Second Vatican Council, but the information it contains is still wonderful.

I believe that we as Catholics are called to more than just attending mass on Sundays. We need to be a part of the liturgical life of the Church, which will lead us, as St. Paul exhorted us, to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). By observing the feasts of the Church and sharing the traditions of the Church with our families, we will be learning more about our faith and strengthening our relationship with Our Lord.

Have a great week!

Sunday Inspiration - Second Sunday of Advent

In today's Gospel, we hear about St. John the Baptist fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah:

"a voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled: and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight; and the rough ways plain; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

In this time of Avent, as we eagerly await the coming of Our Lord, we need to be the John the Baptists of today, crying out in the wilderness of our modern society, sharing the Gospel and preparing the way of the Lord.

As Pope St. Gregory the Great said, "Everyone that preaches true faith and good works, what does he do but prepare the way of the Lord so that He may come into the hearts of his hearers, and may make straight the path for God, forming right dispositions within them by the words of his exhortations, so that this power of pardon may enter in there, and the light of truth shine there?"

Let us not cease in praying and preaching the Gospel until that day when all flesh knows of the salvation that God offers through His Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Feast of St. Nicholas

December 6th is normally the Feast day of St. Nicholas. Since this year the 6th is actually the Second Sunday of Advent, I believe (someone correct me if I am wrong) that his feast is not actually celebrated. Even so, I still thought I might write a short post about this well-known saint.

St. Nicholas was the bishop of Myra in Asia Minor and died around 350. He is a very popular saint throughout the world, especially in the Eastern Churches.

In his book, Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs, Francis X. Weiser tells us this about the traditions of the Feast of St. Nicholas:

"In many parts of Europe children still receive his 'visit' on the eve of his feast. Impersonated by a man wearing a long white beard, dressed in the vestments of a bishop, with miter and crozier, he appears in the homes as a heavenly messenger. Coming at the start of Advent, he admonishes the children to prepare their hearts for a blessed and holy Christmas. He examines them on their prayers. After exhorting them to be good, he distributes fruit and candy and departs with a kindly farewell, leaving the little ones filled with holy awe.

"It was this 'visit of Saint Nicholas' on December 5 that the Dutch brought to the New World as an annual cherished custom. From it later developed the American custom of Santa Claus's visit at Christmas."

I must say that I personally prefer the traditional celebration of this feast day in which St. Nicholas helps us to prepare for Christmas, rather than Santa Claus being the most important part of Christmas.

Why not start this tradition of celebrating the Feast of St. Nicholas with your family?

Finally, just for fun, here is a video I recently came across related to St. Nicholas:

Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle

St. Matthew 4:18-22

"As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, 'Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.' At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him."

November 30th is the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle. As the Gospel reading above states, Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter. After Pentecost, it is believed that Andrew spread the Gospel in Greece and was martyred, being crucified on an x-shaped cross. Read more about St. Andrew here and check out the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Amalfi, Italy that houses his relics.

Sunday Inspiration - All Saints

This Sunday, November 1st, we celebrate the Feast of All Saints. On this day we remember all those Holy men and women who have been exemplary imitators of Christ and servants of Him and His Church, and request their intercession for us to Our Father in Heaven.

Today join in this beautiful prayer, the Collect from the traditional Roman liturgy of All Saints:

Almighty and eternal God,
who givest us to celebrate in one solemnity the merits of all Thy Saints:

we beseech Thee to bestow upon us,

through these countless intercessors,

the longed-for fullness of Thy propitiation.

Through Our Lord,

Amen.

Another wonderful prayer for today is the Litany of the Saints. EWTN has an English version here. Below is a beautful version of the Litany of the Saints sung in Latin:

And finally, just for fun:

Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles

Today is the feast of the Apostles Simon and Jude. Both are said to have spread the faith and become martyrs. I thought a good way of celebrating this feast day would be to read through the epistle attributed to St. Jude. It is a short letter, but contains some great exhortations about keeping the faith.

Here is an excerpt: (verses 20-25)

"But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. On those who waver, have mercy; save others by snatching them out of the fire; on others have mercy with fear, abhorring even the outer garment stained by the flesh.
"To the one who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished and exultant, in the presence of his glory, to the only God, our savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, power, and authority from ages past, now, and for ages to come. Amen."

Sunday Inspiration

The Gospel for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time:

St. Mark 10:46-52

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say,"Jesus, son of David, have pity on me." And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more,"Son of David, have pity on me." Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called the blind man, saying to him,"Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you." He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see." Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

From St. Thomas Aquinas' Catena Aurea, a summary of Pope St. Gregory the Great's homily on the Gospel:

The blind man is the human race which, in its first parent, turned from the brightness of the heavenly light and suffered the darkness of its own banishment...As our Savior therefore draws nigh to Jericho, the blind man returns to the light; because when divinity assumed to itself the failing of our flesh, mankind received back the light it had lost. He therefore that knows not the brightness of the eternal light is blind. But if he believes in the Redeemer Who said "I am the Way," he is sitting by the way side; if he has believed, and now earnestly implores that he may receive the light he is sitting by the way side, begging.

They who walked in front of Jesus, signify the crowds of carnal desires, and the tumult of the vices, which, before Christ makes entry to our heart, scatter our thoughts, and torment us in our prayer. But he cried out much more; because the more we are afflicted by the excessive troubling of our thoughts, the more earnestly ought we to persevere in prayer. But when in our prayer we still suffer the thronging images of the senses, we are in a manner hearing Jesus passing by. But when we are earnestly insistent in our prayer, God is held fast in our heart, and the lost light is restored.

It pertains to His Humanity that He passes by, and to His Divinity to be still. And so the Lord when passing by heard the blind man crying out, and standing He gave him sight; for suffering with us in His own humanity He hears with compassion the cries of our blindness; but it is by His Divinity that the light of His grace is poured into our souls. For this however He asks the blind man what he wishes: that He may waken our hearts to prayer.

St. Isaac Jogues and Companions

Tomorrow, October 19th, is the Memorial of St. Isaac Jogues and his companions. These 8 men were French Jesuit missionaries to North America in the 17th century. They were all martyred in the 1640's. Read more about St. Isaac Jogues here.

Prayer:
Almighty God, You consecrated the spread of the Faith in North America by the blood of St. Isaac Jogues and his companions who were preaching the Faith to the Indians. Through their intercession let more people everywhere respond to the Good News of salvation. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Feast of St. Gerard Majella

Tomorrow, October 16th, is the feast day of St. Gerard Majella. St. Gerard is the patron of expectant mothers. This Saint has special meaning to my family right now since my wife is expecting our first child.

St. Gerard was a Redemptorist brother who was known for great humility, piety, and charity. He died when he was only 29 years old.

Priests for Life have had a Novena on their website in honor of St. Gerard for the last week. Here is the prayer they offer:

St. Gerard,

You worshiped Jesus as the Lord of Life.

I ask you today to pray

For my special intention.

(Mention your intention here.)

Lift up to Jesus

All those who seek to conceive a child,

All those having difficult pregnancies,

All who have suffered the loss of a child,

And all who lovingly lift up their children to God.

Pray that all of us,

By caring for mothers, fathers, and children

born and unborn

May build a Culture of Life,

In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Read more about St. Gerard here.

Mother Teresa on Peace

In all of the news and discussion about President Obama being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, I have heard many question what Obama has accomplished as compared to other Nobel laureates. Mother Teresa is one that has come up many times. I must admit that I was quite surprised when I heard about Obama's award; I actually thought it was a joke at first. Now, when I read Mother Teresa's speech from when she received the Peace Prize and compare it with Obama's actions, I am totally baffled as to why he was given this honor. Here is a portion of what she had to say:

"I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a direct war, a direct killing - direct murder by the mother herself. And we read in the Scripture, for God says very clearly: Even if a mother could forget her child - I will not forget you - I have carved you in the palm of my hand. We are carved in the palm of His hand, so close to Him that unborn child has been carved in the hand of God. And that is what strikes me most, the beginning of that sentence, that even if a mother could forget something impossible - but even if she could forget - I will not forget you. And today the greatest means - the greatest destroyer of peace is abortion. And we who are standing here - our parents wanted us. We would not be here if our parents would do that to us. Our children, we want them, we love them, but what of the millions. Many people are very, very concerned with the children in India, with the children in Africa where quite a number die, maybe of malnutrition, of hunger and so on, but millions are dying deliberately by the will of the mother. And this is what is the greatest destroyer of peace today. Because if a mother can kill her own child - what is left for me to kill you and you kill me - there is nothing between."