March, 2019

The Holy Father's Prayer Intention

Recognition of the Right of Christian Communities: That Christian communities, especially those who are persecuted, feel that they are close to Christ and have their rights respected.

'You must practice, at one and the same time, interior and exterior mortification; but with this difference, that you must give yourself up to the first particularly, always, and without exception; to the second, on the contrary, only as far as circumstances and the particular condition of persons and occasions will permit.'

St. Ignatius of Loyola

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

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.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

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

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

Day by Day -- Saints for All, St. John of God, 03-08-17

ST. JOHN OF GOD: THE WAIF—1495-1550

Information: St. John of God

Feast Day: March 8

Born: March 8, 1495, Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal

Died: March 8, 1550, Granada, Spain

Canonized: October 16, 1690, Rome by Pope Alexander VIII

Patron of: alcoholics; bookbinders; dying people; firefighters; heart patients; hospital workers; publishers; sick people

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Friday, March 8

Liturgical Color: Violet

Today is the optional memorial of St. John of God,
religious. Inspired by a sermon by St. John of
Avila, he devoted his life to helping the poor, sick
and homeless. He worked tirelessly tending to
patients in his hospital until he died in 1550.

Catholic Culture

Lent: March 8th

Optional Memorial of St. John of God, religious

MASS READINGS

March 08, 2019 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, who filled Saint John of God with a spirit of compassion, grant, we pray, that, giving ourselves to works of charity, we may merit to be found among the elect in your Kingdom. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Old Calendar: St. John of God

"God is love! Whoever abides in love; abides in God and God in him" (motto of St. John's community). St. John of God, who was of Portuguese descent, was first a shepherd, a dealer and then a soldier. At the age of forty he was converted, and devoted himself to the care of those sick in mind, showing himself in this thankless task to be a true innovator and a saint of super-human heroism. He founded the Order of the Brothers Hospitallers, which bears his name. He died at Granada in 1550. Pope Leo XIII declared him patron of hospitals and of the sick and commanded his name to be placed in the Litanies of the Dying.

Stational Church

St. John of God
In 1503, at the age of eight, John fled from his parents for some unknown reason. For a while he was a shepherd, then a book dealer. Matters spiritual were of no particular interest until he heard the preaching of Blessed John of Avila. Then his conversion was so sincere and sudden that he was considered to be out of his mind. He was incarcerated in the Royal Hospital in Granada, and suffered the cruel treatment of the day. Here he discovered how to show his love for God, through caring for those who were unable to respond to this cruel treatment. He resolved to devote the remainder of his life caring for people living on the margins of society.

Following John’s death on his 55th birthday, March 8th, his helpers banded together to live in the same radical, spiritual way of Hospitality that John had exemplified and in 1572 they were approved by Pius V, as the Hospitaller Brothers of (St) John of God. The members bind themselves by a fourth vow, the service of the sick. Because of his work our saint has become the patron of hospitals and the dying. His name is in the Litany of the Dying.

From St. John's Life by Bihlmeyer:

On July 3, 1549, a fire broke out in the kitchen of the Royal hospital at Granada that had been founded by the Spanish king and queen, Ferdinand and Isabella. It threatened to spread to the large wards where hundreds of sick were lying. The storm and fire bells rang loudly. People rushed from all sides, John in the lead. The fire was beyond control, firemen and volunteers were unable to extinguish it. No one dared to enter the burning building from which came the pitiful cries of the sick in the agony of imminent and certain death. Fire and smoke choked the exits. Those who could still arise from their beds stood pleading at the windows. The scene was enough to drive a person insane.

John could not stand idly by. Disregarding smoke and flame, he rushed in among the sick, opened doors and windows, gave terse orders and directions as to how they who could might save themselves; some he led, others he dragged or carried into the open, often two at a time. When all the bedridden were safe, he wasted no time in throwing coverlets, bed clothing, chairs and other valuables out of the windows, thus saving the property of the poor.

Then he took an axe, climbed to the roof and began chopping away vigorously. Suddenly the liberated flames leapt up high beside him. He fled, only to continue his heroic work in another part of the building. There too a wave of fire soon stopped him. He was standing literally between two infernos. Moments passed, he was lost in the heat of the flames and the choking smoke. A quarter of an hour—loud cries of fear could be heard for the brave man—and then he sprang from the fire, blackened by smoke but unscathed except for singed eyebrows. Joyously the crowd surrounded him, congratulating the savior of the sick. John's modesty, however, prevented him from accepting praise and honors.

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patron: Booksellers; heart patients; hospitals; nurses; the sick; the dying and firefighters.

Symbols: The pomegranate—the fruit which represents charity and love, in the Bible, is the coat of arms of the Hospitaller Order and its motto is “God is Love”. John is depicted in art washing the feet of Jesus. A famous painting by Gomez-Moreno 1880 depicts John rescuing the patients from the inferno at the Royal Hospital (where he himself had been a patient 10 years earlier) where not even one life was lost.

Things to Do:

St. John of God followed his impulses when it came to serving Christ. He never reconsidered or second-guessed the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, but he acted on them instantly, whether or not they seemed practical. Today do not dissuade yourself from doing heroic little acts of charity, but follow God's will immediately as it is manifested to you.
St. John of God never thought of himself but always reached out to others. Examine your conscience tonight and ask yourself: do I habitually give greater importance to others' needs before my own? Do I esteem myself over-highly, or do I consider myself of least importance?
There is something lacking in present-day hospital methods that characterized the age-old practice of the Church, viz., a harmonious, organic relationship between liturgy and care of the sick. Pray the Litany of the Sick for those hospitalized. And pray that hospital care will incorporate the Christian dimension and respect each person as an image of God.

The station for today is on Mt. Coelius in the basilica which the Christian Senator Pammachius built over the home of the martyrs Sts. John and Paul and which is dedicated to them. Near the church was a hospice where Pammachius dispensed his fortune in charity to the poor.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Isaiah 58:1-9

Saint John of God, Religious (Optional Memorial)

This, rather, is the fasting that I wish. (Isaiah 58:6)

Of the three practices that we focus on in Lent—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—it’s the last that we can find the most challenging, especially if it means going beyond putting some money in the poor box. While many of us are already in the practice of giving to the needy during Lent, it can be harder to find opportunities to serve the poor in person.

Often we begin Lent with a sincere desire to help people who are in need, but somehow the whole season gets away from us before we are able to find a way to serve. With today being just the third day of Lent, we still have plenty of time to make a concrete decision about what we will do!

Are you not sure where to start? Maybe a call to your parish office would be a good first step. Ask about opportunities to help with a parish clothing drive, a food pantry, or the local Society of St. Vincent de Paul. More than simply giving a donation—which is always good—look for opportunities that bring you into direct contact with those less fortunate than you. That’s when your heart changes—when you look into the eyes of those you are serving and recognize them as your brothers and sisters.

If you don’t find something at first, keep looking. Check your diocesan newspaper, or visit the local charities in your area. Catholic newspapers often have listings of area charities that are looking for volunteers. Who knows? Maybe you can even turn this into a permanent thing once Lent is over. After all, Jesus reminds us that the poor we will always have with us, not just during Lent (Matthew 26:11)!

Today’s passage from Isaiah is a dramatic reminder that Jesus is looking at the motives of our hearts just as much as our outward actions. As much as he loves it when we fast, he is also looking for people who are seeking to set the oppressed free, share their bread with the hungry, shelter the homeless, and clothe the naked (Isaiah 58:6-7). What’s more, if we do this, God promises, “Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed. . . . You shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!” (58:8, 9).

“Jesus, show me how I can serve you in the poor and needy this Lent.”

Psalm 51:3-6, 18-19
Matthew 9:14-15

Daily Gospel Commentary

Saint John-Paul II
Pope from 1978 to 2005
Angelus on March 10, 1996

“Then they will fast”

Among the penitential practices that the Church suggests to us above all during this Lenten time is fasting. It consists in a special sobriety in the food we eat, while ensuring care for the needs of our body. This is a traditional form of penance, which has lost none of its significance, and which we perhaps need to rediscover, above all in that part of the world and in the milieus where food not only abounds, but where we at times encounter illnesses due to overeating.

Obviously, penitential fasting is very different from therapeutic diets. But as it is, we can see in it a therapy for the soul. For when it is practiced as a sign of conversion, it facilitates the interior effort to make oneself available to listening to God. To fast is to reaffirm for oneself what Jesus replied to Satan, when the latter tempted him at the end of forty days of fasting in the desert: “Not on bread alone is man to live but on every utterance that comes from the mouth of God.” (Mt 4:4) Today, especially in our well-to-do societies, it is difficult for us to understand the meaning of this word of the gospel. Instead of pacifying our needs, the consumer society creates ever new ones, even engendering disproportionate activism... Among other meanings, penitential fasting has precisely the aim of helping us to recover interiority.

The effort towards moderation in food also extends to other things that are not necessary, and it greatly aids the life of the spirit. Sobriety, recollection and prayer go together. This principle can be appropriately applied to our use of the mass media. They are unquestionably useful, but they must not become the “masters” over our life. In so many families, the television seems to replace rather than facilitate dialogue among the persons! A certain “fasting” in this area can be salutary, either so as to give more time to reflection and prayer or to cultivate human relations.

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for March 8, 2019:

On Fridays in Lent, we abstain from meat. Try abstaining from hurtful comments as well.

Regnum Christi

March 8, 2019 – Time of Fasting

Friday after Ash Wednesday

Matthew 9:14-15

The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

Introductory Prayer: Lord, you know how much I need you and depend on you for everything. You know my weakness and my faults. I put all my confidence in your love and mercy. I wish to trust in your power, your promise, and your grace every day. Today I intend, with your help, to follow you along the way of the cross with love and generosity so as to draw close to you.

Petition: Lord, let me learn to embrace sacrifice as the way of reparation and purification.

These Are the Days: Jesus said the time would come when his disciples would fast. Now that the Lord has returned in glory to the Father, it is up to us to continue the work of salvation, “what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Colossians 1:24), as St. Paul says. We join our sacrifice to that of Jesus in order to imitate him and bring grace to ourselves and to others. Every Christian life must incorporate a healthy spirit of sacrifice and self-denial.

Feel the Hunger: The hunger we experience when we fast is a symbol of the deeper spiritual hunger we should feel for God and for heaven. This world often makes us all too comfortable, and we easily forget that this is not our true home. We are pilgrims traveling through a foreign land, far from our final resting place. Fasting reminds us of the longing a traveler has to reach his destination safely and finally to rejoice in being home for good. The true Christian looks forward with hope toward heaven, where he will rest with God forever in true happiness. He knows that all the good things this world offers are only shadows of the wonderful things God has planned for those who love him (cf. Romans 8:28).

Hunger for Souls: From the cross, Jesus said, “I thirst.” That thirst was for all people to be reconciled to the Father. It was a thirst for souls to return to the love of God and find their way to the heavenly Kingdom. Voluntary sacrifice and self-denial, if we offer it for the conversion of the hearts of others, brings them the grace they need to change and turn back to God. No one can convert himself, and no one in serious sin can merit his way to the grace of God. We need to intercede by means of our personal prayer and sacrifice to gain others the supernatural grace they need to overcome their obstacles. The greatest act of charity we can perform and the greatest joy we can experience is to bring a soul back to the Lord. How many souls are waiting for our prayer and sacrifice?

Conversation with Christ: Lord, make me generous and joyful in sacrifice, knowing that sacrifice unites me closer to you and wins the grace of conversion for so many souls you love and for whom you died.

Resolution: I will choose one person I know who needs God’s grace and offer all my sacrifices today for them.

Homily of the Day

March 8, 2019

Fasting is a practice in many religions when one abstains from food and drink. It tests one’s ability for self-control. For others, it is more of a sacrifice or to atone for one’s sins. Still for others, it is purely for health reasons.

For the Christian, the main purpose is to manifest his love for God. One cannot fast when Jesus is around, but one must fast if Jesus is absent from one’s life. By fasting, a Christian is saying that God is important in life, not food, drink nor bodily pleasures. Yet if we continue to mistreat our fellowmen, our fasting will be for naught. One must first have good relations with others, be just in all his dealings, and be compassionate to the poor, if he wants his fasting and prayers to be acceptable to God. Those who fast but continue to mistreat others are hypocrites.

Some people fast in order to combat the devil. When a holy man is beset by many trials and temptations, fasting is a good weapon to combat the enemy, to tell the devil to his face that he is ready to fight him.
How about you? Why do you fast?

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espanol

All Issues > Volume 35, Issue 2

<< Friday, March 8, 2019 >>

St. John of God

Isaiah 58:1-9
View Readings

Psalm 51:3-6, 18-19

Matthew 9:14-15
Similar Reflections

FASTING FOR GOD AND OTHERS

"...not turning your back on your own." �Isaiah 58:7

It is possible for our Lenten fasting to have the effect of focusing on ourself. For example, we focus on our hunger pains, our weight loss, our inconvenience, our lightheadedness. Fasting that centers on ourself is not the kind of fasting the Lord wishes (see Is 58:5). Are our days of fasting only leading us to complain to the Lord, "Why do we fast, and You do not see it? afflict ourselves, and You take no note of it?" (Is 58:3) To such fasting, the Lord responds: "Was it really for Me that you fasted?" (Zec 7:5)

God wishes us to fast for His sake and for the sake of others. Scripture shows that our fasting is best used as a weapon for bringing forth the kingdom of God. Our fasting can move mountains (Mt 17:20-21, NAB), set people free from the oppression of Satan's kingdom of darkness (Is 58:6-7), inaugurate explosions of evangelization (Acts 13:2ff), and restore broken families and relationships (Is 58:12).

"Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus" (Heb 12:2), not on our sufferings. Today and throughout Lent, "fast so as to make your voice heard on high!" (Is 58:4)

Prayer: Father, others have fasted for me to move me to the point where I am today. May my Lenten fasting move many people, particularly my loved ones, to be set free from the chains that bind them, and set free for Your service.

Promise: "A heart contrite and humbled, O God, You will not spurn." —Ps 51:19

Praise: In his early life, St. John of God turned away from the Lord. But, in his forties, he received God's mercy and spent the rest of his life serving the poor who were ill.

March, 2019

The Holy Father's Prayer Intention

Recognition of the Right of Christian Communities: That Christian communities, especially those who are persecuted, feel that they are close to Christ and have their rights respected.

Lent: March 8th

Optional Memorial of St. John of God, religious

MASS READINGS

COLLECT PRAYER

Recipes (1)

Activities (2)

Prayers (2)

Library (0)

Meditation: Isaiah 58:1-9

March 8, 2019 – Time of Fasting

Friday after Ash Wednesday

Matthew 9:14-15

One Bread, One Body

FASTING FOR GOD AND OTHERS

People want abortion providers to have hospital admitting privileges.