October, 2018

The Holy Father's Prayer Intention

Evangelization – The Mission of Religious That consecrated religious men and women may bestir themselves, and be present among the poor, the marginalized, and those who have no voice.

'If there is no work, there is no love.'

St. Gregory

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).

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3695829/posts

Saint of the Day — Saint John XXIII

The Canonization Of John Paul ll And John XXIII And “Traditionalist” Pusillanimity
Pope Francis makes history with dual canonization of Pope John XXIII, Pope John Paul II
Top 10 most interesting popes who have been declared saints

Candle-bearer holds prayers in her heart during canonization
Pope Francis makes history with dual canonization of Pope John XXIII, Pope John Paul II
Pope Francis’ sermon for the canonization
Angelo Roncalli and Priestly Celibacy (Pope John XXIII)
Two Modern Saints for the Modern World [Catholic Caucus]
Jokes, quips, wisecracks: John XXIII lived with keen sense of humor
Sainthood rites for John Paul II, John XXIII to be beamed around the world (3D in cinemas, for free)
(Pope) John XXIII and the Jews
Solemnity is the order of the day for John Paul II and John XXIII’s double canonization
Two (soon to be) Saints Who Smiled

Popes John XXIII, John Paul II to be canonized April 27th
Canonization date announced for Blessed Popes John Paul II and John XXIII
Pope Francis signs canonization decrees for John XXIII and John Paul II
Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II to be canonised
The St. Pius X - Bl. John XXIII Connection
Finally listening to Blessed John XXIII? (Latin for Seminarians)
A War Prevented: Pope John XXIII and the Cuban Missile Crisis
Blessed Pope John XXIII [Catholic Caucus]
Wants Honor for John XXIII - Pope Should Be Declared "Righteous Among the Nations"
Blessed Pope John XXIII and Vatican II on Respect for Human Life
Angelo Roncalli (Pope John XXIII) and Priestly Celibacy

Information: St. Tarachus

Feast Day: October 11

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Thursday, October 11

Liturgical Color: Green

On this day in 1954 Pope Pius XII
proclaimed Mary as Queen of Heaven.
He encouraged the faithful to develop a
deep devotion to Our Lady and to place
themselves under her protection

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: October 11th

Optional Memorial of St. John XXIII, pope

MASS READINGS

October 11, 2018 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

Almighty and eternal God, who in the Pope, Saint John XXIII, gave to the whole world the shining example of a good shepherd, grant that, through his intercession, we may with joy spread abroad the fullness of Christian charity. 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.

Almighty ever-living God, who in the abundance of your kindness surpass the merits and the desires of those who entreat you, pour out your mercy upon us to pardon what conscience dreads and to give what prayer does not dare to ask. 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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Activities (3)

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Prayers (1)

Akathist Hymn to the Most Holy Mother of God (the Theotokos)

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Library (10)

» Enjoy our Liturgical Seasons series of e-books!

Old Calendar: Divine Maternity of Our Lady; St. Tarachus and his Companions, martyrs (Hist)

Today is the feast of St. John XXIII, pope from 1958-1963, best known for convening the Second Vatican Council. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on September 3, 2000. His feast is assigned to the day on which the first session of Vatican II opened in 1962. His feast is not on the General Roman Calendar, but can be celebrated locally.

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The theological controversies regarding the divinity of Christ which disturbed the Church during the fourth and fifth centuries led to a denial of the divine maternity of Mary. The heretics refused to honor Mary as Mother of God. The Council of Ephesus in 431 declared that the Blessed Virgin "brought forth according to the flesh the Word of God made flesh" and that in consequence she is the Mother of God. Thus she is rightly given the title of divine maternity. In 1931, on the fifteenth centenary of this great Council, Pius XI instituted today's feast. By this act the pope wished to emphasize not only Mary's divine maternity, but also her motherhood of all the members of Christ's Mystical Body.

St. John XXIII

St. John XXIII was born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli at Sotto il Monte, Italy, in the Diocese of Bergamo on 25 November 1881. He was the fourth in a family of 14. The family worked as sharecroppers. It was a patriarchal family in the sense that the families of two brothers lived together, headed by his great-uncle Zaverio, who had never married and whose wisdom guided the work and other business of the family. Zaverio was Angelo's godfather, and to him he always attributed his first and most fundamental religious education. The religious atmosphere of his family and the fervent life of the parish, under the guidance of Fr. Francesco Rebuzzini, provided him with training in the Christian life.

He entered the Bergamo seminary in 1892. Here he began the practice of making spiritual notes, which he continued in one form or another until his death, and which have been gathered together in the Journal of a Soul. Here he also began the deeply cherished practice of regular spiritual direction. In 1896 he was admitted to the Secular Franciscan Order by the spiritual director of the Bergamo seminary, Fr. Luigi Isacchi; he made a profession of its Rule of life on 23 May 1897.

From 1901 to 1905 he was a student at the Pontifical Roman Seminary. On 10 August 1904 he was ordained a priest in the church of Santa Maria in Monte Santo in Rome's Piazza del Popolo. In 1905 he was appointed secretary to the new Bishop of Bergamo, Giacomo Maria Radini Tedeschi.

When Italy went to war in 1915 he was drafted as a sergeant in the medical corps and became a chaplain to wounded soldiers. When the war ended, he opened a "Student House" for the spiritual needs of young people.

In 1919 he was made spiritual director of the seminary, but in 1921 he was called to the service of the Holy See. Benedict XV brought him to Rome to be the Italian president of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. In 1925 Pius XI named him Apostolic Visitator in Bulgaria, raising him to the episcopate with the titular Diocese of Areopolis. For his episcopal motto he chose Oboedientia et Pax, which became his guiding motto for the rest of his life.

On 19 March 1925 he was ordained Bishop and left for Bulgaria. He was granted the title Apostolic Delegate and remained in Bulgaria until 1935, visiting Catholic communities and establishing relationships of respect and esteem with the other Christian communities.

In 1935 he was named Apostolic Delegate in Turkey and Greece. His ministry among the Catholics was intense, and his respectful approach and dialogue with the worlds of Orthodoxy and Islam became a feature of his tenure. In December 1944 Pius XII appointed him Nuncio in France.

At the death of Pius XII he was elected Pope on 28 October 1958, taking the name John XXIII. His pontificate, which lasted less than five years, presented him to the entire world as an authentic image of the Good Shepherd. Meek and gentle, enterprising and courageous, simple and active, he carried out the Christian duties of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy: visiting the imprisoned and the sick, welcoming those of every nation and faith, bestowing on all his exquisite fatherly care. His social magisterium in the Encyclicals Pacem in terris and Mater et Magistra was deeply appreciated.

He convoked the Roman Synod, established the Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law and summoned the Second Vatican Council. The faithful saw in him a reflection of the goodness of God and called him "the good Pope." He was sustained by a profound spirit of prayer. He launched an extensive renewal of the Church, while radiating the peace of one who always trusted in the Lord. Pope John XXIII died on the evening of 3 June 1963, in a spirit of profound trust in Jesus and of longing for his embrace.

Taken from L'Osservatore Romano, September 6, 2000. (For complete text, see the Catholic Culture Library.

Things to Do:

Read more by or about St. John XXIII from the Catholic Culture Library.
- A Collection of Messages of Blessed Pope John XXIII
- Writings of Pope John XXIII, including encyclicals.
More information on St. John XXIII from Patron Saints Index.
When he was 14, Angelo began keeping a diary. He wrote notes, good resolutions, prayers, and personal thoughts. After he died his writings were published as a book, Journal of a Soul. Learn how to keep a journal, and make a journal entry today. Try to keep it as a daily practice.

The Divine Maternity of Our Lady
In the year 1931 a jubilee marking the fifteenth centenary of the Council of Ephesus was celebrated to the great joy of the whole Catholic world. The fathers at that Council, under the guidance of Pope Celestine, formally condemned the errors of Nestorius and declared as Catholic faith the doctrine that the Blessed Virgin Mary, who gave birth to Jesus, was truly the Mother of God. Prompted by holy zeal, Pope Pius XI determined that the memory of so important an event should continue alive in the Church. Accordingly he ordered the renovation of Rome's famous memorial to the Council of Ephesus, namely, the triumphal arch and transept in the Basilica of St. Mary Major on the Esquiline. His predecessor Pope St. Sixtus III (432-440) had embellished that arch with a beautiful mosaic, but time had done it damage.

In an encyclical Pius XI, moreover, underscored the principal teachings of the General Council at Ephesus, developing in detail and with loving affection the singular privilege of divine Motherhood granted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He believed that so sublime a mystery should ever become more firmly anchored in the hearts of the faithful. At the same time the Pope singled out Mary, the Mother of God and the one blessed among women together with the holy Family of Nazareth as the foremost model for the dignity and sanctity of chaste married life and for the religious education of youth.

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

Things to do:

Learn more about the Council of Ephesus and Nestorius;
Find out the meaning of the word Theotokos;
Pray and meditate upon the beautiful hymn to Mary, the Akathist Hymn, sung by the Eastern Church.

St. Tarachus and his Companions
In the year 304, Tarachus, Probus, and Andronicus, differing in age and nationality, but united in the bonds of faith, being denounced as Christians to Numerian, Governor of Cilicia, were arrested at Pompeiopolis, and conducted to Tharsis. They underwent a first examination in that town, after which their limbs were torn with iron hooks, and they were taken back to prison covered with wounds. Being afterwards led to Mopsuestia, they were submitted to a second examination, ending in a manner equally cruel as the first. They underwent a third examination at Anazarbis, followed by greater torments still.

The governor, unable to shake their constancy, had them kept imprisoned that he might torture them further at the approaching games. They were borne to the amphitheatre, but the most ferocious animals, on being let loose on them, came crouching to their feet and licked their wounds. The judge, reproaching the jailers with connivance, ordered the martyrs to be dispatched by the gladiators.

Excerpted from The Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Luke 11:5-13

Saint John XXIII, Pope (Optional Memorial)

Suppose one of you has a friend. (Luke 11:5)

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells a parable about a man who got out of bed and helped his friend primarily because of the man’s persistence (Luke 11:8). Pope John XXIII, whose feast we celebrate today, gave the entire world years of service—but it was not because of our persistence. It was because John loved people.

Fifty-six years ago today, thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square in Rome for the opening of the Second Vatican Council. When evening came, the crowd was still there, many carrying torches. Worn down from the day’s activities and feeling the effects of stomach cancer, Pope John was reluctant to meet the crowd.

“I don’t want to speak!” he said. “I’ve already said everything this morning.” But his heart went out to the crowd. He gathered himself, went to his window overlooking the square and gave what is now called the “Moonlight Speech.” The speech, which was only about two minutes long, was impromptu and off-the-cuff. Nonetheless, it was Pope John at his best: warm, welcoming, caring.

Fifty years later, on October 11, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI offered some reflections on the Moonlight Speech. “I too was in this square, gazing toward this window where the good Pope, Blessed Pope John looked out and spoke unforgettable words to us, words that were full of poetry and goodness, words that came from his heart.”

The Moonlight Speech, which is called the most famous address of John XXIII’s pontificate, can be summed up in just a few words: peace, unity, and love. These words, broad in scope but spoken from the heart, encapsulated Pope John’s hopes for the Church.

It wasn’t just the Church as an institution that was on the pope’s heart that night. It was the Church as the people of God, the family of God. “When you go home,” he told the people, “give your children a kiss and tell them that it is from the Pope.”

Today, as we honor Good Pope John, let’s dedicate ourselves to fulfilling his hopes and dreams by the way we live: peacefully, lovingly, and in unity.

“Father, help us make today a great day of peace.”

Galatians 3:1-5
(Psalm) Luke 1:69-75

Daily Gospel Commentary

Saint Bonaventure (1221-1274)
Franciscan, Doctor of the Church
Commentary on the gospel according to St. Luke

"My friend, lend me three loaves of bread"

"Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,' ”. According to its spiritual interpretation, we understand this friend to be Christ. “I no longer call you slaves… I have called you friends” (cf. Jn 15:15). We have to meet this friend by night, that is to say in the silence of the night, just as Nicodemus went of whom it is said that “he came to Jesus by night” (Jn 3:2). And first of all, because it is under the silent concealment of the night that we should knock in prayer, according to Isaiah: “my soul yearns for you at night” (Is 26:9). Alternatively, in the night, that is in tribulation, as Hosea says: “In their afflictions they will rise before daybreak” (cf. Hos 5:15 Septuagint).

Now the friend who returns from a journey is our spirit, which returns to us as often as it has been drawn away by temporal possessions. Enjoyment causes this friend to go far off but affliction brings it back, as it is said further along in Luke concerning the prodigal son, who went far off motivated by worldly living and who returned because of need (cf. Lk 15:11 – 32). Whoever comes back returns into himself but finds himself empty of the consolation of spiritual food.

So we need to ask our true friend for three loaves for this starving friend, namely knowledge of the Trinity, that is of the name of the three Persons, so that our friend may find his nourishment in knowing the one God. Or else these three loaves may be faith, hope and love, by which a threefold virtue in the soul is designated. On this subject we read in the book of Kings: “When you arrive at the oak of Tabor, three men will meet you as they go up to God at Bethel: one will be bringing three young goats another, three loaves of bread, and the third a skin of wine” (1Kgs 10:3 Septuagint = 1 Sam 10:3) so that in these may be comprised the unity of the grace of the trinity of those virtues by which the image of God is formed in the soul.

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

Daily Marriage Tip for October 11, 2018:

Re-connecting after a business trip? There are typically two conflicting needs. The traveling spouse might be looking forward to relaxing while the at-home spouse may be looking for reinforcements (with kids, chores, etc.). Connect first by talking, then reinforce, and finally relax together.

Regnum Christi

October 11, 2018 – The Christian Who Doesn’t Pray Treats God like a Servant

Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Father James Swanson, LC

Luke 11:5-13

And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ and he says in reply from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. “And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are the master of the universe, and yet you wish to listen to me and guide me. You know all things past, present and future, and yet you respect my freedom to choose you. Holy Trinity, you are completely happy and fulfilled on your own, and yet you have generously brought us into existence. You are our fulfillment. Thank you for the gift of yourself. I offer the littleness of myself in return, knowing you are pleased with what I have to give.

Petition: Lord, through this meditation, grant me the grace of a greater dependence on you.

God Wants Us to Ask: Sometimes we think that since God knows all things, we need not ask him for anything. We need only wait until God will give us what we need. Nothing could be further from the truth. In this passage, Jesus doesn’t say not to worry; instead he says that our Heavenly Father will gladly and lovingly provide whatever we need, provided we ask for it. One reason why God has arranged things this way is because if our needs were automatically provided for, a great number of us would not even realize there is a God, or we would easily forget him. There are affluent societies in which the people’s material needs are taken care of easily. Does such a situation remind the people of God, his power, or his love? When we ask God to provide for our needs, we implicitly recognize his existence and authority in our lives. God wants us to do this.

Petitions in Prayer Increase My Faith: But there are even more important reasons God wants us to ask. It is in asking that our faith grows. The more I ask, the more I come into a personal relationship with God. If I never had to turn to him for my needs, I would never realize how much he wants to be a part of my life. But when I have to ask, especially if I have to put some time and effort into it, then, when my needs are satisfied, it will be very clear that God did it. It will be clear that it wasn’t me, or luck, or anything else, but God. Don’t be afraid to ask. Develop your faith by doing so.

When I Don’t Ask for What I Need, I Treat God as My Servant: When we expect God to give us all we need without asking, are we not placing the whole burden of our salvation on him and nothing on ourselves? Are we not in a sense being lazy? “You know what I need, Lord. Just give it to me, take care of it, while I focus on my own interests.” Not only is this laziness, it is pride, treating God like a servant whose role is to provide whatever I need. We forget he is God. Certainly, God is generous and loving, willing to give us everything that is good for us; but he is still God, and he deserves our respect, adoration, and especially our gratitude.

Conversation with Christ: Dear Jesus, so often I expect you to take care of me without my having to ask. Help me to live my dependence on you through the practice of asking you for my needs. Increase my faith through my prayer so that I see my real dependence on you and how much you do for me.

Resolution: What do I most need today? I will ask God for it early and often.

Homily of the Day

October 11, 2018

In our fast-paced world and life, we hear much about man’s achievements, his triumphs and successes which have transformed the world. We see man’s ability to create and build, to innovate and improve human life with his many inventions. Man seems able to control his own life and future, “I am the king of my world.”

And yet problems do come, problems which can confound us, even paralyze us, physically, emotionally and even spiritually . . . when we seem unable to find solutions, despite our talents, innovations and new discoveries. How come we cannot solve these problems by ourselves, through our own efforts?

In these difficult and trying times, perhaps in desperation, perhaps from habits formed long ago, we may think of God and ask for his help and his guidance.

In the Gospel reading from Matthew Jesus teaches us about the power of prayer, about the effectiveness of persistent prayer, about the generosity and care of the good Father to whom we pray.

One Bread, One Body

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All Issues > Volume 34, Issue 6

<< Thursday, October 11, 2018 >>

Galatians 3:1-5
View Readings

Luke 1:69-75

Luke 11:5-13
Similar Reflections

FIELDS OF FLESH

"After beginning in the Spirit, are you now to end in the flesh?" �Galatians 3:3

The greatest tragedy possible is to end in the flesh. Jesus died and rose to make us new creations. It would be a great tragedy to die still trapped in our fallen nature and refusing the total newness of life in Christ (see 2 Cor 5:17).

If we die in the flesh, it will probably not be because we rebelled against God shortly before our deaths. Dying in the flesh, instead of dying to the flesh, is a harvest of corruption produced by the sowing and growing of seeds in the field of the flesh (Gal 6:8). Where are you sowing now? What fields are you beginning to cultivate? Are you planted as a couch-potato in front of the TV? Are you wasting your seed (see Gn 38:9) in masturbation, artificial contraception, pornography, and other forms of lust? Are you sowing your money in consumerism, gambling, and other forms of greed? The fields you are sowing in will determine what harvest you reap (see Hos 8:7).

Therefore, "put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the desires of the flesh" (Rm 13:14). Crucify the "flesh with its passions and desires" (Gal 5:24). "You are not to spend what remains of your earthly life on human desires but on the will of God. Already you have devoted enough time to what the pagans enjoy" (1 Pt 4:2-3). Do not live "at the level of the flesh," but receive God's mercy (Eph 2:3-4).

Prayer: Holy Spirit, fight against the flesh in my life (Gal 5:17).

Promise: "If you, with all your sins, know how to give your children good things, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" —Lk 11:13

Praise: Pete and Barbara raised their children without television but with much prayer. They all have remained faithful to the Church in their adulthood.

Video about Trig Palin

October 11, 2018

Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Gal 3:1-5

Responsorial Psalm Luke 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75

Alleluia See Acts 16:14b

Gospel Lk 11:5-13

October, 2018

The Holy Father's Prayer Intention

Evangelization – The Mission of Religious That consecrated religious men and women may bestir themselves, and be present among the poor, the marginalized, and those who have no voice.

Ordinary Time: October 11th

Optional Memorial of St. John XXIII, pope

MASS READINGS

COLLECT PRAYER

Recipes (1)

Activities (3)

Prayers (1)

Library (10)

Meditation: Luke 11:5-13

October 11, 2018 – The Christian Who Doesn’t Pray Treats God like a Servant

One Bread, One Body

FIELDS OF FLESH