Wednesday, October 28, 2009

St. Jude Thaddeus, Apostle


SAINT JUDE, APOSTLE.


The apostle St. Jude is distinguished from the Iscariot by the surname of Thaddaeus, which signifies in Syriac, praising or confession, (being of the same import with the Hebrew word Judas) also by that of Lebbaeus, which is given him in the Greek text of St Matthew; that word signifying, according to St. Jerom, a man of wit and understanding, from the Hebrew word Leb, a heart; though it might equally be derived from the Hebrew word, which signifies a Lion. St. Jude was brother to St. James the Less, as he styles himself in his epistle; likewise of St. Simeon of Jerusalem, and of one Joses, who are styled the brethren of our Lord, and were sons of Cleophas, and Mary, sister to the Blessed Virgin. This apostle's kindred and relation to our Saviour exalted him not so much in his master's eyes as his contempt of the world, the ardour of his holy zeal and love, and his sufferings for his sake. It is not known when and by what means he became a disciple of Christ; nothing having been said of him in the gospels before we find him enumerated in the catalogue of the apostles. After the last supper, when Christ promised to manifest himself to every one who should love Mm, St. Jude asked him, why he did not manifest himself to the world ? By which question, he seems to have expressed his expectation of a secular kingdom of the Messias. Christ by his answer satisfied him, that the world is unqualified for divine manifestations, being a stranger and an enemy to what must fit souls for a fellowship with heaven but that he would honour those who truly love him with his familiar converse, and would admit them to intimate communications of grace and favour.

After our Lord's ascension and the descent of the Holy Ghost, St. Jude set out with the other great conquerors of the world and hell, to pull down the prince of darkness from his usurped throne ; which this little troop undertook to effect armed only with the word of God, and his spirit. Eusebius relates, that the apostle St. Thomas sent St. Thaddaeus, one of the disciples of our Lord, to Edessa, and that king Abgar and a great number of his people received baptism at his hands. St. Jerom and Bede take this Thaddaeus to have been the apostle St. Jude : but it is the general opinion that it was another person, one of the seventy-two disciples whom the Greeks commemorate in the Menaea on the 21st of August. Nicephorus, Isidore, and the Martyrologies tell us, that St. Jude preached up and down Judaea, Samaria, Idumaea, and Syria ; especially in Mesopotamia. St. Paulinus says, that St. Jude planted the faith in Lybia. This apostle returned from his missions to Jerusalem in the year 62, after the martyrdom of his brother, St. James, and assisted at the election of St. Simeon who was likewise his brother. He wrote a catholic or general epistle to all the churches of the East, particularly addressing himself to the Jewish converts, amongst whom he had principally laboured. St. Peter had written to the same two epistles before this, and in the second, had chiefly in view to caution the faithful against the errors of the Simonians, Nicholaits, and Gnostics. The havoc which these heresies continued to make among souls stirred up the zeal of St. Jude, who sometimes copied certain expressions of St. Peter, and seems to refer to the epistles of SS. Peter and Paul as if the authors were then no more. The heretics he describes by many strong epithets and similes, and calls them wandering meteors which seem to blaze for a while, but set in eternal darkness. The source of their fall he points out by saying, they are murmurers, and walk after their own lusts; for being enslaved to pride, envy, the love of sensual pleasure, and other passions, and neglecting to crucify the desires of the flesh in their hearts, they were strangers to sincere humility, meekness, and interior peace. The apostle exhorts the faithful to treat those who were fallen with tender compassion, making a difference between downright malice and weakness, and endeavouring by holy fear to save them, by plucking them as brands out of the fire of vice and heresy, and hating the very garment that is spotted with iniquity. He puts us in mind to have always before our eyes the great obligation we lie under of incessantly building up our spiritual edifice of charity, by praying in the Holy Ghost, growing in the love of God, and imploring his mercy through Christ. From Mesopotamia St. Jude travelled into Persia, as Fortunatus and several Martyrologies tell us. Those who say, that he died in peace at Berytus, in Phenicia, confound him with Thaddaaus, one of the seventy-two disciples, and the apostle of Edessa, of whom the Menasa gives that account.( Fortunatus and the western Martyrologists tell us, that the apostle St. Jude suffered martyrdom in Persia; the Menology of the emperor Basil, and some other Greeks say at Arat or Ararat, in Armenia, which at that time was subject to the Parthian empire, and conseqently esteemed part of Persia. Many Greeks say he was shot to death with arrows: some add whilst he was tied on a cross. The Armenians at this day challenge him and St. Bartholomew for the first planters of the faith among them.

We owe to God a homage of eternal praise and thanks for the infinite mercy by which he has established a Church on earth, and a Church so richly furnished with every powerful means of sanctity and grace ; a Church in which his name is always glorified, and many souls, both by the purity of their love and virtue, and by their holy functions, are associated to the company of the blessed angels. It ought also to be our first and constant petition in our most earnest addresses to God, as we learn from our Lord's prayer, and as the first dictates of divine charity and religion teach us, that for the glory of his holy name he vouchsafe to protect and preserve his Church, according to his divine word ; to extend its pale, to sanctify its members, and to fill its pastors with the same spirit with which he so wonderfully enriched his apostles, whom he was pleased to choose for the foundation of this sacred edifice. If we desire to inherit a share of those abundant and precious graces which God pours forth upon those souls which he disposes to receive them, we must remember that he never imparts them but to those who sincerely study to die to themselves, and to extirpate all inordinate attachments and affections out of their hearts; so long as any of these reign in a soul, she is one of that world to which God cannot manifest himself, or communicate the sweet relish of his love. This is the mystery which Christ unfolded to St. Jude. The world hath not known him. Few even among those who know God by faith, attain to the experimental knowledge of God, and the relish of his love, because few, very few, disentangle their affection from creatures. So long as their hearts remain secretly wedded to the world, they fall in some degree under its curse. And how few study perfectly to extinguish its spirit in their hearts!
- The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints, Volume 10
By Alban Butler


Prayer to St. Jude
TO BE SAID IN CASES DESPAIRED OF

St. Jude, glorious Apostle, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor has caused thee to be forgotten by many, but the True Church invokes thee universally as the Patron of things despaired of;  pray for me that finally I may receive the consolations and the succor of Heaven in all my necessities, tribulations and
sufferings, particularly [make your request], and that I may bless God with the Elect throughout eternity. Amen.

St. Simon the Apostle


ST. SIMON, SURNAMED THE ZEALOT, APOSTLE.

St. Simon is surnamed the Cananaean or Canaanite, and the Zealot, to distinguish him from St. Peter, and from St. Simeon, the brother of St. James the Less, and his successor in the see of Jerusalem. From the first of these surnames some have thought that St. Simon was born at Cana, in Galilee: certain modern Greeks pretend that it was at his marriage that our Lord turned the water into wine. It is not to be doubted but he was a Galilaean: Theodoret says, of the tribe either of Zabulon or Nepthali. But as for the surname of Cananaean, it has in Syro-Chaldaic the same signification which the word Zelotes bears in Greek. St. Luke translated it ; the other evangelists retained the original name; for Canath in SyroChaldaic, or modern Hebrew, signifies Zeal as St. Jerome observes.  Nicephorus Calixti, a modern Greek historian, tells us this name was given to St. Simon only from the time of his apostleship, wherein he expressed an ardent zeal and affection for his Master, was an exact observer of all the rules of his religion, and opposed with a pious warmth all those who swerved from it. As the evangelists take no notice of such a circumstance, Hammond and Grotius think that St. Simon was called the Zealot, before his coming to Christ, because he was one of that particular sect or party among the Jews called Zealots, from a singular zeal they professed for the honour of God, and the purity of religion. A party called Zealots were famous in the war of the Jews against the Romans. They were main instruments in instigating the people to shake off the yoke of subjection ; they assassinated many of the nobility and others, in the streets, filled the temple itself with bloodshed and other horrible profanations, and were the chief cause of the ruin of their country. But no proof is offered by which it is made to appear that any such party existed in our Saviour's time, though some then maintained that it was not lawful for a Jew to pay taxes to the Romans. At least if any then took the name of Zealots, they certainly neither followed the impious conduct, nor adopted the false and inhuman maxims of those mentioned by Josephus in his history of the Jewish war against the Romans.

St. Simon, after his conversion, was zealous for the honour of his Master, and exact in all the duties of the Christian religion and showed a pious indignation towards those who professed this holy faith with their mouths, but dishonoured it by the irregularity of their lives. No further mention appears of him in the gospels, than that he was adopted by Christ into the college of the apostles. With the rest he received the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost, which he afterwards exercised with great zeal and fidelity. Nicephorus Calixti, and some other modern Greeks, pretend, that after preaching in Mauritania, and other parts of Africa, he sailed into Britain, and having enlightened the minds of many with the doctrine of the gospel, was crucified by the infidels. But of this there appears no shadow of probability, and the vouchers, by many inconsistencies, destroy the credit of their own assertion. If this apostle preached in Egypt, Gyrene, and Mauritania, he returned into the East; for the Martyrologies of St. Jerome, Bede, Ado, and Usuard place his martyrdom in Persia, at a city called Suanir, possibly in the country of the Suani, a people in Colchis, or a little higher in Sarmatia, then allied with the Parthians in Persia: which may agree with a passage in the Acts of St. Andrew, that in the Cimmerian Bosphorus there was a tomb in a grot, with an inscription, importing, that Simon the Zealot was interred there. His death is said in these Martyrologies to have been procured by the idolatrous priests. Those who mention the manner of his death say he was crucified. St. Peter's church on the Vatican at Rome, and the cathedral of Toulouse are said to possess the chief portions of the relics of SS. Simon and Jude.
- The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints, Volume 10
 By Alban Butler

Sunday, October 25, 2009

King of kings and Lord of lords: The Reign of Christ the King!

"His empire includes not only Catholic nations, not only baptized persons who, though of right belonging to the Church, have been led astray by error, or have been cut off from her by schism, but also all those who are outside the Christian faith; so that truly the whole of mankind is subject to the power of Jesus Christ."
- Pope Leo XIII

Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat!

It has long been a common custom to give to Christ the metaphorical title of "King," because of the high degree of perfection whereby he excels all creatures. So he is said to reign "in the hearts of men," both by reason of the keenness of his intellect and the extent of his knowledge, and also because he is very truth, and it is from him that truth must be obediently received by all mankind. He reigns, too, in the wills of men, for in him the human will was perfectly and entirely obedient to the Holy Will of God, and further by his grace and inspiration he so subjects our free-will as to incite us to the most noble endeavors. He is King of hearts, too, by reason of his "charity which exceedeth all knowledge." And his mercy and kindness which draw all men to him, for never has it been known, nor will it ever be, that man be loved so much and so universally as Jesus Christ. But if we ponder this matter more deeply, we cannot but see that the title and the power of King belongs to Christ as man in the strict and proper sense too (Eph. iii, 9). For it is only as man that he may be said to have received from the Father "power and glory and a kingdom," (Dan. vii, 13-14) since the Word of God, as con-substantial with the Father, has all things in common with him, and therefore has necessarily supreme and absolute dominion over all things created.

The foundation of this power and dignity of Our Lord is rightly indicated by Cyril of Alexandria. "Christ," he says, "has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor usurped, but his by essence and by nature." His kingship is founded upon the ineffable hypostatic union. From this it follows not only that Christ is to be adored by angels and men, but that to him as man angels and men are subject, and must recognize his empire; by reason of the hypostatic union Christ has power over all creatures. But a thought that must give us even greater joy and consolation is this that Christ is our King by acquired, as well as by natural right, for he is our Redeemer. Would that they who forget what they have cost their Savior might recall the words: "You were not redeemed with corruptible things, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled" (I Pet. i, 18-19). We are no longer our own property, for Christ has purchased us "with a great price" (1 Cor. vi, 20); our very bodies are the "members of Christ" (I Cor. vi, 15).
 - Excerpted from QUAS PRIMAS (7 and 13)
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XI
ON THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING


Act of Dedication of the Human Race to Jesus Christ the King
Pope Leo XIII
Most sweet Jesus, Redeemer of the human race, look down upon us humbly prostrate before Thy altar. We are Thine, and Thine we wish to be; but to be more surely united with Thee, behold each one of us freely consecrates himself today to Thy most Sacred Heart. Many indeed have never known Thee; many too, despising Thy precepts, have rejected Thee. Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and draw them to Thy Sacred Heart. Be Thou King, O Lord, not only of the faithful who have never forsaken Thee, but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned Thee; grant that they may quickly return to their Father's house lest they die of wretchedness and hunger. Be Thou King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof, and call them back to the harbor of truth and unity of faith, so that soon there may be but one flock and one Shepherd. Be Thou King of all those who are still involved in the darkness of idolatry or of Islamism, and refuse not to to draw them all into the light and kingdom of God. Turn Thine eyes of mercy towards the children of that race, once Thy chosen people: of old they called down upon themselves the Blood of the Savior; may It now descend upon them, a laver of redemption and of life. Grant, O Lord, to Thy Church assurance of freedom and immunity from harm; give peace and order to all nations, and make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry: "Praise be to the Divine Heart that wrought our salvation; to It be glory and honor for ever." Amen.


Saturday, October 24, 2009

Raphael: "God has healed"

"The approach of the great solemnity, which will soon be shedding upon us all the splendours of heaven, seems to inspire the Church with a profound recollection. Except for the homage she must needs pay, on their own date, to the glorious Apostles Simon and Jude, only a few Feasts of simple rite break the silence of these last days of October. Our souls must be in conformity with the dispositions of our common Mother. It will not, however, be out of keeping to give a thought to the great Archangel, honoured to-day by many particular churches.

The ministry fulfilled in our regard by the heavenly spirits is admirably set forth in the graceful scenes depicted in the history of Tobias. Rehearsing the good services of the guide and friend, whom he still called his brother Azarias, the younger Tobias said to his father: 'Father, what wages shall we give him? or what can be worthy of his benefits? He conducted me and brought me safe again, he received the money of Gabelm, he caused me to have my wife, and he chased from her the evil spirit, he gave joy to her parents, myself he delivered from being devoured by the fish, thee also he hath made to see the light of heaven, and we are filled with all good things through him.' (Tob. xii. 2-3)

And when father and son endeavoured, after the fashion of men, to return thanks to him who had rendered them such good service, the Angel discovered himself to them, in order to refer their gratitude to their supreme Benefactor. 'Bless ye the God of heaven, give glory to him in the sight of all that live, because he hath shewn his mercy to you When thou didst pray with tears, and didst bury the dead. .... I offered thy prayer to the Lord. And because thou wast acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove thee. And now the Lord hath sent me to heal thee, and to deliver Sara thy son's wife from the devil. For I am the Angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord— Peace be to you, fear not;... bless ye him and sing praises to him.' (Tob. xii. 6-18)

We too will celebrate the blessings of heaven. For as surely as Tobias beheld with his bodily eyes the Archangel Raphael, we know by faith that the Angel of the Lord accompanies us from the cradle to the tomb. Let us have the same trustful confidence in him. Then, along the path of life, more beset with perils than the road to the country of the Medes, we shall be in perfect safety; all that happens to us will be for the best, because prepared by our Lord; and, as though we were already in heaven, our Angel will cause us to shed blessings upon all around us.

We will borrow from the Ambrosian Breviary a hymn in honour of the bright Archangel.

HYMN.

O Raphael, divinely sent guide, graciously receive the hymn we suppliants address to thee with joyful voice.
Make straight for us the way of salvation, and forward our steps : lest at any time we wander astray, and turn from the path to heaven.
Look down upon us from on high ; reflect to our souls the splendour shining from above, from the holy Father of lights.
Give perfect health to the sick, dispel the darkness of the blind: and while driving away diseases of the body, give spiritual strength to our souls.
Thou who standest before the Sovereign Judge, plead for the pardon of our crimes : and as a trusty advocate appease the avenging wrath of the Most High.
Renewer of the great battle, crush our proud enemy : against the rebel spirits give us strength, and increase our grace.
To God the Father be glory, and to his only Son, together with the Paraclete Spirit, now and for evermore. Amen."

The Liturgical Year, Volume 14 by Dom Prosper Guéranger


PRAYER TO ST. RAPHAEL, ARCHANGEL.

Glorious archangel St. Raphael, great prince of the heavenly court, illustrious by thy gifts of wisdom and grace, guide of travelers by land and sea, consoler of the unfortunate, and refuge of sinners, I entreat thee to help me in all my needs and in all the trials of this life, as thou didst once assist the young Tobias in his journeying. And since thou art the "physician of God," I humbly pray thee to heal my soul of its many infirmities and my body of the ills that afflict it, if this favor is for my greater good. I ask, especially, for angelic purity, that I may be made fit to be the living temple of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Indulgence of 100 days.—Leo XIII., June 21, 1890.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

"Make the holy angels your friends, honor them by your prayers." - St. Bernard of Clairvaux

"He hath given his angels charge over thee." O wonderful bounty and truly great love of charity! Who? For whom? Wherefore? What has He commanded? Let us study closely, brethren, and let us diligently commit to our memory this great mandate. Who is it that commands? Whose angels are they? Whose mandates do they fulfill? Whose will do they obey? In answer, "He hath given his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." And they do not hesitate even to life thee up in their hands.
So the Supreme Majesty has given charge to the angels. Yes, He has given charge to His own angels. Think of it! To those sublime beings, who cling to Him so joyfully and intimately, to His very own He has given charge over you! Who are you? "What is man that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that thou visitest him?" As if man were not rottenness, and the son of man a worm! Now why, do you think, he Has given them charge over thee? -- To guard thee!


Decorations on the Altar of the Guardian Angel at Ottobeuren Abbey, Ottobeuren, Germany 

With what great reverence should you treat this word! What devotion should you proffer it; what great confidence should you place in it. Reverence because of their presence; devotion because of their benevolence; confidence because of their solicitude. Walk carefully, in all thy ways, as one with whom the angels are present as He has given them charge. In every lodging, at every corner, have reverence for thy Angel. Do not dare to do in his presence what you would not dare to do if I were there. Or do you doubt that he is present whom you do not behold? What if you should hear him? What if you should touch him? What if you should scent him? Remember that the presence of something is not proved only by the sight of things.
In this, therefore, brethren, let us affectionately love His angels as one day our future coheirs; meanwhile, however, as counselors and defenders appointed by the Father and placed over us. Why should we fear under such guardians? Those who keep us in all our ways can neither be overcome nor be deceived, much less deceive. They are faithful; they are prudent; they are powerful; why do we tremble? Let us only follow them, let us remain close to them, and in the protection of the God of heaven let us abide. As often, therefore, as a most serious temptation is perceived to weigh upon you and an excessive trial is threatening, call to your guard, your leader, your helper in your needs, in your tribulation; cry to him and say: "Lord, save us; we perish!"

- St. Bernard of Clairvaux, "Sermon on the Holy Guardian Angels"

 

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

"Guard against causing trouble and slandering others, for it is difficult to right the evil done." - Motto of St. John Cantius

"John was born at Kenty, a town in the diocese of Cracow; and hence his surname Cantius.  His parents were pious and honourable persons, by name Stanislaus and Anna. From his very infancy, his sweetness of disposition, innocence, and gravity, gave promise of very great virtue.
He studied philosophy and theology at the University of Cracow, and taking all his degrees proceeded professor and doctor. He taught sacred science for many years, enlightening the minds of his pupils and enkindling in them the flame of piety, no less by his deeds than by his words. When he was ordained priest, he relaxed nothing of his zeal for study, but increased his ardour for Christian perfection. Grieving exceedingly over the offences everywhere committed against God, he strove to make satisfaction on his own behalf and that of the people, by daily offering the unbloody Sacrifice with many tears. For several years he had charge of the parish of Ilkusi, which he administered in an exemplary manner; but, fearing the responsibility of the cure of souls, he resigned his post; and, at the request of the University, resumed the professor's chair.


Whatever time remained over from his studies, he devoted partly to the good of his neighbour, especially by holy preaching; partly to prayer, in which he is said to have been sometimes favoured with heavenly visions and communications. He was so affected by the Passion of Christ, that he would spend whole nights without sleep, in the contemplation of it; and in order the better to cultivate this devotion, he undertook a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. While there, in his eagerness for martyrdom he boldly preached Christ crucified even to the Turks.
Four times he went to Rome on foot, and carrying his own baggage, to visit the threshold of the Apostles ; in order to honour the Apostolic See to which he was earnestly devoted, and also (as he used to say), to save himself from Purgatory by means of the indulgences there daily to be gained. On one of these journeys he was robbed by brigands. When asked by them whether he had anything more, ho replied in the negative; but afterwards remembering that he had some gold pieces sewed in his cloak, he called back the robbers, who had taken to flight, and offered them the money. Astonished at the holy man's sincerity and generosity, they restored all they had taken from him. After St. Augustine's example, he had verses inscribed on the walls in his house, warning others, as well as himself, to respect the reputation of their neighbours. He fed the hungry from his own table; and clothed the naked not only with garments bought for the purpose, but even with his own clothes and shoes; on these occasions he would lower his cloak to the ground, so as not to be seen walking home barefoot. He took vary little sleep, and that on the ground. His clothing was only sufficient to cover him, and his food to keep him alive. He preserved his virginal purity, like a lily among thorns, by using a rough hair-shirt, disciplines, and fasting; and for about thirty-five years before his death, he abstained entirely from flesh-meat. At length, full of days and of merits, he prepared himself long and diligently for death, which he felt drawing near; and that nothing might be a hindrance to him, he distributed all that remained in his house to the poor. Then, strengthened with the Sacraments of the Church, and desiring to be dissolved and to be with Christ, he passed to heaven on Christmas Eve. He worked many miracles both in life and after death. His body was carried to St. Anne's, the church of the University, and there honourably interred. The people's veneration for the saint, and the crowds visiting his tomb, increased daily; and he is honoured as one of the chief patrons of Poland and Lithuania. As new miracles continued to be wrought, Pope Clement XIII solemnly enrolled him among the Saints, on the seventeenth of the Kalends of August, in the year 1767."

- Bull of Canonization as quoted in The Liturgical Year, Volume 14 by Dom Prosper Guéranger

Monday, October 19, 2009

"See that you all follow the bishop, even as Jesus Christ does the Father..." - St. Ignatius of Antioch

Beautiful Pictures of Archbishop Raymond Burke's Solemn Pontifical Mass in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome! 




From the Blog RINASCIMENTO SACRO

Commemorating St. Peter of Alcantara

"PETER, while still a youth, left his home at Alcantara in Spain, and entered a convent of Discalced Franciscans. He rose quickly to high posts in the Order, but his thirst for penance was still unappeased, and in 1539, being then forty years old, he founded the first convent of the "Strict Observance." The cells of the friars resembled graves rather than dwelling-places. That of St. Peter himself was four feet and a half in length, so that he could never lie down; he ate but once in three days; his sack-cloth habit and a cloak were his only garments, and he never covered his head or feet. In the bitter winter he would open the door and window of his cell that, by closing them again, he might experience some sensation of warmth. Amongst those whom he trained to perfection was St. Teresa. He read her soul, approved of her spirit of prayer, and strengthened her to carry out her reforms. St. Peter died, with great joy, kneeling in prayer, October 18, 1562, at the age of sixty-three."

- Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler (1894 edition)


Statue of St. Peter of Alcantara in St. Peter's Basilica

Sunday, October 18, 2009

"His mercy is from generation unto generations to them that fear Him." - Luke 1: 50


Detail of Madonna del Magnificat by Sandro Botticelli


    "Each of the Gospels has its own particular characteristic. If one is seeking signs of Our Lord's infinite mercy, he should especially read the Gospel of Saint Luke.
    In this Gospel we find the detailed narratives of the conversion of Magdalen, Zaccheus, and the Good Thief. We see the Good Shepherd seeking the lost sheep and carrying it on His shoulders back to the sheepfold. We see the woman lighting a lamp and looking for her drachma; we learn that this woman's joy in finding it is only a faint image of the joy of God and His Angels when a sinner converts. We also admire the goodness of the father of the prodigal son upon the return of his child, the compassion and liberality of the Good Samaritan. We see Jesus Himself, moved by the widow of Naim who was crying over the death of her son. We see His goodness when He speaks with the disciples of Emmaus after His Resurrection; He enlightens them, comforts them, then allows them to recognize Him.
    Saint Anselm says that Saint Luke the Evangelist, having previously been a physician, had devoted his efforts to relieving sicknesses of the body. After he became a disciple of the Lord, he devoted them to relieving sicknesses of the soul. And the great remedy for sickness of the soul is God's mercy, which delivers the soul of its sins. Saint Luke kept clearly in mind Mary's words, which proclaim the greatness of Divine mercy.
    This mercy consists in the benefits God has poured forth at all times and will pour forth until the end upon His faithful servants, especially the benefits of the Incarnation of the Word, the Redemption, the
Eucharist, and all the graces that derive from these sacred mysteries. This mercy is not for a time but for all times, although it is not manifested in every era with equal abundance. Saint Albert the Great says, "It is great, it is continual, it is abundant, it is sweet, it is discreet." Divine mercy is also patient; it does not allow the justice and the wrath of God to act as soon as the sinner makes himself guilty, but waits for him to return to a better disposition and do penance.
... 
    Does Our Lord not teach us that God's mercy and His perfection are one and the same thing? Listen to what He tells us in the Gospel of Saint Matthew: Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect . . . He who makes His sun rise on the good and the evil, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. [ St. Matthew 5: 48,45] Is it not in this goodness, which is extended to everyone, that Jesus Christ says the Father's perfection consists? Listen to Saint Luke, who relates the same teaching of the Lord in other terms: Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. [St. Luke 6: 36]
...
    If we do not fear God, if we refuse to keep His Commandments, how will we be able to lift up our eyes to the Mother of mercy? What can Mary do for a soul in open revolt against Jesus Christ, Her Son and our Judge, a soul that refuses to bow beneath His authority and defies Him? She has fore- warned us Herself that mercy is reserved for those who fear God. Do we think Mary will approve of our iniquities? She is very willing to implore our forgiveness and obtain our return to God's favor, but She will do so only if we manifest a sincere will to revert to the good, and regret having separated from God and having offended Him. Mary has an infinite horror for sin; She can help only pure souls draw near to Him, or those who implore Her help to become pure. Let us not approach Mary if we are burdened with sin, Her mortal enemy. Or if that enemy is wound around us like a deadly serpent, let us call Mary to our help, but let it be in order to be delivered from it. Then we will have a right to Her assistance; through Her we will obtain precious graces for this life and final perseverance in view of eternity."

- Excerpts from Somme des Grandeurs de Marie, Sermons sur Ie Magnificat, Vol. VII.Abbe Z.C. Jourdai (1900)

St. Luke the Evangelist, Patron Saint of Artists!

"ST. LUKE, a physician at Antioch, and a painter, became a convert of St. Paul, and afterwards his fellow-laborer. He is best known to us as the historian of the New Testament. Though not an eye-witness of Our Lord's life, the Evangelist diligently gathered information from the lips of the apostles, and wrote, as he tells us, all things in order. The acts of the Apostles were written by this Evangelist as a sequel to his Gospel, bringing the history .of the Church down to the first imprisonment of St. Paul at Rome. The humble historian never names himself, but by his occasional use of "we" for "they" we are able to detect his presence in the scenes which he describes. We thus find that he sailed with St. Paul and Silas from Troas to Macedonia; stayed behind apparently for seven years at Philippi, and, lastly, shared the shipwreck and perils of the memorable voyage to Rome. Here his own narrative ends, but from St. Paul's Epistles we learn that St. Luke was his faithful companion to the end. He died a martyr's death some time afterwards in Achaia."
- Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler (1894 edition)




"According to tradition he was an artist, as well as a man of letters; and with a soul alive to all the most delicate inspirations, he consecrated his pencil to the holiest use, and handed down to us the features of the Mother of God. It was an illustration worthy of the Gospel which relates to the divine Infancy; and it won for the artist a new title to the gratitude of those who never saw Jesus and Mary in the flesh. Hence St. Luke is the patron of Christian art."

- The Liturgical Year, Dom Gueranger O.S.B.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on Us!

"[T]he Heart of the Incarnate Word is deservedly and rightly considered the chief sign and symbol of that threefold love with which the divine Redeemer unceasingly loves His eternal Father and all mankind.
It is a symbol of that divine love which He shares with the Father and the Holy Spirit but which He, the Word made flesh, alone manifests through a weak and perishable body, since 'in Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily.'
It is, besides, the symbol of that burning love which, infused into His soul, enriches the human will of Christ and enlightens and governs its acts by the most perfect knowledge derived both from the beatific vision and that which is directly infused.
And finally—and this in a more natural and direct way—it is the symbol also of sensible love, since the body of Jesus Christ, formed by the Holy Spirit, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, possesses full powers of feelings and perception, in fact, more so than any other human body.
Since, therefore, Sacred Scripture and the official teaching of the Catholic faith instruct us that all things find their complete harmony and order in the most holy soul of Jesus Christ, and that He has manifestly directed His threefold love for the securing of our redemption, it unquestionably follows that we can contemplate and honor the Heart of the divine Redeemer as a symbolic image of His love and a witness of our redemption and, at the same time, as a sort of mystical ladder by which we mount to the embrace of 'God our Savior.'"
- HAURIETIS AQUAS (On Devotion To The Sacred Heart) Pope Pius XII, May 15, 1956




ACT OF ADORATION TO THE SACRED HEART 
by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

With all the power of my heart, I now adore Thy sovereignty, O most Sacred, Divine and Adorable Heart of Jesus, whom I wish to fear and respect with continuous attention never more to offend Thee because Thou art infinitely good. O most Sacred Heart, I love Thee and wish to love Thee above all things with all my strength and power. I detest every mortal sin and all voluntary venial sins; I hope that as we belong to Thee, who hast given birth to us on the Cross with so much pain, Thou wilt have pity on our weakness and misery and not allow us to perish.

I offer myself entirely to Thee, O Heart of love, with the intention that my whole being, my life and my sufferings may be employed in loving, honoring and glorifying Thee in time and in eternity. I love Thee, O most amiable Heart, as my sovereign good, my entire happiness and all my joy, as the sole object worthy of the love of all hearts. May my heart be reduced to cinders by the ardor and vehemence of this love, by which I renew with my whole soul all the offerings which I have made to Thee of myself. Keep me from displeasing Thee and grant me to do what is most pleasing to Thee. O Heart, Source of pure love, would that I might be all heart to Thee and all soul to adore Thee! Grant that by Thy holy grace, I may be able to love only Thee, to love in Thee and by Thee and for Thee. May my memory think only of Thee, may I have no other understanding but to know Thee, no other will or affection but to love Thee, no tongue but to praise Thee, no eye but to see Thee, no hands but to serve Thee, no feet but to seek Thee, in order that I may be able one day to love Thee without fear of losing Thee for all eternity. Amen.

St. Margaret Mary Alocoque, Patron of Devotees of the Sacred Heart

"MARGARET MARY was born at Terreau in Burgundy, on the 22d July, 1647. During her infancy she showed a wonderfully sensitive horror of the very idea of sin. In 1671 she entered the Order of the Visitation, at Paray-le-Monial, and was professed the following year. After purifying her by many trials, Jesus appeared to her in numerous visions, displaying to her His Sacred Heart, sometimes burning as a furnace, and sometimes torn and bleeding on account of the coldness and sins of men. In. 1675 the great revelation was made to her that she, in union with Father de la Colombière, of the Society of Jesus, was to be the chief instrument for instituting the feast of the Sacred Heart, and for spreading that devotion throughout the world. She died on the 17th October, 1690.
Reflection.—Love for the Sacred Heart especially honors the Incarnation, and makes the soul grow rapidly in humility, generosity, patience, and union with its Beloved."
- Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler (1894 edition)




In one of her visions of Christ, St. Margaret Mary received 12 promises for those devoted to to the Sacred Heart of Jesus:
  1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
  2. I will establish peace in their families.
  3. I will console them in all their troubles.
  4. They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of their death.
  5. I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
  6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source of an infinite ocean of mercy.
  7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
  8. Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
  9. I will bless the homes where an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored.
  10. I will give to priests the power of touching the most hardened hearts.
  11. Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be effaced.
  12. The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under my displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Celebrating a great feast for Carmel!

JMJT
Jesus+Mary+Joseph+Teresa


"We shall never learn to know ourselves except by endeavoring to know God; for, beholding His greatness, we realize our own littleness; His purity shows us our foulness; and by meditating upon His humility we find how very far we are from being humble."
 - St. Teresa of Avila


St. Teresa was born on March 28, 1515.  At the age of 20, she joined the Carmelite Convent of the Incarnation in Avila.  In 1562, St. Teresa founded the Convent of St. Joseph where she proceeded to begin the reform of the Carmelite order.  For this reason, St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross are known as the founders of the Discalced Carmelites.  Before her death in 1582, St. Teresa founded 32 convents throughout Spain.
St.Teresa was blessed with mystical experiences including visions of Our Savior and a piercing of her heart by an angel.  These mystical experiences led her to a profound knowledge of the Divine for which she was named a Doctor of the Church.


"Let nothing disturb you; Let nothing frighten you. All things are passing. God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Nothing is wanting to him who possesses God. God alone suffices."
- St. Teresa of Avila

St. Teresa, pray for us!



Some excellent reading: 
The Life of Teresa of Jesus (Autobiography)
The Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila

Monday, October 12, 2009

In 1492...

"No one should fear to undertake any task in the name of our Saviour, if it is just and if the intention is purely for His holy service."
- Christopher Columbus


The Santa Maria at Anchor by Andries van Eertvelt, painted c. 1628

Happy Columbus Day!

Commemorating the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

"Address her as Queen of Heaven, Sovereign Mistress of the angels, or any other title of honor you may please, but never can you honor her so much as by simply calling her the Mother of God."
- Peter of Celles


"'Whosoever, shall exalt himself, shall be humbled; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted' (Matt. 23:12). These are the words of our Lord, and cannot fail. Therefore, God having determined to become man that He might redeem lost man, and thus show the world His infinite goodness; and having to choose a Mother on earth, He sought amongst women for the one who was the most holy and the most humble. But amongst all, one there was whom He admired, and this one was the tender Virgin Mary, who, the more exalted were her virtues, so much the more dove-like was her simplicity and humility, and the more lowly was she in her own estimation. 'There are young maidens without number:one is my dove, my perfect one' (Cant. 6:8). Therefore God said, this one shall be my chosen Mother."
- The Glories of Mary. by St. Alphonsus Ligouri


(To read all of this magnificent work by St. Alphonsus, click here!)

Saturday, October 10, 2009

"Never more, never more will I serve a master who can die." - St. Francis Borgia


"The third great saint of the Jesuit community is St. Francis Borgia. His family was at once most illustrious and most infamous. On one side he was nearly allied to the Emperor Charles V. ; on the other, he was of the same race as Alexander VI. and Caesar Borgia. Hereditary Duke of Gandia, a grandee of Spain, distinguished in his youth and manhood as courtier, soldier, statesman ; a happy husband, a happy father, — nothing that this world could offer of greatness or prosperity seemed wanting to crown his felicity, if this world could have sufficed for him. But what was the world of this enthusiastic, contemplative, tender, poetical nature. It was the Spanish court in the sixteenth century ; it was a subserviency to forms from which there could have been but two means of escape,— that personal emancipation which his position rendered impossible, or the exchange of the earthly for the spiritual — I will not say bondage, but — obedience. Tho manner in which this was brought about strikes us like a coup-de-theatre, but has all the authority of a fact, and all the solemnity of a sermon.

    Several events of Borgia's young life had fostered in his mind a deep religious feeling, " a melancholy fear subdued by faith." The death of the poet Garcilasso de la Vega, his dear and intimate friend ; some dangerous maladies from which he had with difficulty recovered, — had predisposed him to set but little value upon life, although his love for his beautiful consort Eleonora de Castro, a numerous family of hopeful children, and the high employments to which he was called by his sovereign, had filled that life full of affections and duties. He was in his twenty-ninth year when the Empress Isabella, the first wife of Charles V., died in the bloom of her youth and beauty, and at a moment when her husband was celebrating his most brilliant triumphs. Borgia as her master of horse, and his wife Eleonora as her first lady of honor, were bound to attend the funeral cavalcade from Madrid to Granada, where Isabella was to be laid in the Capilla de los Reyes. The court ceremonial also required that, at the moment when the body was lowered into the tomb, the duke should raise the lid of the coffin, uncover the face, and swear to the identity of the royal remains committed to his charge. He did so, — he lifted the winding-sheet, he beheld the face of the beautiful and benign empress who had been his friend not less than his sovereign lady. It was a revelation of unspeakable horror, a sight the fancy dare not attempt to realize. He took the required oath; but, in the same hour, made a solemn vow to renounce the service of the earthly and the perishable, for the service of the heavenly and imperishable ; — to bend no more to mortal man, but only to the unchangeable, eternal God.

   Yet this vow could not be at once fulfilled. The idea of throwing off his allegiance, of forsaking his Eleonora, or withdrawing her from the world and from her children, never entered his mind; and in the mean time the emperor appointed him viceroy of Catalonia. He repaired to his government; gave himself np to active duties ; attended to the administration of justice; cleared the country of robbers; encouraged agriculture; founded schools. At Barcelona, while occupied with plans for the education of the people, he became acquainted with one of the Jesuit Society, then in its infancy, — Father Aroas. Pleased with his intelligence and with the grand and comprehensive plan of education conceived as the basis of the new community, he entered into correspondence with Loyola, and thenceforth became but as an instrument in the hands of that wonderful man. The death of his wife, by which he was at first struck down by grief, emancipated him from the dearest of his earthly ties; but his long-considered resolve to quit the world was executed at last with a deliberation and solemnity worthy of himself. He spent six years in settling his affairs and providing for the welfare of his children; then, bidding a last farewell to every worldly care and domestic affection, he departed for Rome to place himself and every faculty of his being at the feet of St. Ignatius. That sagacious chief sent him to preach in Spain and Portugal; calculating, perhaps, on the effect to be produced on the popular mind by seeing the grandee of Spain, the favorite and minister of an emperor, metamorphosed into the humble Father Francis. It was in this character that he visited his cousin Charles V. soon after his abdication.

   In 1555, Father Francis was elected the third General of his Society, and filled the office for seven years. Returning to Italy after an absence, he was taken ill at Ferrara, and just lived to reach Rome, where he died, spent with fatigues. He was at first buried in the Gesii at Rome, near his predecessors, Loyola; but, by order of his grandson, the Cardinal Duke of Lerma (the famous minister of Philip III.), his remains were exhumed, and borne in state to Madrid, where they now lie."

- Legends of the Monastic Orders as Represented in the Fine Arts. by Anna Jameson, 1884

Welcome...

...to the blog home of JMJT Cards!  We are starting this blog to share our love of the Faith in a less "formal" setting.  Here you will find updates pertaining to our website as well as other interesting tidbits.  Check back with us often, or subscribe to our blog for up-to-the-minute news about our goings-on!

God bless!