February Devotion: The Holy Family

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of February has been primarily asociated with the Holy Family, probably due to the feast of Our Lord's presentation at the temple, celebrated on February 2. At the very outset of Christ's work on earth, God showed the world a family in which, as Pope Leo XIII teaches, "all men might behold a perfect model of domestic life, and of all virtue and holiness." The harmony, unity, and holiness which characterized this holy Family make it the model for all Christian families.

INVOCATION
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph most kind, Bless us now and in death's agony.

FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE HOLY FAMILY
Grant unto us, Lord Jesus, ever to follow the example of Thy holy Family, that in the hour of our death Thy glorious Virgin Mother together with blessed Joseph may come to meet us and we may be worthily received by Thee into everlasting dwellings: who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.
Roman Missal

CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY FAMILY
O Jesus, our most loving Redeemer, who having come to enlighten the world with Thy teaching and example, didst will to pass the greater part of Thy life in humility and subjection to Mary and Joseph in the poor home of Nazareth, thus sanctifying the Family that was to be an example for all Christian families, graciously receive our family as it dedicates and consecrates itself to Thee this day. Do Thou defend us, guard us and establish amongst us Thy holy fear, true peace, and concord in Christian love: in order that, by conforming ourselves to the divine pattern of Thy family, we may be able, all of us without exception, to attain to eternal happiness.

Mary, dear Mother of Jesus and Mother of us, by thy kindly intercession make this our humble offering acceptable in the sight of Jesus, and obtain for us His graces and blessings.

O Saint Joseph, most holy guardian of Jesus and Mary, assist us by thy prayers in all our spiritual and temporal necessities; that so we may be enabled to praise our divine Savior Jesus, together with Mary and thee, for all eternity.

Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be, three times.

IN HONOR OF THE HOLY FAMILY
O God, heavenly Father, it was part of Thine eternal decree that Thine only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, should form a holy family with Mary, His blessed mother, and His foster father, Saint Joseph. In Nazareth home life was sanctified, and a perfect example was given to every Christian family. Grant, we beseech Thee, that we may fully comprehend and faithfully imitate the virtues of the Holy Family so that we may be united with them one day in their heavenly glory. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954

Holy Family Chaplet

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with me in my last hour.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul
in peace with you.

Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse. Amen.

Say 3 Our Father's, 3 Hail Mary's, and 3 Glory be's.

The Holy Family Icon by Nicholas Markell

PRAYER TO
THE HOLY FAMILY
=====================================================================================

GOD our Heavenly Father, You call all peoples to be united as one family in worshipping You as the one and true God. You willed that Your Son become man, giving Him a virgin mother and a foster father to form the Holy Family of Nazareth.

WE pray: may the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, image and model of every human family unit walk in the spirit of Nazareth and grow in the understanding of its particular mission in society and the Church. May our families be living cells of love, faithfulness and unity, thus reflecting God's covenant with humanity and Christ's redeeming love for His Church.

JESUS, Mary and Joseph protect our families from all evil; keep us, who are away from home, one in love with our dear ones.

The Holy Family

"The Holy Family with the infant St. John the Baptist ( the Doni tondo )" by Michelangelo c.1506, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence Parent's Prayer

Jesus, Son of God, Son of Man, and Son of Mary, I thank you for the gift of life you have entrusted to my care. Help me be a parent both tender and wise, both loving and forgiving.

Mary, Holy Mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and our Motherly Queen of Heaven, nourish our family with your heavenly grace. Help us to remain faithful to The Most Holy Trinity, in all our sorrows and joys.

Joseph, Earthly father to our Lord God, guardian and spouse of Mary, keep our family safe from harm. Help us in all times of discouragement or anxiety.

Holy Family of Nazareth, help our family to walk in your footsteps. May we be peace-loving and peace-giving.
Amen.

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
Recovering God’s Plan for Marriage and Family: A Sermon on the Feast of the Holy Family

“Why were you looking for me?" (On the Feast of The Holy Family)
U.S. Postal Service Issues Holy Family Forever Stamp
On Prayer in the Life of the Holy Family
The Holy Family - held together by Love through all their problems [Ecumenical]
Feast of the Holy Family: The Christian Family is a Domestic Church
Chesterton on "The Human Family and the Holy Family"
Joseph, Mary and Jesus: A Model Family
ADVICE TO PARENTS by Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
The Holy Family
St. Joseph as Head of the Holy Family (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)

Feast of the Holy Family
Feast of the Holy Family (Dom Guéranger OSB)
The Feast of the Holy Family
The Holy Family vs. The Holy Innocents: A Christmas season reflection [Catholic Caucus]
Vatican creche to place Holy Family in Joseph's carpentry workshop
The Redemption and Protection of the Family [Feast of the Holy Family]
Study Backs Tradition of Loreto House - Stones in Altar Match Those in Nazareth, It Says
Unraveling Jesus' mystery years in Egypt
Gaudi’s Church of the Holy Family to be ready for worship in 2008
Imitating the Holy Family; Four Traits that Make It Possible
Lots of Graphics: Post your favorite image of the St. Mary and Child, the Holy Family...

February 2013

Pope's Intentions

Migrant Families: That migrant families, especially the mothers, may be supported and accompanied in their difficulties.

Peace: That the peoples at war and in conflict may lead the way in building a peaceful future.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Lenten Weekday

First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:

Isaiah 55:10-11
Psalm 34:4-7, 16-19
Matthew 6:7-15

The faults of children are not always imputed to the parents, especially when they have instructed them and given good example. Our Lord, in His wonderous Providence, allows children to break the hearts of devout fathers and mothers. Thus the decisions your children have made don't make you a failure as a parent in God's eyes. You are entitled to feel sorrow, but not necessarily guilt. Do not cease praying for your children; God's grace can touch a hardened heart. Commend your children to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. When parents pray the Rosary,at the end of each decade they should hold the Rosary aloft and say to her,"With these beads bind my children to your Immaculate Heart", she will attend to their souls.

-- St. Louise de Marillac

Just A Minute (Listen)
Some of EWTN's most popular hosts and guests in a collection of one minute inspirational messages. A different message each time you click.

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.

Information: St. Conrad of Piacenza

Feast Day:	February 19
Born:	1290, Piacenza, Province of Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Died:	February 19, 1351, Noto, Province of Syracuse, Sicily, Italy
Patron of:	cure of hernias

Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Barbatus

Feast Day: February 19
Born:612 :: Died:682

Barbatus was born in Benevento, Italy. He liked to read the Bible and as soon as he was old enough, he was ordained a priest.

Being a fiery preacher, he was made a pastor. Although he was very good at his work, his life as a pastor was not easy. St. Barbatus encouraged the people that belonged to his flock, to lead better lives. He reminded them to be sorry for their sins. Some people did not like him telling them how to live and were angry. They treated him very badly and finally forced him to leave.

Young St. Barbatus resigned from his parish and went back to Benevento where he had been born. He was received with great joy.

There were challenges in that city, too. Many converts to Christianity still kept pagan idols in their homes. They found it hard to destroy their good luck charms. They worshiped a golden viper and animal skin hung in a tree. They believed in magic powers.

St. Barbatus preached against such superstitions. But the people hung on to their false gods. The saint warned them that because of this sin, their city would be attacked by enemies and it was. The army of Emperor Constans besieged Benevento.

The people then listened to the preacher, soon gave up their error and peace returned. Barbatus then cut down the tree with his own hand, and melted down the golden viper to make a chalice for the altar.

St. Barbatus was made bishop. He continued his work to convert his people and assisted the Pope in a council. He died on February 29, 682, at the age of seventy.

Catholic

Almanac:

Tuesday, February 19
Liturgical Color: Green
Today the Church recalls St. Alvarez of Cordova. He was a very holy man who built a monastery in the mountains of Cordova Spain. After he died in 1430, repeated attempts to move his relics to the city were halted by violent storms at each attempt.

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: February 19, 2013
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Look upon your family, Lord, that, through the chastening effects of bodily discipline, our minds may be radiant in your presence with the strength of our yearning for you. 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.

RECIPES

Legume Soup

ACTIVITIES

On how our Work is Love, and how we can work with Christ to save Souls with our Love

PRAYERS

LIBRARY

Lent: February 19th

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent

Old Calendar: St. Conrad of Piacenza (Hist), St. Gabinus (Hist)

Historically today is the feast of St. Conrad of Piacenza, a friar and hermit celebrated for piety and miraculous cures at Noto in Sicily and St. Gabinus, brother of Pope St. Caius, father of St. Susanna, who was ordained in his old age.

Stational Church

St. Conrad of Piacenza
St. Conrad was a Franciscan tertiary and hermit. He was a noble, born at Piacenza, Italy. While hunting, Conrad made a fire that quickly engulfed a neighboring cornfield. A poor man was arrested as an arsonist and condemned to death, but Conrad stepped forward to admit his guilt in the matter. As a result, he had to sell his possessions to pay for the damages. Conrad and his wife decided to enter the religious life. She became a Poor Clare, and he entered the Franciscan Third Order as a hermit. Conrad went to Noto, on Sicily, where he lived the next three decades at St. Martin's Hospital and in a hermitage built by a wealthy friend. During his last years, he lived and prayed in the grotto of Pizzone outside of Noto. His cult was approved by Pope Paul III.

Excerpted from Our Sunday Visitor's Encyclopedia of Saints

St. Gabinus
St. Gabinus was the father of St. Susanna. In the Spring of 293 AD, Diocletian announced the engagement of Maxentius Galerius to Susanna. Susanna refused the marriage proposal. Her father Gabinus and her uncle Caius supported this decision and encouraged her to keep her commitment to Christ. Her non-Christian uncles, Claudius and Maximus tried to persuade Susanna to marry Maxentius, after all this would make her Empress one day. In a conversation between the four brothers, Claudius and Maximus were converted to Christianity. The General Maxentius then came to the house, believing he could persuade Susanna to marry him. Susanna’s refusal soon led to the suspicion that she and other members of her family might be Christians. The Roman Consul Macedonius then called Susanna to Roman Forum and asked her to prove her loyalty to the state by performing an act of worship before the God Jupiter. She refused, confirming the fact that both she and other members of her family might well be Christian, There was no attempt to arrest her however, as she was a member of the Emperor’s family.

Susanna refused the marriage proposal, not only because she was a Christian but in addition, she had taken a vow of virginity. When Diocletian on the eastern frontier learned of his cousin’s refusal and the reasons why, he was deeply angered, and ordered her execution. A cohort of soldiers arrived at the house and beheaded her. Her father Gabinus was arrested and starved to death in prison. Maximus and Claudius, together with Claudius’s wife Prepedigna and their children, Alexander and Cuzia are all martyred. Ironically the only survivor was Pope Caius, who had escaped and hid in the catacombs. These murders within Diocletian’s own family would foreshadow the last great persecution against the Christian church which the Emperor began in 303 AD. Diocletian’s daughter Valeria was divorced, and in June 293 AD married Maxentius who would succeed Diocletian in 305 AD.

In the year 330 AD, a basilica was built over the site of the house of Susanna. It was first named San Caius in honor of the pope who had lived here. The bodies of Susanna and Gabinus were brought back from the catacombs and buried in the church.

Excerpted from The Church of Santa Susanna

At Rome, the Station is in the church of St. Anastasia, where, formerly, the Mass of the Aurora on Christmas Day was celebrated. The first church was built in the late 3rd or early 4th century, and was one of the first parish churches of ancient Rome. It was given by a woman called Anastasia and called titulus Anastasiae after her. Later, it was dedicated to a martyr of the same name.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 6:7-15

1st Week of Lent

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)

When you were young, did you enjoy hearing firsthand accounts of where your parents or grandparents grew up? Didn’t it feel as if you could picture their homes because of the vivid way they described their younger years? Well, Jesus also had a firsthand account of the place where he came from—heaven.

When Jesus spoke about heaven, he wasn’t talking about a distant reality but a real place that is his home. He was talking about a reality that was as near to him as our world is to us. Jesus knew heaven as a place free from pain, weeping, and death (Revelation 21:4) He knew it as a place of everlasting joy and peace. He often spoke of the rewards stored in heaven for the righteous (Matthew 5:12; 6:20; 19:21). The very reason he became man was to testify to the reality of heaven and to make a way for everyone to join him there.

In all his preaching, as well as in his miracles and acts of forgiveness, Jesus sought to give the people a sense of hope: heaven had broken into earth, and everlasting life was now on the horizon! Through his death and resurrection, Jesus overcame the sin that had separated us from God. He brought us close to our heavenly Father and made it possible for us to become citizens of his heavenly kingdom. What’s more, by the gift of his Holy Spirit, he has made heaven a present reality for us. Each and every day, we can experience a touch of heaven as the Spirit pours God’s love into our hearts (Romans 5:5).

So what does this mean as we pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven?” Good news, that’s what! It means that as we try our best to do God’s will every day, we are aligning ourselves with heaven. It means that the reality and the rewards of heaven will flow into our lives. It means that we can experience all the blessings, gifts, and grace that God has stored up for us in heaven—right here, right now!

“Father, teach me to love heaven as my new and eternal home.”

Isaiah 55:10-11; Psalm 34:4-7, 16-19

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for February 19, 2013:

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child…when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.” (1 Cor 13:11) Reminisce about your respective childhoods. Name one childhood trait that serves you well and one childish trait that stresses your marriage.

Vultus Christi

Invenit eum in terra deserta

By

Father Mark

on February 19, 2013 7:47 AM |

Christ Among the Wild Beasts by Moretto da Brescia (1498-1554)

There are souls who, if they are to be seen by God and heard by God,
must renounce being seen by men and heard by men.
There are souls whom God calls to wait upon Him alone,
and to look to Him alone for all things.

Paradoxically, in doing this,
such souls wait upon the entire world;
they bind up the wounds of sinners,
console the afflicted,
wipe the tears of those who mourn,
and cause the pure light of the Gospel
to shine even in the most hardened hearts.

Those engaged in this way of life are often tempted
to exchange the invisible for what is visible,
to choose the conversation of men over the silence of God,
and to prefer human strategies over abandonment to Divine Providence.
Such are the temptations of any one called to abide with Christ in the desert.

The mystery of Jesus in the desert
is continued in the mystery of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
There, He is present on the very battleground
where demons assail the souls of men;
there, He is removed from the intrigues of the worldly;
there, He keeps a divine silence while, all about him,
wagging tongues fill the air with a divisive clamour.
There, He offers HImself as a pure Victim,
a holy Victim, a spotless Victim to the Father;
there He offers Himself as a living, supersubstantial Bread
to satisfy the hungers of those who go about the city
in search of something to relieve the pangs of an empty heart.

The imitation of Our Lord's Eucharistic life
is the ultimate rule of those called out into the desert.
There is no cloister more all-encompassing
than that of the sacred species enclosing the very substance of God.
The Sacred Host is the mystery of the Word keeping silence;
of the Creator of all hiding himself beneath a creaturely veil;
of infinite glory circumscribed in what is utterly humble;
of limitless power covered in what is delicate and fragile;
and of a blazing fire contained in what is consumable.

The temptations of those who have followed Christ into His desert
know little variation through the ages.
They are the temptation to appear when one should disappear;
to speak when one should be silent;
to grasp when one should let go;
to want something when one should want nothing;
to prefer perishable bread to the imperishable Word of God;
control to abandonment;
power to weakness;
somethingness to nothingness;
seeing to believing;
appearances to substance;
being some one to being no one;
and being seen to being hidden.

Should such a one even write on the internet?
Should he show his face,
or reveal his thoughts,
or share the bread that has been given him?
The question is not a new one.
I think of Jerome and Evagrius writing in their deserts,
of the Carthusian writing in his cell,
of an immense body of writers who, without leaving the cloister,
have preached to the world,
spoken heart to heart,
and given a taste for silence to souls caught up in the noise and frenzy of the world.

I cannot attempt to answer the question for anyone but myself.
There is, I suppose, an element of "hide and seek" in the monastic life.
The cloister is not altogether impenetrable.
It is open to the transmission of life
while protecting the transmitter.
For some, all of the time,
and for others, some of the time,
the hiddenness will be complete,
the silence absolute,
the separating veil utterly opaque.

For me, it will be by looking into the Sacred Host
as into a mirror
that I will come to understand
the desert into which He has called me
and the degree to which He would have me offer
to those who care to receive it
a word out of His Eucharistic silence,
-- humbly, always, and from a hidden place.

Regnum Christi

Master, Teach Us to Pray

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent

Father José LaBoy, LC

Matthew 6:7-15

Jesus said to his disciples: "In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This is how you are to pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions."

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I am aware that you know what is best for me, and that is why I believe in you. You are more interested in my spiritual well-being than I am, and that is why I trust in you. You always give me your loving forgiveness in spite of my sins, and that is why I love you.

Petition: Lord, teach me how to pray.

1. Prayer is the Fruit of Silence: Some people like to talk. They demand to be listened to, but they don’t have the same interest in listening. However, you usually can’t listen if you aren’t used to silence. St. Theresa of Calcutta once wrote that prayer is the fruit of silence. Jesus wants us to understand that prayer is more about listening than about talking. When you are with someone who knows much about a topic that interests you, you limit yourself to asking questions and dedicate yourself to listening. Jesus is the revealer of God the Father. That means our main interest in prayer should be asking Jesus, our Lord, about his Father and then dedicating ourselves to listening.

2. God is Our Loving Father: Jesus tells us that God the Father knows what we need before we ask him. Still, we should ask, because in asking we become aware that we have needs that only God our Father can grant us. We learn to ask God what we most need for our salvation. That is why Jesus taught us the “Our Father.” Praying the “Our Father” reminds us that he is the father of all, and therefore every human person is truly our brother. In praying the “Our Father,” we essentially ask for three things: that God have the first place in our lives, that he give us our material and spiritual sustenance, and that he grant us his forgiveness.

3. Forgive in Order to Be Forgiven: Jesus emphasizes the importance of forgiveness. As the First Letter of John reminds us, we are all sinners (cf. 1: 8). One of the essential characteristics of Christian life is seeking to encounter Christ’s loving mercy. We can really experience it only when we put it into practice ourselves. We can admire a person who parachutes off a plane, but we won’t understand the experience until we skydive ourselves. We grasp the true meaning of mercy when we forgive others. Our mercy will not be the same as Christ’s: He never sinned, and therefore he forgives us even though we don’t deserve it. If Christ has forgiven us, how can we dare not to forgive others?

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I thank you for teaching me to pray to the Father. I don’t always pray as much as I should. Please help me to pray more and better. Please help me to want with all my heart to give God the first place in my life, preferring his will to mine. Help me to treat others as I would like them to treat me, forgiving them when they offend me.

Resolution: I will dedicate a specific time to prayer each day.

Our Father

by Food For Thought on February 19, 2013 ·

We can see that the pronouns in this perfect prayer is “OUR,” “US,” and “WE.” The prayer is communal. It is not a private prayer and has great relation to our brothers and sisters. When we say “Our Father,” it means we recognize and accept that the other one who is praying “Our Father” is our brother and sister. Our relationship with God is not of business or master-slave, but of Father-Son where love prevails. Love is the force that binds us with God. And this love has to be transferred, conveyed and transmitted to the other for us to be able to call God “Our Father.” We don’t cry out “My Father in heaven” but “Our Father in heaven.” God would want us not to pray singly and severally, but in unity with all, because we all are one. And having our Father in Heaven means that we will also join Him in Heaven in time.

This prayer is full of love for the other, to forgive others, in the same measure as God has forgiven us. It is interesting to note that the measure that we can love others, the extent of how we can forgive others, is based on how we have perceived the measure of how God has loved us, how God has forgiven us. We can only love and forgive when we have first fully understood and grasped the immensity of the love and forgiveness of God for us. So when we are in anger, hatred or doubt, let us examine why and how the devil has removed the seed of love in our hearts planted by God Himself. Let us recall the moments God has loved us, took us in, has excused us, and the Holy Spirit will start to enlighten us and fill us with His patience, forgiveness and love for the other.

One Bread, One Body

<< Tuesday, February 19, 2013 >>

Isaiah 55:10-11
View Readings

Psalm 34:4-7, 16-19

Matthew 6:7-15

THE FATHER'S LOVE

"Our Father..." —Matthew 6:9

I have six children. They all call me "Dad." For many years, I have tried to follow the example of our heavenly Father and anticipate the needs of each child (see Mt 6:8). After all these years of lovingly building relationships with them, it would grieve me if one of my children stiffly addressed me as "Sir." I would feel as if they no longer remembered that I loved them. Hopefully, my children don't worry about having a place to stay or food to eat. If children can trust an earthly father, how much more should we trust our heavenly Father to provide for us? (Mt 7:11)

Perhaps Jesus' most radical teaching is His revelation that we are to address God as "our Father" (Mt 6:9). Jesus taught that God our Father so loves us that He drops His dignity, runs to us even when we are least lovable, and celebrates our repentance (Lk 15:20ff). When we are not worthy of His love, Jesus reminds us that our heavenly Father "so loved the world" and each one of us "that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him may not die but may have eternal life" (Jn 3:16).

Jesus began Lent by hearing that He was the Beloved Son of His heavenly Father (Lk 3:22). In this initial part of Lent, imitate Jesus by focusing on your heavenly Father's love for you. Thus confirmed as His beloved sons and daughters, you will trust Him enough to let Him lead you through His Lenten discipline without questioning His love for you (see Heb 12:5-10).

Prayer: Father, pour out Your love in my heart through the Holy Spirit (Rm 5:5). May Your love bear great fruit through me.

Promise: "Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." —Mt 6:8

Praise: When having a difficult time connecting with God, Rosa thinks of all the good He has done for her.