Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Daily Marriage Tip for August 11, 2011:

Do you talk too much? As necessary as communication within the family is, sometimes spouses and children can tune you out if you tend to be long winded. This is not something you can self-diagnose. Ask your honey or kids. Avoid TMI (Too Much Information).

11 August 2011

Look into that Mirror Daily

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Clare of Assisi. It was Saint Francis of Assisi who saw in Clare something special, extraordinary – a soul who would be a great witness to the Gospel way of life. She is the co-foundress of the Order of Poor Clares.

Pope Gregory IX came to Assisi in 1228 for the purpose of canonizing Francis, but also made a stop at San Damiano to try and convince Clare to ease up on the strictness of her life of poverty. Even if it was a vow that led to such rigidity, Pope Gregory IX was willing to absolve her from it. But Clare resisted and said to the pope: “Holy Father, I crave for absolution of my sins, but I do not wish to be absolved from the obligation of following Jesus Christ.” This impressed the Holy Father and in September of 1228 he granted her the Papal Bull, Privilegium Paupertatis (Privilege of Poverty). Here is that text:

“Gregory Bishop Servant of the Servants of God.
To our beloved daughters in Christ Clare and the other handmaids of Christ dwelling together at the Church of San Damiano in the Diocese of Assisi. Health and Apostolic benediction. It is evident that the desire of consecrating yourselves to God alone has led you to abandon every wish for temporal things. Wherefore, after having sold all your goods and having distributed them among the poor, you propose to have absolutely no possessions, in order to follow in all things the example of Him Who became poor and Who is the way, the truth, and the life. Neither does the want of necessary things deter you from such a proposal, for the left arm of your Celestial Spouse is beneath your head to sustain the infirmity of your body, which, according to the order of charity, you have subjected to the law of the spirit. Finally, He who feeds the birds of the air and Who gives the lilies of the field their raiment and their nourishment, will not leave you in want of clothing or of food until He shall come Himself to minister to you in eternity when, namely, the right Hand of His consolations shall embrace you in the plenitude of the Beatific Vision. Since, therefore, you have asked for it, we confirm by Apostolic favor your resolution of the loftiest poverty and by the authority of these present letters grant that you may not be constrained by anyone to receive possessions. To no one, therefore, be it allowed to infringe upon this page of our concession or to oppose it with rash temerity. But if anyone shall presume to attempt this, be it known to him that he shall incur the wrath of Almighty God and his Blessed Apostles, Peter and Paul.
Given at Perugia on the fifteenth of the Kalends of October in the second year of our Pontificate.”

Since the establishment of Holy Mother Church by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, there has never been a so-called “golden age” of the Church. She has always had her problems and challenges. Perhaps the battle that has always existed is, “the way of Christ versus the way of the world.” Secularization is a huge challenge for today’s Christian. The weaknesses of our nature is prone to surrendering to that which is constantly before us; and in our modern day culture, that is secularism. Saint Clare teaches us by her own example that through the grace of Almighty God, we can live for Christ alone and overcome the enemy of our times.

Clare had a great love for the Blessed Sacrament. In her letter to Blessed Agnes of Prague, Clare writes about how happy it is “to cleave with one’s heart to Him Whose beauty all the heavenly hosts behold forever, Whose love inflames our love.” Clare adds that contemplating Jesus “makes us glow with happiness.” He is “the Mirror without spot.” Then she instructs Agnes and us by urging us to “look into that Mirror daily.” If we are to conquer our weaknesses and live for God, daily prayer, and most especially spending time with the Blessed Sacrament are a must.

In sacred art, Saint Clare is often depicted with a ciborium. This not only exhibits Clare’s love for the Eucharist but also proclaims the story in which soldiers scaled the walls of San Damiano during the night. Clare rose from her bed, went to the chapel and grabbed the ciborium, taking our Eucharistic Lord to an open window. The soldiers had already placed a ladder beneath that window to climb and enter through it. Clare raised the Blessed Sacrament which caused the soldiers on the ladder to fall while the rest ran away. This is the power of that “Mirror” which Clare exhorts us to look into daily.

Sancta Clara, ora pro nobis!

Vultus Christi

Adoration and Reparation for Priests

By

Father Mark

on August 11, 2011 10:51 AM |

Today I am continuing my translation of Mother Mectilde's introduction to her Constitutions on the Rule of Saint Benedict and, once again, adding something in the way of a commentary after each section.

They will be victims to repair by their purity of intention the worship that wicked priests take away from the Most Holy Sacrament when they make use of this august Sacrament for their own gain, and for a thousand other criminal designs.

Catherine Mectilde de Bar is acutely sensitive to the grandeur of the priesthood and to the frailty of those who bear in their souls its indelible character. She knows that the priest has power over the real and mystical Body of Christ; she also knows that the power of the priest over the Body of Christ can be abused and misused. This tragic reality causes her intense sorrow and compels her to make adoration in reparation for priests, be they wicked, or simply weak.

Mother Mectilde grieves over priests who celebrate Holy Mass hastily, irreverently, carelessly, or without a suitable preparation and thanksgiving. She grieves over priests who offer the Holy Sacrifice having a material interest in mind, that is, the stipend or offering of the faithful. She grieves over priests who ascend the altar in a state of grave sin and, thus, offend Our Lord by their sacrilege.

None of these concerns of Mectilde de Bar, and none of her motives for reparation are limited to 17th century France. They are, in fact, as relevant today as they were four hundred years ago.

Mother Mectilde was a friend and correspondent of Saint John Eudes. She reflects the Norman missionary's understanding of the priesthood, derived from that of Pierre de Bérulle and the other luminaries of the École française. She saw to it that the Feast of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, for which Saint John Eudes composed the Proper Office, was celebrated in the monasteries of her Institute.

In The Priest, His Dignity and Obligations, Saint John Eudes writes:

The priest is a mediator between God and man, causing the Eternal Father to be known, loved, adored and served, as well as feared, by men. His office is to make known the will of God to men, urging them to be faithful to their every duty. His concern is to be devoted unceasingly to "the things that appertain to God" (Heb. 5, 1).

The priest is one of the chief parts of the Mystical Body of Christ because he occupies the principal parts of that Body, namely, the head, the eyes, the mouth, the tongue and the heart. He is the head with the Chief Shepherd, sharing the right to rule and govern in His place. He is the eyes watching over the other members to enlighten and guide them, and to weep over them when they sin.

The priest is the mouth and the tongue to speak the language of heaven, to utter on all occasions the words of eternity. He is the heart circulating the blood stream of Christ's Precious Blood to quicken and vivify the other members, that their works and functions may be ennobled and perfected.

A holy priest is a saviour and another Christ, taking the Master's place on earth, representing Him,clothed with His authority, acting in His name, adorned with His qualifications, exercising His judgment on earth in the tribunal of penance. He is consecrated to exercise the highest functions Christ ever performed on earth, to continue the work of salvation. In imitation of His Redeemer he gives himself, mind, heart, affections, strength, time, all for God. He is ever ready to sacrifice his very blood and even life itself to procure the salvation of souls, particularly those of his own flock.

He is a god, living and walking on earth; a god by grace and by participation, clothed with the perfections and attributes of God, namely, His divine authority, power, justice, mercy, charity, benignity, purity and holiness. He is a god delegated to carry on God's noblest works, the sacerdotal and pastoral duties, as great Saint Dionysius says: Omnium divinorum divinissimum est cooperari Deo in salutem animarum. "The most divine of all divine things is to cooperate with God in the salvation of souls."

Saint Gregory Nazianzen asserts that the priest is a "God who makes gods," Deus deos efficiens, that is, Christians who are given the name of gods in Sacred Scripture.

Regnum Christi

Human Harshness vs. the Charity of a Saint

INTERNATIONAL | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Memorial of Saint Clare, virgin (Aug. 11, 2011)

August 11, 2011
Memorial of Saint Clare, virgin
Father Steven Reilly, LC

Matthew 18:21 - 19:1

Peter approached Jesus and asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ´Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.´ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ´Pay back what you owe.´ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ´Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.´ But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, ´You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?´ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart." When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.

Introductory Prayer: Lord God, I believe you are present here with me as I begin this moment of prayer. I hope in you. I know that you will always take care of me. I want this time with you to be a sign of my love for you. I seek only to please you, without desiring any spiritual consolation for myself.

Petition: Lord, grant me a more forgiving heart!

1. Human Harshness: “He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’” The Gospel gives a startling example of human harshness. History recalls another one. In Auschwitz, the camp deputy commander, Karl Fritzch, decided that the most effective way to keep prisoners from trying to escape would be an overwhelming example of reprisal. Ten men in Block 13 were picked out for starvation. The thought of innocent men dying because of another’s escape would definitely make anyone think twice about it. The master of our Lord’s story is angry at the harshness of his servant. We can only imagine the Lord’s anger at the harshness of a place like Auschwitz, called by Pope Benedict, “a place of horror” and “unprecedented mass crimes” (May 28, 2006). Let us purge our own hearts of the evil of harshness, which brings down such misery on our own soul.

2. St. Maximilian Steps Forward: The Lord’s answer to Peter in this Gospel, “not seven times but seventy-seven times,” points to a heroic living of the virtue of charity and forgiveness. St. Maximilian Kolbe gives us an example of that kind of love. When the commander had picked out his ten victims, St. Maximilian had been passed over. No doubt the others who were spared were breathing intense sighs of relief. Instead, St. Maximilian stepped forward and offered to take the place of one of those chosen, Franciszek Gajowniczek, who cried out in anguish over his family. We can only shake our heads in amazement that the flame of love could burn so brightly in that “place of horror.”

3. The Cross Sets the Standard: The examples of the saints challenge us. They don’t give us a “superhuman” example, but rather the testimony of what men and women are capable of doing when they allow the grace of God to work in their souls. We, too, have many occasions when we are called to live a higher degree of virtue, but so often we cut ourselves a little too much slack. When Peter asked about a seven-fold forgiveness, he was being quite generous. But the “seventy-seven times” that Jesus speaks about is measured against the Cross, the symbol of the Lord’s infinite love and forgiveness. Saints like Kolbe understood this. Let’s try to imitate it today, in ways both big and small.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, I can only be amazed at your work through the soul of St. Maximilian Kolbe. You enabled him to lay down his life for another, in imitation of your own self-sacrificing love. Help me to embrace the same path of love and forgiveness.

Resolution: I will immediately forgive any wrongs I suffer today, and I will try to sacrifice myself in a hidden way for someone else.

Homily of the Day

Hard Hearts Can’t Receive Forgiveness

August 11th, 2011 by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

Josh 3:7-10, 11, 13-17 / Mt 18:21-19:1

Forgiveness is debt we owe to God — as well as to each other — because we have all needed to BE forgiven so often. Every mass begins with a rite of reconciliation, because the church knows and we know in advance that we’re going to need it. No matter how hard we try, we’ll need to ask forgiveness, and we’ll need to give it.

Especially when we’re hurt or angry, we may not feel like forgiving. And the person who hurt us may well be a thoroughly rotten person, but withholding our forgiveness is a dangerous choice. For as we do so, we shrink and harden and close our own hearts. And in doing that, we shrink our capacity to RECEIVE forgiveness — whether from God or from our neighbors.

God’s capacity and desire to forgive us is immediate and infinite. Our ability to receive his forgiveness is limited by the size of our hearts.

May your heart continue to grow larger and larger as you welcome God’s people into your life. And may God’s peace which is beyond all understanding fill your mind and your heart. Amen.

One Bread, One Body

<< Thursday, August 11, 2011 >>

St. Clare
Saint of the Day

Joshua 3:7-11, 13-17
View Readings

Psalm 114:1-6

Matthew 18:21—19:1

A PITY PARTY

"Moved with pity, the master let the official go and wrote off the debt." —Matthew 18:27

The Lord God is "moved with pity" when we humbly beg Him to have mercy on us (Mt 18:27). He is so moved when someone asks Him for forgiveness that He celebrates (Lk 15:23) and rejoices (Lk 15:10). Father Al Lauer, longtime author of One Bread, One Body, was fond of quoting the saying, "To err is human, to forgive is divine." God's nature toward pleas for forgiveness from repeat offenders is to be moved with pity, while our human nature tends toward anger and vengeance. Only by sharing in God's divine nature (see 2 Pt 1:4) through living our Baptism can we hope to be moved with pity instead of self-righteousness when asked to forgive someone from the heart (Mt 18:35), that is, to be moved with heartfelt pity toward them.

If this isn't enough, Jesus in today's parable on forgiveness focuses on a repeat offender. Perhaps we might feel pity on a person who hurt us once or twice. However, only by being immersed in our baptismal graces can we ever forgive from a heart of pity someone who continually "wrongs" us (Mt 18:21). Since our eternal salvation hinges on having a heart of forgiveness toward these people (Mt 18:35), we must beg Jesus to give us His forgiving, pitying, crucified heart. Jesus forgave those who kept hurting Him by praying: "Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing" (Lk 23:35). Right now, repeat Jesus' prayer of forgiveness by replacing the word "them" with the names of all those who have hurt you.

Prayer: Jesus, my heart hurts, but Your heart was pierced for my offenses. Make my heart like Yours, especially in the area of pity.

Promise: "Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know I am with you." —Jos 3:7

Praise: St. Clare's life is a model of simplicity and devotion as she served the Lord with profound love.

Were you aware of these statistics?

Deaths in America per year
1,400,000 people die from abortion
650,000 people die of heart disease
560,000 people die of cancer
143,000 people die of stroke
75,000 people die of diabetes

Another perspective:
18,000 - Deaths by death penalty in American history (all the way back to the 1600s).
1,315,000 - Deaths in all American wars combined.
50,000,000 - Deaths by abortion since Roe v Wade

Pray for an end to abortion

in the United States of America.

Saint Clare (detail)

Giotto di Bondone

1325
Fresco, 230 x 70 cm (whole fresco)
Bardi Chapel, Santa Croce, Florence

bttt