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Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 04-28-12, Opt. Mem. St. Peter Chanel, St. Louis de Montfort
USCCB.org/RAB ^ | 04-28-12 | Revised New American Bible

Posted on 04/27/2012 8:09:56 PM PDT by Salvation

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Information:
St. Louis de Montfort
Feast Day: April 28
Born:

31 January 1673 at Montfort-La-Cane, Brittany, France

Died: 1716 at Saint-Laurent-sur-Sovre, France
Canonized: 1947 by Pope Pius XII



41 posted on 04/28/2012 11:24:57 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Information:
St. Gianna Beretta Molla
Feast Day: April 28
Born:

October 4, 1922, Magenta, Italy

Died: April 28, 1962, Monza, Italy
Canonized: May 16, 2004 by Pope John Paul II
Patron of: mothers, physicians, preborn children



42 posted on 04/28/2012 11:46:27 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Peter Chanel

Feast Day: April 28
Born: 1803 ::Died: 1841

Peter Louis Mary Chanel was born at Cluet, Belley in France. From the time he was seven, he took care of his father's sheep. He was poor but intelligent and loved God and his Catholic faith.

One day, a good parish priest met him and was so impressed by Peter that he asked Peter's parents if he could educate the boy. They gratefully agreed and in this priest's little school, and later in the seminary, Peter studied hard.

At the age of twenty-four Peter Chanel became a priest and he was sent to a parish at Corzet where just a few Catholics still practiced their faith. Father Chanel spent hours in prayer each day and was kind and patient with everyone. Within three years there was a big improvement in that parish. Many people became full of love for Jesus and his Church again.

Father Chanel had a great wish to become a missionary. When he was twenty-eight, he joined a religious order called the Society of Mary (Marist Fathers). He hoped he would be sent to bring the Good News of Jesus to people who did not yet believe in God. After a few years, his wish came true.

He and a group of Marist missionaries were sent to the islands of the South Pacific, Oceania. Father Chanel and one brother were assigned to the island of Futuna in New Hebrides. There the people happily listened to Father Chanel preach. "This man loves us," one man said. "And he himself practices what he teaches us to do."

Sadly though, the chief of this tribe became jealous because the priest had so many followers. When the chief's own son was baptized and became a Christian, he was furious. He sent a band of his warriors to kill the missionary.

As Peter Chanel lay dying, all he said was, "It is well with me." He was killed on April 28, 1841 for his faith. A short while after he died a martyr, the whole island became Christian.


43 posted on 04/28/2012 11:49:36 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
 
Catholic
Almanac:
Saturday, April 28
Liturgical Color: White

St. Louis de Montfort died this day in 1716. St. Louis is best known for his total devotion to Jesus through the Blessed Virgin. He consecrated his life to her service, preaching on the rosary wherever he traveled.

44 posted on 04/28/2012 12:07:40 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation

Note to self — Remember to add St. Gianna Molla to the title next year.


45 posted on 04/28/2012 2:14:59 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: April 28, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who for the spreading of your Church crowned Saint Peter Chanel with martyrdom, grant that, in these days of paschal joy, we may so celebrate the mysteries of Christ's Death and Resurrection as to bear worthy witness to newness of life. 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.


O God, who willed to direct the steps of the Priest Saint Louis along the way of salvation and of the love of Christ, in the company of the Blessed Virgin, grant us, by his example, that, meditating on the mysteries of your love, we may strive tirelessly for the building up of your Church. 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.

  Optional Memorial of St. Peter Chanel, priest and martyr (NZ, Feast); Optional Memorial of St. Louis Mary de Montfort, priest; Gianna Molla, mother (Italy) Old Calendar: St. Paul of the Cross, confessor

St. Peter Chanel was born in France in 1802. He was ordained a priest in 1827, and engaged in the parochial ministry for a few years; but the reading of letters of missionaries in far-away lands inflamed his heart with zeal, and he resolved to devote his life to the Apostolate. He joined the Society of Mary (Marists), and in 1836 he embarked for Oceania. He died a martyr's death on the island of Futuna, Melanesia. He is called the apostle of Oceania where he spread the Gospel.

St. Louis Mary de Montfort during his relatively short life as a missioner, especially among the poor, had to overcome considerable setbacks and opposition. He founded the Daughters of Wisdom and before his death established a society of priests, the Company of Mary, to carry on his work. His book on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin has been widely diffused in many languages.

According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Paul of the Cross. His feast in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is celebrated on October 20.

In Italy the feast of St. Gianna Beretta Molla is celebrated today. She is a pro-life doctor and mother who gave her life for her unborn child,


St. Peter Chanel
On April 18, 1841, a band of native warriors entered the hut of Father Peter Chanel on the island of Futuna in the New Hebrides islands near New Zealand. They clubbed the missionary to death and cut up his body with hatchets. Two years later, the whole island was Catholic.

St. Peter Chanel's death bears witness to the ancient axiom that "the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians." He is the first martyr from Oceania, that part of the world spread over the south Pacific, and he came there as the fulfillment of a dream he had had as a boy.

Peter was born in 1803 in the diocese of Belley, France. At the age of seven, he was a shepherd boy, but the local parish priest, recognizing something unusual in the boy, convinced his parents to let him study, in a little school the priest had started. From there Peter went on to the seminary, where it was said of him: "He had a heart of gold with the simple faith of a child, and he led the life of an angel."

He was ordained a priest and assigned to a parish at Crozet. In three years he had transformed the parish. In 1831, he joined the newly founded Society of Mary, since he had long dreamed of being a missionary; but for five years he was assigned to teach at the seminary in Belley. Finally, in 1836, his dream was realized, and he was sent with other Marists to the islands of the Pacific. He had to suffer great hardships, disappointments, frustration, and almost complete failure as well as the opposition of the local chieftain. The work seemed hopeless: only a few had been baptized, and the chieftain continued to be suspicious and hostile. Then, when the chief's son asked for baptism, the chief was so angry that he sent warriors to kill the missionary.

Peter's violent death brought about the conversion of the island, and the people of Futuna remain Catholic to this day. Peter Chanel was beatified in 1889 and canonized in 1954.

Excerpted from The One Year Book of Saints by Rev. Clifford Stevens

Patron: Oceania.

Things to Do:


St. Louis Mary de Montfort
Louis's life is inseparable from his efforts to promote genuine devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus and mother of the church. Totus tuus (completely yours) was Louis's personal motto; Karol Wojtyla chose it as his episcopal motto. Born in the Breton village of Montfort, close to Rennes (France), as an adult Louis identified himself by the place of his baptism instead of his family name, Grignion. After being educated by the Jesuits and the Sulpicians, he was ordained as a diocesan priest in 1700.

Soon he began preaching parish missions throughout western France. His years of ministering to the poor prompted him to travel and live very simply, sometimes getting him into trouble with church authorities. In his preaching, which attracted thousands of people back to the faith, Father Louis recommended frequent, even daily, Holy Communion (not the custom then!) and imitation of the Virgin Mary's ongoing acceptance of God's will for her life.

Louis founded the Missionaries of the Company of Mary (for priests and brothers) and the Daughters of Wisdom, who cared especially for the sick. His book, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, has become a classic explanation of Marian devotion.

Louis died in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sevre, where a basilica has been erected in his honor. He was canonized in 1947.

Excerpted from Saint of the Day, Leonard Foley, O.F.M.

Things to Do:


St. Gianna Molla
Gianna Beretta was born in Magenta (Milan) October 4, 1922. Already as a youth she willingly accepted the gift of faith and the clearly Christian education that she received from her excellent parents. As a result, she experienced life as a marvellous gift from God, had a strong faith in Providence and was convinced of the necessity and effectiveness of prayer.

She diligently dedicated herself to studies during the years of her secondary and university education, while, at the same time, applying her faith through generous apostolic service among the youth of Catholic Action and charitable work among the elderly and needy as a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. After earning degrees in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Pavia in 1949, she opened a medical clinic in Mesero (near Magenta) in 1950. She specialized in Pediatrics at the University of Milan in 1952 and thereafter gave special attention to mothers, babies, the elderly and poor.

While working in the field of medicine-which she considered a “mission” and practiced as such-she increased her generous service to Catholic Action, especially among the “very young” and, at the same time, expressed her joie de vivre and love of creation through skiing and mountaineering. Through her prayers and those of others, she reflected upon her vocation, which she also considered a gift from God. Having chosen the vocation of marriage, she embraced it with complete enthusiasm and wholly dedicated herself “to forming a truly Christian family”.

She became engaged to Pietro Molla and was radiant with joy and happiness during the time of their engagement, for which she thanked and praised the Lord. They were married on September 24, 1955, in the Basilica of St. Martin in Magenta, and she became a happy wife. In November 1956, to her great joy, she became the mother of Pierluigi, in December 1957 of Mariolina; in July 1959 of Laura. With simplicity and equilibrium she harmonized the demands of mother, wife, doctor and her passion for life.

In September 1961 towards the end of the second month of pregnancy, she was touched by suffering and the mystery of pain; she had developed a fibroma in her uterus. Before the required surgical operation, and conscious of the risk that her continued pregnancy brought, she pleaded with the surgeon to save the life of the child she was carrying, and entrusted herself to prayer and Providence. The life was saved, for which she thanked the Lord. She spent the seven months remaining until the birth of the child in incomparable strength of spirit and unrelenting dedication to her tasks as mother and doctor. She worried that the baby in her womb might be born in pain, and she asked God to prevent that.

A few days before the child was due, although trusting as always in Providence, she was ready to give her life in order to save that of her child: “If you must decided between me and the child, do not hesitate: choose the child - I insist on it. Save him”. On the morning of April 21, 1962, Gianna Emanuela was born. Despite all efforts and treatments to save both of them, on the morning of April 28, amid unspeakable pain and after repeated exclamations of “Jesus, I love you. Jesus, I love you", the mother died. She was 39 years old. Her funeral was an occasion of profound grief, faith and prayer. The Servant of God lies in the cemetery of Mesero (4 km from Magenta).

“Conscious immolation", was the phrase used by Pope Paul VI to define the act of Blessed Gianna, remembering her at the Sunday Angelus of September 23, 1973, as: “A young mother from the diocese of Milan, who, to give life to her daughter, sacrificed her own, with conscious immolation”. The Holy Father in these words clearly refers to Christ on Calvary and in the Eucharist.

Gianna was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 24, 1994, during the international Year of the Family. She was canonized on May 16, 2004, by Pope John Paul II.

— Vatican Website

46 posted on 04/28/2012 2:20:20 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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The Word Among Us

Meditation: Acts 9:31-42

“Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to her body and said, ‘Tabitha, rise up.’” (Acts 9:40)

Throughout the Book of Acts, we see Peter acting confidently by the power of the Holy Spirit. He preaches powerful sermons that convert thousands. He heals a lame beggar at the Temple gate (Acts 3:1-10). He says boldly to the para­lyzed Aeneas, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up” (9:34). This is quite an impressive man!

Today’s reading gives us a glimpse of what lies behind Peter’s astounding power. When the Christians in Joppa send for him after the death of their dear sister in the Lord, Tabitha, Peter doesn’t spring immediately into action. He listens attentively to what the com­munity tells him about her. Then he sends them all out of the room so he can have some time alone. Before doing anything else, he kneels in prayer, seeking God’s mind. He seeks to know if it is Tabitha’s time to die, or if God has something else in mind for her, and for the community who love her. Only when Peter has united himself with the Father does he turn and speak to Tabitha, effectively call­ing her back to life.

Faced with illness and other diffi­culties, we often rush to intercessory prayer, urging others to join us in our intention. We beg God to heal a brother, bring a wayward child to repentance, or solve a financial crisis. These are worthy objectives, and we are right to pray for such things. But let’s not miss an important step. We should always take the time to unite ourselves with the Father quietly and seek his mind and heart. We should linger with him long enough to enter into his love for the person whose welfare concerns us. We should ask him to open our eyes to some greater good he may be seeking to bring about.

This time of quiet seeking can help us discern what role God has for us in the matter. Not only will God help us understand how we should pray. He will show us also whether he wants us to take direct action to serve, to heal, or to speak his life-giving word.

“Holy Spirit, I wait patiently for you. Show me what’s on your mind and in your plans for me and those I love today.”

Psalm 116:12-17; John 6:60-69


47 posted on 04/28/2012 2:24:42 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
 
Marriage = One Man and One Woman
Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for April 28, 2012:

April 30 – May 6 is “Screen-Free Week”. Ask your family if they are up to the challenge of non-screen based entertainment for a week? If you don’t want to go cold turkey, perhaps make a commitment to only watch shows the whole family can watch together.


48 posted on 04/28/2012 5:42:35 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Regnum Christi

Are You Going to Leave?
| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY
Saturday of the Third Week of Easter



Father Daniel Ray, LC

John 6: 60-69

Many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening said, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?" Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, "Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe." Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him. And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father." As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?" Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are present here and now as I turn to you in prayer. I trust and have confidence in your desire to give me every grace I need to receive today. Thank you for your love, thank you for your immense generosity toward me. I give you my life and my love in return.

Petition: Lord, help me to embrace fully all that you have revealed.

1. Hard Words to Swallow: Many of the Jews would not accept that Jesus was one with the Father—that he was God. For some, Christ’s divinity was a leap greater than they were ready to make. His message had not yet penetrated into their hearts. So when he explained how he would give himself to them in the Eucharist, they balked. The first act of faith (belief in his divinity) was crucial for them to be able to make the second act of faith (belief in his Eucharistic presence). Each truth that Christ reveals about himself is connected to other truths he wants to reveal about himself. If we don’t accept one, the others can become difficult, too. Conversely, as we grow in our knowledge, faith, and love of Christ, other difficulties in our spiritual life become easier.

2. Do You Also Want to Leave? Christ’s invitation to accept his truth and his love is always just that: an invitation. He doesn’t force himself on us. Each saving truth he presents is free to be accepted by us, or left aside. But we are impoverished by rejecting any truth about Christ, since he is truth itself. It is the same with each grace he offers us. After this discourse on the Eucharist, many of Christ’s disciples left and no longer accompanied him. As he had invited them to follow him freely, so were they free to go. But would they be able to share in the joy of his resurrection? Would they receive the fullness of life that he had promised them? Would they find what their hearts needed and wanted most if they no longer walked with Christ? All judgment is left to God’s mercy alone.

3. To Whom Shall We Go? Peter already believed in Christ’s divinity. “We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.” Anything else Christ might teach or say Peter could accept, even if it was something he couldn’t fully understand. Peter’s confidence and trust in Christ enabled him to cut to the chase: What could he possibly gain by going anywhere else or to anyone else? Even if the path with Christ is strewn with obscurity and great suffering—as it would be—what other direction could Peter possibly take that could be better?

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, I too have come to believe and am convinced that you are the Holy One of God. How could I possibly find meaning and peace of soul anywhere except in you? Your words and your presence in the Eucharist are life for my soul.

Resolution: Today I will accept any suffering that comes my way, confident that it is somehow part of God’s loving plan.


49 posted on 04/28/2012 5:50:01 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

Seeking Everlasting Life

Do you brush aside or resist the hard sayings of Jesus? Many were attracted to Jesus because he offered them something irresitible — God’s loving-kindness and mercy made manifest in his wonderful works of healing, deliverance, and miraculous feeding of the five thousand. Despitee these signs, many stumbled, when Jesus made divine claims..  Jesus’ discourse on “eating his flesh and drinking his blood” (see John 6:51-59) which pointed to the Last Supper, caused offence to many of his followers. Jesus claimed to be the very life of God come down from heaven and that no one could live this life without submitting to him. Even the apostles admitted that this was a “hard saying”.  This expression meant that it was not just hard to understand, but hard to accept.  Jesus pressed the issue with his beloved disciples because he wanted to test their faith and loyalty. Jesus assures his disciples that it is his heavenly Father who invites and who gives the grace to follow even in the “hard sayings”.  Jesus knew that some would not only reject him and his word, but would do so hostily, even betraying him to his enemies.

Real faith seeks understanding.  That is why God gives us the help of the Holy Spirit to enlighten the eyes of our mind to understand his truth and wisdom (Ephes. 1:17-18). Jesus offers his life-giving word and Spirit to those who believe and who submit to his authority.  Peter’s profession of loyalty was based on a personal relationship with Jesus.  Through the gift of faith Peter knew that Jesus was the Messiah, the Holy One of God, and he believed in his words. Faith is a response to God’s revelation. It’s the key to seeing God work in our lives with power.  Do you believe, as Peter did, that Jesus can change your life because he has the words of everlasting life?  Ask the Lord to increase your faith that you may grow in your relationship with him and in the knowledge of his love for you.


50 posted on 04/28/2012 5:57:19 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

 


<< Saturday, April 28, 2012 >> St. Peter Chanel
St. Louis Mary de Montfort

Saint of the Day
 
Acts 9:31-42
View Readings
Psalm 116:12-17 John 6:60-69
 

GRAND OPENING

 
"The Church was at peace. It was being built up and was making steady progress in the fear of the Lord." —Acts 9:31
 

The Lord was about to call Peter to do one of the greatest works in history — to enter a Gentile's home and preach the Good News of Jesus. When Peter did this, the Gentile Cornelius and his family received the Holy Spirit and were baptized (Acts 10:44ff). This was one of the major events in God's plan of salvation.

The Lord knew that Peter could not even conceive of the Good News being taken to the Gentiles. So God prepared Peter for an unprecedented calling by giving him some amazing experiences. For example, Peter saw a man paralyzed for eight years instantly healed (Acts 9:34). Then "all the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon...were converted to the Lord" (Acts 9:35). After seeing all these conversions, Peter was used by the Lord to raise a woman from the dead (Acts 9:40). Then many others "came to believe in the Lord" (Acts 9:42).

Is the Lord doing miracles in your life? Have you recently converted to Jesus or seen others converted? Has the Lord healed you? If so, the Lord may be preparing you to hear a new call and to serve Him in a new way. For a new Pentecost, we must have a new openness. Believe and receive as never before.

 
Prayer: Father, do whatever it takes to make me much more open to You.
Promise: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe; we are convinced that You are God's Holy One." —Jn 6:68-69
Praise: St. Peter's reward for healing the sick of the island of Futuna was to be clubbed to death as a martyr of Christ and to gain eternal life on high with Jesus.

51 posted on 04/28/2012 5:59:40 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
 
Americans, pray to end abortion, an evil killer.

52 posted on 04/28/2012 6:01:51 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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