St. Monica Parish

St. Monica Parish
Why I Pray! Jesus is present in the Tabernacle. He promised to never leave us and his promise is true.

Monday, July 30, 2012

St Peter Chrysologus, Feast Day

Taken from a writing of St. Peter's -

And so Christ is born that by his birth he might restore our nature. He became a child, was fed, and grew that he might inaugurate the one perfect age to remain for ever as he had created it. He supports man that man might no longer fall. And the creature he had formed of earth he now makes heavenly; and what he had endowed with a human soul he now vivifies to become a heavenly spirit. In this way he fully raised man to God, and left in him neither sin, nor death, nor travail, nor pain, nor anything earthly, with the grace of our Lord Christ Jesus, who lives and reigns with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, for all the ages of eternity. Amen.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Morning Prayer

It is through Jesus that I live. He gives me grace to serve Him and to serve others throughout each day. I am fed by His most precious Body and Blood and so I live the life He has called me to live. It is all by Grace! READING Galatians 2:19b-20 I have been crucified with Christ, and the life I live now is not my own; Christ is living in me. I still live my human life, but it is a life of faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

July 25 - Feast Day of St. James, the Apostle

Happy feast day to my son James. St. James, pray for us! See below for more information about St. James from the New Advent web site. St. James the Greater GET THE CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA ON CD-ROM This entire website is available on CD-ROM. Includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more... SALE: 50% off if you buy now... FREE Shipping Worldwide... Click here... (Hebrew Yakob; Septuagint Iakob; N.T. Greek Iakobos; a favourite name among the later Jews). The son of Zebedee and Salome (Cf. Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40; 16:1). Zahn asserts that Salome was the daughter of a priest. James is styled "the Greater" to distinguish him from the Apostle James "the Less", who was probably shorter of stature. We know nothing of St. James's early life. He was the brother of John, the beloved disciple, and probably the elder of the two. His parents seem to have been people of means as appears from the following facts. Zebedee was a fisherman of the Lake of Galilee, who probably lived in or near Bethsaida (John 1:44), perhaps in Capharnaum; and had some boatmen or hired men as his usual attendants (Mark 1:20). Salome was one of the pious women who afterwards followed Christ and "ministered unto him of their substance" (cf. Matthew 27:55, sq.; Mark 15:40; 16:1; Luke 8:2 sq.; 23:55-24:1). St. John was personally known to the high-priest (John 18:16); and must have had wherewithal to provide for the Mother of Jesus (John 19:27). It is probable, according to Acts 4:13, that John (and consequently his brother James) had not received the technical training of the rabbinical schools; in this sense they were unlearned and without any official position among the Jews. But, according to the social rank of their parents, they must have been men of ordinary education, in the common walks of Jewish life. They had frequent opportunity of coming in contact with Greek life and language, which were already widely spread along the shores of the Galilean Sea. Relation of St. James to Jesus Some authors, comparing John 19:25 with Matthew 28:56 and Mark 15:40, identify, and probably rightly so, Mary the Mother of James the Less and of Joseph in Mark and Matthew with "Mary of Cleophas" in John. As the name of Mary Magdalen occurs in the three lists, they identify further Salome in Mark with "the mother of the sons of Zebedee" in Matthew; finally they identify Salome with "his mother's sister" in John. They suppose, for this last identification, that four women are designated by John 19:25; the Syriac "Peshito" gives the reading: "His mother and his mother's sister, and Mary of Cleophas and Mary Magdalen." If this last supposition is right, Salome was a sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and James the Greater and John were first cousins of the Lord; this may explain the discipleship of the two brothers, Salome's request and their own claim to the first position in His kingdom, and His commendation of the Blessed Virgin to her own nephew. But it is doubtful whether the Greek admits of this construction without the addition or the omission of kai (and). Thus the relationship of St. James to Jesus remains doubtful. His life and apostolate The Galilean origin of St. James in some degree explains the energy of temper and the vehemence of character which earned for him and St. John the name of Boanerges, "sons of thunder" (Mark 3:17); the Galilean race was religious, hardy, industrious, brave, and the strongest defender of the Jewish nation. When John the Baptist proclaimed the kingdom of the Messias, St. John became a disciple (John 1:35); he was directed to "the Lamb of God" and afterwards brought his brother James to the Messias; the obvious meaning of John 1:41, is that St. Andrew finds his brother (St. Peter) first and that afterwards St. John (who does not name himself, according to his habitual and characteristic reserve and silence about himself) finds his brother (St. James). The call of St. James to the discipleship of the Messias is reported in a parallel or identical narration by Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:19 sq.; and Luke 5:1-11. The two sons of Zebedee, as well as Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew with whom they were in partnership (Luke 5:10), were called by the Lord upon the Sea of Galilee, where all four with Zebedee and his hired servants were engaged in their ordinary occupation of fishing. The sons of Zebedee "forthwith left their nets and father, and followed him" (Matthew 4:22), and became "fishers of men". St. James was afterwards with the other eleven called to the Apostleship (Matthew 10:1-4; Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16; Acts 1:13). In all four lists the names of Peter and Andrew, James and John form the first group, a prominent and chosen group (cf. Mark 13:3); especially Peter, James, and John. These three Apostles alone were admitted to be present at the miracle of the raising of Jairus's daughter (Mark 5:37; Luke 8:51), at the Transfiguration (Mark 9:1; Matthew 17:1; Luke 9:28), and the Agony in Gethsemani (Matthew 26:37; Mark 14:33). The fact that the name of James occurs always (except in Luke 8:51; 9:28; Acts 1:13 — Greek Text) before that of his brother seems to imply that James was the elder of the two. It is worthy of notice that James is never mentioned in the Gospel of St. John; this author observes a humble reserve not only with regard to himself, but also about the members of his family. Several incidents scattered through the Synoptics suggest that James and John had that particular character indicated by the name "Boanerges," sons of thunder, given to them by the Lord (Mark 3:17); they were burning and impetuous in their evangelical zeal and severe in temper. The two brothers showed their fiery temperament against "a certain man casting out devils" in the name of the Christ; John, answering, said: "We [James is probably meant] forbade him, because he followeth not with us" (Luke 9:49). When the Samaritans refused to receive Christ, James and John said: "Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them?" (Luke 9:54; cf. 9:49). His martyrdom On the last journey to Jerusalem, their mother Salome came to the Lord and said to Him: "Say that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left, in thy kingdom" (Matthew 20:21). And the two brothers, still ignorant of the spiritual nature of the Messianic Kingdom, joined with their mother in this eager ambition (Mark 10:37). And on their assertion that they are willing to drink the chalice that He drinks of, and to be baptized with the baptism of His sufferings, Jesus assured them that they will share His sufferings (Mark 5:38-39). James won the crown of martyrdom fourteen years after this prophecy, A.D. 44. Herod Agrippa I, son of Aristobulus and grandson of Herod the Great, reigned at that time as "king" over a wider dominion than that of his grandfather. His great object was to please the Jews in every way, and he showed great regard for the Mosaic Law and Jewish customs. In pursuance of this policy, on the occasion of the Passover of A.D. 44, he perpetrated cruelties upon the Church, whose rapid growth incensed the Jews. The zealous temper of James and his leading part in the Jewish Christian communities probably led Agrippa to choose him as the first victim. "He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword." (Acts 12:1-2). According to a tradition, which, as we learn from Eusebius (Church History II.9.2-3), was received from Clement of Alexandria (in the seventh book of his lost "Hypotyposes"), the accuser who led the Apostle to judgment, moved by his confession, became himself a Christian, and they were beheaded together. As Clement testifies expressly that the account was given him "by those who were before him," this tradition has a better foundation than many other traditions and legends respecting the Apostolic labours and death of St. James, which are related in the Latin "Passio Jacobi Majoris", the Ethiopic "Acts of James", and so on. St. James in Spain The tradition asserting that James the Greater preached the Gospel in Spain, and that his body was translated to Compostela, claims more serious consideration. According to this tradition St. James the Greater, having preached Christianity in Spain, returned to Judea and was put to death by order of Herod; his body was miraculously translated to Iria Flavia in the northwest of Spain, and later to Compostela, which town, especially during the Middle Ages, became one of the most famous places of pilgrimage in the world. The vow of making a pilgrimage to Compostela to honour the sepulchre of St. James is still reserved to the pope, who alone of his own or ordinary right can dispense from it. In the twelfth century was founded the Order of Knights of St. James of Compostela. With regard to the preaching of the Gospel in Spain by St. James the greater, several difficulties have been raised: St. James suffered martyrdom A.D. 44 (Acts 12:2), and, according to the tradition of the early Church, he had not yet left Jerusalem at this time (cf. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata VI; Apollonius, quoted by Eusebius, Church History VI.18). St. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans (A.D. 58) expressed the intention to visit Spain (Romans 15:24) just after he had mentioned (15:20) that he did not "build upon another man's foundation." The argument ex silentio: although the tradition that James founded an Apostolic see in Spain was current in the year 700, no certain mention of such tradition is to be found in the genuine writings of early writers nor in the early councils; the first certain mention we find in the ninth century, in Notker, a monk of St. Gall (Martyrol., 25 July), Walafried Strabo (Poema de XII Apost.), and others. The tradition was not unanimously admitted afterwards, while numerous scholars reject it. The Bollandists however defended it (see Acta Sanctorum, July, VI and VII, where other sources are given). The authenticity of the sacred relic of Compostela has been questioned and is still doubted. Even if St. James the Greater did not preach the Christian religion in Spain, his body may have been brought to Compostela, and this was already the opinion of Notker. According to another tradition, the relics of the Apostle are kept in the church of St-Saturnin at Toulouse (France), but it is not improbable that such sacred relics should have been divided between two churches. A strong argument in favour of the authenticity of the sacred relics of Compostela is the Bull of Leo XIII, "Omnipotens Deus," of 1 November, 1884. About this page APA citation. Camerlynck, A. (1910). St. James the Greater. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved July 25, 2012 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08279b.htm MLA citation. Camerlynck, Achille. "St. James the Greater." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 25 Jul. 2012 . Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Paul T. Crowley. Dedicated to Mr. James Fogerty, Mr. James Horne, Mr. James Montemarano, and Mr. James Thomas and Families. Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York. Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Lawrence of Brindisi, Memorial

These words below were written by Lawrence of Brindisi. If we read God's word, we will be transformed! Read the Bible today! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain! God bless! For the word of God is a light to the mind and a fire to the will. It enables man to know God and to love him. And for the interior man who lives by the Spirit of God, through grace, it is bread and water, but a bread sweeter than honey and the honeycomb, a water better than wine and milk. For the soul it is a spiritual treasure of merits yielding an abundance of gold and precious stones. Against the hardness of a heart that persists in wrongdoing, it acts as a hammer. Against the world, the flesh and the devil it serves as a sword that destroys all sin.  

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Feast of St. Benedict

St. Benedict, pray for us! This is taken from this morning's Liturgy of the Hours - "And the Lord as he seeks the one who will do his work among the throng of people to whom he makes that appeal, says again: Which of you wants to live to the full; who loves long life and the enjoyment of prosperity? And, if when you hear this you say, I do, God says to you: If you desire true and everlasting life, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceit, turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. And when you have done these things my eyes will be upon you and before you call upon my name I shall say to you: Behold, I am here. What could be more delightful, dearest brothers, than the voice of our Lord’s invitation to us? In his loving kindness he reveals to us the way of life. And so, girded with faith and the performance of good works, let us follow in his paths by the guidance of the Gospel; then we shall deserve to see him who has called us into his kingdom. If we wish to attain a dwelling-place in his kingdom we shall not reach it unless we hasten there by our good deeds. Just as there exists an evil fervor, a bitter spirit, which divides us from God and leads us to hell, so there is a good fervor which sets us apart from evil inclinations and leads us toward God and eternal life. Monks should put this fervor into practice with an overflowing love: that is, they should surpass each other in mutual esteem, accept their weaknesses, either of body or of behavior, with the utmost patience; and vie with each other in acceding to requests. No one should follow what he considers to be good for himself, but rather what seems good for another. They should display brotherly love in a chaste manner; fear God in a spirit of love; revere their abbot with a genuine and submissive affection. Let them put Christ before all else; and may he lead us all to everlasting life." Pray this day for the grace to seek God's will in your life! God bless!

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Discover the Gifts from God

We too often journey through our day and never notice the gifts that God is giving to us. The love that is wrapped around each and everyone of those gifts.

I spent most of my life blind, deaf, and dumb. I wanted what I wanted and the world revolved around me and not God or others. By God's grace, I have slowly opened my eyes, my ears, and my heart to the wonders of God's creation and have begun discovering the gifts from my Lord, my Creator, my Redeemer. His love is awesome!

About a year ago we decided to find a new home that would be big enough for my daughter's family of five and my husband and me. First we spent a year trying to sell my daughter's home which was too small for both families. In that time another home big enough for both families was found. By the time it seemed as if my daughter's home would sell, the owner of that home took his house off the market. Then my daughter's home sold. Before the closing occurred, another home came on the market that was the right price and had enough room for both families. Not in our time do all things work out, but in God's time. We can become anxious and worried and eager for events to occur, but all we do is cause angst for ourselves. In this one event, I now see God's loving care holding us and guiding us through the process and working with our worries and concerns. His love is beyond anything we can begin to imagine in this life!!

Our wants are always temporary. Nothing in our lives lasts very long. We can long for the big house, nice car, great children, good friends, and companion to see us through the thick and thin of life, but nothing will give us what we are truly longing for and that longing is something that lasts forever. Only God can give us that. The big house eventually needs repairs. The nice car gets old and needs to be replaced. The children grow up and go their way whether we like that way or not. The good friends move or change or become distant. The lifelong companion may grow old in ways totally unexpected. Nothing in life lasts forever. All can and will change for good or for bad. Only God stays the same. Stays madly in love with us humans amid all our deficiencies. He alone knows us well and, yet, still loves us.

Many of us squander our lives on people, places and things that will turn to dust and eventually be gone forever. How much time does it take to acknowledge our God and thank him for the gifts? Ask for the blessings and He will freely give them. Once your eyes are opened, and your ears hear, and your heart beats with the rhythm of His great love, nothing in life will ever be the same. For you will then see the gifts! They may not be the bigger home or better car. They may simply be the smile of a child, a hug from a friend, a word of encouragement, a sunny, breezy day, or even just a beautiful sunset. Look for the gifts and discover LOVE!!

God bless!!

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Sunday July 1 - Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus said to the synagogue official, "Do not be afraid; just have faith." (Gospel from St. Mark)

When I heard these words, it was as if Jesus spoke them to me, personally. There is much in this world to be afraid of, much to fear, much that is unknown. But Jesus tells us to "just have faith." How simple!! I make my life so complicated and yet Jesus calls me to simplicity. In so many passages and in so many ways, He promises me that all will work for good if I "just have faith." But what do I do? I become "doubting Thomas" and think that since I have free will I must take the burden on my shoulders, make the decisions, and go forward - sinking or swimming. Instead in reflection I realize that these words are asking me to let go and let Jesus take care of it. These words tell me to relax, have faith, trust, don't worry, believe; Jesus is in charge - NOT ME!! How great is that!! And you know what? When I do just that, all does work out in God's way and in His perfect time and then I really realize what a waste of time worrying is!! Blessings to all and believe!! "Just have faith!!"

"Ancient Whisper"

This posting from Tuesday June 26 morning prayer in the Magnificat struck me and stayed with me in such a way that I had to repost it -

"Whoever exalts himself will be humbled. (Mt 23: 12)
"Pride sets subtle snares. Whenever we imagine that we are in control of life - our own or someone else's - we have fallen prey to the ancient whisper in the Garden: 'You shall be like gods.' Mortality is the enduring reminder that we become like God not by our own power but by the power of the cross."

We are such weak beings and yet so full of ourselves. Day in and day out, I think I have the answer for myself and others only to find out that all is not as it seems. I tread water only to find myself drowning in my own desires and needs and then realize that I really don't know what is best for me so how could I possibly know what is best for those around me. It can all seem so confusing at times and then I sense His voice telling me to just let go and let Him take care of it for He is God and I am not. Oh, I do so desperately need this reminder over and over again.

God, you are love, true love, and you will lead me gently where I need to go. Blessings in abundance!!