CATHOLIC FEAST DAYS

FEAST DAY OCTOBER 1

On September 30th, 1897, a young Carmelite nun living in France succumbed to the effects of tuberculosis, dying in obscurity, known only to her sisters in religious life.

Yet, this particular Carmelite would prove different in this respect. Within years of her death, her spiritual autobiography, Story of a Soul would captivate the Church. Miracles attributed to her intercession began to be reported.

In 1914, just seventeen years after her death, Pope Pius X signed a decree introducing her cause for beatification. She was proclaimed a Venerable Servant of God on August 14, 1921, and beatified by Pope Pius XI on April 29, 1923. On May 17, 1925, that Blessed Thérèse was canonized by Pope Pius XI, becoming Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face.

At the hundred year anniversary of her death,(1997) Pope John Paul II declared this formally obscure Carmelite nun to be one of the Doctors of the Church, a title given to only a privileged few of the Church’s saints.

At the heart of Therese’s understanding of the spiritual life is the principle that holiness can be appreciated and accomplished not only in the performance of mighty deeds but in a willing surrender to the purposes of God as we engage in seemingly ordinary experiences of life.

THE LITTLE WAY OF THE LITTLE FLOWER

Thérèse didn’t want to just be good; she wanted to be a SAINT. “I have always wanted to become a saint. God would not make me wish for something impossible and so, in spite of my littleness, I can aim at being a saint”.

She thought there must be a way for people living hidden, little lives like hers. A turning point in her thinking came during a trip with her Father. They stayed at a hotel with an elevator/lift.
That lift persuaded her that she did not have to do all the heavy climbing to the arms of Jesus.
Therese gave us “the elevator metaphor”…God would come down to her and lift her up to Him

“for I was far too small to climb the steep stairs of perfection. So I sought in Holy Scripture some idea of what this life I wanted would be, and I read these words: “Whosoever is a little one, come to me.” It is your arms, Jesus, that are the lift to carry me to heaven. And so there is no need for me to grow up: I must stay little and become less and less.” Story of a Soul

Therese discovered through God’s grace that one does not have to journey to lands hostile to the Faith and suffer martyrdom to know what it means to suffer for the sake of the Gospel.
Opportunities to know and serve the Lord will find us wherever we are. When they do, will we rise to the occasion to seek to serve the Lord? Therese took every chance to sacrifice, no matter how small it would seem. She smiled at the sisters she didn’t like. She ate everything she was given without complaining…so that she was often given the worst leftovers.

At the heart of Therese’s understanding of the spiritual life is the principle that holiness can be appreciated and accomplished not only in the performance of mighty deeds but in a willing surrender to the purposes of God as we engage the seemingly ordinary experiences of life.
St. Therese said before she died at age 24, “After my death I will let fall a shower of roses. I will spend my heaven doing good upon earth. I will raise up a mighty host of little saints. My mission is to make God loved”

REFLECTION

St. Therese’s “Little Way” is an inspiration to us all. It is hard to think of ourselves, as we age, as children, especially in our senior years. But, We must be child-like (wholly trusting) in God our loving Father. “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3

At the heart of Therese’s understanding of the spiritual life is the principle that holiness can be appreciated and accomplished not only in the performance of mighty deeds but in a willing surrender to God’s will as we engage in ordinary experiences of life.

Do we make that surrender when our food is served cold, when we are tempted to curse the person who cuts in front of us on the highway or grocery store, can we love our neighbor and wish them no harm, when our computers go berserk, do we ask for patience, when a person insults us, do we turn the other cheek? Daily we are faced with our will vs God’s will. How are we doing?

St. Therese discovered through God’s grace that one does not have to journey to foreign lands and suffer martyrdom to know what it means to suffer for the sake of the Gospel. Opportunities to know and serve the Lord will find us wherever we are, and when they do, will we rise to the occasion to seek to serve the Lord? How about in our family?

POST SCRIPT

LOUIS AND ZELIE WITH THERESE

Louis Martin and Zelie Guerin, parents of St. Therese, married in 1858.Within the next fifteen years, Zelie bore nine children, seven girls and two boys. “We lived only for them,” Zelie wrote; “they were all our happiness.”

This happiness turned to shock and sorrow as tragedy relentlessly stalked their little ones. Within three years, Zelie’s two baby boys, a five year old girl, and a six-and-a-half week old infant girl all died. Although suffering had left its mark on mother and father, it was not the scar of bitterness.

Louis and Zelie had already found relief and support in their faith. The series of tragedies had intensified the love of Louis and Zelie Martin for each other. They poured out their affection on their five surviving daughters; Marie, 12, Pauline, 11, Leonie 9, Celine, 3, and their new-born, Marie-Francoise-Therese Martin.

Zelie and Louis Martin’s lives show us that when we live with love, we grow in holiness. Pope Benedict named them “Blessed” in 2008. Pope Francis officially Canonized them both as saints in 2015. They are the first married couple to ever be canonized together.

This Canonization of Louis and Zelie Martin is a beautiful sign of support for Christian Families especially in this secular world that mocks faith and worships idols like fame and fortune. Pray for your family and other families that they may remain faithful to the Gospel, despite the turmoil and noise of this world.

CHRIST VICTORIOUS

WE ADORE YOU O CHRIST, AND WE BLESS YOU

BECAUSE BY YOUR HOLY CROSS YOU HAVE REDEEMED THE WORLD!

EXHALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS SEPTEMBER 14

 BACKGROUND

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Triumph of the Cross), is celebrated every year on September 14 and  recalls two historical events: the finding of the True Cross by Saint Helena,  mother of the emperor Constantine, and the dedication of churches built by Constantine (335) on the site of the Holy Sepulcher and Mount Calvary.

After the death and resurrection of Christ, both the Jewish and Roman authorities in Jerusalem made efforts to obscure the Holy Sepulcher, Christ’s tomb, in a garden near the site of His crucifixion. The earth was mounded up over the site, and pagan temples were built on top of it.

According to tradition, Saint Helena, Mother of Emperor, Constantine, nearing the end of her life, decided under divine inspiration to travel to Jerusalem in 326 to excavate the Holy Sepulcher in an attempt to locate the True Cross.

In celebration of the discovery of the Holy Cross, Constantine ordered the construction of churches at the site of the Holy Sepulcher and on Mount Calvary. Those churches were dedicated on September 13 and 14, 335, and shortly thereafter the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross began to be celebrated on September 14.

TAKE UP YOUR CROSS AND FOLLOW ME

MATTHEW 16:24

COMMENTARY.

St. Paul says in First Corinthians “WE PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED” 1 Corinthians 1;23.

I used to have a problem when gazing upon the cross because like so many, all I saw was suffering and death.  Then my perspective changed The Cross is a sign of contradiction. I saw the love of Christ with His open arms embracing the whole world.

For just as through the disobedience of one person the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous. Romans 5:19

The cross designed as an instrument of torture, designed to disgrace and dismiss the worst of criminals, became the life-giving tree that reversed Adam’s Original Sin. Genesis 3:6 The Cross is not a symbol, principally, of agonizing suffering, but of the mind-blowing love God has for us. 

The cross reminds us of many things: atonement, forgiveness, love, mercy, redemption, and salvation.  Christians display the cross in their homes.  They wear it on their person.  They make the sign of the cross before prayer and on entering Church with the waters of Baptism.

With the sign of the cross we remind ourselves and witness to others that we have set ourselves apart from worldly rule and pledge our very selves to God’s reign, the kingdom in heaven.

God will not abandon us nor did He abandon His Son on the cross.  With the words, “It is finished,” John 19:30 Jesus acknowledged that He has remained faithful to the Father’s will and trusts that all will be well.

On Easter, Jesus is raised in glory and sits today and forever at right hand of the Father in heaven, preparing a place for us.

 REFLECTION

Christianity without the Cross is meaningless.  Only by uniting ourselves to Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross can we enter into eternal life. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” Luke 9:23

When we participate in the Mass, the Cross is there, too. The “un-bloody sacrifice” offered on the altar is the re-presentation of Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross.

When we receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion we do not simply unite ourselves to Christ; we nail ourselves to the Cross, dying with Christ so we might rise with Him in glory.

“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” John 20:19

When we can no longer help ourselves because we have become paralyzed with fear and overcome by darkness, Trust in Jesus!

When we have reached that stage in our life where we can no longer open the door to let light and life in, God can still come through our locked doors to heal our paralysis, and breathe peace among us.

Let us join the prophet Isaiah 53:5 in proclaiming that Jesus, our Savior and Lord, “was pierced for our offences, crushed for our sins; and upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole. By his stripes we were healed”

 O HAPPY FAULT THAT EARNED FOR US SO GREAT,

SO GLORIOUS A REDEEMER!

PRAYER TO JESUS CHRIST CRUCIFIED.

My good and dear Jesus, I kneel before you, asking you with great fervor, to instill in me true sorrow and repentance for my sins and a firm resolve to amend my life while contemplating your five wounds, remembering the words of the Psalmist, “They have pierced my hands and my feet, I can count all my bones.”Psalm 22:17-18

FEAST DAY SEPTEMBER 5

 INTRODUCTION

Saints are not only intercessors but also models for us. Mother Teresa is one of my favorite saints.  Years ago she inspired our whole family, teenage girls included, to spend time in the poorest of poor nations, Haiti, to work with the poor and dying.  We have never been the same since.  We are all called to service at our Baptisms. “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 16:25

BACKGROUND

Born in Skopje (North Macedonia) in 1910, MOTHER TERESA joined the Sisters of Loreto in Dublin in 1928 and was sent to India, where she began her novitiate. She taught at St. Mary’s High School in Calcutta from 1931 to 1948, until leaving the Loreto order to begin the Missionaries of Charity.

In 1946, Mother Teresa had a mystical encounter with Christ on a train to Darjeeling September 26, 1946 in which He asked her to take her love for Him a large step further. He asked her to leave the convent of Loreto and begin an order which would serve the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta.

During the time of her mystical experiences leading to the founding of the new order, she experienced deep spiritual union and the sensible awareness of God’s Presence in her life.

Here is a small sample of Jesus’ words to Mother Teresa: “My little one – come – carry Me into the holes of the poor. –  Come be My light – I cannot go alone – they don’t know Me – in your love for Me – they will see Me, know Me, want Me…. For them I long –Wilt thou refuse?”

During her lifelong service to the poorest of the poor, Mother Teresa became an icon of compassion to people of all religions; her extraordinary contributions to the care of the sick, the dying, and the thousands of discarded has been recognized and acclaimed throughout the world.

MEDITATION

 PONDER THE GOOD NEWS SHARED BY MOTHER TERESA

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

Each person is Jesus in disguise. I see Jesus in every human being. I say to myself, this is hungry Jesus, I must feed him. This is sick Jesus. This one has leprosy.  I must wash him and tend to him. I serve because I love Jesus.

 It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.

INSPIRATIONAL POEM

BY Kent M. Keith as “Paradoxical Commandments

PROMOTED BY MOTHER TERESA

People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.

Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you.

Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous.

Be happy anyway.  

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.

Do Good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough.

Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.

It was never between you and them anyway.

REFLECTION

Wherever we are, with whatever talents and relationships God has entrusted us, we are called not to do what Mother Teresa did, but to love as she loved in the Calcutta of our own life.

Made in the very image and likeness of God, We on earth, are God’s love, God’s compassion, God’s will, God’s smile, God’s tears.  We must show the presence of God in this world until He comes again at the end of time.

At the hour of our death when we come face-to-face with God, we are going to be judged on love; not how much we have done, but how much love we put into the doing.

Mother Teresa’s 1979 Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech

Lord, make me a channel of Thy peace that, where there is hatred, I may bring love; that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness; that, where there is discord, I may bring harmony; that, where there is error, I may bring truth;

 that, where there is doubt, I may bring faith; that, where there is despair, I may bring hope; that, where there are shadows, I may bring light; that, where there is sadness, I may bring joy.

 Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted, to love than to be loved; for it is by forgetting self that one finds; it is forgiving that one is forgiven; it is by dying that one awakens to eternal life.

MOTHER TERESA PRAY FOR US

BACKGROUND

The Feast of the Assumption is the oldest Marian feast of the Catholic Church, celebrated universally by the sixth century. The feast was originally celebrated in the East, where it was known as the Feast of the Dormition, a word which means “the falling asleep.”

For two centuries after the death of Christ, under pagan rule, every memory of Jesus was obliterated from the city of Jerusalem. The sites made holy by His life, death and Resurrection became pagan temples. It wasn’t until the time of Roman Emperor Constantine (c. 285-337) that Jerusalem began to be restored as a sacred city.

One of the memories about his Mother Mary centered around the “Tomb of Mary,” where she was buried, close to Mount Zion, the highest point in ancient Jerusalem.  Also, on the Mount was the “Place of Dormition,” the spot of Mary’s “falling asleep,” where she had “died.” These two sites do suggest in tradition that Mary apparently died and was buried,

DORMITION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Feast days are not just a commemoration of historical events.  They are confirmation of what we profess in the Creed. “I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.” The Feast of the Assumption looks to eternity and gives us hope that we, too, will follow Our Lady when our life is ended.

Our bodies, created by God, are sacred and are essential to our human nature. “….At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. I Corinthians 13:9-13

REFLECTION

Mary did not ascend into heaven like her Son did under His own power, but was taken up to heaven by God.  The Assumption completes God’s work in Mary since it was not fitting that the flesh that had given life to God himself should ever undergo corruption.

God told the woman (Eve) of the consequence of her sin, one of which is bodily corruption: for dust you are and to dust you will return” Genesis 3:1-24. God exquisitely distinguishes Mary (The New Eve) by exempting her from bodily corruption.

As hard as life in this world is, Mary’s Assumption into heaven is confirmation that our struggles are not in vain.  Whenever we help lift people up in our sphere of influence we are also sharing in the grace of the Assumption.

Wherever there is an out stretched hand in labor for others we are participating in the grace and mystery of Mary’s Assumption.  God awaits those we lift and we, the lifters!  Our heavenly home awaits!

 Today we join Mary in her happiness. We look forward to the day when we too can share it with her. Like Mary, we must with profound trust say daily: “Let it be done to me according to your word.”

PRAYER

 “All-powerful and ever-living God:  You raised the sinless Virgin Mary, mother of your Son, body and soul,  to the glory of heaven. May we see heaven as our final  goal and come to share her glory.”In Jesus’ name we pray.

FEAST OF TRANSFIGURATION AUGUST 6

 THIS IS MY BELOVED SON WITH WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED

After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.  And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.

…. a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,^* then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him. When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid.

But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.”And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, “Do not tell the vision^* to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”… Matthew 17:1-13

INTRODUCTION

On August 6th, we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor. In this extraordinary event, found in the Synoptic Gospels and the 2nd Letter of St. Peter, Jesus is transfigured in the presence of Peter, James, and John. .

In Caesarea Philippi, (six days before Transfiguration on Mount Tabor) Jesus asks them: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responds that Jesus is “The Messiah, the Son of the living God” Mtatthew 16:16. Jesus acknowledges that Peter’s response could only be prompted by the Father and designates Peter as the leader of the Church. “you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,” Matthew 16:18

Next, Jesus astounds those present, saying he will soon go to Jerusalem where he will be killed and then rise on the third day. His followers couldn’t grasp that such events could possibly happen if he was truly the Messiah. In fact, Peter argues, “No such thing could ever happen to you.”  Jesus offers a stern response: “Get behind me, Satan!(def. adversary) You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” Mathewt 16:22-23.

A GLIMPSE OF GLORY

 BOOK OF DANIEL CHAPTER 7:12

Daniel had a dream or four beasts which represented the four kingdoms that oppressed the Jews, Babylon, Egypt, Persia, and Rome these all wpold be replaced by the kingdom of God when the promised Mesiah arrives

 …the Ancient of Days took his throne. His clothing was white as snow, the hair on his head like pure wool…  I saw coming with the clouds of heaven^c One like a son of man.^* When he reached the Ancient of Days…He received dominion, splendor, and kingship; all nations, peoples and tongues will serve him.  His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away

REFLECTION

On a mountain, for a brief time, the splendor of Christ’s eternal divinity is revealed. The apostles witness how Jesus will appear in heaven and we too, as followers of Christ, will share in his glory. His passion was not the end, so too our suffering, our death. is not the end.

Both before and after the Transfiguration, Jesus told the disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and die at the hands of the elders, saying, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” Matthew 17:22-23.

You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” Matt 16:22

Do we look at things in this world the way God does or are we caught up in trends and what is popular?

The three disciples who saw the glorified Lord were given a vision meant to strengthen them for the difficult days ahead when Jesus would be arrested and crucified.

It is a foretaste of the glory that will be theirs in the Kingdom of God. This moment, forever embedded in their minds, will help them to endure the passion, crucifixion and death of Jesus.

Let us reflect back on the times in which we have caught a subtle glimpse of the glory of our Lord.  Perhaps while reading Scripture where we have encountered the majesty of God. Or perhaps moments that occurred at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass or in our adoration of the Blessed Sacrament during Holy Hour.

Let the Glory of God wash over us and fill us with fortitude to endure present difficulties in order to share in that Glory one day. Jesus is the light of the world. Let him enlighten us so we can radiate to the world as St Paul says in Galatians, I no longer live but Christ lives in me Galatians 2:19-20

 Do not light your lamp and put it under a bushel Matthew 5:15 A popular traditional gospel song may say it best…. This little light of mine

This little light o’ mine, I’m goin’ let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Everywhere I go, I’m goin’ let it shine…

 CONCLUSION

JESUS WELCOMES US INTO HIS GLORY

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth…. a holy city, a New Jerusalem, coming down from God…, I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God..He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain… REVELATION 21:1-4

FEAST OF ST, MARY MAGDALENE JULY 22

 “Your faith has saved you; go in peace!”

 “Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment. So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”

He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The others at table said to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” But he said to the woman, your faith has saved you; go in peace!” Luke 7:44-50

 REFLECTION

Jesus does not acknowledge his critics but addresses the repentant woman and praises her for her great love and faith and sends her on her way sanctified and redeemed.  From that moment, Mary Magdalen became a faithful disciple and witness all the way to Calvary.

“So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little”

Does this mean if I am not a great sinner I will love Jesus less, not necessarily.  I believe Jesus points out to Simon that this woman’s love is so dramatic because her love for God and her desire to be made whole is so strong.

Do we have that desire to be made whole again? Her Faith has saved her not on her own but through the grace of God.  Pray for that faith.

Jesus asks Simon, “Do you see this woman?  I place the emphasis on the word see because Jesus has told us “they have eyes but do not see and ears yet they do not hear” Mark 8:18

Jesus reminds us to focus, to see and listen, less we miss God’s presence especially in others. Do we miss God’s invitation due to noise and clutter in our world?

MARY MAGDALENE IN SCRIPTURE

In the 6^th Century, Saint Pope Gregory the Great identified St. Mary Magdalen as the woman who anointed Christ’s feet with perfume in the home of Simon the Pharisee.  In the New Testament Mary Magdalen is mentioned among the women who accompanied Christ and ministered to Him. Luke 8:2-3

Mary Magdalene is named as standing at the foot of the cross. “There were also women who ministered to him, looking on from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joses, and Salome” Mark 15:40   

  …by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary wife of Clopas and Mary of Magdala. John 19:25

Mary Magdalene was the first to see the resurrected Christ, “When he had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons” Mark 16:9

Mary Magdalene followed the burial of Jesus to the tomb and saw where He was buried, and came on Sunday to anoint Him. She was rewarded with His appearance and commissioned to go evangelize and spread the Good News.  He is Risen! 

“Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew,”Rabbouni,”which means Teacher

DO NOT CLING TO ME 

Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. Mary then went and announced to the apostles, “I have seen the Lord, and what he told her”. John 20: 15-18

REFLECTION

When Jesus speaks to Mary Magdalene after the resurrection, “Do not cling to me.” John 20:17.  Jesus invites us along with Mary Magdalene to enter into the experience of faith which goes beyond what can be discovered by our “senses.”

Remember Jesus’ words to Thomas after the resurrection behind closed doors, “Blessed are those who have not seen and believe.”  John 20:29

Our first parents, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden spread death where there was life.  Mary in the garden of the Resurrection announced life from the Holy Sepulchre, a place of death.

Saint Mary Magdalene is an example of true and authentic evangelization; she is an evangelist who announces the joyful central message of Easter. ”He is Risen!”

July 6 we celebrate liturgically the feast of Saint Maria Goretti.   I remember this feast because my granddaughter did research on a Confirmation name back in grade school and chose St. Maria Goretti for her Confirmation name.

SAINT MARIA GORETTI

Maria Goretti (October 16, 1890 – July 6, 1902) is an Italian virgin-martyr. Having died at the age of 11, she is the youngest canonized saint in the Catholic Church’s long and storied history.

She was born on the eastern side of Italy to a farming family, but increased poverty forced the family to move to the western side of the country when she was only six.

When Maria was nine, her father died tragically from Malaria.   This was a terrible time of trial and suffering for the whole family.  The Gorettis had to share a house with another family, the Serenellis, in order to survive. Aside from having the responsibility of caring for her family, Maria had to also cook and clean for her two next door neighbors–Giovanni Serenelli and his son, Alessandro–who assisted her mother with the farm tasks.

The Serenelli family was what we would call today a very dysfunctional family. Alessandro Serenelli, the young man (20) who attacked Maria was part of this terrible mess. Giovanni, his father, was an alcoholic and his mother died in a psychiatric hospital when he was only a few months old, apparently after trying to drown Alessandro when he was a newborn.

On July 5, 1902, eleven-year-old Maria was sitting on the outside steps of her home, sewing one of Alessandro’s shirts and watching Teresa, her baby sister, when Alessandro threatened her with a knife if she did not do what he said; he was intending to rape her.

Maria would not submit, protesting that what he wanted to do was a mortal sin and warning him that he would go to hell.  She desperately fought to stop him. She kept screaming, “No! It is a sin! God does not want it!” He first choked her, but when she insisted she would rather die than submit to him, he stabbed her eleven times.

Though, she prevented him from violating her, Maria was mortally wounded. The next day in the hospital Maria died, while looking at a picture of the Virgin Mary and clutching a cross to her chest.   Her last words were, “I forgive Alessandro Serenelli and I want him with me in heaven forever.”

During his prison sentence Maria appeared to Alessandro and forgave him.  That act of mercy and forgiveness—that act of love—filled Alessandro with contrition for his crime.  When he was eventually released from prison, he visited Maria’s mother begging forgiveness, which she readily granted. From that point on, he lived a beautiful and converted life of holiness, eventually becoming a Franciscan lay brother.

Maria Goretti was beatified by Pope Pius XII in 1947, and canonized in 1950 by the same Pope.  Maria’s mother and Alessandro were present at both ceremonies.

COMMENTARY

I share the story of Maria Goretti not only to honor her, but to cite her as an example of one who understood the horror and consequences of sin and preferred to die rather than commit a mortal sin. Today we live in a culture that has lost the sense of sin.  It is the last thing most people want to acknowledge or talk about.

In today’s hardened society, those supporting abortion, a grave sin, avoid at all cost discussing the killing and dismemberment of the innocent, our youngest and most vulnerable human beings.  Killing innocent human beings is a mortal sin against the 5^th Commandment.

Sexual sins are not the only sins but they are certainly a battle of our times. Adultery, fornication, masturbation, pornography, contraception, sterilization and abortion are real life struggles for many. These are still GRAVE SINS, despite our culture’s embrace of Moral Relativism.

Moral relativism is the philosophical theory that all morality is relative, different moral truths hold for different people.  We can all decide what is right for ourselves. You decide what’s right for you, and I’ll decide what’s right for me. No authority outside of me. In other words we play God.

Hmmm, wouldn’t that be interesting! What if it was up to each individual driver to choose the speed limit, when to turn, how to turn, when or if to stop at intersection? I suspect there would be a lot of collateral damage. to you and others.  It is the same for sin. We don’t sin alone! What we choose affects everyone in Mystical Body of Christ

“The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to “the slavery of sin.” CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH #733

For forgiveness of sins, Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Penance. “Receive the Holy Spirit.  For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.”

JOHN  20: 22-23

REFLECTION

 Saint Maria Goretti, is a model of righteousness and encouragement to avoid sin at all cost and to forgive at all cost as well.   “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions”.  Matthew 6:15

We experience God’s mercy through the Sacrament of Confession.  It is there that we acknowledge who we are, limited, weak, and sinful creatures in need of redemption.  It is there that God forgives us of any and all of our sins.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” John 3: 16-17

The Sacrament of Penance is an enormous source of interior peace.  The priest in the person of Jesus raises his hand, and then with a blessing pronounces those amazing words, “I absolve you from your sins.”  At that moment, we know that God has heard our cry for forgiveness, and we have been pardoned of our sins.

PRAYER TO SAINT MARIA GORETTI

 St. Maria Goretti model of love and forgiveness, Help us all, especially our youth ,to flee  anything that could offend Jesus or stain our souls with sin.

Even at age of eleven you understood what it meant to love God and love your neighbor.  You did not withhold forgiveness from your attacker.  In fact you wanted him in heaven with you.

 Pray for me, that I, too, will be able to love my enemies like you did. Obtain for us victory in temptation, and grace of perseverance that we may one day enjoy with you the imperishable glory of Heaven. Amen.

SAINT MARIA GORETTI

PRAY FOR ME!

MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS

MONTH OF JULY

BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD

WHO TAKES AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD

JOHN 1:29

BACKGROUND

Devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus is as old as Christianity. The early Fathers say that the Church was born from the pierced side of Christ, and that the sacraments were brought forth through His Blood.  Just as Eve, the mother of all life, whose name means Life, was taken from the side of Adam, the Church and all the life giving sacraments flow from the pierced side of Jesus.

In the first century, Pope St. Clement I wrote “Let us fix our gaze on the Blood of Christ and realize how truly precious it is; it was poured out for our salvation and brought the grace of conversion to the whole world.”

The Blood of Christ is the source of salvation for the world. God chose the sign of blood, because no other sign is so eloquent to express the supreme love of life given for others. This donation is repeated in every Eucharistic celebration, in which alongside the Body of Christ, His precious blood is made present; the Blood of the new and eternal Covenant, shed for all, for the redemption of sins.

 SCRIPTURE

 The Bible regards blood as the symbol and source of life. Leviticus 17:14 states, “For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life

Blood in the Old Testament was a key component in the system of atonement instituted by God. The lifeblood of a sacrificial animal offered in sacrifice represented the life of the individual making atonement.

In the very first letter of St. Peter, Vicar of Christ, Peter addressed the need for reverence for the “precious blood” of Christ, “realize that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ” I Peter 1:17-19.

God’s holiness and justice demanded that sin be punished. The offering of an animal and even our own death are not sufficient sacrifices to pay for sin. Atonement for the infinite offense against God requires a perfect, spotless sacrifice. Jesus Christ, the one perfect God-man, came to offer the pure, complete and everlasting sacrifice to make payment for our sin. Christ poured out his life in the ultimate atoning sacrifice for our sin and the sins of the world. “for this is My blood, the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:28

In the scourging at the pillar, our Lord spurt out His divine Blood.  Pilate displays the blood-covered Body to the crowds: Ecce homo (Behold the Man)! As we go through Jerusalem’s streets we follow the bloody footsteps to Golgotha. Precious blood trickles down the cross until a soldier opens the sacred side.

Water and Blood flow from that side to wash us clean in the blood of the Lamb

 PRAYER

 Lord Jesus, You became Man that you might suffer your Passion and Death even to the draining of your most precious blood so you might prove to us your love for us. 

 Protect us, dear Jesus.  Strengthen our weak human wills so that we will not run away from the cross, but welcome every opportunity to shed our blood in spirit in union with your Precious Blood, so that, dying to ourselves in time, we might live with You in Eternity  Amen

BLOOD OF CHRIST FALLING UPON THE EARTH,

HAVE MERCY ON US!