December 12 - Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

When the Spanish conquistadors came to Mexico in the 1500’s, they found primarily indigenous peoples who worshiped their own gods, even to the extent of human sacrifice. The Franciscan and Dominican missionaries had great difficulty winning souls to Jesus, partially because of the poor example of the Spanish soldiers.

Juan Diego was an Aztec Catholic living near Mexico City. Juan’s birth name was Cuauhtlatoatzin-the Talking Eagle. As he walked the seven miles to Mass on the morning of December 9^th, he heard a voice calling to him. He looked up to see a beautiful young maiden dressed as an Aztec Princess appearing in a golden beam of light. The beautiful lady said she was the Virgin Mary, Mother of God. She requested Juan to have the bishop build a church on the hill of Tepeyac, so God could show His compassion through her to His people.

Juan related the request to Bishop Juan de Zumárraga. Somewhat skeptical, the bishop asked for a sign. The next morning, Juan took a different route, trying to avoid the lady until he could get a priest to administer the last rites to his dying uncle. Suddenly the Virgin Mary appeared, asking him, “Juanito, why are you walking this strange way?”

With tears streaming down his face, Juan told the beautiful lady of his dying uncle. She smiled at him and tenderly told him he had nothing to fear, as God would cure him. She then directed Juan to pick lovely red Castilian roses which miraculously bloomed that cold December day on the hillside. Amazed, Juan picked the roses. The beautiful lady then kindly arranged them in his tilma, and told him to show them to no one but Bishop Zumárraga.

The Bishop’s staff tried to discourage Juan Diego from his mission, even attempting to see what he guarded so carefully in his tilma. However, Juan courageously stood his ground and insisted he must see the bishop. Finally the bishop himself came out to see what was the matter. When he saw the bishop, Juan knelt humbly before him.

“Here is the sign you requested,” Juan said, letting the roses fall from his tilma.

But the bishop and his shocked attendants looked beyond the roses. To their surprise and wonder, the image of a beautiful Aztec Lady was imprinted on the tilma! Falling to his knees, Bishop Zumárraga accepted the sign and fulfilled Mary’s wish by building a church in her honor, where her image was enshrined.  

In the next decade, eight million Indians converted to Jesus because of this lovely lady who looked like them. They realized that God, who is not a respecter of persons, loved them as much as the European Spaniards, and that His Son had died for them as well. And from then on Our Lady of Guadalupe, “La Alma de la Gente”, took her rightful place in the souls of her children.

In 2002 at the canonization of Saint Juan Diego, Pope John Paul II declared Our Lady of Guadalupe the Patroness of both continents of the one America.

The Miracle of the Sun

Today, October 13^th, 2017, is the 100^th anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima. Here is the story:

 

On May 13^th, 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three little shepherds in the village of Fatima, Portugal. Seven-year old Jacinta, her nine-year-old brother Francisco, and their ten-year-old cousin Lucia were tending their sheep in a field called the Cova da Iria. Suddenly they saw a bright flash of light. A beautiful Lady, dressed in white and gold, appeared on a cloud over a small oak tree. A golden cord hung around her neck. Her hands were joined in prayer and she held a pearl rosary.

Mary told the children that she had been sent by God with a message for every man, woman and child in our century. Coming at a time when civilization was torn asunder by the untold violence of World War I, Mary promised that Heaven would grant peace to the entire world if her requests for prayer, reparation, and consecration were heard and obeyed.

Our Lady of Fatima repeatedly emphasized the necessity of praying daily, especially the Rosary, of wearing the Brown Scapular, and of performing acts of reparation and sacrifice. She also promised a sign on October 13^th as proof of her messages.

A heavy rain fell all night and into the morning as a great crowd of more than 70,000 people gathered at the Cova on October 13^th, 1917.  The Lady appeared to the children for the last time, more radiant than ever. “Her face was brighter than the sun,” said Francisco. “I am the Lady of the Rosary,” the Virgin Mary said. “I have come to warn the faithful to amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins. They must not continue to offend Our Lord, who has been so deeply offended. They must pray, especially the rosary.” She said that if people amended their lives, the war would end soon. She then left the children, raising her hands toward the sky.

Someone cried, “Look at the sun!” The children looked up and saw Mother Mary with Saint Joseph and the Infant Jesus. They saw Jesus blessing the people. Meanwhile, the people were able to look at the sun without hurting their eyes. It appeared as a silver disc, and began spinning in the sky. As it danced, it cast off great shafts of colored light which flashed and fell upon the sky and the rain-soaked earth. Men and women fell to their knees and prayed as brilliant colors fell on the trees and stones. Suddenly, the sun began to zigzag! It started to fall like a wheel of fire upon the people. They cried out in fear and asked Jesus and Mary to save them. After a few moments, the sun returned to its place. The ground was completely dry, as was everyone’s clothing. The people rejoiced and praised God for the “Miracle of the Sun.” Even the secular, anti-Catholic newspapers reported the event, as did today’s Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/10/13/our-lady-of-fatima-the-virgin-mary-promised-three-kids-a-miracle-that-70000-gathered-to-see/?utm_term=.c68f0b01dfc1

On May 13, 1981, Pope John Paul II was shot in the chest and in the abdomen at point blank range in St. Peter’s Square. He credited his miraculous escape from death to the intervention of Our Lady of Fatima. One year later he traveled to Fatima, and placed the bullet in the crown resting upon the statue of Mary there. He said, “One finger fired the bullet, but another guided its path.”

Less than 7 years later, the Berlin Wall fell without a bullet being fired, and Communism collapsed across the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.

Today we celebrate the feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael

Angels are pure spirits, holy beings whom God created to have direct contact with Himself. The word angel comes from the Greek word angelos, which means messenger. These messengers of God are invisible, immortal, and extremely intelligent. They worship God in His presence at all times. The Scripture teaches that God sends angels from heaven to earth to deliver help, warnings, or exciting news as they assist the Lord in His mission to save all people.

In the Bible angels appear in different ways. Sometimes they appear in brilliant glory, which is how the angels appeared to the shepherds in Bethlehem the night that Jesus was born.

Saint Michael the Archangel is God’s most trusted angel, and he carries out heaven’s commands. His name, Michael, means who is like God. A fierce warrior, protector, and comforting guardian, Saint Michael is heaven’s most powerful archangel.

 The Old Testament prophet Daniel calls Michael “one of the chief Princes.” Saint Michael is the guardian of the Israel, a champion of goodness and justice who fights evil at every chance. When one of God’s angels, Lucifer, started a war in heaven, Michael fought and defeated the rebels and threw them out of heaven. Hence Michael is known as the “warrior angel” and is often painted wearing a full suit of armor (as seen in our own holy cards).

The Archangel Gabriel, mentioned several times in the Bible, was always a messenger of important news. His name, Gabriel, means, the Hero of God, or God is my strength and courage. He appeared to the prophet Daniel, and to Zechariah, the father of Saint John the Baptist. He is best known as the angel who appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced to her the breathtaking news that she would conceive and bear the Son of God.

The Archangel Raphael’s name means God heals. In the Bible, the book of Tobit tells the story about Raphael and a man named Tobit, who lived long before Jesus was born. Tobit was a good man who helped the poor, but one night he suddenly lost his sight. His blindness was a great burden to him, and in desperation he prayed for death. God heard his prayers and sent the archangel Raphael to help.  Tobit sent his son, Tobiah, to collect some savings from a place called Media. Raphael appeared to Tobiah in human form, explained that he was a distant relative, and went with him on the journey. One day Tobiah caught a fish. Raphael told him to remove its insides and to rub the fish on his father’s eyes. Miraculously, Tobit’s blindness was cured! Then Raphael revealed his true identity: “I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who enter and serve before the Glory of the Lord” (Tobit 12:15). The angel told Tobit and Tobiah to praise and thank God, and then he vanished, returning to heaven.

Feast of Saint Padre Pio September 23

St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio)

Francesco Forgione was born in Pietrelcina, Italy, on May 25,1887, and named in honor of St. Francis of Assisi.  The devout Francesco at an early age felt drawn to the priesthood, and became a Capuchin novice at the age of sixteen. Ordained a priest in 1910, he became known as Padre Pio.  During this time he suffered much, both physically and spiritually, all of which he accepted with praise and thanks to God, trusting that if God allowed it, God could use it for the good of others.

On September 20, 1918, while kneeling in front of a large crucifix, Padre Pio received the visible marks of the crucifixion, with wounds in his hands, feet, and side, making him the first priest to receive the stigmata in the history of the Church. On the day he died in 1968, at the age of 81, the wounds disappeared, a miracle Padre Pio had predicted 50 years earlier.

Padre Pio was blessed with many mystical gifts. The blood from the wounds of Jesus in his body carried a beautiful perfumed aroma. He had the gift of bilocation, or being in two places at the same time. He had the ability to read the hearts of the penitents who flocked to him during his long hours of hearing confessions. Padre Pio used the confessional to bring both sinners and devout souls closer to God; giving just the right word of counsel or encouragement to all.

Thousands went to his monastery in San Giovanni Rotondo suffering from all sorts of illness, including cancer, tuberculosis, blindness, etc. Many received healing through his intercession. Padre Pio had a great love for Our Blessed Mother Mary, St. Michael the Archangel, and his Guardian angel, and received much help from them. He also had a great love and prayed much for the Souls in Purgatory.

In 1948, a young Polish priest heard about Padre Pio and visited him for Confession and spiritual direction. Though we do not what they shared, the young priest, Fr. Karol Wojtyla, was deeply moved by the encounter. Almost two decades later, in November 1962, now a bishop, Karol Wojtyla returned to Rome for the second Vatican Council. He sent a note asking Padre Pio to pray for his friend, Dr. Wanda Poltawska, a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp and mother of four, who had been diagnosed with a very serious and aggressive intestinal tumor. Padre Pio replied, “To this one, it is impossible to say no.” He prayed all night for the doctor. When Bishop Wojtyla called home two weeks later to hear how the operation went, he learned that the tumor had disappeared!

In May 1967, Dr. Poltawska herself was able to leave Communist Poland briefly for a trip to Italy. She journeyed to San Giovanni Rotondo, where she attended a Mass celebrated by Padre Pio. At the Mass, Poltawska could see Padre Pio’s own agony, the stains of blood from his wounds, the sweat running down his face. Afterward, she waited to greet him. He passed by her, walking slowly on his pierced feet. He stopped, then gazed at her, smiled, and said, “Now you are all right?” The doctor was stunned. She had never met Padre Pio, yet she knew he recognized her. He had suffered for her, because he could not refuse the request of the young Polish Bishop. And, as Providence would have it, Dr. Poltawska was there, in Rome, on June 16, 2002, when her old friend, who had become the first Polish pope, John Paul II, canonized the gentle Padre as Saint Pio of Pietrelcina!

 

Happy Saint Valentine's Day!

In 270 A.D. Emperor Claudius issued an edict forbidding marriage because he believed that married men made poor soldiers, not wanting to leave their families to go to battle. Bishop Valentine disagreed with the emperor and invited young lovers to come to him in secret to be married. When Claudius found that he was performing secret marriage ceremonies, he was incensed. He had Valentine seized and brought before him. When Valentine refused to change his views and renounce Christianity, he was put in prison to await execution. In February of 270, Valentine was clubbed, stoned, and then beheaded.

Tradition tells us that while Valentine was in prison he corresponded with those under his care by sending little letters and love notes to those in his parish. He would always close his letters with the signature, “From your Valentine”.

Happy Valentine’s Day to one and all!

May the LORD bless you and keep you!

May the LORD let his face shine upon you,

and be gracious to you!

May the LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!

-Numbers 6:24-26

 Blog submitted by Bart Tesoriero