Wysteria Blossom's LOVE STARS

SAINT OF THE DAY -- Oct. 12 - St. Seraphin of Montegranaro

Wysteria Blossom — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 02:07:00 GMT

October 12

St. Seraphin of Montegranaro

(1540 - 1604)

His charity towards the poor knew no bounds

Saint Seraphin was endowed with the gift of reading the secrets of hearts, miracles and prophecy.

Born into a poor Italian family, young Seraphin lived the life of a shepherd and spent much of his time in prayer. Mistreated for a time by his older brother after the two of them had been orphaned, Seraphin became a Capuchin Franciscan at age 16 and impressed everyone with his humility and generosity.

Serving as a lay brother, Seraphin imitated St. Francis in fasting, clothing and courtesy to all. He even mirrored Francis' missionary zeal, but Seraphin's superiors did not judge him to be a candidate for the missions.

Faithful to the core, Seraphin spent three hours in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament daily. The poor who begged at the friary door came to hold a special love for him. Despite his uneventful life, he reached impressive spiritual heights and has had miracles attributed to him.

Seraphin died on October 12, 1604, and was canonized in 1767.

Comment:

For many people these days, work has no significance beyond providing the money they need to live. How many share the belief expressed in the Book of Genesis that we are to cooperate with God in caring for the earth? The kind of work Seraphin did may not strike us as earth-shattering. The work was ordinary; the spirit in which he did it was not.
Seraphin was noted for his simple, obedient, ascetic life, and his charity to the poor. He had a special devotion to the Blessed Eucharist and to Our Lady. He had the gifts of reading hearts, of miracles, and of prophecy. His counsel was sought by both Church and secular authorities.
Seraphin's parents were poor in earthly goods and obscure in the sight of men. But the spirit of prayer which his mother instilled in the boy was an inheritance of priceless value. The loving lessons of his mother caused Seraphin to make the firm resolve to remain innocent and become a saint.
He fostered tender devotion to the Blessed Mother and occasionally visited her shrine at Loreto, not far from his home. Once, on his way to the shrine, he found the River Potenza so high that no boatman ventured across. In his eagerness to get to the shrine, Seraphin stepped on the water, and it became like solid ground beneath him; he crossed the river on his way to the shrine and back without so much as wetting the soles of his feet.
On the death of his parents, Seraphin was subjected to a severe trial. His brother, a bricklayer and a man of a violent temper, took him into his employ; but no matter what the boy did, he received nothing but harsh words and blows in return. Seraphin bore the cruel treatment with great patience and recognized in it the way to holiness.
Desiring to consecrate himself to the service of God, he entered a Capuchin convent when he was only 16 years old. The high degree of perfection he had already attained was soon noticed and admired. His brethren were edified at his humility, charity, mortification, and self-sacrifice. Punctual in performing all the duties assigned to him, he still found time to be of service to the other brothers.
He devoted the night to prayer. In the evening he would visit the Blessed Sacrament and remain there for hours absorbed in prayer and contemplation. Then he would take a short rest, after which he would get up once more to attend the midnight office. God seemed to preserve his bodily strength in a marvelous way.
During a famine he ate but a fourth of his own meager meal, in order to have so much more to give to the poor. As porter of the convent, charged with providing for the poor, he once exceeded the bounds of obedience. For, as he had nothing more to give and there were still some poor waiting for help, he went into the garden and gathered a supply of the vegetables growing there. When his superior took him to task for it, the good brother assured him that the community would in no way suffer on his account, and that and the next morning a new growth of vegetables appeared in the garden.
The miraculous power with which God rewarded the charity of His servant continued to manifest itself. Countless sick were restored to health when he made the Sign of the Cross over them.
Seraphin endeavored, nevertheless, to withdraw as much as possible from contact with the world. While engaged in the quiet work about the convent, his heart was busy contemplating the sufferings of Christ. Consumed with the love of Him who shed His blood for love of us, he yearned to go to the infidels in order to shed his blood for Christ. Since his request was not granted, he made it a habit to pray:
Holy Mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior Crucified.
Inflamed with the love of God, Seraphin departed from this life on October 12, 1604, in his 64th year. Many miracles occurred at his grave, and Pope Clement XIII canonized him in 1767.

Quote:

In Brothers of Men, Rene Voillaume of the Little Brothers of Jesus speaks about ordinary work and holiness: "Now this holiness [of Jesus] became a reality in the most ordinary circumstances of life, those of work, of the family and the social life of a village, and this is an emphatic affirmation of the fact that the most obscure and humdrum human activities are entirely compatible with the perfection of the Son of God." Christians are convinced, he says, "that the evangelical holiness proper to a child of God is possible in the ordinary circumstances of a man who is poor and obliged to work for his living."

Prayer:

O God, who didst inflame the heart of St. Seraphin with the fire of Thy love, grant, we beseech Thee, that at his intercession we may walk in his footsteps and be inflamed with the same fire of love. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Source: American Catholic Organization

Many great miracles have been associated with the Rosary throughout history. The tremendous power of the Rosary can overcome any problem, be it small or large, personal or worldwide. Miracles continue to the present day.

The Rosary is a powerful prayer!

Each lesson is only 10¢

God bless you!

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Joyful Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Sorrowful Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Glorious Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Luminous Mysteries

If you are a victim of domestic or sexual violence, please know that my husband and I pray for you every single night.

If you need immediate assistance, dial 911.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-SAFE OR (1-800-799-7233)

SIGNS OF AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP

Do you:

feel afraid of your partner much of the time?

avoid certain topics fear of angering your partner?

feel that you can’t do anything right for your partner?

believe that you deserve to be hurt or mistreated?

wonder if you’re the one who is crazy?

feel emotionally numb or helpless?

Does your partner:

humiliate, criticize, or yell at you?
treat you so badly that you’re embarrassed for your friends or family to see?
ignore or put down your opinions or accomplishments?
blame you for his own abusive behavior?
see you as property or a sex object, rather than as a person?

Does your partner:

have a bad and unpredictable temper?

hurt you, or threaten to hurt or kill you?

threaten to take your children away or harm them?

threaten to commit suicide if you leave?

force you to have sex?

destroy your belongings?

Does your partner:

act excessively jealous and possessive?
control where you go or what you do?
keep you from seeing your friends or family?
limit your access to money, the phone, or the car?
constantly check up on you?

SAINT OF THE DAY -- Oct. 11 - Blessed Angela Truszkowska

Wysteria Blossom — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 03:07:00 GMT

October 11

Blessed Angela Truszkowska

(1825 - 1899)

Patron Saint of People with Illnesses

"Help all without discrimination, friend and foe alike.
Everyone is our neighbor."

- Mother Angela Truszkowska

Today we honor a woman who submitted to God's will throughout her life—a life filled with pain and suffering.

Born in 1825 in central Poland and baptized Sophia, she contracted tuberculosis as a young girl. The forced period of convalescence gave her ample time for reflection. Sophia felt called to serve God by working with the poor, including street children and the elderly homeless in Warsaw's slums. In time, her cousin joined her in the work.

In 1855, the two women made private vows and consecrated themselves to the Blessed Mother. New followers joined them. Within two years they formed a new congregation, which came to be known as the Felician Sisters. As their numbers grew, so did their work, and so did the pressures on Mother Angela (the new name Sophia took in religious life).

Mother Angela served as superior for many years until ill health forced her to resign at the age of 44. She watched the order grow and expand, including missions to the United States among the sons and daughters of Polish immigrants.

Pope John Paul II beatified her in 1993.

Comment:

Eldest daughter of Joseph and Josephine Truszkowski, Polish nobles. Well educated, pious, and lively youth with a frail constitution. Moved to Warsaw in 1837, and attended the Academy of Madame Guerin. Due to respiratory illness, she and her tutor Anastasia moved to Switzerland in 1841 at age 16. On 26 June 1848, at age 23, she had a moment of extraordinary grace that she considered a conversion experience, and which led her to the religious life. Spiritual student of Capuchin Father Honorat Kozminski in 1854. Joined the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul in 1855 to help the poor, aged and homeless of Warsaw. Housed homeless children into her own home. In November 1854, she and her cousin Clothilde rented a two-room apartment at 10 Church Street, Nowe Miasto, in Warsaw, Poland. There homeless children spent their days in class and Mass, and then stayed the night; it was known as the Institute of Miss Truszkowska. Sophia prayed with the children at the Shrine of Saint Felix of Cantalice in a nearby Capuchin church. People call the kids the "children of Saint Felix" and the women the Sisters of Saint Felix, the Felicians. Thus was founded the Felician Sisters whoe are devoted to service to the poor, orphaned, sick and elderly. In 1855 Sophia and Clothilde become Franciscan tertiaries, Sophia taking the name Angela. She was forced to withdraw as its leader due to increasing deafness.

Quote:

"Help all without discrimination, friend and foe alike. Everyone is our neighbor."
- Mother Angela Truszkowska

Prayer:

God, our Father, you graced Blessed Mary Angela with a living faith and boundless love which she manifested in complete surrender to your divine will. By her prayers and witness may we strive to seek, to accept, and to fulfill your will in all circumstances of our lives. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen

Source: American Catholic Organization

The Rosary is a powerful prayer!

Each lesson is only 10¢

God bless you!

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Joyful Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Sorrowful Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Glorious Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Luminous Mysteries

If you are a victim of domestic or sexual violence, please know that my husband and I pray for you every single night.

If you need immediate assistance, dial 911.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-SAFE OR (1-800-799-7233)

SIGNS OF AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP

Do you:

feel afraid of your partner much of the time?

avoid certain topics fear of angering your partner?

feel that you can’t do anything right for your partner?

believe that you deserve to be hurt or mistreated?

wonder if you’re the one who is crazy?

feel emotionally numb or helpless?

Does your partner:

humiliate, criticize, or yell at you?
treat you so badly that you’re embarrassed for your friends or family to see?
ignore or put down your opinions or accomplishments?
blame you for his own abusive behavior?
see you as property or a sex object, rather than as a person?

Does your partner:

have a bad and unpredictable temper?

hurt you, or threaten to hurt or kill you?

threaten to take your children away or harm them?

threaten to commit suicide if you leave?

force you to have sex?

destroy your belongings?

Does your partner:

act excessively jealous and possessive?
control where you go or what you do?
keep you from seeing your friends or family?
limit your access to money, the phone, or the car?
constantly check up on you?

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Wysteria Blossom — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 02:39:00 GMT

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SAINT OF THE DAY -- May 24 - Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi

Wysteria Blossom — Sat, 24 May 2008 19:03:00 GMT

May 24

St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi

(1566-1607)

Patron Saint of Sexual Temptation and People with Illnesses

"A little drop of simple obedience is worth a million times more than a whole vase of the choicest contemplation."

-Saint Mary Magdalen de' Pazzi

"Prayer ought to be humble, fervent, resigned, persevering, and accompanied with great reverence. One should consider that he stands in the presence of a God, and speaks with a Lord before whom the angels tremble from awe and fear."

-Saint Mary Magdalen de Pazzi

Mystical ecstasy is the elevation of the spirit to God in such a way that the person is aware of this union with God and both internal and external senses are detached from the sensible world. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi was so generously given this special gift of God that she is called the "ecstatic saint."

She was born into a noble family in Florence in 1566. The normal course would have been for Catherine de Pazzi to have married wealth and enjoyed comfort, but she chose to follow her own path. At nine she learned to meditate from the family confessor. She made her first Communion at the then-early age of 10 and made a vow of virginity one month later. When 16, she entered the Carmelite convent in Florence because she could receive Communion daily there.

Catherine had taken the name Mary Magdalene and had been a novice for a year when she became critically ill. Death seemed near so her superiors let her make her profession of vows from a cot in the chapel in a private ceremony. Immediately after, she fell into an ecstasy that lasted about two hours. This was repeated after Communion on the following 40 mornings. These ecstasies were rich experiences of union with God and contained marvelous insights into divine truths.

As a safeguard against deception and to preserve the revelations, her confessor asked Mary Magdalene to dictate her experiences to sister secretaries. Over the next six years, five large volumes were filled. The first three books record ecstasies from May of 1584 through Pentecost week the following year. This week was a preparation for a severe five-year trial. The fourth book records that trial and the fifth is a collection of letters concerning reform and renewal. Another book, Admonitions, is a collection of her sayings arising from her experiences in the formation of women religious.

The extraordinary was ordinary for this saint. She read the thoughts of others and predicted future events. During her lifetime, she appeared to several persons in distant places and cured a number of sick people.

It would be easy to dwell on the ecstasies and pretend that Mary Magdalene only had spiritual highs. This is far from true. It seems that God permitted her this special closeness to prepare her for the five years of desolation that followed when she experienced spiritual dryness. She was plunged into a state of darkness in which she saw nothing but what was horrible in herself and all around her. She had violent temptations and endured great physical suffering. She died in 1607 at 41, and was canonized in 1669.

Comment:

Intimate union, God's gift to mystics, is a reminder to all of us of the eternal happiness of union he wishes to give us. The cause of mystical ecstasy in this life is the Holy Spirit, working through spiritual gifts. The ecstasy occurs because of the weakness of the body and its powers to withstand the divine illumination, but as the body is purified and strengthened, ecstasy no longer occurs. On various aspects of ecstasy, see Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, Chapter 5, and John of the Cross, Dark Night of the Soul, 2:1-2.

Quote:

There are many people today who see no purpose in suffering. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi discovered saving grace in suffering. When she entered religious life she was filled with a desire to suffer for Christ during the rest of her life. The more she suffered, the greater grew her desire for it. Her dying words to her fellow sisters were: "The last thing I ask of you—and I ask it in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—is that you love him alone, that you trust implicitly in him and that you encourage one another continually to suffer for the love of him."

A small piece of her writings:

Come, Holy Spirit. Spirit of truth, you are the reward of the saints, the comforter of souls, light in the darkness, riches to the poor, treasure to lovers, food for the hungry, comfort to those who are wandering; to sum up, you are the one in whom all treasures are contained.

Come! As you descended upon Mary that the Word might become flesh, work in us through grace as you worked in her through nature and grace.

Come! Food of every chaste thought, fountain of all mercy, sum of all purity.

Come! Consume in us whatever prevents us from being consumed in you.

-from the writings of Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi

Prayer:

Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, pray that we will make a commitment to seek the presence of God in prayer the way you did. Guide us to see the graces God gives us as gifts not rewards and to respond with gratitude and humility, not pride and selfishness. Amen

Source: American Catholic Organization

The Rosary is a powerful prayer!

Each lesson is only 10¢

God bless you!

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Joyful Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Sorrowful Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Glorious Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Luminous Mysteries

If you are a victim of domestic or sexual violence, please know that my husband and I pray for you every single night.

If you need immediate assistance, dial 911.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-SAFE OR (1-800-799-7233)

SIGNS OF AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP

Do you:

feel afraid of your partner much of the time?

avoid certain topics fear of angering your partner?

feel that you can’t do anything right for your partner?

believe that you deserve to be hurt or mistreated?

wonder if you’re the one who is crazy?

feel emotionally numb or helpless?

Does your partner:

humiliate, criticize, or yell at you?
treat you so badly that you’re embarrassed for your friends or family to see?
ignore or put down your opinions or accomplishments?
blame you for his own abusive behavior?
see you as property or a sex object, rather than as a person?

Does your partner:

have a bad and unpredictable temper?

hurt you, or threaten to hurt or kill you?

threaten to take your children away or harm them?

threaten to commit suicide if you leave?

force you to have sex?

destroy your belongings?

Does your partner:

act excessively jealous and possessive?
control where you go or what you do?
keep you from seeing your friends or family?
limit your access to money, the phone, or the car?
constantly check up on you?

SAINT OF THE DAY -- May 23 - Saint Felix of Cantalice

Wysteria Blossom — Fri, 23 May 2008 14:12:00 GMT

May 23

St. Felix of Cantalice

(1515-1587)

Ass of the Capuchins

(his own nickname for himself)

He slept little and ate what came to hand.
He attended Mass every morning.
He had a great devotion to Our Lady.
He frequently recited the rosary, sometimes swept away in ecstasy, unable to finish the prayers.
He was acclaimed a saint by the people of Rome immediately after his death.

He received a vision of the Virgin Mary
during which he was allowed to hold the Christ Child in his arms.

Felix was the first Franciscan Capuchin ever canonized. In fact, when he was born, the Capuchins did not yet exist as a distinct group within the Franciscans.

Born of humble, God-fearing parents in the Rieti Valley, Felix worked as a farmhand and a shepherd until he was 28. He developed the habit of praying while he worked.

In 1543 he joined the Capuchins. When the guardian explained the hardships of that way of life, Felix answered: "Father, the austerity of your Order does not frighten me. I hope, with God’s help, to overcome all the difficulties which will arise from my own weakness."

Three years later Felix was assigned to the friary in Rome as its official beggar. Because he was a model of simplicity and charity, he edified many people during the 42 years he performed that service for his confreres.

As he made his rounds, he worked to convert hardened sinners and to feed the poor as did his good friend, St. Philip Neri, who founded the Oratory, a community of priests serving the poor of Rome. When Felix wasn’t talking on his rounds, he was praying the rosary. The people named him "Brother Deo Gratias" (thanks be to God) because he was always using that blessing.

When Felix was an old man, his superior had to order him to wear sandals to protect his health. Around the same time a certain cardinal offered to suggest to Felix’s superiors that he be freed of begging so that he could devote more time to prayer. Felix talked the cardinal out of that idea. Felix was canonized in 1712.

Comment:

Grateful people make good beggars. Francis told his friars that if they gave the world good example, the world would support them. Felix’s life proves the truth of that advice. In referring all blessings back to their source (God), Felix encouraged people to works of charity for the friars and for others.

Quote:

"And let us refer all good to the most high and supreme lord God, and acknowledge that every good is His, and thank Him for everything, [He] from Whom all good things come. And may He, the Highest and Supreme, Who alone is true God, have and be given and receive every honor and reverence, every praise and blessing, every thanks and glory, for every good is His, He Who alone is good. And when we see or hear an evil [person] speak or act or blaspheme God, let us speak well and act well and praise God (cf. Rm 12:21), Who is blessed forever (Rm 1:25)" (St. Francis, Rule of 1221, Ch. 17).

Prayer:

Almighty God,
you gave St Felix to the Seraphic Family and to the Church
as an example of evangelical simplicity and innocence of life.
Following his example, may we strive to love and joyfully
follow Christ alone,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. AMEN.

Source: American Catholic Organization

The Rosary is a powerful prayer!

Each lesson is only 10¢

God bless you!

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Joyful Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Sorrowful Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Glorious Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Luminous Mysteries

If you are a victim of domestic or sexual violence, please know that my husband and I pray for you every single night.

If you need immediate assistance, dial 911.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-SAFE OR (1-800-799-7233)

SIGNS OF AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP

Do you:

feel afraid of your partner much of the time?

avoid certain topics fear of angering your partner?

feel that you can’t do anything right for your partner?

believe that you deserve to be hurt or mistreated?

wonder if you’re the one who is crazy?

feel emotionally numb or helpless?

Does your partner:

humiliate, criticize, or yell at you?
treat you so badly that you’re embarrassed for your friends or family to see?
ignore or put down your opinions or accomplishments?
blame you for his own abusive behavior?
see you as property or a sex object, rather than as a person?

Does your partner:

have a bad and unpredictable temper?

hurt you, or threaten to hurt or kill you?

threaten to take your children away or harm them?

threaten to commit suicide if you leave?

force you to have sex?

destroy your belongings?

Does your partner:

act excessively jealous and possessive?
control where you go or what you do?
keep you from seeing your friends or family?
limit your access to money, the phone, or the car?
constantly check up on you?

SAINT OF THE DAY -- May 22 - Saint Rita of Cascia DOMESTIC ABUSE SURVIVOR

Wysteria Blossom — Fri, 23 May 2008 02:33:00 GMT

May 22

St. Rita of Cascia

(1381-1457)

Domestic Abuse Survivor

Patron Saint
of
Abuse Victims, Infertility, Loneliness, Sickness, Wounds,
Desperate, Forgotten, Lost and Impossible Causes,
Difficult Marriages, Parenthood and Widows.

Confined to her bed the last four years of her life, eating little more than the Eucharist, teaching and directing the younger sisters. Near the end she had a visitor from her home town who asked if she'd like anything; Rita's only request was a rose from her family's estate. The visitor went to the home, but it being January, knew there was no hope of finding a flower; there, sprouted on an otherwise bare bush, was a single rose blossom.

Like Elizabeth Ann Seton, Rita of Cascia was a wife, mother, widow and member of a religious community. Her holiness was reflected in each phase of her life.

Born at Roccaporena in central Italy, Rita wanted to become a nun but was pressured at a young age into marrying a harsh and cruel man. During her 18-year marriage, she bore and raised two sons. After her husband was killed in a brawl and her sons had died, Rita tried to join the Augustinian nuns in Cascia. Unsuccessful at first because she was a widow, Rita eventually succeeded.

Over the years, her austerity, prayerfulness and charity became legendary. When she developed wounds on her forehead, people quickly associated them with the wounds from Christ's crown of thorns. She meditated frequently on Christ's passion. Her care for the sick nuns was especially loving. She also counseled lay people who came to her monastery.

Beatified in 1626, Rita was not canonized until 1900. She has acquired the reputation, together with St. Jude, as a saint of impossible cases. Many people visit her tomb each year.

Daughter of Antonio and Amata Lotti; known as Peacemakers of Jesus, they had Rita late in life. From her early youth, Rita visited the Augustinian nuns at Cascia, and showed interest in a religious life. However, when she was twelve, her parents betrothed her to Paolo Mancini, an ill-tempered, abusive individual who worked as town watchman, and was dragged into the political disputes of the Guelphs and Ghibellines. Disappointed but obedient, Rita married him when she was 18, and was the mother of twin sons.

She put up with Paolo's abuses for eighteen years before he was ambushed and stabbed to death. Her sons swore vengeance on their father's killers, but through Rita's prayers and interventions, they forgave the offenders.

Upon the deaths of her sons, Rita again felt the call to religious life. However, some of the sisters at the Augustinian monastery were relatives of her husband's assassins, and she was denied entry for fear of causing dissension. Asking for the intervention of Saint John the Baptist, Saint Augustine of Hippo, and Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, she managed to bring the warring factions together, not completely, but sufficiently that there was peace, and she was admitted to the monastery of Saint Mary Magdalen at age 36.

Rita lived 40 years in the convent, spending her time in prayer and charity, and working for peace in the region. She was devoted to the Passion, and in response to a prayer to suffer as Christ, she received a chronic head wound that appeared to have been caused by a crown of thorns, and which bled for 15 years.

Confined to her bed the last four years of her life, eating little more than the Eucharist, teaching and directing the younger sisters. Near the end she had a visitor from her home town who asked if she'd like anything; Rita's only request was a rose from her family's estate. The visitor went to the home, but it being January, knew there was no hope of finding a flower; there, sprouted on an otherwise bare bush, was a single rose blossom.

Among the other areas, Rita is well-known as a patron of desperate, seemingly impossible causes and situations. This is because she has been involved in so many stages of life - wife, mother, widow, and nun, she buried her family, helped bring peace to her city, saw her dreams denied and fulfilled - and never lost her faith in God, or her desire to be with Him.

Comment:

Although we can easily imagine an ideal world in which to live out our baptismal vocation, such a world does not exist. An “If only ….” approach to holiness never quite gets underway, never produces the fruit that God has a right to expect.
Rita became holy because she made choices that reflected her Baptism and her growth as a disciple of Jesus. Her overarching, lifelong choice was to cooperate generously with God's grace, but many small choices were needed to make that happen. Few of those choices were made in ideal circumstances—not even when Rita became an Augustinian nun.

Quote:

For the Baptism of adults and for all the baptized at the Easter Vigil, three questions are asked: “Do you reject sin so as to live in the freedom of God's children? Do you reject the glamour of evil, and refuse to be mastered by sin? Do you reject Satan, father of sin and prince of darkness?”

Prayer:

Dear Rita, model Wife and Widow, you yourself suffered in a long illness showing patience out of love for God. Teach us to pray as you did. Many invoke you for help, full of confidence in your intercession. Deign to come now to our aid for the relief and cure of {name of sufferer}. To God, all things are possible; may this healing give glory to the Lord. Amen.

Holy Patroness of those in need, Saint Rita, you were humble, pure and patient. Your pleadings with your divine Spouse are irresistible, so please obtain for me from our risen Jesus the request I make of you: {mention your petition}. Be kind ot me for the greater glory of God, and I shall honor you and sing your praises forever. Glorious Saint Rita, you miraculously participated in the sorrowful passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Obtain for me now the grace to suffer with resignation the troubles of this life, and protect me in all my needs. Amen.

Hymn to Saint Rita of Cascia:

Come, virgins chaste; pure brides, draw near:
Let Earth exult and Heaven hear
The Hymn that grateful accents raise,
Our song of joy in Rita's praise.

By fast her sinless frame is weak;
Her livid flesh the scourges streak.
In pity for her Savior's woes,
Her days and even nights are closed.

The thorn-wound on her brow is shown,
The crimson rose in winter blown,
And full-ripe figs on frozen tree
At Rita's wish the wonders see.

The widowed spouse and wedded wife
The way to heaven see in her life;
The way secure our Rita trod,
In life's dim day, through paint o God.

Praise to the Father and the Son,
Praise to the Spirit, Three in One;
O grant us grace in heaven to reign
Through Rita's prayer and life-long pain.

Thou hast signed thy servant Rita
With the sign of thy Love and Passion.

O God! who didst deign to confer on Saint Rita for imitating Thee in love of her enemies, the favor of bearing her heart and brow the marks of Thy Love and Passion, grant we beseech Thee, that through her intercession and merit, we may, pierced by the thorns of compunction, ever contemplate the sufferings of Thy Passion, who livest and reignest forever and ever. Amen.

Source: American Catholic Organization

The Rosary is a powerful prayer!

Each lesson is only 10¢

God bless you!

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Joyful Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Sorrowful Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Glorious Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Luminous Mysteries

If you are a victim of domestic or sexual violence, please know that my husband and I pray for you every single night.

If you need immediate assistance, dial 911.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-SAFE OR (1-800-799-7233)

SIGNS OF AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP

Do you:

feel afraid of your partner much of the time?

avoid certain topics fear of angering your partner?

feel that you can’t do anything right for your partner?

believe that you deserve to be hurt or mistreated?

wonder if you’re the one who is crazy?

feel emotionally numb or helpless?

Does your partner:

humiliate, criticize, or yell at you?
treat you so badly that you’re embarrassed for your friends or family to see?
ignore or put down your opinions or accomplishments?
blame you for his own abusive behavior?
see you as property or a sex object, rather than as a person?

Does your partner:

have a bad and unpredictable temper?

hurt you, or threaten to hurt or kill you?

threaten to take your children away or harm them?

threaten to commit suicide if you leave?

force you to have sex?

destroy your belongings?

Does your partner:

act excessively jealous and possessive?
control where you go or what you do?
keep you from seeing your friends or family?
limit your access to money, the phone, or the car?
constantly check up on you?

SAINT OF THE DAY -- May 21 - Saint Cristóbal Magallanes and Companions

Wysteria Blossom — Wed, 21 May 2008 22:33:00 GMT

May 21

St. Cristóbal Magallanes and Companions

(d. 1915-1928)

"I am innocent and I die innocent. I forgive with all my heart those responsible for my death, and I ask God that the shedding of my blood serves toward the peace of our divided Mexico."

-Saint Cristobal just before his executioners fired

Like Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, S.J., Cristóbal and his 24 companion martyrs lived under a very anti-Catholic government in Mexico, one determined to weaken the Catholic faith of its people. Churches, schools and seminaries were closed; foreign clergy were expelled. Cristóbal established a clandestine seminary at Totatiche, Jalisco. Magallanes and the other priests were forced to minister secretly to Catholics during the presidency of Plutarco Calles (1924-28).

All of these martyrs except three were diocesan priests. David, Manuel and Salvador were laymen who died with their parish priest, Luis Batis. All of these martyrs belonged to the Cristero movement, pledging their allegiance to Christ and to the Church that he established to spread the Good News in society—even if Mexico's leaders once made it a crime to receive Baptism or celebrate the Mass.

These martyrs did not die as a single group but in eight Mexican states, with Jalisco and Zacatecas having the largest number. They were beatified in 1992 and canonized eight years later.

Comment:

Every martyr realizes how to avoid execution but refuses to pay the high price of doing so. A clear conscience was more valuable than a long life.
We may be tempted to compromise our faith while telling ourselves that we are simply being realistic, dealing with situations as we find them. Is survival really the ultimate value? Do our concrete, daily choices reflect our deepest values, the ones that allow us to “tick” the way we do?
Anyone can imagine situations in which being a follower of Jesus is easier than the present situation. Saints remind us that our daily choices, especially in adverse circumstances, form the pattern of our lives.

Quote:

During his homily at the canonization Mass on May 21, 2000, Pope John Paul II addressed the Mexican men, women and children present in Rome and said: “After the harsh trials that the Church endured in Mexico during those turbulent years, today Mexican Christians, encouraged by the witness of these witnesses to the faith, can live in peace and harmony, contribute the wealth of gospel values to society. The Church grows and advances, since she is the crucible in which many priestly and religious vocations are born, where families are formed according to God's plan, and where young people, a substantial part of the Mexican population, can grow with the hope of a better future. May the shining example of Cristóbal Magallanes and his companion martyrs help you to make a renewed commitment of fidelity to God, which can continue to transform Mexican society so that justice, fraternity and harmony will prevail among all.”

Prayer:

Father God, we thank You for martyrs like St. Christopher Magallanes, whose lives continue to inspire us to struggle, and if needed, to die for spreading the Good News of Your beloved Son. As Jesus Christ said, “Anyone who acknowledges me before others, I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father” (Mt.10:32-33). Lord, we pray for our misguided leaders who employ their authority in preventing others from “casting out demons in His Name.” Amen.

Source: American Catholic Organization

The Rosary is a powerful prayer!

Each lesson is only 10¢

God bless you!

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Joyful Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Sorrowful Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Glorious Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Luminous Mysteries

If you are a victim of domestic or sexual violence, please know that my husband and I pray for you every single night.

If you need immediate assistance, dial 911.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-SAFE OR (1-800-799-7233)

SIGNS OF AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP

Do you:

feel afraid of your partner much of the time?

avoid certain topics fear of angering your partner?

feel that you can’t do anything right for your partner?

believe that you deserve to be hurt or mistreated?

wonder if you’re the one who is crazy?

feel emotionally numb or helpless?

Does your partner:

humiliate, criticize, or yell at you?
treat you so badly that you’re embarrassed for your friends or family to see?
ignore or put down your opinions or accomplishments?
blame you for his own abusive behavior?
see you as property or a sex object, rather than as a person?

Does your partner:

have a bad and unpredictable temper?

hurt you, or threaten to hurt or kill you?

threaten to take your children away or harm them?

threaten to commit suicide if you leave?

force you to have sex?

destroy your belongings?

Does your partner:

act excessively jealous and possessive?
control where you go or what you do?
keep you from seeing your friends or family?
limit your access to money, the phone, or the car?
constantly check up on you?

SAINT OF THE DAY -- May 20 - Saint Bernardine of Siena

Wysteria Blossom — Wed, 21 May 2008 20:33:00 GMT

May 20

St. Bernardine of Siena

(1380-1444)

Patron Saint
of
Advertising, Respiratory Problems, Gambling Addictions, Public Relations and Italy

His preaching skills were so great, and the conversions so numerous, that he has become associated with all areas of speaking, advertising, public relations, etc.

Most of the saints suffer great personal opposition, even persecution. Bernardine, by contrast, seems more like a human dynamo who simply took on the needs of the world.

He was the greatest preacher of his time, journeying across Italy, calming strife-torn cities, attacking the paganism he found rampant, attracting crowds of 30,000, following St. Francis’s admonition to preach about “vice and virtue, punishment and glory.”

Compared with St. Paul by the pope, Bernardine had a keen intuition of the needs of the time, along with solid holiness and boundless energy and joy. He accomplished all this despite having a very weak and hoarse voice, miraculously improved later because of his devotion to Mary.

When he was 20, the plague was at its height in his hometown, Siena. Sometimes as many as 20 people died in one day at the hospital. Bernardine offered to run the hospital and, with the help of other young men, nursed patients there for four months. He escaped the plague but was so exhausted that a fever confined him for several months. He spent another year caring for a beloved aunt (her parents had died when he was a child) and at her death began to fast and pray to know God’s will for him.

At 22, he entered the Franciscan Order and was ordained two years later. For almost a dozen years he lived in solitude and prayer, but his gifts ultimately caused him to be sent to preach. He always traveled on foot, sometimes speaking for hours in one place, then doing the same in another town.

Especially known for his devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, Bernardine devised a symbol—IHS, the first three letters of the name of Jesus in Greek, in Gothic letters on a blazing sun. This was to displace the superstitious symbols of the day, as well as the insignia of factions (for example, Guelphs and Ghibellines). The devotion spread, and the symbol began to appear in churches, homes and public buildings. Opposition arose from those who thought it a dangerous innovation. Three attempts were made to have the pope take action against him, but Bernardine’s holiness, orthodoxy and intelligence were evidence of his faithfulness.

General of a branch of the Franciscan Order, the Friars of the Strict Observance, he strongly emphasized scholarship and further study of theology and canon law. When he started there were 300 friars in the community; when he died there were 4,000. He returned to preaching the last two years of his life, dying while traveling.

Comment:

Another dynamic saint once said, “...I will not be a burden, for I want not what is yours, but you.... I will most gladly spend and be utterly spent for your sakes” (2 Corinthians 12:14). There is danger that we see only the whirlwind of activity in the Bernardines of faith—taking care of the sick, preaching, studying, administering, always driving—and forget the source of their energy. We should not say that Bernardine could have been a great contemplative if he had had the chance. He had the chance, every day, and he took it.

Prayer:

Dear Saint of the Franciscan Order, you were a tireless preacher of God's Saving Word. By your growing love for Jesus you spread that love all around, advertising his Holy Name. Be kind to advertisers in our frantic times. Make them broadcast only what is true and what can serve the well-being of humankind, while doing all for the glory of God. Amen.

Source: American Catholic Organization

The Rosary is a powerful prayer!

Each lesson is only 10¢

God bless you!

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Joyful Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Sorrowful Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Glorious Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Luminous Mysteries

If you are a victim of domestic or sexual violence, please know that my husband and I pray for you every single night.

If you need immediate assistance, dial 911.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-SAFE OR (1-800-799-7233)

SIGNS OF AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP

Do you:

feel afraid of your partner much of the time?

avoid certain topics fear of angering your partner?

feel that you can’t do anything right for your partner?

believe that you deserve to be hurt or mistreated?

wonder if you’re the one who is crazy?

feel emotionally numb or helpless?

Does your partner:

humiliate, criticize, or yell at you?
treat you so badly that you’re embarrassed for your friends or family to see?
ignore or put down your opinions or accomplishments?
blame you for his own abusive behavior?
see you as property or a sex object, rather than as a person?

Does your partner:

have a bad and unpredictable temper?

hurt you, or threaten to hurt or kill you?

threaten to take your children away or harm them?

threaten to commit suicide if you leave?

force you to have sex?

destroy your belongings?

Does your partner:

act excessively jealous and possessive?
control where you go or what you do?
keep you from seeing your friends or family?
limit your access to money, the phone, or the car?
constantly check up on you?

SAINT OF THE DAY -- May 19 - Saint Theophilus of Corte

Wysteria Blossom — Wed, 21 May 2008 17:33:00 GMT

May 19

St. Theophilus of Corte

(1676-1740)

"Friend of God"

If we expect saints to do marvelous things continually and to leave us many memorable quotes, we are bound to be disappointed with St. Theophilus. The mystery of God's grace in a person's life, however, has a beauty all its own.

Theophilus was born in Corsica of rich and noble parents. As a young man he entered the Franciscans and soon showed his love for solitude and prayer. After admirably completing his studies, he was ordained and assigned to a retreat house near Subiaco. Inspired by the austere life of the Franciscans there, he founded other such houses in Corsica and Tuscany. Over the years, he became famous for his preaching as well as his missionary efforts.

Though he was always somewhat sickly, Theophilus generously served the needs of God's people in the confessional, in the sickroom and at the graveside. Worn out by his labors, he died on June 17, 1740. He was canonized in 1930.

Comment:

There is a certain dynamism in all the saints that prompts them to find ever more selfless ways of responding to God's grace. As time went on, Theophilus gave more and more singlehearted service to God and to God's sons and daughters. Honoring the saints will make no sense unless we are thus drawn to live as generously as they did. Their holiness can never substitute for our own.

Quote:

Francis used to say, "Let us begin, brothers, to serve the Lord God, for up to now we have made little or no progress." (1 Celano, #193).

Source: American Catholic Organization

The Rosary is a powerful prayer!

Each lesson is only 10¢

God bless you!

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Joyful Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Sorrowful Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Glorious Mysteries

Learn to pray the Rosary--The Luminous Mysteries

If you are a victim of domestic or sexual violence, please know that my husband and I pray for you every single night.

If you need immediate assistance, dial 911.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-SAFE OR (1-800-799-7233)

SIGNS OF AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP

Do you:

feel afraid of your partner much of the time?

avoid certain topics fear of angering your partner?

feel that you can’t do anything right for your partner?

believe that you deserve to be hurt or mistreated?

wonder if you’re the one who is crazy?

feel emotionally numb or helpless?

Does your partner:

humiliate, criticize, or yell at you?
treat you so badly that you’re embarrassed for your friends or family to see?
ignore or put down your opinions or accomplishments?
blame you for his own abusive behavior?
see you as property or a sex object, rather than as a person?

Does your partner:

have a bad and unpredictable temper?

hurt you, or threaten to hurt or kill you?

threaten to take your children away or harm them?

threaten to commit suicide if you leave?

force you to have sex?

destroy your belongings?

Does your partner:

act excessively jealous and possessive?
control where you go or what you do?
keep you from seeing your friends or family?
limit your access to money, the phone, or the car?
constantly check up on you?